Son et Lumière

       

            Festival of Lights, celebrated all over the world in one form or another—Diwali, Hanukah, Christmas, Saturnalia—celebrates the triumph of light of darkness, good over evil.  When I was young, we would go on special outings to drive around various neighborhoods to look at the lights.  Little has changed over the years. 

 The lights are still beautiful.

  The addition of synchronized sound adds a dimension of drama not possible back then.  LED lights reduce energy consumption.  Several years ago, I installed a one hundred Amp service entrance at a home.  It was a dedicated panel that exclusively fed power to the Xmas light display.  People came from miles around to see it.  Wow!

            So now it is 2013 and lights are everywhere, even on the water.  The annual boat parade on Taylor Creek in Ft Pierce is an event best seen from the dock. 

 Even Mother Nature has joined in the festivities with a full moon and sunsets that reach all the way around to the East.

Oh, I almost forgot!  Port Oliver Yacht Club's Hula Girls have been reincarnated as Island Girls and contribute to the Festival of Lights on the bow of Now or Never!

ADRIFT!

One hundred feet from our mooring ball at Vero Beach, a mere 100 feet!  The engine died.  Powerless, we were gently blown into the mangroves.  Thankfully, maybe miraculously, we were not aground. With a little help from the marina staff, we were towed to the ball and got tied up.  We had been looking forward to rafting up with other boaters.  Instead, we were rafted up with a derelict old boat.  I had to climb aboard in order to tie our lines to it and I almost fell through the rotten covers on the cockpit lockers. 

 Yikes!  God, please don’t let this boat sink while we are tied to it!

We had anchored the day before at Dragon Point in Eau Gallie. 

  It was a quiet anchorage and we had our own happy hour while swinging gently on the hook. 

 Bruno’s navigation skills were tested as he charted our course to Vero.

A couple of days after our arrival at Vero, we were surprised by the arrival of friends Roman and Olha on s/v Moya Mreeya..  We had met them on last year’s trip.  

 Together, we had a great time at the Thanksgiving pot luck.  The C.L.O.D.s (Cruisers Living On Dirt) of Vero Beach provided ham and turkey and the rest was provided by the cruisers in the mooring field.  One hundred and fifty of us gathered for fun and food.

  A grander feast was never served.  Vero is a nice place.  Many restaurants, good shopping, beaches, happy hour ashore, lots of cruisers.  Of course, when there are 150 boats in the harbor, you can bet that the dinghy dock will be loaded. 

  It’s a real challenge to get in close enough to the dock to get Bruno off the dinghy.

The day after Thanksgiving, we tackled the dead engine.  Out of fuel!  That was easy.  Whew!  So again, with Bruno’s navigation, we made it down to Fort Pierce.

  We were just in time for the annual Xmas parade.  Beautiful!  Horses, kids, ballet troupes, bands, motorcycles and clowns. 

Olha and Roman had learned of a Byzantine Catholic Church where they sell homemade pierogi, kielbasa, holobchi and kolach. 

 The church was beautiful and the food delicious.  We bought enough for several meals.

Happy hour often brings on a bit of silliness.

  Speaking of silliness, we got a new mascot for the boat. 

 A terrific 25¢ purchase at a thrift store.

OUTWARD HOUND!

           

Finally, we cast off the lines and were underway—destination, St Augustine.  Two hours from the dock we turned Jenny off (Jenny being the iron jenny or motor).  We were making a consistent 6.5 knots or a rousing 7 ½ miles an hour!  After an hour or so at that speed, we had to shorten sail and slow down since we didn’t want to arrive at St A at 3:30 AM.  Even so, we would arrive on an outgoing tide which I wanted to avoid.

