Well folks, what do you think the odds are that two computers purchased a have crashed. Now I am left with a small Eee computer that can at least access the Internet, but cannot download photos to the Blog.
So, this is just a quick note to let you know that we are alive, we have made it as far as Staniel Cay in the Exumas, we currently have Internet again after a week without it, and are waiting out another blow.
The computer situation is being corrected as I write this and one is on the way to my daughter who will download some software to it and then ship it to us. (Thanks to Mindy.) In the meantime, I won't post until I can add the photos to the Blog.
Take care and have a wonderful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our family and friends!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Marineland, FL to Fort Lauderdale, FL
After a week in Marineland, we were ready to get back underway on Sunday. We said goodbye to Chris, the Dockmaster at Marineland and headed south and thanked him for his help and hospitality.
Our first night south of Marineland was to anchor for the night at Titusville, FL. We did not get off the boat here, just settled in to a nice quiet evening.
We were up and underway the next morning at our usual 7 A.M. We ran into some heavy rain that day and got a nice boat wash. Bob loves it when mother nature takes care of keeping the boat washed!
By the time we reached Vero Beach, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. Vero Beach Marina (lovingly called "Velcro Beach" by cruisers because you can't seem to leave here), has a few docks, but the rest is all mooring balls protected from the ICW by mangroves. It makes for a very peachful anchorage. There must be about 60 some mooring balls here, and we have seen up to 4 sailboats tied to one. You can do that because the anchorage is so calm here. It is quite a mecca for cruisers coming down the ICW that need a rest. Many leave their boats here and go home for Christmas, then return and continue on farther south to prepare for a crossing to the Bahamas early January.
Many new friendships have been made by this arrangement of mooring ball sharing. Matter of fact, I think it was our second year when we were paired with a sailing cat named Harmony. We have stayed in touch with Lew and Florence, now via Facebook, ever since. Some other people we met two years ago from a town close to our home port here in Vero, happen to be here this year as well.
The town of Vero provides a shuttle that will take us from the marina to a several shopping areas in town, or to the beach for free, however, tips are accepted and appreciated. There is also a group of former cruisers here (now living on land) that help out the cruisers when needed as well. This town and marina could not be more cruiser friendly.
We stop in Vero because this is the location where we pick up boxes of books donated by a local school system to take to schools in the Bahamas. In the past we have taken books to three islands, Staniel Cay, Blackpoint Settlement, and George Town. This year all our books go to George Town.
We have also been watching the weather and it looks like there is a window to cross around Wednesday each week, so we plan to make the crossing around November 30, if the pattern holds. Our friends Rita-Kay and Clay on Carleigh are waiting for us to make the crossing with them them and we hope that friends, Dee and Ed on Sea Fox X, and Vic and Gigi on Oconee will also be ready and in place to cross next week as well. It is always better to cross with other cruisers, but we have done it alone with no problem.
We connected up with Dee and Ed (Sea Fox X) who have their boat in a marina at Ft. Pierce for dinner last night. It was great catching up with them and hearing about their summer. During the last two years they had gotten married and sold both houses and purchased a new one. They have spent last summer "feathering the new nest."
Since the weather isn't going to give us a window this weekend, we decided to stay in Vero Beach for their famous annual cruisers pot luck Thanksgiving. We have never attended this, but had always heard good things about it. Bob made a small turkey and dressing for the huge potluck dinner. The city owns the marina and a couple of party houses nearby. The let the cruisers use one with a large room with round and long tables and a small kitchen. The long tables were set up with all the food. Some tables had to be set up outside because there were so many in attendance. There had to be about 150 to 200 people attending.
Bob contributed a small turkey to the pot luck Thanksgiving dinner along with a bowl of stuffing.
This was just half of the buffet table full of food!
We were surprised to see Toby and Donna, friends that drove up from Fort Lauderdale to have Thanksgiving with the cruisers. Ed and Dee came too as they knew several people at the marina besides us.
Bob and I and Dee and Ed
The inside group. There were about 5 tables outside in the overflow seats!
The weather did not cooperate and we ended up staying at Vero Beach longer than we had planned. We did not want to go to Fort Lauderdale until we are a day or two to a good weather window to cross due to expensive marinas. So we stayed in Vero Beach until Sunday, December 4th, when it looked like Tuesday was a window. Vero Beach Marina is known among cruisers as "Velcro Beach" because cruisers often find that they end up staying longer than they had planned there. We were no exception to that rule!
Vero Beach has a Christmas Boat Parade and this boat came by us in the anchorage.
Our stop after Vero Beach is an anchorage in Lake Worth in West Palm Bay, FL. This is a small area that is lined with large homes, including the home of Jack Nicklaus. It is hard to see the house because all his boats are lined up at docks backing to the lake!
Fancy Party Boat anchored off the ICW we passed on our way to Fort Lauderdale
Iguana that lives on the bridge
House on ICW decorated up for Christmas - wished we could have gone through this area at night.
Our boat reflected in the windows of a house on the ICW.
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale and checked in to the Las Olas Municipal Marina. This is the only marine we have encountered on the ICW that will not come out and help with lines. It is city run. After a grueling time of docking against the wind and current, we finally got ourselves docked.
That evening we walked over to the boardwalk along the ocean and had dinner at Bubba Gumps Shrimp House. We wanted to check out the sea state and we found it fairly calm so expected to leave in the morning for the Bahamas. We talked with our friends waiting at another marina on Carleigh and agreed to a time to leave in the morning. Finally, we will be leaving for the Bahamas.
Our first night south of Marineland was to anchor for the night at Titusville, FL. We did not get off the boat here, just settled in to a nice quiet evening.
We were up and underway the next morning at our usual 7 A.M. We ran into some heavy rain that day and got a nice boat wash. Bob loves it when mother nature takes care of keeping the boat washed!
By the time we reached Vero Beach, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. Vero Beach Marina (lovingly called "Velcro Beach" by cruisers because you can't seem to leave here), has a few docks, but the rest is all mooring balls protected from the ICW by mangroves. It makes for a very peachful anchorage. There must be about 60 some mooring balls here, and we have seen up to 4 sailboats tied to one. You can do that because the anchorage is so calm here. It is quite a mecca for cruisers coming down the ICW that need a rest. Many leave their boats here and go home for Christmas, then return and continue on farther south to prepare for a crossing to the Bahamas early January.
Many new friendships have been made by this arrangement of mooring ball sharing. Matter of fact, I think it was our second year when we were paired with a sailing cat named Harmony. We have stayed in touch with Lew and Florence, now via Facebook, ever since. Some other people we met two years ago from a town close to our home port here in Vero, happen to be here this year as well.
The town of Vero provides a shuttle that will take us from the marina to a several shopping areas in town, or to the beach for free, however, tips are accepted and appreciated. There is also a group of former cruisers here (now living on land) that help out the cruisers when needed as well. This town and marina could not be more cruiser friendly.
We stop in Vero because this is the location where we pick up boxes of books donated by a local school system to take to schools in the Bahamas. In the past we have taken books to three islands, Staniel Cay, Blackpoint Settlement, and George Town. This year all our books go to George Town.
We have also been watching the weather and it looks like there is a window to cross around Wednesday each week, so we plan to make the crossing around November 30, if the pattern holds. Our friends Rita-Kay and Clay on Carleigh are waiting for us to make the crossing with them them and we hope that friends, Dee and Ed on Sea Fox X, and Vic and Gigi on Oconee will also be ready and in place to cross next week as well. It is always better to cross with other cruisers, but we have done it alone with no problem.
