The last stretch of our Intracoastal Waterway route through Florida was pleasantly uneventful. It has been pretty much a straight shot south. We traveled beautiful waters, manatee zones (though, unfortunately, we didn't see any of nature's couch potatoes-they must have been too lazy to come and say hey!). Since our last post in Titusville we docked overnight at marinas in Sebastian Inlet and Jensen Beach. Speaking of docking, we no longer have the luxury of tying our boat to floating docks; there are just none around because the tide doesn't rise and fall to the extent that it does farther north. Fixed docks are somewhat of a nightmare. It requires mad lassoing skills, which I don't possess, to affix the docklines-two from the bow and two from the stern-to four vertical posts. So far, we have been able to avoid catastrophe and hopefully I'll pick up the trick of it ASAP.
Today we leave the States and sail east for West End, Grand Bahama. We are currently docked at Lake Park Harbor Marina in North Palm Beach. We arrived here Friday afternoon and over the weekend did all of our last minute preparations: one more grocery shop for produce and dairy, Chili to the vet for last minute check-up, big loads of laundry (from here on out we'll be washing clothes in a bucket and line drying), topping off on water and diesel, etc. All three of us have been jogging each morning, taking advantage of hard earth (does it cancel out the exercise if you stop by Dunkin' Donuts everyday on your way back?).
The plan is to leave this marina around 3:00pm this afternoon, motor out to the mouth of the ocean inlet, drop anchor, take a nap, and then at 11:00pm, raise the sails and start moving. It is exactly 56 miles from here to our check-in destination and may take twelve to fifteen hours, depending on the wind direction, speed and wave height. Hopefully, by lunch tomorrow, we will be-finally!-in the Bahamas.
I have no idea what internet access will be like there, but I will try to update this blog as much as possible. Now it should get interesting; I feel like I have bored you all with endless pictures of water and shore lines. Just you wait!! Phone calls will be a real treat: calls to and from my cell phone are $2.99/minute! I will be keeping in touch mainly here (on the blog) and through email-please do the same! Keep us in your thoughts and in your hearts...
Drumroll, please!
-Caitlin
3 comments:
Endless pictures of water and shorelines are good medicine. I love your stories!
Again, this is exciting! We always wanted to do this but it's not as much fun on a 24 foot center console Boston Whaler Outrage. Oh well. You have an entourage from Laguna Beach following every one of your posts with great anticipation. Very, very cool adventure!
Smooth sailing!
Have a wonderful and safe trip, and thanks for sharing vicariously with all of us! Here's hoping for lots of internet access as I am eager to hear how you are doing!
Jo
Post a Comment