North Miami, FL

We arrived in Miamia this afternoon after battling the Gulf Stream all night. Apparantly, it comes closer to shore than the charts indicate. So after truding along we decided to head into the Ft. Lauderdale inlet and trek down the ICW again. However, we had many bascule bridges to condend with so it was a slow go. We did make it to an anchorage north of the Goverment Cut into Miami. We will probably be able to see the New Year's Eve fireworks from here without all the craziness of the downtown anchorge. It is really beautiful in here and we hope to do some exploring in the morning. We may not even make it to midnight though since our overnighter last night took it's toll on us. We did have an awesome steak for dinner and we even treated ourselves to our favorite wine, Il Ducale Ruffino. Pictures and more to come later. Happy New Year to all!

Visiting Vero

After leaving our anchorage yesterday (just 4 or so north of Vero), we headed into Vero Beach Municipal Marina to fuel up before heading to Miami. Since the day was beautiful and the place looked pretty good, we decided to take a mooring for the night (at a whopping $10.66 +tx). It is expected that boats will be rafted here, but we were assigned a free mooring. We took the free bus right from the marina to the shopping center a couple of miles away. After walking around a couple of hours (and sweating our butts off!) we headed back to the bus. When we realized the bus would also take us to beach, we stayed on and headed to the ocean. It was awesome and we could've hung out there all day. However, by the time we got there it was already after 1500. We checked out the waterfront and stopped in Mulligans for a drink overlooking the ocean. It is just beautiful here! (Be sure to see our comical pictures from beach!)

We arrived back at the boat just in time to see a sailboat heading over to raft up to us on the mooring. We hurred back to help them and everything went smoothly. The couple from Seattle on Spirit, Lane and Marilyn took a tour of our boat and then invited us over to their boat where we were offered a glass of wine. A couple hours later (cruiser's midnight to be exact, we headed back to our boat). We hadn't realized that it was so late and we hadn't even had dinner (except for an assortment of delicious nuts). Michele went to bed anyway, because she didn't really mind skipping a meal after eating so much over the holidays. Steve opened a can of chili before retiring.

This morning, we took our time securing the boat and shoving off. We plan to head out at Fort Pierce Inlet to sail overnight to Miami. So hopefully we will be in Miami by tomorrow afternoon. We will update our position if we get a connection. We should be close enough to shore because we don't want to run into the gulf stream which is only 17 miles offshore. That would make heading south just a little more difficult in the northern gulf stream current!

Pictures at: http://www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=102133856

email Michele if you need permission to view photos mpapile@papile.net .

Vero Beach, FL

We left Titusville yesterday afternoon and travelled approximately 20 miles along the ICW to a little south of Cocoa Beach. When we first left the marina, we were followed by a couple of very aggressive birds. After a while there was a whole flock of them. I thought they were going to fly right into the cockpit, but they were dive bombing into the water just behind the boat. It was a little creepy. We must have been stirring up something good (or maybe they just liked the smell because we just pumped out at the marina before we left). We had to slow down to wait for a bascule bridge to open and then he birds lost interest and left us.

It was a short, easy day since we didn't even leave the marina until almost noon (after Steve readyed the boat and I photographed the manatee). We were both tired and just wanted to head out of Titusville and get more south (we're obsessed). We wanted to hop outside but it didn't make any sense because with 15 to 20 knt. south winds right on the nose we wouldn't be able to sail anyway. Plus the seas were going to be 3 - 6 feet depending on how far offshore we went, and there no sense enduring that when we don't have to. Today, was pretty much the same except the south winds were a little lighter. We may go into Vero Beach tomorrow or we may just keep going. At some point we may hop out of the ICW and do a quick jump to Miami, if the winds and seas are favorable. Otherwise, we will be taking our sweet time. The weather is awesome now (yeah), and that is one of the reasons we're doing this trip.

After leaving our anchorage this morning around 0800 today, we travelled about 46 miles along a very scenic part of the ICW. We saw lots of dolphins and Steve even saw a manatee or two (again, I cannot confirm the manatee sightings :). I do have pictures of the dolphins though.

