It's hard to believe our latest adventure is over, but we're anxious to check up on the family, spoil the grandkids some, and drive on the right side of the road. We arrived in Ft. Pierce around 10 a.m. and continued north on the ICW (where's that gorgeous aqua water??) to Vero Beach and the marina (AIR CONDITIONING!!). The Captain got the spare alternator rebuilt, bought 6 new golf cart batteries (his allowance is already gone for the year), and got in touch with Captain Wade (remember his butt on the bucket during the teak work?) to make arrangements for repairing the compression post. After a bus trip for some reprovisioning, we called Westland Marine in Titusville to arrange for putting the boat on the hard for new bottom paint and the repair.
The ICW is quite a change from tootling around the islands, not only for the huge homes but also for the water traffic. One of the bridges had a work barge parked right in the middle; it looked close, but then the tops always do too. We timed our trip to Westland carefully, because we had to get through the bascule bridge before it closed for rush hour traffic (which would require us to maintain a holding pattern in the wind-less HOT waterway while we waited). Our engineers and accountants figured and ciphered till we got to the bridge, confident that we'd made good time. Imagine our surprise when we found a new high-rise bridge, which required no opening! The cruising guides haven't recorded it yet (as of 2011), but it was no mirage. We were also surprised at Westland, since the other times we've been here it was a true working yard with a tiny, dark bathroom/shower facility, an office in a trailer, and no laundry (we had to sneak over the fence to the city marina). This time we found a huge new facility with large, clean tiled bath/showers, a laundry room, a big lounge with TV, wi-fi and small kitchenette, and new offices. Very nice!
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| the flanking jet skis look like police escorts for Summer Wind |
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| move that barge!! |
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| the bridge is tall enough now |
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| Neptune welcomes us to Titusville |
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| Westland Marina |
We visited our favorite wi-fi spot and bakery from previous trips, Sunrise Bakery, for breakfast, then showed Rusty and Nancy a bit of Titusville (doesn't take long). Later we called George and Terry, friends from Serendipity's first voyage to the Bahamas, and they picked up Summer Wind and Serendipity's crews for a dinner and swim at their gorgeous home in Cape Canaveral. We caught up on our travels and made plans to spend the night with them as we head out of Florida.
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| the gang at...where else?....the bar |
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| would you ever leave this lanai?? |
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| George, our cook |
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| a.k.a. The Naked Chef |
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| George and Terry in their beautiful kitchen |
The saga continues with renting a rental car to pick up a rental car, taking down the sails, stowing the dinghy, removing canvas and covering the boat for its haulout, unloading food/clothes/electronics for the trip to Tennessee, and burning up in the heat! Summer Wind has left us, headed north for New Bern so they can visit their kids and grandkids and check on their house in Tennessee. Another chapter is ending....
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| goodbye to Summer Wind |
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| they're outta here! |
Jay & Nancy,
ReplyDeleteWe were hoping to catch up with y'all and cruise a bit but it looks like you're hauling out at Westland Marina & going back to Tennessee for a bit. Hope y'all have a wonderful summer and perhaps we can catch up later this year. We're currently in Marathon & heading North up the coast with a possible stop in Bahamas. Miss y'all. Take care. Sandy & Rankin (formerly Heart of Texas) now Gypsea Heart