Monday January 26th

It would be easy to linger in Vero Beach, what with the free bus shuttle into town and all the other features, but we deraft from Orion and are on our way by 8:00. As we leave the anchorage, we spot for the first time, two boats that we had encountered on the first leg of our journey; Dawntreader, who we came across hard aground in the Dismal Swamp, and InTransition, from Elizabeth City.

The day is sunny and warm. Our luck is holding.

The crew elects to stop at LobLolly Marina & Condo complex, but after negotiating the narrow entry and safely tieing up at their T dock, we find that the complex is under construction and there are no amenities on offer - no showers, no laundry and really not even a washroom. We decide that this really isn't worth the $2,00 a foot that was being charged, so we untied, turned around, and anchored at Peck Lake which was directly across from the complex. It was beautiful! There was easy access to the ocean and we went for a lovely stroll along the beach.

The boat anchored next to us, Zingeroo, was from Thunderbay Ontario and after a brief discussion it was discovered that the captains had several friends in common. It is truly a small world.

The evening is so pleasant that half the crew sleep in the cockpit.

Sunday January 25

We leave the peaceful anchorage at Cocoa around 7:30 and travelled for several hours without seeing much other boat traffic. The ICW is quite wide here and there are many lovely houses far off in the distance. The day is once again sunny and mild, a perfect day for motoring. We manage to capture some of our dolphin sightings on film today.

Just before noon, there was a huge crunching sound from Argo's hull as she passed over an Oyster Bed that was right in the middle of the channel. Fortunately it sounded worse than it actually was, at least for Argo, we're not prepared to comment for the Oysters!

Traffic picked up in the afternoon and as we approached Vero Beach there was a buzz of activity with jet skiers, fishermen, waterskiiers, and Sunday Cruisers all out on the water enjoying the beautiful day.

We arrived at Vero Beach Municipal Marina by 3:30 and prepare to hook onto a mooring ball. The dockmaster informs us that there is another boat already on the mooring ball and we will be sharing with it. So, instead, we raft with the other boat, Orion, and save ourselves the trouble of snagging the mooring ball, which is a relief to the deck hands.

Vero Beach is sometimes referred to as Velcro Beach, as so many sailboats have a hard time leaving this comfortable anchorage, and we can certainly see the attraction of this location. The price is unbeatable, allmost laughable at $12.00 and the harbour is very protected and secure. A boat could easily weather any storm comfortably here.

Saturday January 24th

I will begin by saying that this is the first time we have had an internet connection for almost a week so we have some catching up to do. Fortunately Louie maintains a detailed daily journal, so I will be able to refer to it when my memory fails.

We woke up early, 6:30, and rushed off to the New Symerna Beach Farmers market which is held every Saturday on Canal street, just one short block away from the marina. The locals had informed us that this was a market that should not be missed and we were not disappointed. After purchasing fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice, pounds of fresh baked goods, bags of produce, and reluctantly refusing the delicious boiled peanuts, we rushed back to the boat in order to cast off by 8:00.

Cocoa is the destination for today and there is a secure anchorage mentioned in the boating books which we hope to reach by mid afternoon. But first there are a series of bridges for Argo to navigate through: 2 bascule, 1 swing, 1 train. Passing by Cape Canaveral, we can see the big shuttle buildings.

The day is fair and sunny, a perfect day for motoring. There are so many dolphin sightings, a pod of more than 30 at one time. After enjoying an idealic sunset, the crew retired early in anticipation of another early start.

New Smyrna Beach

Kaching$$$, Kaching$$, Kaching. That is the sound of money being poured into the bottomless pit that IS Argo's HOLD.

After receiving the final bill for repairs to Argo's transmission, the crew dulled the pain with a bit of wine and headed off to bed early.

Everyone was up before the sun this morning and eager to depart. We left Palm Coast Marina behind at around 7:30a.m. It was icy and cold but the forcast promised a sunny and warming day ahead.

The trip down the ICW was fast and pleasant. We travelled with a swift current and had speeds of 8 plus knots. The sun was wonderful and it was good to be on the move once again.

There were many dolphin sightings, with some of them swimming alongside the boat to keep us company. Signs indicated that this is also an area to cautiously watch out for Manatee as well, but not one was spotted. So the score is: Dolphins - plenty
Alligators - three
Manatee - zero

New Smyrna Beach Municipal Marina is our dockage for tonight and we are once again relying on the kindness of strangers and have imposed on the local real estate agency which has allowed us to do some quick blogging in their offices.

We plan to get an early start tomorrow after checking out the local farmer's market which takes place on the main street of downtown New Smyrna, starting at 7:00a.m.

Tomorrow's destination will be an anchorage somewhere beyond Titusville.

Thursday January 22rd

Diver arrives to work on boat from the bottom.


Diver disappears.


All heads down examining the inner workings of Argo.

The repaired transmission is loaded back on to the boat.


Crew celebrates with a huge meal of bacon and eggs, yummmmmm!!!

Saturday January 17th to Wednesday January 21st

While waiting for a vital part for the transmission, we rent a car and tour old, historic St. Augustine, the Kennedy Space Center, and of course, the Outlet Malls ......



WASTING


AWAY

AGAIN

IN

MARGURITAVILLE
(better known as Palm Coast Florida)

Friday January 16th

Another day in ´Venice´ sitting at the internet cafe hoping that Al, the mechanic, makes an appearance at the boat. His diagnosis yesterday was that there would be need for major surgery including a crack team of divers. We are hoping that today he will come up with a cheaper alternative. Either that, or we will just have the x-rays touched up.

