Dragon Point, Intercoastal Waterway, Florida, USA

We are both dozing about 6am but struggling due to buzzing near our ears. We switch on the light to find little thunderfly- type insects all over the cabin ceiling. Yuck, even worse these little black flies bite with such a sharp bite you can feel it straightaway. We both jump out of bed. We can only imagine that they have come in through the flyscreens that we have fitted. We knew being so close to a mangrove which was literally buzzing with insects was not going to be a good thing and had been tormented out of the cockpit very early on the night before.

          Leaving Vero Beach

We decide as we have paid up already to make use of the early start and get straight out before it gets too hot. It is a little overcast and with a light breeze so we even manage to motorsail. I decide to make a start with my spring clean before Alex and Sean arrive in a weeks time with a clean of the saloon cushions whilst we are motoring as these jobs are unbearable when the sun is out. Kevin sets to as well on polishing the guard wires.

Pelicans relaxing on the convenient resting posts provided

Pelicans relaxing on the convenient resting posts provided

Little islets in the ICW provide a nature haven

It is another lovely cruise in the ICW, it is so relaxing and it is like being in a wildlife park. We have our first confirmed manatee sightings, it is difficult to spot them as the water is quite murky with the sediment all you see if the oval of their back and then a fin as they disappear, but I am thrilled anyway, I have always wanted to see one. The only disturbance of the ICW is those people on large speedboats who pass within yards at full speed leaving us with a full short beam on swell causing us to roll. One comes by just after I pass Kevin his morning expresso, he is too busy trying to turn us into it to steady the cup and it all goes flying everywhere as I try to grab things in the saloon. I have to confess I called the boat up on the VHF to berate him afterwards, but got no response. It wasn’t even a bunch of young lads like you might expect but 2 older couples, perhaps they thought it was like overtaking on a road?!

Dolphins regularly pass us in the ICW

We have now passed under several fixed span bridges, the average height is 65ft and they have a helpful gauge on the supports giving the actual clearance plus / minus tide. The first couple of times are nerve wracking but after that we become quite blaze.

US courtesy flag now proudly flying on Invincible

We anchored up in a small subchannel near a place called Dragon Point though the fibreglass dragon is now no more than green marks on the rocks. We see a stingray fully clear the water just behind the boat, the second we have seen jump like that, followed shortly by a manatee. It is a lovely spot, again surrounded by luxury houses.

Dragon Point Anchorage

You can just make out the manatee, Dragon Point Anchorage

I decide to go ashore to get the milk we forgot from the mall I can see just ashore and head into the marina. I visit the Ship’s Store out of courtesy for using their dingy dock and find that they have engine spares. They have Volvo, but again not the ones we need. The owner warns me that I am not allowed to leave my dingy on the dock as they have had a lawsuit after a trip and fall incident as he calls it. Obviously I don’t know the details but if he can really be sued someone for tripping on the free courtesy dingy dock it seems like litigation gone mad. He informs me that the only place I can get ashore now is to pull it up a grassy bank along the shore. There is one dingy already there, but it is a steep overgrown bank and a Private Property sign is just the other side of the bush from this spot, so it is the bottom of someone’s garden. I decide it doesn’t look too inviting in shorts and flip flops and there are big black clouds forming, I wonder if the person suing thought about that…

 

Not long after I return, the huge squall hits, visibility drops so we can hardly see the shore and waves form across the whole ICW as strong winds gust around the boat. You can hardly imagine that the sun was shining 5 minutes before. We settle down for a film in the evening ready to get another early start, with any luck to get us all the way to Titusville.

Dragon Point anchorage during the squall

Dragon Point anchorage during the squall

Vero Beach, Intercoastal Waterway (ICW), Florida, USA

I called NASA in the morning (as you do!) and asked about the closures but the lady in the press office did not sound very convincing or authoritative “ should think”, “I’d imagine” etc. We decide not risk our chance of a lifetime to see the shuttle launch and decide to head up the ICW, as anywhere north of here we will see it’s trajectory. However we are aiming to get to Titusville, security restrictions allowing, where we should be able to see the launch pad. We decide to take the 60 miles in 3 hops, the first to Vero Beach which although only 12 miles away has been frequently recommended.

Fort Pierce lifting bridge

Our first ICW trip, “down the ditch” as it is sometime known is coinciding with my parents first fulltime week of cruising the UK canals and it seems oddly appropriate. The first half a mile starts with our first challenge though, a lifting bridge, we have the VHF on but fail to catch the one boat going through making their request. In the end I call them on Ch. 16 and am politely informed by someone to go to Ch. 9. The friendly bridge attendant informs me that they are an on request bridge (as opposed to timed opening) and if we’d like to come up he’ll let us through. It is perhaps unfairly quite a fun feeling having all the traffic stop to let you through and quite a queue has formed by the time we reach the other side and the bridge has dropped again with a friendly wave from the man in the little windowed box.