Aren't you glad we're back at the helm? It's good to be on the move again. Thanks for following along with us.

Pictures at: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=249622487/a=102133856_102133856/t_=102133856

(if you want to see pictures but can't please email Michele at mpapile@papile.net .

Back at the Boat

We arrived back at the Titusville Municipal Marina yesterday afternoon. Beth and Caroline accompanied us back to the boat, and Beth was very reluctant to leave. We had an awesome week at the Miller household. Of course, Christmas with 4 kids was very over stimulating, but we had a blast. There certainly was never a dull moment.
See pictures at: (http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=249610193/a=102133856_102133856/t_=102133856) NOTE: If you don't have permission to see the pictures and would like to, please let me know and I will add your email address to the album mpapile@papile.net .

Christmas eve we went to dinner at Tom's brother's house. Tammy made an excellent soup, salad and stuffed shells. We brought eggplant and chicken parmigiana. It was a great night, but the kids were already exhausted before they even went to bed. Nathan and Ginny came into Ashley's room (where I was sleeping) at 4:00 a.m. to tell her that Santa had come. I shooed them out since their mom said they couldn't open anything until 6:00 a.m. anyway. It was a present frenzy after that! We had an excellent brunch and Michele and Steve made a turkey dinner while the Miller's went to Gram and Pa's house for more presents and dinner. At 7:00 p.m. we had a most excellent turkey dinner (which Michele and Steve insisted upon since we couldn't cook a turkey on the boat). So Beth and Tom had two Christmas dinners (sounds like our day on Thanksgiving).

Steve and I splurged and bought ourselves dive equipment for Christmas. So now we have everything except our own tanks, which we hope to pick up used along the way to the Keys.

So today we are finishing readying the boat for our departure south. We were going to hop outside of the ICW and head straight to Miami, but the winds will be right on the nose as they are coming from the SE until Monday. With opposing winds and seas 3 to 4 close to shore and 5 to 6 20 knots out, we decided to do the ICW for at least another day. More to come later. Gotta go, we're shipping out.

Titusville, FL

We arrived in Titusville at approximately 1530 on Monday. Again lots of beautiful scenery and dophin appearances. We had dinner with Dennis and Trudy on their boat. Trudy did an excellent Mexican cuisine with enchiladas and tostitoes with homemade salsa and guocamole and refried beans. Everything was delicious. We didn't get back to our boat until almost 2300 which was well past cruisers midnight. Those Groom's are a bad influence on us (like we need anyone to twist our arms). Yesterday we explored Titusville and walked a couple of miles to the Publix grocery store. We opted to take a bus back which proved to be quite interesting and LONG. We took the scenic route. Between the wait for the bus and the actual ride we could have walked back to the Marina, dinghyed out to our boat, put the groceries away and had lunch. But it was fun!

Steve and I decided to get a slip at the Marina for a week and go to the Miller's house (Michele's sister) for Christmas. Beth and the kids will come to the boat on Friday afternoon and sleep over. We'll tour the Kennedy Space Station at Cape Canaveral on Saturday and then head back to Lutz (just north of Tampa) to spend the holidays. And we don't even have to rent a car :). Since the weather has finally warmed up (yesterday 80 degrees), we decided it's okay to stay here for a few days. Titusville is also the shortest distance to Tampa, so it's a great place to hook up the with family and spend Christmas.

After showering at the Marina we saw a manatee just floating around the docks (I imagine it was asleep). There were also tons of fish swimming around and a dolphin even came in for visit. I'm so surprised that they come right into the marina and just hang around between the boats in slips.

Today we are just hanging out at an Internet Cafe. Trudy and Dennis have friends they are meeting in town today and then heading out tomorrow. We will be sad to part company with them, but we're hopeful to run into them in the Bahamas.