Thursday January 15th

After reading through some of the boat manuals, we have decided to play it safe and spend one more day at Palm Coast Marina and have arranged for a mechanic to come this afternoon and give Argo a complete physical, checking for leaks in the transmission.
In the mean time, we have walked back to ´Little Italy´ and are sitting at an outdoor cafe in the piazza. It is sunny but brisk here today. We have been hearing weather reports from Canada and we all agree that we are much happier being in a climate where we can at least sit outside in comfort. It is also a perfect day for kayaking and some elderly but spry seniors paddle by on their way to explore the area.
Tomorrow we will head south once again with a destination of New Smyrna Marina.
Later the same day -
We are back at the cafe, as the mechanic has failed to materialize. We are becoming increasingly pessimistic about having Argo in shipshape, ready to depart on the morning tide. It is more likely that we will be landlocked here for a few days. It seems the trades are working on ´Island Time´ here. Emails from home are reporting record cold temperatures, so although it is far from balmy here, we can´t help but smile at our good fortune of being out of Canada and away from Winter´s cruel blasts.

Wednesday January 14th

Leave Camachee Cove Marina on a high tide and are pleased to see the sun shining down to warm the day. The tidal currents are with us once again and we are making good progress and are looking forward to an uneventful, pleasant cruise down the Intracoastal.Pass the historic fort at St. Augustine which reminds us of the Spanish influence in Florida and displays a rich architectural past. We reach speeds in excess of 8 knots and are making exceptional time. More than once we comment on how beautiful the day is and how wonderful it is to have the sun shining down on us once again. Everything is running along smoothly until suddenly we change from a speed of over seven knots to less than four. Chas realizes that something is wrong and shuts down the engine. Argo has lost all power and we suspect that there is a problem with the transmission fluids. We immediately throw out the anchor in the middle of the Intracoastal. Fortunately it is a calm spot and there is no boat traffic. After inspecting the transmission fluid levels we find no fluid in the system. It looks like a job for Tow Boat USA. We call and they arrive from Palm Coast in an hour. After adding the transmission fluid that they provided, Argo was under way again. Tow Boat USA remained with us and guided us for the next mile to ensure all systems were functioning properly.
Tonight we are docked at Palm Cove Marina and although we could not obtain internet access at the Marina, Louie and I have walked into the European Village nearby and are sitting at a little Italian/French cafe called La Bella Pasticceria. Looking out the window of the cafe one might think they are in San Marco Square in Venice. It is an architectural reproduction with shops, cafes and restaurants all with a European facade.

Phase Two - Florida to Bahamas

Today is the first day that we have had internet access to the Blog. So from memory, we will record our journey thus far.

Monday January 12th - Arrived at Amelia Island early in the morning to join up with Captain Chas and First Mate Louie.
An unsuccessful attempt to depart yesterday resulted in repairs to the steering hydraulic system. After casting off on Sunday morning, Chas had to return to the dock without any steering. Mechanics made special arrangements to work on the boat on Sunday. Haven't seen the bill for that yet, but it should be a doozie with Sunday overtime hours!! Giant low tides, caused by the full moon and other factors are also making navigation difficult.
We rushed off to Public´s to pick up provisions, filling four shopping carts and leaving over $800. behind to help stimulate the American economy.
Upon returning to Argo, the captain was anxious to depart before low tide, so we piled the provisions on the galley floor in preparation for stowing them at our leisure.
Dock hands came to assist us with casting off, thank goodness, as the steering gear lever had been repositioned incorrectly and as a result we had to tie up again, unscrew the console and reinstall it. Luckily this was accomplished quickly and we were still able to catch the tide.
Although the previous week had been sunny and warm, a cold front moved in today and we motored under conditions that were less than favourable: cloudy, drizzly, foggy and cold.
We arrange to dock at Beach Marina near Jacksonville and arrive there on a low tide around 3:30. As soon as we turn into the marina we go aground right in the middle of the channel. We are only about 3 yards from the dock but are unable to budge. We resigned ourselves to an hour wait for the rising tide so that Argo could float off. As the sun went down, we proceeded to our dockage.

Tuesday January 13th - We awake to a rainy, cold day and prepare to depart on a high tide at 9:30, only to encounter steering failure for a second time. Chas & Al take apart the steering console and are able to bleed the air out of the hydraulic lines and add more fluid, finally getting the steering functioning. We quickly head out of the marina while the tide is still high, only to get to the McCormack Bridge which is under construction and has a barge blocking our passageway. After speaking to the bridge crew we are informed that they will let us pass at 12:00. So it is back to the marina once again to wait for the construction crew to take a lunch break. Al makes use of the time to run over the bridge to WestMarine to purchase foul weather gear and boots, which will be essential today. He cheats and returns by taxi however.
Finally we are allowed under the bridge and on our way shortly after 12:00.
This is by far the wettest and coldest day we have experienced. By the time we get to our evening dockage at Camachee Cove Marina in St. Agustine, the crew is thoroughly soaked and the galley resembles an old fashion laundry with clothing hanging from every available space.
Coming into Camachee Cove Marina we have difficulty with the swift tidal currents which push us off course, but Chas steers Argo safely into harbor.