Tidings of Joy: April 2017

Since returning from the Bahamas we have had lots of reunions. Our crossing from Bimini to Fort Lauderdale was uneventful thank god. It took us just over 7 hours and despite what everyone said we decided to enter Fort Lauderdale on a Saturday. Every guide book and lecture we have attended all advised us against this but when you get a weather window in the Bahamas you just have to go with it. So while our cruise across the Atlantic and through the gulf stream was uneventful when we entered into Fort Lauderdale it was a shock to say the least. First you have to understand we had been in the Bahamas for the last two months where everything is laid back, there are no schedules or worries and it's just a calm and peaceful way of life. We spent a lot of time at anchor which meant a lot of seclusion on the boat and swimming and reading and just laid back tranquility. Now fast forward two months as we enter Fort Lauderdale and it was insane chaos - boats of all sizes everywhere. From tows, to sailboats, to jet skies to cruise ships they were out and all buzzing around us. Jeff didn't seem very phased by it but I felt like I couldn't breath and wanted to turn the boat around and head back to the Bahamas.

Entering Fort Lauderdale

Heading Down The New River

Downtown Fort Lauderdale From New River

First Bridge to Open on New River

Bridge in Front of Marina Opening

New River

We kept the boat in a place called the New River. It is right in downtown Fort Lauderdale and a little ways off the ICW. It was absolutely nuts getting to our marina and we had several bridges that we had to open before getting there. Once in our slip we could take a breath and enjoy being on this canal like setting and watched all the mega yachts go by. Some were so big they needed to be towed through. It was a sight like we had never seen before.

The next day we had some boat maintenance done and while that was happening we hopped in the car and drove down to Miami where Jeff's niece and nephew live. Natanya, Jeff's niece was pregnant with her second child and we were hoping we would still be in Fort Lauderdale in time to see the new baby. Laura, Jeff's sister was already in town anxiously anticipating the arrival of her new grandchild. We drove to their house to hang out and have dinner. It was funny because before heading off to the Bahamas we were with them in Miami and now upon our return we got to see them again.

Dinner at Taco Shop

Natanya & Jeff

Jason & Natanya

We went to a taco shop for dinner then said our goodbyes for now. We would be in Fort Lauderdale for a few more days so we all hoped the baby would come by then. The next day was very exciting and a long overdue reunion, the arrival of Izzy Pollak - Jeff's oldest child. We were both eager to show him our new boat and home and show him what the loop was all about. He was the only remaining family member who still hadn't seen the boat. He arrived that evening and there were smiles all around. We got him acclimated with the boat and got caught up. Our plan was to leave the next day but due to some boat parts we needed and the next weekend approaching we decided to stay in Fort Lauderdale for a few more days. We spent our time going for walks, taking a dinghy ride to a raw bar for lunch and just handing out enjoy each other's company.

Jeff & Izzy Singing

New River

Railroad Bridge on New River

Izzy on The Tidings of Joy

Iguana on New River

Massive Yacht on New River

The Rest of the Massive Yacht on New River

Izzy on Dinghy

Izzy, Joy & Jeff at Raw Bar

Before we left Fort Lauderdale Izzy wanted to visit Natanya and Jason and we wanted to say our goodbyes. Unfortunately despite being told she was going to give birth early Natanya still hadn't had the baby. We drove down to Miami with Izzy and hung out at Natanya and Jason's house.

Izzy & Jordan

Izzy, Natanya & Jordan

Finally the next morning after sitting in Fort Lauderdale for over a week we were finally going to be on our way. We were both ready to move on and to show Izzy what looping was all about. We headed out around 9 that morning to meet the fuel barge and make our way to West Palm Beach. The barge was running 30 minutes late so we just floated around in the area where we were to meet. The prices of barge diesel compared to everywhere else was much cheaper so we just waited it out. After about 30 mins of taking on fuel we made our way up the ICW. Finally we were heading north, something we hadn't done since January when we headed up from the Keys. Around 6:30 that evening after opening 19 bridges we reached our anchorage and we were all tired from the long day.

Tiding Getting Fuel From Barge

Izzy Driving Tidings

Izzy Driving

Downtown Palm Beach From Anchorage

Yuck! One of Buildings in our View at Anchor

Downtown Palm Beach

The next day we all work up refreshed and ready to explore Palm and West Palm Beach. We dinghied to shore and got an Uber to The Flagler House. Henry Flagler pretty much made Florida what it is today. He along with J.D. Rockefeller started the Standard Oil Company and made fortunes. Flagler used his fortune around Florida to make railways, colleges, parks, roads and on and on. His house was incredible.

Palm Beach from West Palm Beach

Henry Flagler House

After touring the Flagler house we decided to check out famous Worth Avenue. Worth Avenue is full of fancy upscale shops. For three people not really into shopping it was just something to see. We had a nice lunch there then headed back to the boat to chill for the evening. The next morning we would head to Fort Pierce our final stop with Izzy.

