Author: klondiketravels

We left Fort Matanzas and headed toward St. Augustine. St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers and it is the oldest continually inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous United States, so we were excited to see it and explore. Along the way the boat that was anchored with us in the Matanzas River passed us. I spoke to him on the radio and he was telling us about how he tried to go to shore where I had taken Frank and a sheriffs deputy came roaring up in a four-wheeler and told him the beach is closed and he had to leave immediately. I guess I was just lucky they didn’t see Frank and I earlier.

We made it to St. Augustine and along the way Lauren and I debated on how long we should stay and if we should get a dock slip, anchor or get a mooring ball. Anchoring is free, mooring balls are $25 a night, and docks are $78 a night. We weren’t too sure of the anchorage as I had researched and found mixed reviews about it. We decided we would get a mooring ball for one or two nights. We got close and I called the marina on the radio. They responded and told us they had a mooring ball available and directed us to it. We found our numbered ball and secured our lines. Since we got there early in the day, we took the bikes to shore so we could ride around and explore the town.

We started exploring the deserted town. There was close to zero car traffic and not very many people out. We rode around and explored the brick-lined streets and delighted in the city’s European flavor, with centuries-old buildings. As we were riding around, I noticed Lauren’s bike chain was starting to come unhinged at a link. We called a bike shop and they said they were open and we could come by as they carry replacement chains and tools. We found our way there and purchased the items needed to replace it as they couldn’t attend to it due to how busy they were. We then continued on to an AT&T store where I finally replaced my cell phone that had been broken and un-usable since December. After this long ride we went back to the marina, locked the bikes in a bike rack and retreated back to the boat. I spent the rest of the afternoon setting up the phone and taking Frank for a walk. We had decided to stay two nights, so I would try to fix her bike in the morning and we would do some more exploring.

Day 2- It took me a little bit to fix the chain. I am not a bike mechanic, and thought it would be easier than it was. After some frustration I eventually got it all re-assembled and ready to go. The bikes are becoming rusty from the salt air and getting the occasional waves over the bow in our travels. We store them on the bow where it is easiest and most out of the way. Everything is rusting and the brakes are now mostly shot on both bikes and the gears won’t adjust either, but they still are usable. We set out and did some more exploring of the town, again with not much life seen anywhere. We explored the City Gate, Castillo De San Marcos, the Colonial Area, and the Oldest House just to name a few places we rode through. It seems like we saw a lot, but absolutely nothing was open so it was all just a ‘ride by’ with the occasional stop to read a plaque or sign. We spent most of the day riding around and returned to the boat aroiund early evening. Frank was taken for another walk and we decided we would leave the bikes in the rack another night and pick them up in the morning. We wanted to get a pump out before we depart so we can load them on Klondike while I am doing that.

Tomorrow we will be leaving St. Augustine and heading to possibly our last stop in Florida…

We almost found that ‘perfect’ anchorage we are looking for. This was as close as we have been for a while. The trip today was a long one, almost fifty miles, and we did not get an early start. We cruised through Daytona Beach, but did not have a reason to stop. After that it was pretty uneventful cruising the ICW, except for holding my breath in a few shallow areas. We made it through with no issues and finally got to our destination around 6:15pm.

Per Wikipedia: “Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish in 1742 to guard Matanzas Inlet, the southern mouth of the Matanzas River, which could be used as a rear entrance to the city of St. Augustine…It was designated a United States National Monument on October 15, 1924.” The fort is situated in the Matazas River and the anchorage was just off the ICW. We turned into the river and made our way toward the fort. We could see another boat anchored a bit farther down from the fort, so we decided to anchor before the fort. We found our spot and dropped anchor. After making sure we were holding, it was time to get Frank to land. We dinghied over to the fort and tied up to the dock. There was a sign saying the fort was closed, but Frank really needed to go potty, so we stepped around the sign and let him do his business. We were able to get up close to the fort, but not go in. After we were done, we loaded up and went back to the boat for the evening. The only thing keeping this from being the ‘perfect’ anchorage was no good land access (fort was closed and we shouldn’t be on the private land) and the last thing: we want to be able to wake up and jump in the water. Unfortunately the current and water was not conducive to this. Everything else about this was good though- serene and peaceful. There were a few fishermen around, but they all left by the time it got dark.

The next morning I took Frank a bit farther than the fort to a small sandy beach landing. We walked around and headed back. After our coffee and breakfast it was time to continue on. We decided the next stop will be St. Augustine…

We made our way on to New Smyrna where we see there is a free dock listed on our charts. The dock says no overnight docking, but we’re told it is not enforced. We pulled up and docked at their floating dock. Floating docks are nice because of the tide changes- it floats up and down on pilings so your boat is always at the same level to the dock. We are coming into areas that have major tidal changes- some as high as nine to ten feet or more difference within six hours or so! Once we were secure, I got Lauren’s bike off so she could ride around town. I stayed on the boat and hung out. After a while I heard voices and looked up to see a Zumba class forming in front of the closed conference center we were docked in front of. It amused me to hear them blasting the music and they all stayed about six feet apart from each other. Lauren returned and I secured the bike back on the boat. I walked Frank around the deserted town for some exercise and returned for dinner.

