Homeward Bound

Some have asked what we did all winter, and now it's time to leave Miami. Well, we think we have become true Grove-ites, immersed in everyday life with a simple routine. Rick played his banjo(s), I quilted, and we drove to destinations like Key West, Sanibel and Key Largo. Good friends Bill and Laurel were in Florida for two month just an hour south so we saw them a few times. We became members of Fairchild Gardens and enjoyed photography of the new Chihuly installation. And then there were endless boat shows, festivals, art fairs, and quilt shops. Yes, a dozen quilt shops and the Lauderdale Quilt Expo. We caught the Frida Kahlo Exhibit in Lauderdale another time and we ate our way through Sunday's in local restaurants. Need I say, we went to the beaches at least once a week. Once we returned to Miami in the end of January, time flew.

Departure was bittersweet, we were torn between wanting to stay and needing to go- but on March 30 we cast off for home. A weather window opened up and we took the opportunity to leave Dinner Key and head north. We felt we were slightly ahead of the pack but not so early that the Bay would be cold when we arrived. We have family obligations up north, we miss our kids and their families, and it is almost Beach Season in Delaware.

It became apparent that the boat bow was pointed high, that we were overloaded in our stern. Remember all those quilt shops? The spinnaker, extra duffles full of off season clothes and quilt fabric, lots of fabric from each store, are now stowed with the sewing machine in the center of the boat. It appears to have made a significant difference in our getting under bridges.

Tuesday we left Miami through Government Cut to the ocean; we ran in the Gulf Stream on a calm sea, making as much as 9.4 knots. Our destination was Old Port Cove Marina on Lake Worth, Palm Beach, where just slips down we reconnected with the Simons on their beautiful new boat. It was a quick catch up Wednesday morning before we headed back out the Lake Worth inlet and north to Ft. Pierce for an unremarkable day. The Ft Pierce City Marina is greatly expanded but fairly empty right now. We had reservations about this inlet because there is a sunken barge below the surface, but it was easy to traverse, well marked and simple to do. There were fewer boats in this inlet, more courteous and less flashy than our rough exit out of Palm Beach!

On Thursday morning we exited the inlet again and headed to Cape Canaveral inlet. The day was grey and threatening but the rain held off. We were not fans of the Cape Marina but the location allowed us to catch the first bridge opening before the Canaveral Canal Lock that opens on demand. Note we had power trouble here, 135 volts coming into the boat, a situation the staff said they would look into. Bonus, we were treated to a pod of dolphins as we entered the canal, and we locked through with a pair of manatees. It was three days of 1-2 foot waves and no wind, I mean no wind. We were beyond disappointed to not sail as there are days ahead where we will have to motor.

Friday was our first day on the Intercostal Waterway and it was a reminder as to why we have moved to the ocean. It was Good Friday, spring break, the weekend, 85 degrees and anyone who owned a water craft was out, qualified or not. It was also our first day of dreaded bridges. We had two scary moments, the first at the Matanzas River, green marker 81A, where we bumped hard in four feet of water. Then, as winds picked up and rain threatened we approached  the mooring field south of St. Augustine, and we ran out of water! Both times Rick powered off the lumps and we were safe, but we were disappointed not to know about the shoals in advance. Boat US and the Coast Guard were aware of both issues we reported, yet we had not heard of any warnings. We made it to Camachee Cove Marina before the rain hit. The current at low tide rips through there until you get to the marina channel. Good news, no need to wash the boat down as it poured overnight. We borrowed a loaner car, hit a quilt shop and a grocery store before crashing for the night.  Sunday was Easter so we called a cab to take us to the Cathedral of St Augustine and later, brunch at the Floridian (the best!) The cathedral celebrated 132 years in St. Augustine and reopening after a full renovation. It's the oldest parish in the country, founded in 1595. The church was beautiful as was mass.

From St. Augustine we made it all the way to Fernandina Beach, our last stop in Florida. We were in early enough to get to another quilt store and walk around town. (Do you see a pattern here?) The Marina is being dredges so there are few slips to be had right now. We finished Florida in just a week. This morning winds were negligible as we motored out of the St. Marys River inlet, seas were predicted to be 2-4 feet. This twenty mile run felt longer because we had higher waves and fog. The gift of the day, Rick spotted a four foot across sea turtle. By the time we came into St. Simons inlet we were beat, hungry and ready for land. Again, no sailing, but we are in Georgia at Morningside Marina!

