Dismal Swamp

     We are in Elizabeth City, NC for a couple of days. Rain and forecast wind made us chose this stop. It's Route 2 of the ICW, an alternate route that will take us through the Dismal Swamp Canal. We've never taken this route as it is a little longer and has more locks. But with the wind forecast it is more protected and safer to travel. It is shallower and has overhanging trees so we'll see how it turns out.

     Since our stop in Charleston we've had pretty nice passages. Quiet, not a lot of other northbound traffic. We stopped in North Myrtle Beach to watch the Regional Finals for UConn WBB and we were happy with the results. Then it was on to Carolina Beach to get a mooring so we could rent a car to drive to Nashville, TN to watch the Final Four games in person. About 650 miles each way. Our passage up the Cape Fear River to Carolina Beach was the smoothest, fastest passage we ever had here. Usually it's against the current or wind. Or both. With rain, too. Not this time. Got us worried because it was too easy. Karmic payment often comes down the road.

     The trip to Nashville went well once we swapped out the rental car for one that didn't have a wheel about to wobble off. Carol gets cars and hotel rooms for free but the scalped tickets cost us big bucks. Double face value. We met up with some old friends while there but missed connecting with other UConn fans we know. The biggest event was:

WE WON! UConn WBB are National Champions again!

     Ninth time. We've been present for four of those times. This was our fifth Final Four. We don't always win. The men won also and we enjoyed watching their games in a sports bar with many other loud and crazy UConn fans. A local asked us if we have to take all the championships and, of course, we had to say, "Yes, all for us."

      When we got back to Carolina Beach we had the chance to meet up with some Monitto cousins we rarely see and have dinner with them. Nice to catch up.

     Our passages to here in Elizabeth City went pretty smoothly. The Neuse and Pamlico systems were unusually benign although the Albermarle started to kick up a bit as we were ending our crossing. The wind and seas were behind us so it was okay. I also have to say this is a very friendly and helpful town. Free docking and lots of assistance available at little or no cost.

     Tomorrow we cross into Virginia then it's a couple of (probably) windy rough days up the Chesapeake to a two week stop in Annapolis. We'll be investigating several expensive upgrades to our boat while we're there and planning for our fall southbound trip when we'll have that work done. Maybe.

Charleston. Again

     We are in the middle weekend of a two week work stop (for Carol) at Charleston, SC. Again.

     It's cold but there have been a few nice warm (70s) days here and there but mostly it has been cold since we left Florida. Even before we left Florida.

     The winter in Marathon was the warmest of all our stays so far but the rest of the country, including mainland Florida, has been a little on the cool side. Okay, cold side. A bit snowy, too. Pity.

     We left Marathon at the end of February with 80 degree days and that lasted us only three or four days travel north. We did get some last swimming in at Key Largo, Key Biscayne and Boca Raton. Lake Boca Raton is surprisingly beautiful, with crystal clear water in a landlocked anchorage. We actually don't swim much while in Marathon because the Gulf Stream isn't that close so the water isn't toasty warm. Only 70 or so.

     We only stayed a few nights in Fort Pierce near our friends Mike and Carol as we needed to start pushing north. Top off our supplies, visit, watch UConn WBB and head off. Ft Pierce was the start of the downhill weather pattern. Windy, cold, rainy. It was also the start of our outboard engine issues.

     We anchored in a new spot in the northern Indian River area, short of Titusville, on our way to Daytona then Saint Augustine. We were only in St Auggie one night but got the chance to meet up and have dinner with our good friends from Voyageur, Bob and Jane Fulton. Maybe we'll see them up in New England in the summer. The Daytona stop let us go to a bar we know for WBB.

     You can see how great the weather is here. It got worse.

 

 

     A couple of days of cold, unpleasant weather culminated in a stop at St Mary's, Georgia for part of a day at a marina. Cheap at $1/ft but still, a marina. Gale winds convince us to spend money. After that it was a stop in a new place for us, Kilkenny Creek. A recommendation of Bob Fulton. Not bad but shallow water was quite a ways off the ICW. From there we pushed on right by the Savannah area to Hilton Head Harbor Marina. Not a cheap spot but nowhere nearby to anchor. We got there too late for the basketball game but the next day we were in Factory Creek, Beaufort, SC and were able to walk to a very good Mexican restaurant with many TVs. AAC Champions beating Louisville (again). From there it was a two night stop in Tom's Point Creek. It wasn't a new spot for us but we anchored a mile farther up the creek to get tree protection for near gale winds. All worked out fine and from there it was only a half day to where we are now in the Ashley River, Charleston.

 

     In another week will head off towards Carolina Beach to get a mooring to leave the boat on while we head to Nashville by car for the WBB Final Four. Hoping that the UConn team will be there, too. We've never done this before. Final Fours? Yes. Leaving the boat? No.

 

 

Two photos from the last few days in Marathon. Winter 2014. Sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather

     It's been more than a month since we arrived in Marathon. The most fun we've had is teasing people a little north of here about the weather. OK, a lot north of here.

