Heavy Seas

For the past two days we have been in Titusville Florida.  Picked up a mooring ball on Wednesday night then came into the marina for some much needed showers, and light provisioning.  The Titusville Municipal Marina is on mile marker #878 of the ICW.  They have very well run facility here and it is very clean the staff is friendly.  Sun is abundant and it is in the high 60's  no clouds anywhere in sight.  Outside across the dock a pair of Osprey are sitting on another boats spreaders making their bird noises at each other.  Pelicans are sitting on the posts waiting to dive into the green water for their next fish victim.  A very pleasant place to be on a Friday afternoon in February.  Joe has his head in the engine compartment working on the ever elusive water heater hoses trying to get it working with the engine.  He has a mess spread all over the boat "again".  LOL. Tools and parts are everywhere I am afraid to move to far. 
We have been to Fernandina Beach, St. Augustine and Daytona.  Didn't do the tourist stuff but we did get some shore time at St. Augustine and Daytona.  When you get off the boat you have your first priorities.  Showers, laundry, provision, take on water, fuel, diesel, pump out and wash down the boat. If there is time after that we go do things.  Most days we wake up get the boat ready and take off down the ICW chasing the sunshine.
As you can see from the photos included we brought our cat (Kooper) along.  I caught him looking out the port light.  He wants to go explore but we do not let him off the boat.  He does go out on deck and walks around the boat though and he hides under the nav. station cover.  We have been in some rough seas and he has gotten seasick twice.  I was cleaning up after him for a couple days.
One of those days was when we left Jekyll Island we had to go out through St Anthony's Sound, St. Anthony is the Saint of lost things, during high tide during heavy seas through a very narrow passage. The passage is clearly marked, only about 50 yards wide and 13 to 15 feet deep but if you veer one way port or starboard you would run aground and end up on the rocks.  I took the helm to head out of harbor and when we got to the sound, which is looking at the Atlantic.  The waves were coming at us at 3 to 5 seconds intervals at an average of 5 to 6 feet some of them were 8 feet hitting us from the port bow and trying to push us out of the channel.  Did I tell you that the winds were blowing at least 20 to 25 knots did not make the situation any better.  I only got nervous when at the narrowest part of the channel the depth got to 13 feet and we draw 6.5 if the wave troughs were any deeper we would have hit bottom.  With Joe by me coaching me what to do we made it through the channel turned at our mark turned and the depth of water went to over 30 feet.  Joe took the wheel after that one.  It was something I needed to accomplish is driving the boat in heavy seas. 
Tomorrow we are heading to Port Canaveral to meet up with Mike Pitzer and Tom Baker from CSA.  It will be nice to see some familiar faces.TTFN

KOOPER

DRACO "OUR HOME"

Fort Matanzas