Tag Archives: Manatees

Florida Part 2

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We’ve been back in Florida for a little over a month and it’s been a crazy busy time. The first priority has been to get our home ship-shape for the journeys ahead. Being slow learners we very much underestimated how long it would take to complete our preparations. Everything always takes twice as long to do on a boat, everyone knows that but we somehow manage to forget and then wonder where the time goes. Anyway we won’t bore you with details suffice to say we’ve done a lot. Apart from boat stuff we’ve been keeping our sanity (and delaying ourselves) with frequent side excursions. The main three have been: Exploring the Everglades, A trip to Crystal Springs on the West Coast to swim with Manatees and a visit to Kennedy Space Centre including watching a NASA rocket launch to put some satellites into space.

Better than a good pillow for sleeping well on a boat.
Better than a good pillow for sleeping well on a boat.
Changing the oil, with 3 diesels this ends up being a major exercise.
Changing the oil, with 3 diesels this ends up being a major exercise.
SUP'ing before breakfast at a local anchorage we've been going to every few days.
SUP’ing before breakfast at a local anchorage we’ve been going to every few days.

The Everglades are an amazing place, absolutely teeming with wildlife. We didn’t bother with any tours, you only need drive around with open eyes and you will find enough distractions to keep you from getting to any set destinations.

You don't need to look hard to find Gators in the Everglades.
You don’t need to look hard to find Gators in the Everglades.

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There is one place in Florida that is famous for swimming with Manatees: Crystal Springs. During winter the Manatees get cold and seek refuge in the warmer canals and rivers throughout Florida. We encounter them regularly here in Fort Lauderale but the water is never very clear and they are hard to find. Crystal Springs is aptly descriptive with crystal clear fresh water springs that the Manatees seem to relish. The week before we got there they had to close certain areas as up to 800 individuals were packed into very narrow canals. The week we were there the water got warm and they had pretty much all moved out! We did find some and had some brief encounters but it was not the Manatee fest we were expecting. Nevertheless it’s an amazing area and we had a great time exploring it with a hire boat.

On the lookout and ready to get in with Manatees.
On the lookout and ready to get in with Manatees.
The best encounter we had was the first but the water in that area was so murky that you almost had to be on top of it so see it.
The best encounter we had was the first but the water in that area was so murky that you almost had to be on top of it so see it.
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Crystal River is an amazing place to live! At times this scene would be packed full of Manatees.
An Osprey chick waiting for a feed from Mum.
An Osprey chick waiting for a feed from Mum.
Probably the most bizarre thing we saw in the area was "Monkey Island" a tiny island in the river that doesn't house any monkeys but does have a population of lesser apes!
Probably the most bizarre thing we saw in the area was “Monkey Island” a tiny island in the river that doesn’t house any monkeys but does have a population of lesser apes!
Watching the wildlife fly by!
Watching the wildlife fly by!

The last foray we made was to Kennedy Space Centre. We timed this visit to coincide with a rocket launch to put some more junk into orbit around earth. The launch was completely surreal and being a fair distance away the sound took a long time to reach us.

Waiting for launch at 10:45pm. We were told to go early to get a good viewing place, only waited about 4 hours :)
Waiting for launch at 10:45pm. We were told to go early to get a good viewing place, only waited about 4 hours :)
T minus 1 minute...
T minus 1 minute…
Ignition
Ignition
And she's away, EPIC stuff!!!
And she’s away, EPIC stuff!!!
Good luck out there.
Good luck out there.

The space centre is somewhere everyone should try and visit someday. What those men and women of NASA accomplished almost 40 years ago is just insane!

Just as we arrived a fighter jet was cutting up the sky which made for a cool photo.
Just as we arrived a fighter jet was cutting up the sky which made for a cool photo.
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A lot of history was made in this building

 

Mission Control as it was in 1968
Mission Control as it was in 1968
Still the most powerful thing ever built by man.
Still the most powerful thing ever built by man.

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The girls having a chat with a retired astronaut.
The girls having a chat with a retired astronaut.

And as usual we found some wildlife!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Horseshoe Crabs are one of the strangest things we've seen!
Horseshoe Crabs are one of the strangest things we’ve seen!

And so our time in Florida draws to a close. The boat is ready and we’re more than ready to move on to the islands across the Gulfstream. In the next few days we will have sailed to Miami and started the passage to the Bahamas.

Sandy Feet with her make-up on.
Sandy Feet with her make-up on.