9 am—We get off the dock in Fort Pierce
Leaving Fort Pierce was bittersweet. It feels like forever since we have been to sea and we were excited to get moving north. It was a crazy four months there with the COVID-19 crisis coming along in the midst of our ER nursing contract. We were definitely tired of wearing all the gowns, bonnets and masks all day at work, but grateful we are still healthy and didn’t get sick. Being isolated on a boat is really not so terrible. We found our lifestyle didn’t change much with the isolation. We went walking, running and biking around Hutchison Island almost every day. The weather was beautiful and the area is great for getting outdoors while staying away from others. Our only excursions were to the grocery store, pharmacy, laundromat and West Marine for boat parts. We worked on the boat to get ready to sail during the day and enjoyed “social distancing cocktail hour” on the dock with our new boat neighbors. I love talking to other sailors because I learn so much about the boat and places we want to travel!
Slack tide set in so we prepared to leave. The folks at Dockside Inn and Resort were awesome and took great care of us while we were there. The dockmaster Joe and his wife Cammy were there to help us off, along with our new friends from the M/Y Temptation and S/V Lady Jennili. Thankfully, we got off the dock without a hitch (excellent when you have folks watching!)
11 am—The Love Bugs Attack!
We left the inlet and were sailing about a mile offshore along the coast when the love bugs attacked. Florida love bugs don’t bite, but they are a real pain in the butt. They are attracted to the boat’s white deck and land everywhere. In just a few minutes we had so many onboard that there was no place you could step or sit without squishing them. They got into all our lines, in the dingy and even into my knitting bag. Aggravated, we started the generator and got out two shop vacs to rid ourselves of the pests. After heading farther offshore, we finally got them under control but my beautiful clean cockpit was a mess of bug guts. Oh well…more cleaning projects!
2pm—Sailing offshore
We were about 14 miles offshore, heading north with a perfect southeast wind to push us along. The boat was handling it well under mainsail and genoa, making 3-4 knots over ground. Nick decided to try fishing and caught two decent-sized Little Tunny Bonito fish, part of the tuna family. He threw them back but enjoyed the challenge.
8 pm—Passing Cape Canaveral
We passed Cape Canaveral as the sun was setting. We were 12 miles offshore in 68 feet of water. The cape gets really shallow if you get too close to land, so this was a comfortable place for us to sail. We rolled up the mainsail just before dark and continued to sail under genoa alone, making 5 knots with a 10-knot wind from the south. The seas picked up around the cape, giving us a rocky ride.
Passing the cape, we could see a lot of cruise ships anchored out on the horizon. I guess with the cruise ships closed down there isn’t enough dock space for them all and they have to stay at anchor. As the sun set, you could see their lights on the horizon. One Disney ship was headed to sea and passed about a mile in front of us, then headed south.
When I handed over the watch at 11 pm, the seas were up around 5 feet. The wind had picked up to 18 knots and we were making about 7 knots under the genoa. Life was good and I was off for a nap!
2 am—Working the night shift
At 2 am, I came back up on deck to find the sail rolled up and us motoring along. The wind had shifted to the north, right on our nose. Nick decided he didn’t want to head any farther out to sea, so we ran the rest of the way to Ponce Inlet under the iron horse. Night watch can be boring at times, but I like having the time alone to think. Gives you time to get perspective on life and step back from the busyness. With the wind on our nose, my biggest issue was the cold. I bundled up in a lot of layers to stay warm.
8 am—We arrive at Ponce Inlet
Around 7:30 am we were at the channel markers going into the inlet. The water and wind had calmed down considerably since my night watch. We found our way to an anchorage off Piddler Island. The water was calm and we anchored in about 12-foot depth. There are 3 other boats anchored here, of which 2 seem to be deserted. Huge mansions line the shoreline looking out over the water. We watched the dolphins play off the back of the boat in the afternoon, jumping out of the water as they chased their prey. In the evening we were rewarded with an amazing sunset as we sipped wine in the cockpit after dinner, followed by a huge full moon over the lighthouse after the sun went down…This is why we sail!
