Jacksonville

Instead of just crossing the St. Johns River, and continuing up along the ICW, we decided to make a side trip. On Tuesday April 19^th we timed our departure to correspond with the tide and took it the 20 miles up river to Jacksonville. Our guidebook informed us about a free dock for 72 hours that was offered in the heart of downtown.

The part of the river that we did see en route to Jacksonville was very industrious, lots of cargo ships and barges getting emptied and filled along the ports. Our first sights of Jacksonville included the Stadium, where they held the2005 Super Bowl, then the Maxwell Coffee factory followed by buildings and a beautiful downtown. The city dock runs in front of what is known as Jacksonville Landing the tourist base with shops, restaurants and a stage for entertainment. We ended up docking between an outdoor gym and a Hooter’s Restaurant.

Getting there all I wanted to do was get off the boat and go exploring, however first we had a little boat situation to deal with. Our head (marine toilet) has been acting up a little lately and not pumping as well as it should, so Sal took to dismantling it and cleaning off the calcium buildup on the parts as we left in the morning to head up the St. John River. However it was still in pieces when we got there, and of course we couldn’t remember how to put it back together. So we went on the internet and found a schematic diagram, then put our brains to work and figured out which way the valves went. A sweaty, frustrating hour and a half later after a couple of times redoing it, and we had it back together and working!

The first thing we did once we got the boat and ourselves cleaned up is to treat ourselves to an ice cream. This put us both back into good moods. We then visited the tourist office and found out about the local attractions. We went for a walk around the area. Having just left St. Augustine, “the oldest continually occupied European established city in the USA”, Jacksonville seems so modern by comparison. The city is very clean and easy to get around. We have become pedestrians and as we haven’t been in a car for about 8 months our judgments are based upon how easy it is for us to get around the city on foot. They even have a free trolley with airconditioning!! (a luxury for us) that will took us around the city. Our greatest find of the day was a place that offered $5 pitchers! Yes, you heard me right $5 pitchers of beer. Unheard of prices in Canada. We were happy people.

Wednesday, our second day in Jacksonville, we did a little bit more exploring. We also were getting desperate in our grocery situation, so took a hike and picked up some essentials. Then we took the air-conditioned trolley and stopped at a region called the ‘5 points’ where they have lots of funky shops. We browsed around for the afternoon. Time seemed to fly by actually and before we knew it, it was dark.

Thursday we had made plans with a gentleman who I first met in the Bahamas. He lived a few hours from Jacksonville and kindly offered to take us out to Jacksonville Beach for the afternoon. We met him just after 12 and he took us in his car and drove us to the beach. It was so great to be in a car again and to get to see the surrounding area. We crossed over the waterway and it was neat to get a different perspective. I didn’t even recognize the area that we had passed through a couple of days ago from above. He took us to a restaurant on the beach right off the water called Joe’s Crab Shack. We have always wanted to go to a crab shack but the opportunity never arouse until now. It was a complete experience including entertainment consisting of periodic dancing done by the waiters. We got to try three different types of crab and boy, they were delicious, a lot of work to get the meat out, but they provided us with neat little tools and of course a full body bib for the inevitable mess that was to come. After the meal we checked out the beach and enjoyed the cooling breeze that was coming off the ocean. After a tour of the area and ride back to the boat we parted ways after a great afternoon (Thanks Pat).

Being docked in front of restaurants, the music got louder and turned off progressively later as the weekend neared. We enjoyed our time in Jacksonville, but by Friday we were ready for a change of scene. And that’s what’s great about a boat, to take a quote from the Simpsons, "if you don't like your neighbors, you can pull up the anchor and sail some place else!". Though we’ve never had problems with our neighbours, if we want a change of scenery, we can just move our home someplace else. And that is what we did. We returned down the river and anchored in relative wilderness where it was just us. We ate dinner in the cockpit and enjoyed the change of pace and remembered what fun we had in the city.

Retracing Our Steps

(Ponce-de-Lion inlet lighthouse a few miles before Daytona Beach)

Sal returned to me Monday afternoon, a few hours earlier than expected. I promised to be ashore where he could find me, instead I was hanging out in the cockpit, trying to stay cool. The heat that week was a few degrees away from unbearable. He got a dinghy ride over with a couple that we had met briefly back in North Carolina.