Luxury homes line the ICW

First trial over we settle down to a fantastic cruise down the waterway. The ICW is over 3000 miles long including the Gulf coast route west of Miami. The Atlantic route goes from north of Maine to Florida and is actually miles wide in parts and not like a man made canal but actually lots of connected natural waterways. The route we took was about 3 miles wide or more most of the way bordered by mangroves one side and beautiful enormous villas hidden in the woods on the other. There were lots of small boats with one or two people on board fishing over the side. It is a fantastic wildlife haven we saw dolphins regularly through the day, in small groups of 1-3 moving quite slowly, I think of a different perhaps harbour variety. We saw about 3 osprey, dozens of pelicans, mostly reclining on channel markers, a lone flamingo, cormorants diving and lots of fish jumping.

People out fishing between the mangroves in the ICW

We arrived just before lunch at Vero Beach City marina, in a beautiful spot up a small channel off the ICW. There was not a ripple on the water and it was really peaceful, except for the loud crickets in the mangroves just infront of our mooring which showed signs of many bugs for the evening. We got the dingy down for the first time in a couple of weeks and went to check in. We quickly disposed of rubbish and took a shower before jumping on the next free bus into town which comes right into the marina. The bus is excellent and drops you right outside the supermarket, we made our donation. We decided to head to lunch first and found a deli just opposite. We were both starving and were pleased to find nearly every table taken even on a midweek day at 1.30pm. Our waitress told us that we should take our time over the huge menu. I had a vegetable reuben wrap served with fresh fruit and Kevin a pastrami and corned beef (of the American variety not like the stuff in tins from the UK) sandwich, both of which were absolutely delicious. It was also the best service you can imagine, the manager even came to introduce himself and welcome us to the area.

Invincible in the ICW

Next we went to West Marine and bought another fan! (You can see a theme here), this one with an internal battery which means we can use it in our cabin which charges from 12v and 240v or we can use batteries. We also belatedly managed to get our US courtesy flag, though we got a really well made sewn not printed one to make up for it. Finally we headed to the supermarket, where we were again overwhelmed by choice and stocked up again on fresh fruit and vegetables. We went out to get the last bus back, only to be offered a lift by a lovely older couple leaving at the same time in the rain. They were ex-cruisers themselves and recognised the signs of us waiting for the bus. We had a lovely chat about the 10-15 years they’d spent cruising their boat from their previous home in New York to the Virgin Islands before they sold it in the 80’s.

Invincible in the ICW

Kevin unpacked the shopping whilst I went back ashore to make use of the bookswap in the air conditioned Captain’s lounge in the marina with TV and free phone – surely the best marina we have been to anywhere, with immaculate facilities and helpful staff. Finally we sat back for a quiet night with a book and a cool sleep under the new fan!

      Picnic area at Vero Beach City Marina

Fort Pierce Anchorage, Florida, USA

We get an early start for our ocean sail along the Gulf Stream to Fort Pierce of 49 miles. The sun is shining bright already but there is a lovely breeze and we enjoy looking at the fabulous houses along the entrance. We see an osprey sat on one of the channel markers before we even get out on to the ocean.

Beautiful houses line the waterway

Osprey surveys the waters from starboard channel marker

We are able to put up full sail for the first time in months and have one of our best sails ever on flat calm waters with a steady breeze and the Gulf Stream in our favour giving us 6-9 knots over ground all the way. The water is literally alive with fish with ripples all over of them breaking the surface and fish sometimes very large clearing the surface in escape from predators. This is also demonstrated by the large number of fishing boats around. We are only about 2 miles offshore and all the smaller ~20-30ft craft are near us and on the horizon Kevin counts 30 plus sports fishing boats out on the ocean shelf contour for the big fish. However, it certainly doesn’t seem to be having any effect of fish numbers. Kevin puts out lines in the water but we only only manage a Spanish mackerel, the lures we have for the small inshore fish are not really designed for this boat speed.

Invincible under full sail at long last

It is not long before Kevin spots the first loggerhead turtle fairly close to the boat and easily identifiable by it’s size being double the size of those we have seen in the Caribbean. Kevin is also the one to spot a large shape break the surface of the water and shouts me to come and see but I am not quick enough. We later work out from various posters in the area that this must be one of the protected Right Whales which breed along this coastline, recognisable from the lack of a dorsal fin. A manta ray then chooses the moment I go back below about an hour later to glide past the slide of the boat as Kevin futilely shouts me to come back on deck. We have never seen such a variety and abundance of life on one trip before and realise how luck the people of Florida are to have the Gulf Stream on their doorsteps.

