Starting the Journey

Boarding Fantasea

We arrived in Miami on 25 February and proceeded to the Dinner Key Marina to move to our new home afloat. Two rolling duffels each would suffice to transport our personal belongings.

The former owners had briefed us on the workings of this 1997 Beneteau 46. Nonetheless, we tried to grasp how to utilize the systems which, though we had sailed Beneteaus a number of times over the years, were different in some signficant ways than our Hunter 36 back in Caifornia.

Sailing Northward

We departed the slip on Tuesday, 26 March, motored out to Biscayne Bay, hoisted the main and genoa sails, and carefully motor sailed our way through the Biscayne channel. Wind at 14 knots from the North made for a choppy ride. Electing to take the Government Cut in Port Miami, we sought a refuge in the dark in a totally unfamiliar marina. We tied up at the fuel dock of the Miami Beach Marina and, thanks to a very gracious dockmaster, secured the Fantasea for the evening. By 0730 the next morning, we were headed out the inlet into the Atlantic Ocean.

The next few days we continued our sail North, stopping at marinas in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Stuart, and finally reaching Fort Pierce where we spent a very pleasant weekend at the Fort Pierce City Marina. The water in several of the inlets was very shallow and made for some tense moments when the depth indicator showed insufficient water in which to navigate. The Coast Guard moves the channel markers because of the shifting shoals. The electronic chart plotter data conflicted with the channel markers and we were advised to follow the markers.

Fantasea on the Hard

We chose Fort Pierce, about 130 miles north of Miami, to have Fantasea hauled out for repairs, because it was reported to be lower cost than Miami. So, we were hauled out on Monday, 4 March at the Cracker Boy Boat Yard. A giant Travel Lift hoisted the boat out of the water and proceeded to convey it to a place in the yard. A boat that is on land is considered to be “on the hard” and this is not a happy place for boat or her new owners.

For the next 30 days, workers arrived to sandblast the boat’s bottom, make repairs, apply barrier coats, and finally 3 coats of bottom paint. In addition, a new anchor and chain was added, most of the through hulls were replaced, a lightning rod was installed and various electronic issues were diagnosed and remedied. A new dodger (windshield) was crafted and installed on Fantasea.

Fantasea’s Launch

The day arrived for Fantasea to splash, a nautical term for putting the boat back in the water. The crane arrived and carried Fantasea to the slip and lowered her to a level so that we could board her and inspect the through hulls for leaks. Dan, a thoroughly knowledgeable technician and an invaluable resource to us over the past 30 days, boarded the boat and discovered a minor and a major leak. Reporting that it could not be fixed while in the water, Fantasea was hauled out again and transported back to her slot in the yard and was re-blocked. You can imagine our disappointment but, of course, it was far better to discover these problems now rather than later.

After a full day of repair work, Fantasea was splashed again on Thursday, 4 April and, as we prayed that she would hold, Dan, Cindy, and I boarded her and found her water tight. Praise God! Then we were off to the fuel dock across the way and turning north on the Intra Coastal Water way (ICW), we proceeded north toward Vero Beach. A marvelous serendipity in the boatyard were our next door neighbors who took us under their wings to make helpful observations. Lawrence and Linda were highly experienced cruisers and live on the water in Vero Beach. They invited us to tie up at their dock for a few days and we gratefully accepted their invitation.

The Intracoastal Water (ICW)

The ICW is a narrow waterway that runs from Miami, Florida to Norfolk, VA. Power boats often prefer this route because there are no waves to contend with and there are many anchorages and marinas along the way. Sailors, however, prefer the ocean because that’s what sailors do. Unfortunately, there are times when navigating the ocean is not practical because the distances between coastal inlets may be so far that it would take 12 to 18 hours to cover the mileage. So, if one does not want to sail in the dark, the ICW is the only alternative.

From Vero Beach we proceeded north past Melbourne and on to Titusville where we moored for several evenings. This is an excellent place to rent a car and drive to Cape Canaveral to visit the Kennedy Space Center. We spent a good part of a day touring the various exhibits and were both awed and inspired by what has been accomplished by American ingenuity and sheer courage.

Continuing on to New Smyrna Beach and then Daytona Beach where we anchored and were helped by a fellow sailor without whose guidance we surely would have grounded our vessel. His knowledge of the mysteries of the local area was invaluable and the next day we retraced our path following his lead and made it to the safe water.

We then proceeded north to Marineland Marina and, once more with the help of Dockmaster Jay, were able to get to the marina and our assigned slip despite the anxious moments when I looked down at the depth meter and it read 4 feet. Our draft is closer to 6′. Surely the Lord lifted our heavy sailboat so that it would glide into the berth.

The Monsoon

Sunday afternoon is supposed to be a day of rest, is it not? Well, not this Sunday. At 4 PM, the storm arrived with a rush like a freight train. We escaped to the salon to wait out the sheets of rain that pelted our vessel and the high winds which, we have on good authority, reached as high as 60 knots. Our vessel was rocked back and forth but remained secure in her traces on the dock.

St Augustine

This city is the oldest continually settled community in the US. It is a source of great pride to the inhabitants and it is a beautiful city. We arrived at the Municipal Marina after a 3.5 hour trip north from Marineland Marina and were welcomed by the dockmaster to a comfortable slip.

It seemed like many of the good folks aboard their vessels were retired and from the northern United States and Canada. They were on their way home to their summer residences, having spent the winter out of the frigid north and basking in the Florida sunshine.