We still want to find that ‘perfect’ anchorage and we are going to continue to search for it. It is a bummer that everything is closed because we are so close to Hyde Park Daytona, but obviously they are not open either, so there will be no need to stop in Daytona. We looked at our options and determined we would head to an anchorage about fifty miles away- Fort Matanzas.

We left Cocoa Beach and continued north toward Titusville. It was a beautiful day for a boat ride, and a lot of our trip was through more ‘no wake’ zones so speed was kept to a minimum. We were approaching Titusville and noticed quite a few boats around and a large tent set up on the east shore parking lot, with the lot full of cars. Apparently there was a fishing tournament going on- virus be damned! This is not what we were looking for when we want to be secluded. Apparently Florida hasn’t received the memo and they are not taking this seriously, which is really causing Lauren some anxiety. We cannot afford to get sick living on a boat and away from home, so we will do our part to quarantine and stay away from people. We checked the charts and saw there was another anchorage about fifteen miles upstream. The anchorage was located in Mosquito Lagoon and was just off the ICW channel. There are actually two anchorages close by so we figured we would check them out.

We continued on and came upon the first anchorage. It looked strange as the ‘anchorage’ was in the middle of a large bay. It seemed to not have much protection and it was just off the channel. We could see the other anchorage ahead and there were two boats there already, so we decided this one would work. We slowly turned out of the channel and made our way in, following the chart to try to stay in deep water. All around us the water depth was between three to six feet, with a pocket of ten to fifteen feet. We made it in without incident and dropped anchor. We could see several beached across from us on the other side of the channel which will be easily accessible via the dinghy. The wind had picked up and it was a bit bumpy, but not too bad considering all the open water around us. Turns out the depth was even more shallow not too far from us, so that helped keep the waves to a minimum. We relaxed on the back deck and had a beer making sure we were secure and not dragging our anchor. Once sure, we all loaded into the dinghy and made way for the closest beach.

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out on the beach and the boat. Lauren has amassed an amazing collection of shells from our travels so far and she added more to it. I watched boats come past as they were heading north and relaxed. I watched a sailboat come in and anchor with us, but they stayed far enough away it didn’t bother us. The wind had settled down and we went for another beach stroll before it got dark. We decided we liked it here enough to stay another night.

Day 2: Not much to talk about when you are sitting on a boat all day with the occasional dinghy ride to shore with the dog. We spent the day much like yesterday, hanging out, lunch, swimming, and hanging loose. More shells were collected from other beaches we explored, then it was dinner time. We looked at our next destination: New Smyrna Beach. It is only about fifteen miles from here, so it will be a short ride.

We had said our good byes to everyone in Melbourne and pulled out of the marina. We were happy to be leaving the marina, as there were boats coming and going and the restrooms had stopped being cleaned due to the virus situation. We were using our own head and shower on the boat by the time we left. Before leaving we stopped at the fuel dock to get pumped out and was charged $25! We had never been charged that much since we left- it is usually free or around $5, but here they get you!

The trip was only about fifteen miles, so it wasn’t going to be a long travel day. We made our way up the ICW and found the anchorage we were looking for. It was behind another bridge, for protection. It also had access to a boat ramp so we could tie off the dinghy and walk Frank. We were trying to stay away from people, so we walked Frank and retreated back to the boat. We spent the night here and planned tomorrows journey: Titusville which is about fifteen miles away. We are not in a hurry to get anywhere and we know people are supposed to shelter in place, so we don’t mind moving in small hops and staying at anchor. We are in search of the perfect anchorage: we are looking for secluded, deep enough water and protection from wind. Hopefully we will find it soon…

This will be a recap of the week; We made it to the marina and checked in. Once settled I went about cleaning the boat and taking care of some maintenance. We were at a dock but thankfully didn’t have any neighbors directly on either side. We got the boat cleaned up and everything in order by about 5pm. Aunt Janet and Uncle Mark picked us up at the marina and brought us to their house, which wasn’t very far away at all. Addie met us there and we had dinner while visiting. Everything was fabulous and all was good. Uncle Mark even lent us his truck to use for a couple of days to go to the store and get supplies we needed. We had a few dinners with them at the house since all of the bars/restaurants are now closed in Florida too. Lauren and I did explore on our bikes, going to the beach and seeing a launch of the first ever Space Force rocket. We got to visit with Grandma White- albeit through a screened window with her sitting six feet back from it and us sitting about the same on our side- but we got to see and talk to her! That was awesome! The week seemed to go fast, and every day more and more states were shutting down and eventually the beaches in Florida would too. Unfortunately this kept brother Jeff from coming from Orlando to visit, and Dad and Denise from Ohio, but we all promised to make it up when we can.

