Farewell Dolphins

We love Charleston, the restaurants, our friends, just walking the streets. There's so much to do. We're always a bit sad when we leave. Our log shows we've stopped here 17 times.

Dylan loves Charleston, too. But what he liked this time was having a front row seat to watch the dolphins. We spent our time at Charleston Harbor Marina on the A dock which was along the breakwater and looked out, more or less, towards the Charleston Inlet. For whatever reason the dolphins would gather just off the breakwater to feed and play. In fact, the water taxi made it a regular stop for their dolphin tour.

That meant that from the bow of the boat Dylan could pretty much anytime of the day or night watch dolphins to his heart's content. And watch them he did. Dyna would occasionally join him but she was way more interested in a nap.

So we've finally left Charleston and started moving north again. There were a couple of dolphins on our offshore passage but each day will see fewer and fewer. Soon they will all be to the south of us. But I think it will be quite a while before Dylan stops watching.

Brown Sugar

We discovered there's a 2 year old male Chocolate Lab and few boats down on the same dock. Kelley Poe, the Marina Manager here at the Charleston Harbor Marina, was telling us how he was a service dog. It seems this smart little boy can detect dangerously low sugar levels in his mom and warn her in time to take action.

Looking at my two, I ask, "So what do you guys do to earn your keep?" Dylan thought being so darn cute was enough. While Dyna informed me she doesn't have to earn her keep. How did these dogs get so darn spoiled?

Well, Dylan finally got to meet this amazing dog and his person, Beverly. The two have been enjoying afternoon romps. As we walked out the first day I asked Beverly her dog's name. "Sugar," she said. What else?

So Dylan and Sugar have become fast friends mainly because Sugar likes to chase and Dylan likes to be chased. It's a match made in heaven.

They play until the tongues are hanging out which means a nice quiet evening of napping. That makes all the moms and dads happy.

To return the favor Dylan and Dyna, um, seasoned Sugar's pee mat so he can learn to go onboard. If you have canine crew onboard who don't know this technique you can check out our article on the website. He actually performed his duty on our bow a few days ago. Now to just transfer that to his own boat. He's a smart boy, he can do it!

Even though Dyna doesn't get to romp she still enjoys a good afternoon nap. She takes her morning walk and is fine staying onboard with her daddy while the youngn's play in the afternoon. Her appetite is staying good - of course, Dylan says who wouldn't love eggs and liver and tripe. A few of her other issues have returned but we are adjusting her medications and hoping that will help. You know, I think she's right. Being so sweet more than earns her keep.

And It Wasn't Even a Carnival Cruise...

I snapped this picture last fall when a Carnival Cruise ship passed us at dusk. Little did any of us know what was to come and how much we would have in common.

We had canceled our planned offshore overnight from Jacksonville to Charleston a week ago as the weather predictions fell apart. We decided to stay at the Marina at Ortega Landing and continued to enjoy ourselves until the next weather window came along. We started watching the end of the week as things started to line up very nicely and decided to head to Jacksonville Landing Thursday afternoon and take off early Friday. As most of these things go, it all started off perfectly.

We left the Landing after taking the kids for a nice walk and getting the whole crew breakfast. Our trip down the St Johns River was uneventful. We knew we'd have some bouncing coming out of the St Johns Inlet as there would be wind against the current as we passed through. It was bumpier than expected but we pushed on. We twice considered to bail out, once at Fernandina and then again at Brunswick, but conditions were improving so we decided to put our faith in NOAA and keep going. Little did we know that the weather was about to be the least of our problems.

When we were past the three mile line offshore we decided to dump our holding tank as is legal to do. Our indicator showed we still had plenty of capacity but we decided to take advantage of being offshore. If you are unfamiliar with what a holding tank is on a boat, well, we have no connection to a sewer line so must "hold things" until the tank can be pumped out or dumped overboard.