The cruise to Fort Pierce was long - 8 plus hours to go 57 miles. It was a rainy and humid Florida day as most here are. We cruised by Stewart, Florida where we had cruised the Tidings almost a year ago with Captain Bill and learned to drive her. It was fun seeing where we had started with the boat. When we arrived the dock hand was super nice helping us get settled and telling us all about the area. We were all eager to get off the boat and take a walk after being aboard for so long. We strolled the town and looked at the shops and restaurants. It was a small town not much to speak of but a good walk non-the-less. After our walk we went into the marina bar for some libations. We had a few drinks then went back to the boat to make dinner and relax. Wouldn't you know it Natanya went into labor the night before and had a baby boy - Ethan Oliver Mishal. As it turned out Izzy was leaving the next day from Fort Lauderdale and we wanted to see the new baby. So once again we rented a car dropped Izzy off in West Palm to see his girlfriend before flying back to L.A. and we went to Miami. Again. Ethan Oliver was so new and fresh. While I was reluctant to hold him Jeff got right in there. I mostly played with Jordan. We hung out for several hours then drove back to Fort Pierce. The drive was 2.5hours each way so it made for a long day.

Ethan Oliver Mishal

Jeff & Ethan

Jordan, Jeff, Ethan & Joy

Natanya, Ethan & Jordan

So Izzy was dropped off, we saw the new baby, now back to looping. The next morning we let ourselves sleep in a bit and then cruised the two hours north to Vero Beach. We really wanted to stay on the mooring balls there but due to our size we were not allowed. We stayed at the City Marina instead. The dock hands (if you want to call them that) were less then helpful and when we radioed them they told us to stand by. We floated for 10 mins in front of the marina before this man shouted to us, "just pull in here." Apparently he was the dock hand. We could see that we were too wide for the slip he was trying to assign us and asked for a different slip. He told us to just pick one out so we did. He didn't bother coming over to help us with our lines, not that we needed it but it's pretty much a given when paying to stay at a marina. We took the shuttle around the town without getting off. It offered us a tour of what there was. Basically a bunch of strip malls and a beach. The wind was due to pick up the next couple of days so we settled in. We launched out bikes the next day a went for a long ride around the beach. We went to a surprisingly good farmers market where Jeff got crab cakes and shrimp. We also got some bread, organic tomatoes and homemade pasta sauce.

Vero Beach Marina

After a few days we were more then ready to move along.We were very excited for our next stop - Melbourne. Our good friends Denise and Hamp live there and we were looking forward to seeing them again. Denise and Hamp and Jeff and Bern (who I will get to in a bit) were our first friends on The Great Loop. We met them at a gathering in Little Current, Ontario where a bunch of loopers and cruisers were getting together. Jeff and I were the newbies and sitting alone. The harbor host who put the event together introduced us to Denise, Hamp, Jeff and Bern and some other people I can't remember. We shared some drinks and laughs and they seemed like great people. Little did we know we would see them and then travel with them down most of Lake Michigan. We formulated plans of where to go and how long to stay, checked weather together, had pot lucks and shared lots of drinks and laughs. We haven't seen them since Lake Michigan back in August so we were so excited to be in Melbourne and reunite with our friends. Unfortunately Hamp was helping out his parents in Panama City so he wasn't there. We anchored outside the city per Denise's recommendation in front of a place called Squid Lips. It was a beach bar that had good music and good food. We arrived on Sunday(Easter to be exact) and to our good fortune they had bands all day on Sundays. So we had to partake. We heard a reggae band and then a rock and roll band where one member played guitar, sax, flute, harmonica and violin. Very impressive. A fun way to spend Easter.

The next day Denise picked us up and toured us all around. We saw Eau Gallie where she lives and then drove to Cocoa Beach to the famous Ron Jons surf shop. We had a great lunch then she took us back to the boat. Later that day our friend Jeff (who I mentioned above) was due to sail in and we all were going to have dinner together. Hail Hail the gangs back together again. Denise picked us up for dinner and we headed over to Jeff's marina. We met Ina the adventurer his new crew member (Bern wasn't allowed to come back) and had a drink and caught up. We were so happy to see each other again!

Squid Lips

Joy, Denise & Jeff

Joy & Jeff Cocoa Beach

Jeff, Denise & Joy

Denise knew of a great little Cuban restaurant that we all walked to. We had several pitchers of sangria while we caught up and the food was great. It was such a wonderful night. The only thing missing was Hamp.

