Jacksonville (and Jack!)

The Intracoastal Waterway is cut through marshes when you get up past St. Augustine. It's all very natural and beautiful... lots of birds and porpoises, interspersed with small town fishing areas. We had a nice day motoring north (the wind was too stiff to sail out in the ocean).


My "middle" brother lives on a creek (through the marsh) off of the St. John's River in Jacksonville. I've always loved his house; he's stayed in one place longer than any of us!- and it was good to be there, and to spend a little time with family.


We came to visit by dinghy, as we were able to anchor in the ICW just north of the St. John's. Took about 10 minutes to get there!
Thanks, Jack and Mary, for the trip to the grocery store, and dinner, and for loving us so well. Alan and Eileen- your kids are awesome, and it was just good for my heart to hang out with you for the evening. Sorry we had to eat and run, but we were hoping to get back to the boat before dark. (We didn't quite make it...it got dark on us just as we got back to the river...glad we had a light in the dinghy!)

New Smyrna

Our stops seem to revolve around old friends... (do we sound like we have lots of old friends?- maybe it's because no one stays in one place any more.) So anyways... next stop...New Smyrna.

Jimmy McCleary is one of the coolest guys ever. We both know him from high school years- Ted and I didn't even know each other back then- but we both knew Jim. Jim's a surfer. And he's the organizer of a Surf Outreach ministry called Crosswaves. They hold beachside events several times a year (here, in Delray, and in Puerto Rico), teaching kids to surf along with free food, good music, and a gospel message. We rode our bikes to the beach and had a great morning hanging out with Jim, meeting his family, watching him "work"' and just being amazed at how God's using him to touch kids in this beautiful corner of the world.



He's also what he calls a "grand dude"... this is him getting his grandson started early.


Another very cool thing New Smryna does is a hot air balloon event. This is what we woke up to on Saturday and Sunday mornings... I guess they heard we were coming, and wanted to welcome us. Or something like that.



The only negative is the sand fleas (aka no-see-ums) also heard we were coming. They're glad to see us, too. Amazing how such a little bug can cause so much havoc. Misery at dusk and dawn. Makes you do the boogie dance.

So on to St. Augustine tomorrow!

Stuart Rocks!

If you're a firefighter friend, then you know we had a good time in Stuart. If you're not one of the "boys", then let me explain- these are all friends we've known for 23 years. The guys have been through thick and thin, some on the same crew, most on the same soccer team. I even delivered one of their babies. So we love 'em like family. When the word spread that we were in town, everyone that could hopped on a boat and came for a visit (we all went to dinner, too- I just don't have pictures to prove it.)
The next morning, Kevin and Kathy escorted us out to a sandbar, so Ted and Kevin could troubleshoot this pesky little overheating port engine. They took it apart and put it back together (and it's still overheating)- Then they escorted us out the inlet (guess they wanted to make sure we were really leaving). We got a picture of them...

and they took a picture of us... Then we waved goodbye and headed north for our first 24 hour passage of the trip. Sailed through the night, passing Cape Canaveral at dawn. It was a calm, beautiful night...God is good!

Farewells and Fair Seas

Goodbyes are never easy- or fun- but it helps if you add food and a party... so we threw a truly low-rent adios amigos shindig at Crandon Marina before we shoved off.


Thanks to all our friends and family for bringing the food and drinks and chairs and tents- and most of all, for hanging out with us for awhile.


The next morning, at 06:30 (the captain is a strict one.), we said goodbye to mooring #17, which has been Morning Glory's home for the last 4 years,

and motored out Government Cut- heading North...

Our first day out (Miami to Palm Beach) was kind of "swelly" (i.e. I was a bit on the seasick side all day.) Day two (Palm Beach to Stuart) was better, though, as the winds calmed down some.

As I write this, we're anchored in Manatee Pocket, in Stuart. We plan on being here one more night- having dinner with several fireman friends tonight- and sailing towards New Smyrna in the morning.

We miss the ones we left behind.... and are eager to see the ones we're heading towards... guess that will be our mantra for awhile. Like my T shirt says.... life is good!

Getting Closer...

Morning Glory's been hauled out and spiffed up...(bottom paint, a buffing, and a bit of fiberglass work)
















The damage from the lightning strike of 2007 has finally been taken care of (new VHF wires are threaded through the mast- a job that had us stumped for 3 years!) AND we've got a new tv antenna up at the top of the mast...


So it looks like we're almost ready to go!

(May 17th is the goal...)