The first attempt failed to produce an outflow. Not a big deal - sometimes the odor filter on the air vent clogs stopping air from getting in and letting the tank drain. We made a note to replace it when we got in and opened the pump out access on the deck to allow air in. This is something we've done many times before. Jeff went below to start the process. A strong odor made me open the pilothouse door which reveled "stuff" flowing out the access like a beautiful fountain with the wrong colored water landing and flowing down the side of the boat. We used the onboard water to clean it up and because it was getting dark, decided to figure it all out in the morning.

Conditions did continue to improve and the night was uneventful. With daylight at morning and still well offshore, we decided to go to plan B and disconnect the filter from the vent hose completely to remove the clogged filter from the equation. Jeff emptied everything from the stateroom closet which has the access door then decided it would be easiest to remove the false wall to offer even better access. Just in case, he took up the carpet in the stateroom. That turned out to be a very good decision.

I flipped the switch for the pump from the pilothouse and within moments Jeff was yelling, "Shut it off! Shut it off!" You guessed it. Into the closet, the bilge, and the stateroom came our happy fountain again. Towels stopped the spread into the stateroom (thankfully without the carpet now). With the boat in idle we spent the next hour cleaning as best we could.

Upon our arrival in Charleston inlet, the wind whipped up, the current flowed, and it was an all around nasty time. Did I mention the rain? And who dropped the temperatures by 10 degrees into the 50's?

Jeff discovered that we had two equipment failures. First, the holding tank indicator had failed so we didn't realize our holding tank was actually overfull. Second, the macerator pump wasn't working properly. He replaced some parts on the macerator and verified it was working again. We then spent the better part of the afternoon into the evening scrubbing and disinfecting everything. A hot shower, a couple of loads of laundry, a warm dinner, and we could almost forget the past 24 hours.

Sunday we awoke to high wind, driving rain, and thunder and lightening. We didn't mind. We were inside, warm and dry. Then late morning there was a boom and flash of light. I thought, wow, that was close. Then Jeff yells, "Call the office! The power pedestal and dock is on fire!"

Jeff put the fire out and we are safe. We now have a bit more sympathy for the foibles of Carnival. The power will be back on again soon and the rain will eventually stop. We've been through hell and high (brown?) water on this passage. There's surely only blue skies to come.

What About Me????

Don't get me wrong. I love my grandmother. She's watched over me for almost 6 years now, protecting me from other dogs when I was just a pup, showing me how to do my business on the bow which makes Mom and Dad real happy, and even letting me cuddle with her when Mom and Dad leave the boat. (I still can't figure out why they would go without us - sometimes they come back smelling just like food, hmmmm.)

I kept all these things in mind when the inequities started in the fall of 2011.  Dyna had some kind of special "surgery" and everybody made such a fuss. She got lots of special attention and special puppy chow and even had Daddy sleep with her in a special place at night. What did Dylan get? Bupkis!! I didn't complain, well hardly. But then things got back to normal.

A few months ago they started fussing over her again. Seems she was turning her nose up at her food and having some other kinds of problems. So once again they pull out that special puppy chow. You know the kind. It comes in a round cylinder and not a bag. But it doesn't stop there. Next thing I know they're giving her something called Green Tripe which is about the best smelling thing I ever saw and little cans that say "sardines" which also smell really good and Mommy is cooking her eggs twice a day. It's all about, "Here Dyna, do you want this? No? How about this?" I'm sitting there happy to eat all of it but do I even get offered?

Then today, today it just went too far. Mommy has been talking on the phone almost everyday to this Dr. Cox about, you guessed it, Dyna. This morning he tells her to start adding liver to her food. Liver! Do you know how good that smells? So now she's cooking liver, cooking eggs, scooping Green Tripe and sardines and putting it all in Dyna's dish. I run to my dish - bupkis!

So maybe I'm not "old" and maybe I have a bit of a "weight issue" and maybe I'd eat myself into oblivion if given the chance. But would it kill anyone to cook just one egg for me? Oh, and a little liver and tripe and those sardine things. Just say'n.

Mellow Yellow

So we're both sitting in our "offices" here at Ortega Landing - Jeff in the pilothouse and me in the salon, when our mobile phones ring. I hear Jeff answer it in his usual rather distracted way, when suddenly his voice brightens, "Really! Oh my gosh, I'll be right down." My interest is peaked. "Mellow's here! I'm going to open the gate." And he's gone.

