Last Leg of the Trip

Saturday, May 25, 2013. It is sunny and cool this morning, but the wind is down
significantly. Timing through the Dismal Swamp is critical, as the bridges and locks
open on a specific schedule - and only about 4 times a day. We plan to leave at 10:30am,
clear the bridge at Elizabeth City and then make the lock and bridge at South Mills at the
1:00pm opening. As we prepare to leave, we notice that there is a farmer's market going
on at the park next to the marina. Not large, but a very nice selection of veggies, plants,
breads, cookies, jellies, etc. Lisa bought a basil plant and we were given a jelly to use as
a marinade.

We are away from the dock at 10:15am and make an opening at the Elizabeth City Bridge at 10:30am. The wind is NW @ 10-15 and it is only about 45 degrees. This area of the Pasquotank River above the bridge is a very pretty area, not over-built like a lot of areas we have seen. The river gets narrower and is very winding as we head north to the lock. As we approach the lock, we are overtaken by Eagles Wings, a Morgan Out Island 40, with Dave and Joan aboard. We follow them from the lock to the Dismal Swamp
Visitors Center, where we stop for the day. The last opening of the lock at Deep Creek is
at 3:30pm, and there is no way to make that opening. These two locks raise and lower the boat 8 feet.  This is interesting, because there is only one lock on the Virginia Cut Route and it only raises the boat one foot.

The Dismal Swamp Visitor Center is unique. There is free dockage for boats - and it is a
rest area for autos on US Route 17. There is a visitor center, museum, rental kayaks and
canoes, walking/nature trails, and exhibits. A nice stop. There are four boats here -
Rhiannon, Alexia (HR42, William and Francis from England), Eagles Wings (who we
are rafted to), and Utopia (Caliber 40, Frank and Diane Albani).

We have dinner on board and then drinks aboard Alexia with the other three boats. Nice.

19.3NM 23SM today. 1 lock and two bridges. Mile Marker 28.
36°30.40'N  076°21.36°W

Sunday, May 26, 2013. We are up and away from the dock at 7:30am with Utopia. It is
chilly, but the wind is down to NW@5. This part of the Dismal Swamp is a very narrow
ditch - and only about 6 feet deep. Lots of flowers in bloom, Magnolias, Honeysuckle,
and others -like cruising through a florist shop - very fragrant. We arrive early from the
11am opening of the Deep Creek Bridge and Lock, and then have to wait almost an hour
until 11 :45am. We also arrive early for the Gilmerton Bridge opening and have to wait ½ hour for that opening as well.

This Memorial Day Week-end and there are lots of people on the water- especially in
small motorboats.

We arrive at Waterside Marina in Norfolk at 3pm. This is right on the Norfolk waterfront
and is very nice. The area has all been redone and would remind you of South Street
Seaport in NYC, or Baltimore. Restaurants, shops, a mall, a park. This marina is right
across the river from the Tidewater Marine in Portsmouth, VA, which is where we waited
out Hurricane Sandy last October. As you might expect, Norfolk is a very busy port, especially with the Navy. 

When we lived in Massachusetts, we used to see the ship “Energy Enterprise” come into Salem Harbor to deliver coal to the local power plant.  We saw that ship in Norfolk being loaded at a coal loading facility.

In addition to Utopia being here, Tinteán - pronounced tent-on (I think) - (Island packet
40, Ken and Sarah Aiken), and Daisy May (Ranger Tug 29, Bob and Bonnie Martin-
their dog is also Daisy May) are here. We last saw both in Elizabeth City. Bob and
Bonnie are doing the great loop. They purchased the boat in Florida. We walked around
town with Bob and Bonnie and then they went to find ice cream and we had dinner at
Hell's Kitchen. Interesting decor. We had seafood nachos that were great.

21.4 NM 28SM today. Mile Marker 0. 36°50.65'N 076°17.58'W

Monday, May 27, 2013. Memorial Day. Our plan was to spend the day in Norfolk, but
everyone is leaving headed north. We helped several boats off the dock and then helped
Tinteán on and off the dock to pump out. At 10am we, too, leave the dock headed north
and shortly catch up to Tinteán and travel with them the rest of the day north to Gwynn
Island (Deltaville, VA). As we left Norfolk, it is 70 degrees and sunny and no wind. At
2pm it has turned cloudy and the wind has gone South 10-15 and we have the genoa out.
At 6:30pm, we are actually rafted to Tinteán for the evening and Ken and Sarah came
over for dinner. Lisa made a lovely vegetarian lasagna for dinner.

47.9 NM 56SM today. 37°30.7'N  076°18.35'W

At 2am, the wind shifts SW and gets a little bumpy in the anchorage. There are now 4
other boats in here and Utopia and R&R are farther up the river. At 5:30am we are up
tending lines as the wind has now built up to 15+.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013. At 7:15am, we drop the lines and head north to Solomon's
Island (Patuxent River). It is cloudy and the wind is SW @ 15+. At 7:45am, we pass
Stingray Light and are making a steady 6-7 knots over the ground with only the headsail.
At 9:30am, we pass the mouth of the Potomac River and get attacked by small black
biting flies - hundreds of them! -  and we are at least 3 miles off shore! The sport of the day is swatting flies and there are at least 100 of them dead in the cockpit and almost as many below. We have run into this once before on Cape Cod Bay and the explanation we got at that time from the locals was there was probably a dead carcass of something large in the water that we passed close to.

At 2:30pm, the wind goes SE and the flies disappear. At 4pm, we are tied up at Calvert's
Marina at Solomon’s Island. Utopia and Daisy Mae are here as well. Everyone who comes in today has piles of dead flies onboard. We have dinner on board and then a walk around the area. There is not much to see or do on this side of the harbor and it is a very long walk around to the other side.

At 9pm, there is lots of lightening and thunder, but not too much rain. It looks like the
storms are passing to our north.

Tinteán is going overnight to Annapolis. We talked to them and they are still south of
Solomon's with the storms ahead of them.

59.9NM  72SM today. 38°19.93'N   076°27.42'W

Wednesday, 5/29/2013. We elect to spend the day here. The weather is questionable
and the anchorage the previous night and yesterday's long day has left us not ready to
face another day of high winds on the Chesapeake. We spend the day cleaning the boat and getting stuff packed, as we have only one more sailing day before reaching our destination for this trip - Oxford, MD.

Calvert’s Marina has a courtesy car and we use it to go to the hardware store for storage bins, then brunch at Happy's Diner. This courtesy car is the oldest living Mercedes on the planet, but it runs and the price is right.

The generator has been acting up again, same symptoms as before - starts, runs, shuts
down. I replaced the fuel solenoid and tightened up the linkage and it now runs as it
should. The injectors will need to be changed over the summer too as we are getting black, icky smoke.

We had dinner at the Black Creek Bistro at the marina. Food was good and a great view.

http://www.calvertmarina.com/gallery.php

Thursday, May 30, 2013. We left the dock at Calvert's at 9:15am. It is sunny and 75
degrees. Wind SW @ 5. The weather folks are predicting small craft advisories for the
Chesapeake, but it is a beautiful day on the bay and the winds never do materialize.

You see military aircraft close by all the time here because of the air station at the mouth
of the Patuxent River. Today, however, we see at WWII B25 doing "touch and goes".
My Dad flew in one of those as a photographer - sitting where the bombardier would
normally sit in the nose.

At 11: 15am, the wind is SW @ 10 and there is not a cloud in the sky. We arrive at Mears
Marina in Oxford to refuel at 3:00 pm. We want the tanks full when Rhiannon is stored for the summer. At 3:30pm we are tied up at Oxford Boat Yard, where Rhiannon will spend the summer having some maintenance done and just being stored until fall.

