M/V MAERIN

Welcome to 2012!!

We departed St. Augustine Tuesday the 27th and headed towards Cocoa, with an overnight stopover at New Smyrna Beach. There is a public dock at New Smyrna, that, although it is marked “NO OVERNIGHT DOCKING”, seems to be acceptable for an overnight stay. Cruisers frequently use the dock, and we have opted on the last few trips through the area to tie up to the funky curved pier. There’s a nice town there, and the dock is part of a waterfront park, and a dockside overnight is so much more convenient than anchoring and doing the drill with the dinghy and dogs! Between the current and the challenge of tying to a pier that’s on a radius, it took us two tries to get attached, but no unintentional contact, all is good!

The following morning we were able to get an early start, and arrived in Cocoa at 1430. We got anchored, settled in and launched the dink to go ashore and as we were headed back to the boat, friends Sue & Jim happened to drive by to see if we had arrived! A chance meeting, we were happy they came with us back to the boat to enjoy a bit of refreshment and catch up. Sue graciously lends us her car while we’re here, and we enjoy the freedom that wheels brings, along with being able to spend some time with friends!

I’m pleased to report that in the two full days’ cruising, we experienced no shutdown problems, so definitive progress is the latest report on engine shutdown problems. The tattletale latching relay I put together was inconclusive since the LED light that I had attached as a pilot- failed. So another lamp will be fitted just to complete the troubleshooting process and determine if there is a problem in the control wiring.

We enjoyed a dinner out with T&T list friends Bob & Judy, an intro to Cuban food on Friday evening, and we spent New Years’ Eve with Sue & Jim at a local restaurant for dinner and some low-key time on the balcony of their condo overlooking the ocean. Temps here are unseasonably warm, highs are in the high 70’s and yesterday we were in the 80’s. Very comfortable! We’ll be on the beach this afternoon, but the weather is about to go south, as a front passes beginning this evening, with lows predicted to dip into the 30’s and daytime highs in the 50’s for a few days. Our next stop will be Vero Beach, one of our favorites!