Ship's Log #1

Could I get the engine in? Would it run? Was there enough water in the channel to get her out without a towboat?

Yes, yes and yesiree! We pulled out of the Marsh Island Marina, after a non-alcohol "fair winds, calm seas, sound ship" toast with a can of Caffeine Free Diet Coke. No Problem! We were on our way, after just a little bounce in the narrows of the marina channel, headed north about 25 miles to the Eau Gallie Yacht Basin in Melbourne where we had Toni's car parked waiting on us. The engine purred at just above idle and we were doing about 6 mph or 4 knots. Yippee! You couldn't have shot the grin off my face! We were there! The weather was sunny, winds out of the southeast at about the same speed we were cruising so it was calm to us. Balmy weather for January. Felt like 80'. I wanted to put up the jib, just to see it, but all the sails were under a heap of tools and hardware in the forward vee berth. "Oh, just sit and enjoy!" Toni insisted. So I did! We were making fine time, actually not worried about the speed as we would surely get there with plenty of light.

Around Sebastian inlet, about an hour into the trip, Toni pointed out a pod of bottle nosed dolphin. They started right towards us and tried riding the bow wake! We must have been going a little too slow or simply going the wrong direction, because they did not stay under the bow long, but did give us that little sideways look, like they are going to ask a question or something. Makes you wonder.

Later in the day, near the trailer parks where I grew up in south Melbourne Beach, Toni was at the helm and I was below fetching sodas, or some other cabin boy duty, when she saw a couple of jet ski's headed right at the boat! It was my sister Teresa and Pat, her boyfriend. They had been down to Marsh Island to see what was what and had just missed us. They spotted us from US 1 and put the jet skis in at Front Street in Melbourne and ran out to greet us! What a surprising treat!

We pulled into the Ballard Park area, where the Yacht Basin and Toni's car was located, around 4pm. We soon found out the Yacht Basin is not 6 feet deep! Ok, change of plans. Round and round in the harbor we go. Where will we stop, we don't know…Ok, off we go to the Telemar Bay Marina in Indian Harbor Beach. We have heard from reliable sources there is plenty deep water there. We can call my mom to take us back to the Yacht Basin to get the car.

Rounding the Dragon Point we contact the Marina for an overnight stay at the fuel docks. All is well and we are again assured the water is deep enough for us. Bam! Bounce! Up we go! Whoops! We were hard aground on a rock that sits 5½ feet under the water and 25 feet inside the channel marker. After being told we are not the first, we do feel a little better. I try contacting Telemar Bay, they must have closed. We try rocking the boat and power forward, reverse, turning, twisting, no such luck. We hear the radio call "Godchild, Godchild, Godchild, this is Praise The Lord, over". Could this be? I answer the call and they offer their assistance as soon as they anchor. I spot their boat as a 40+, green and white ketch. In the process of their anchoring I hear over the radio a friend of theirs in the 30+ sloop, Gratitude, say he was on his way over to us also. With Herb from Gratitude and Rueben from Praise The Lord, my anchor, Herb's CQR anchor, we were able to wench, or "kedge" off the rock. Hooray! Thank you Jesus! We find out that Herb on Gratitude and Rueben and Sharon on Praise The Lord were all on their way down to the Exuma's. They go there every year and had met there before! We gave them our thanks and told them we will be there next year and look forward to a picnic lunch with them then! Wonderful! The grounding was not a hindrance at all, but simply a way to meet some wonderful boating folks! Lots of boats went by us without offering or saying anything. I guess they had other plans to attend to.

We made it to Telemar Bay just as the sun set. Greg, the night dockmaster, helped us tie up and gave us the restroom keys, others came to greet and offer help. All were very friendly and nice. We could check-in in the morning. We talked about it and decided to make Telemar Bay our bay until at least July.