We meet Mitch (owner), Graham (manager) and Jason (service) and begin the discussion
of the work to be done.

Dinner is at the Tavern at the Robert Morris Inn. Walking distance from the boat. Very nice and the food was delicious. The Scottish Highlands Ice Cream Shop is right next to the marina and they make their own home made ice cream.  I imagine we will be visiting it many times while we are here.  We spend the night aboard.

33.5 NM 40SM today. 38°41.63'N  076°10.14'W 

Friday, May 31, 2013. Our good friends Jerry and Pam Jana, who live nearby in Easton,
MD, pick us up and give us a ride to Hertz. We are renting a car to drive home. We
spend the next 3 days meeting with folks at the marina and cleaning and packing up the
boat. We remove the headsail and will have it re-stitched again.

Oxford is a very pretty town and is somewhat of an artist colony.  Local artists paint sections of picket fences, then they publish a brochure with all the locations of these.  In the fall, they are auctioned for charity.  This week-end, there is a huge quilt show and sale at several venues around town. There is also a charity bike race going on.

Click here to see this week's pictures

Click here for more info on Oxford

We are staying with the Janas and Thursday night we clean out the fridges on the boat and have a bar-b-que with steak, chicken, potatoes, salad. Friday night they barbeque Ribs. Sunday night seafood at The Docks. Monday we drive home to New Hampshire. Now the work and planning begins for the next trip!

Trip Stats:

Shakedown Cruise, July 11 – 16, Georgian Bay, Ontario

Depart Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada, August 4, 2012

Arrive Oxford, MD (via Marathon), May 30, 2013

Leg 1 - Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada to Buffalo, NY

Leg 2 – Buffalo, NY to Brewerton, NY

Leg 3 – Brewerton, NY to Catskill, NY

Leg 4 – Catskill, NY to Beaufort, NC

Leg 5 – Beaufort, NC to Vero Beach, FL

Leg 6 – Vero Beach, FL to Marathon to Myrtle Beach, SC

Leg 7 – Myrtle Beach, FL to Oxford, MD

106 travel days

98 Ports-of-Call or anchorages

4426 Statute Miles

3728 Nautical Miles

Elizabeth City

Thursday, May 23, 2013.  We left the dock at the Alligator Marina at 6:30am.  The wind is still howling at 20+ knots.  We are motoring across the waves parallel to the Alligator River Bridge as we head for the channel to take us out to Albemarle Sound.  It is very rolley as we make this short run with 4 foot waves on our beam (coming directly from the side).  Lisa winds up below feeling ill for the rest of the day.  Once in the channel and heading north with the waves and the wind on our stern, it was much more comfortable.  We motorsailed across the sound to Elizabeth City – using the motor to maintain momentum as we surfed the waves. 

The channel leaving the Alligator River shoals frequently and the current channel is different from what the charts and chart plotters indicate.  If you follow the markers, staying close to the green ones, there is plenty of water.  If you follow the charts, you will wind up aground like Tom McGarry.  Coming up the Pasquotank River into Elizabeth City the charts show passing Green#7 to starboard, but if you do that you are aground.  We found that out the hard way.  Luckily we were able to back off.  If traversing this area, stay well north of this marker.

We got rain on and off while crossing the sound and it just stops as we tie u to the free docks in Elizabeth City.  These “docks” are very short finger piers.  You have to climb off the bow to get off the boat.

Tonight was a meet and greet.  The town has official greeters (Rose Buddies) for boaters and if more than five new boats show up, they have a wine and cheese party (beer too) and give out information about the area and give roses to the ladies.  Nice. We met several people and wound up at “Logan Rayes” (a Key West style restaurant) with Paul Herold and Jane Farrel on Aquila (Gulfstar 37).  Nice evening.

29NM 33.5SM today.  Mile Marker     36°17.90’N 076°13.10’W

Friday, May 24, 2013.  We awoke to the wind once again howling this morning.  They are predicting thunderstorms and 25-30 knot winds.  We decide to visit Elizabeth City today.  It rained on and off this morning, finally clearing up in the middle of the afternoon.  I don’t think the wind was as fierce as predicted today – maybe out on the sound it was……..

We had lunch at Sidney’s, very good food – breakfast and lunch only.  We visited some shops, bought the new Dan Brown book “Inferno”, and went to the Albemarle Museum.  It tells the history of this part of the Carolinas and is definitely worth visiting if you are here and have the time.  

Click this link for more info http://www.museumofthealbemarle.com/

This is a pretty town and they are really trying to keep the downtown area vital.  Nice to see.  It is also a very historic area, with markers and plaques everywhere.  Colonial era homes, nice parks, brick streets. 

We had dinner at “Thumpers”, the local watering hole.  Good food and very reasonable.  Local knowledge says get in and get out by 7:30 as the place gets loud and crazy – unless, of course, you are looking for loud and crazy.

Click here for pictures of Elizabeth City

Predictably Lost.  One of the people we met at the meet and greet was Daniel Alvarez.  He has backpacked the long hiking trails in the US (Appalachian Trail - 2000 miles, Pacific Crest – 2650 miles, Continental Divide – 3000 miles, and Hayduke Trail – 800 (very tough) miles).  Now, he has paddled a kayak from the NW Angle of Minnesota (most northern point in the US – except Alaska) to Key West (most southern point in the US).  Now he is paddling back north to Minnesota via the ICW, Hudson River, Erie Canal?????  Fascinating young man.  Here is his website if you want to read more and follow his travels   http://predictablylost.com/

Click here for pictures of Daniel

May 22, 2013 - Barefoot to Alligator River

Saturday, May 18, 2013.  We left the dock at Barefoot Marina in Myrtle Beach at 7:45 this morning.  It was 70 degrees and the sun was shinning and the wind was SW at 5.  Beautiful morning and the tide was with us.  We had no issues until exactly noon, when as we were passing Lockwoods Folly Inlet (what a name!) we touched bottom.  We were on the red buoy side of the channel as Skipper Bob and Active Captain suggest and it was half tide.  Maybe next time we’ll try the center of the channel.  We made Southport, our goal for the day at 2pm and decided to continue on.  We were making good spped all day, but going up the Cape fear River from Southport, we made 8+ knots over the ground with the current and wind helping, as well as the sails.  We hit the end of the flood tide on the Cape Fear River and managed to keep the current with us all the way to Carolina Beach (our second goal) – arriving there at 4pm.  We decided to continue on again (the current still in our favor) and were anchored at Wrightsville Beach at 6pm.  All in all, a very good day on the water!  71 SM, 55 NM today.  Wrightsville Beach 34°12.36’N  077° 48.02’W.  Mile Marker 283.

Sunday, May 19, 2013.  Anchor up at 7am and headed back to the inlet at Shinn Creek.  Partly sunny and 74 degrees.  No wind. For the record, it is 40 minutes from the anchorage to the Wrightsville Beach Bridge, which only opens on the hour.  We made the 8am opening, and in fact had to wait an extra 10 minutes for an ambulance to get across the bridge.

The Honeysuckle is in bloom and the ICW smells like a florist shop.  Nice.  The Osprey are just hatching out here.  In Florida, the chicks are already as big as pigeons, but here, they are brand new, or the mom is still egg sitting.

The ICW here is very wide, but the channel is very narrow.  The water either side of the channel may be a mile wide and a foot deep.

There were eight boats in the anchorage last night, and we saw two head offshore out of the inlet, but where did the rest of them go?

At New River Marina, gasoline is $3.12 and diesel is $3.96.  Cheapest we have seen.