A note about the bridges: we have run with tides in our favor very successfully and have only clinked on one bridge. We were pushing our luck and the bridge is a foot low. Looks like our weight redistribution was worth the inconvenience in the salon. We are headed inside now for a week so there's no sailing on the horizon. We are moving daily as insurance against weather that would hold us up. Today we will stay up the Midway River at Sunburry Crab Company. Tomorrow, Hilton Head, totally opposite experiences.

Back in Miami!

Two months on land in Delaware were great. We saw most of our family and wrapped up a final (we hope) "new house" issue. The holidays were lovely, they passed too quickly, but everything does these days. Winter weather threatened but ultimately spared us and before you knew it, the New Year came. We welcomed a new grandson on January 13 and once we met him on January 15, then hit the highway for Miami! 

Three days on the road- ouch. We will retract any complaints about the waterways- just get us out of the car! Our boat was a welcome sight and the first week here in Coconut Grove temps were in the 80s, and we had no complaints. After all, the weather is why we come here, first and foremost. Then there's the proximity to the Bahamas. We spent lazy days on Key Biscayne at the state park the first week, avoiding the South Beach crowds. 

But the fronts that have affected the weather up north are partly responsible for our drop in temps now, though we are not wearing jackets or shoveling snow. We had our first rain today, not bad for three weeks. Our biggest issue has been strong winds. Those winds kept us in our slip in 2012 until April and we hope not to have a repeat season. Some sailors have crossed over, some plan to on Monday, but we think we'll wait until the front cycle, every three days, breaks.  

So what do we do all day? Well, we allow for one maintenance task a day. The boat could be an all day project but we have learned to let go of a lot in favor of being outside. Susan is back to walking daily, and Coconut Grove is a good location to walk everywhere including for groceries. Since we have limited storage, we buy groceries every other day. Again, no complaints, we have a Fresh Market store just past the marina. Susan is quilting daily, too. Rick has a new travel guitar, a small Martin, and he has a rebuilt banjo arriving tomorrow. With these hobbies we have connected with other boaters, and then there always dinners out in the Grove and conversations on the dock to pass the days. 

There is a very active Cruisers Net at 9 AM each morning on our VHS radio. It's full of information and ways to connect with other cruisers in the marina and anchorage. They also share what's going on around town, things for boaters to do, networking of sorts. That's where we learned there was a new Dale Chihuly glass installation at the Fairchild Gardens so we got ourselves over there as quick as possible. Two weeks ago the Gardens hosted a Chocolate Festival, it was 80 degrees out and sunny, perfect for viewing the Chihuly glass. We opted not to bring our camera as it's just too hard to get good shots when there are crowds in the way. We just enjoyed the exhibit but quickly returned midweek to get some photographs. Fairchild offered a class on photographing Chihuly at night so we've signed up for mid -February, we can't wait. The Garden has hosted Chihuly work before but for this exhibit, all the work is new, though if you've seen his work before, it feels familiar. We never tire of Dale Chihuly or the Fairchild Gardens, complete with the butterfly house. 

Monday we drove down to the Biscayne National Park headquarters in Homestead for two purposes. First, there was an exhibit of art quilts focused on our changing planet. Second, we wanted to get a map of places to snorkel, sunken boats and reefs in Key Biscayne Bay. We got our map, some local advice, and enjoyed the free quilt exhibit. The snorkeling will also have to wait for winds to subside. 

This week we will spend two days at the Miami Boat show. A few classes have our interest and we want to see what's new in navigation systems. Promise will be five years old in May so we are curious about things we should replace or upgrade. Then there's always the thrill of new boats! 
 

 

Home in Two States!