(Sal pulling up the anchor)

To describe my week in Vero Beach in one word: hot. Days were in the 30’s and nights only cooled down a little. I planned to have my showers at about 6pm when things would finally cool down a bit. I did a bit of exploration on my own around the area. I also met quite a few people in and around the marina or people stopping by the boat to say ‘hello’. I was even fortunate enough to be invited aboard for dinner with a couple from Newfoundland when my planned dinner of hummus and chips turned into a delicious meal of ham/turkey and salads with DESSERT!!

I was glad when Sal got back as this meant we could start to travel again. Staying anywhere for more than a few days starts to give me the itch to move on.

(Fort Matanzas)

Tuesday we had a long day of traveling and made 53 miles in 10 hours. We anchored in Cocoa, where we had dinner and promptly crashed into bed afterwards. We had a relaxed morning and went ashore at Cocoa to catch a few sights. We enjoyed coffee on an outdoor patio, shopped in a farmers market and bought a few small items. When it was time to head back to the boat, we got in our dinghy and tried to unlock our combination lock. Then we tried again, and again, and then started banging it, swearing at it, and got some tools and tried to hammer it open. Nothing could get that lock open… the rust had taken hold. We were discussing walking over to the hardware store when another boater offered to get his bolt cutters and we thankfully accepted the offer. One cut and the lock was free and we were finally able to get on our way. We left shortly after getting back to the boat as we had about 20 miles to Titusville. We arrived in the afternoon with enough time to fit in a short run and shower before dinner and bed.

(Sal's Crocs went for a little swim in the river, but were luckily saved by another cruising couple with a dinghy)

Thursday was another long day of travel. We take turns, switching tiller duty ever half-hour to an hour. On our time off we read, spend time finding a good radio station, or in Sal’s case, make a conch horn. We had brought back a few conchs from the Bahamas. Sal cut off the tip, which is not easy as the conch is tougher than steel. After a few broken hack saw blades and some sore arm muscles he proudly picked up the conch and blew into the end, producing a loud horn type sound. Then he blew it again, and again, and again until I had to yell at him to stop as it was driving me crazy.

We spent a somewhat rough night anchored outside of the channel at Daytona Beach. We find once we get into the larger cities the boater courtesies tend to decrease which means we get rocked with wake. From Daytona we made a stop over at Matanzas River for a night. The anchorage is near the inlet and the current was very strong there as a full moon was approaching. We could hear the rush of the current around the boat as we tried to sleep after a movie night with popcorn made in a pot on the stove.

Finally after 5 days of travel we made it to St Augustine just before the gusts of almost 30 knots started roaring through the area. We gladly picked up a mooring ball and got to exploring the city as soon as we were settled. We took many leisurely walks around the historic city and relaxed and enjoyed an ice cream and some beers.

(Blessing of the boats on Palm Sunday)

We spent the weekend in St. Augustine enjoying the atmosphere and the vibe of the city. We had our fill and were ready to head off on Monday morning. Less than an hour out of the city along the ICW we were in complete isolation. Trees and grasses on both sides, not a person or boat in sight for hours, with just the amazing Florida wildlife to keep us entertained.

(Curious bird checking out the dock at St. Augustine)

Florida has a remarkable amount of wildlife. One day we had hundreds of butterflies fluttering across the waterway en route to some destination only known to them, manatee noses appearing along the way followed by gentle tail splashes as they retreat from the surface, the sleek dorsal fin of the dolphin gliding by or one of the many birds searching for a meal in and among the luscious habitat of the waterway.

Next Destination: Jacksonville

To Canada and Back

I have been asked by Kerry to contribute to the blog by writing an entry about some of the experiences I had the last few weeks while travelling to and from Canada. Mainly the differences of living on a 23 foot sailboat to life on land. Now, although we were rarely out of sight from land, the entire cruising lifestyle is drastically different than the lifestyle one lives ashore.

I first noticed this the moment I stepped into Fort Lauderdale International Airport from the Bahamas, my first time back in a densely populated location since leaving the US. The level of activity was not what I had grown accustomed to and nothing like the relaxed pace we try to maintain aboard Second Wind. The energy levels were through the roof, the anxiety and stress from travelers was palpable, and the overt annoyance shown by both customers and the airline representatives was almost an overload on my senses. It seemed as though as soon as I left the easy going atmosphere of the Bahamas I was transferred into a world that moves 100 miles per hour. Rush here, hurry there, no time to slow down, and if you even think of trying to…you’ll get left behind.

