Titusville - We visit Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge

I just love these walkways through the Florida woods

This morning I woke up and we had some pancakes for breakfast. They was really good, today we are headed to Merritt Island animal refuge. We went in are rental car and Hoolie came with us, we went down the path when we got there. There is a pond that had no alligators, but there is a tiny turtle on aboard in the middle his name is Tom. We walked down a little bit and saw lots of tiny lizards their names are Lizzy, Leo, Luca, Luke, London, and Lauren. They all start with 'L' because they're lizards, some of the trees had Spanish moss that looked pretty. There were also a lot of palm trees there that looked pretty, then we went back to the car. There is a nature path that you can go through in a car, we saw lots of birds in the tiny canals. It is so flat there clouds are so beautiful there nice and big, fluffy and light. After that we went to some manatee seeing spots, we did only see their backs. We also saw vultures that were big and ugly. Then we went back to the boat, it has been raining on and off lately. Now am talking to you, we are having shrimp taco's with cabbage, bye. Sarah

They dive for food but they do not have natural oils to expel water, they have to dry off in the sun

Finally, the pumpout problem is solved. I never did get the cap loosened from the deck hardware but I did succeed in getting the old hardware off, cap, fixture and all. I then replaced it with the new ones from Beneteau that were stainless steel, much better than aluminum which can corrode. 

They have all directions covered - no sneaking up

After that we were off to Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. It's one of our favorite places to visit while in Titusville. It's strategically located at the southern most point of many of the migratory birds and at the northern most point of many of the native birds;.So you are almost guaranteed to see lots of wildlife whenever you tour. However, fall is the best time when the migratory birds are present in the highest numbers. 

Fire is now embraced as needed

The blog will continue until we leave on 11/19 and will resume upon our return on 1/7. In the meantime we'll be up north celebrating the holidays with family. Since we have Sarah with us the blog may continue for awhile so folks back home can keep up with our activities with Sarah. You're invited to tag along as we continue our Titusville adventures. 

Titusville - The rains come and we provision

The clouds are marching by, some with rain

This morning I woke up a little late, well late enough to miss our walk, but that was ok. I don't know why I was so tired, we had breakfast and I read my book. I finished my book and now we are hoping to watch the movie tonight and I did my vocab. Today is the day that we go shopping, Grandpa got the rental car that is tiny and bright red. After shopping we headed back for lunch, then we went to go get fresh grapefruit and fudge. Their fudge is so good, then we went back after a quick trip to a supplies store. It is hard getting all the things we got on the boat, we opened a window on deck and passed them down. Hoolie was very happy to see us after two long trips out, when we came in I think I saw Mary and Johnny the manatees. It rained on and off today so it's no surprise the manatees were by the rain pipe part of the marina. I am back here on the boat pretty tired out, so bye. Sarah

The pumpout port is still not fixed. On Saturday it's do or die so I enabled Plan B, a bypass of the frozen cap on the deck. I'll take one last try Saturday morning before the pumpout boat is due at 9:00. Plan A is to loosen the cap with a hammer and punch, Plan B is the bypass, Plan C is a complete replacement of the deck hardware but that's not a 30 minute job. At least that's my thought after 10 years of working on the boat. It always turns out to be more difficult than expected, I've never had it go the other way. 

Most of the rain missed us, it seems to concentrate over the Gulf Stream just off shore

Titusville has a good Walmart for groceries, not everywhere does. Their prices are way below Publix or Food Lion on just about everything, why pay more? We are starting to get a change of weather with rain this morning and we're hoping for cooler weather over the next few days. Sarah gets the weekend off from school and therefore, so do the teachers. That frees up about 6 hours a day. We plan on visiting Merritt Wildlife Refuge on Saturday and perhaps the zoo on Sunday, nice to have a car.

Titusville - Frozen caps

Last year we saw an alligator sunning in this exact spot - will the bird be here tomorrow?