We made all three bridges today (Wrightsville Beach, Figure Eight Island and Surf City) with no delays.

Today, the current was against us all day (making up for yesterday), but the wind picked up from the south in the afternoon  and we made good time motorsailing.  We arrived at Mile Hammock Bay (Camp Lejune, NC) at 2:45pm.  There is one other sailboat here.  By evening 3 other boast have anchored.  The Marines are not around, except for helicopters buzzing us.  39.8NM, 48.5SM today.  Mile Marker 244.5  34° 33.04’ N  077° 19.53’W.

Monday, May 20, 2013.  We had the anchor up and were underway at 8am.  Partly cloudy, no wind, 75 degrees.  It rained and was very wind overnight.  WE made the Onslow Beach Bridge at its 8:30 opening and then through the Camp Lejune Artillery Range successfully. 

The current was against us until the Onslow Beach Bridge and then turned in our favor,  The wind picked up from the SW @ 10-15.  With just the headsail out and the motor idling, we were making 8.8 knots over the ground through Bogue Sound.  We raced through Moorhead City and into Adams Creek.  Believe it or not, we were passed by another sailboat (Autumn Voyager) with Bob and Judy aboard (didn’t get their last name).  They winter in Hilton Head and then head north to Long Island Sound to see grandkids in the summer.

At he entrance to the Neuse River, we saw at least 20 dolphins feeding.

We arrive in Oriental, NC at Oriental Marina at 4:30pm.  We like this place.  It is a marina, a hotel, a bar and a restaurant.  Also, very protected.  The couple in the next slip are from Annapolis.  Dan and Melissa Kenshalo on Slow Dancing.  They are taking another couple with them from here on their (the other couple’s) honeymoon.  They have known them a long time.

Dinner at the Toucan Grill (at the marina).  Very nice.

53NM, 63SM today. Mile Marker 181.5  35°01.48’N  076°41.73’W

Tuesday, May 21, 2013.  Left the dock at 10am after taking care of some business at home.  Nice to be where there was great internet and phone service and they even let us use their fax machine.  We left some mail with them for the US Postal Service as well.  Very helpful folks.

It is partly cloudy and 75.  The wind is SW at 10-15, but there are some very dark clouds on the western horizon.  The wind gives us a nice push and we sail north on the Neuse River to Goose Creek.  As we enter the creek, the showers start and the Coast Guard is on get that far north today, and the storms are movinf northeast away from us, but we are still getting showers.  As we reach the Pamlico River, the skies brighten a bit and the wind shift to the west and dies down to 5-10 knots.

We anchor in Pungo Creek, just west of Bellhaven, NC, at 5pm as the sky starts to clear.  It turns out to be a lovely evening with a cool dry breeze.  40.5NM 45SM today.  Mile Marker 136.5  35° 30.48’N 076° 39.21’N

Wednesday, May 22, 2013.  Anchor up at 8:15am.  There were 5 boats anchored here last night and we are the last one out.  Wind is SW at 15 and it is beautiful.  Sunny and 70.  We make great time to the Alligator-Pungo Canal.  The canal is much cleaner than when we were going south through here.  At that time is was full of debris from Hurricane Sandy.  We did, however “bump” something.  There was 17 feet of water at the time, so it was probably a sunken log or something.

As we enter the Alligator River, the wind has built to 15-20, but is right on our stern and we make great time to the mouth of the river and through the Alligator River Bridge.  We are in the Alligator River Marina and refueled at 4pm.  We will sit here on the face dock out of the wind this evening and then try to cross Albermarle Sound tomorrow morning.

We met some folks from a couple of different boats at dinner at the café here in the marina.  The was Bob Binge (owner of a recently purchased Symbol trawler, Pendragon, in NC) and his paid captain Pete Peterson.  They are taking the boat north to Sandusky, Ohio.  We also met Tom McGarry, who is single-handing an Ericson 38, Ventrail Magh,  north to the Chesapeake.  He ran hard aground at the dog-leg turn from the Alligator River to Albermarle Sound damaging his rudder.  SeaTow rescued him and then ran his boat into the dock here in the marina damaging his pulpit.  Not his best day on the water.  I had a glass of wine with him this evening.  Nice guy.

Dinner in the restaurant was fried seafood.  Fresh and very good.  This is a nice little marina with fuel, dockage, showers, laundry and a store.  The folks are very helpful.  Reminds me a bit of Coinjock.  A good location if you need to hide after a day on the Sound or the Alligator River. Cheap diesel too!

Click here to see the pictures taken this week 20130523 

52SM, 46NM today.  Mile Marker 84.5  35°54.34N  076°01.76’W

We heard from Autumn Borne and they are in Norfolk.  We also heard from Nite Cap and they should be in Deltaville this evening.

May 17, 2013

Wednesday, May 15, 2013.  Today Jeff drove Lisa and I to Boston so we could fly back to the boat, which is at Barefoot Marina in Myrtle Beach, SC.  The flight was uneventful, uninspiring, boring and no fun, but we arrive in Myrtle Beach on time and safe.  We rented a car and headed to the boat.  Afterward, we went to Dinner at T-Bones and ate off the Happy Hour Menu.  Dinner and beers for both of us for $20.  Hard to beat.

This is Bike Week in Myrtle Beach.  One of three they have every year.  Two are in May, one for whites and one for blacks (segregation is alive and well here). A third one is held in October. Not sure what week this is as we see people of all colors and bikes of all kinds.  Strangely enough, most of the restaurants are not full of bikers – although we have been told that the booths selling beer are doing very well.

Click here for some Bike Week images

Click here for more Bike Week info

Thursday, May 16, 2013.  Today is a work day to get the boat ready for the trip to the Chesapeake.  Installed a new raw water filter for the main engine.  The old one cracked, although not sure how.  Changed the main engine oil and checked everything.  Checked over the generator and it and the main engine both started right up.  Filled up on fuel and water. Made grocery lists and did some route planning.  Dinner on board.

Friday, May 17, 2013.  Grocery shopping and other essentials from Walmart.  Stowed everything, changed the raw water filter element for the air conditioners, and returned the rental car.  Dinner at Dirty Don’s at the marina.  Bar food, but good and it was happy hour so another cheap dinner for two.  Tomorrow, we head north to at least Southport, NC.

We talked with four different marinas in the Chesapeake today.  They all pretty much have similar pricing.  It looks like prices have come down in the last 2-3 years compared to what was/is listed for rates on their websites.  Maybe the economy is helping us out in this effort at least.  We are pretty sure we will leave the boat at Oxford, MD for the summer.  We are familiar with the area and have friends there.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Sunday, April 28, 2013.  Terry (Lisa's first cousin) brought dinner to the boat.  What a nice treat.  Brian and Jennifer's kids came too (Lindsay and Nick) as well as Noah (Terry's son), his fiancee Natalie and their daughter Noel.  A boat full of people.  Very nice.  It was great to be able to visit with all these folks that we have not seen in a while.

Click here for pictures of the cousins

Monday, April 29, 2013.  It is RAINING - coming down sideways.  We are up at six. Packed.  We leave the boat during a break in the rain, have breakfast at Dino's Pancakes, then return the rental car.  Hertz was kind enough to give us a ride to the airport.  There is absolutely nothing enjoyable about air travel any more.  I traveled all over the world and really enjoyed it back in the day.  No one seems to be enjoying it these days, not the passengers, not the airport or airline employees, not the security folks..................................It really is like riding a bus (one of our flights today did not serve anything) - but it is the fastest way to get somewhere (most of the time).  Jeff met us in Boston and we made it home in time for dinner.

