(Temporary Backup) The Flagler Museum

Nana looking very relaxed sitting in the porch of The Flagler Museum right in front of the Coconut Grove. Completed in 1902 Whitehall was proclaimed more wonderful than any palace in Europe. Flagler built it for his third wife Mary Lily Kenan Flagler and handed her the deeds as a wedding gift. Railcar No. 91 has been fully restored and can be viewed inside the magnificent Pavilion where they also serve afternoon tea. The property overlooks Lake Worth.

After a wonderful afternoon Nana and Nandad take an Uber to meet Ellie and Richard at Malakor Thai Cafe for dinner. I have never seen a restaurant so well decorated for Valentines Day and the food was yummy. We were back onboard by 10 pm ready to get a good nights sleep before we leave on our big journey to the Grand Bahamas. 

After consulting with our weather reports we have decided that we will leave for the Bahamas tomorrow after sunset. It will be one day after the full moon so we should have some nice natural light. Our journey should not take more that six hours which will have us tying up at the dock at Old Bahamas Bay Resort and Yacht Harbor.

(Temporary Backup) New Port Cove

Ellie and Richard are our gracious hosts for the next several days. In the picture above we are looking out into the Atlantic Ocean from the deck at their condo facility which is in the most picture perfect setting of Palm City. There are no high rise buildings blocking their view as most of the condos here can only be 6 stories. They are on the second floor and have direct water views of both the ocean and the ICW. A perfect spot to relax and soak up the wonderful sound of the ocean waves while swimming in the warm pool or soaking in the jacuzzi. Ellie made us the most delicious dinner of salmon, roasted potatoes and beans followed by apple pie -  what a treat. She also gave us Audrey her Mercedes E350 which was a big help is assisting in our reprovisioning on Wednesday so we will have lots of groceries before we cross to the Bahamas. When we got back to the boat there was lots of activity out on the mooring field where unfortunately a boat was on fire. Lots of pilot boats keeping the area clear and a police helicopter overhead to provide strong light for visibility. 

You can see the dark smoke and flames. This was about 10pm.

On Wednesday evening we had reservations at Henry’s which is part of The Breakers conglomerate. The Breakers was built in 1896 by railroad tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler so the restaurant is filled with wonderful photographs of the railroad etc. The patio landscape surrounding the restaurant is just magnificent  as are many of the buildings , shops, galleries , etc. The Breakers is 140 acre oceanfront resort that has six restaurants within the complex and is an epicenter of old- Palm Beach. The full moon also provides some natural lighting.

Thursday Nana and Nandad took the water taxi from Rivera Beach Marina over to Peanut Island which is directly across from where the boat is docked. 
Peanut Island was originally created in 1918 with material dredged during the digging of Lake Worth Inlet. The plan was to use it as a terminal for shipping  peanut oil however this plan was abandoned but the name stuck. Hidden on the island is the secret bunker that was built in December 1961 for President John F Kennedy. The bunker was constructed quickly during the run up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Unfortunately it closed in 2017 and has not reopened yet. 

The picture from the ICW guide shows Peanut Island which is the circle you see between Riveria Beach and Singer Island. NH is docked where the blue M is at number 83 and Lake Worth Inlet is marker by the white channel that leads out to the ocean. We are getting very excited as our window for crossing might very well be this Saturday. Nandad has studied the weather patterns very carefully daily,  we have diligently written out three day forecast from three different weather reports using our criterion and we have reached out to Chris Parker for a professional weather custom report. Safe Harbor at New Port Cove has been very accommodating and we have remained at our slip the entire time. 

Here is a rough outline of our potential trip of which the first part will be heading to West End on the Grand Bahamas which is the red dot before Freeport. We successfully completed our Click2CleR documentation. 

Nandad looking very dapper after our shopping spree at West Marine. He is so excited to be wearing shorts.

Sunset overlooking the marinas as we sit in the cockpit on the dock.

Layday at SH New Port Cove

It was a long cruise to New Port Cove which was approximately 58 statute miles. The Indian River continues to be quite wide for about 10 miles so we could maintain a steady speed at 12 Knots. Hutchinson Island is to our port for several miles and is quite built up on the southern side. Our good friend Mona celebrated her 80th birthday here a few years back with all her family. We cruised for many years with Roland and Mona and miss their companionship. 

