New York Thanksgiving 2014

What a surprise to see snow in upstate New York for Thanksgiving......at least we don't have the 6-7 feet of the white stuff that Buffalo received.  The sun is peeking out and the grandkids can go sledding so all is not bad!

Iguana Invasion 11/16/2014

I counted 21 iguanas today in less than two hours.....a record!  This guy is a big one who was sunning himself in front of one of the mansions in Sister's Creek but most of the iguanas are small to medium this year.  It appears that the fellows are multiplying quickly.....they seem to be everywhere.  I have to be careful when I'm riding my bike as they blend in well with their surroundings and then when they move they surprise you.....

Marathon 11/15/2014

It's hard to believe that we have been here in Boot Key for over a week.....time flies in paradise!  The mooring field is already at 70% capacity and it's only mid-November.  FUI and Yasmine Ann came in this afternoon and have joined us here near Sister's Creek.  The sunsets are spectacular and the Sunset Tiki Bar still has great specials for Happy Hour including $2.00 drafts.  I took this photo from the marina deck.

Miami-Marathon 11/7-8/2014

We sailed out of Lake Worth very early and by noon we were at Ft. Lauderdale where the ocean was full of tankers, sport fishermen, divers down and para-sailors....a real maze!   At 3:00 we were directly in front of Miami so we kept on motor-sailing and anchored in Hawk Channel at Elliott Key Friday night.  There was a beautiful full moon with no breeze so anchoring on the outside was a great choice.  On Saturday we made the 83 mile run into Boot Key Harbor.  Between Key Largo and Tavernier there were hundreds of blue-black jelly fish everywhere.  They looked like huge hair nets swaying in the water with a ring of slender tentacles.......  We entered Marathon at 4:30 and took ball N-12.  We were surprised to see the mooring field so full already with some rows already filled to Sisters' Creek.  I guess that Marathon has become a destination!

West Palm Beach Sunrise

We had a good ocean run yesterday from Vero to Lake Worth although the wind wasn't strong enough to use the sails.......we hate to motor in the ocean!  But today we left the anchorage at 6:15 and we are sailing down the coast to Miami with 5 other sailboats.  It's great and we're making good time.  The sunrise was beautiful as we headed out the Lake Worth Channel.

Vero Beach-Katlynn Connections 11/2-11/5/2014

We had a very fast run from Jax to Vero Beach this week stopping to anchor for the night at the cement plant south of St. Augustine and then in Cocoa south of Titusville.  We were amazed to see that a small lake has been dredged across from the Sea Ray Plant at M897.  There are lots of heavy construction machines still on site.  On Saturday night we found protection from nasty gusting winds of 29 knots in Cocoa close to shore and in front of the high rise condos.  Several other boats were anchored there as well.  We pulled into Vero Beach on Sunday and we were warmly welcomed by cruising friends Roy and Yasmine, Bonnie and Sid, and Kent and Jane.  We took mooring ball #40 at the Vero Beach City Marina next to Yasmine Ann who hails from our home port on Sodus Bay, NY - Katlynn Marine.  We discovered that another boat from Sodus Bay is here next to us-Kelly Nicole with Paul and Debra onboard.  We all met later for Happy Hour at The Riverside Grill.  Small cruising world!  Or maybe it's cold now on Lake Ontario!

Marine Connections Liquidators - Ft Pierce

We were delighted to host Larry and Suzi MacDonald for lunch today aboard Waves of Grace.  They have traded in their boat, Kanau, and have bought a lovely home here in Vero Beach.  They now belong to the CLODS-cruisers living on dirt but stay connected with the cruising community here at Vero Beach City Marina.  They offered to drive us to Ft. Pierce to shop at the Marine Connections Liquidators which is a huge warehouse filled with everything a boater could ever want or imagine.  What a treat!  An added bonus was the fact that they played nothing but Christian music in the store.  Above their business name was a sign that said Jesus is Lord.  Awesome!