Now the whole boat is up, even Dyna. You see Mellow is Dyna's great-great-great-great granddaughter - plus or minus a great. Ken and Trudy saw our post last year when Sophie had her litter of 4 girls and 3 boys, How Great is Dyna? They contacted us interested in having their own tiny piece of Dyna. Actually there are two tiny pieces as both of Mellow's parents, Sophie and Sarge, are from the lineage of Dyna.

So we've kept up with them via email and blogs and watched pictures of Mellow as she grew, always hoping to meet up and now it finally happened.

They say dogs don't really know their kin, just who's in their pack. Well, I don't know about that. Dylan and Mellow had an instant bond and could not stay away from each other the entire time. I was sure one or both were going right over the edge of the dock. The two look like identical twins except Mellow is a touch smaller.

We finally got Mellow onboard to meet Dyna who gave her a long and serious going over. She then gave us a look that said, "You don't think you're bringing another one of these onboard, do you?"

It was a wonderful afternoon. Everyone enjoyed themselves very much but eventually our visitors had to head out to get to their boat in Stuart before nightfall. They will set off shortly and we look forward to crossing paths again.

A quick update on Dyna as so many of you have been checking on her. The medications seem to have handled the pain she was experiencing and settled down her irritated colon. She is once again eating very well. She is now served meals in courses to ensure she is getting her meds and a good balance of nutrients. By far her favorite course is the scrambled eggs one. She obviously takes after her mom as breakfast has always been my favorite meal. She continues to be our very sweet girl.

We Have Documentation

We have known for years that our Dyna was a very sweet girl. Now we have irrefutable proof and in writing no less. Monday Dyna went off in the latest rental car to visit Dr. Tom Cox of Timuquana Animal Hospital here in Jacksonville. We loved everything about this place, starting with Dr. Cox. He offered to print out his notes for us so we could have them if needed.

They do a SOAP assessment something we were taught as EMT's. Well right there under the Objective portion of the assessment under Attitude, do you see it? Sweet. Our girl has been objectively certified by a licensed professional as sweet. Told ya!

So many of you have wanted to know how she's doing and we appreciate your very kind thoughts. Dyna's primary problem is "age" and there's not too much that can be done about that. Our goal is to treat the symptoms we can and make her as happy as possible for as long as possible. So we're working with Dr. Cox to find the right combination of drugs, supplements, and food that will help her painful back end, not irritate her digestive system, and not create any new problems.

Dyna has always been a picky eater (unheard of for a Lab but Dyna has never followed the official script) and has gotten even more so recently. So meal times are stretching out as we try to coax her with one yummy thing after another. True to her nature what works today may not work tomorrow. Last night it was raw hamburger, this morning some smelly canned fish. Have you heard of Green Cow Tripe? Yes, it smells as gross at it sounds. Well, that works, sometimes. Dr. Cox prescribed 2 scrambled eggs twice a day and she loves that. I've pretty much become her personal chef.

Of course, she's always up for treats and has taken to begging shamelessly at our meals. At this point, she gets whatever she wants and her daddy has been even more generous than usual. Dylan thinks it is all most unfair.

We discuss her treatment in light of her being at the end of life. Dr. Cox has been very kind, understanding, helpful, and respectful when he makes his recommendations.

For now she still wants her daily walk and still engages when Dylan sounds the alarm. There is no doubt that she is still our very sweet girl and we will cherish her for as long as we can.

They're Back...

We've well established Dylan's love of watching the wildlife. His favorite are the d-o-l-p-h-i-n-s, (can't be too careful he's sitting right here). But he became fascinated with the manatees when we were in Titusville last December. They surrounded the boat daily until a cold snap chased them away. We didn't seen them again until our last day in Cocoa Village.

I was running water through rock salt to recharge our Spot-Free device. When I went out on the bow to turn it off I found Dylan peering over the side and a small crowd of people at the dock taking pictures. Now I know he's one handsome little boy but didn't think he warranted that sort of attention.

