Switching Modes

Vero Beach

NoLL

So, we've arrived in Vero. Our arrival marks the end of our southern migration for 2009. It took us about 2 months, after leaving Rome NY on the Erie Canal to reach Vero. That's about average. Our fastest migration was in the Fall of this year; we went from Marsh Harbor, Abacos, Bahamas, to New York Harbor in 24 days.

We'll probably stay here in Vero until the new year. That means we won't have daily adventures. This in-harbor living mode presents the greatest challenge to me as a blog writer. Without fresh adventures, how can I keep the blog fresh, interesting and non-repetative? Now is the time to ask. What topics would you like to see me cover on the blog? Suggestions will be very welcome. Please email them to dickandlibbymills@gmail.com

Monarchs: SV Calypso reported seeing Monarchs -- hooray! SV Viking Rose reported seeing none. Blog reader Paul found this link to an article saying that Monarchs could be threatened. Best of all though; I searched Google News archives for news stories about the monarch migration in 2009. I found nothing of interest. One would think that if the migration really failed, that there would be numerous news reports.

Superstition

The Indian River

27 51.14 N 080 28.64 W

I read a fascinating article this morning in the NY Times; Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector U.S. Sees as Useless

The article told that Iraqi police and military have been spending millions of dollars on what US sources call a divining rod. The manufacturer claims, "its device can find guns, ammunition, drugs, truffles, human bodies and even contraband ivory at distances up to a kilometer, underground, through walls, underwater or even from airplanes three miles high." The Americans say bunk.

No matter what you or I think about it, the Iraqis who believe in this thing are putting their own lives on the line; and that deserves a measure of grudging respect. “I don’t care about Sandia or the Department of Justice or any of them,” General Jabiri said. “I know more about this issue than the Americans do. In fact, I know more about bombs than anyone in the world.” No doubt it is not the general's live personally on the line, but assuming that his opinions are representative of the lower ranks makes me swallow hard. It is precisely the contradiction between incredulity and respect for those on the front lines that makes the article especially interesting.

So, if someone walked up to me and asked, "Are you superstitious?" my answer would be, "Certainly not." That's easy to say, but it is also what everyone says. Ask just about anybody, "Are you a good person?" 99+ percent will answer, "Yes." Those are the kind of questions where self-deceit overcomes all.

I'm an engineer with scientific training. I pride myself on thinking and living scientifically free of superstition or irrational beliefs. I don't gamble because it's foolish to bet with the odds against you. On trips to Las Vegas I never bet so much as a nickel on a slot machine or other gambling. I could list a lot of areas where I consider my thinking as more rational than others. Yada yada yada; so would everyone else. But is it true?

I do conduct my affairs as if Murphy's Law was true. Rationality tells me that it can't be true. Is that superstition, or is it wise to be cautious and skeptical as a matter of policy, pretending that Murphy is right? You judge.

With regard to our sailing adventures, I'll confess to significant influence to "gut feel" in making decisions. We do go/no go decisions regularly. We choose some anchorages and reject others. Of course we listen to weather reports, and anecdotal evidence, but in the end instinctive "gut feel" weighs very heavily indeed. I recall several times rejecting a seemingly rational choice on the basis, "I feel spooked." That sure sounds irrational. Can I explain it away as subconscious expression of doubts and risks that may be real but that my brain can't articulate? You judge.

So, having thought about it for a while, I conclude that I can't make an objective judgment of my own rationality. Perhaps nobody can. I suspect that philosophers have wrestled with that question for millennia. If so, I don't know because I haven't studied much philosophy. I think it's bunk, like Iraqi bomb detecting wands.

The Indian River

The Indian River
28 29.47 N 080 45.45 W

Florida's East Coast offers several styles of local scenery.

We already enjoyed the nature and the salt marshes of the Tolomato River between the Saint Johns River and Saint Augustine. The river offers long stretches where little or no trace of human habitation are visible.