Once we reached St Lucie Inlet we had to reduce speed due to lots of homes with boat docks etc It really is quite amazing at the size of these homes and the variety of water toys right in their front yard. The ICW narrows along the  Jupiter Island stretch but the homes continue to impress. 

Nana was unable to get a picture of the kayakers however further up the river there were several surfers enjoying the wind and waves.

It was entertaining to watch seatow and the working skiff pass us by both on their cell phones ! 

This is the Jupiter Inlet  Lighthouse as we cruise past the Loxahatchee River and into Lake Worth. The wind has suddenly picked up so once again Nandad’s skills  at getting NH into her slip are put to the test. We were very happy that expert dockhands were also ready to tuck us into our slip. Once again happy to be safe and tied up so that we can relax, listen to the wind and watch the boats on the moorings swing back and forth. A quite night onboard , tomorrow we will explore our options.

NH arrives at Harbortown Marina Fort Pierce

The sun is setting behind the flock of pelican and snowy egrets at Harbortown Fort Pierce which is a Safe Harbor Marina. An early start this morning and a steady speed of 15 knots meant that NH cruised beautifully and was docked by 2pm after our 92 statute miles. Today we passed more  boats than in the last few days and the weather continues to be sunny but chilly. The homes along the way continue to get bigger and bigger and Nana decided that this one as we approached Vero Beach deserved the blog entry.

As mentioned we passed many boats, went under multiple bridges, continued on the Indian River with Merritt Island to port for some 46 miles. NASA’s John F. Kennedy Center is located to the north of the island and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. 

Boats were cruising both north and south so we had plenty of practice with one whistle ( for port pass ) and two whistle ( for starboard pass ). While on the helm Nana thought she saw several dolphin on her bow so a quick check with the binoculars revealed a group of single and double kayakers working very hard to get across the river. Naturally she reduced speed as the wake would not have been very pleasant and could even put them in the water. They were really getting quite the workout. 

We were fascinated at the new construction taking place to replace the bascule bridge. There are many bridges being replaced and old ones being demolished. 

We spent the afternoon listening to a great band playing at Skippers Cove, which is right at the dock, and it was fun to watch the patrons sing and dance the afternoon away. Nandad took a picture of this classic in the parking lot. We had a delicious dinner later but it was a much quieter atmosphere. A fun, colorful, Caribbean style bar.

Tomorrow we plan to stay at New Port Cove SH for two nights where we will meet with our good friends Ellie and Richard and start the process of looking at the weather and hopefully make the crossing to West End. We will look at the Click2Clear - the Bahamas Customs and Excise Department - online and check in with the weather expert Chris Parker. So excited at being so close to our ultimate destination. 

NH docks at Titusville Marina MM 878

Nana and Nandad were very happy to dock at Palm Coast Marina after a long stressful day. We took a wonderful scenic walk around the condos and across the busy road to the European village. This area is designed with the Italian piazza in mind with lots of colorful balconies and a central gazebo where music is played while people walk around the various restaurants. We had the most delicious pizza at Mezzaluna Pizzeria. Palm Valley is a very wealthy area filled with big beautiful homes along the waterways and many condos with their dockage for their boat which means they have direct access to the water. I imagine this place it like a zoo during busy season. 

Here is one of the modest homes with its infinity pool.

Saturday : New Hiorizon cruised approximately 74 statute miles along the ICW for several hours today. We passed many sailboats and they were all wrapped up in their warmest gear. This stretch of the ICW passed through Palm Valley, Tomaka Basin, Hailfax River, Ponce De Lion Inlet, Indian River, Mosquito Lagoon, through the Haulover Canal and into a very wide section of the River under the NASA Florida East Coast RR Bridge and finally into our slip. Nana had fun watching the homes along the way with their multiple toys SUB’s, kayaks, fishing boats, jet ski’s. The picture below is a very creative way to store your boards.

And yes this is a private backyard. It’s hard to capture the style as the boat cruises by at 10 knots however here is an example of a very nice fast speed boat.

We continue to pass many pods of white pelican and also the fishermen have their share looking for scraps.

When we had finished tying up NH in her slip - which by the way Nana continues to be in awe of how skillful Nandad is in backing in NH into these tight slips with their raised pylons - we headed to the local store for some basic groceries. Now every days brings new experiences however this one was a first. Nandad went to get the cart but was unable to release it only to discover that you had to put a quarter into the slot in order to get your cart! Well you can imagine how much mileage Nandad got from this scenario but thank goodness the lady in the store had a great sense of humor. 