We are home for two weeks and then back to the boat and continue the trip northward, probably to Deltaville, VA or Oxford, MD.

Stay tuned.

April 28, 2013

Tuesday, April 23, 2013.  We were off the dock in Beaufort, SC at 6:45am, along with Teri Ann (Mainship 40 Trawler with Al and Teri Jensen), Symmetry (Lagoon 380 Catamaran with Lisa Brooks and Tom Schlagel), Baboo (Island Packet 40 with Cindy Lilly and Bob Wenneson) – and a couple of other boats that we did not see again.  The reason for the early departure was to make the 7am opening of the Ladies Island Bridge.  If you miss that, the bridge does not open again until 9am.  This also allowed us to pass some shallow parts of the ICW with a favorable tide – which we managed to do without touching bottom today.  The skies are PC and it is chilly – about 55 degrees.  We have a couple of layers on and the Mr. Heater keeping the cockpit warm.

About 1 PM, our calculations show that we will not make the opening of the Wappoo Creek Bridge at 3:30pm.  Baboo called the bridge tender, and while the publications say the openings are restricted from 4pm to 6:30pm, they don’t open at 4pm.  The last scheduled opening is at 3:30pm.  They will, however, open the bridge at 6:30pm instead of 7pm.  We slow way down and still get close to the bridge by 4:30pm.  Baboo is anchored alongside the channel and we raft to them for cocktail hour.  At 5:45pm, we break up the party and head for the bridge, along with Symmetry, a Trawler Summker Skis and three other boats. 

At 7:30pm, we finally get the anchor to hold and we are anchored across the channel from the City Marina.  Dinner on board.  Tomorrow, we will leave in time to make the 9am opening of the Ben Sawyer Bridge, which is the other side of Charleston Harbor,  Hopefully, we will make it to Georgetown, SC, tomorrow.

67SM, 53NM today.  32° 46.59’ N  079° 57.23’W.  Mile Marker 469

Wednesday, April 24, 2013.  We have the anchor up at 8:10am and are following Baboo towards the Ben Sawyer Bridge.  Lots of dew last night.  A front went through and it is chilly this morning.  Sunny, no wind. We get to the bridge for the 9am opening and head north.  Baboo is aground at Green Marker 119.  He gets off, but I seem to remember that you are supposed to favor the red side along here.  After checking my chart notes and Active Captain, there are lots of shoals between here and Georgetown, so we will have to be extra diligent. 

By 2pm, the wind has gone SE at 10-15.  We put up a sail and are making 7 knots over the ground, even tho’ the tide is against us.  The horse flies must have hatched out as we have about 30 in the cockpit and are using the fly swatter relentlessly.  They aren’t biting, but there are sure a bunch of them.

We arrive at Hazard Marine in Georgetown, SC, at 5:30pm.  This is the second time we have been in here and both times, they had someone wait for us (they close at 5), help us get tied up, plug in the electric and fuel us.  However, there fuel nozzle, is not set up for a sailboat.  It about a foot long and 1 ½ inches in diameter and pumps 15 gallons a minute.  So we wind up refueling from the jerry cans we carry and refilling those.  The attendant helped with all of this.  Nice tip for him this evening. 

Baboo chose to tie up at the Riverwalk Marina.  The dock they put them on was old and falling apart.  They advertise new floating dock, but a lot of those are “coming by the fall”.  We met Bob and Cindy (Baboo) for dinner at the River Walk.  The food was good, but not cheap.  A nice evening was had by all.

32° 21.65’ N  079° 16.80’W.  67SM, 53NM today.  Mile Marker 403.

Thursday, April 25, 2013.  We are off the dock at 8:20am. Cloudy and sprinkles.  Not as cool as yesterday morning.  Someone said on the trip north, you should stop whenever it gets chilly and let the weather catch up to you.  The tide is helping us this morning, and in fact, helps us all the way to Myrtle Beach.  We get a steady 1 to 1 ½ knot push all the way.  We tie up a Barefoot Marina at 3pm.  We will visit with Lisa’a cousins (Brian, Jennifer and their kids, Lindsay and Nick) and hopefully our concierge doctor Lachland MacKay  and his wife Diane.  Brian is one of the dockmasters here at Barefoot Marina and we will be leaving the boat here to head home for a couple of weeks.  Our Lab has to have surgery and Lisa has some meetings to attend.  We will return on May 15 and continue the trip up to Deltaville, VA, where we plan to leave the boat for the summer.

Lachland has been in the hospital, first with bronchitis, then he had an allergic reaction to some meds, then they found a blockage in one of his arteries and put in 2 stints!  He is home now recovering.  We hope to get to visit.  If not, maybe on the return trip.

At 3:30, Baboo passes by, continuing north.  They are meeting grandkids at Southport.  At 4pm, the clouds thicken and rain begins.  It continues, heavy at times all night.

033° 48.14’ N  078° 44.69’ W.  49SM 36NM today.  Mile Marker 354.

Friday, April 26, 2013. We rent a car for the week-end and drive up to Jennifers house in Calabash, NC, pick up the kids and then dive over to the restaurant she manages for a late lunch (The Boundary House).  I had a BLT and it had the most bacon on it of any I have ever had.  When we get back to the marina, across the ICW at Barefoot Landing is Teri Ann.  We wind up going for an early dinner with them at T-Bonez, where they have cheap drinks and eats 4-7.  They are leaving in the morning headed north.

Saturday, April 27, 2013.  Today was cleaning day.  Rhiannon got a thorough bath, including removal of her moustache (the brown stain on the bow caused by the coffee-colored water of the ICW).  I also changed out a pump in the aft head, as it has gotten to the point where it no longer wants to work.  I changed out the forward one earlier in the week and then rebuilt it to I can use it in the aft head.  I also sprayed the dodger and bimini with 303 fabric protector as the were starting to let water through, especially after the very heavy rains we have had.  I find this need to be done about every 4-6 months.

Lisa and I went over to Barefoot Landing and had dinner at “Smokin Hot Southwestern Grill” – just OK.  Too many other restaurants in the area to go back to this one.  There are lots of ice cream places here also, so we had dessert and then back to the boat.  It is raining again.

Sunday, April 28, 2013.  Laundry day.  Showers ashore.  Clean the inside of the boat.  Terri, another of Lisa’s cousins (Jennifer’s mom) and her son Noah and Lindsay and Nick and Brian are coming to dinner.  Tomorrow morning, we head to the airport early.

 Click here for the latest pictures 20130428

Stay tuned!

Saturday, April 13, 2013.  We leave the dock at Cocoa Village Marine at 8:15am, partly cloudy, wind NW @ 5.  There is a ½ knot current pushing against us.  At 10am the wind is NW 10-12.  At 11:30am, the wind is NW at 15-20.  It pretty much stays NW at 15 all day.  Of course, that is the direction we are traveling.  Stan Hedlund says that no matter what direction you are going on the ICW, the wind will be on your nose.

At 11:50 we have passed Cape Canaveral and approaching the cut through Merritt Island into the Mosquito Lagoon.  Both of these bodies of water are very shallow (2 feet outside the channel) and the water is 86 degrees.  We wonder how warm it will be at the end of the summer.  This is the habitat for the Rosette (Pink) Spoonbill, and we see quite a few in flight.  The small islands just west of Merritt Island are their roosting/nesting places, but they are too far away to get a good camera shot.  More info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseate_Spoonbill

Between Mile Marker 860 and 850, we saw herd of Manatees.  The most we have seen on our trip.