From Matanzas Inlet south toward Daytona, we pass through a region where the east bank of the ICW is covered by tightly packed vacation homes. However, across from them on the west bank is a state park which offers some of the prettiest nature in the whole state. The pretty part is also salt marshes. However there are numerous small islands covered with trees. The fauna here transitions from temperate to semi-tropical as more and more palm trees are seen. The birds and dolphins and manatees all seem plentiful there. I envy the east bank people's view out of their windows. Just great.

Mosquito Lagoon is another magical place. It is like a big lake, but only 1-2 feet deep in most places, except for the dredged channel for the ICW. So called fish camps abound. These are trailer parks full of RVs which have water frontage. Presumably, most of the RV customers also bring boats they can take out fishing. I've been told that if you can find a small depression 3-4 feet deep in the lagoon, that it will be packed with fish. The fish love to hang around in those little holes. To the East, on the far bank of the lagoon is Canaveral National Seashore.

The Indian River by contrast is very populated. Both shores are developed by what appear to be year-round houses. The river is about 3-4 miles wide, and 120 miles long. It extends from just north of Titusville in the North to Lake Worth and Palm Beach to the South. We can find a secure anchorage every 5 miles or so. There are lots of fun places to visit, Titusville, NASA/Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, Sebastian, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, and Stuart. Only the stretch of the river near Melbourne has water deep enough for sailboats to do their thing. The rest of the river is too shallow for except in the dredged ICW channel.

South of Lake Worth, once comes to the urban hell of Boca/Lauderdale/Miami. There's not much there attractive to us. South of that, is Biscayne Bay which is delightful for sailing. South of Biscayne Bay, one comes to the Florida Keys.

We'll be spending a couple of months here up and down the Indian River. We expect to have fun.

Spaceport Ahead

Mosquito Lagoon
28 45.81 N 080 45.92 W

Around 10 this morning we entered Mosquito Lagoon. 18 miles dead ahead of us sat an enormous rectangle sticking above the horizon. The rectangle is NASAs famous vertical assembly building (VAB). To the left of the VAB we can see the two space shuttle launch pads. What a cool sight that is. It impresses us every time we pass by. By the way, on November 16 another space shuttle launch is scheduled. Perhaps we'll bring Tarwathie up for a front row seat to watch the launch.

We had a great weekend thanks to FM classmate Kerry. Yesterday, another classmate, John, came to visit, so the six of us, Kerry and Suzette and John and Marcia and me and Libby, all had fun reminiscing about the old days in Fayetteville and Manlius. It was an old fart thing to do but we had fun with the great company.

We also recommend the Seven Seas Marina in Daytona. They charge only $0.90 per foot for slips; perhaps the cheapest on the whole ICW. Nevertheless, the marina, and the marina people are very nice. There's even a breakfast restaurant on site that serves really good homefries. The only bad thing are the wakes from passing boats on the ICW. This morning around 7, we got hit by what felt like a tsunami. It was caused by a very rude 100 foot motor yacht that steamed by at the speed to make maximum size wake. It would sure be nice if we could gain revenge by hitting that captain over the head with a wrench.

Tonight we're heading for Titusville on the Indian River. We hear on the radio that there is some trouble with the RR bridge north of Titusville. We'll soon learn whether or not we have trouble passing that bridge.

Monarchs Found

Daytona Beach, FL
NoLL

I was very happy to find an email this morning from SV Calypso. They report seeing monarchs almost every day. I'm very glad for that. The monarch migration may be delayed but it is happening.

We had a great time last night eating dinner with Kerry and Suzette. They are high school classmates. Kerry did a yeomans job over the years of tracking all alumni from FM class of 1962. All but only a handful are on his list.

This morning I repacked the stuffing box once again. In Deltaville I installed a so-called dripless stuffing box packing kit that I bought at West Marine. It has been a disaster. Never before has that packing dripped more than since I installed that kit. I Fernandina, I tightened it up, but to no avail. It was leaking about 2 gallons of water per hour!!!

I also cleaned the heat exchanger on the engine and changed the oil. We should be in good shape maintenance while for bit.