Eau Gallie A picturesque port and maybe even a dragon! By Fred Braman Eau Gallie – home of Dragon Annie.
I
bypassed Eau Gallie for 30 years. I shouldn’t have! Returning from a two-month trip to the Florida Keys on my Catalina 30 Rhombus, I promised myself that this time I would try new ports and new anchorages en route to my Jacksonville home. Previous stops along the mid-Florida Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW), between my north Florida home and South Florida, were always part of “just getting there.” The sunny south or a jumping-off place to the Bahamas were the real targets of my travels, so my choice of stops was always determined by “a day’s run” toward a destination. Since that never changed, I always ended up at the same favorite places. This time, I was just headed home, and I had an extra two weeks to get there. Things would be different. I remember considering Eau Gallie and its harbor as a possible stopover location on my first trip south in the 1980s. The Waterway Guide barely mentioned the town, so I selected the better-described Melbourne Harbor, five miles farther south, and have repeated that choice many times since. On this trip, with extra time, I abandoned my usual “day’s run” standard of about 50 miles in favor of a shorter transit. Located at AICW mile post (MP) 915, my trip to Eau Gallie would be only 35 miles. With an early departure, I’d have plenty of afternoon time to explore the town following
arrival. Checking the Waterway Guide, I discovered that I had a choice of two marinas inside Eau Gallie’s protected harbor. Although both looked fine, I selected Eau Gallie Yacht Basin for my visit, attracted to it by its location near the center of the historic part of town. Calling ahead to dockmaster Karen Lee, who also runs an on-site canvas shop, I soon had a reservation, directions, and a promise of a friendly face at the dock upon arrival. Cruising to Eau Gallie The AICW, which follows the Indian River for over 150 miles, widens north of Vero Beach, and often offers an opportunity to sail with something other than the “iron genny.” This April Friday was such a day, and I got the sails up quickly and enjoyed a quiet and swift broad reach transit. Somehow, there is always more wildlife when under sail, and I was treated with accompanying dolphins in my wake who illustrated amazing staying power until finally getting bored and wandering off to other adventures. Soaring ospreys, egrets, cormorants, and blue herons, all usual Indian River residents, seemed in profusion on this mid-morning day. The biggest thrill came with a large flock of white pelicans, less often seen and a third larger than their common brown cousins. Apparently between break-
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