Then I discovered that a manatee had arrived and was drinking the fresh water that was coming out of the scupper. Not only was he enjoying the drink but he was as fascinated by Dylan as Dylan was of him.

Dylan never barked but simply kept peering over the side and watching this strange creature that had come for a visit. I hated to shut off the water but knew I couldn't let it run forever. Our friend rolled over to give Dylan a final salute and then was gone.

A few days later in Titusville while Jeff was rinsing off the side of the boat guess who shows up? Could it be the same one? Could there possibly be two faces like that?

What'd ya Mean No Dogs in a Rental Car?

Jeff had to drive down for the Miami Boat Show last week so we decided to rent a car for a week. That way we could easily re-provision, see some of the sites, etc. We needed to have some of Dyna's blood work redone to find out if there were any improvements in her liver levels. So early Thursday morning we loaded the kids in the rental car and headed to the vet.

We've done this rental car thing many times from the boat and have used a variety of methods to try and keep the bulk of the dog hair at bay. My latest creation involves a flannel sheet with Velcro attached and holes put in to accommodate the harnesses we use to strap them in. It works pretty well. Of course, this car had an all black interior - not good for this crew.

We brought Dylan along because he loves rides and we wanted to get him weighed. Lately he's been, well, a little larger in the rear end. It hasn't helped that Dyna has become more finicky about her eating. It's a constant battle to keep Dylan from scarfing up the dropped and left-over food.

Unfortunately, Dyna's blood work has not improved so we need to explore what might be happening with her liver. We decided the best place to settle in and do that is Jacksonville. So tomorrow we leave to begin heading that way. On the good side her digestive issues are better so she hasn't lost any more weight.

As for Dylan, well, can you say portion control?

We'll keep you posted on Dyna's progress.

No Takers

This past weekend there was a Mardi Gras celebration here in Cocoa Village. Sunday afternoon they held the Mardi Gras Paws in the Park event. Dyna and Dylan insisted on attending. There were hundreds of dogs of all shapes and sizes - and I mean ALL shapes and sizes. The event benefited the Central Brevard Humane Society with lots of food and vendors and even a dog parade.

We ran across the Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida booth and thought maybe they would take Dylan. But they turned us down. Dyna asked if they were absolutely positive...

We had great seats to watch the dog parade. Dyna was too dignified to wear a silly costume and Dylan, well, he does whatever Dyna does. There were lots of silly outfits. Dylan wasn't sure what to make of it all.

The whole crew had a great afternoon. But before we left Dyna thought we should make one more stop at the Lab Rescue booth to make sure there were no takers for Dylan. Sorry, Dyna.

Tending to Dyna

There's something about an old dog. They have a sense of appreciation that isn't there when they're young, agile, and healthy. It's like they really know they need you. The time comes when they no longer fight your efforts to help them and simply relax and accept your care.

A few months ago Dyna started needing to be carried down the steep winding stairs to the master stateroom. You might wonder why she doesn't simply sleep above but these are Siegel dogs, spoiled to the bone, and Dyna didn't want to be left behind. So Jeff carries her down every night. At first she struggled and squirmed but now she just settles into her daddy's arms and enjoys the ride.

We came back north because Dyna was having difficulties tolerating the heat and humidity. If you've been following her for a while you may remember that she had throat surgery a year and a half ago to fix a breathing problem. She's much better but still only has half an opening to breath through. So panting is less efficient plus all of these things are more difficult as she ages. Dyna will be 15 in May, a true grand dame.

In addition, she's had digestive problems due to chronic UTI's which have been cured with antibiotics but then stripped the good bacteria out of her stomach and intestines. Add to that the need for a periodic blood test to check liver functions due to her daily pain medicine, and we needed to find a good vet. So as soon as we pulled into Cocoa Village Marina we started searching. We checked online reviews, talked to the staff at the marina and some boaters with pets on the dock. We found a nice vet very close by but still too far for Dyna to walk. We started making plans to bring her in a dock cart, something that worked at Cumberland Island last spring.

