3/20/15 to 3/23/15 ICW update

After a little hiccup with the water pump impeller & the drama subsided, TOMKAT was ready for her next adventure. Captain Tom had a spare part and he replaced it and we were only an hour later than we wanted to be. Thank you to our wonderful neighbor Susan for her speedy delivery of me to the boat in her fancy sports car. She even handed us the boat lines to get us on our way.

We are also thankful for our awesome neighbors Jack, Denette  & Bonnie who keep an eagle eye on the homestead so we can travel with less worry.
We left with variable fog conditions but  no bridge opening delays which was nice. Anchored in South Daytona due to continued fog.

After it was too late we discovered a cast a way barrel of monkees.

I let them know if they were going to stay on this trip they would need to be "Matie" assistants  and help with chores and fun!!

So we will see how that goes. Water Temp is 60 degrees in Daytona. Friends have asked how we eat on the boat. Captain Tom said very well! Turkey salad for lunch and Chicken Teriyaki & veggies for dinner! On Saturday, foggy conditions persisted in the AM but improved steadily in the morning. We made great time motoring & motor sailing through pretty New Symrna Beach and Titusville. No problems with any bridges and the Haul Over Canal did not disappoint us with a few manatee sightings. We also saw may Ospreys, dolphins and even a pink flamingo! Many fisherman were out enjoying the beautiful sunny Sunday.

Water temp in Titusville are 80 degrees! We encountered the Melbourne Airshow with fighter jets and the Navy Blue Angels flying formations right over the boat.
This was a great surprise to get to go thru there at the right time. One jet flew so low and close that we thought it was going thru the halyards.

The monkees helped make grilled cheese & Swedish meatballs for todays eats! We also saw Siren Song a boat from Alaska that we met the crew 2 years ago in Hadley Harbor. On Monday we left at the crack of 7:15am as soon as Captain Tom could see the buoys. No beauty sleep for the matie today. We passed Emme a sailboat from Maine, we know,  about 15 miles north of Vero Beach,  and chatted with them as they headed north. We are now in Vero Beach and are nicely connected to Wifi. Had a glorious hot shower. Sunshowers are great but......
We will go into town & the beach tomorrow and stay another night before continuing on our journey. The weather may be an issue, so we will wait until tomorrow to plan. will post pics tomorrow.