Final Week in Florida

Sunday, December 7th: Fort Pierce

We've been traveling for the last few days with the Woolseys and have now entered "Central Florida" - more populated and with a much busier waterway. Since many people call the ICW "the ditch", I pictured (especially here) a ditch-like ribbon of water - however, except for short land cuts that are quite narrow, the waterways themselves are broad - but the path through which boats move, where the depth can accommodate them, is the "ditch" part - it's the dredged and marked channel that you must follow to avoid running aground and running aground is easily done if your mind or your boat wander - well - usually first one happens and then the other.

Now we are in the land of "zippy" small, medium and large boats speeding along the marked channel. Cruisers on their way south notify each other when they are passing and they slow down to try to reduce the wake that rocks slow boats about. Polite talk and well wishing abound. "Thanks for the slow pass and have a nice day". In contrast, seldom do local boats slow at all. Their boats are fast and it's considered A-OK to go as fast as they can - so we do a little and sometimes a lot of rocking and rolling. The crowning experience was yesterday when a large open sport fishing boat roared past us. I was at the helm and as I turned to see what was coming, the fellow at the wheel appeared to have his mouth twisted into a menacing growl (I couldn't hear him but I think he must have been growling) - and he raised his hand to give me the one finger salute. It made me laugh - was he trying to say "Welcome to Florida"? - More likely he wanted to let us know - if you think that I'm going to slow down for you, you have another think coming! (or something like that).

Houses along a canal near Eau Gallie, Florida

Since we left Daytona, we've had a couple of unusual stops. The first was at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club in Eau Gallie - a resort town on the ocean. The yacht club itself sits on a canal just off the ICW. A reciprocal agreement with the our club allowed us to stay for a reasonable fee. It's quite an upscale place with a pool (too cold to swim they said), a fancy club house and a second building for casual dining where most of the younger crowd seemed to be. We had dinner at the club house with the Woolseys (and what does that say about us??) - it was hopping - lots of activities going on for the weekend and very prettily decorated for Christmas.

The Atlantic at Vero Beach

The following night we spent on a mooring ball at Vero Beach. No anchoring is allowed but the city marina maintains a large mooring field - and to stay for the night, it was (with tax) - $12.12. Not bad, eh - no wonder it was so busy. You can reserve a spot ahead but you are expected to raft with 2 other boats - it's always kind of fun to raft (for a night or 2). It's a pretty area also - nice homes near by on well landscaped treed lots and along the canals leading off of the ICW, more homes - many with their own docks and boats and all attractive with palm trees and gardens. A 3/4 mile walk from the marina took us to the ocean beach. On land near the dinghy dock where people were gathered to do laundry, use the showers and just stand and chat with other boaters, there was a friendly "boaters going south" atmosphere.

Sea Change, Somewhere in Time and Hydrotherapy moored at Vero Beach

We're now in Fort Pierce at the marina where we're leaving our boat for a month. We have 4 days before we fly home for Christmas, and have a list of jobs to do which will begin in earnest tomorrow. We can't say that we feel "Christmasy" in spite of palm trees ringed with lights and blow up snowmen on the top of a boat here and there. We'll have to get back to "real" Christmas weather, cold though it may be, before we feel like singing Christmas carols.