OK, this is my first blog so we'll see how this goes. We now lie in Vero Beach, Fl. We have had two incredible days of beautiful weather that let us go outside in the ocean from Miami on Wed. am to West Palm last night, then again today up to Vero Beach. The ocean was flat and we made great time. I couldn't believe the huge fish jumping, the sea turtles, and all the wildlife. You really get a feeling of serenity on the ocean.

The boat is running great. Is anyone surprised that Shelley and I got impatient at 8 mph and pushed the boat up to its cruise of 17? Well we did, and it performs well. Still burns fuel, but we are on a mission. We wanted to see the shuttle launch next Tuesday am at 6:00 am but alas we cannot just sit for three days. We'll be in Cocoa Beach tomorrow (Friday) and keep moving from there. We'll probably be in St. Augustine or further north by Tuesday.

Our Wi-fi is working fine as I sit here checking my email and Shelley is surfing the net. This Verizon device is great. Our only disappointment has been the Direct TV. I cannot get it to catch the satellite so we have only been seeing TV when we can tie into cable at the marinas, like tongiht.

The technical part of navigating is absolutely the fun part. Since Marathon we have been using our Raymarine chartplotter which has a track on it of the intercoastal. So with that, and a great paper chart we know exactly where we are at at all times. I can use the chartplotter to determine our speed, direction, our distance to our target, and time of arrival at our current speed. It is a great tool. So much different than reading the crusing guide from the Moorings and just heading out by sight. You still have to use commone sense but modern technology makes this so much easier. Hopefully when you all visit the boat with us, you will have that same confidence that we are not lost.

You would all be so proud of Shelley. We have now come into three docks, and she is handling the lines, and setting up the bumpers. Rock Chalk is very maneurvable so that helps, but she is a good Admiral.

My friend Joe Thompson would be so proud of me this morning. I spent a full hour down in the engine rooms, checking the engines, all the hoses, fuel lines, cooling fluid, etc. We took on 111 gallons of fuel this morning in West Palm and I used our fuel polisher to make sure it is pure and presents no problems when it gets to the engines. That is the single most important item on this boat.

Well, that is all for now. Its a beautiful sunset in Florida with calm winds, clear skies, and a steak on the grill. As Darrell would say.....Arrrrg maties, ......... Our best to all of you.
Marc and Shelley on Rock Chalk

PS By the way, in Florida, they have absolutely no clue what Rock Chalk means. We have had more people ask what the hell that means. Idiots!!!