Shorts for the first time- yay!

It was blowing a gale nearly all day, thunderstorms and chance of pop-up tornadoes on NOAA.  The wind was right on the nose, and too strong anyhow, so we used the iron spinnaker all day.  She runs well, after some encouraging taps with a wrench and some sweet talkin' to get her going.  (Wait, I think I know some people like that!)  That reminds me though, we do need to get our reefing lines set up.

We cut it short early today as the weather was really moving in.  We had nearly 30 miles to sail through Mosquito Lagoon (glad it's been cold recently, to kill all those suckers off :), but we were afraid we couldn't get through before it got dark, or before the storm hit.  Better to be safe than sorry...I have a sensible Cap'n on board.  Hopefully all will have quieted down by morning, and we can take off through Mosquito Lagoon.  Our goal is another 60+ mile day, since we only got 48 miles covered today.  The good news?!  It was finally warm enough to shed layers and put on shorts :)  The bad news?  There's a cold front behind this storm, and its supposed to be chilly again.  The really bad news is I lost a mitten off the deck in the midst of tying up to Palm Coast Marina in the dark.  I thought I only lost mittens in our wood burning stove....grrrrr.
Oh, but the good news is we went in after dark, and left after at dawn, so we didn't have to pay for a slip.  It didn't matter anyhow, as we didn't use shore power or anything.  We just needed a safe place to tie up for the night as there were no anchorage options.  Lots of random pictures to share from today....



The St. Augustine Lighthouse



The Lighthouse at the Ponce de Leon Inlet, just
as you come into New Smyrna Beach, where we
are staying tonite- such a friendly town.

People are crazy about their boat houses down here.  Some are deluxe, some
look like a tiki bar, and well, I really don't know what to say about this one!

We went through
four draw bridges
and five fixed
bridges today. This
was at Daytona
Beach. A bridge that
opens in the center
is called a bascule
bridge, fun fact.

You know you're in Daytona when you see a Harley
Davidson shop from the water- the rally is next month.
I'm gonna have to miss it, darn.

Daytona Beach wins the prize for the most beautiful bridge,
each post was a tile mosaic, unbelievable.



First Mate does take the helm to relieve Cap'n.
(which usually means he is 'relieving' himself off the side)



I peeked in the cabin from the cockpit and was shocked
to find our furried beast on the top step of the ladder.

I was shocked as this is his usual position
when the engine is running...hiding behind
a pillow on the settee.  Such a brave puss.



The starboard view of the cabin. Can you find the ship's log?
How about Donnie's guitar? The flat screen is mounted on
the other side of the hanging locker, where foulies are stored.



The portside view. This settee makes a double bed, and
the table folds out on both sides to seat 6-8 for dinner.
Can you find the furnace? How about the French press?



I LOVE my galley; two burner stove, oven, refridgerator and
 small freezer, dry goods storage, my microwave, and
plenty of storage for dishes, food and what not.  And I
thought I have a one-butt kitchen in the log cabin!



Willis insisted on being in the picture. There's
the electronics panel (the bilge should NEVER
be turned off) and to his left is a sea berth
by the chart table. We can sleep 6 comfortably.



Our stateroom is the Vberth, which is as wide
as a king sized bed at the head. We play
footsies in our sleep! Every berth has their
own personal fan for comfort :)

Again, Willis was caught in the head.  Mark my
 words, this cat is going into potty training
 boot camp when we get to Marathon, FL!

And now, for the wildlife enthusiasts....my attempts at capturing creatures in the lens.  No sign of alligators yet, though we are told from here on further south is where we will likely see them. YIKES!!!

Some sort of skinny ducks who dive bomb the water looking for groceries!

I called this one Pelican Island- original, I know.

We've also entered into manatee territory, but haven't seen one yet.
I will be sad if he hit one with our prop. :(

My attempt at an action shot. They make a ruckus when they take off!

Dude, why the long face?!

When we arrived at the New Smyrna Beach City Marina, we had to go take
care of some chores.  First on the list, getting more diesel fuel.



Next we caught the city bus from downtown to go shopping.
$1.25 each, and we went to Walmart, Publix, Radio Shack,
Dollar Tree and the bookstore, and came back loaded for
bear.  The kindly bus driver took us directly to the marina
so we didn't have to lug our bounty through town. :)

We had intended to go out to dinner, but by the time we got everything stowed away, it had started to really storm, lightening and all.  Instead, I made pan fried chicken, green beans and potatoes.  While we ate dinner, Willis was guarding the boat....

...looking like a coon up on his back legs. Silly Willy.

So, the first report we got today is that Lake Okeechobee is at 7+ feet right now.  Since we draw 4 1/2, it looks like we're good to go across the Okeechobee Waterway to Ft. Myers, Florida.  Weather permitting, it looks like two more full days and one morning before we get to Stuart, Florida. If we arrive at Stuart before noon of the third day, we will transit part of the canal system.  The fourth day finish the eastern canals, cross Lake Okeechobee, and enter the western canals.  By the fifth day, we will finish up the western canals and
arrive at Ft. Myers.  But on a sailboat, all plans are written in sand.  We love hearing all your comments, keep 'em coming!!!