Marina By Marina

Before leaving home we noticed an addition to the menagerie.   This pretty little Dove has setup housekeeping on a light fixture out next to the pool.

We're sure she'll appreciate our absence. We startle the hell out of her (or him) every morning when letting the dogs out the back door.

So, restarting our Marina Tour after a short hiatus that produced a shiny new dink atop Istaboa, we left our little abode in Jupiter and made way south.
Starting at North Palm Beach Marina, where we stayed a few days doing a bit of work, we left for Bahia Mar in Ft Lauderdale.

4th of July at Bahia Mar is a busy, crowded, very noisy celebration. Though I didn't see the fireworks, the reports shook the boat for about 30 minutes. The show was just across the street at the beach.

After a couple of days there, minding to biz and enjoying company, we've moved on.

Having never run the ICW south of Ft Lauderdale, I've been warned about shallows, but that hasn't been an issue yet. Bridges? Yes... but once you time one, the rest fall into order. Just idle through and you'll hit them all as they're opening... so far.

Today, we're in Hollywood at Loggerhead Marina.  A nice marina with a friendly staff and Hollywood is surprisingly cool. Just a few miles south but a totally different environment than Ft Lauderdale.
There's a huge Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville Spa complex here, (we'll pass on that) and we motored by the famously funky Saloon Le Tub . (looks like our kinda place)
Cut from Le Tub's site:

Established November 2nd 1959 as a Sunoco gas station.... Closed by the energy crunch of the early seventies, your Host purchased the barren property in 1974 and dedicated a concentrated year personally hand building LeTub totally of Flotsam, Jetsam and ocean borne treasures all gathered daily over 4 years of day break jogging on Hollywood Beach. All landscaping, planting and decor by your host.

About Let Tub

Today, we'll stay in Hollywood — doing what we do.
Me thinks our new dink will be splashed and a famous Le Tub burger enjoyed.

Tomorrow? Another marina. Loggerhead Aventura. 2 miles away.


Different than our usual summer cruise, but so far so good.

Next up - - Miami, The Keys... and ?? — We'll see

I know, I know — all work and no play — Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.
Right?

Cheers,

Message In A Bottle

While rummaging through Istaboa, tossing off the unneeded/unwanted, we came across this.

In our younger days, starting in 99, many times we attempted to run our boat from homeport on the Tennessee River, down the Tenn-Tom Waterway, across the Gulf of Mexico, through the Keys, and cross over to the Bahamas. And most of those times we completed all the legs of that long journey, but that last and most important stretch eluded us. Due to time limitations and weather, it took us several tries to finally realize our dream and make it to the Abacos. Yep, we finally made it over to the islands, but it took until 2003 to pull it off. 

But, that's not to say we didn't have a blast while trying. Much was learned and more enjoyed as we spent time and became familiar with almost every port from Demopolis, Alabama to Ft Lauderdale.

That little airline bottle of Captain Morgan's? (Thanks Northwest Airlines) It's filled with sand that was taken from our anchor; first from The Dry Tortugas then later off Tahiti Beach/White Sound/Elbow Cay. Besides anchor sand, there's a note and a tiny shark's tooth. The note says "The best of times. Dry Tortugas 5-28-01"
Forever etched in our minds, those were the best of times.
Looking at that little bottle brings back memories...
Mel and I dancing on the flybridge of our 480 SeaRay as Delbert McClinton sang, "I've Got Dreams To Remember" ... the sun barely peaking over Ft Jefferson.

That year, our aborted trip to the Bahamas turned into a long stay in the Keys. The pinnacle of our grand adventure was a run out to the Dry Tortugas. We were trying for Cuba, but politics, good judgement, and time won out.

Max's World Famous Conch Bar - Long Island, Bahamas - 2007

The original Istaboa's helm

62 Offshore

(Note the Compaq Tablet on the upper right instrument panel... High-Tech stuff in 2005)

Yes, lots of really good times, and to us, our life aboard has been and still is wondrous. The people, the places, the stored away visuals and sounds... We may not have gone around the world, but we've done so much for so long; had more fun than two people should be allowed. And, for the most part, because that's the way we roll, we did it all alone, in our own time, and our own way.

Spanish Wells, Eleuthera - 2005

And, after all these years, we're still enjoying The Best Of Times. Somewhat differently now that time isn't such a handicap, but still.

Maybe it's time to put a little more anchor sand in that bottle.

Bakers Bay, Abacos - 2006

Cheers,

Oh yeah... just left Palm Beach, heading for Ft Lauderdale.

It's a beautiful day.

Happy 4th of July

Holy Guacamole!

We think it time for us to begin the southern leg of our trip. The area's rivers and lagoons are turning into something that's not the water we in Jupiter know and love.  This part of Florida is known for it's beautifully landscaped shores and clean waters.

