12.27.08 cove near Del Ray beach

We found an early anchorage so we could get off the water early. Good traveling until mid day. Saw a couple of unusual homes. and I guess a man’s home is his castle.I like the kayaking partner the first kayak has..

12.26.08 rough day on the water.

It was a bit windy and choppy as we headed toward Miami. Our plans have changed again. We’ve decided to head back towards Jacksonville…..from there we will decide whether we are going to head S on the St Johns River or continue N towards Savannah.

The rough part of the day was being on the ICW in a fairly narrow channel with a bunch of idiots.  And I am being very polite when I simply refer to them as idiots. Slow small boats dont get a very good ride with boats flying by on either side going both ways. I thought everyone went shopping on Black Friday!!!

We are anchored in Lake Santa Barbara…just off the ICW…it’s 1 am (27th) and there are still a bunch of boats out cruising….lots of loud music and laughter….and a few extra wakes to rock you to sleep. We need to find a better anchorage before noon and sit for the weekend. Once the hangovers have worn off they’ll all be back out here again.

12.25.08 Merry Christmas

Jim and I were up early and did a load of laundry and topped off the water tank….we are ready to go cruising in the morning.

It turned out to be a beautiful day. Many boats in the anchorage…. Diane cooked a delicious Christmas dinner aboard the River Nomad and we ate aboard our boat. After a short nap we checked out the Iguanas again…sure am going to miss those guys…another hike on the island…and a movie to finish out the day. Merry Christmas everyone.

12.24.08

A hike around the Bill Baggs St Park gave us a good bit of exercise. We picked up a few coconuts and Jim is working hard at getting one open. Sure is a lot of stuff under the husk. The one in his L hand started out the same size as the one in his R. Not many boats in the harbor today.

There will be a few more tomorrow. Most of the ones anchored outside will be coming in for the day. They are planning Christmas dinner at one of the pavillions.

12.23.08

We managed to con Jim into another walk into town. We found the ACE Hardware but they didnt have any butane for our stove. The alcohol stove has been doing a good job but the butane is hotter. Then we found the bike store. Jim and I are looking for folding bikes. The owner said he could order them and they’d be here tomorrow…well..maybe not till Fri because of the holiday…to me that meant we’d be sitting here till next week so we passed on them. Maybe we can find a couple of used ones. Then a quick stop at the Winn-Dixie..Larry needed a few items but we didnt need anything…still ended up with 2 bags each.

After lunch we took the dingy and went Iguana hunting. I think we found the 4 footer. He sat on these Mangrove roots and posed for us. They really have some beautiful color. I didnt get all his tail in this picture.

Not too many boats in here and 4 or 5 large sailboats anchored outside the entrance. I think the restaurant is closed until after Christmas so it should be pretty peaceful for a couple of days. We’ll spend Christmas here and then decide whether we are going N or S.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! We pray the New Year will bring good health and prosperity to all. God Bless

12.22.08 pretty windy so still at No Name

We walked Raisin and filled another 8 jugs for the fresh water tank. We thought we might be heading S but the weather report is listing a small craft warning this afternoon…and not having a good anchorage to head for we decided to hang out here.

Our batteries needed a good charge so the 4 of us took Slow Motion for a ride into the bay for a couple of hours. By the time we were heading back the waves were starting to kick up pretty good and we were happy with our decision not to leave.

12.21.08 still at No Name Harbor

An exciting day…It started out with a  beautiful sunrise. Our first job for the day…do a load of wash early in the morning before the 1 washer and dryer were taken…..while I did that Jim filled 8 gallon jugs with fresh water and took them back to the boat. It took 3 trips to fill the fresh water tank. Then we took a 2 mile walk into town for groceries. Of course, we both over-shopped..Jim and I carrying 2 bags apiece (cloth “green” bags). Larry was carrying an insulated bag on his shoulder and had his hands full of plastic bags. The 2 miles back seemed more like 10….but we made it. That took care of the morning. Cruising can be a lot of fun…and a lot of work, but exercise is good.

Jim wanted to work on the alternator so Larry, Diane and I took River Nomad out and anchored in shallow water near the lighthouse. We used the ladder to go in for a swim. A bit later the wind started picking up and wakes from the boats heading home were starting to rock the boat pretty good so we got aboard, that in itself was a tricky maneuver in the rough water. Sure did miss some good chances for “Funniest Home Video.” We pulled up the anchor and headed back. Just outside the entrance there is a spot where many of the large sailboats anchor…so we decided to drop the “hook” and do some more swimming…11ft of beautiful water.  A few minutes after we got back aboard…but before we could get the anchor up…a huge boat went flying by…creating a 7’ wake that hit us broadside. The Nomad rocked a 50 degree heel…a 7’ wave from inside a boat that isnt more than  8ft tall from the waterline…can look mighty big. I know I was looking up at the top as it hit us. No one got hurt but it upset the alcohol stove, tea kettle and microwave…minor damage to the stove but Larry had that up an working before it was needed this morning. A less seaworthy boat than the Nimble Nomad could have been swamped and sunk. Inconsiderate boaters like that are the reason we stayed in No Name Harbor rather than trying to cruise  S on Biscayne Bay over the weekend. Small boats dont have much chance against high dollar monsters who could care less what damage they do. Since no one got hurt and the boat handled herself rather well….it gives us another good story to tell. We ended the day with a good dinner aboard and a movie.