In case I don't write for a few days, hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Happy Birthday Joseph

Heading to Titusville, FL

This morning we left Daytona Beach and we are heading to Titusville which is approximately 10 miles north of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. We spent the day ashore yesterday checking out Daytona. It was beautiful, but like a ghost town. Not much was open along the main strip. When we strayed a little off the beat and path, we found some not-so-nice areas. Luckily there were 4 of us. After walking around most of the day, we settled down at Carribean Jack's for happy hour cocktails. At around 4 we headed back to our boat and Dennis and Trudy went to their boat. Michele made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner and then off to bed around 9:30.

Of course, Dennis was up at the crack of dawn (he used to have a farm) and left the anchorage before us. We headed out around 7:50 to catch an 8:15 bridge opening. At that point we caught up to and passed Rapscallion II. There is quite the parade of boats going down the ICW together today. We've had at least 30 dolphin sightings. Of course, it's very difficult to time the picture when they come up for air. But they have been swimming all around the boat today. We also had a our first flamingo sighting, but we're still waiting to see an alligator and a manatee (although Steve says he saw one the day before yesterday, but I can not confirm that!)

We are now below latitude 29 and the cabin temperature is 74 degrees. The sun just started to make an appearance this afternoon and it is pretty warm, YEAH! I haven't worn shorts yet, but Steve has. I'm glad I hung in there, and we're finally getting the weather we came for.

Daytona Beach, FL

We did a ton of miles today and made it all the way to Daytona Beach. It's a tad warner here. When we arrived it was after sunset, but we had a little light left to anchor. We picked the first anchorage we came to in our Skipper Bob's book. We ran aground when we first came in (becoming the story of our lives), but we were able to shove off and find enough water to anchor. Shortly after we anchored, a holiday flotilla passed right by our anchorage. You can check out the pictures within the next couple of days when I post them. This was the latest (1730 - 5:30) we arrived at an anchorage and Steve was a nervous wreck. We did attempt to anchor earlier, but there really wasn't anywhere that had enough water. We tried anchoring where we saw another couple of boats a few of miles north of here, and ended up going aground. So we pressed on, and here we are in Daytona. We saw lots of dolphins today and Steve even had a manatee sighting. I missed it though. The houses along this stretch were amazing too.

After anchoring we noticed another sailboat enter the anchorage (after dark) and Michele thought that it was Rapscallion, but didn't follow up because the flotilla started coming through. After the flotilla went through, sure enough Rapscallion haled us on the radio. They had arrived in Daytona an hour or so before us and anchored a little south of us. After checking our facebook page, they realized where we anchored. Their anchorage wasn't that great, so they decided to join us.

We have also talked to Ray from Rigamarole. Their boat is docked in a couple of miles south of us and their house is 20 miles inland from here. We may try to hook up with Ray and Helen tomorrow evening. They offered to let us stay at their house for the night, but unless we get a slip, we really don't want to leave the boat anchored overnight without us on it. But we may still meet them for dinner.

I also talked to my sister who lives in Lutz (a few miles north of Tampa). We will definitely hook up with her and her family at some point during the holiday season. Things are going really well at this point (knock on wood). The weather is a little warmer and we are putting miles behind us.

Trudy and Dennis and Steve and I are going ashore tomorrow to check out Daytona. We'll probably see Ray and Helen at some point, maybe for dinner. Beth is having her ornament party tomorrow, so I won't see her until next week after the kids get out of school for vacation. The holiday season is upon us :-).

St. Augustine, FL (almost)

We left Fernandino Beach this morning around 0830. It was only 47 degrees when we shoved off, but with the wind chill, it was more like 40 - but at least the sun made an appearance in the afternoon. We motored down the ICW sometimes with the current at 7.5 knots and sometimes fighting the current at 2.8 knots. There were a couple of "hairy" areas where the current was so strong - especially going under the McCormick Bridge with the current against us, the boat was fishtailing and a huge powerboat coming through the bridge heading northbound also fishtailing in the current - both trying to squeeze through a very narrow channel under the bridge. But the captain kept the boat under control and we made it through safely - and with only 5 minutes left in the day for the bridge to allow traffic through it! Because of construction the bridge is only open for boat traffic between 1200 and 1300, Monday through Friday.

