Category: Boating

Boating in salt water and fresh water near central, east coast of Florida.

Boating At Last, and A Sea Star At High Tide

Getting out on the water and found an awesome sea star!

Finally, we went out on the boat for a ride. The day was beautiful, the water was cool (74 degrees), and the tide was high, meaning there were not many beaches to visit.

I did get to walk a little on one of my favorite beaches, but it was a little depressing. Someone had left a bag of trash on the shore and the garbage was strewn up the sand. Also, a man was digging around and scanning the sand with a metal detector. I know a lot of people use them, but it seemed like an odd place to search.

Long Beach view
Island beach
Clear water at high tide
Can you spot the sea star?

I like to be out on the water and get away from that kind of thing, but it seems that it is everywhere. What is wrong with simply enjoying the water and sand?

As I walked down to the far end of the island, I spotted what looked like a starfish just offshore. And YES… it was a starfish! I carefully scooped him up to get a quick photo and then put him back.

Sea star under water
Sea star or starfish with five legs
The shore area where I found the sea star

These were just about the only photos I took because we spend a lot of time riding around. We saw only one dolphin, no manatees, and only a few hermit crabs, so not a big day for discoveries – other than that awesome starfish.

As we headed south to Mosquito Lagoon, the water became choppy, so we came back. Summer is coming and hopefully we will be getting out more often.

The camper has not sold, so I’m getting it packed back up for a camping trip to Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine. We have not camped there yet, but there is ocean access, and I look forward to checking it out. More to come on that.

Thanks for reading!

Back Out On the Water – Soon

Getting the boat ready for some river trips. It’s been a while, and the Redfisher needs some fixing up first.

It has been a very long time since I went out on our boat. I’m at the mercy of my son, as he is the one who takes the boat out. We’ve had to fix a few things on the boat, and my son has been busy doing other things. I’ve been waiting – mostly patiently – but it is one of the only good things about living in Florida- the saltwater rivers.

Friends of ours have been going shrimping and have brought in big hauls. Shrimping is done late at night, so I do not go. But we have the nets, lights and pails and we love shrimp. The processing is time consuming but worth it to have lots of free shrimp in the freezer.

Mainly I want to simply be out there on the river. I enjoy visiting our favorite beaches and going beach-combing. With the water warming up, the manatees should be coming back. We are always careful and watchful for them. Boats are a big issue for these animals who tend to be near the surface, but often undetectable.

My son has always been good about taking care of the boat, but a few things needed fixing. After sitting covered for months, the Redfisher needed a good cleaning too. The humidity really messes things up.

Hewes boat with dirt and leaves on the floor

Springtime is like Fall in Florida. All the leaves fall off the trees as the new growth comes out. It all happens at once around February and March, and makes a mess on vehicles.

Hewes Redfisher boat in driveway

It is hard to believe we have had this boat for nearly 10 years! We used it a lot for years, but then we just didn’t. We bought a camper and focused on camping. I miss being out on the water. It’s a great feeling to be out in the watery wilderness, exploring. I never know what I’ll find.

Boating to Ponce Inlet

Even though the weather was chilly for a Florida day, we took the Redfisher north to Ponce Inlet.

Even though the water was cold and the weather was windy, we took a boat ride to Ponce Inlet.

My younger son wants to get his boating license and so big brother gave him some pointers and let him drive our boat.

A yacht passed us going the other way at the bridge, then it turned around and came back under the bridge behind us. We think he was trying to find a place to anchor.

  • Ponce Inlet sand
    Low tide at the Inlet
  • boat at island
    Anchoring
  • sign in sand
    Slow speed sign at low tide
  • dolphin
    Dolphin tails
  • yacht by bridge on ICW
    Yacht
  • boat passing under the bridge
    Brothers
  • Menard May park
    Boat ramp

The wind made for quite a chill, so no one went in the water. We anchored the boat with the anchor pin just beyond the Inlet and walked a bit on the flat island created by the low tide. There are few shells here, and only rippled sand with some pools of water that were somewhat warm this time of year.

After exploring here, we cruised to another area and I found some shelter behind the shrubs where the wind was blocked. Loads of fiddler crabs make their home among the brush and sea purslane.

  • boat beached at island
  • Fiddler crab
    Fiddler crab
  • Sand balls made by fiddler crabs
  • Purslane
  • Island growth
  • boat ocean
    Oceanside condos in the distance

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse could be seen far off in the distance. I took this photo from behind the shrubs. Do you see the lighthouse in the center of the horizon?

Island shrubs and grasses
Lighthouse

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