This morning I woke up and we went on a walk, the bananas are still green. The dog park was a little full but not many, when we came back we saw a guy fishing right by the sign that says no fishing. I was a little upset I have to say, and annoying when he probably read the sign. It is still hot out so I spend most of my time down in the AC, I read To Kill a Mockingbird after breakfast that was cereal. I have about 28 pages to go to finish the  book, I am hoping to finish the book tomorrow so we can watch the movie. There is this package I've been waiting for from my mom, it has candy and other do-dads that I don't know of. So when I am doing my French Grandpa brings in a big box inside was movies, a book, candy, fuzzy socks, Halloween do-dads, some leaves from home, and some tops. I was so excited, after my work I did the Lego set I forgot to say that my mom got me, it is a pizza place with a stove. Also there was a snicker doodle bar mix, if you didn't know it's my favorite cookie, Nana and I made through this afternoon. It smelt so good in the oven when I was playing with my Legos. We took Hoolie to the dog park and there was one other dog, he ran so fast and was tired so fast. When we walked back to the boat I saw a pineapple in the water, that was weird since there not native here. Now am talking to you farewell, so long, and bye. Sarah

Oh joy! A package from home!

I bought some PB Blaster which is the best stuff around for freeing stuck bolts and nuts on the advice of a reader of the blog. I had used it at home and knew it was good, I just had none onboard until today. Twice I applied it to the pump out screw cap and twice I was unable to move anything. The caps are made of aluminum which was never a good idea. I had plenty of leverage with the winch handle and a cheater bar but I still could not move the screw cap but the winch did move, chewing up the aluminum cap. So I soaked it some more and will try again tomorrow. If all attempts fail, then the replacement pumpout fittings are due to arrive on Friday. I just do not look forward to getting the old fittings off since I'm sure they will be glued down tight to the deck and have aged well over the past 11 years! 

A view of "A" dock, the best protected of the docks

Most of the mornings are taken up with home schooling Sarah. We are now in negative numbers in algebra. We spend about 45 to 60 minutes a day during the week on math. Ann covers the other subjects. It makes for an interesting day and we make good use of the A/C. 

On Friday we get the car for the weekend for $40 including all taxes from Enterprise. It's time for provisioning and seeing the sights. However, I have to either get the pumpout fittings working by either unscrewing the ones we already have or installing new ones. The pumpout day is Saturday so I expect a long day Friday. 

Titusville - Boat problems

Sailboats rule - at least on A dock

This morning I woke up then Nana and I went on a walk, Hoolie came with us. It was a tiny bit hot when the sun was coming up, I saw the banana tree and there is bananas but they are green still. When we went back to the boat Hoolie was tired so was I, after that I took a nice cool shower. Then we had breakfast and I did my school work, am on page 274 in my book, I love how you really get a picture in your head of what is happening. I did my usual work and was done after lunch, It actually started to drizzle a little bit. I cooled down in the AC and then went up to curl the ropes, it was raining a tiny bit harder when I curled them up it, but it was so refreshing after the heat. I played with Hoolie in my bed, he is really funny because he likes to roll around in my sleep in bag. I watched TV and then it was time to take Hoolie to the dog park, we haven't been taking him because it has been so hot. There was a small dog there that was cute, and another dog they started to play a little bit. I don't think the other people knew about dog play so they left fairly soon. There was another beautiful black in white dog, it had short fur and was pretty. Then we left when the black dog left, it was really fun seeing new dogs that were so much fun to see romp around. We went back to the boat and I watched some more TV and now am talking to you. we are having.... wait am going to leave different this time, ok try this again, so long my valued reader will meet again bye. Sarah

One tired dog after 30 minutes of a dead run

Things happen on a boat. It's in salt water 9 months of the year and things are not like at home. Today was pump out day and I could not loosen the screw in top to the deck fitting, how exciting... So I enlisted help with a Vice Grip and even a length of pipe to get additional leverage, no dice. I started to churn through the aluminum fitting instead of turning it. I've now ordered another fitting from Beneteau that's due to arrive Friday, just in time for a pump out on Saturday - you've got to pay attention to these things...