Traversing the ICW in Florida became a ho-hum adventure. We love the mansions that dot the shore lines, but when they are set in narrow channels with bulkheads, even our own wake creates a ricochet effect we tired of. Sure we saw "a pony upon a boat" south of Daytona  Beach and dolphins and manatees kept us company, but we grew destination orientated. We spent two nights in Melbourne, Fl, for rain and wind, followed by two nights in New Smyrna Beach. We tried the newly expanded marina in Ft. Pierce, which is where we should have gone outside and blown down to Miami. Instead we opted for a single night in Old Port Cove Marina and Resort in Palm Beach, right on Lake Worth where we have anchored in the past. Nice find, we would recommend it, even if you split your wait time with the Lake. 

From there we made what I consider one of those "I'm not-doing-that-again" decisions. Temperatures were in the high eighties, we couldn't sail any of our old haunts, and we elected to clear the final 22 bridges in ten hours. It would have been a shorter day if two of the bridges had not had mechanical difficulties. Flagler Bridge is now opening only once an hour at quarter past. After an hours wait there, we waited more than an hour for the next bridge to be opened manually and under duress. This waiting always results in us fighting current and trying to hold our position, doing donuts or sailing back up stream and lapping the waterway until the tender says we may pass through. This year we added the stress of paddle boarders crossing the waterway at Boca Resort, a service the resort should not provide! But all ended well, we made Lauderdale by 5:15, had a cheap dinner on A1A across from the beach, and crashed before our last day on the water. This trip it is the admiral who is saying, "No more ICW. Seen it, been there, give me ocean sailing next year." 

Our run to Miami was as uneventful as this whole trip was. Sadly, we had 4-5 knot winds, 4  foot seas and we were forced to motor all the way. The good news is that we were safely  tied in our new slip in Coconut Grove about 1 PM and we were ahead of the cold front expected Friday. We made our November 15 goal by two days and had a safe, simple passage. 

So, from Miami it was a two day drive home to Delaware for family time. It was hard to leave that tropical feel when you knew it will be so cold up north but we will enjoy the family and look forward to Miami after the New Year. Happy holidays to all and best wishes for fair winds and safe crossings to our sailing friends. We will see you in the Bahamas!

An Alligator in Every Pond Before Florida. Mile Marker 803

The original plan for the rest of this trip was modest progress, safe plans, and none of the fatigue or risk that a long day presents. But . . .

Currents were so good we skipped Port Royal and moved to Hilton Head. I know the weather up north is chilling and you've had some rains, we do follow the rest of the country. But our weather has been amazing. We ran the rest of South Carolina and Georgia in the 80s. We broke a 90 degree record in Hilton Head where we took a two day break just because. It was there we began to see alligators sunning themselves, some in the company of turtles, a fact I can't reconcile. We keep an eye open as they sit on the bank with their mouths open, you can't miss them.

We moved to Isle of Hope, Georgia, Sunbury Crab Company, St. Simon and Jekyll Island in successful hops. That required careful planning to make bridges with 6-8 foot tide swings, all successful until that last bridge before St. Simons! You guessed it, no bridge board going south, 63 feet going north. Normally, we would sail for the three hours we needed to wait; this year we had zero wind, but we waited anyhow. We were feeling really good about our transit of Mud River, but this long 11 hour day burst our bubble. Good news, we had a safe face dock, free muffins and a free morning newspaper delivered to the boat at Morning Star for the two day blow (45 mile gusts.) Following the cold front we moved just six miles to Jekyll. Check, safe in skinny water in Jekyll Creek, 7-8 feet at mid-tide on November 2. The state of Georgia, accomplished.

We are beginning to realize we should really keep moving in good weather. Something about the date on the calendar upped our motivation. We ran 59 miles to Fernandina, Florida, then the next day about the same to St. Augustine. We gave up visiting familiar haunts in order to prepare for the next days ahead as we can see weather turning, too. The new experiences here were Nana Theresa's Bakery in Fernandina (amazing!) and Comanche Cove Marina before the Vilano Beach/Uniso Bridge (mile 775) just before St. Augustine (safe in and out so we could wait for better tides in the morning.)