The scenery through this part of the ICW is spectacular. The large marshy area abuts untouched forest area and it is a wildlife sanctuary. The houses that did line the shores were amazing.

We caught up to our friends on Rapscallion (who left Ferandino Beach yesterday and then came back because the tide was too low for their 7 foot draft causing a couple of groundings, and then left this morning about an hour ahead of us.) Just before St. Augustine's we decided to anchor in a cute little cove. Although we'd love to stop and see St. A's, we really just want to get to warmer weather - which at this point we are doubting even exists!

Fernandina Beach, FL

Yeah, Florida finally! We left South Carolina on Monday morning and headed out to sea for an overnight passage to Florida. The winds were blowing 10 to 20 knots off and on for most of the day and night. The seas ranged from 2 to 4 ft. then increased to 6 to 8 ft. which wasn't too bad when they were following, but when they cut across the beam the rolling got a little nauseating for Ms. Michele. It was pretty cool though, that when we left Parris Island (where Steve became a Marine many years ago) and started heading out, our friends from Rapscallion II passed us on their way in to Hilton Head after doing an overnighter from Charleston. When they saw us and learned that we were headig to Florida, they turned around and came along for the ride. So it was nice to be travelling with another boat in sight and radio contact. Also pretty cool is the marine life that we've been seeing. Dolphins still seem to excite Michele every time she sees them. The birds that we're seeing are also awesome. Pelicans have been plentiful since Virginia. They look like left over animals from the Jurassic era. They like to fly right up to the boat and then veer off at the last second. We're still hoping to see a whale though preferably during the day!

We arrived at the St. Mary's inlet around 0700. With the current against us and the seas chopping all over the place, the ride into Fernandina Beach was extremely uncomfortable and seemed to last forever. To make matters worse the anchorage boasts two huge paper mills with a lovely view and odor. We were tempted to keep going, but Michele had enough of traveling for one day (and night). We ended up taking a mooring for only $15 which allowed us access to the dinghy dock, laundry and showers, and trash disposal. Additionally, the tide here is 7 feet and the current is strong, so Steve didn't want the worry of anchoring. Although, we arrived here fairly early in the morning, we were too exhausted to go ashore. So we thought after a nap, we would head into town. That never happened though.

On Wednesday, we were pretty well rested and able to deal with setting up the dinghy to go ashore. We stopped by Rapscallion to visit with Dennis and Trudy and invited them over for dinner. After putting in laundry and showering, we started exploring the area. The historic downtown area of Fernandina Beach was a pleasant surprise. The town is very quaint with many little shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at very popular little restaurant called the Marina (which wasn't really at the Marina, but just up the street from it). The food was good and the service was incredible. Every couple of minutes someone came over to our table to see if we needed anything. After lunch we decided to head to the grocery store which supposedly was 3 or 4 miles away. We started walking with the intent of calling a taxi if it was getting to be too far. Well, turns out the Winn Dixie and Walmart were only 2 miles away. It was nice walking since we had been on the boat since last Friday when we left Charleston. The weather was partly sunny and close to 70 degrees. When we got there, we met another couple who were cruisers and shared the cab ride back to the Marina.

After picking up the laundry and loading up the dinghy with all our provisions, we barely had room for ourselves. It was 1600 when we got back to the boat, so we set about stowing all the groceries and preparing dinner for our guests. Michele made an artichoke dip and Trudy brought her awesome collection of cheeses, crackers and olives. We had a big salad and chicken parmigiana with linguine. We ran out of time to prepare a homemade dessert, so we just had an assortment of chocolate and cookies. And of course, we had plenty of wine. We love hanging out with Dennis and Trudy and hope we'll be seeing them again along the way.

