New year, new chainplates!

Since our last post from Fernandina Beach, we leisurely cruised south to Stuart, took refuge from the Treasure Coast's coldest Christmas in nearly three decades at Mike's grandmother's house, and dropped Traveller off at Mack Yacht Services to have her chainplates replaced. The chainplate job should take 5-6 weeks. We hope to move back on Traveller in mid-February and sail to the Bahamas soon thereafter. In the meantime, we will make the most of our time in Florida as landlubbers.

We departed Fernandina Beach on a rainy morning. A couple of hours later, we opted to tuck into Sisters Creek rather than fight an opposing current in the St. Johns River. We spent the night at a free dock in the outskirts of northeast Jacksonville and set out for St. Augustine the next day, which happened to be Thanksgiving. Immediately after anchoring in the Tolomato River, within view of the Vilano Beach fishing pier and a short dinghy ride from St. Augustine, we hurried to the beach and (finally) basked in warm Florida sunshine. On our way back to Traveller, we stopped at Circle K, the only store open in Vilano Beach. Although our search for turkey proved fruitless, we did pick up two Christmas ale tallboys to keep with the holiday spirit. We indulged in a belated (and slightly modified) Thanksgiving dinner the following evening - a rotisserie chicken from Publix accompanied by gravy, stuffing, and instant mashed potatoes prepared on the propane stove.

Vilano Beach's Blue Bird of Happiness, which was originally painted orange to promote Florida's citrus industry 

On Black Friday, we hopped on the dinghy and swerved around dolphins playing in the Tolomato River under the cover of a dense fog. After disembarking in St. Augustine, we walked around Castillo de San Marcos (the oldest masonry fort in the continental US) and surveyed Spanish colonial architecture. Perhaps due to an influx of holiday tourists, St. George Street (a pedestrian-only thoroughfare lined with shops, restaurants, and other attractions) was overwhelmingly crowded. St. Augustine is a gorgeous city with a fascinating history, but it would be nicer with a few less "Old Time Photos."

Castillo de San Marcos on the Matanzas Bay in St. Augustine

One of two marble lions guarding the Bridge of Lions, which connects St. Augustine to Anastasia Island

After leaving St. Augustine, we anchored in the Halifax River and spent a couple of days in Daytona Beach. Carrying preconceived notions of Daytona Beach influenced by MTV’s “Spring Break,” we were surprised to find a ghost town. Wreckage from recent hurricanes sprawled across the boardwalk, light poles lay on the ground, and pipes jutted out from crumbled structures. Several boats had crashed into docks or washed ashore. Winches, which sell for hundreds of dollars secondhand, were missing from washed up sailboats. Despite the dismal scene portrayed, Daytona Beach was a nice place to explore and run errands.  

Daytona Beach - boardwalk at Oceanfront Bandshell; hurricane damage; sailboat washed up on rocks

Next, we sailed through “Space Coast," a 72-mile stretch of coastline east of Orlando where the John F. Kennedy Space Museum and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are located. We made three stops along Space Coast: Titusville, Cocoa Beach, and Melbourne. Mike jumped into the Indian River and gave Traveller's hull a much needed scrub-down at an anchorage in Titusville. We scored a spot at a free dock in downtown Cocoa Village, where we attended a free outdoor concert and splurged on a trendy rooftop dinner. We relaxed among locals and watched surfers in action at Paradise Beach in Melbourne before crossing into "Treasure Coast,” coastline spanning three counties in Southeast Florida where gold lost with the Spanish Treasure Fleet during a hurricane in 1715 has been recovered. We spent one night anchored next to the Wabasso Bridge in the Indian River followed by nine nights on a mooring ball in Vero Beach.

Mike scrubbing Traveller's bottom

Two boats were rafted to each of the 57 mooring balls at Vero Beach City Marina during our stay. Modest mooring rates ($20 a night, $126 a week, or $357 a month) include access to the marina’s dinghy dock, laundry room, showers, and WiFi lounge. As an added bonus, the City of Vero Beach operates a free bus that stops at the marina, beach, shopping centers, and a transfer station. We enjoyed lounging at the beach and winding through thick mazes of mangroves on the dinghy. It’s no wonder why Vero Beach, with all of its charm and convenience, is the wintertime destination for many coastal cruisers. However, no place is perfect. A multifaceted defense employing citronella candles, butane-fueled mosquito repellent, and Skin So Soft was no match for bloodthirsty no-see-ums lingering in the mangroves. A few days before Christmas, we left Vero Beach covered in small itchy welts. 

Vero Beach Mooring Field

Mike's mom and aunt welcomed us to Stuart during a downpour, waving to us from a fishing pier as we passed under the Roosevelt Bridge in the St. Lucie River. We anchored in Pendarvis Cove for several days. Vessels constantly sped by the anchorage, throwing massive wakes that posed a challenge to Mike when he climbed 50' up the mast to replace the anchor and foredeck lights. Other than that, the anchorage was comfortable and offered easy access to docks in Stuart where we could tie up the dinghy for free. We celebrated Christmas at Mike's grandmother's house in nearby Palm City, spending the night to escape temperatures in the 30's. On New Years Eve, we hung out with a group of Island Packet owners at Sunset Bay Marina, a stone's throw away from Pendarvis Cove. 

Mike climbing the mast to install new LED lights

In addition to working on boat projects and socializing, we went on a couple of excursions before dropping Traveller off at Mack Yacht Services. We took the dinghy down the south fork of the St. Lucie River, maneuvering around floating logs and ducking under low-hanging branches as we entered Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park. We observed turtles gathered on logs, listened to singing birds, and narrowly escaped the jaws of death after a sunbathing alligator slid into the water and darted in our direction. 

Alligator at Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park moments before it bolted towards us

For our last hurrah, we sailed just past the St. Lucie Inlet and spent two nights anchored in Peck Lake. We took the dinghy to Jupiter Island and followed a path through a tangle of mangroves to beautiful Hobe Sound Beach. Mike found a cluster of sheepshead fish gathered under Traveller and caught a yellowfin croaker. After the relaxing trip to Peck Lake, we made our way to Mack Yacht Services.

Hobe Sound Beach

We spent an intense 18 hours unloading every item aboard Traveller (cushions, food, personal effects, tools, etc.), shoving anything we did not throw away or take with us in a storage trailer. Once all of our stuff was out of the way, the boatyard started on the 5-6 week chainplate job. We plan to explore Florida by car until the job is complete. Any skeptics out there, rest assured that we have not abandoned our plans to sail to the Bahamas :)

Storage trailer provided by Mack Yacht Services

Traveller in the boat lift after haul-out