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.