Arriving at Fort Pierce

We arrived in Fort Pierce early afternoon and took a spot in the anchorage outside the marina and in front of the lifting bridge. We were amused to see Jason another cruiser we met in Riviera Beach moored nearby, though he wasn’t onboard. Fairly soon after anchoring the squall which had been threatening with strong winds and black skies hits so we retire inside for some food. We managed to get an internet connection and decided to check the NASA site for launch updates as our next ocean hop would take us to the Port Canaveral entrance and I was worried by previous reports it might be shut from a couple of days before the launch. I find the website and read the press release about the closures. It seems that the security restrictions started on Tuesday, 4 days before the launch and it is really unclear whether the Port Canaveral entrance (lifting bridge and locks) are operating. The detour if they aren’t is massive, there is also talk of an exclusion zone in the ocean 64 nm out to sea. We decide to call NASA in the morning to confirm and may take the “inside” route up the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) instead to get as close as we can.

Escorted in by Pelicans

Kevin goes out on deck after dark and calls me out, we can hear the distinct sound of something breaking the water and breathing. It sounds like either manatees or dolphins. I hope it is a manatee which I would love to see, such beautiful and innocent looking creatures.

West Palm Beach Anchorage, Florida, USA

We are up early to try and get everything done before we need to leave the marina at lunchtime. We plan to go to the anchorage in the ICW by the Lake Worth exit before an early start tomorrow morning.

Kevin has the engine services to do and I need to go to the supermarket for a few things we forgot last time as it is likely to be a few days before we stop anywhere for long. I head out on the bus and am lucky enough to get one as soon as I get to the bus stop. I am also desperately hoping to find a hairdressers as I have been promising myself a new hairdo for months as soon as we got to the States. I am looking more and more like a surfer chick with bleached highlights and straggly ends, but we have been here a week and I have still not managed it. When I get to the mall there is one hairdresser there but it is empty except the elderly black guy hairdresser and looks like an old fashioned barbers shop, I decide this is probably not the place for my makeover and head to the supermarket.

I arrive back to find Kevin up to his waist in the engine bay in the direct sun with a slight breeze literally dripping. I swab him down and start to work myself. I get a trolley and go to fetch the diesel and pay up for the slip. The lady in the office say I must get an attendant to help fill the jerry cans (the fuel jetty is being renovated), he however starts the pump and retires into the shade leaving me to it. Very sensible it is scorching hot. When I get back Kevin has finished the engine service and I walk back along the pontoons to dispose of the oil waste. The disposal facility is right at the back of the huge warehouse of powerboats stored in the rack storage facility, looking pristine, definitely a really good way to keep a seldom used boat. Water is topped off and Invincible washed down.

West Palm Beach Anchorage

We then head back in to have a shower before we hand in the key for the marina, the showers are air-conditioned and it forms our favourite part of the day as you get a little bathroom area to use and we finally cool down after all the running around. We go to the marina office to see if our post has arrived and are pleased to head back to the boat with our parcels. We check the contents all charts and books are there and I make my sixth and last walk down the pontoons that day to hand in the key. We move easily off the mooring and breath a sigh of relief to get onto the anchorage. The ICW is really wide at this point and we are south of Peanut Island with beautiful villas overlooking us and flat calm waters. A squall passes over and reduces the temperature again before we get an early night.

West Palm Beach Anchorage

Riviera Beach City Marina, Florida, USA

As it was Monday today we could start again with some boat jobs, now America had reopened after the 4th celebrations. I was supposed to be going up the mast, but after days of sweltering without even a breeze today was quite windy so we delayed that job. The other important job was to sort out our Furuno warranty issue and we spoke to Karen our broker at MI Cats who confirmed we were still covered and will chase it up, but we have holidays of the customer service rep at FP and French Bank Holidays coming up etc to cope with so we are not expecting resolution before we move on.

The next job was to order paper and electronic charts for the east coast of the US as well as pilot books. Our electronic charts don’t even cover us as far as our next port of call, so we can’t really leave without them as we have nothing to cover the area. Paper charts are also a must with all the lightning storms in the area. Finally after speaking to David at Blue Water Books in Fort Lauderdale we settle on the Maptech Pilot books which we need only two volumes of to get us all the way to New York. We have a bit more to-and fro over the paper charts as we wanted Admiralty, not least as they are in metric and we know the symbols but they don’t have those in stock. David seems a little affronted I don’t want the American NOAA charts and eventually I am persuaded as we can get them straightaway.

