Back to Titusville - April 13-20, 2012

Standing on the bow, it hits me... I won't be doing this much longer... I better enjoy the sunshine and the scenery as we motor north on the ICW.

One of the best parts of cruising is that you keep crossing paths with people you met months earlier.
In Vero, we chatted with Cath and Dan, who we met in the Chesapeake, about their time in the Bahamas.   We've been able to keep in touch with other cruising friends by reading about their blogs and emails.

Winding down the season back at Westland Marina....

Robert nicknamed me "Cap".   If the rag is in your pocket, you must be the captain.

Rick really knows how to run a travel lift.

I decided to re-sew the seams to reinforce the wheel house window coverings.
Thanks to Cathy for the use of her sewing machine.

Time out for a singsong...take it away, Dean and Susan!

We were never lucky enough to be in Cape Kennedy for a shuttle launch, but we did get to see the final fly-by of Endeavour, piggy backing on a 747 enroute to Washington DC.

The jet flew south along Coca Beach to Patrick Airforce Base, then returned to fly over the Cape Canaveral area.  It was a bittersweet moment for the residents, including former employees of the space shuttle program.

The beach was crowded with spectators.

Last November we saw several rocket launches.
The Atlas rocket is eventually slated for Mars exploration.

We really like the Canaveral-Cocoa Beach area and enjoyed spending time here before Christmas.

This very photogenic pelican and his friends are regulars at the pier.

Terry and Kim were headed southward....maybe next year Old Rosie will catch up with Clarity in the Abacos.

Nothing like a good read on the beach....  Cumberland Island: Strong Women, Wild Horses.
Hiking and seeing the wild horses on Cumberland Is., Georgia is on my list of things yet to do.

Ben is catching a wave....

Finding another 9'6 Robert August board and doing more surfing is on Ben's to do list. 

I remember when the crew of the Thomas Leigh moored at Titusville last November.  We met them- our first cruising friends- on the Erie Canal, waited out Hurricane Irene with them, and were buddy boats on the Atlantic overnighter along the Jersey coast.  It was great to see them again for a celebration we named "Arrival and Survival".

Now spring is in the air, from posturing geckos...

to jostling manatees...

The days are definitely getting hotter!

Four busy days from haul-out, we locked the door, climbed down the ladder and drove out of the yard.

Old Rosie will wait patiently until next fall when we return to see old friends, make new acquaintances and continue our cruising adventure.

Dinner Key and Key Biscayne - Apr. 5-8

After listening to the weather forecast, we headed south from Miami, trying to get ahead of a few days of windy/rainy weather.....some sights along the way:
Big guy was blowing on a conch shell...

A night-time view of the high-rises of Miami from our anchorage.

The next morning, these future sailors were being towed out to the course for a weekend regatta.  Some kids looked a bit more enthusiastic than others.

As the wind began to pick up, we radioed in and learned two things: the launch from Dinner Key Mooring Facility doesn't operate when there is a small craft warning... and neither does the pump-out boat.
(Guess someone forgot to tell all those kids in the Optimist dinghies!)
Dinner Key is a large mooring field- over 200 mooring balls.



Skyline of Coconut Grove ...

By evening it was a warm night- perfect for sitting on the back deck, looking at the full moon.

On Saturday we went ashore and spent the day in Coconut Grove- lots of shops and restaurants, and a fantastic book store. We had brunch while listening to a man singing island songs and playing on a steel drum. Unfortunately, we forgot to take our camera that day...maybe because we had 3 bags of laundry to load in and out of the dinghy. Coconut Grove....nice place.

It only took a couple hours to motor across Biscayne Bay. We anchored of Key Biscayne and took a dinghy ride to to No Name Harbour.

After reading 'An Embarrassment of Mangoes', I convinced Ben that we had to try a Presidente beer.      

Good beer, great book!


My my, what a long tail you have...

Key Biscayne is very beautiful, blue water, lovely homes

and it became very busy.
 More and more boats arrived, threw out their anchors near the sandbar...

people were wading, swimming and dancing!