We planned to anchor off the ICW east of Green Marker 47 and Red 48, but it looks as if the entrance to this anchorage is shoaled to the point where you could walk across it.  We continue on.  The free docks at New Smyrna Beach are already taken, so we take a slip at the New Smyrna Beach City Marine.  We are on the dock at 4pm.This is a nice little marina and we have been here before – Mile Marker 246.  51SM, 47NM today.  29° 01.65’ N  080° 55.22’W  Mile Marker 846

Note:  We touched bottom in the channel at Green 39 (where you turn to enter the Marina).

We had dinner on board, then walked into town.  Tonight is old car night. 

 Click here to see the pictures of the New Smyrna Car Night.. 

Sunday, April 14, 2013.  We are off the dock at 8:15am.  It is partly cloudy and the wind is east at 5.  We clear the Coronado Beach Bridge (aka George Mussen Bridge) at 8:40am.  We made the infamous corner where we went aground twice on the trip south .  Last time, we were “advised” to hug the Red 18 buoy – no water there.  This time we stayed just south of the Red/Green 19 and had 7+ feet at mid-tide.  I believe if you go north of this Red/Green buoy, there will be even more water.  We have between ½ and 1 knot of current pushing us this morning – nice.

Clouds built up all afternoon, and by 3:30pm it is raining.  We planned to anchor at Fort Matanzas, but it is starting to rain and the weather service has just issued an tornado and hail warning for this area.  We decide to continue on to St. Augustine (another 14 miles). By the time we reach St. Augustine at 6pm, it is starting to lightning and thunder.  We get tied up to the dock and everything hooked up, when the storm really hits.  Big crashes of thunder and lightning very close by.  We have dinner on board, watch some of the John Adams HBO Special we have on DVD and to be early. The storm continues most of the night.  68SM, 57.9 NM today.  29° 53.52’ N  081° 18.54’ W.  Mile Marker 778.

There is a new dock going in to the north of the current docks which has a 6 foot skirt and will act as a breakwater also.  There are also lots on new mooring, both north of the Bridge of Lions and south of the marina.  The bathrooms and showers have all been redone, also.

Monday, April 15, 2013.  Patriots’ Day in Boston and the Boston Marathon.  The day is clear and beautiful.  Sunny with a cool breeze.  Lisa and I do laundry, some housekeeping, take showers and then go for a walk around this lovely old city.  See pictures.  A guy named Henry Flagler built many of the public building, churches, hotels, and Flagler College.  All we built using poured concrete construction in the Spanish Renaissance style.  Beautiful buildings. In case you don’t know, Flagler was a business associate of John D. Rockefeller and one of the owners of Standard Oil.  He and his wife honeymooned in St Augustine and fell in love with then area.

Click here for some pictures of St. Augustine

We have a wonderful lunch at Harry’s (New Orleans style food).  Now, mostly I find that once you leave New Orleans and especially Louisiana, the “New Orleans Cuisine” is mediocre at best, but this was very good.  I had a shrimp po-boy and gumbo and Lisa had fried eggplant with crab.  MMMMMMM good!

Jeff called with the news of the bombings in Boston.  I guess there are crazy people everywhere, but this is a little close to home.  Maybe we need to re-institute public hangings – or let the families of the victims stone the perpetrators – I’m just saying………….

Jim and Judy Foster (Tug-a-Long) are in Fernandina Beach.  We will try to make it there tomorrow, so we can see them.  Nite Cap is still in Velcro Beach.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013.  We are away from the dock at 8:15am and make the Bridge of Lions opening at 8:30.  We made plans to stop at Jacksonville Beach, because there is no room anywhere in Fernandina Beach because of the Trawler rally.  At 11am, the marina at Fernandina Beach calls and they have a mooring for this evening!  Great!  Hopefully, we will get to hook up with the Fosters!

Shortly after leaving St. Augustine, the fog closes in.  We are in the company of 3 other boats and using the radar for about an hour, we finally break out of the soup.

We arrive in Fernandina Beach at 5:30pm.  The dockmaster has found us a spot on the face dock right behind a small cruise ship.  It makes a nice wind block!  Jim and Judy come by and we wind up going out to dinner at the Salty Pelican.  Good shrimp.  Today has been a long day and we will turn in early.  30° 40.23’ N   081° 27.99’ W   61.5 SM, 49.2NM today. Mile Marker 716.5

Wednesday, April 17, 2013.  We decide to take advantage of the wind and the tides and leave Fernandina Beach at 9:30am.  We tried to connect again with the Fosters, but they are in a group meeting with the Trawler Rally.  Wind is NNE @ 10 and the skies are clear.  We decide to visit Brunswick, GA, and arrive there at 4pm.  It is actually 5 miles west of the ICW up the Brunswick River.  It is supposed to be the best hurricane hole (place to hide from hurricanes) in the southeast.  However, in town is a big plaque with the story of the 1898 hurricane that wiped everything out in the area with a 16 foot storm surge.  The harbor is well protected from the wind, but is open to the south into the      Brunswick River, which is open to the ocean.  The dock hands were less than helpful and the three of them spent most of the time we were there sitting in the office, smoking, and grousing.  The docks look strong, tho’.  Lots of NoSeeums.

We had dinner at Tipsy McSways.  Mostly a bar, but the burgers were good and the beer was $2.  There is also a store in town that makes cup cakes and has ice cream.  The downtown is trying to make a resurgence and there are shops and restaurants to walk to, but anything else requires a car.

We have been crossing paths with Teri Ann a Mainship 40 trawler since we left Cocoa (Teri and Al Jensen, Massapequa, NY).  They are here in Brunswick tonight along with Hooper (their Golden).

31° 09.07’ N  081° 29.99’ W  42.5SM, 35.4NM today.  5 miles west of ICW Mile Marker 680.

Click here for most recent pictures 4/16/13 

Thursday, April 18, 2013.  We leave the dock at 8am.  Although the dockhands are all in the office, they are too busy to help “until later”.  No problem getting off, skies are clear and there is no wind.  There are some shallow area to deal with today.  We managed OK through Buttermilk Sound at 11:30am and then the Little Mud River at 12:45pm.  Both of these on a mid tide that was rising.  The tides are 9 feet through Georgia.  The south end of Althamaha Sound saw only 6.5 feet on the magenta line, but we did not touch.

At 2:20 (Red Marker 153), we see lots of dolphins and a sea turtle.

At 2:57 (Green Marker 143, there are serious whitecaps as the wind builds 15-20.  Sun and clouds.

We decide to visit Kilkenny Marina.  It is at Mile Marker 614, up Kilkenny Creek.  It is supposed to be “rural”, but have a great restaurant and fuel.  We arrive there at 6pm.  The docks are floating docks and there is good protection from the wind.  Quaint would be the description I would use.  They have a small travel lift for launching the locals’ fishing boats and you can buy live shrimp for bait.

We had dinner at the adjacent Marker 107 Restaurant (named for the green ICW marker at the entrance to the creek).  Nice place, excellent food and cheap beer.  The restaurant also has a dock and you can anchor in the creek either above or below the marina.  Plenty of  water.

031° 47.34’ N  081° 12.16’W  73SM, 61.4NM today.  Mile Marker 614.

Friday, April 19, 2013.  We depart Kilkenny Creek at 10:25am.  It is dead low tide, but we hope to catch a rising tide for the remainder of the day.  PC 77 degrees, wind SE @ 10.  The least amount of water we way in Kilkenny Creek was 8 feet at low tide.  Locals told us to stay in the center or just north of the center of the creek. 