Today we are hanging tight as a severe weather system moves through the area. There is a tornado warning in effect until later this afternoon. The winds are gusting around 30 to 40 knots and it just started raining. The skies are very ominous right now, but we have everything secured pretty well. If it does clear up later, we might go down river 10 or 15 miles to get closer to the McCormick bridge near Jacksonville which only opens between 12 and 1 pm. due to demolition of the old bascule bridge which was replaced with a high rise bridge. If we don't head out today, we will certainly be moving tomorrow if the weather calms down. There is a cold front moving through, but at least we're not freezing anymore.

Florida Bound

We are leaving from Parris Island this morning and heading out of the ICW to sail outside of the rest of S. Carolina and Georgia. We plan to sail through the night and arrive in Florida sometime tomorrow afternoon - probably around Fernandina Beach. We will update if/when we have Internet.

Leaving Charleston, SC today

We are currently at the fuel dock of the Charleston City Marina topping off the fuel and water tanks before heading back into the ICW for a 30 mile jaunt towards Beaufort, SC. We anticipate staying at anchor one night and then (weather permitting) hopping out of the ICW and doing an overnight trip to get to Ferdinando Beach, Florida.

Our stay in Charleston was great. We went ashore on the first day here and did laundry and food shopping. We also had lunch at a famous local restaurant, Jestine's and walked around Market Street with all the shops. That night we went to Dennis and Trudy's boat for drinks and they insisted we stay another day to come over for dinner the next evening - which we did. Friday morning it was rainy anyway, so it was good that we stayed. They put an awesome feast of stuffed cornish hen, baked potatoes and asparagas with little shrimp cups for an appetizer. Everything was very delicious and we always have a great time hanging out with them. They are the first cruising couple that we've met on this trip way back in Oyster Bay, NY and it's always really nice when we see them again. They are staying another day in Charleston, but hopefully we'll hook up with them again in Florida or Bahamas.

We'll update our location later today and keep everyone posted on our float plans.

Charleston, SC

We made it!!! After a miserable, cold and wet morning yesterday, the day gave way to sunny skies. However, the temperature stayed in the high 40's. The course we needed to take once we left Cape Fear was more southwest than just south. Of course, the wind decided to stay southwest as well. It was predicted to come from the West and then NW. Well, that never happened. So for a few hours we had to sail due south and away from our rump line and the shore. Michele was not one bit happy! I know it makes us go faster and in the long run probably quicker if we head in a direction off the wind. However, Michele was having none of that! She couldn't see the shore, and didn't like it one bit. Plus, we were beating into 3 to 4 foot seas which slowed us down quite a bit and made the ride very bumpy. So, it sure didn't seem like going away from our rump line was going to get us anywhere quicker. After a while of seeing how miserable Michele was, Steve started the engine and we motor-sailed closer to our rump line. After putting on a few more layers of clothes and having a bite to eat, Michele calmed down and was able to do the first watch starting at 1630 until midnight. Steve took over after that, and stayd up until 0600. It was a long nght, but we finally arrived in Charleston, SC by 10:00 a.m.

After hot showers and a nice sunny day, we are feeling pretty darn good. We're going ashore this afternoon, since we haven't been off the boat since last Friday! We're also hooking up with our friends from Rapscallion II later on. We plan to stay in Charleston for a couple of days before heading out to Beaufort, SC on Friday. That's all for now.

Leaving North Carolina

We broke anchor this morning around 0650 heading south down the ICW to the Cape Fear River and then heading outside the ICW right to Charleston, South Carolina. This trip will take a little over 24 hours so we anticipate traveling through the night. Charleston will be a welcome sight and hopefully we can go ashore when we arrive as we have not been off the boat since we left Jarrett Bay on Friday morning. We were not able to go ashore at Wrightsville as it was raining and cold on Sunday. Monday brought gale force winds, so of course we didn't leave the boat. Today it is freezing cold (well 50 degrees but feels colder) and a little rainy so we'll see how we do. We will update as long as we have Internet. Wish us warm thoughts and safe passage.