BAR-B-Q Adventures

St Augustine  March 10 New Smyrna Beach   We reprovisioned (Walmart run) at New Smyrna Beach. Rode the bus for .85c each and Lyft back to the marina. Not much time was spent in Smyrna to see the sites, one day in a town is too short. But that was all the marina could give us. March 11-14 St Augustine  For four nights we were back on a mooring ball. Last time we did this the Chicago skyline was our view. This time the . Castillo de San Marcos and the Bridge of Lions were our backyard.

Wednesday March 9 SpaceX Falcon 9 It was worth hanging another day to see the launch. It was hard to capture the rocket. At first it looked like a glowing object. It didn't make contrails for a bit. Then it was gone. Still a great experience.  We tried to get two nights in New Smyrna Beach but only Thursday night was available.  We anchored out again, this time in Mosquito Lagoon. There was a place to land the dingy to access the beach. The reviews said the north side is clothing optional, but we went south and the 'all naturals' were on full display. I removed my shirt and nothing else. Nancy removed some shells from the sand. The weather got threatening and shortened our stay. We bounced up and down  for the half mile back to the tug. The winds got stronger and some rain fell. I was happy to be back on the boat, Nancy might have been happier in a hotel. Two new experiences in the same day. What a life!

                                A large flock of mixed birds getting ready for the night Friday March 4 We departed  from Ft Pierce Marina after filling up with fuel and emptying our waste tank. We are paying a dollar more a gallon now compared to when we left in May. We are getting help with the fuel milage from a steady S to Se wind and favorable current. Traveling at 7-7.5mph, we burn about 3.5mpg which is great for a boat this size. Against the current the fuel burn could be less than 1mpg. Our next stop was Melbourne. We got a slip at a marina for two nights.  Saturday  March 5                                  We met up with friends that moved to Florida about 4 years ago.  It was a full day Saturday, starting with breakfast oceanside, a seafood festival, a stop at their home and finished the day with a scoop of ice cream. Good times with good people. Sunday March 6 We were going about 30 miles today so there was no hurry to leave.We departed around 1100. A SpaceX launch was sched

 Monday Feb 28   After two months away, on our 'winter break', we are back on the boat.   We flew down to Palm Beach, rented a car, drove up to Ft Pierce and the boat was in the water waiting for us. All the plans we made fell into place with some hiccups. The plane touched down then aborted the landing. Second time around we finally landed. WIND? The computers went down at the car rental agency but finally got the car. After a one hour drive, we were back at the boatyard. I prepped the boat while Nancy drove the car to the City Marina. It has been ten months since Nancy has driven, but she made the two miles safely. The batteries were charged and the engine fired up without any problems. What a relief. I attached all the fenders and lines and left the boatyard just before dusk and headed  for the City Marina. With the boat safely docked, it was time for a cold one. Tuesday March 1 This day was a re-supply day. We eat on the boat most of the time so we had quite a list to shop