At 11;!0am, the wind is S @ 15-20.  At noon, the wind is S @ 20-25.  At 12:45, we pass through Hell Gate and the lowest water we saw was 7.5 feet.  However, it is mid tide.  We saw 4.5 feet through here at dead low tide on the trip south, but we did not touch bottom.  The wind is now gusting to 30.

We arrive in Thunderbolt, GA at 3:15pm.  We have made great time with the wind howling on our stern and a tidal push most of the day. 

We had an early dinner at Tugby’s (one of the two restaurants you can walk to from the waterfront).  $2 beer and free appetizers.  Burgers and fries.  As we leave the restaurant, thunderstorms arrive and we wind up standing under an awning until they pass.  Lisa heads back to the boat and head “two blocks” into town to get some milk and ice cream.  Two blocks is more like 8 and there are no sidewalks in this town, so you walk in the street or through someone’s yard.  There are apricot trees at the marina, so I picked some.  Very sweet.

Morningstar Bahia Blue Marina 32° 01.89’ N  081° 02.89’ W  32SM, 26NM today.  Mile Marker 582.5

Saturday, April 20, 2013.  We are off the dock at 9:00am, as the skies clear.  It has rained hard all night.  That helped wash some of the salt off the boat, but she is in need of a good bath and her water line cleaned.  The bow and the waterline turn brown from the water when traveling the ICW.  Water ever minerals make the water coffee colored, do the same for the boat.

Our raw water strainer is cracked and leaking.  It is heavy plastic material, but I have no idea how it would crack.  We patch it with Llife Caulk (an underwater sealant), and hope it will suffice until we get somewhere where we can replace it.  There is no water pressure per se, so hopefully this will work.

We had the heat on this morning, it is only 58 degrees.  Stan and Judy said sometime you outrun the warmth going north.  I think we did.  We also have the Mr. Heater set up in the cockpit and jeans and jackets on.

At 10:15, we are exiting the ICW into the Savanah River.  A huge container ship crosses in the river just as we get there.  The chart and chart plotter show the channel on the wrong side of the Red Markers.  Make sure you stay to the right of the Reds heading north, regardless of what the electronics tell you.

As we cross the river and turn north into Fields Cut, we run aground and are stuck fast, in the middle of the channel.  It is low tide here, but the charts say there is 7.5 feet of water, but there obviously is not.  Active Captain says to favor the Red Markers, but that didn’t help us.  Luckily, we sit for about half an hour and are floated off.  Do not try this cut at low tide.

At 10:50am, we are exiting the northern end of Fields Cut and run aground again.  Right in the supposed channel.  The deep water is close to the east shore (Green Side).  A large power boat is behind us and we ask hime to pass us with a learge wake to “bounce” us off the shoal.  Normally, you want a slow pass with no wake.  Magic Queen obliges with a large wake and we are free!

At 11:10am as we turn north from the Wright River to the New River at Red 42, the chart and plotter show the magenta line (preferred course) far to the east of the Marker.  Do Not Do That!  The channel is in the middle of the river and there is plenty of water there.  Whoever drew the magenta line through this area must have been in a flat bottom air boat!

\We received a message from Diane MacKay that Lauch went into the hospital with pneumonia or severe bronchitis and then he had an asthma attack as a reaction to one of the meds, then they found an 85% blockage in one of his arteries.  They put in 2 stints and have him on a broad spectrum antibiotic and is now in ICU.  He was one sick puppy.  Lauch was our conceriege doctor when Lisa had her tonsillitis when we were last in Myrtle Beach.

We arrive at Downtown Marina in Beaufort, SC at 4:30pm.  We have dinner at Luthers, a burger and beer joint on the waterfront.  Food was OK, beer was cheap (happy hour) – some places in Georgia and South Carolina have Happy Hour all the time!  Also, Savanah is one of the four areas of the country that allow “take-out” drinks.  New Orleans being another one.

32° 25.79’ N  080° 40.49’ W  46SM 38NM today.  Mile Marker 536.

Sunday, April 21, 2013.  There are high wind advisories posted for this afternoon and tomorrow – 40+ knot wind gusts.  Sustained at 15-25.  We decide to visit Beaufort until Tuesday, when we will head for Charleston. 

Teri Ann arrives and we say hello to Teri and Al and Hooper.  They went to Savanah and tied up to the wall at the river walk there.  They said they got beat up pretty good by the passing ship wakes and today got beat up coming up Port Royal Sound.  They will probably also be here until Tuesday.  Water Music (a Hunter 35) that we have crossed paths with several times is also here hiding from the wind.  The marina is, in fact, full.

Monday, April 22, 2013.  There are still high wind warnings, so most everyone, including us, is staying put until tomorrow.  We hope to get an early start and make it to Charleston.  There are quite a few boats leaving to make the first bridge opening at 7am.  Hopefully, the weather will co-operate.

Click here for pictures of Beaufort, SC

Stay tuned!

April 12, 2013

Monday, April 1, 2013.  April Fools Day.  Our generator is still non-functional.  Today, I called Winter Island Yacht Yard in Salem, MA and talked to Peter and Diane Hayward.  They have taken care of our boats for 25 years now.  Peter thinks it may be a fuel issue and gave me some things to try to narrow down the potential problem.  I also placed calls to Ace Marine in Vero Beach, Jaz Marine in Stewart and Whiticar Marine in Stewart – all Kohler service shops.  If we have to stop in Stewart to get this fixed, then we will.  I checked all the electrical connections and replaced the High Water Sensor (I had a spare).  Nothing seemed to help.  Lisa and I went for a walk on this beautiful beach.  Nice.  Later, we were invited over to Whale’s Way for cocktail hour.  It was a pleasant visit.  Then back to the boat for dinner on board and finally to bed.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013.  I talked to Adolf Ellert at Whiticar this morning.  He seems to be in charge of their service department.  He went over the trouble shooting guide in the Kohler Service Manual with me and then walked me through how to test the 3 sensors which could be telling the generator’s brain (circuit board) that there is an issue and shut down the machine.  Based on what I can tell the sensors are working as they should.  The circuit board looks OK and the proper LEDs light at the appropriate time, but I have no way to really test this circuit board.  The engine throttle is controlled by a “fuel solenoid” which is closing the throttle and that is what shuts down the engine – so that could also be bad.  I will test more later.

At 10am, I bend the messed-up pulpit out of the way enough so that we can get the anchor locker open.  We weigh anchor and head north to Vero Beach.  Sunny, 72°, wind NW @ 8. There is only one bridge today, and it is on request.  The City Marina at Vero Beach is full and they are doubling up boats on the moorings.  We raft up to Torla-O (home port San Francisco) at 4:45pm.  34NM 42SM today.  Vero Beach City Marina 27° 39.56’ N, 080° 22.28’ W  Mile Marker 950.

Tonight, we met folks for Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly, MA at Mulligan’s On The Beach for dinner.  George and Susan Barlow and George’s sister Jody (Precocious) and Stan and Judy Hedlund (Rhumb Runner) who came by land – and Bob and Chesley Logcher (Cygnet) who came by sea.  A good time was had by all.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013.  Stan and Judy now rent a house in Vero for the winter and volunteered that we could have parts shipped to them.  Diane (at Winter Island) shipped us a new circuit board for the generator and it will arrive tomorrow.  Adolf (at Whiticar) doesn’t know what else to check.  Mike, from Jaz, says he can schedule a tech here Monday is we have not fixed the problem by then.  Peter Brocker lives at Vero Marine and came by to look at the generator.  He fixed our outboard for us on our way south and knows quit a bit about diesels.  He disconnected the fuel solenoid and started the engine and it runs fine.  We will have to double check the oil and cooling as with the brain and fuel solenoid disconnected, potentially it could overheat – but it runs fine and generated electricity the way it is supposed to.  So now we know it is a sensor, circuit board, or the fuel solenoid.