....it was quite a different way to spend Easter Sunday! 

The Travelling Eckburys in Miami Beach - Mar. 29 -Apr. 4

We didn't intend to spend a lot of time in Miami....
The first night we anchored in Sunset Bay with plans to move to another nearby anchorage the next morning. When we shifted into gear and began to haul up the anchor, the shifter cable broke.
Let me tell you that there are many worse times and many worse places to be when you have no forward or reverse ....remember the bridge photo?
So, while we waited for a new cable to be shipped to the nearest West Marine, we decided to get to know some of our anchorage neighbours and check out what Miami Beach has to offer.

We were tucked in beside Maurice Gibb Memorial Park

and the Venetian Causeway.

The swirling tidal currents made for some close encounters.

We toured along Collins Canal, under a series of bridges, but could only go as far as a fallen tree.

The dinghy dock was beside the launch at the Marine Police Station, so we weren't worried about our dinghy or motor when we went ashore for the day, but we did lock both of them.
It took only minutes to get from our boat to the dock, and the nearest grocery stores- two of them- were only 3 blocks away... such convenience is every cruiser's dream!

There was also a paddle board rental place nearby;  the bay seemed to be a very popular place for young girls in bikinis to try out this activity, much to Ben's delight.

also a nice kayaking area....hmm, that's not me in the kayak, Ben...

Hey, nice boat going by the anchorage!  We know the captain.... Joel is the professional captain of this 87' Sunseeker.  He is from Southern Ontario and we have mutual friends in Owen Sound.  Joel had radioed us the day before when he saw Old Rosie go by on the ICW.  

Joel and his buddy, Clive, dropped over to see Old Rosie, then we dinghied back ashore for dinner at an amazing restaurant called Beer and Burgers.  Ben ordered the Mustang Sally, I had a Freebird (a turkey burger)...DELICIOUS!  The craziest thing on the menu was the "Mother Burger", described as "the size of a manhole cover with buns like couch cushions".  Just as we were leaving, a Mother Burger had been ordered by a group of 6.  Although we didn't see the real thing, there were photos in the hall of the chef using a chain saw to cut the burger.
Anyway, a good time was had by all.



No wonder this is called Sunset Bay.

We toasted this sunset with Chris and Ed, who were anchored nearby. Plans were made to check out SoBe (South Beach) and the Art Deco district the next day.

Marcel, your tradition was carried on!

We loaded our folding bikes into the dinghies and headed over to the dock, then with Ed in the lead, we  headed eastward.  The colour of the ocean is as brilliant a shade of blue-green as the umbrellas...

We saw the hotels of the Art Deco district as we biked along the beach boardwalk, and zigzagged down Collins Ave.
 "Where are we going now, Ed?"

At the end of South Beach is the ocean inlet called Government Cut.  If you have ever watched Miami Vice or CSI Miami, you might recognize scenes that were shot in this location.

The Lincoln Road Mall stretches for about 8 blocks and is packed with trees, restaurants, art galleries...
Elvis would come alive when you threw money into his guitar case.  The sign read, "Start with tips."

...and shops of all kinds.
The windows and walls of this clothing store were floor to ceiling old Singer sewing machines.

Beautiful orchids were hanging from the trees.

Miami is described in the cruising guide as "the gateway city to the Caribbean and Latin America".  We agree that it often feels "more Caribbean and Latin American than mainland".  It was hard to find an English speaking radio station...really enjoyed the Latin music!

The next day we decided to go with Chris and Ed to Little Havana for dinner.

 Havana 1957 was the Cuban restaurant of choice- great meal!

The street was alive with locals and tourists.

I can just imagine how lively this area was during Calle Ocho.  "Miami's largest street party"  happens every March in Little Havana.


The tools....

the hands...

The new shifter cable will soon be installed and ready to go.

The delay for repairs turned out to be a good thing.  We got a chance to make new acquaintances and to spend time at our new favourite beach.

Now, on to Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne....