From Vero to Incognita's Summer Home

Saturday 16th May
Had a day cleaning up the boat and drove back up the coast to Sebastian to buy some fresh fish and do some supermarket shopping. Had Bilbo’s crew over for supper.

Sunday 17th May
Sunday morning breakfast at the legion with John and Rejeanne followed by visits to Best Buy and West Marine (guy shopping). In the afternoon we had Randy and Lori of Soulmate 3 over for happy hour to discuss the joys of RVing. They drive their RV down from Winnipeg every fall to the boat that they too keep down in Florida. Lots of useful advice for us newbies in the motorhome world.

Monday 18th May
We start the day by driving Randy from Soulmate over to Napa for some oil filters before they leave to be hauled out at Fort Pierce.

We then get a call that the motorhome is ready ahead of schedule so we start getting our ducks in a row for the export/import process.

Tuesday 19th May
A trip up to Cocoa in the pouring rain (the weather has changed) to do the RV systems checkout – everything seems to work just fine.

Wednesday 20th May
Got the money from the bank to pay for the RV and after calling in at Hertz to add Carol as a driver on the rental car, we head up to Cocoa to pick up the RV.
As I drive the RV away from the dealer I find a bit if a problem with the RV. The front window leaks like a sieve (it’s a common problem) and water had accumulated above the driver/passenger area, so I got a shower when I pulled away. No use whining to the dealer about it, we bought it ‘as is’ and we should have checked it more thoroughly.

Undaunted I head off for Indiantown with Carol following in the rental car. This is where the boat is to be stored for the summer so we want the RV there to live in when we get there in the boat.

We get there without further mishap and head off to the hardware store to buy tape and plastic sheeting.

When we get back, John and Rejeanne are there in the car they bought in Vero Beach which they are also going to leave in Indiantown until we arrive with our boats. John gave me a welcome hand in applying the plastic sheeting over the errant front window then we head back to Vero Beach for supper at the Chinese Buffet.

Thursday 21st May
It’s the last whole day we have a car so we spent it shopping like crazy for a new radio for the RV and a mattress topper for the bed.

Friday 22nd May
The weather has changed. Every day there are thunderstorms and very heavy rain so we are waiting for a bit of a window before we make the two-day trek to Indiantown. After returning the rental car, John and I fill in the time making fan driven ventilation systems for our companionway hatches as per the recommendations of Ira, the veteran of summer storage in Indiantown.

Saturday 23rd May
The weather is still not that good so we finished our ventilation projects, pay our bills at the marina and did a last shopping via the free bus, ready to leave the next day.

Sunday 24th May
As the thunderstorms don’t usually hit until the afternoon we made an early start (7 am) with Bilbo and head back down the coast to the St. Lucie inlet then up the St. Lucie River .

The weather to the south of us looks really bad but by the afternoon we are in the St. Lucie River and the skies are still clear around us.

As we travel past the inlet and up the river I notice the depth has dropped to less than six feet and when we swing around to warn Bilbo they are already aground. As if by magic Tow Boat US suddenly appears and tows them to safety. The rest of the journey to Stuart is uneventful and we end the day on moorings at the beautiful new Stuart Marina.

The skies still appear gloriously threatening


but nothing bad happens.

Monday 25th May
Just one more day of travel to Incognita’s summer resting place. We can’t leave too early as we have a lock to pass through that only opens at 1 pm. But since the weather has become very unpredictable we leave early enough to have to anchor and wait for the lock opening. Although we have had lots of experience with locks, this one was quite different. First, everyone must lock on the south side of the lock no matter which direction you are going. Secondly, although they supply ropes to hang on to, when you enter, there aren’t any already there. The lockmaster drops ropes to each boat one by one. Thirdly, instead of the water coming up through the bottom of the lock, they just start to open the high-side gate and let the water in.

Just a few more miles, during which we get a thunderstorm passing over with torrential rain. We tie up to a dock at Indiantown Marina and the voyage is over for a while.

Our first job after docking is to go check the RV. We are relieved to find that our ‘temporary’ fix for the leaky front window is still intact and no further rain seems to have made its way in. Indiantown has an RV park with full hookups, so we head right there and after finding a spot, we have electricity, water and sewer – total luxury. We had supper on the boat but that night we got to sleep in blessed air-conditioning.

