We don't need no stinkin' Yanmar....

I'm finally heading back north, but slowly...the gods seemed determined to keep me in Fort Lauderdale, especially with the sale of the Catalina 27 I flipped. For those who were interested, you missed out on a great deal!

Notice the two broken blades on the left?

I noticed before leaving that my exhaust water output was low, so I checked the impeller...yep, it was done for. Ordered one at West Marine, and of course, it didn't come in as promised. Fortunately, they had one in stock, Yanmar brand, so it cost more, but on a Friday - it's worth not having to wait out the weekend.
In the picture here, which isn't of my engine, the impeller has two broken blades...that's really not good, and why you should check your impeller regularly. If that rubber gets into the engine, it can really screw up your cooling system. So when was the last time YOU checked YOUR impeller?
At last, I left the Las Olas mooring field after one last long shower....ahhhhhh.....got as far as the first bridge and wouldn't you know it...the throttle cable bites the dust.
Sail back to Middle River anchorage, and my friend Dave actually had a slightly used one on his boat he didn't need, saving me a long day of bussing out and back to get one. By the way, if you ever need work done in Lauderdale, Dave is the guy you want to talk to. Contact me and I can message him for you. Inexpensive, trustworthy, and knows and will tell you when a job is beyond his skills and needs a specialist technician.
By the time this was done, it was time for sundowners....so much for that day.
Got away for real the next morning, with Dave along for the ride. We made it to West Palm Beach, anchoring off the new, and free for day tie-ups - city docks. This is a great anchorage, close to pubs, shops and the good life in West Palm Beach. If you're cruising this way, I very much recommend it over the main anchorage by the inlet, and the SAIL Snowbird Rally will certainly be stopping here next December on our way to Miami. By the way, check out the new page for the event, at http://icw.sailmagazine.com/
I wanted to go offshore the next leg, to Fort Pierce, but the winds, they weren't a blowin'....well, not until the sea breeze kicked in after noon, and I got to sail the entire Indian River to Melbourne...proving once again, you CAN sail on the ICW. Nothing like six knots and only, maybe, four inches of chop. Ahhhhh....
I get to Melbourne just in time to anchor and get slammed by a 40+ knot thunderstorm...sat there in the companionway, watching the storm crackle and strut its stuff, hoping the anchor would hold (it did, LUV my Mantus!), and hoping everyone else in the anchorage was having similar good fortune (they did, or at least none came dragging by me). The boat did a complete 360° on the hook, the lightning hit ground about three houses away, putting out the lights for that part of town. Way too close for comfort, but by midnight, the last of the grumblies were gone, and it was a lovely calm night.
From here, it's up to St. Augustine to visit with Mark and Diana Doyle, (On the Water Chartguides), and then head off for Cumberland Island and on into Georgia...