We connected up with Dee and Ed (Sea Fox X) who have their boat in a marina at Ft. Pierce for dinner last night. It was great catching up with them and hearing about their summer. During the last two years they had gotten married and sold both houses and purchased a new one. They have spent last summer "feathering the new nest."
Since the weather isn't going to give us a window this weekend, we decided to stay in Vero Beach for their famous annual cruisers pot luck Thanksgiving. We have never attended this, but had always heard good things about it. Bob made a small turkey and dressing for the huge potluck dinner. The city owns the marina and a couple of party houses nearby. The let the cruisers use one with a large room with round and long tables and a small kitchen. The long tables were set up with all the food. Some tables had to be set up outside because there were so many in attendance. There had to be about 150 to 200 people attending.
Bob contributed a small turkey to the pot luck Thanksgiving dinner along with a bowl of stuffing.
This was just half of the buffet table full of food!
We were surprised to see Toby and Donna, friends that drove up from Fort Lauderdale to have Thanksgiving with the cruisers. Ed and Dee came too as they knew several people at the marina besides us.
Bob and I and Dee and Ed
The inside group. There were about 5 tables outside in the overflow seats!
The weather did not cooperate and we ended up staying at Vero Beach longer than we had planned. We did not want to go to Fort Lauderdale until we are a day or two to a good weather window to cross due to expensive marinas. So we stayed in Vero Beach until Sunday, December 4th, when it looked like Tuesday was a window. Vero Beach Marina is known among cruisers as "Velcro Beach" because cruisers often find that they end up staying longer than they had planned there. We were no exception to that rule!
Vero Beach has a Christmas Boat Parade and this boat came by us in the anchorage.
Our stop after Vero Beach is an anchorage in Lake Worth in West Palm Bay, FL. This is a small area that is lined with large homes, including the home of Jack Nicklaus. It is hard to see the house because all his boats are lined up at docks backing to the lake!
Fancy Party Boat anchored off the ICW we passed on our way to Fort Lauderdale
Iguana that lives on the bridge
House on ICW decorated up for Christmas - wished we could have gone through this area at night.
Our boat reflected in the windows of a house on the ICW.
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale and checked in to the Las Olas Municipal Marina. This is the only marine we have encountered on the ICW that will not come out and help with lines. It is city run. After a grueling time of docking against the wind and current, we finally got ourselves docked.
That evening we walked over to the boardwalk along the ocean and had dinner at Bubba Gumps Shrimp House. We wanted to check out the sea state and we found it fairly calm so expected to leave in the morning for the Bahamas. We talked with our friends waiting at another marina on Carleigh and agreed to a time to leave in the morning. Finally, we will be leaving for the Bahamas.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Swansboro, NC to Marineland, FL
Due to the strong winds, we tucked in to Swansboro, NC for a few days. Friday and Saturday we experienced some pretty strong winds. We did see some brave boats in the ICW on Saturday though.
Since Bob's daughter Krista and family could come and see us on Sunday in Swansboro, we stayed another day. They arrived in the afternoon and we had a nice dinner at one of the local restaurants.
Monday we headed out and stopped for the night at Bald Head Marina in Southport, NC. This marina is adjacent to the ferry dock that takes people to Bald Head Island. Every hour, a ferry departs and sounds their horn. Since we are right off the bow of the ferry boat, the blast sounds like it is in the boat! Luckily, they ferry stopped sounding the horn at 7 PM till they stopped at 11 PM.
Ferry at the dock adjacent to our boat.
However, they start up the ferry at 7 AM with a horn blast. I did jump out of bed when they sounded that blast however!
This marina is well equipped, and has a free washer and dryer, so I took the time to get some much needed laundry done. We both had nice hot showers as well.
We got underway shortly after 7 heading south with plans to stop at Barefoot Landing Marina in North Myrtle Beach. The day's adventure included passing through an area known to boaters as the "rock pile." This is a blasted out channel that is not only lined with huge unforgiving boulders on each side, but parts of it are very narrow as well. With our 23 feet beam, meeting a tug and barge coming the other direction could be deadly. Bob always announces a "security" message as we are about to enter the area. Luckily, we didn't meet any large north-bound vessels in this 5 mile stretch of the ICW.
We met some folks last year in the Bahamas that almost lost their sailboat to a tug and barge coming through this area.
We got underway shortly after 7 heading south with plans to stop at Barefoot Landing Marina in North Myrtle Beach. The day's adventure included passing through an area known to boaters as the "rock pile." This is a blasted out channel that is not only lined with huge unforgiving boulders on each side, but parts of it are very narrow as well. With our 23 feet beam, meeting a tug and barge coming the other direction could be deadly. Bob always announces a "security" message as we are about to enter the area. Luckily, we didn't meet any large north-bound vessels in this 5 mile stretch of the ICW.
We met some folks last year in the Bahamas that almost lost their sailboat to a tug and barge they encountered in the ICW. Even though they had announced they were entering the area on the radio and no one responded, they met a large barge in a very narrow part of the channel. They tried to turn around, but the channel was too narrow and they lost their prop and were dead in the water with the barge heading straight toward them. The Captain threw a hook to shore and pulled the boat as close to the rocks as he could go and the barge scrapped theie boat on one side and rocks on the other side. They survived, but the boat took serious damage.
I told Bob if we couldn't turn the boat around, he should just run it backwards as fast as he could!
Barefoot Landing Marina is really just a single long dock along the ICW. They have electricity and water, but little else in the way of amenities. No showers or laundry. There are bathrooms, although they are in the shopping area right off the ICW and they are only open during store hours. I like to stop there because it is a location with many restaurants, making it easy for my son and family to come and visit us on our way south and have dinner. Also because I enjoy the shops. I have watched the docks deteriorate over the years and many of the name brand shops leave, being filled by cheap T shirt and shell shops. If this continues, we may have to choose another marina in the area to stop at.
We were up and underway by 7 in the morning heading into the Wacammaw River. I love this beautiful river. It is tree lined and uninhabited. We see Eagles and other large birds nesting in the trees. I half expect to see Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart come paddling by like in the movie the "River Queen." Luckily, there is still some color in the trees through this area now - it will be lush and green when we return in May.
We stopped Wednesday night at Leland Marine in McClellanville, SC. This place is hardly anything more than a rickety dock where two or three boats can tie up to. Bathroom and shower feel like somebody's closet, but the price is cheap. Bob likes it because many shrimp boats return to this area from a day shrimping and will sell their fresh caught shrimp by the bucket. I can usually count on having shrimp and grits for dinner here.
McClellanville is a town that time forgot. Beautiful huge Pin Oak trees line the streets of big old homes. So, given the fresh shrimp and pretty town, we overlook the lacking amenities of better marinas.
We we arrived, we found out that the shrimp have moved farther south as have the fishermen. We were able to buy some fresh shrimp and scallops from a local fish market. Bob made us shrimp and grits for dinner. We had walked to the local market by the docks and found the pin oak trees to be very old and beautiful, but the mosquitoes to be "killers."
The moon was full and Bob was up in time on Thursday to see the moon set and the sun rise. We got underway early in the morning as we had a longer than usual day. We need to reach Skidaway Island on Friday in time to take showers and clean up for dinner with Bob's former boss, Mark and his lovely wife Shirley.