My arrival at Pearson International in mid March greeted me with the reminder that March in Canada is as unpredictable as ever. Not having the forsight to remember this, I was the only person wearing shorts in Canada when there was snow still on the ground. At least I remembered my shoes (I had not worn shoes, only sandals or Crocs for the entire trip, unless going on jogs).

Staying in an actual, permanently fixed dwelling compared to living aboard made me realize how much living space, or lack thereof, we have as sailors. My parents’ modest one storey home felt like a mansion, and Sean and Whittney’s 2 floor ( 3 with the basement) townhouse felt like a palace.

The amenities of the land based life is one that I have taken for granted in the past. Not having to walk several blocks, carrying a load of laundry in a mesh bag or backpack was welcomed while I was at home. Having moderately priced fresh food from anywhere in the world a five minute car ride away was not something I appreciate the way I do now. And a shower that I could have for as long or whenever I wanted was sincerely missed. Cold drinking water and beer, a temperature controlled climate, and unlimited internet are things that are also scarce for Kerry and I so it was nice to have them readily available.

All the “luxuries” of home; the TVs, the washer/dryer, the showers and running water, cars to get to and from places, all the food you could want in grocery stores, and a refrigerator have been undoubtedly missed by Kerry and myself. However, I think we can both agree that we would give these material items up to do another trip like this one. A trip where we can once again, get up whenever we feel its time to get up, eat when we’re hungry, go snorkeling and fishing and experience nature and the ocean up close and personal. To experience the sunset after a long day of travelling or the sunrise after a restful night under a million stars in the clearest of skies. To live a lifestyle, where we live life in a pace dictated by ourselves, discovering new places, and meeting new people.

We have been very fortunate to be able to do this trip, and my experiences back in “the real world” reminded me of how special this undertaking is. Not very many people our age have this incredible opportunity and we are very lucky to be doing what we’re doing. Watching the world through the eyes of a cruiser, I know for certain that I wish to one day take on another adventure such as this one.

Remembering Sal's Many Stages of Beardliness

Random Post #3

Sal’s Stages of Beardliness

Over the past 8 months Sal and I both feel that we have changed in many ways. However the most obvious changes to everyone has been the growth of hair on Sal’s face and head. We look back at some of the earlier pictures and we have to giggle.

He’s a recap of changes to his beard and hair…

Our first night on the trip. Sal had previously tried to ‘trim’ the sides of his beard with a cheap old razor, requiring him to even out the missing chunks later with an electric razor giving him a goatee appearance to his beard.

A couple weeks later and the beard was starting to fill in nicely.

This was the caveman stage of his beard.

A stunning resemblance to Blackbeard the pirate.

This picture was taken November 1st, about 6 months of hair growth. I remember wanting to take this picture because he just couldn't get his hair to stay down.

Very full and thick beard.

Hahaha I took this man to Disney World...

Bam! My Christmas present. 10 years younger! It was a bit sensitive for a few days, and I honestly couldn't stop staring at him and giggling. It took a few days to even out the tan.

He still had the long hair, and even let the beard grow back a bit.

The longest his hair got. He flew back to Canada a few days later and got it all chopped off for the interview.

After coming back from his interview, I hardly recognized the clean-shaven man who greeted me.

You may be wondering how I felt about the beard. I must admit that it did grow on me after a while. Then after a while more I came to detest it. Not because of the look or the feel but because of the smell. As we didn’t shower every day, the beard would pick up odors (as well as small particles) of food throughout the days leaving a mixture of o-not-so-pleasant smells. The only other complaint about the beard I had was that he had a bad habit of subconsciously pulling his beard while reading. He would end up pulling out numerous hairs and they would constantly be all over the boat!!!

How to Recognize a Fellow Cruiser

#2 Random Post

How to Recognize a Fellow Cruiser

Early on in our sailing trip we have learned how to pick out the sailors among the crowd. It’s not very difficult. It is especially easy in towns near popular anchorages, marinas or mooring fields (such as Vero Beach, Marathon, Stuart, etc). Now that we have been cruising for a while we have acquired some insight into why cruisers look the way they do.