So I went to the office to let them know we needed to take the cart off site. The manager Ken said, "I'll drive her." I told him it wasn't too far and I didn't want to bother him. "It's no bother. I'll do anything for a dog." I knew there was a good reason I liked him so much. Off Dyna went to Brevard Veterinary Hospital.

After tests and exams and consultations both here in Florida and with Stephanie back at Lucerne Veterinary Hospital in Maine, we devised a plan. Now on top of her hard to find dog food, she is getting a raft full of supplements - cranberry extract to keep the UTI at bay, probiotics to restore her good digestive bugs, Sam-e and milk thistle to help her liver levels, and Nupro vitamin supplement to ensure she's getting what she needs. Oh, and she also needs the addition of canned, wet food to get her to eat all this stuff. My galley pantry is becoming filled with dog items.

Do I care? Not a wit. She's our very special girl and every day with her is precious. Plus she's perked up and has even started a few tussles with Dylan. We know we can't have her forever but we can make her days the best they can be.

The Busiest Crew Member

We've told you that Dylan loves dolphins and that his job while underway is to maintain a constant watch to alert the other crew members of impending dolphin attacks. Dylan takes this job very seriously and never falters. Any time the boat is underway you can find him making his rounds - check the port-side bow, check the starboard-side bow, look through each of the hawseholes, fly down the starboard side to check the stern, check the port-side stern, fly up the port-side and start all over. He does this without stopping for the entire cruise. 90% of the time he finds nothing but then, well, see for yourself.

 

Beautiful Boats

We can't believe it's been two weeks since the last blog entry. I guess Dyna and Dylan have just been too busy to sit down and write. Actually, they dictate and I do the typing but don't tell them I told you. So what have they been up to?

They spent several days at the Loggerhead Marina in Vero Beach which is beautiful and peaceful. Every day they took long walks through the lovely grounds. Then they spent over a week at the Loggerhead Marina in Stuart. By now they are considered honorary Loggerheads. They met many other dogs on the docks while taking their walks along the water. They weren't allowed in either of the swimming pools though - bummer.

Then they cruised 6 long miles over to Hinckley Yacht Services in Manatee Pocket where we all enjoyed walking among the beautiful boats! Yes, there were lots of beautiful Hinckley boats of all sizes and types along with many other boats being worked on and stored.

We took our morning walks through the huge on-land storage area so we could see them up close. Dyna was partial to the go fast jet boats being a speed demon from way back.

Dylan thought a Nordhavn 55 was more his speed. After all, if you go too fast how would you be able to spot the dolphins.

But when all is said and done the whole crew loves being back on aCappella were they know all the good napping places.

Kennedy Space Center

We decided to rent a car the week of Christmas so we could explore a bit further. Plus we had some Christmas parties to attend and some shopping to do - Orlando is only about 30 minutes from Titusville. But first on our list was to visit the Kennedy Space Center. We were pleased to see they were decked out for the holidays. There was even Mr. and Mrs. Claus there who had just returned from space.

The facility is very well done with lots to see, more than you can easily do in a day. The Imax theater is wonderful and the tour out to the launch pad is great. We even saw alligators and a huge eagle's nest along the way. Never thought I'd see a Christmas tree among rocket ships!

We had a terrific time. This is something that should not be missed.

We've finally left Titusvilles but not before we were visited by some "friends" from Maine. The last few days we saw dozens of Loons many swimming right up to the boat.

 

We look froward to the new year with new adventures. Happy New Year and safe travels from the aCappella crew!

Titusville Kayaking

Dylan's manatee buddies visit almost daily.

After a week of looking at all the wonderful wildlife that surrounded the boat we had a real hankering to explore. Our new smaller kayaks weren't appropriate to cross the ICW where the real beauty is, while the sea kayaks sitting in our basement in Maine would have been perfect. Darn! So we looked into A Day Away Kayak Tours which Mark here at Titusville Municipal Marina had recommended and knew right away it would be perfect.

Looking for sleeping manatees.

