For those of you that like photos and videos, a few videos (include a friendly dolphin !) have been added to Vimeo and as many new photos as possible this month are up on Flikr.
Click over to Flickr for our Photos.
Click over to Vimeo for our Videos.
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Travelling in Company
We spent one day in Titusville to catch our breath and to get some groceries before we headed south again. Ruth was planning to fly to Germany to be with her family, and so we were looking for a place where Ruth could leave Geoff and the boat behind in a safe place, ideally with amenities and friends around.
On our trip south from Titusville, we were travelling in the company of our friends on Isolde II and Dolce Vita. We met Dolce Vita in Brunswick, and we have been travelling with Isolde II on and off since North Carolina. Our little group took two days to get to Vero Beach. Vero Beach is nicknamed "velcro beach" by the cruising community, because people tend to "get stuck" there as it is a nice and convenient place. We are planning to stay for three weeks while Ruth flies to Germany.
Isolde II and Dolce Vita
Isolde II and Dolce Vita at anchor
The crew of Isolde II and Dolce Vita
On our trip south from Titusville, we were travelling in the company of our friends on Isolde II and Dolce Vita. We met Dolce Vita in Brunswick, and we have been travelling with Isolde II on and off since North Carolina. Our little group took two days to get to Vero Beach. Vero Beach is nicknamed "velcro beach" by the cruising community, because people tend to "get stuck" there as it is a nice and convenient place. We are planning to stay for three weeks while Ruth flies to Germany.
Isolde II and Dolce Vita
Isolde II and Dolce Vita at anchor
The crew of Isolde II and Dolce Vita
Saturday, 9 February 2008
A Space Shuttle Launch and some Very Sad News
We left St. Augustine on Tuesday hoping to get to Titusville for the space shuttle launch on Thursday. We originally expected that this would take us two days, but then we learned that one bridge along the way opened for boat traffic only before 7:30 am or after 5:00 pm. So this added a day to our travel time.
Tuesday was a nice warm day on the water, but it was very slow going as we were fighting the current and head winds all day. We had hoped to get to Daytona Beach that first day, but we ended up stopping 20 miles earlier due to the slow progress. Wednesday saw us arrive at the bridge in New Smyrna around 2 pm and, as expected, it was closed until 5pm for painting. So we anchored out in front of the bridge to wait until it opened. We anchored for the night just slightly farther along.
Ruth called her parents from there (via Skype) as we had an internet connection. Ruth's parents had both been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Up until this point things had been looking ok for both of them. On Thursday Ruth received the news that her mom had died earlier that morning.
As we were anchored alone near a small town without many services, we headed out after Ruth had processed the initial shock. We wanted to get to Titusville to meet up with friends on two other boats. Ruth spent the day in a daze. Navigating the boat provided her with some distraction. We made it with just enough time to get anchored and dinghy over to our friends' boat before the launch of space shuttle Atlantis. We were able to watch the launch while listening to the NASA/shuttle communications on the radio.
New Smyrna Anchorage
Cement factory Anchorage (One anchor and a line to a tree to stop swinging)
Atlantis Launch
Atlantis Launch
Tuesday was a nice warm day on the water, but it was very slow going as we were fighting the current and head winds all day. We had hoped to get to Daytona Beach that first day, but we ended up stopping 20 miles earlier due to the slow progress. Wednesday saw us arrive at the bridge in New Smyrna around 2 pm and, as expected, it was closed until 5pm for painting. So we anchored out in front of the bridge to wait until it opened. We anchored for the night just slightly farther along.
Ruth called her parents from there (via Skype) as we had an internet connection. Ruth's parents had both been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Up until this point things had been looking ok for both of them. On Thursday Ruth received the news that her mom had died earlier that morning.
As we were anchored alone near a small town without many services, we headed out after Ruth had processed the initial shock. We wanted to get to Titusville to meet up with friends on two other boats. Ruth spent the day in a daze. Navigating the boat provided her with some distraction. We made it with just enough time to get anchored and dinghy over to our friends' boat before the launch of space shuttle Atlantis. We were able to watch the launch while listening to the NASA/shuttle communications on the radio.
New Smyrna Anchorage
Cement factory Anchorage (One anchor and a line to a tree to stop swinging)
Atlantis Launch
Atlantis Launch
Monday, 4 February 2008
Cannons and Health Problems
On our way to St. Augustine, Geoff developed a very bad tooth ache. Wednesday, our first full day in St. Augustine, was spent trying to find a dentist. We were unable to find a dentist that could take us right away, but we were able to find one within walking distance for the next day. We spent the rest of our first day wandering the town with Geoff in a painful daze. We did find the Sailors Exchange, which carries an unbelievable assortment of piles and bin-fulls of used boat-related stuff ranging from old lights to fuel pumps to cushions.
On Thursday we made the trip to the dentist (a good thing as Geoff's face was all swollen by then) and learned that Geoff had a tooth abscess. The dentist prescribed some antibiotics and painkillers for a week, and told him that he'd need to get a root canal done in 10 days. So we will be looking for a dentist again in a few days!
We spent the next few days touring St. Augustine, which is a beautiful old town with many historic buildings and neat streets. For those from Ottawa reading this: it felt like a bigger (and older) version of Merrickville.
Our Friday started out with a cannon from the fort being "shot" at us. It turns out that on Fridays and on the weekends they shoot off the cannons during reenactments of the Spanish defending the fort. We were anchored right in front of the fort, and the first time a cannon went off it scared us a bit as it felt like something actually hit the boat! At a later time, they shot off two cannons at once, and along with the explosions from shore, the main hatch on the boat (which was propped open) came crashing down. No damage done, but we were ducking in the boat and considered hoisting a white flag to surrender.
St. Augustine Marina
Old Building in St. Augustine
St. Augustine
We Surrender!
St. Augustine North Anchorage (Geru on top right, in front of the fort)
St. Augustine Beach
On Thursday we made the trip to the dentist (a good thing as Geoff's face was all swollen by then) and learned that Geoff had a tooth abscess. The dentist prescribed some antibiotics and painkillers for a week, and told him that he'd need to get a root canal done in 10 days. So we will be looking for a dentist again in a few days!
We spent the next few days touring St. Augustine, which is a beautiful old town with many historic buildings and neat streets. For those from Ottawa reading this: it felt like a bigger (and older) version of Merrickville.
Our Friday started out with a cannon from the fort being "shot" at us. It turns out that on Fridays and on the weekends they shoot off the cannons during reenactments of the Spanish defending the fort. We were anchored right in front of the fort, and the first time a cannon went off it scared us a bit as it felt like something actually hit the boat! At a later time, they shot off two cannons at once, and along with the explosions from shore, the main hatch on the boat (which was propped open) came crashing down. No damage done, but we were ducking in the boat and considered hoisting a white flag to surrender.
St. Augustine Marina
Old Building in St. Augustine
St. Augustine
We Surrender!
St. Augustine North Anchorage (Geru on top right, in front of the fort)
St. Augustine Beach
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