Arrived

Titusville, Florida

28 35.41 N 080 47.35 W

By noon on Monday we arrived in the Indian River.   That's sort of an emotional milestone for us.  It marks the end of our southward migration for this season.

That doesn't mean we'll stay put.  We'll head for the keys and Marathon, perhaps the Gulf Coat, Bahamas, and who knows where else.   Nevertheless, the Indian River is sort of a hub.   It is a place where we can dawdle.  We have friends and family nearby.   We can easily anchor and feel secure against almost any weather.  We can easily find stores to resupply.   We can easily go ashore and explore.

The Indian River is about 140 miles long.  In that respect it is analogous to Lake Champlain.  Our arrival at the south end of Champlain is a milestone, as is our arrival here on the Indian River.

Flordia's weather also contributed to our emotional high.   Ever since crossing the Georgia Florida border, we've been hit with cold, blustery and unpleasant weather.   Monday was much nicer.  Gentle breezes, sunny and warmer.   The rest of this week will be like that too, reaching 77F (C) by Friday.   

Friday, Saturday, Sunday we'll be at the SSCA gam in Eau Gallie.   The SSCA is the association of cruisers, and a gam is one of their conference-meetings.   They have seminars and events that we think are fun.  This will be our third time visiting the Melbourne gam.

Every year we go through the same emotional ups and downs connected with our migration.   We hate to leave our summer/winter home.  We experience a little trepidation about the long journey.   We shift life styles.   While migrating we haul the anchor every morning and move along.   We like the migration very much.   In fact, it's like have two life styles, and four times every year we shift from one style to the other.   All things considered, I think it is a very healthy way to live.  

On the other hand, it would not be unfair to say that every year we become more like migratory birds or animals.

p.s. We had dinner last night on board Argonauta with our friends Greg and Michelle. It was just a nice coincidence that we ran into them.   Greg is from Vermont and he was the former head of the Burlington hort (horticultural) farm where Jenny does volunteer work.