Two eagles resting along the ICW
We managed to pass through Charleston around 11 A.M., too early to stop for the night. I keep hoping that we would hit Charleston later in the day and I could get the Captain to stop for the night. I would love to take a day and explore Charleston. It was a really nice calm day to cross Charleston Harbor.
This schooner is a charter tour boat. She is always a beauty to see underway.
Once we get south of Charleston, the number of cruising boats we pass decreases dramatically. Many boaters choose to take the outside route and avoid all of Georgia. This requires overnight travel, which neither of us are interested in doing, so we just plod along the ICW. I find Georgia to be some of the most beautiful land around the ICW, so I would miss that if we went the ocean route.
Schooner in Charleston Harbor
About two hours south of Charleston, there was a fire off to the left of the ICW and the smoke was so dense, we shut up the boat to limit the amount we would get in the boat. I was afraid we would smell the smoke all through the night, but we got far enough south of it when we anchored that it was gone.
We found a nice little river and creek to anchor in for the night. It turned out to be a pretty cold night to be anchoring out. I quickly got out of bed and put my clothes under the covers to warm them up in the morning before putting them on. We got underway by 6:45, a bit early for us. We need to reach Skidaway Island early enough to shower and be picked up by our friends before 6, so Bob got us going early.
We passed Beaufort, SC and noticed several boats with names we recognized. I expect we will see them farther down the line.
We managed to reach our destination Friday night of Skidaway Island at dead low tide. The Delegal Creek Marina channel has a shoal at the entrance to the creek that is always a problem. We managed to cross it with about 2 feet under our keel, but we made it ok and could breath again.
Bob's former boss Mark and his wife Shirley live on this lovely island and we like to stop and catch up with them on our way south and again on our way north each year. This year, Shirley had made plans for them and a group of friends and neighbors to attend a charity fund raising event for a group called Wycliffe Associates. The aim of this group is to translate the bible into every language of the world. Many of these languages do not have a written form, so in the process of doing this, they also leave the group of people with the ability to have a written language as well as having the bible. It was a fascinating presentation and a goal worth doing. Because of technology, allowing them to use a small solar panel and satellite receiver, they are able to put fewer people in the field, thus saving money and resources.
They are also combining languages into language groups that have similar features and complete multiple language projects at the same time. There are still 2000 language groups around the world yet to be started. It is their goal to have started all these projects by the year 2025. If you are interested in knowing more about, or volunteering for this work, here is a link to their website. http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/
We arrived in Brunswick, GA, at 4 in the afternoon. We had made arrangements to come in to the fuel dock and tie up for the night. They would come and sell us our fuel in the morning, and then we would be on our way. When we arrived a large mega-yacht was at the dock, with just enough room to us to dock also. It turned out that the large boat had just gotten their fuel and the owner was still there, so he sold us ours meaning we did not have to wait in the morning. Because the owner closed and locked the gate when he left, we did not get off the boat and walk around Brunswick, however, we have done it many times before. Our favorite restaurant in Brunswick closed last year, so we had dinner on the boat and went to bed early.
We were underway on Sunday before the sun came up, but not by much. During the day, we passed Kings Bay Naval Base, GA, then Fernandina Beach, FL. On the ICW there are no "You have just entered Florida" or "Welcome to Florida" signs (or any other state), so just exactly the point we move from state to state is not easy to spot. Anyway, passing Fernandina Beach, and entering Florida is another milestone in the trip.
We passed a shipyard of the "rich and famous" where gigantic mega-yachts in some of the biggest drydocks in the area.
Mega-Yacht Drydock
We had received an email from friends Vic and Gigi on Oconee, stating that they were apparently in an anchorage where we planned to stop for the night. We had figured we would catch up with them at Palm Coast Marina, so it was a surprise to see them in the anchorage north of St. Augustine, FL. They were not paying attention and we sneaked up on them and Bob tooted the horn. What a surprise we gave them! They put their dingy in the water and headed over for happy hour after we got the anchor down.
Surprising Vic and Gigi!
It was great catching up with them. We look forward to cruising with them in them this winter.
The next day Oconee left and we stayed at anchor waiting to hear if we were going to get a slip at Palm Coast Marina and it turns out they could not get us in till December! Since that won't work for us, we were able to obtain space at a new marina at Marineland between St. Augustine and Palm Coast. It looks like a lovely new place on the ICW.
Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine
We ended up staying for almost a week at Marineland. Our mechanic Al, could not work us in to his schedule until Friday. We rented a car from Enterprise for the week, so we could get around and do some shopping. One of the first things we did when we got the car, was take Bob to the ER. Bob had suddenly had a problem with his right calf hurting and we feared it might be a blood clot. (He does sit for hours at a time in the pilot chair when we are underway.) Luckily all tests came back negative for blood clots (after over 5 hours). He must have strained a muscle at some point.
Marineland does have a couple of tanks with dolphins, but unfortunately, we didn't make it over to see it. It is open air and I wanted to go on a clear day and we just couldn't seem to work it out. We did get all our last minute shopping done.
Some of our cruising friends, Bettye and Dennis (formerly on Son of a Sailor which they sold after last season) live in St. Augustine nearby and we did get to spend some time with them. Bettye and I went on a shopping spree in downtown St. Augustine. I've concluded the best way to get there is by boat because parking is a zoo! It also turned out to be the evening when they light the Christmas lights all over the downtown area. People were arriving in droves when we were leaving. Bettye and I had a ball shopping. I don't often get a chance to go shopping when we are cruising.
Today we are headed to an anchorage in Titusville, FL.
Our mechanic Al, doing the last task of Bob's list - changing the anchor light. He did this in some pretty strong winds too!
Since Bob's daughter Krista and family could come and see us on Sunday in Swansboro, we stayed another day. They arrived in the afternoon and we had a nice dinner at one of the local restaurants.
Monday we headed out and stopped for the night at Bald Head Marina in Southport, NC. This marina is adjacent to the ferry dock that takes people to Bald Head Island. Every hour, a ferry departs and sounds their horn. Since we are right off the bow of the ferry boat, the blast sounds like it is in the boat! Luckily, they ferry stopped sounding the horn at 7 PM till they stopped at 11 PM.
Ferry at the dock adjacent to our boat.
However, they start up the ferry at 7 AM with a horn blast. I did jump out of bed when they sounded that blast however!
This marina is well equipped, and has a free washer and dryer, so I took the time to get some much needed laundry done. We both had nice hot showers as well.
We got underway shortly after 7 heading south with plans to stop at Barefoot Landing Marina in North Myrtle Beach. The day's adventure included passing through an area known to boaters as the "rock pile." This is a blasted out channel that is not only lined with huge unforgiving boulders on each side, but parts of it are very narrow as well. With our 23 feet beam, meeting a tug and barge coming the other direction could be deadly. Bob always announces a "security" message as we are about to enter the area. Luckily, we didn't meet any large north-bound vessels in this 5 mile stretch of the ICW.
We met some folks last year in the Bahamas that almost lost their sailboat to a tug and barge coming through this area.
We got underway shortly after 7 heading south with plans to stop at Barefoot Landing Marina in North Myrtle Beach. The day's adventure included passing through an area known to boaters as the "rock pile." This is a blasted out channel that is not only lined with huge unforgiving boulders on each side, but parts of it are very narrow as well. With our 23 feet beam, meeting a tug and barge coming the other direction could be deadly. Bob always announces a "security" message as we are about to enter the area. Luckily, we didn't meet any large north-bound vessels in this 5 mile stretch of the ICW.