For us, the traces of the toxic algae have popped up in just in the last few days.  Luckily, Jupiter and the Palm Beaches have been exempt from this monstrous algae bloom that is caused by fertilizer runoff into Lake Okeechobee that's transported east by the St Lucie River, it's been an issue for Stuart for the most part.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/fl-toxic-algae-movement-20160701-story.html
 
We'll,  the Corp of Engineers just decided to let some of the goo run through another outlet that dumps directly into Lake Worth lagoon. The effects, while not as bad as Stuart, are causing Palm Beach County to shut down the ever partying Peanut Island for the 4th Weekend. For the Palm Beach area... This is Yuge!! (I can't believe I just typed that)

Me thinks something will be done about it now that the rich and famous are looking out from their seaside estates, watching the sun set into a lagoon of glowing guacamole... Too little, too late? Hope not.(exaggeration, it's not that bad in PB)

This too shall pass.

Hopefully by the time we get back.

Chao pescao

UPDATE!
The “no-swimming” advisory for Peanut Island has been lifted, Palm Beach County said Saturday.
Officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection took samples of the waters off the island, where blue-green algae was spotted late this week. They also inspected the area visually Saturday morning and saw no trace of algae in the water, said Dan Bates, deputy director of the county’s Division of Environmental Resources Management.

Reminds me of Jaws —

Found An Old Photo

One of my first digital pics.  Taken while visiting New York City... ages ago.

Thought it fitting — here and now.

It's amazing what one finds when cleaning junk out of the boat.

A laptop full of old pics from the late 90s, an unboxed Jabsco water pump, Nobeltec VNS 5 (circa 1999), an original The Capn' CD, pirated Maptech Charts of the world on CDs, DVD of Captain Ron, brand new Fisher Panda fuel pump, zincs, zincs, zincs, filters, filters, filters, and that's just from one afternoon. All out of a box I had removed from the previous Istaboa; almost 12 years ago.
Today's another day.

Today? What's in that gray plastic bin in the back of the Laz?

Calm Seas

And we're tied up at Ft Pierce City Marina waiting on a new dink.

Hopefully these weather conditions hold and we're making way soon.
But, while we're waiting, chores are being attended to. Istaboa is really starting to look good.

And, as we always say, "When it ain't bad, it's all good.".

Our First Rocket Launch

We had the countdown online and we were watching in the general direction.
Then we saw the smoke.

WOW!!

No, this is not what we saw. But, I did send this pic to a couple of old buddies just to get them excited.

(This photo was taken by Jack Krause of Americaspace.)

Yeah, we saw smoke, which means the rocket had blasted off and was already being propelled toward space, but we didn't see the actual liftoff. Finally, Mel points out the missile as it was shooting across the sky. Then, we heard it. The sound was impressive. A rumble you could feel.

I did get a couple of shots. 

I was told by others here at Cocoa Village Marina that this was a pretty good day launch. Usually the missile is smaller and you don't even hear it. If we were at Titusville it would have been pretty spectacular, but ...

It's all good.

Space Coast

Yep, we were heading north, but as we often do,  we altered course and plans. A new inflatable in being built for us by Novurania in Vero Beach so we've reversed directions and we're heading for Ft. Pierce.

By chance, there was a rocket launch scheduled so we pulled over at Titusville in hopes of catching this monster rocket blastoff. And, as luck would have it, weather postponed the launch and it was reset for Saturday... Today!

Sunrise Titusville

So we've eased down to Cocoa Village and we're, once again, in position to see and experience the Launch of Delta IV Heavy with payload NROL-37

The secretive payload is being launched for the National Reconnaissance Office in support of national defense.

That's one big ass rocket.

Colin?

Waking early to prepare for the run to Daytona, we caught a nice sun up over Port Canaveral as a cruise ship eased by.

For us, thankfully, Colin wasn't much more than a rainy day. (We love rainy days) I've heard reports of some flooding on the panhandle, but not the storm we were being presented. No complaining though.

We were in Daytona when all the news types first became excited about the approaching storm.  Tied up on the outside of Loggerhead Marina Daytona, exposed, we thought it smart to pitch off lines and make the short hop to Palm Coast Marina.

Palm Coast is a nice protected little marina, one of the onSpot marinas, and the folks here couldn't be friendlier. They love dogs!

Only downside... At night we hear a weird creaking noise somewhere within the boat; starting at the stern and slowly moving forward. After much investigating, we figure it must be a Manatee munching on something under the boat. What ever it is, it does it's thing for a couple of hours and moves on.

Colin? He's for the folks around Cape Hatteras to worry about now. Hope they're as lucky as we were.

Adios,

The Greatest

Port Canaveral

As we were walking back from a restaurant yesterday, we didn't pay much attention to the goings on at the port until we noticed the many excited photographers.

It finally dawned on us that across the channel, the pipe being lifted was in fact the reusable portion of the Falcon 9 Rocket we had seen from Ft Pierce as it was blasting off here at Cape Canaveral.

Pretty amazing that not only can they land this thing on a barge way the hell out in the open sea, but it rides home upright, on a flat bottom barge, in such rough conditions.


Impressive, Spacex.

Ocean Club Marina at Port Canaveral is a fine marina that's nice and clean with good WiFi and floating docks... and a great inlet - Cruise ship inlet - Deep and wide.
The marina staff are very nice folks.

Cheers