April Winds April 2-3, 2021

 Friday April 2, 2021. Day 117.

Last night was tough. It was cold and rainy and really windy. Late at night we had to go up with a flashlight to tie up the bimini at the top of the boat (shade cover on the flybridge). Not something that one person could do on his or her own (if they could have, he would have, and I would have stayed warm, dry and cozy inside!).

The boat was rocking and rolling last night and although there was a little less wind this morning, the forecast was for the wind to pick up big time at approximately 10am, and it did. So we decided on a second night on the hook. There we were in Peck Lake; the clouds in the sky and water around us were beautiful. Magic Moments was swaying in a large arc with the heavy wind. Except for the wind, the day was very quiet, and there were plenty of chores to do, so I kept busy. Due to the heavy wind rocking the boat, the Wi-Fi internet kept going out; very annoying.

Late in the afternoon we saw four people on racing paddle boards (I had never seen a racing paddle board; very snazzy), moving at an amazing clip, with the current and the wind. We chatted with them while they paddled by. They were going a very long distance. Even with a wetsuit, the current and the wind at your back, their outing was still above my pay grade. We wished them luck.

Saturday, April 3, 2020. Day 118.

I set the alarm for 6:30am, so we would be up early to prepare to leave our Peck Lake anchorage for Vero Beach. We had been to Loggerhead Marina in Vero Beach on our way south. It’s located in a beautiful golf community and I was looking forward to running again in the area. It was overcast, and the winds were from the east at 14 to 16 knots which was not terrible, but it was good to leave early, hoping that the winds do not increase significantly.

It was tough getting the anchor up; it was really stuck in the bottom, so we had to force the boat around in different directions to loosen it. Captain Roland was at the bow washing down the chain as we pulled up the anchor, and I was at the helm following his detailed instructions “forward, reverse, throttle, bow thruster, port thruster, starboard, and on and on until the anchor was finally released. And then I steered out of Peck Lake and back on the ICW.

The wind picked up to greater than 20 knots, but it was on our side so it was not as rocky as it could have been. I waited several hours to eat to make sure I could handle food in those sea conditions.

I had to deal with my taxes and I was already up to Plan C, which I expected would work out. I also was still making phone calls to various credit card companies and utilities and insurance companies to advise them that, notwithstanding that the post office was sending back my mail to them marked “undeliverable” my address remained the same. Boring and time-consuming.

It was Saturday and sunny but the traffic was very light traffic (do to the heavy wind, maybe), and that was a pleasure for us. We arrived at the Loggerhead Marina in Vero Beach at about 2:10pm. We got fuel, and pumped out, and then the dock hand guided us to a really nice slip on the far side of the marina, the new docks! It was a simple docking, and a great location, however, (why is there always a “but” ?), the brand new power stations (due to a change in the standards), did not connect with our boat. The dock hand said that he had experienced this recently with some older boats and said that there was an electrical fix that can be made on our boat, but meanwhile, we had to go back to the more crowded, older dock. Lovely! (to be read sarcastically); we now needed a modification to enable Magic Moments to connect to new power stations. Maybe I will sell the boat before we need to upgrade.

The dock hand gave us a card of a man who is an expert in this modification. He spends his winters in Vero Beach, but interestingly enough, he spends his summers at Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, Maryland, right near my sister’s marina, and where Magic Moments came into being, and we started this adventure. Small world!

The docking went well but the tie up was a challenge. The finger dock was extremely short, the slip was very narrow and we had to tie to pilings that were far beyond my reach, even with the boat hook. Captain Roland again to the rescue, he ran around to the stern to tie up Magic Moments so she would be secure and I would be able to disembark and embark on my own, which sometimes is a problem depending on the configuration; every docking is unique.

We met several boat owners at Loggerhead Marina, Kevin and Rachel on “Rachel”, a new Kadey- Krogen 48, from Beaufort SC, and a couple on a Krogen Express, from Chicago (they are quite fond of Philly, as that was where they met). One of the joys of cruising is meeting folks from all over and sharing our stories.

As always, when we get to a marina after several nights on the hook, I immediately start the laundry and walk or cycle to a supermarket. There are always lots of dishes to do and dinner to prepare.

I was looking forward to getting into bed and our newly washed sheets, and to running in the morning. Loggerhead Marina has a very nice pool and I may even consider swimming laps.