We met some folks last year in the Bahamas that almost lost their sailboat to a tug and barge they encountered in the ICW. Even though they had announced they were entering the area on the radio and no one responded, they met a large barge in a very narrow part of the channel. They tried to turn around, but the channel was too narrow and they lost their prop and were dead in the water with the barge heading straight toward them. The Captain threw a hook to shore and pulled the boat as close to the rocks as he could go and the barge scrapped theie boat on one side and rocks on the other side. They survived, but the boat took serious damage.
I told Bob if we couldn't turn the boat around, he should just run it backwards as fast as he could!
Barefoot Landing Marina is really just a single long dock along the ICW. They have electricity and water, but little else in the way of amenities. No showers or laundry. There are bathrooms, although they are in the shopping area right off the ICW and they are only open during store hours. I like to stop there because it is a location with many restaurants, making it easy for my son and family to come and visit us on our way south and have dinner. Also because I enjoy the shops. I have watched the docks deteriorate over the years and many of the name brand shops leave, being filled by cheap T shirt and shell shops. If this continues, we may have to choose another marina in the area to stop at.
We were up and underway by 7 in the morning heading into the Wacammaw River. I love this beautiful river. It is tree lined and uninhabited. We see Eagles and other large birds nesting in the trees. I half expect to see Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart come paddling by like in the movie the "River Queen." Luckily, there is still some color in the trees through this area now - it will be lush and green when we return in May.
We stopped Wednesday night at Leland Marine in McClellanville, SC. This place is hardly anything more than a rickety dock where two or three boats can tie up to. Bathroom and shower feel like somebody's closet, but the price is cheap. Bob likes it because many shrimp boats return to this area from a day shrimping and will sell their fresh caught shrimp by the bucket. I can usually count on having shrimp and grits for dinner here.
McClellanville is a town that time forgot. Beautiful huge Pin Oak trees line the streets of big old homes. So, given the fresh shrimp and pretty town, we overlook the lacking amenities of better marinas.
We we arrived, we found out that the shrimp have moved farther south as have the fishermen. We were able to buy some fresh shrimp and scallops from a local fish market. Bob made us shrimp and grits for dinner. We had walked to the local market by the docks and found the pin oak trees to be very old and beautiful, but the mosquitoes to be "killers."
The moon was full and Bob was up in time on Thursday to see the moon set and the sun rise. We got underway early in the morning as we had a longer than usual day. We need to reach Skidaway Island on Friday in time to take showers and clean up for dinner with Bob's former boss, Mark and his lovely wife Shirley.
Two eagles resting along the ICW
We managed to pass through Charleston around 11 A.M., too early to stop for the night. I keep hoping that we would hit Charleston later in the day and I could get the Captain to stop for the night. I would love to take a day and explore Charleston. It was a really nice calm day to cross Charleston Harbor.
This schooner is a charter tour boat. She is always a beauty to see underway.
Once we get south of Charleston, the number of cruising boats we pass decreases dramatically. Many boaters choose to take the outside route and avoid all of Georgia. This requires overnight travel, which neither of us are interested in doing, so we just plod along the ICW. I find Georgia to be some of the most beautiful land around the ICW, so I would miss that if we went the ocean route.
Schooner in Charleston Harbor
About two hours south of Charleston, there was a fire off to the left of the ICW and the smoke was so dense, we shut up the boat to limit the amount we would get in the boat. I was afraid we would smell the smoke all through the night, but we got far enough south of it when we anchored that it was gone.
We found a nice little river and creek to anchor in for the night. It turned out to be a pretty cold night to be anchoring out. I quickly got out of bed and put my clothes under the covers to warm them up in the morning before putting them on. We got underway by 6:45, a bit early for us. We need to reach Skidaway Island early enough to shower and be picked up by our friends before 6, so Bob got us going early.
We passed Beaufort, SC and noticed several boats with names we recognized. I expect we will see them farther down the line.
We managed to reach our destination Friday night of Skidaway Island at dead low tide. The Delegal Creek Marina channel has a shoal at the entrance to the creek that is always a problem. We managed to cross it with about 2 feet under our keel, but we made it ok and could breath again.
Bob's former boss Mark and his wife Shirley live on this lovely island and we like to stop and catch up with them on our way south and again on our way north each year. This year, Shirley had made plans for them and a group of friends and neighbors to attend a charity fund raising event for a group called Wycliffe Associates. The aim of this group is to translate the bible into every language of the world. Many of these languages do not have a written form, so in the process of doing this, they also leave the group of people with the ability to have a written language as well as having the bible. It was a fascinating presentation and a goal worth doing. Because of technology, allowing them to use a small solar panel and satellite receiver, they are able to put fewer people in the field, thus saving money and resources.
They are also combining languages into language groups that have similar features and complete multiple language projects at the same time. There are still 2000 language groups around the world yet to be started. It is their goal to have started all these projects by the year 2025. If you are interested in knowing more about, or volunteering for this work, here is a link to their website. http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/
We arrived in Brunswick, GA, at 4 in the afternoon. We had made arrangements to come in to the fuel dock and tie up for the night. They would come and sell us our fuel in the morning, and then we would be on our way. When we arrived a large mega-yacht was at the dock, with just enough room to us to dock also. It turned out that the large boat had just gotten their fuel and the owner was still there, so he sold us ours meaning we did not have to wait in the morning. Because the owner closed and locked the gate when he left, we did not get off the boat and walk around Brunswick, however, we have done it many times before. Our favorite restaurant in Brunswick closed last year, so we had dinner on the boat and went to bed early.
We were underway on Sunday before the sun came up, but not by much. During the day, we passed Kings Bay Naval Base, GA, then Fernandina Beach, FL. On the ICW there are no "You have just entered Florida" or "Welcome to Florida" signs (or any other state), so just exactly the point we move from state to state is not easy to spot. Anyway, passing Fernandina Beach, and entering Florida is another milestone in the trip.
We passed a shipyard of the "rich and famous" where gigantic mega-yachts in some of the biggest drydocks in the area.
Mega-Yacht Drydock
We had received an email from friends Vic and Gigi on Oconee, stating that they were apparently in an anchorage where we planned to stop for the night. We had figured we would catch up with them at Palm Coast Marina, so it was a surprise to see them in the anchorage north of St. Augustine, FL. They were not paying attention and we sneaked up on them and Bob tooted the horn. What a surprise we gave them! They put their dingy in the water and headed over for happy hour after we got the anchor down.
Surprising Vic and Gigi!
It was great catching up with them. We look forward to cruising with them in them this winter.
The next day Oconee left and we stayed at anchor waiting to hear if we were going to get a slip at Palm Coast Marina and it turns out they could not get us in till December! Since that won't work for us, we were able to obtain space at a new marina at Marineland between St. Augustine and Palm Coast. It looks like a lovely new place on the ICW.
Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine
We ended up staying for almost a week at Marineland. Our mechanic Al, could not work us in to his schedule until Friday. We rented a car from Enterprise for the week, so we could get around and do some shopping. One of the first things we did when we got the car, was take Bob to the ER. Bob had suddenly had a problem with his right calf hurting and we feared it might be a blood clot. (He does sit for hours at a time in the pilot chair when we are underway.) Luckily all tests came back negative for blood clots (after over 5 hours). He must have strained a muscle at some point.
Marineland does have a couple of tanks with dolphins, but unfortunately, we didn't make it over to see it. It is open air and I wanted to go on a clear day and we just couldn't seem to work it out. We did get all our last minute shopping done.
