Titusville to Indian Cove, FL

17.2 nm
Wind: E 10-15 knots
Seas: choppy
Maximum speed: 6.5 knots
Average speed: 4.6 knots
Latitude: 28°21.51’N
Longitude: 080°42.88’W

We’re settling back into the boat’s routine, and it feels oh so wonderful. As much as I enjoyed the time spent with our Daytona friends, I know the boat is where we’re supposed to be. I knew that the whole time we were there, too, which was what made it so hard. But now everything in the universe is setlling back into its right place.

Even little things, like listening to the weather on the VHF in the morning, setting up the handheld GPS for the day (even though it’s not the computer), planning the day’s anchorage and food, make me content. Karl says we needed a break from the boat to start over, and he’s right in that we’re working much better together as a team now. Almost everything has a home on the boat, and we know what fruit and vegetables will last, how long ice will keep, how long we can wait for a pumpout. We’re like a well-oiled machine. And we appreciate everything so much more.

A major thing that’s different now from before is the weather. We’ve bypassed spring altogether and have hit full-fledged summer. Karl complains about the heat, but I adore it. It’s in the upper 70s, maybe 80, in the day, pleasant, with a breeze, and it goes down into the 50s or 60s at night--just enough of a chill to need a blanket in the morning. We’re breaking out the sunscreen, something that hasn’t seen the light of day since last August in Massachusetts.

We stopped early today because of rain. Florida needs it. It hasn’t rained in weeks and weeks here, and every morning they talk abou the danger of wildfires. The rain was nice for us, too. A little coolness in the air gave the sunburns a chance to calm down and us a chance to chill out on the boat and enjoy the sunset. This is, after all, why we’re here. To live a stress-free existence, to escape the cares of modern society, to see new places and experience new cultures, to meet new people and tell them they can live this kind of life, too. We’re getting back on track. There’s nowhere to be, nowhere to get in a hurry.