Next stop is the chandlery up the road which according to the never ending internet searching stocks Volvo Penta parts so we can get oil filters. We arrive to find they have only petrol engine parts, not diesel so those will have to stay on the list for now. We have enough to do the service the next day but then will not have spares. We are far more successful at the next chandlery when Kevin triumphantly walks up to me with a Seagull filter (drinking water filter) off the shelf. I had assured him repeatedly after internet searching West Marine and the manufacturer’s website and even calling them for the nearest stockist that we would not find any locally! We stocked up on various cleaning agents and also a 12V fan to try to counteract the heat. Whilst we are out Cal calls to say he is coming over so we head back to the boat.

Cal comes by and he and Kevin march around Invincible having rigging / fit out discussions (as Cal has an Fountaine Pajot catamaran too). We have a beer and say our goodbyes as we are planning to head north the following day. We are really keen to see the shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral on 11th July and we have realised how close that is getting.

Finally, Kevin wants to have his last Tiki bar burger before we go and it apparently rates as the best he has had so far so he is happy. I have the shrimp salad again and it is luscious with fresh pineapple, asparagus, artichokes, almonds, olives etc etc.

Riviera Beach City Marina, Florida, USA

The party mood continued around the marina today, the campers at Peanut Island were a little quieter but determined to continue the celebrations until work beckoned. The Stars and Stripes were still out in force.

Stars and Stripes out in force  Campers on Peanut Island

We were also feeling a little subdued today and didn’t venture off the boat. We decided we were not feeling up to the Tiki bar invitation and instead just caught up on a few internet jobs and reading.

Happy 4th! American Independence Day

The main job today was to find a grocery store / supermarket to get some supplies for the boat and to take with us to the July 4th party we were attending in the afternoon. We set off out of the marina and by the corner of the street we were already drenched with sweat from the humidity and I remembered that the buses weren’t running. The supermarket was two miles away and we weren’t even sure it would be open. We decided to head back to the marina to find someone to ask. I approached the water sports hut and said “We are not from round here I wonder if I could ask a quick question”, only to get a response in an English accent to say, “no I’m not either!” It turned out that he had actually been here for 2-3 years and assured us we would find the supermarket open, we decided for the first time to get a taxi there and he called one for us. Being driven to the supermarket in a leather seated Lincoln Continental with full aircon was a luxury I’m not sure we can afford every trip, but it was very nice.

We did go a bit mad at the supermarket particularly on fresh fruit which we’ve not been able to find reliably since the Canary Islands. We filled our shopping trolley /cart to the brim and I was even asked for ID to buy the beer we bought for the party by the friendly shop assistant. Once back at the boat we unpacked and gorged on several pounds of an enormous watermelon which became our lunch and was a welcome refreshment in the heat.

  We got a call from Cal to say that a guy called Bill also in the West Palm Yacht Club would pick us for the party as he was coming to the Tiki Bar for a drink first. Bill duly called at about 3pm and we went round to meet him and friend Stephanie at the bar. They were both fairly new arrivals to Florida and the club and hadn’t joined the 4th raft party before. We had a good chat and they came back to look at Invincible whilst we picked up our party food and then headed off to the Yacht Club just up the road. Bill took us across in his dingy to Cal & Marty’s boat which was already rafted to two others, where Stephanie and I got off and Kevin and Bill went off to bring Bill’s boat over. Unfortunately this also entailed getting ice and fuel for the dingy and by the time Kevin came back he was quite sunburnt and hot from running around in the heat still he was quickly refreshed by Cal and Marty our excellent hosts.  Debating the mast climbMarty relaxing on deck

  Kevin joins the winching working partyCal decides sensibly that the spreaders is far enough!    

Cal back safe and sound

Cal & Marty

I think there were 5 boats in the raft in the end and probably 30 people by the evening, quite a mixed bunch of sailors and non-sailors. It was a really fun afternoon and evening. Cal being a professional photographer volunteered to go up the mast in the afternoon to get a shot of everyone. There was alot of wake /  swell in the bay and it was quite a rolly and sobering experience I think for his first mast climb. Luckily he returned to the deck safe and sound. We had a few jibes about being English at an American Independence party, it was all taken in good humour and Kevin just replied that without the English there wouldn’t be the party! Everyone congregated on the foredeck / trampolines for the fireworks at 9.30pm which were spectacular though we were a little far away to hear all the bangs. We really enjoyed meeting everyone, especially Cal & Marty who we got on well with and will be meeting again before we leave the area. We’ve also been invited to the Tiki Bar at 3pm on Sunday to meet another cruising couple… there is a bit of an alcohol theme forming already in our US stay I think!

Watching the fireworks