Let me give you a little rundown…

The typical cruiser will present as a man and women together usually between the ages of 50 to 65+. Their footwear will consist of either deck shoes, Crocks or some other sort of sensible sandal. Firstly, proper footwear on the boat is essential for safety. Slipping or tripping is dangerous and we have learned from experience that there are numerous items on the deck that you WILL stub your toe on if not wearing the right shoes. Secondly when ashore the cruiser may have to walk many miles to get where they need to go. The cruising man will wear a ball cap and most likely be sporting a good amount of facial hair. Shaving is hard on a boat where you don’t have running hot water or sometimes you don’t even have a good-sized mirror. I think it’s also the ‘salty look’ that men like to embrace. Sal had quite the beard before he (thankfully) shaved it as a Christmas present for myself.

The cruiser will be wearing comfortable clothing usually Kaki pants or shorts and a t-shirt (sometimes with a nautical logo or souvenir shirt with the name of a coastal town that they have visited along the way). Their clothes may have a ‘well worn’ look. This is because storage space is limited, especially since the boat stuff, safety items, spare parts, food and water storage take priority. Also it is sometimes weeks before a cruiser will get ashore to a laundry facility so it’s important to get a few extra days of wear out of your clothing. I brought a festive sundress – it’s untouched at the bottom of my clothes bag. Sal brought some nice collared shirts – they’ve gone untouched and taking up space in the hanging locker: Fancy clothes just don’t get used.

The cruiser will walk, sometimes many, many miles to get where they need to go, usually that’s a grocery store, marine store, hardware store or the Laundromat. They will have a backpack and at least one sturdy reusable grocery bag per hand to carry all their purchases.

The cruiser will be friendly and to other recognizable cruisers are always willing to share information and their knowledge of the area. Being notoriously frugal the cruiser will be able to tell you the location of a nearby dollar or thrift store, where you can get a cheap meal and places with good happy hour specials….in fact, they usually know any good deals to be made.

I often wonder if Sal and I get picked out of the crowd as cruisers…

In Vero Beach

Since I will be here on my own in Vero Beach for a week or so, I thought that I’d write a couple smaller random posts about life on Second Wind. Firstly to keep me busy and secondly because I won’t have any updates on our travels for the week.

Random Post#1

Small Things That Have Made a Big Difference

Radio:

One of the many things our sailing guru Phil had given us before starting out on the trip. Yes, it’s a radio but we can also use it pick up weather reports. We usually just use it for the radio though. It’s perfect for us because it’s small, fits on the shelf when we don’t need it, but keeps us entertained with music and informed with the news. There was a bit of an accident last week when I pulled the antenna a little too hard and it came completely out but luckily for us it still works. Sal talks about installing a stereo system with outdoor speakers but I tell him that it’s completely ridiculous and out of the question on this boat. Maybe on our next boat though?

Handheld GPS:

One of the things we have relied on and actually don’t know how we’d do without is our handheld GPS. It’s no chart plotter but it’s got everything we need. It’s small (which is how we like everything on our boat so that it fits) and works on just 2 AA batteries. When doing a crossing or in rough weather we put it around our necks so we don’t lose it and can easily look down to check our location, course and speed (as well as tides, sun/moon rise and set and a whole bunch of other things).

Camp Stool:

Sal purchased this at Dollarama for $2.00 and we use it every single day. Since we don’t have standing headroom it gets a bit sore on the back to be bent over when inside. When cooking or doing the dishes we just pull out the stool and sit. When not in use it folds up nice and small. I’ve mastered cooking while sitting which something I guess I’m proud of...

Reading Lights:

This was a last minute purchase before leaving on the trip. We only have one 12 volt car battery for all our power needs (which aren't a lot, just our cabin lights, navigation lights, depth sounder, VHF radio and inverter to charge the laptop) so at night to save on some power we just use our individual lights to get the reading done. It’s nice also if one person wants to sleep (me) while the other wants to stay up later and read (Sal) and not be disturbed by a bright overhead light.

Lamp:

Not just for decoration, our oil lamp has earned its keep. Not currently mind you, but back a few months ago when traveling down the ICW it got it's share of use. Leaving September 15^th, we thought we had a bit of time before the cold weather came, and we just assumed that when it would start, we would be further enough south that we would miss it altogether. How wrong we were. We were cold almost all the way down INCLUDING Florida. It would go below freezing some nights and stay really really cold during the day. We would light the lamp in the evening and it would do just enough to keep the chill out of the air. We would wake up early in the morning and light the lamp just to make the cabin a little more pleasant. It was no heater mind you, but any little bit of warmth counted.