One of our biggest disappointments on this trip is the fact we have made few new friends or cruising companions. We are just enough ahead of the pack that days like today we sailed alone, not a boat ahead of us or behind us. But that's OK, our eyes are on the charts to Miami (just a week away,) Windfinder Pro and the Weather Channel. We can see weather ahead on Sunday so we plan to be in spend two days in Melbourne until it blows out. There is not such a huge tide swing here in the Daytona area (18 inches.) Talk on the dock is that the state of Florida has remeasured all the bridges and they read accurately now. We shall see. Tomorrow we don't leave until noon in order to slip under the next bridge and then run with the ebb tide all the way to New Smyrna. 

Dataw Island, SC,  is a lovely golf community on an old cotton plantation.
The properties, like those on Hilton Head, are dotted with ponds and marshes.
Every pond has a resident alligator. Look hard near the yellow stake.
His close up follows.

Pluff Mud and South Carolina. Mile Marker 521

In the past two weeks we have made short work of North Carolina. There have been a few cold mornings and some wind as little cold fronts have moved through one after another. We love the Waccamaw River and it was the first taste of fall we have seen. We stopped in Georgetown but had to stay at the Georgetown Landing Marina, a bit out of town. It was the weekend of the Wooden Boat Festival so when in Rome . . .

We have a love-hate relationship with South Carolina. Her vistas are beautiful, the food is fabulous in every town, even more than fabulous in Charleston, and the weather is why we head south in the winter. But traveling her waterways can be tricky so the glow wears off the Palmettos as we move down the ICW. It is always more challenging in the fall as the days are so much shorter. One can travel twice as far in a day in the spring. This trip we have learned a few tricks from other cruises to help us feel more favorable about the South Carolina portion of the ICW.

In recent weeks we have taken two day breaks in the likes of Georgetown and Dataw Island, not to mention Charleston. Driving those reservations were the timing of tides and the fact we could not get into our favorite marinas. A new experience for us was to stop in McClellenville, a side creek off the ICW, home to many shrimp boats and little else but the Leland Oil Company, which is where we tied up for the night. It was a Sunday so the only restaurant/fish market was closed. They have three available spots on the fuel dock, if you can get in the creek for skinny water. We made it but did not run the air at night as we felt low tide at midnight would plug up our systems. One other boat left with us at dawn, the third boat left later and was stuck at the mouth of the creek. Our goal was to get through the Breeches Inlet (said to be as low as three feet at low tide) at high tide so we took a slip at Isle of Palms for the night, departing with the right tide at dawn again. What we learned from this trip was to pay the dock fee but only stay the four hours needed to make high tide, getting us to Charleston earlier and avoiding this overnight stop.

It was only eleven miles into Charleston, but we didn't get right in. First of all, we had to stay at the Charleston Maritime Center on the Cooper River with its reputation for a much more rolly ride than if we were on the Ashley River. Then our slip was not empty, like "your room's not ready, sir," so we sailed around for two hours. All's well that ends well, we had three lovely days and nights in Charleston. I can't say the rock and roll was much worse than anywhere else; it was water taxi and tour boat wakes that got us, not the cruise ships or river traffic. The location is very walkable to everything we like in town, including groceries, and we met new sailors and docked next to someone from our home port!

One of our new connections was an experienced cruiser and editor of Cruiser's Net, Larry Dorminy. He suggested that instead of sweating the Asapoo-Coosaw Cutoff which is notorious for shoaling, we turn left/south on the Ashapoo River. Seas were calm, sun was bright and we arrived at Fenwick [Cut] about 2:30 or a couple of hours before low. We motored out and down the Ashepoo in calm seaway, went below the Combahee Bank and across St Helena Sound all the way to green 11 below Pelican Bank and found 25-30 ft of water to turn up Morgan Creek to Dataw Marina. That saved us from having to motor up the ICW and then crossing at Parrot Creek.

There is no wind today but the skies are gorgeous. We have just used the day for chores and to see the golf community here on Dataw by golf cart. Tomorrow we venture to Port Royal Landing south of Beaufort, SC, to stage ourselves for mid-tide on the next bridge. Then its into Hilton Head for two days, and then Georgia.

Before we started cruising we followed the blogs of others who made the trip before us. It has been very helpful. We hope that passing on our experiences is helpful to others as well.

Our traveling companions, a trio of
dolphins in our wake on Morgan Creek.