Some of our cruising friends, Bettye and Dennis (formerly on Son of a Sailor which they sold after last season) live in St. Augustine nearby and we did get to spend some time with them. Bettye and I went on a shopping spree in downtown St. Augustine. I've concluded the best way to get there is by boat because parking is a zoo! It also turned out to be the evening when they light the Christmas lights all over the downtown area. People were arriving in droves when we were leaving. Bettye and I had a ball shopping. I don't often get a chance to go shopping when we are cruising.
Today we are headed to an anchorage in Titusville, FL.
Our mechanic Al, doing the last task of Bob's list - changing the anchor light. He did this in some pretty strong winds too!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Our 5th Year Cruising the Bahamas!
When the leaves turn color and begin to fall off the trees, that is our clue that it is time to toss off the dock lines and head south. All the planning, hauling and painting, maintenance, and provisioning has been done over the summer. Of course, this work intensifies during the last month of October until we are exhausted. The last week, we move onto the boat and start to live on the boat. This is done to make sure that we have taken all the important stuff with us while we still have the ability to rectify that situation.
Bob had his left knee replaced this summer and after lots of rehab is back walking normally. Knowing we planed on making this trip again this year, was good incentive for him to get back in shape. We will see if he needs the right one done next summer when we return.
The first weather window we had to leave was Monday, October 31st. This followed several days of windy and wavy weather on the bay. Heading out in the morning, our neighbors we all gone, so there was no one to give a farewell "toot" to, until we passed John and Joan Miles house. They were paying attention and came out and waved their American Flag to us giving us a great send-off. We will see them again in June. Thanks John and Joan!
There was a beautiful mist over the creek in the morning when we left.
We entered the bay in wonderful calm water on a sunny day, that unfortunately, changed dramatically about half way to Norfolk. Winds shifted to our Port-side beam, waves increased to 3 -4 feet. This made for a pretty uncomfortable trip. I had to run around the boat and attempt to secure everything that was falling all around the boat. Luckily, nothing broke except and couple of plastic toss-able cups.
We had planned to stop at Top Hat Marina on the south side of Norfolk area in Chesapeake, VA for the night, but upon calculating our arrival upon reaching Norfolk, we realized that we would not reach that marina until well after dark. So we abandoned that plan and went to the Norfolk Naval Sailing Marina on the north side. There we watched the weather continue to deteriorate and decided to stay put there on Tuesday.
Wednesday turned out to be a fine day, so we headed out around 7:30, catching all the bridges going south. No matter how hard you try and plan, there are a couple of "un-known" bridges that are railroad bridges that have no set schedule. As a result, the best laid plans can go awry. We did the "boat dance" circling around with about 10 other boats waiting for bridges to open.
Once we reached the Great Bridge Lock, we were just one of four boats. The other boats had taken the canal leading to the other route south down the Dismal Swamp Canal.
Looking aft in the lock
Looking forward in the lock
This is the Great Bridge that is the only cantilevered bridge on the Atlantic ICW.
Our stop for the night was at the Coinjock Marina. Bob loves to stop there for their massive prime rib and seafood dinners. It's a heart attack on a plate! (I often listen to conversations and heard this one at a Bob Evans Restaurant in Jonesborough, TN this fall and I think it could apply here - "What I really want is a cinnamon bun as big as a hearse!" Just substitute prime rib for cinnamon bun.)
After a nice dinner and a walk of the docks talking with other boaters, we settled in for the night so we could get an early start. We have some rainy and windy weather headed our way in a day or two and we need to cross Currituck and Albermarle Sounds.
Bob was up before dawn getting the boat checks done and we left before the sun came up along with a lot of boats from Coinjock. The fog was pretty bad in the morning and we hoped for the sun to burn it off quickly. It took a while, but the world finally put on glasses and we could see clearly again.
It turned into a a very calm day to cross some large bodies of water and we enjoyed the cruise. We will be anchoring for the night along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
Watching the weather, it became clear that Saturday and Sunday were not going to be good cruising days. We had planned to visit with relatives in Swansboro, NC, but did not think we could make it on Friday as the winds and weather were picking up. Luckily, we did make it to Swansboro, NC. Friday night. The winds were fierce Friday night and Saturday. We watched the sailboats tied up next to us, hobby-horsing from the wave action.
We were at Caspers Marina, which is a small marina. Four sailboats and the "Coastal Queen" were there with us for the very windy night. I found this article on the Coastal Queen. http://www.ssentinel.com/index.php/news/article/famous_wooden_yacht_repaired_in_deltaville/
Saturday, we walked around the town after breakfast. It is an old coastal town with quite a history. Lots of houses built around the turn of the century. The little town had several nice restaurants and gift shops. Bob found a barber shop and got his hair trimmed (his annual pony-tail trim).
In the afternoon, two more boats came in to the marina. One was a beautiful Fleming Trawler and it turns out we have seen "Sundancer" in Sampson Cay in years past.
The other boat with quite a history called "The Washingtonian," a 1939 Trumpy yacht arrived. Here is a link to the information of this pretty boat. http://www.thewashingtonianyacht.com/index.php
Photo of The Washingtonian with the Coastal Queen behind her.
Pretty Penny at Caspers Marina.
Now, the marina is full-up for the night. Most all the boats except us and a sailboat stayed another day at the marina. I spent the morning in the pilot house watching all the traffic on the ICW and porpoises playing in the water around the marina. As the day went on, the marina started to fill up again. Bob's daughter Krista, her husband Randy and grandsons Ryan and Sam came to the marina and met us for dinner. It will be our last chance to see them until our return next spring.
Monday morning, we were the last to get underway from the marina at 6:30, although we caught up and passed the other trawlers by mid-morning. Our stop tonight will be in Southport, NC.
Remember, if you set up an account with Blogspot, (no cost), you can sign up to be notified by email whenever I make a blog post, saving you from having to check and see if there is a post or not.
Bob had his left knee replaced this summer and after lots of rehab is back walking normally. Knowing we planed on making this trip again this year, was good incentive for him to get back in shape. We will see if he needs the right one done next summer when we return.
The first weather window we had to leave was Monday, October 31st. This followed several days of windy and wavy weather on the bay. Heading out in the morning, our neighbors we all gone, so there was no one to give a farewell "toot" to, until we passed John and Joan Miles house. They were paying attention and came out and waved their American Flag to us giving us a great send-off. We will see them again in June. Thanks John and Joan!
There was a beautiful mist over the creek in the morning when we left.
We entered the bay in wonderful calm water on a sunny day, that unfortunately, changed dramatically about half way to Norfolk. Winds shifted to our Port-side beam, waves increased to 3 -4 feet. This made for a pretty uncomfortable trip. I had to run around the boat and attempt to secure everything that was falling all around the boat. Luckily, nothing broke except and couple of plastic toss-able cups.
We had planned to stop at Top Hat Marina on the south side of Norfolk area in Chesapeake, VA for the night, but upon calculating our arrival upon reaching Norfolk, we realized that we would not reach that marina until well after dark. So we abandoned that plan and went to the Norfolk Naval Sailing Marina on the north side. There we watched the weather continue to deteriorate and decided to stay put there on Tuesday.
Wednesday turned out to be a fine day, so we headed out around 7:30, catching all the bridges going south. No matter how hard you try and plan, there are a couple of "un-known" bridges that are railroad bridges that have no set schedule. As a result, the best laid plans can go awry. We did the "boat dance" circling around with about 10 other boats waiting for bridges to open.