We dingied over to Mr. Manatee’s for dinner with Darrell and Ruth (Nite Cap). We are on a mooring at the other end of the harbor).

Thursday, April, 4, 2013.  Every night we hear lots of “clicking” coming through the hull.  Sometimes loud, sometimes not.  We first thought it was the wind generator on the boat we are rafted to.  While “regular”, it is not always the same and sometimes it is heard and other times not. The locals tell us that is the local dolphin pod.  Interestingly, they usually quiet down (or leave?) about bedtime.

We met Stan and Judy, Bob and Chesley and several other couples at Chef Lin’s Asia Buffet for lunch.  Huge buffet.  The food was good and plentiful.  After my “senior discount”, the total bill was $13.50 for both Lisa and I.  It would be twice that for dinner.  Needless to say, the place is always mobbed!

Judy gave me the new circuit board that had been delivered to their house.  After installing and testing the circuits, we try to start the genset.  It immediately shuts down.  Same symptoms.  Aaaaargh!!!!

After placing more calls to Mike and Adolf and Peter, Lisa and I go for a dingy ride up the creeks.  We find a park where you can beach the dingy and then walk over to the ocean beach.  Nice.

At 5pm, it looks like the sky is going to open up, so we duck into the boaters lounge.  There is supposed to be a meet and greet today, but with the weather, we figures it would be cancelled.  But no, everyone shows up and the lounge is crammed.  A couple of guys Jim and Bentley) from the good ship “Salty Paws” pay folk music until 7.  Very enjoyable. 

Friday, April 5, 2013.  I spent the morning going over the generator service manuals one more time.  Is it possible everyone has missed something.  Of course, all this would be easier if the tech were on board, with his tools, all the spares possible, test equipment.  I am certainly a novice and it is very frustrating.  There are two relays, which could conceivable cause the engine to shut down (K20 and K25), or it could be a bad fuel solenoid.  I called Diane and asked her to fedx those parts to me a Stan and Judy’s address.  She found the parts and they are on the way.  I spent a hour or two trying to actually find the relays.  They are located on the control box (with the circuit board), but under a gaggle of wires.

Lisa and I took the free bus to the “Miracle (shopping) Mile.  Met a neat couple on the bus (Jorn and Kat) who had bought a boat in Venezuela and half way home the engine died, so they sailed, were becalmed for 3 days, etc.  And we think we have stories to tell.  We had lunch with them at Panera Bread and then went to the craft store.

Saturday, April 6, 2013.  In the morning, we walked to the beach area where there is a farmer’s market.  No large, but nice selection of fruits, veggies and homemade goods.  We had a deli sandwich at Cravings for lunch.  This place originated in Michigan, where they had one on Mackinaw Island as well as several other waterfront towns.  Now, just the one here on Vero.  Ice Cream, sandwiches, baked goods, soups, candy.  All the necessary food groups.

Lisa and Kathy (from Torla-O) work on some basket weaving in the afternoon.  Stan and Judy delivered the (hopefully last) parts for the generator and I get them installed and everything hooked up.  IT WORKS!  I had ordered 2 relays and a new fuel solenoid.  I replaced one relay (K25) and everything seems to be working as it should.  I don’t know if that relay was THE PROBLEM or the LAST PROBLEM.  I sent thank yous to all who helped and received an email in return from Adolf at Whiticar saying he would refer future Kohler issues to me.

We used the jerry cans to fill the boat with fuel and had dinner on board.

Sunday, April 7, 2013.  This area of Florida still closes on Sunday, so except for grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants and entertainment, most places are closed.  Even some of the restaurants.  We walked to the beach and through town.  Cravings is open, so we bought a couple of loaves of bread (vanilla/cherry and lemon) to take to Nite Cap for dinner this evening.  Cocktails and dinner with Darrel and Ruth and Judy and Tony aboard Nite Cap and then back to the boat.

Monday, April 8, 2013.  Lazy day.  Another dingy ride and a walk into town were the highlights.

Tuesday, April 9, 2012.  Peter Brocker shows up at 8am to clean the bottom before we depart.  Stan and Judy call and would like to have dinner before we leave, but can’t get together until tomorrow evening.  Looks like we are delayed one day.  Dean Perry calls this place “Velcro Beach” because there is so much to do, so many people to do it with, and it is easy to get around.  We are understanding why he calls it “Velco Beach” – hard to tear yourself away!  We walk into town with our rafting buddies Sterling and Kathy and have brunch at Cravings – yes, there are other restaurants in town………………

Sterling and Kathy have a car here and Kathy gives us a ride to Walmart to re-stock the larder.

When Peter cleaned our bottom, he also checked the sacrificial zincs (one on the prop (a MaxProp) and one on the prop shaft).  These get eaten up by electrolysis, which is ever present with boats, marinas and salt water. The 80 degree water makes this worse. The one on the prop is already in trouble although it has only been on the boat a few weeks.  Peter told us to paint around the edges and the screw holes with nail polish as these are the thinnest parts and get corroded away first, then the remaining 90% of the zinc just falls off.  Also, if you drill a small hole in the middle of these zincs, that will expose more of the actual zinc to the water.  See the picture!  Seems to me I remember an email from Dean Perry discussing painting the zincs.  If you have a MaxProp take notice (that is where the zinc I described is located).

Wednesday, April 10, 2013.  Lisa and I take the bus over toward Publix (grocery).  She wants to go to the craft store and I want to go to West Marine.  Although this is one of the smallest West Marine stores, the people in it see to know what they are doing and I always seem to find what I need.  We also visit the Fresh Market for some sea food, lunch at Panera Bread, and buy a couple of things at TJ Max to replace clothes we have ripped, torn or gotten greasy.  I also bought Lisa a shell necklace and earrings.  Back to the boat and Lisa and Kathy are off to the beach and I am working on this blog.  Tonight we have dinner at Bobbie’s (a locals’ favorite) with Stan and Judy and then get the boat ready to depart in the morning.

Jeff calls with disturbing news.  Our Lab has (the doggie equivalent of) a torn ACL.  He has been limping and Jeff took him to the vet today.  The dog will need surgery.  Not a good way to end the day.

Thursday, April 11, 2013.  Instead of getting off the mooring at 7am, as was our plan, we call the vet to find out options.  He can’t schedule the surgery for a week or two, so we will try to get the boat to Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach by the end of April, then fly home for a couple of weeks to deal with the dog issue and the empty rental apartment (which needs work).  Then we will return to the boat and try to get it to Norfolk by June 1, as our insurance requires.

We are off the mooring at 9:15am, stop by Nite Cap on the way out and say we hope to see them in St. Augustine.  The wind is South at 8 knots and it is beautiful.  At 10am the wind is SE @ 15.  At 11am it is SE @ 20-25.  At 3pm, it is SE @ 25-30+.  On our stern all the way to Cocoa.  There were 3 foot rollers in the ICW.  What a sleigh ride!  We arrive at Cocoa Village Marina, snugged down out of the wind, tied to a dock at 5PM.  53 SM  46.6 NM today.  No bridges that had to be opened.  28° 21.44’ N  080° 43.45’ W  Mile Marker 898.