After a lovely dinner onboard we will have an early night as tomorrow our goal is to get to Fort Pierce which is 92 statute miles so it will be a long day. 

The pictures show a flock of white ibis perched on the bare branches of the tree while the massive heron look on.

St Augustine and Palm Coast

On our way finally and heading for St Augustine which is approximately 60 NM. As we leave Fernandina Nana had the opportunity to take a picture of the paper mill with the hill of pulp that will eventually become cardboard boxes! Depending on where you are on the Island and which direction the wind is blowing will determine the type of odor you will experience.

 The train takes the pulp from the mill almost hourly to the harbor where it whistles for all to hear.

We also pass several shrimp boats docked along the way which I believe is primarily for local consumption. 

Nandad looking yonder as the blue sky turns to grey.

It turns into a cold, dark , rainy afternoon. Along the way Nana spotted several pods of white pelican, several dolphin playing at dodging the bow spray , and white snowy egrets perched high in the dead branches that line the banks of the ICW. Todays  cruise requires concentration as it is very narrow, shallow in many areas, and tricky navigation. We are safely docked by 4.30pm at the Municipal Marina and we are ready for a stroll into historic downtown with its beautiful shops, bars, restaurants and festive lights. 

The familiar towers of the Bridge of Lions as you approach St Augustine is always so spectacular. The Lions that guard the bridge are modeled after the historic Medici Lions that once adorned the Villa Medici in Rome. The Lions on the western side of the bridge are called Faithful and Firm, and the Lions on the eastern side Peace and Happiness. 

We had a wonderful dinner at Columbia Restaurant downtown. We have eaten at their restaurant on St Armand’s Circle and Tampa and very much enjoy their service, food, decor and ambiance.

Friday NH leaves for Daytona MM 833 however due to a slight deviation our destination was switched to Palm Coast Marina which is MM 803. While cruising we heard several instructions on the radio warning boats of a shallow passage however we were not aware of where or why this area was having difficulty. Nana handed over the helm to Nandad at about 1.30pm and shortly thereafter we discovered what the problem was! Dredging was taking place right before the Matanzas Inlet at the tip of Rattlesnake Island and close to Fort Matanzas. Unfortunately for us we did not follow instructions quickly enough and ran aground and literally were stuck in the mud at low tide. Needless to say we were not happy campers - or cruisers for that matter. For two hours Nandad attempted several times to free us from the sandbank without much success. Sea tow was called and while we patiently wait - well maybe not quite so patient - the tide rose and a very nice Captain in a Boston Whaler tugged us off the bank. We were so grateful especially as sea tow were not due to arrive for at least another hour. All is well that ends well - no vibrations felt or heard and so we dock at Palm Coast Marina for the night. A reminder that boating may not always go smoothly. 

In the background you can see the area that the dredging was taking place. Happy to be on our way.

NH gets a power wash

It’s always a little stressful when your boat is being placed on the lift watching the expert taking charge. Today is a very rainy, thunder and lightening day and Nana and Nandad spent most of it in their rental mini while the Marina worked on the boat - boating certainly can test one’s patience! We did manage to have breakfast at T-Rays Burger Station which is an old garage turned funky diner so despite the rain we had a delicious breakfast. We finally got called to make a run to West Marine to pick up a part for the head so I guess being available does help when it comes to boating. New Horizon is back in the water by late afternoon and after some boat cleaning we are happy to have a relaxing evening eating onboard.

Wednesday Jan 17th. Today Matt will work on fixing the main head and we will wait for a delivery from Fed Ex. After all that we will be finally ready to have an early start tomorrow for St.,Augustine. We took the opportunity this morning to review the history of Old Fernandina and as you can tell from the pictures the weather is cold !

This canon is part of the armament of Fort San Carlos. This 6-pound canon was used by the Spanish, English and French and was found in the marsh and donated to the Florida Park Service. The canons were used during the Battle of Amelia in 1817, and were also used to protect the harbor and inlet from invaders. This particular canon was in service from the mid-1700’s to the 1830’s ( according to the information on the board which is erected on the site of the historic plaza grounds that once laid in front of the Spanish Fort San Carlos.

Old Town Fernandina

Sunset at Egan Creek