I feel bad there isn’t more to write about here, but the most important part was seeing family and spending time with them. We were so grateful for the hospitality, graciousness and the ability to connect during these trying times.

“Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life.”- J.K. Rowling

We left Serenity island mid afternoon and made our way toward Melbourne Bridge. There are a lot of anchorages around bridges as they provide protection due to their pilings and structure. There is usually deep (enough) water around them too, and you can choose a side depending on the which way the wind is coming from so you are on the ‘lee side’- the sheltered side of something; the side away from the wind. Once we found a spot away from other boats, we dropped anchor and proceeded to make sure all was secure. As we were doing this I sent a text to Aunt Janet/ Uncle Mark and Addie to let them know we were ‘in town’ and would proceed to the marina tomorrow. Everyone was excited and I told Addie where we were and offered to pick her up in the dinghy if she wanted to come hang out. She agreed and we made a time to meet.

I took Frank for a walk while waiting for Addie. We waited for a bit then I brought him back to the boat. As I was approaching Lauren told me Addie had called and was looking for me. I called her back and we finally found each other. Addie came with supplies too: Wine and a bag of food to make dinner! We made our way back to the boat and caught up with each other. Eventually we all were hungry so Addie whipped up an amazing dinner of taco boats with cauliflower as the ‘meat’. Taco boats for dinner on a boat- clever! I made her watch the movie Captain Ron, then eventually it was time to say good night and get her back to shore. Frank came with us so he could have another shore break and we said good night. Tomorrow we will be moving the boat to Telemar Bay Marina where we have a reservation for the week…

Our plan today was to go about thirty five miles to an anchorage called Red Gazebo. We pulled anchor and left a little later due to the fact we weren’t planning on going too far. That all changed.

We made our way to the anchorage (Red Gazebo Anchorage) and saw there were a few boats already anchored there, not leaving much space for us. In fact, one boat pulled up and anchored right as we were arriving, taking the last spot we might have been able to use. No problem- there are several more anchorages as we keep going north. The next spot was just around the corner: Fritz Islnd by Vero Beach. We finally got to it and didn’t like the depth (or lack there of and shoaling warnings on our charts) and it was also too crowded for my liking. Onward we go. Next is Pine Island anchorage. It was a little ways up the ICW and is situated behind two islands. We found the channel markers that we were looking for to turn off the channel and ease behind the islands. We made the turn and were coming in when we suddenly came to a halt. We had just run aground! I immediatley shifted in to nuetral, then reverse and was able to back us off. Whew. F that- we are going to continue on to another anchorage. A quick look at the charts and we identified Wabasso Bridge anchorage a bit farther north. More onward we go. We follow the ICW and come around a bend to our fourth anchorage of the day. We see there is one other boat anchored here, so it looks good. Upon closer examination, the only boat there was smack dab in the middle of the small deep water area we could anchor in. If we go outside of this we will either run aground, be in the channel, or swing into the other boat. Are you kidding me!? We circled around a few times trying to see if we could make it work, while the person in the other boat watched us. We made an attempt to drop anchor, but then I aborted due to lack of room to let out enough line and still be far enough away from the other boat. At this point we were getting super frustrated about not being able to find an anchorage. What else could we do but continue on and hope to find something. Another look at the charts and we identified an anchorage called Serenity Island. At this point we are racing against the clock- it will soon be getting dusk/dark and we need to find somewhere to anchor. We continued on up the ICW toward the island. As we approached the sun was getting ready to set, and we saw a couple of other boats anchored behind the island. There was no other options for us now, so we made our way behind the island very carefully, with Lauren pointing out underwater shoals so I could avoid them. She could see where the small waves were breaking, which was a great help to avoid them. We finally pulled in about a hundred yards behind a catamaran and dropped anchor. We normally would look to be farther away from other boats, but we were desperate! Once the anchor was set and I felt it was good, I took Frank in the dinghy for a quick trip to the island. He was grateful as it had been a long day on the boat! I had taken the dinghy lights with me and had to use them on the way back because it was almost dark when we got back. Our original plan of going twenty five miles turned into a fifty mile day! What a day!

