Being Lazy

Friends and Family,

Life is good. We are currently located in Stuart, FL. We came in here originally at Manatee Pocket to pick up our new genoa (the sail on the front of the boat) Mack sails as always did a great job. We then moved over to Sunset Bay were we are on a mooring ball. It's like being at anchor except they are able to fit a lot more boats together. This has to be one of the best places we have been. The people here are friendly and helpful. We have run into some old friends and made some new ones.

The trip down the Intracoastal Waterway has been pretty uneventful. We stood at the doc in Titusville and watched a family of Manatee feed at our feet. We have had many porpoises join us along the way to be sure we are ok. Vero Beach is another great place to stop. Many cruisers go no further. Many call it Velcro Beach. There is free bus service to take you anywhere you would like to go.

We will probably leave here next week. We plan to motor down to Ft Lauderdale and then we will go off shore to Miami. At that point we will wait in Miami for a "weather window". In order to have a quiet crossing of the Gulf Stream we need to be sure there will not be any wind from the north. North winds make for big waves and uncomfortable seas. Much of the last month the winds have been steady from the northeast. Lots of boats have been waiting. If the weather isn't good we may head on down to the Florida Keys to wait. The nice thing is we are not in a hurry. We have most of the food we will need for the next 5 months. Our front berth is loaded with cans and packages. Our freezer and the refrigerator are filled to the brim. We are told wine if very expensive so we may pick up a little more.

We bought a Spot GPS. When we push the button it sends out our location. Click on it below and it will connect to Google Maps. We can also send out a request for help. It will serve as a backup for our EPIRB which when activated notifies the Coast Guard we are in trouble and where we are located.

Click to see where we are located:
http://fms.ws/6gAWS/27.19985N/80.26123W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=27.19985,-80.26123&ll=27.19985,-80.26123&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Today I am using the Internet threw our new extended Alfa antennae. It enables us to pick up wifi from locations on shore. We are settling in to a routine. Moose is doing much better. Last night there was a "meet and greet" at the marina. We sat and visited with a group of people and Moose took turns sitting in people's laps. He would still prefer to be on shore. The night before we went to a Christmas sing along that was organized by a Jewish couple. We included the dreidle song.

Our new engine has a little oil leak. We are talking to Foley engines who remanufactured it. We are hoping they will step up and honor the warranty. I don't have high hopes. We can probably live with it through the winter but it would be nice to get it resolved before we leave.

We miss our family and friends at the holidays. We have talked and if we do this again next year we will probably park the boat and fly off to visit someone, so kids, be warned.

Elyse's son Michael has set up a blog for us. Elyse, as many of you know, does a much better job than I of telling about our adventure. You can read what she says at http://spunkysvoyage.blogspot.com/. You may have to cut and paste it into your browser. I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas will give you time with those you love. Thanks for being a part of our adventure. Time to take Moose ashore.

Sailing on Spunky,
John