Weather dictates our decisions

April 7. 2009 (Tuesday)
We did not get off yesterday as planned. The winds were too strong and pinned us in our slip at the marina. So we went out to eat instead at the Grill at the Riverview Hotel. Charlie had grouper and I had mussels. Yum.
Very early this morning we got up to try to get out of the slip before the winds began in earnest. By 7:oo the engine was started and we left the marina by 7:15 a.m. We then went through the Bascule bridge and sought an anchorage to wait until 2p.m. when we wanted to begin sailing outside. The winds inside were already 30-40 knots. We anchored but then as the tide went out, we discovered we were near a sand bar which we kept hitting. We pulled in 15 feet but were on the sand again very soon. We pulled up the anchor and reset it but soon we were in the same problem . All this time the winds were howling from the N-NW, but due to the tidal current or something strange all the boats were headed SW. After a thrid and fourth time, we gave up and decided to just go down the ICW to Titusville. We didn't leave Smyrna beach until 12:40, having to go through the Bascule bridge again. We had 28-33 knots of wind the whole way. We arrived about 5:30. and were able to get on a face dock at the City marina. I washed down the boat which had gotten a layer of salt on it despite the fact that we had not been outside in the ocean.
Even though we were on the ICW, I was tired because you have to be alert on the ICW to make sure you are not out of the channel and going aground. In fact, we called into the US Coast Guard about a green day mark, G-19, which had fallen or been knocked down along the Mosquito Lagoon channel which is very shallow.  The picture is of the ICW Haulover Canal, which is quite narrow with a bridge in the middle.
We are not sure what we will do tomorrow...continue on the ICW or try to go outside at Cape Canaveral. The morning forcast is for mid 30 degrees for tomorrow. Not sure what the winds will be.