Now that we were anchored and secure we realized we were only a few miles from Melbourne. We had dinner and talked about tomorrow. Since we were so close, we decided to hang out in the morning and explore Serenity Island with Frank. Here is the descripotion from ActiveCaptain: “This is a great spoil island with a sand bar. Swimming is great with lots of fish in the area. Take the dog to the beach on the island. The island blocks the wakes from powerboats on the ICW. The very visible sand bars are on the north and south ends of the island. There is 6 feet of water on the approach”. In the morning there were a few boats that arrived and beached with families just to hang out. We kept our distance from them and explored, then made our way back to the boat. We had seen an anchorage in Melbourne and decided we would anchor there for a day before going to a marina we had made reservation at (and then modified to be sooner than expected).

Our plan was to go to Stuart. The free dock we saw on the charts was also listed as being still closed from hurricane damage. The city of Stuart had closed its marina and we didn’t want to stay at a marina anyway, so our other option was an anchorage nearby called Hoggs Cove. We made our way there which is about six miles off the ICW.

We made our way past the anchorage and decided it didn’t look very protected. We were expecting some winds from the south and this anchorage was wide open in the St. Lucie River. We continued on a little farther to the ‘free dock’ and saw that it was indeed closed. Now our only option was to get back to the ICW and continue on to another anchorage. I looked at the charts and saw there was an anchorage about six miles further north- Jensen Beach.

We made our way toward the third choice of the day. We saw the anchorage was on either side of a large bridge. You can anchor on the north or south side- we motored past the south side and a couple of boats that were anchored there and looked at the north side. There were several more boats anchored on the north side, so we went back to the south side. We dropped anchor and made sure it was securely set. There were public boat ramps on either side of the bridge so it made easy access to walk Frank. I took him ashore and walked around a bit. There were lots of people along the wall fishing, and people launching and retrieving their boats. We went back to Klondike and relaxed until it was time for Frank to get in one more walk before it got dark.

We have spoken to family and are going to be in Melbourne a week before we had expected to be since there is nowhere to stop and hang out/ check out the town as everything is closed/closing. Tomorrow we will be heading to another anchorage not too far away…

We left our anchorage at Peanut Island and headed toward another anchorage. Today was St. Patrick’s Day and all festivities had been cancelled across the US. We were now hearing to stay six feet away from people and avoid crowds- this should be easy to do on a boat. Now that we were stocked too, we could ‘stay at sea’ and not hit land for a few weeks if need be. We motored up the ICW toward Jupiter, Florida. There are several anchorages marked on our charts and we decided we would see which looked best as we passed them. We didn’t plan on going too far today, as we have nowhere to be except in Melbourne, Florida by the end of the month to meet family. At this point the only people we will be seeing will be family that lives there as travel in now being shut down too, so we are taking our time.

We came to the anchorage we had ‘planned’ and it looked good. We motored past it and looked at another anchorage a little farther up river, but decided to go back to the Sand Bar Anchorage. I liked this best with the wind forecast, as it was more protected from a northern wind. The anchorage was right off the ICW with a large sand bar that is visible and dry at low tide, then only a foot or two underwater at high tide. This helps stop any waves rolling our way from the north. It is also a ‘no wake’ zone, so most boats (except the ass-hats that don’t understand what ‘no wake’ means) go slow. There were a couple of other boats anchored in the vicinity but there was plenty of room for us. I noticed a few boats pulled up to the sand bar and close beach with people hanging out and chilling on lounge chairs. The crowd was mostly adults and a few children, but all chill. Lauren and I sat on the boat and were talking about how ‘social distancing’ will work and watching these people on shore not have a concern about it. It being St. Patrick’s Day and all, I had some bourbon with my anchor beer as we sat and chatted. Lauren eventually went inside out of the sun and was reading a book while I hung out on the back porch. I was watching the light traffic of boats pass by when I heard a boat approaching with its music blasting. It was filled with college aged kids, with two guys and about eight girls partying on! They were having fun and I watched them beach the boat. Soon another boat, blasting more loud music arrived with about the same ratio- 2 guys vs. eight girls, also roll up and beach their boat on the other side of the line. Now the beach was rocking! They were all partying, dancing on the boats and just having a good ol’ time! This must have made others notice- soon another couple of boats filled with party people showed up and joined in! Lauren came out to watch with me and tease me- I was sitting there watching, drink in hand, like a peeping tom! We had fun bantering back and forth and watching them all carry on. Social distancing is not a thing yet here. As the party was going on, a police boat rolled up to put an end to it. The cops beached their boat and started checking ID’s. We were too far away to hear the interactions, but eventually the party started to break up and boats started leaving. No one was arrested and the beach eventually cleared out. This was our opportunity to take Frank to shore and not be around all of the people, so we did.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Dinner, dog walk, planning for tomorrow. We were hoping to go to Stuart, Florida, but we are hearing reports of marinas being closed down. There is a free dock there and an anchorage, so we will play it by ear tomorrow and see where we end up!