My Hat:

I am not a shoe person, but I do like hats. I think I have a total of 5 stuffed away in random places around the boat. This particular hat I got at the St. Jacobs Market specifically for this trip, not realizing that I had no place to store it. It ended up at the bottom of the hanging closet but it gets moved around and shoved into corners here and there. But it’s ok because I can just unwrinkle it and wear it. It’s been rescued from the water no less than three times. Though it will never look the same as when I got it, it’s still a great sun hat.

Parting Ways

We spent about 4 hot days in North Lake Worth. Who knew it would be so hot already? We stocked up on some fresh food and some ice, visited Starbucks for a cold drink and to use the Internet and ate our dinners outside in the cockpit of Chautauqua. The wind would pick up in the late morning and have quite a strong breeze in the afternoon, which was great to keep things tolerable. The only problem is the wind would create a choppy anchorage and getting to and from the shore would almost always result in someone getting wet (usually me on our dinghy and mom on my parents’ dinghy).

With the date set for when Chautauqua was getting hauled out of the water, it was time to slowly make our way towards the Okeechobee Waterway. Our first day of travel coincided with the first big rainfall that Florida has gotten in the past 2 months. It was a long 6 hours of motoring against the current and gusty winds with the rain pelting us. It was great for the boat to get a soaking of fresh water though. A brief pause from the rain in the afternoon allowed us to try to dry up what got wet on the inside as we went in and out of the boat during the day. The rain continued in spurts on and off the rest of the afternoon and evening. It was the first, in a long time, that we have fallen asleep with the soft tapping of rain on our cabin top.

Tueday March 29^th was a landmark day for us as it was day 200 of our journey. We have actually made it 200 days living in our cozy little home. I still find it hard to believe sometimes that we have traveled this far and made it this long.

(Osprey sitting on the top of the mast)

We spent our last two days with Chautauqua in Stuart on a mooring ball. This is the same place where we had spent Christmas. It’s nice to pass through places we have already been and remember the sights, people, fun and adventures we have had, all while making new memories. We said our goodbyes to my parents on the 30^th of March after our last dinner together. We took back the last of our charts and seashells that they were storing for us, as well as a bit of food that they wouldn’t be needing. It will be lonely without the ‘mother ship’ and we will especially miss them at dinner times where we will now have to fend for ourselves.

(mural)

So on March 31^st we were on our own. Sal got some more good news and will need to travel back to Canada again for another stage of the interview process (hopefully his last trip back). We did a bit of research and decided that while he was gone I would stay at Vero Beach on a mooring ball where there will be lots of other boats, a place for me to shower and a free bus shuttle to various locations around the city. So we are slowly make our way there for Monday so he can catch his flight on Wednesday.

We left Stuart on Thursday and headed for Manatee pocket, a protected but small anchorage along the ICW. The winds had already picked up 15-20 knots and the radio was issuing tornado warnings with rain and thunderstorms, possible hail and damaging winds for the afternoon. We arrived just before lunch and wanted to get safely anchored. Before I continue I must admit that I’m not the best judge of distance, especially on the water. I continually think we are too close to other boats and my dad always laughs and tells me I’m miles away. So anyways, we found a spot where we had lots of room in all directions and put out an extra few feet of rode just to be on the safe side. There was a boat behind us but I feel that we’re probably about 30-50 feet away. After we had our second anchor set and secured, I turned off the engine when the people on that boat behind us came running out and yelling at us that ‘we’re on their anchor’. I was a bit confused because I thought we had lots of room. Anyways they not so kindly informed us that they had 3 anchors out and 75 feet of chain. (Now I’m trying to do the math. My depth sounder is reading about 4 to 4 ½ feet of water, so they have almost 20:1 [ratio of anchor rode to dept], where the normal is about 5:1 to 7:1) Ohhh so that’s why we were supposedly ‘on their anchor’. Sal apologized while I was still a bit confused and annoyed, but there was a temporary mooring dock, so we tied up there to wait out the storm. Things turned out well in the end as we met an amazingly nice couple from the UK and spent the evening chatting with them – things always have a way of turning out for the best. The wind died a few hours later and we only ended up getting a few sprinkles of rain overnight- end of story.

We spent another night in Manatee Pocket, this time anchored on the other side where we were sure not to upset anyone. We treated ourselves out to dinner (not because we couldn’t think of anything to make but to celebrate how well we are fending for ourselves…. And I also had a craving for fish tacos… And they had a deal during happy hour so it was cheaper). Then got serenaded into the night by a live band playing in a nearby restaurant.