May 12 - Love Bugs and Boat US

The wildlife along the waterways is fantastic.  Unfortunately we don't have the opportunity to catch all of them as most disappear quickly like the porpoises and the manatee's.  I am pretty sure I saw a monkey scampering on one of the islands this morning but couldn't prove it.  We try to take pictures that we hope you find interesting. So far, we have not seen any gators but have seen a few signs warning of their presence. The first few hours of our departure we were inundated by love bugs. If you are not familiar with the critter, these are bugs that usually fly in pairs, constantly mating. They don't bite but they are annoying. More detail on love bugs here.

We departed Harbortown relatively early in the morning.



A bit too early as we had to wait until after rush hour for this bridge to open for us.

A very nice fish joined us aboard and Catie was VERY interested, I however, could not talk Beth into letting it join us for dinner.

A view of some of the houses along the waterway.  Many look more like resorts than single family houses.

We got into Vero Beach, FL about an hour before dusk.  We went to the city marina to fill up on fuel and possibly dock for the night but they had a huge yacht at the fuel dock and didn't have a slip we could fit into.  We proceeded back to the channel to seek anchorage and while checking out a "dock and dine" place, I wound up in about two feet of water which then became one foot of water and Second Chance needs at least two feet to float.  Subsquently I ran the boat aground and with a falling tide, not much hope of getting it going again.  I lowered the dinghy, emptied the water tanks in an effort to lighten the load and get it floating again.  This wasn't enough so Beth and I got in the dinghy, teathered to the boat, but even that wasn't enough.  So, setting pride aside, I made the radio call to BoatUS and requested assistance.  I am very thankful I got the unlimited towing option !  Captain Larry showed up about 15 minutes after the call and hauled us, dragging the rudders and bottom, back into the channel.  The immediate check of the boat revealed no structural damage, and we were not taking on water.  The remaining damage would be accessed in the morning as nightfall was upon us.