The main office and cruisers' captain's room faces the water - not great but adequate

As I was walking to the marina store to get some distilled water I heard a woman muttering about a leak in the fresh water pump. As I said, things happen on a boat, especially older boats. A salt environment is harish on components and things fail that would never fail on dry land. It's all part of boating so you need a contingency fund if you intend on spending a lot of time in salt water.

On Thursday we get a care package from home, all our mail for the past month is due tomorrow morning, we hope. As usual, the marina will serve as a post office to both receive mail and to send it. They accept USPS, UPS and FedEx, no problem. It's a lot better than trudging down to the nearest post office for general delivery. Looking forward to Friday and having a car. 

Titusville - the manatees come

The manatee found Sarah - wanted to be friends

We got an announcement this morning that there is no school today because it is election day. Actually my mom called to tell us, I am not sure who are the teacher and principal in this funky school district. So today I washed the boat with Nana and Grandpa, it's really fun because you get to see manatees. See manatees love fresh (we are in salt) so when we wash the boat there is a guaranteed chance to see one. Then I saw them with their really cute nose sticking up, there were three, I named then Johnny the big one, the baby Mary, and the other big one Tom. I went to the back of the boat on the platform, I was so close to them I could touch them, but I didn't because you shouldn't since they're endangered. Some times they puff out a breath and I felt Johnny's, it was so cool to be so close. After we were done with the hose they said goodbye, then I went to get some lunch. I wrote in my book and played on my phone, it is another hot day today and I hate the heat so I stayed down stairs most of the day. We also watched a short movie that was funny I think, I also drew a tiny bit. Well we are having Mexican chicken for dinner bye. Sarah

Sarah spent all day looking for manatees

The Titusville Marina is the home of about 20 manatees. The water is warm and protected and they apparently get plenty to eat. What attracts the manatees is fresh water. We were washing the boat today and the washdown water was spilling into the marina, ideal for attracting manatees. Sarah helped me with the washing of the boat but when the manatees came, that took precedence. Hoolie was rather agitated too. The manatees make a huffing sound when they breathe and Hoolie's finely attuned to that sound, rushes over the side and immediately starts barking. No Manatee yet has boarded the boat!

Hoolie was fascinated too

Sarah took a ton of photos and loved to just watch them. They are huge and ponderous and I think they are ugly but Sarah thinks they are cute?! So the boat cleaning eventually got done and now looks presentable at least. Sarah's mother called and said it was a no school day due to elections. Now Sarah will have to wait another day to learn about negative numbers, her next lesson in algebra! It's great to be in a marina that has decent WiFi, good enough to stream Netflix in HD without pauses. It's the only marina I've been in with that capability. I think the marinas are learning that to attract customers they must provide good WiFi! /

Titusville - Hot hot hot

A nearby park - no alligators today

This morning I woke up pretty tired, it's probably because of our time change. Nana and I went on a walk this morning I looked for manatees but didn't see any. There is a banana tree here at the marina and it's cool to check if there are bananas on the  tree growing. Then we had breakfast that was some cereal, It is so hot here. After breakfast I did all my school work (ed note: we did 45 min of algebra!), am on page 266 on To kill a Mocking bird,  am getting really close to the end of the book. We even found a movie for my book and we are going to watch it after we finish the book. After that I drew some more boats, I am working on a power boat but with a sail. The problem is how can a sail move a big power boat, I think that am getting better at my 3d drawings of my boats. We also did laundry today, I put my clothes away and watched some TV. As I was saying it is really hot we had the AC running almost all afternoon. I played with Hoolie and we are having chicken and broccoli bye.Sarah 

This bird didn't move out of the shade for hours - records are being broken with the heat wave here

I can't remember Titusville ever being this hot. They are setting records down here. Still, laundry calls and was done but boat cleaning will await another day. I had email with Tom Hale who's leading a 27 boat flotilla down the ICW. They are due to go through the famous "S" curve at Brown's Inlet. It consists of two buoys that appear to be off station (not where they're supposed to be) but they are not off station, they are way over on one side of the channel, not in the middle where you would expect them. If you don't thread through them properly, you will go aground. Just to make things more interesting, one of the buoys is missing! There's a TowBoat US conveniently waiting for that eventuality right nearby, that's how they make their living. I expect to hear from Tom Tuesday on how they made out.

