Pointing the Bow North, from Stuart to Daytona

On Sunday March 22nd, the Cap'n sister Robin and brother in law Alan arrived in Stuart, FL for the next leg of our journey. Once they emptied the trunk of their rental car, Peter, Mary and Caroline filled it and off they went to the airport -- a perfect crew changeover.

The following morning we pointed FREEDOM's bow north -- towards the end of our Loop and, later, home.  Our first stop was Vero Beach aka Velcro Beach to many cruisers.  It was a rainy afternoon but we managed to take a walk later in the day and we were charmed. Live oak trees, dripping with spanish moss, arched gracefully over streets lined with beautifully landscaped homes. We didn't even get as far as the beach, but we could see why snowbirds return year after year.

The next stretch of the waterway was filled with wildlife -- birds, dolphins and even a skate jumped across our bow. It was fun to ride along and listen to Alan and Robin, avid birders, exclaim over what they could see through their binoculars.  We are always so busy running the boat we never get the chance to really look at the birds. Yes, we see the pelicans, the anhingas, the gulls, but the Roseate Spoonbills that Robin saw on a spoil island? Never! We would have just motored on by and said "Look at all those birds over there. Now where is the next mark?"

Roseate Spoonbill -- what you might see along the ICW

Upon entering the fairway at the Cocoa Village Marina in Cocoa, FL we saw our friend Les from Rock Hall waving to us from the dock. We hadn't seen him in nearly two years, and he was a happy welcoming sight. Later in the afternoon, on our way to dinner, we stopped by his boat to say hi, and although he was not home we found our Looper friends Dave and Michele just a few slips away. There were big hugs and excited conversation all around as we hadn't seen them since we couldn't remember when. Maybe October. Although almost everyone who Loops keeps a blog, reading about where someone is and actually seeing them are two different things. Especially those people you really enjoy.

Just before we left for dinner our back up  water pump died -- unfortunately for Robin it was in the middle of her shower! (The main water pump went on strike a while ago, and we really thought/hoped the back up would make it to Charleston) We knew then that our one night stop in Cocoa would be two. The following morning Les drove the menfolk to West Marine, while Robin and I went to the Farmer's Market and visited with Dave and Michele. They were on their way to spend the afternoon with other Loopers docked at another marina and watch the planned lift off of the Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral.  Knowing we were not going to get away from the dock that day, the marina staff assured us we would have a great view from our flying bridge. At exactly 2:36, the start of the 18 minute launch window, a ball of fire was seen on the horizon and from it rose the satellite-carrying rocket.  It was nearly 2 minutes before we felt and heard the liftoff, and by then the rocket was nearly invisible. This is the ninth in a series of 12 next generation GPS satellites, and it was so cool to watch....

Up up and away

With the water pump repaired, a nice cocktail hour with Les and Donna, and a good nights rest we continued on to Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona.

On Thursday evening and again Friday morning we debated whether or not to venture north from Daytona and hopefully get to St. Augustine before the predicted heavy storms hit, or stay in port one more night. That decision was made for us when Ham missed the jump from boat to dock, landing on his belly half in the water, half on the dock. When we reached shore I noticed blood in his urine. The marina referred me to a local vet, and once I secured a cab company that would allow a pet, off we went. It was hard for Ham to understand why he couldn't sit on the seat, and even harder for the Cap'n and I to keep him on the floor for the 10 minute ride. After a thorough examination and an Xray it was determined that there was no internal bleeding -- just a bruised bladder. Armed with a bottle of antibiotics we thanked the vet and staff at the Driftwood Animal Clinic and headed back to the marina. This time the cabbie allowed Ham to sit on the seat, and all was well.

Back at the marina we climbed out of the cab and Alan climbed in for a ride to the car rental agency. It was time for him and Robin to enjoy a night on Amelia Island and a morning of birding before flying back home. After lunch at a local pub, we said goodbye and headed back to FREEDOM to ride out a rain storm and keep an eye on Ham.