We met Ron who manages the tours and he suggested we try a motorized kayak tour. Well, being long time kayakers who enjoy paddling we were a bit skeptical. Wouldn't the sound of the motor destroy the peacefulness of gliding along the water? Weren't we just being wimps by not paddling ourselves? But we're always up for something new, so we met him in Sand Point Park adjacent to the marina early on a Sunday.

A small electric motor does the work.

Each kayak had a small electric motor that barely made a hum when it was on. You turned the motor on and off with a switch and steered using a a long handle that attached to a rudder. We also had paddles we could use to turn or backup - the motor only went forward. When we turned on the motors the kayaks glided through the water "at about the speed of a good paddler," according to Ron. It was terrific. We were able to keep our attention on the sights around us rather than focusing on paddling and didn't need to think about saving energy for the return trip.

Look, Ma, no paddling.

We moved along the shore ducking into the basins to watch for manatees sleeping and dolphins. Then went across the ICW to some islands where we got out and stretched our legs while observing the shorebirds. It was a perfect morning which ended way too soon.

Crossing the ICW.

It's a great way to get out and see the natural beauty that is here. It's easy to do even if you've never been in a kayak. And Ron is a terrific and knowledgeable tour guide. You just have to try this! The only thing missing were side cars for Dyna and Dylan. They promised they'd sit still... Yeah, right!

Christmas in Titusville

In the two weeks we have been at the Titusville Municipal Marina we have come to appreciate what is truly special here. And it's not just the dog park. All day Christmas Eve the boat was surrounded by manatees snorting and diving and playing. Dylan spent hours hanging over the edge and quickly learned to recognize the bubbles followed by the circles in the water that meant a manatee was about to surface. I don't know which was more fun to watch, the manatees or Dylan. Just walking to the grocery store or dog park I pass dozens of wood storks a threatened species of bird, but apparently not in Titusville. There's something abundant here that is becoming increasingly difficult to find elsewhere - simple natural beauty.

We were fortunate to meet Ron who runs a variety of kayak tours in the area and he invited us to an annual Christmas morning tradition, birding in the Merritt Island National Refuge. At 8 am in the nearby Burger King parking lot, we met the group and headed over. Luckily there were many in the group who were serious birders or I would not have known how many different species I was seeing. It was spectacular!

Did you know that Titusville is the home of the largest birding festival on the east coast? We had the privilege of spending Christmas morning with several of the founders on Merritt Island.

Mid-morning we stopped and enjoyed the many goodies we had brought plus Mimosas. Then driving out of the refuge we spotted a large gator sunning himself. We are so thankful that this group of old friends included us and made us feel at home.

The afternoon was spent with the kids who unfortunately missed the birding adventure despite promising they'd be good - yeah right. Everyone cuddled for a nap and before we knew it, it was time to go to the dog park which was full of dogs even on Christmas.

The turkey is about to come out of the oven and we still have It's A Wonderful Life to watch on DVD. The kids love a movie night.

The whole crew wishes all of you a very Merry Christmas!

Karen, Jeff, Dyna, and Dylan

Our New Favorite Dog Park

When it comes to dog parks there are no better experts than Dyna and Dylan. They have been to scores of dog parks up throughout the US and have played with thousands of dogs. The route taken by the aCappella crew often involves planned stops at some of their favorite ones. And we now have a new one in Titusville.

We've been at the Titusville Municipal Marina for over a week now and the kids quickly fell into the afternoon habit of heading off to the dog park and become quite restless if something delays us for even a few minutes.

So what makes this park so special? Well, the city of Titusville decided to turn a parcel of land right next to (and I mean it touches) the marina into a park. It's appropriately named Marina Park. It has a large playground, a ball field, and a big, beautiful multi-lane boat ramp. But the best part is they made a huge dog park. If you look at the satellite image here it is the large rectangular-ish area in the lower left.

It's fully fenced, has a large (over 25 lbs) and a small (under 25 lbs) section - we're not sure what you do if your dog weighs exactly 25 lbs - doggy pickup stations, water hookups complete with a wading pool and drink bowls, benches for the dogs' people, and the best part, lots of dogs. All of this is just a short walk that even our grand dame, Dyna, can make every day.