Once we reached the Great Bridge Lock, we were just one of four boats. The other boats had taken the canal leading to the other route south down the Dismal Swamp Canal.
Looking aft in the lock
Looking forward in the lock
This is the Great Bridge that is the only cantilevered bridge on the Atlantic ICW.
Our stop for the night was at the Coinjock Marina. Bob loves to stop there for their massive prime rib and seafood dinners. It's a heart attack on a plate! (I often listen to conversations and heard this one at a Bob Evans Restaurant in Jonesborough, TN this fall and I think it could apply here - "What I really want is a cinnamon bun as big as a hearse!" Just substitute prime rib for cinnamon bun.)
After a nice dinner and a walk of the docks talking with other boaters, we settled in for the night so we could get an early start. We have some rainy and windy weather headed our way in a day or two and we need to cross Currituck and Albermarle Sounds.
Bob was up before dawn getting the boat checks done and we left before the sun came up along with a lot of boats from Coinjock. The fog was pretty bad in the morning and we hoped for the sun to burn it off quickly. It took a while, but the world finally put on glasses and we could see clearly again.
It turned into a a very calm day to cross some large bodies of water and we enjoyed the cruise. We will be anchoring for the night along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
Watching the weather, it became clear that Saturday and Sunday were not going to be good cruising days. We had planned to visit with relatives in Swansboro, NC, but did not think we could make it on Friday as the winds and weather were picking up. Luckily, we did make it to Swansboro, NC. Friday night. The winds were fierce Friday night and Saturday. We watched the sailboats tied up next to us, hobby-horsing from the wave action.
We were at Caspers Marina, which is a small marina. Four sailboats and the "Coastal Queen" were there with us for the very windy night. I found this article on the Coastal Queen. http://www.ssentinel.com/index.php/news/article/famous_wooden_yacht_repaired_in_deltaville/
Saturday, we walked around the town after breakfast. It is an old coastal town with quite a history. Lots of houses built around the turn of the century. The little town had several nice restaurants and gift shops. Bob found a barber shop and got his hair trimmed (his annual pony-tail trim).
In the afternoon, two more boats came in to the marina. One was a beautiful Fleming Trawler and it turns out we have seen "Sundancer" in Sampson Cay in years past.
The other boat with quite a history called "The Washingtonian," a 1939 Trumpy yacht arrived. Here is a link to the information of this pretty boat. http://www.thewashingtonianyacht.com/index.php
Photo of The Washingtonian with the Coastal Queen behind her.
Pretty Penny at Caspers Marina.
Now, the marina is full-up for the night. Most all the boats except us and a sailboat stayed another day at the marina. I spent the morning in the pilot house watching all the traffic on the ICW and porpoises playing in the water around the marina. As the day went on, the marina started to fill up again. Bob's daughter Krista, her husband Randy and grandsons Ryan and Sam came to the marina and met us for dinner. It will be our last chance to see them until our return next spring.
Monday morning, we were the last to get underway from the marina at 6:30, although we caught up and passed the other trawlers by mid-morning. Our stop tonight will be in Southport, NC.
Remember, if you set up an account with Blogspot, (no cost), you can sign up to be notified by email whenever I make a blog post, saving you from having to check and see if there is a post or not.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Palm Coast, FL to "Home Sweet Home!"
We had a pleasant stay at Palm Coast Marina again this trip. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Last year they had to watch over our boat for a month when my back went out and they did a fine job of that.
We rented a car for the weekend and got all our needs taken care of and also got to witness the Endeavor launch! Saturday we had gone shopping to Jacksonville via #95 and returned via A1A along the ocean and did the same thing on Monday when we returned from Titusville after the launch. It is nice to take a few days at dock at this point and get a better idea of the area we see by water, by land as well.
Al finished up all the things on Bob’s list by 10:30 on Wednesday morning and we were underway at 11:00. I had done one load of wash in the machines at the marina and had to hang them on the top of the boat to dry. I’m sure we looked pretty tacky on the ICW with laundry flying! At least they dried quickly and could be taken down shortly after lunch.
We passed through St. Augustine shortly after lunch. No longer do they have any part of the temporary bridge left and the new Bridge of Lions is fully operational.
Passing St. Augustine, FL
Nice home in St. Augustine
Refurbished Tower - Bridge of Lions
Tour boat in St. Augustine harbor
Home along the waterfront of the ICW
We anchored for the night in the St. George River just north of Jacksonville, FL. It was a VERY peaceful anchorage with golden marsh grass all around.
We were up and underway by 8, a nice leisurely time to get underway. It is so nice to be out of the crazy part of Florida and into an area more like that found in Georgia. We will make Brunswick, GA for the night. This is our fuel stop where we take on fuel for the trip north as well.
When we passed Fernandino Beach, we were hailed by Vicki and Buck on Victoria Gaye. They had arrived that morning with Gigi and Vic on Gigi’s Island along with the folks on Sojourner. Unfortunately, we had to pass them but in order to make a date with friends on Friday at Skidaway Island, plus since it was only 10:30 in the morning, it was way too early to stop. We were sorry we didn’t get to see them here, but still hope to see them later on the way north. They had been a day behind us, but did an overnight passage on the outside and caught up to us.
We were hailed by another boat also named Pretty Penny! It was a lovely trawler. We have often checked into a marina in the Bahamas and on the ICW and been asked “which Pretty Penny” we were. Well, it seems this was the “other” Pretty Penny!
The land in Georgia is so flat that you can see the Brunswick Bridge for hours before you get there. We stopped at Ocean Petroleum for our load of fuel to get home. It is so great to have a boat that only needs to stop twice for fuel. We could actually pick up enough fuel in the fall to do the whole trip all the way back home, but that adds a lot more weight to the boat that we then have to haul around with us, so we stop twice, both times at Ocean Petroleum in Brunswick. We have found the fuel here is always cheaper than in Florida. The staff could not be friendlier as well.
Passing under the bridge before Brunswick, GA
Some boating friends we met this year, John and Kathy, on Mystic Moon, happened to be docked at Brunswick Landing Marina and we went to dinner with them. We had crossed when they did from the Bahamas and had experienced engine trouble. They, luckily, managed to get home on their “spare” engine going 4 knots. They have their problem now fixed. We managed to just make it to Brunswick before they left the boat for 4 months! We had a nice time catching up on what they’ve been doing since we last saw them.
There was a light haze in the morning, but the sun was out making the water sparkle! When we reached the Savannah River - that the ICW crosses, we spotted a container ship coming up the river. We feared that we would reach the river at the same time, but luckily we did not.
Container ship we could see coming up the Savannah River.
Tide was out in this stretch of the ICW near Savannah, we saw some very "skinny" water depths through here.
We reached the Delegel Creek Marina by 4:30 in the afternoon, had showers, and were picked up for dinner by Bob’s former boss, Mark and his wife Shirley that live on Skidaway Island, GA. We always enjoy catching up on each other’s family news over dinner. We then went back to their home for dessert, before heading back to the boat.
Beautiful home along the ICW in Georgia
In Florida and Georgia you see a lot of covered docks. Our Homeowner's Assoc. at home does not allow this - they do block the view, but protect the boats from the hot sun.
The next morning it was low tide when we wanted to leave, so we waited an hour before leaving the dock. We had come in about low time the day before and had zero feet below the boat at one point. Luckily, we had no problems leaving.
