After 5 days in short shorts and tank tops today’s weather reminded me too much of home. With gusting north west winds we were forced to wear our warmest clothes. (And to think I made fun of Ken for packing our winter coats!) The seas were rough but the Periwinkle proved seaworthy with excellent directional stability, and we motored nearly 70 miles. Needless to say there were very few boats on the water but we had over a dozen dolphin sightings.
My favorite slice of today’s journey was Mosquito Lagoon; often referred to as the Redfish capital of the world. The name wasn’t too inviting but with the winds I didn’t think we’d have a problem. 15 miles of a lake-like nature reserve swamped with heron, egrets, ibis, and fishermen. So many fishermen. And, not a single fisherwoman!
We arrived at the New Smyrna Beach city marina just before dark and a couple in the boat next to ours came out to help us dock. We swapped trawler stories and toured each other’s boats. They’re from Minnesota and are traveling the Great Loop. (That makes them ‘loopers.’) This means they’re circumnavigating eastern North America and will motor somewhere between 5, 000 and 7,500 miles depending on the course they choose.
Half way through the loop they just bought a new boat and 32 miles into it their engine quit. They’ve been in this marina a week waiting for parts.
As we said good-night they warned us about the rodent-like scratching we’ll hear in our boat tonight. After three nights of tearing their boat apart to find the source of the sound they learned from a local it’s the shrimp feeding on creatures attached to their hull. Shrimp. It’s the shrimp. Who would have thought?
Periwinkle Adventures 