Friday, April 12, 2013.  Instead of leaving this morning to head to New Smyrna Beach, we opted another day in Cocoa,  The weather forecast is for a repeat of yesterday with a few thunderstorms thrown in.  Lisa called George and Bev Major (George was in the Air Force with Lisa’s Dad and is more like an uncle) and she called her Uncle Franny – both live in the Cocoa Area.  We had lunch at Olive Garden with George and Bev and then went shopping at the Ron John Surf Shop – a must do if in Cocoa Beach.  Uncle Franny and his wife Virginia came by the boat for a visit this evening.  A very nice day.  Franny brought Jeff a replica of the hat worn by Chief Oceola of the Seminoles and we promised to get it to him.  Franny is part Abenaki and is really into the Native American history.  He and Bev were both disappointed that Jeff had gone home.

The boat in the slip next door is a 50+ foot steel hull sailboat that someone is rehabilitating.  An osprey has decided that the top of the mizzen mast is a great spot for a nest!  See picture.  Glad it’s not my boat!

Lisa and I walked over to Cocoa Village (like a mini Coconut Grove) and had an ice cream and then back to the boat.  Maybe next trip we will have more time to explore some of the neat shops and restaurants.  We will leave for New Smyrna in the morning weather permitting. 

 Click here for April 12 pictures.

Stay tuned for more!

March 31, 2013 Easter Sunday

Monday, March 25, 2013. Today was a shopping day.  We met Darrell and Ruth at the Galleria Mall and then decided to go to lunch on the beach.  We ate at the Oasis on the beach (where all the booths are large porch swings) and then Darrell and I went to the new West Marine here in Fort Lauderdale.  It is supposed to be the largest West Marine Store and the best stocked.  It is south of town by the airport.  Well, it may be the largest and the best stocked, but………….no lamp oil and no zinc for my MaxProp.  The three cashiers at the front of the store were obviously in training and the customer service reps only knew how to look stuff up online, but did not know what they actually had on the shelves.

Lisa, Jeff and Ruth went to Tommy Bahamas and had much better luck finding what they were shopping for.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013.  Today I took Jeff to the airport.  He is flying home so he can finish his private pilot’s license and get into the summer program at Lakes region Community College.  We will certainly miss him traveling with us.  The boat seems much larger and quieter tonight.  Lisa and I walked into town (Las Olas Street) and then took some pictures along the waterfront. Tonight is car night in Fort Lauderdale.  Some very nice vehicles on display.

One of Lisa's favorite glass artists id Dale Chihuly.  He does amazing things with blown glass.  We saw his exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston in 2011.  One of the ice cream shops here (Sweet Udderances) has several of his chandeliers hanging in their shop.  Apparently, the owner knows Mr. Chihuly.  I am sure the chandeliers are worth as much as the shop.  We also saw some of his art in a shop just down Las Olas from Sweet Udderances. Check out his fabulous works in glass!  http://www.chihuly.com/

Wednesday, March 27, 2013.  The plan is for me to drop off Lisa at hazel’s sister’s house in Boca Raton, where she and Hazel and Hazel’s niece (Darlene) will repaint a bedroom.  While they are doing that, I will drive to Palm Beach and pick up some parts for our winches.  When we arrive at Hazel’s, Darlene comes in from a walk with the dog.  The dog looks like a Manchester Terrier and is barking and growling.  After he settles a bit, they ask Lisa to let the dog smell her hand and he should settle down.  Nope.  Dog latches on the Lisa’s hand and doesn't want to let go.  I guess this had happened before, but not like this.  Hazel is mortified.  Lisa is shocked.  We, obviously, do not stay to paint.  We feel really bad for Hazel – not her dog – her brother’s I think.

So…………off to Florida Rigging for winch parts.  We are met by Peter Linwick, who went over our wish list and offered some other parts we might want to keep aboard. He spent 2 hours with us going over the particulars of the winches we have on board.  In the end, he had every part on the list in stock except of a couple of large Teflon washers.  So, he sent us next door to Sunray Plastics, where we bought a sheet of Teflon to make our own washers.  What a great experience!  If you ever need winch or windlass parts, or service -  email Pete at pete@rigginghydraulics.com    www.rigginghydraulics.com

Thursday, March 28, 2013.  Today is prep day to depart Fort Lauderdale.  Lisa and I took showers, then did laundry, washed the boat, filled water and emptied holding tanks, grocery shopped and turned in the rental car.  We had dinner at the Downtowner.

Friday, March 29, 2013.  Another beautiful day in Florida.  We are off the dock at 8:45am.  We had planned to wait until later in the day, but the tide has eased considerably, so we are off.  The wind is coming out of the NE at 10 knots.  We debate going outside to Lake Worth Inlet, but the wind is supposed to built to 15+ and the waves have not yet settled down from the front that went through on Wednesday.  Today is a bridge day. 19 bridges.  We missed five openings and finally arrive at Lake Worth at 8:30pm.  Lisa made dinner while we were underway, so as soon as the boat is settled, we are in bed.  North Lake Worth (North Palm Beach) 26° 50.23’ N, 42° 13.19’ W.  42.8NM, 53.8SM, 42.8NM today. Mile Marker 1064.

Saturday, March 30, 2013.  We try to start the genset and it does not want to run.  It will start and then it dies.  After several attempts, we give up and start the main engine to charge the batteries.  We are meeting Robert Wyman and his friend Lorain.  Robert and Lisa took a couple of glass carving classes together at Aliento in New Mexico.  He and his friend live in Lake Worth and we meet them for breakfast at Sarah’s Kitchen.  It is on the corner of US1 and A1A behind the shopping center.  Great little place.  Like a diner.  Marvelous!  If you tie up at the bridge at the north end of Lake Worth, it is a 10 minute walk.  After a leisurely breakfast, we went back to the boat and are underway at 12:15pm.

If you look at Lisa’s website, it will give you a better idea about her work in glass.  www.lisajeansglasscreations.com

We arrive at Peck Lake (just south of Stewart) at 5:15pm.  It is a busy place as it is Saturday and the beach (ocean) is just across a narrow strip of land.  Lots of boats, people and partying.  There are pontoon boats which ferry people from the mainland over to the beach.  Today, we negotiated 7 bridges, and only missed one opening.  Peck Lake 27°06.89’ N, 080° 08.61’W.  24SM, 20NM today. Mile Marker 992.

By evening, the wind has switched to the SE and has increased to 18-20.  About 100 yards off our bow are two sportfishing boats rafted (only one has an anchored down and the second boat is tied to the first).  They are doing some serious partying.  By midnight, one of the boats has left and the party is over.  At 12:45am, we hear and feel a large BANG, then another.  When we get on deck, there is a 35 foot sportfishing boat alongside us and drifting aft.  We bang on the hull, yell and scream, and finally wake up the occupants.  They are having a bit of trouble functioning, but finally get their anchor up, which is too small and has no chain to keep it on the bottom.  They drug this anchor a significant way across the lake and were headed north up the ICW.  I tried to get the name and address of the owner and the registration or at least the name of the boat, but there were no numbers or name on the boat – and they took off!  Hit and Run.  Nice.  He banged up our pulpit pretty good (see pictures), but there was a lot of fiberglass on our bow roller, so he had damage too.

Sunday, March 31, 2013.  Easter.  Bent pulpit.  Generator still not working.  No Easter Basket from the Bunny, but a nice day to walk on the beach! There is a trawler anchored close by, so we asked them if they happen to see or hear any of the wreck last night.  He said he heard the commotion, but did not see what happened, nor did he see the boat that hit us.  Oh well.  These folks are George and Martie Aspland on “Whales Way”.  We have drinks with them in the afternoon and find out they have just purchased a condo in Stewart after living on the boat for 14 years!  Nite Cap is in Stewart and we hope to catch up with them soon.  Dinner on board and early to bed after last night’s adventures.

Check out this week's pictures - 20130331