The next morning we got up early to head out to Cocoa Village. Only a short two hour cruise we wanted to make sure we were secure and tied up in time to watch the rocket launch from Cape Canaveral. Denise told us we would have a great view from the marina and she even joined us. The launch was unbelievable. Denise had a live feed from her phone so we could here all the commands being given and the the pre-checks being done. The launch itself was amazing. We could see a glow in the air and with the binoculars could see it perfectly. Unfortunately some clouds got in our way and we eventually lost it but either way it was incredible. We were so lucky to be perfectly positioned in time for the launch.

Joy Watching Rocket

Rocket Exhaust Trail

Joy Watching Launch

Jeff Watching Launch

Watching Launch From Boat

Final Trail of Rocket

The launch was early so we had the rest of the day to tour around Cocoa Village with Denise. We went to a 131 year old hardware store. This of course made me think of my grandpa whose favorite place was any hardware store. As a kid when I would spend time with my grandparents at Indian Lake. Grandpa and I would go on daily hardware runs. To buy what you ask? I have no idea. He would have loved this old place. Nothing has been done or removed from the store in the entire time it's been open. There lots of rooms full of stuff. I told Jeff that each room made me feel as if I wasn't supposed to be there. It was really cool to explore and see the historic old place.

Random Stuff For Sale at Hardware Store

Old Stoves For Sale

Ladders to Get To Items

Hardware Store

The rest of the day we perused shops and casually strolled through town. The three of us had lunch at a place called Thai Thai and then said our goodbyes. We had such a great time with Denise it was sad saying goodbye. We invited her out to San Diego to visit so hopefully she and Hamp will come.

The next morning we continued north to New Smyrna Beach. There wasn't much here but it was a good stopping point mileage wise so at 5o'clock we tied up to the free town dock and settled in. Jeff took a little walk and toured the "town" while I just chilled on the boat. It was a pretty and a good stop for the night.

Sailboat on Land and Aground on Way to New Smyrna

View From Stern of Tidings at New Smyrna

Manatees Swimming New Smyrna

Tidings Docks a Free Dock - New Smyrna

Tidings at New Smyrna

The next day would be a short day then the day before. We cruised 2 hours to Daytona where were stayed at the Halifax River Yacht Club. Due to our membership with the Marine Trawlers Owners Association (MTOA) we have reciprocal privileges at some yacht clubs. This was one of them and we were so fortunate to find them. The HRYC is an old yacht club where both the dock master and his dock hand came out to help us get tied up. They welcomed us several times and even brought us a complementary bucket of ice. When we checked in the dock master gave us a full tour of the club telling and showing us the history of the place and walking us all around its beautiful facilities. Afterwords he walked us outside and pointed out where to go to town and even offered to drive us in his car if we needed to go somewhere. Very very nice people and facility. We decided to launch our bikes and ride over the bridge to Daytona Beach. The dock master described it as "honky tonk" which we didn't fully understand until we got there. We knew of Daytona Beach for being the home to spring breakers, bikers and car racing, when we got there it was nothing like what we had pictured. There was no boardwalk, all of the buildings were run down and dilapidated and the people there made us both a little nervous - so much so that Jeff didn't want to lock up the bikes and walk around. We quickly biked through then headed back to the other side of the bridge- the downtown Daytona area. There were several cute shops and a chocolate store that Jeff was happy to see. They even sold chocolate covered bacon. After our ride we returned to the boat, had a nice swim in the pool then went up to the club for a drink. Other then the beach this was a great place.

Daytona

AAA Baseball Field Where Jackie Robinson Played

Halifax River Yacht Club

Dayton and Dayton Beach

One night was more then enough at Daytona and we headed out early the next day to catch the 7:15 bridge opening. We made our way 6 hours north to St. Augustine, Florida where we are currently sitting on a mooring ball. Everyone told us to plan for 5-7 days here in order to explore the old city - the oldest continuously habituated city in the U.S. The first day we took a stroll around town and got our bearings. We strolled through St. George street which only allows pedestrians and is filled with shops and restaurants. We came back to the boat and had a quiet evening. The next day we woke up at our leisure and dinghied into town. We rode the red train which tours you all around town talking about the history and you can get on and off as many times as you like. We took full advantage of this and visited a Presbyterian church where Henry Flagler and his family are buried. We went to the distillery and learned all about gin, vodka, bourbon and rum making while sampling some of the product. The distillery also had a nice restaurant that we had lunch at. After some rose and food we were ready to forge on. Next we went to an old fort. Jeff was really interested in that. Me not so much. It was free on Saturdays which meant people were out in herds. It was hot and crowded and I was all done. We dinghied back to the boat and had a quiet night.

The following day - yesterday, we walked all around town to old town, Flagler College (which used to be a hotel) and across the bridge. It was hot and muggy as hell as it always is here in Florida so after a few hours of that I was all done. Red in the face and thirsty we dinghied back to the boat and ran the air conditioning. The wind started picking up so we called it a day and sat on the back deck watching the show. Today as I finish we are going wine tasting and on a tour of the chocolate factory. What could be better!