IntraCoastal, that is. After crossing Florida from west to east via the Okeechobee Waterway, we are back on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW), and headed North.
Today we are at Adventure Yacht Basin, just south of Daytona Beach and about 130 miles north of St Lucie Inlet, where we turned off the Okeechobee Waterway and onto the AICW. We've been mixing days of travel with 2-3 day stops, which is probably what we'll do most of the way back to Maine.
On Monday morning we got Spray's waste tank pumped out and then continued down the St Lucie River for 6 miles to join the AICW at the St Lucie Inlet. This marked the point where we had completed the loop around southern Florida.
As we headed north on the Indian River we had strong tailwind but travel was pretty easy, and 30 miles later we pulled into the protected mooring field at Vero Beach City Marina, only to find that all the moorings were occupied (sorta). It turns out that we aren't the only boat headed north out of southern Florida right now but instead are part of a large pack of such boats. When we came south we were behind the majority of AICW cruisers, and I liked that there was always plenty of space at anchorages and marinas, which may not be the case as we head north.
We paid for 2 nights on the mooring and headed for the nearby dog park, which draws many dogs and their slaves. That night (Monday) our rafting scheme got tested as a front came through with some serious wind gusts. The lines and fenders did their jobs, and the mooring held, and all was OK.
Tuesday involved dog play, dinghy tours, and a nice dinner at nearby Riverside Cafe with the Siegels and with Castiners Kathy and Gene Spinazola, long time cruisers who now winter 'on the hard' near Vero. Great conversation centered on the joys of cruising. Kathy and Gene left each couple with a large bottle of local orange juice, which was a great treat!
After an easy overnight on the hook we made another 33 mile run on Thursday up to Titusville. The weather has been agreeably cooler and drier, with nights in the low 60's and days in the 70's, and northerly breezes.
Today we left Titusville at about 9 am, crossed from the Indian River over to Mosquito Sound, and continued north to Adventure Yacht Basin, a smallish marina south of Daytona. The Atlantic beach here looks great and is only a few blocks away, but unfortunately they don't allow dogs on the beach. We also had hopes of having dinner at the adjacent restaurant, but it is a VERY popular place and had a 1+ hour wait. So we adjourned back to Spray for spaghetti. Color us disappointed.
Tomorrow we chug farther north to Marineland, where we will stay for a few days. Stay tuned to see how that goes.
Following avidly, Larry
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