At Isle of Hope Marina, we passed a couple of classic boats. Very nice, but a heck of a lot of upkeep!
Looks like a small Trumpy boat.
Shortly past Isle of Hope we pass Thunderbolt Marina and shipyard. Usually, this shipyard is loaded with several large mega-yachts undergoing repair either in their sheds or in the yard, with others waiting for work at their docks. This time we did not see a single mega-yacht in their yard. This could be a sign of the current economy.
Thunderbolt Marina and Service
Also spotted was this classic sailboat. Another boat that requires a lot of work to maintain.
2 masted sailboat
Just past Thunderbolt is a Hinkley Boat factory with a Hinkley at the dock.
We ended up passing Charleston, SC around 11:30 in the morning. We always manage to pass Charleston going north or south too early in the day to stop. I may have to put my foot down next year to make this a stop.
Interesting boat at dock in Charleston
Homes along the Battery in Charleston
Interesting use of the roof of a portico - looks like you have to climb out a window to get to it.
Home along the Battery
Home north of Charleston
We anchored for the night on River. This is a quiet river off the ICW. It was a beautiful, but buggy night. Some small bug got in by the aft cabin door by the hundreds. Luckily, some bug spray took care of them. So not only were we fighting off the deer flies, we had this small bug, looked like maybe a flying ant, to deal with. The next morning, the port side of the boat was covered with these little bugs. Most were dead.
Anchorage view in Georgia
It always makes me nervous to pass one of these huge barges in a narrow passage.
Monday night, we made our usual stop at Barefoot Landing Marina in Myrtle Beach, SC, which started out as a free tie up to a wall right on the ICW connected to large shopping/dining area (Barefoot Landing.) When they added power and water, they now charge for the stop. There are no showers or washers and dryers for cruisers or bathrooms right off the docks, so it is limited in that way. We like to stop here as you can get off the boat and walk around the area (of course, I like it because it has a Chico’s and other shops!) My son, Mike and his family live 45 minutes away and they came and met us for dinner. Granddaughter Casey is attending college in Myrtle Beach and we got to see her too. It is always nice to get caught up with them on our return trip.
Huge home on the ICW in Myrtle Beach
Old Marker Bouys around a restaurant in Myrtle Beach. OK so it is a seafood restaurant, but don't you think one in front would be enough?
Oh look - there's more! This is going to be a whole lot of rust someday.
The next morning we were underway with Dick and Jane on Cheetah II (folks we had met in George Town, Exuma) that ended up at Barefoot Landing with us. We also saw Monty and Sarah on Saranade, that do the surveying for the Explorer Charts that are the
charts of choice for cruising the Bahamas. We don’t know what we would do without them. Monty and Sarah have made it their life’s work to do these charts. They include all the services available on each inhabited island as well and are a wealth of information.
We had hoped to see Bob’s daughter and family at our stop at Swan Point Marina, but they were unable to make it. We will drive down and see them when school is out. We checked to see if we had TV coverage of local channels yet and we did! Do we got to see the last final competition show of American Idol and the final show of Dancing with the Stars! That was an unexpected treat.
After a very peaceful night, we were up early and underway by 7:15. Most of this day will be in the New River section of the ICW.
The next night we anchored in Snode Creek, just off the Pamlico River. This is another quiet and beautiful little anchorage.
We stopped the next night at Coinjock, NC. This marina has a terrific restaurant that Bob loves to eat at – they have 32 ounce prime rib dinners! He “restrained” himself this time and only ate half, leaving the rest for another night. This marina is just a wall that you tie up to along the ICW. I seemed like they were full when we came in, but the dockmaster adjusted all the boats to make room for a 75 footer to come in behind us. It was so close, Bob took the aft line from man on the boat and walked it across our bow to the dock line handler to pull the boat in. Amazing what those bow thrusters can do!
Happy Bob with his 32 ounce steak!
Friday, we came up the Virginia Cut to Norfolk passing the Great Bridge and through the Great Bridge Lock. It takes three hours to get all the way though Norfolk from there to the Navy base marina almost to the ocean cut. Since it was just noon, we trudged ahead to the marina, making it shorter to head up the bay the next day.
Passing through Norfolk, VA
Waterfront Marketplace
Close-up of Waterfront Marketplace
Navy Cruiser returning to port
Morning of our last day home at the marina
We had been watching the weather and hoping that we would not have rain or be affected by the storms heading northeast. Since it was predicted that we would have thunderstorms at home in Ophelia in the afternoon, we decided to get underway early, so we were underway at 6 A.M. Although we could see rain all around us, we made the trip without encountering anything more than just a few sprinkles. Ophelia had a nice rain shower before we arrived, but it was sunny when we got home.
Being Memorial Day weekend, we expected to see a lot of boats out and at least a few by the entrance to the jetty for the Little Wicomico River. Luckily, we were able to pass through easily. Our neighbor, Russ, was out fishing and sped over to wave at us, then we spotted our neighbor, Barry, who came out on his Sea Doo to escort us in!
Barry leading us in!
Our "Ace" line-handlers (neighbors Barry and Diane, Kathy and Jeff, and Scott), waiting to help with our lines on the dock!
Pretty Penny snug at her home dock!
We had a wonderful time cruising the Bahamas for the 4th year and looking forward to our 5th year, but also happy to see the family and being "land-based" for a few months this summer. We hope you all have a great summer as well. Remember, friends cruising the Chesapeake Bay this summer are always welcome to stop and stay a while!
We rented a car for the weekend and got all our needs taken care of and also got to witness the Endeavor launch! Saturday we had gone shopping to Jacksonville via #95 and returned via A1A along the ocean and did the same thing on Monday when we returned from Titusville after the launch. It is nice to take a few days at dock at this point and get a better idea of the area we see by water, by land as well.
Al finished up all the things on Bob’s list by 10:30 on Wednesday morning and we were underway at 11:00. I had done one load of wash in the machines at the marina and had to hang them on the top of the boat to dry. I’m sure we looked pretty tacky on the ICW with laundry flying! At least they dried quickly and could be taken down shortly after lunch.
We passed through St. Augustine shortly after lunch. No longer do they have any part of the temporary bridge left and the new Bridge of Lions is fully operational.
Passing St. Augustine, FL
Nice home in St. Augustine
Refurbished Tower - Bridge of Lions
Tour boat in St. Augustine harbor
Home along the waterfront of the ICW
We anchored for the night in the St. George River just north of Jacksonville, FL. It was a VERY peaceful anchorage with golden marsh grass all around.
We were up and underway by 8, a nice leisurely time to get underway. It is so nice to be out of the crazy part of Florida and into an area more like that found in Georgia. We will make Brunswick, GA for the night. This is our fuel stop where we take on fuel for the trip north as well.
When we passed Fernandino Beach, we were hailed by Vicki and Buck on Victoria Gaye. They had arrived that morning with Gigi and Vic on Gigi’s Island along with the folks on Sojourner. Unfortunately, we had to pass them but in order to make a date with friends on Friday at Skidaway Island, plus since it was only 10:30 in the morning, it was way too early to stop. We were sorry we didn’t get to see them here, but still hope to see them later on the way north. They had been a day behind us, but did an overnight passage on the outside and caught up to us.
We were hailed by another boat also named Pretty Penny! It was a lovely trawler. We have often checked into a marina in the Bahamas and on the ICW and been asked “which Pretty Penny” we were. Well, it seems this was the “other” Pretty Penny!