Are they having fun? Well, see for yourself.

And more dog park fun!

If you are fortunate enough to have four-legged crew onboard you just have to check out the new Titusville dog park. And if you and your crew are nearby you just have to stop in to play with Dyna and Dylan.

It's Kid Time

We really enjoyed the Melbourne SSCA Gam. Our final day ended with a beautiful sunset which just put the whipped cream on the sundae. It is the most interesting and diverse group of boaters we have ever encountered. Some have circumnavigated the world (a few more than once), some regularly visit remote and exotic places, some love to simply cruise the coastlines, and some are still dreaming about the day they will be able to throw off the lines. But what we all have in common is a love of the cruising lifestyle and a desire to share our knowledge and experience. Everyone has something to offer.

While we were off meeting and greeting and learning and partying, the kids where spending way too much time waiting for us on the boat. The abuse was so intense that I even caught Dylan trying to hail the ASPCA on the radio. So we promised them that as soon as the last event was over it would be kid time. Before we put the dinghy back up they got a dinghy ride. Dyna was in heaven.

Monday morning we pulled anchor and headed to Titusville Municipal Marina to try out their new dog park. Both kids give it 5 stars. This marina is dog central. We can't leave the boat without meeting another dog and of course now that we're tied to the dock Dyna and Dylan can meet and greet across the bow. We plan to be here for a spell so the kids are pleased to settle in, soak up the attention, and stretch their legs ashore. We're just happy they let us join them.

Bad Rap

A common occurrence when fellow cruisers find out that our homeport is in Maine is some comment like, "I hear it's so beautiful up there but I'm afraid to go because..." followed by one or more of the same complaints.

Complaint: The bottom is rock, not sand or mud, so if I run aground...

This is true but I point out that the depths are ridiculously deep, the rocks are all charted as they've been there for about a million years, and they never shoal. If you're running aground in Maine, you're doing something seriously wrong. Here in Florida running aground is simply part of the experience.

Complaint: There are too many lobster buoys.

There are alot of them but these same folks never seem to complained when sitting down to their lobster roll lunch or full fledged lobster pound feast. In reality, actually grabbing a buoy is harder to do than you think - we've done talks on just this topic. Besides, Maine is a place that needs to be savored, so slow down and enjoy.

Complaint: It's always foggy.

Well, that's actually not true and much can be avoided by picking the right time to come. Hint, September is the absolutely best time to visit Maine. But knowing how to use your radar is really an important skill so think of it as practice. Fog is actually quite beautiful. And even if you don't think so, it typically burns off within a couple of hours.

For the record, the picture above is not of a lovely anchorage in Maine. This has been the view for the past two mornings in the anchorage here in Melbourne, FL where we are attending the SSCA Gam. So you see that practice you get with your radar up in Maine can really come in handy.

Joining the Parade

We've been moving every day since we left Hinckley Yacht Services in Savannah to ensure we will make the SSCA Gam in Melbourne. Today we finally caught up with the ICW parade, the stream of boats that move south along the ICW this time of year. The weather has turned warm and we are pleased to be back in shorts. Life is certainly good.

We've been visiting several of our ActiveCaptain Sponsors which means the kids get to have almost daily time ashore and meet new friends - the two and four-legged kind. Palm Coast Marina was full of canine crew keeping both Dyna and Dylan on the watch. At Loggerhead Daytona Jeff found a nearby by dog park and father and son went off for a much needed romp. The girls stayed home and we did girl things. They returned tired and happy, with no pictures but lots of mud.

While underway Dylan has taken on the position of Chief Wildlife Observer. He spends the whole day on the bow scampering from port to starboard looking for birds, other boaters, and of course his favorite, dolphins. He is a busy boy only taking a brief break to schmooze while we have lunch. By nightfall he crashes in utter exhaustion.

We're at anchor tonight. Tomorrow we head to Cocoa Village Marina and then on to Melbourne where we'll finally stay put for a bit. If you're coming to the Gam make sure to say hello.