Out Running the Weather

Thursday morning we left Jacksonville Beach bright and early and headed south, not really sure where we would end the day. The winds were continuing to build and while we remained "inside" the ICW, there are large and long open sections of water that allow it to fetch-up into a real nasty chop. Since the wind was coming mostly from the east, we had to endure the waves abeam the entire way. Between the salt water splashing and the occasional rainstorm squall, the windshield wipers were a welcome (and needed) piece of equipment.

It seems the longer we traveled, the further we wanted to go just to try and get out of the worst of the incoming weather. So we went past St. Augustine, Daytona, New Smyrna, and Titusville, finally arriving at Cocoa Beach at 400 that afternoon. Being able to travel at 30 mph cruise and not have to wait for most bridges (since we only need 15 feet of clearance), allowed us to travel over 160 miles yesterday. We arrived and docked in 18 mph winds without even a "bump" as we worked our way into the slip. I am starting to get the hang of the new Zeus drives and joystick control... and I like it! We had dinner at a surprisingly excellent restaurant in Cocoa Village (Ulysses Prime Steakhouse) and along with a bottle of really good red wine, we were ready to call it a early night.

This morning (Friday) we awoke to a violent thunderstorm, winds at 30 knots, and rain going sideways. It lasted about an hour (along with the power going out) before moving past us. I thought for sure that meant we would be spending another day and night in Cocoa and perhaps another visit to Ulysses'. I was also concerned that since we were just and hour drive from our home in Orlando, that a mutiny could be in the making. But within the hour, things calmed down, the sun came out (sort of) and the seas appeared reasonable. We fired up ENCORE's engines and headed out, hoping that we could make it to Stuart, FL and the start of the Okeechobee Waterway. Once again, we had those "choppy" conditions but both the boat and the crew seemed to be tolerating it well. :)

We arrived at Sunset Bay Marina about 130pm in just under 5 hours. While the wind continues to build (forecasts call for 25-30 from the east with gust to gale force) we are safely tucked in the St. Lucie River and the start of the Okeechobee Waterway headed west. Given the current forecast, I'm not sure if we will attempt to cross tomorrow or not. Then again, this is Florida, and that could all look different in the morning.

Sunset Bay Marina