     The weather has been mostly great. It stayed pretty much in the 80s until well into January. Then a number of fronts (northers) came through bringing wind (from the north) and cooler temps. We've had a couple of days when it barely reached 60 but when this happened in was in the single digits (or less!) back home. Most of the cool days have been in the mid 60s and the nice days are in the 70s. 80s are probably gone for a couple of months. That's quite okay.

     What do we do besides tease our friends? I play softball three times a week. Carol has yoga a few days a week when she is not off working. There's bike riding, dinghy trips to the beach and cruises looking for the manatees. While Heather was here we went to Key West ($1.50 bus ride, 50 miles) and visited the Dolphin Center a little north of here. All this in weather that required long pants or long sleeves for about 5 days in the last 40. And we complained about those 5 days. Ha!

     We have also had mechanics out to the boat to do repairs beyond my 'fix it 'til it's broken' skills. Generator starter, injector pump and heat exchanger repairs. Yanmar starter and alternator repairs, too. Big $$$$ but way cheaper than home taxes, maintenance or repairs. And easier to take than snow shoveling.

     We had the chance to rent a car to go to Cape Coral to visit my 97 year old aunt for a couple of days. We also went to the T A Edison winter home and workshop in nearby Ft Myers.

 

 

     His buddy Henry Ford had the home next door.

     I had to promise my aunt to come back for her 100th birthday party.

     We've got another month to suffer through before we start north again. Maybe we'll go to the Turtle Hospital again. Or Key West. Or the beach. Or the Hurricane Bar. Or our own Tiki Hut for Saturday evening jam sessions. Or - or - or... just can't decide. Too tough.

Marathon

     We are now in Marathon in the Florida Keys. It will be our home for the next two months before we start heading north again.

     I left Fort Pierce on my own a few weeks back. Carol was off at work and was flying back into West Palm Beach. Instead of her getting a shuttle back to Ft Pierce it's easier to bring the boat there to meet her. It went smoothly except for my failure to start the starboard engine. Ahrrrr... more work to be done while in Marathon.

     From West Palm we had a short passage to Lake Boca Raton. This is a very nice anchorage right off the ICW with very clear water and nice scenery. 

     Another planned short day was to Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale. It was good we got there early because it was very crowded. We got the last spot and it was only 1100. Many boats came in over the next two days and left to find room elsewhere. We had planned only one night here but it was very windy and the next passage was going to be offshore to Miami. We cannot go down the ICW to Miami in protected waters because some a**h*les built a bridge with only 56ft clearance instead of the required 65ft. Then obviously someone got a little payoff to let them leave the bridge as is instead of building it properly. Sigh. Florida.

     Because we were in Lauderdale an extra night we were able to watch part of their annual Holiday Boat Parade. Biggest in the world. Too big, actually. And too long. Not to mention very commercial.

     After that the passage to Miami was long (although only 20nm) and had some minor discomfort because of the breeze, which was on the nose, making it a little choppy. Not terrible but not great. We got into No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne but this was very crowded, also. Chatted with some friends on Exuberant that were there, also.

     The next day gave us breezes behind us for a change so we had a nice sail down Biscayne Bay. We got stopped by the USCG for a safety check but once again our VSC* paperwork was good enough to avoid a major safety inspection. We has a bit of a rough night at anchor near Tavernier because the wind refused to shift past north to north-northeast and give us shelter from the waves. Wasn't bad, just was supposed to be great. We were comfortable and alone anyway.

     One last sail offshore with better than forecast conditions brought us to Sisters Creek and Boot Key Harbor. Marathon.

And here we are. Settled in for the winter months. Heather and Luca flew down for the holidays. It has been windy since we got here. And 80 degrees. We can take it. We understand the weather back home has been very cold and snowy. And also very warm. Depending what day or what time it is.

     We want to wish all our friends and families the best holiday season possible. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

     Cleo also gives an enthusiastic hello, too.



*VSC = Vessel Safety Check. Administered by the US Power Squadrons or USCG Auxiliary

Fort Pierce

      We are now in Fort Pierce, Florida. We've been here more than a week but the internet ate my first attempt to update this blog.

      When we left Charleston it was still a little rough out on the ocean so we went down the ICW. We stopped in Bass Creek about half way to Hilton Head. The next day the weather dramatically improved and we were able to head out of St Helena Sound to the ocean. We had a somewhat nice overnight passage to St Augustine, FL. Not great but not bad.

     We got in at 0900 the next morning but couldn't get to the City Marina moorings because the Bridge of Lions Bridge would not be opening due to a 5K Race. It opened at 1030 and we were secure for a nap and lunch by 1100.

     We saw a UConn WBB game on the marina lounge TV and had a little tourism walk.

     The next day we headed south on the ICW and ended up in New Smyrna for one night. Then it was a trip past the Kennedy Space Center to Eau Gallie and the Banana River. We anchor inside the river around from Dragon Point.

     Our last day before Ft Pierce was an adventure. Several thunderstorms crossed the waterway in front of us and we were feeling pretty lucky. Oops. Nope. We got hit by several cells with serious downpours and near zero visibility at times. We got soaked but but we were never in serious danger. OK, maybe a little.

