Skip to main content

Free Fuel!



We pulled the anchor and chain aboard this morning in a light 10 knot easterly breeze, with the forecast calling for an increase to 15-20 during the day. Soon after unfurling the sails and shutting off the engine, we were escorted north by a frolicking and spouting pod of dolphins while loping along at a steady 5.5 knots, accelerating to 6.5 knots in the building gusts. We took advantage of the excellent conditions to save fuel and enjoy the serenity of soundless motion through the water. It's truly amazing how much more comfortable the boat is under sail than when motoring, and the cost is a nice fit with our lean budget.


Although we had hopes of making it to Titusville today, we decided to stop early because our timing would have put us at the two drawbridges near Titusville right during afternoon rush hour when they are restricted and won't open. Except for a brief 5 minutes in Ft. Pierce, we haven't been ashore since leaving West Palm Beach, and we're looking forward to a layover in T'ville and a necessary walk to the Napa. So, the plan is to head for Titusville in the morning, and this evening we'll enjoy another feast al fresco anchored here in Cocoa like last nights Rack of Lamb in mint sauce, Cous cous, and Cognac carrots. Yes, this sailing life is tough!

Comments

  1. MIKE LApril 28, 2009 at 8:22 AM

    HEY BRO, GOOD LUCK I JUST GOT A CHANCE TO CHECK THIS OUT THIS MORNING,HOPE YOU HAVE SMOOTH SAILING,AND WE WILL SEE YOU WHEN YOU GET UP HERE. I WILL CHECK THIS OUT EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS AND FOLLOW YOUR PROGRESS.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 28, 2009 at 1:16 PM

    great job Star. Here I eat a can of tuna and you and andy have rack of lamb......... I think there are lots of people who would sail with you guys judging by the food! Key West is going fine. I'm waiting for the wind to drop to less than 25, it was gusting to 34 at sombrero light yesterday, a steady 25,,,, gulf stream running high. I'm thinking I might get to leave on Saturday.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Hope you enjoy the blog, please feel free to leave comments!

Popular posts from this blog

Pine Island to Fernandina

Sunday was spent idling around the boat taking care of small projects, both of us moving a little slowly after a great time Saturday night with Fred and the acrobatic Rick from 'Freedom'. Pine Island has such a snug little anchorage it was a great place to hang out and avoid the Sunday boat traffic and we were able to scrape the waterline of 4 inch long grass and miniature barnacles that have accumulated already. Star made good on her promise of making my favorite dish after we crossed north of our starting point in St. Augustine. Lapin a la moutarde . For those like me who don't ' parlez vous ' very well, that's Rabbit in mustard sauce. Today we were underway at 7:15 heading north with a couple of stopping options available, but we were staying flexible and had no certain destination. We crossed the St. Johns River and transited the Sister's Creek area at low tide and were on a just barely rising tide for the notoriously shoaling Nassau Sound area. To say ...
5 comments
Read more

The Surreptitious Crab Pot

You can not teach a crab to walk straight . -Aristophanes 450-385 BC Travelling the waterway from South Florida up to South Carolina has taught us a lot of different things, but one of the more surprising is the art of crabbing. Having grown up on the Chesapeake, I thought I knew a thing or two about catching crabs, but apparently I didn't understand the stealth involved. You see, the crabs down here have incredible eyesight, a requirement for surviving in the murky brown waters. The local crabbers have needed to develop some especially crafty techniques for working around the blue crab and stone crab's defense mechanisms. One of the first things that a boater notices when watching these crabmen is that the proper color of the float buoy attached to the pot is critical. Bright orange or yellow are out, the crab would see those from down below in his muddy lair in an instant, and avoid the baited pot like a Congressman avoiding his conscience. Likewise red, chartreuse, or any o...
4 comments
Read more

Melbourne-Titusville-Daytona

Yesterday we sailed up to Titusville , a short 15 miles and were able to anchor by lunch. This is one of the cruisers prime Intracoastal Waterway stops . A fairly well protected anchorage right outside the Titusville Municipal Marina with a public dinghy dock, and walking distance to West Marine, Napa , grocery store, KFC , and Burger King. We took advantage of the Napa and I went ashore to fetch a gallon of anti-freeze because I had used up our onboard supply with the coolant leak . The evenings sunset entertainment was provided by the Bagpipe Guy, who seren aded the anchorage at sunset with an incredible performance. I wish I could name the tune because it was so familiar, but then a lot of bagpipe music sounds the same to my tone deaf ear. That's always one of the great pleasures of cruising, there is such an eclectic group of misfits out here all searching for their own piece of paradise. Today, we got an early jump and were underway at 7:00 under main and iron- genoa . We...
4 comments
Read more