            Eight thirty the next day found us at the inlet for St Augustine.  The water was very choppy due to the outgoing tide, but thankfully it was nothing like a washing machine.  By 9:30, we were tied up to a mooring ball right in front of the St Augustine historic district and enjoying our celebratory rum and ready for a nap.  Bruno wasn’t happy, but he held his water, for a while anyway.  Foolishly, we opted not to go ashore and that last drop of water filled his little bladder to overflowing and he let go.  He chose to ignore the “tinkle turf” that we’ve tried so hard to train him to and peed in the salon.

            Overnight, the blow that was forecast blew in with a fury.  Forty knot winds gusting to gale force rocked the boat.  The rigging was howling and halyards slapped the mast and spreaders.  The wind blew for 30 hours.  During the storm, a trimaran broke loose and was blown into the Bridge of Lions.  Somehow it was forced under the bridge and the current later swept it back against the bridge.  It was a total loss.  A couple of days later, Sea Town floated the boat and towed it to the scrap yard.

            Our stay at St Augustine was pleasant.  We assembled the dinghy so we could go ashore at our convenience.  Bruno liked that!  We went to Sailors’ Exchange and found several things we needed for the boat (You always need something, even if you don’t know what it is!).  We had a nice lunch with some tasty sangria on St George’s Street.  St Augustine is one of the most photogenic cities anywhere. 

It gave us several good images of doors and windows and some nonsense as well.

             

            Unfavorable winds and seas for the next week dictated our course.  We would not be able to go to Ft Pierce on the ocean but would have to go down the dreaded ICW.  Actually, the calm waters on the waterway and well marked channel have made the trip rather pleasant.  So, we arrived at New Smyrna Beach to spend a couple of days. 

Friends, Bill and Jesse, from Brunswick tied up next to us.  They were taking Jim and Ellie’s boat s/v Finnirish to Ft Lauderdale.  We hope to see Jim and Ellie when we get to Ft Lauderdale.

CRABS AND CARS

            Finally, back on the boat!  After one of the most hectic summers ever, it’s good to be on the boat with no place where we have to go and nothing that has to be done right away.  Fuel filters changed, oil filters changed, new anchor light, new spreader lights.  Now we just need a few days of good wx to get out of Georgia and down to Ft Pierce.

            We set up a booth at the boaters’ flea market and sold some old chart books and a sea glass wind chime. 

You may remember that we brought back from the Bahama 50 pounds of coral, 30 pounds of shells and a humongous pile of driftwood.

Then on First Friday, we set up a booth in front of Maggie Mae’s restaurant in Brunswick (a great place for breakfast and lunch). We didn’t sell much, just a pair of earrings, but we had a great time with fellow boaters and long-time friends Greg and Janice on s/v Glenda Sue.  There was a live band next to us that played lots of old favorites.

 First Friday provides a venu for fun, friendship and zaniness, vintage cars and vintage outfits.

 


              We drove down to Ft Pierce to take a car down so we’ll have one when we get there.  We left a 6 AM and got back at 5:30 PM—all in one day.  It would take 48 hours just to get there by boat, one way!

            Bill on s/v Memento Mori loaned us his crab traps and we are looking forward to stone crab claws, fresh crab and crab cakes.

CRAB CAKES
 • 1 lb. jumbo lump or backfin lump crabmeat, fresh or pasteurized
 • 1 large egg
 • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
 • 1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
 • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
 • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Kosher salt
 • 1-1/4 cups fresh breadcrumb
 • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
 • 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
 • 1 Tbs. olive oil
 • Lemon wedges for serving

 Drain the crabmeat, if necessary, and pick through it for shells. Put the crab in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Scrape the mixture over the crab and mix gently until well combined. Gently break up the lumps with your fingers but do not over mix. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the parsley over the mixture, and mix them in thoroughly but gently; try not to turn the mixture into a mash—it should still be somewhat loose. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours. Shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes about 1 inch thick. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the cakes to the pan (8 should fit comfortably). Cook until dark golden brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip the cakes, reduce the heat to medium low, and continue cooking until the other side is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the cakes.  Wasabi is good with this as well, soy soauce is good, too.