     Since we got to Fort Pierce it's been pretty windy. Not every day but most of them. We were anchored outside of Faber Cove across the Indian River from the Ft Pierce City Marina. Some nights it was pretty rough. After a week the forecast got really bad. Thunderstorms and tornadoes. We decided to go to the marina for a night. It was very tough docking due to the wind and then, of course, the wind died and it got sunny. The day was pretty nice and we got laundry and shopping done. And a little sleep.

     It didn't rain until early in the morning but the marina let us stay until after noon. It was windy again of course.

     This time we went into Faber Cove for the first time. Very calm and comfortable in there, no matter the wind direction and speed. There is a private dock that cruisers have been using but I talked to the supposed owner and he isn't pleased but didn't threaten to call any authorities. We can't find a place to park so we won't be using it much.

     Speaking of parking... we have car to park while we're here. Courtesy of our friends Mike and Carol. Originally from Conn. but now they only have a boat up there.

     Having a car for shopping is a great benefit, one we really appreciate. We also get to have their advice and help with boat issues and several dinners, including Thanksgiving. We had a great Thanksgiving with them, their family and other friends. Much to be thankful for.

       Here are some photos from Ft Pierce. We finally went to the SEAL Museum there.

These are the two Apollo capsules that were used to train the guys who would secure the flotation  collars to the actual Apollo Program capsules when they landed in the ocean after a mission.

 And this is the Medal of Honor memorial.

     The museum covers the entire history of what are now called SEALS, from WW II through the OBL mission and the events depicted in the movie Captain Phillips. 

Charleston

     Back in Charleston. Again.

     We like Charleston but the City Marina is getting less and less friendly. Wanting $5 a day for dinghy access. Threatening to tow away unregistered dinks. We will see if they tow us. Because of this we go into town less. Spend less money, too. On the other hand we have already done most of the tourist stuff over the last few years so it's not a big deal. If they knew we were sneaking into the marina showers they would be upset also.

     We have been here a week already and have two weeks to go. They weather has been terrific but, of course, it's scheduled to turn bad tomorrow. Carol leaves for somewhere on Sunday. I can never remember where she's going until she actually leaves.

     A big event for us is coming up... turning the clocks back one hour. Why is that a bigger deal for us than you? We are up with or before sunrise and in bed shortly after sunset. When we get back underway it means we leave earlier and must be anchored earlier, too. We like the first part but worry a bit about the second part. Running out of daylight on the ICW can be a problem. For some reason there are no highway lights.

We will not know if we get a weather window to go offshore from here or have to take the ICW south. Florida is one day away if we go offshore. Closer to one week away if we stay in the ditch.

How about some photos taken up to now?

Myrtle Beach

     We're at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with our first free internet since we were ashore for maintenance in Pasadena.

     We stop at this marina because it's reasonably priced and we can get fuel and water and nice roomy showers. The restaurant is good, too.

     We had a good Chesapeake Bay passage. After the boat show and Carol's work break we headed to Solomon's Island and had a nice, mostly downwind sail. The next day got us to Virginia (Deltaville) after another nice sail. Pretty unusual.

     It couldn't last. The final passage out of the Chesapeake was just motoring but the good weather continued. We stopped off at Portsmouth for one night to take down our navigation/anchor light at the top of our mast. This lets us get down the ICW with less chance of hitting the fixed bridges. Norfolk/Portsmouth is the actual start of the ICW.

     Our first ICW passage was a little interesting. There was a lot of boat traffic. A lot. It took an hour to get loaded into the Great Bridge Lock. Normally it's 15 minutes in and out. The sailboaters seemed to be afraid to tighten up and get the job done. It's unusual for us to complain about our fellow sailors.

     Crossing Albemarle Sound was not awful. It was 1-2 foot seas following us and for some reason it was a little uncomfortable. More than it should be in those conditions but not awful. We had the genoa out but it was really motoring with sail up instead motorsailing. Or sailing. The Alligator River was pretty smooth so on the whole it wasn't a bad day even though there were some light rain showers.

     The Albemarle and the Pamlico/Neuse passage a day later are very often one of our least favorite passage combinations. Both can be, and have been, very miserable passages. This time the rain was easing out, the clouds were breaking up and the wind was behind us. Seas again were in the 1-2 foot range but much more comfortable with some decent sailing. We ended up in our usual spot in Cedar Creek off of Adams Creek which is just off the Neuse River.

     After that it was a trip past Beaufort, NC to Mile Hammock at Camp LeJeune. These areas of the ICW are narrow and shallow but very protected and flat no matter the wind.

     Next we had a very interesting day. We went to Wrightsville Beach which in itself was not strange. Just recently I had connected with an older, I mean more mature, cousin on Facebook. It turned out she had been living in Wilmington, NC for some time and was just a few miles from where we were. She actually was stopped in the traffic we caused by requesting the bascule bridge opening. She came down to the dinghy dock for a brief visit. We hadn't seen each other in nearly 20 years. Kinda cool.

     A trip down the Cape Fear River wasn't bad considering the forecast and then the passage here was another easy one.

     We are now only two passages from Charleston, SC where we'll stop for a few weeks to allow Carol another work break and me a regular maintenance period. Maybe a little sightseeing will happen, too.