Tuesday 26th May
We started moving stuff from off the boat and into the RV. I also have to prepare the boat for haulout and that’s when I discover the genoa sail will not drop down. The halyard that holds it up is jammed. I discussed various options with people and finally decide the mast has to come down. As the marina does not have that capability a crane must be arranged from a local operator. This cannot be done until the Thursday so our haulout is now delayed until at least then.
We take pity on John and Rejeanne and offer them a bed in the RV away from the very hot at-the-dock boat interior. That night, all four of us head off in their car to Dee Stefanos, a well-known restaurant in Indiantown. We all had a great meal.

Wednesday 27th May
Bilbo got hauled out and then John helped me haul our dinghy on the deck and have a good go at cleaning off the barnacles.
After moving Incognita out of its slip and over to the face dock ready for the crane we all go for another great meal at Dee Stefanos.

Thursday 28th May
The crane arrived not long after the appointed time of 8 am and we proceeded to get the mast down.

Boy, are we spoiled in Canada when it comes to stepping and unstepping the mast. We remember paying around a $100 Canadian and that’s when you merely act as a spectator or just a helper. $275.00US is the cost here (apparently that’s cheap) and they don’t do anything except operate the crane. Incognita’s problem is that the mast balance point is somewhere between the lower and upper spreaders which means the lifting line has to be carried up the mast a bit until it’s past the first spreader. Fortunately for us, John doesn’t mind going up the mast so after putting on his harness up he went and the rest of the process continued on smoothly.

Once our mast was down we were ready for haulout and before noon we were being lifted.

Barnacles abound on the underwater bit.

So we approve a good washdown even though it removed huge parts of the anti-fouling.

I’m a happy camper to see the boat finally ‘on the hard’

even though the readying for storage has only just begun.
Ira and Ann drove over from West Palm Beach to see how we’re all doing and we all end up at Dee Stefanos for yet another excellent meal.

Friday 29th May
First order of the day was a boat survey as we have to switch insurance companies – our current one refused to insure us for leaving the boat in Florida. It didn’t exactly pass with flying colours – lots of things to work on when we get back down south in November/December.

The rest of the day was spent moving stuff from the boat to the RV and lashing the dinghy to the foredeck of Incognita.

Supper with John and Rejeanne in the RV.

Saturday 30th May
More boat stuff moving the batteries from their ‘temporary’ location under the helmsman’s seat to down below.

Supper again in the RV

Sunday 31st May
The weather in summer in this part of Florida in what is referred to as the rainy season is characterized by one word – thunderstorms. Each day starts sunny and then by early afternoon the clouds are moving in and lightning and thunder starts. Every day is virtually the same.
Re-wired the moved batteries and wired the automatic bilge pump and the companionway ventilation fan

via fuses directly to the batteries.

Supper in the air-conditioned luxury of the RV.

Monday 1st June
Got a ride to the hardware/lumber store with Rejeanne and ordered lumber for a frame for the solar panels.

Installed a tarp over the foredeck.

Tuesday 2nd June
After saying goodbye to John and Rejeanne, we took the RV for a spin, dropping Carol off at the Laundromat and getting four new tires installed ready for the big drive.

Wednesday 3rd June
Made a frame for the solar panels to give them a better chance of surviving any potential hurricanes.

Thursday 4th June
Moved the solar panels and re-connected them and used a bug ‘bomb’ inside the boat to kill the ants that seemed to have taken over plus the occasional flying cockroach that somehow got in.

Friday 5th June
Lashed a tarp over the cockpit to minimize the rainfall effects.
Ira and Ann drop in for a visit and we invite them to stay the night. We have a great supper with grilled Mahi Mahi that was given to us by someone who caught it on the way back from the Bahamas. First though we had to figure out the new BBQ we bought for the RV.

Ira and I took a walk down to the dock later to talk to someone who had sailed from Guatemala and got invited aboard a sunset cruise down the canal. Ira even got to steer the huge deisel powered old wooden boat with about a dozen passengers.


Saturday 6th June
We started the day with breakfast at Crackers, a local watering hole that has great omelets.

Ira gave me a very welcoming hand with various RV projects while Carol and Ann amused themselves with cards and Scrabble.

Sunday 7th June
Completed the boat projects by wrapping the mast lines in tarps and generally tidying things up.

Monday 8th June
Finally sorted out the boat insurance with Boat US and readied everything for the big trip back to Canada. Took final pics of the boat all strapped down and ready for whatever happens – or as ready as can be.