The land in Georgia is so flat that you can see the Brunswick Bridge for hours before you get there. We stopped at Ocean Petroleum for our load of fuel to get home. It is so great to have a boat that only needs to stop twice for fuel. We could actually pick up enough fuel in the fall to do the whole trip all the way back home, but that adds a lot more weight to the boat that we then have to haul around with us, so we stop twice, both times at Ocean Petroleum in Brunswick. We have found the fuel here is always cheaper than in Florida. The staff could not be friendlier as well.
Passing under the bridge before Brunswick, GA
Some boating friends we met this year, John and Kathy, on Mystic Moon, happened to be docked at Brunswick Landing Marina and we went to dinner with them. We had crossed when they did from the Bahamas and had experienced engine trouble. They, luckily, managed to get home on their “spare” engine going 4 knots. They have their problem now fixed. We managed to just make it to Brunswick before they left the boat for 4 months! We had a nice time catching up on what they’ve been doing since we last saw them.
There was a light haze in the morning, but the sun was out making the water sparkle! When we reached the Savannah River - that the ICW crosses, we spotted a container ship coming up the river. We feared that we would reach the river at the same time, but luckily we did not.
Container ship we could see coming up the Savannah River.
Tide was out in this stretch of the ICW near Savannah, we saw some very "skinny" water depths through here.
We reached the Delegel Creek Marina by 4:30 in the afternoon, had showers, and were picked up for dinner by Bob’s former boss, Mark and his wife Shirley that live on Skidaway Island, GA. We always enjoy catching up on each other’s family news over dinner. We then went back to their home for dessert, before heading back to the boat.
Beautiful home along the ICW in Georgia
In Florida and Georgia you see a lot of covered docks. Our Homeowner's Assoc. at home does not allow this - they do block the view, but protect the boats from the hot sun.
The next morning it was low tide when we wanted to leave, so we waited an hour before leaving the dock. We had come in about low time the day before and had zero feet below the boat at one point. Luckily, we had no problems leaving.
At Isle of Hope Marina, we passed a couple of classic boats. Very nice, but a heck of a lot of upkeep!
Looks like a small Trumpy boat.
Shortly past Isle of Hope we pass Thunderbolt Marina and shipyard. Usually, this shipyard is loaded with several large mega-yachts undergoing repair either in their sheds or in the yard, with others waiting for work at their docks. This time we did not see a single mega-yacht in their yard. This could be a sign of the current economy.
Thunderbolt Marina and Service
Also spotted was this classic sailboat. Another boat that requires a lot of work to maintain.
2 masted sailboat
Just past Thunderbolt is a Hinkley Boat factory with a Hinkley at the dock.
We ended up passing Charleston, SC around 11:30 in the morning. We always manage to pass Charleston going north or south too early in the day to stop. I may have to put my foot down next year to make this a stop.
Interesting boat at dock in Charleston
Homes along the Battery in Charleston
Interesting use of the roof of a portico - looks like you have to climb out a window to get to it.
Home along the Battery
Home north of Charleston
We anchored for the night on River. This is a quiet river off the ICW. It was a beautiful, but buggy night. Some small bug got in by the aft cabin door by the hundreds. Luckily, some bug spray took care of them. So not only were we fighting off the deer flies, we had this small bug, looked like maybe a flying ant, to deal with. The next morning, the port side of the boat was covered with these little bugs. Most were dead.
Anchorage view in Georgia
It always makes me nervous to pass one of these huge barges in a narrow passage.
Monday night, we made our usual stop at Barefoot Landing Marina in Myrtle Beach, SC, which started out as a free tie up to a wall right on the ICW connected to large shopping/dining area (Barefoot Landing.) When they added power and water, they now charge for the stop. There are no showers or washers and dryers for cruisers or bathrooms right off the docks, so it is limited in that way. We like to stop here as you can get off the boat and walk around the area (of course, I like it because it has a Chico’s and other shops!) My son, Mike and his family live 45 minutes away and they came and met us for dinner. Granddaughter Casey is attending college in Myrtle Beach and we got to see her too. It is always nice to get caught up with them on our return trip.
Huge home on the ICW in Myrtle Beach
Old Marker Bouys around a restaurant in Myrtle Beach. OK so it is a seafood restaurant, but don't you think one in front would be enough?
Oh look - there's more! This is going to be a whole lot of rust someday.
The next morning we were underway with Dick and Jane on Cheetah II (folks we had met in George Town, Exuma) that ended up at Barefoot Landing with us. We also saw Monty and Sarah on Saranade, that do the surveying for the Explorer Charts that are the
charts of choice for cruising the Bahamas. We don’t know what we would do without them. Monty and Sarah have made it their life’s work to do these charts. They include all the services available on each inhabited island as well and are a wealth of information.
We had hoped to see Bob’s daughter and family at our stop at Swan Point Marina, but they were unable to make it. We will drive down and see them when school is out. We checked to see if we had TV coverage of local channels yet and we did! Do we got to see the last final competition show of American Idol and the final show of Dancing with the Stars! That was an unexpected treat.
After a very peaceful night, we were up early and underway by 7:15. Most of this day will be in the New River section of the ICW.
The next night we anchored in Snode Creek, just off the Pamlico River. This is another quiet and beautiful little anchorage.
We stopped the next night at Coinjock, NC. This marina has a terrific restaurant that Bob loves to eat at – they have 32 ounce prime rib dinners! He “restrained” himself this time and only ate half, leaving the rest for another night. This marina is just a wall that you tie up to along the ICW. I seemed like they were full when we came in, but the dockmaster adjusted all the boats to make room for a 75 footer to come in behind us. It was so close, Bob took the aft line from man on the boat and walked it across our bow to the dock line handler to pull the boat in. Amazing what those bow thrusters can do!
Happy Bob with his 32 ounce steak!
Friday, we came up the Virginia Cut to Norfolk passing the Great Bridge and through the Great Bridge Lock. It takes three hours to get all the way though Norfolk from there to the Navy base marina almost to the ocean cut. Since it was just noon, we trudged ahead to the marina, making it shorter to head up the bay the next day.
Passing through Norfolk, VA
Waterfront Marketplace
Close-up of Waterfront Marketplace
Navy Cruiser returning to port
Morning of our last day home at the marina
We had been watching the weather and hoping that we would not have rain or be affected by the storms heading northeast. Since it was predicted that we would have thunderstorms at home in Ophelia in the afternoon, we decided to get underway early, so we were underway at 6 A.M. Although we could see rain all around us, we made the trip without encountering anything more than just a few sprinkles. Ophelia had a nice rain shower before we arrived, but it was sunny when we got home.
Being Memorial Day weekend, we expected to see a lot of boats out and at least a few by the entrance to the jetty for the Little Wicomico River. Luckily, we were able to pass through easily. Our neighbor, Russ, was out fishing and sped over to wave at us, then we spotted our neighbor, Barry, who came out on his Sea Doo to escort us in!
Barry leading us in!
Our "Ace" line-handlers (neighbors Barry and Diane, Kathy and Jeff, and Scott), waiting to help with our lines on the dock!
Pretty Penny snug at her home dock!
We had a wonderful time cruising the Bahamas for the 4th year and looking forward to our 5th year, but also happy to see the family and being "land-based" for a few months this summer. We hope you all have a great summer as well. Remember, friends cruising the Chesapeake Bay this summer are always welcome to stop and stay a while!
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