Our traveling companions on the Ashapoo River;
Note the birds on his rig.

The Spirit of South Carolina
docked at the end of our pier.

The fleet in McClellenville, SC.

Sunset over the fleet

King Tides. Mile Marker 283

Once again, you can't count on good planning to make the day perfect. You must rely on patience and flexibility. Or so we are learning in large measure. 

Yesterday we had to face the Atlantic Bridge just past Morehead City, but facing it meant lapping the ICW for an hour and a quarter until the bridge boards read 64 feet. Why you ask? They call it a King Tide, the highest of the year, compounded with wind driven water. Not wanting to dock in the dark, we shortened our run for the day and tried Casper's Marina in Swansboro. Getting close to the marina was tricky, the channel was full of fishermen in small boats- anchored IN the channel! We were not the first to hail the Coast guard for assistance. A tug and barge preceded us and later we met a power boat captain who said he heard a call on the radio earlier in the day. Once tied up, we walked to town and exhausted it in less than an hour. Back on the boat we spent the night rocking from multiple boats going by or coming and going to fish. The take away here is Casper's is a bargain at a dollar a foot and it breaks up the run to Wrightsville Beach, but you have to "settle" for the night. 

But King Tides need a few days to fall off so today we planned our departure to put us at the Highway Bridge, Mile Marker 252, two hours after high tide. Fate helped us on this one. We were hung up over an hour at the Onslow Swing Bridge, mile 240, due to maintenance. "It'll be just a bit, captain." This was the perfect time for Susan to practice donuts and figure eights, practice waiting for a bridge, and so that's just what we did. Once we reached the Highway Bridge we slid under it at 64 1/2  feet. The down side of this success was that we couldn't make Wrightsville Beach at Seapath before seven or eight o'clock so we tried a new option, Harbour Village Marina at Mile Marker 267. Easy in, nice protection, we expected a good night's sleep before a simple day of two swing bridges into Sea Path at Wrightsville Beach. Tied for favorite thing about today: Harbour Village Marina, or the huge brown bear we saw running through the marshes about noontime. 

We got the sleep we craved, good thing, too. Three hours on the waterway felt much longer today. We had strong winds and our bridge timing was way off. Traffic had been crazy before the Wrightsville Bridge but after that one o'clock opening, hell broke loose! There were three sail and one cruiser under the bridge PLUS at least twenty five small boats, paddle boarders and kaiaks all holding while someone swam across the waterway. Add wind and current and you have a very unsafe situation. The airways were jammed, you couldn't get the Coast Guard to respond and we were really tense. We learned later it was the third annual fundraiser called Swim the Loop (around the island facing our marina.) Thirty minutes later the race ended (apparently this had been going on for hours) and we followed the nonresponsive Coast Guard into our channel and our slip. Enough work for today! No amount of funds could make up for the tragedy that could have happened on the water today. We will protest the poor management of this race on behalf of safe boaters everywhere.

Thank you Beaufort, NC

We sailed into Beaufort a week ago for a two night stay. By now we should have made Charleston, SC, but that wasn't in the cards. Rick's injury turned out to be more serious than we thought so we are still in Beaufort, NC., grateful for all the help we have had here. It's a nice town with restaurants and lots of places to walk (if you are up to it.) We love the boardwalk, the businesses, the gingerbread trimmed house, and of course, the water views. We've enjoyed Beaufort yet again, but it is time to move on!

While we watch the winds and tides in order to leave, we want to thank the men at the Town Dock Marina. They were there when Rick fell off the dock and they've been there with concern and help, not to mention advice and a loaner car for the past week. They are among the best dockhands on the ICW, making this tricky current docking as easy as possible. It's hard to know what to do for medical help in a strange place but we were very lucky here. We highly recommend the Moore Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group in Morehead City as they took good care of Rick and assured us he could travel when he felt up to it.

Beaufort Boardwalk

Shrimp boat returning from
the Blessing of the Fleet
Morehead City Seafood Festival

Town Dock Marina


 









Love this new bsiness in town! So clever,
 everyone raves about the tours.



Rick's Favorite Restaurants
Beaufort Grocery
Blue Moon Bistro