The first appearance of a manatee, Sarah is busy tracking 

It was too hot to take Hoolie over to the dog park. In fact, there were no dogs over there at all. Our A/C ran all day and it's running right now. Thank goodness for A/C on a boat. I ordered a new Interstate 4D battery. The marina here has an arrangement with the local Interstate dealer for a display of their batteries so it makes it very easy to order a new one. The only problem is that they weigh about 120 lbs! Getting the old one up and out of the boat and a new one installed is a two man job unless you're a linebacker. I was promised help, we'll see. 

Everybody declared a strike after the temps got close to 90 so only the laundry got done today. However, Sarah still had a full schedule of school work with French, reading (To Kill a Mockingbird) and algebra. No days off for heat here. More boat work Tuesday. 

Bethune Park in Daytona - at anchor

Sunrise over Daytona - first day without DST

Today we were off again to Titusville, it's the last spot we are going to move the boat to. We ate breakfast, then lifted up the anchor and it was hot but with a good breeze. I wrote a bit out of my book and read out of a fun book my mom got me. I also looked out for dolphins, when Grandpa said they saw a dolphin besides the boat last year. That same time I saw a dolphin right by the side of the boat, it scared the heck out of me. Just picture some creature (that kind of looked like a shark) jump out of the water right beside you. Its fin looked damaged maybe by a boat propeller, I named it Blue. Then a little ways down we saw some more, they weren't right by the boat but cool to look at. I also steered a little bit, I turned the boat around a corner of trees. You have a line to follow, then you have your depth to check, look out for tiny boats, and look for junk in your way. It gets a little tiring so I sat down, then we headed up to the marina and I swung the rope on the piling. Then I made it on the piling (a log like thing to tie up too), then put out the electric. After that  I decided to design a boat,  then I found it so much fun, somehow I know am going to pick up a career with boats. After a little chilling out we took Hoolie to the dog park, there were two other dogs there and man did Hoolie run. We walked back to the boat and here I am talking to you. We are having pizza for dinner that is delivered onto the boat it's Papa Johns, bye. Sarah

It was a very quiet night at anchor.The anchorage here is huge so it's never crowded and with the free dinghy dock, it's perfect for Hoolie. We had the time change over night but we still woke up at our usual time of 6:45 am which with the time change was 5:45 am! At least we had a very leisurely breakfast by the time we left at 8:00 am (time after daylight savings time ended). 

The docks are very sturdy

Heading south we didn't encounter any shallow water, even Ponce de Leon inlet on the ICW was fine, I had expected thin water after reading some of the comments but perhaps it was dredged or the buoys moved, no problem today, I updated Active Captain for the hazard. 

I had reserved A39 which is on the south side of A dock and has the finger on the starboard side when bow in. With that arrangement, northerners that blow down hit us on the bow, keeping the cockpit cozy and easterners will blow us away from the dock so the boat doesn't bang up against an unforgiving piling. The north and east are the two storm directions down here. They are still $10/ft for a month's stay, reasonable. They also have three brand new commercial grade washers and three dryers, much appreciated. But best of all, they have a new WiFi system professionally installed that actually works. I routinely get 10 Mbps speeds which is better than anywhere on the ICW I've been at so far. 

So we are now starting phase II of our trip south and will be here until we rent a car for the trip north for the holidays before returning in early January. We will take advantage of Enterprise's offer of $10/day rental over the weekend and I've already reserved this coming weekend for exploring the area. With all taxes, it totals $40 for three days, not bad.