I spent the day today studying the charts for the legs through Georgia and it is going to be like a maze. I put all of the Florida charts away until I send them home from Washington, DC and pick up the new ones for the way north from there. As soon as I turn the corner here I will be in Georgia and the very first river I come to is the St. Mary’s and then with this comes the navy submarine base at Kings Bay if I remember correctly and the set of instructions that goes with it about pleasure boats being so many yards away, etc. All part of our wonderful Homeland Security Department who evidently does not believe the Navy can handle its own affairs. So you have Navy, Coast Guard and Homeland Security running around with shoot to kill orders if you don’t do what they say. Just another part of the adventure is what I say,” bring it on,” I’m as confident as President Bush.
I did twelve blocks of walking today looking around for some things I needed for the boat but never found anything but antique stores and an ice cream store. I should rent a car and drive around before I leave as there is an old plantation I will miss if I don’t. I am having a problem uploading photos as well as the blog for the day, as they keep timing out on Google. I finally have my email functioning again, thanks to the assistance of an Indian woman named Ruby who would not give up. They kept telling me my server was down and I knew that was not the problem. Once I was switched from the new Beta mail on Yahoo to the old Yahoo mail it now works fine or at least it did today. Maybe all the communication problems are solved for now. If you want to get tired just read charts all day.
I slept so well last night that I did not even hear an 80 ft. tugboat tie up at the dock across from me and was getting up to fix breakfast when I heard him back away from the dock. He was very quiet even with the powerful engines. As long as I am warm I am sleeping really well it seems.
We have a sailboat from Portugal across the way getting ready to leave and sail across the Atlantic Ocean. They bought a rickety boat and are trying to make it seaworthy in a few days because there visas run out on Friday and after that they can not set foot on the docks any more. They also recovered a stolen sailboat here at the docks today from Georgia and took the guy into custody who stole it. The owner had reported it about four days ago so the guy didn’t get far.
We will see what tomorrow brings and some rough weather is forecast for up ahead so will probably stay here tomorrow and let that pass. I have the time as I found out from my charts that it is only 140 nautical miles to South Carolina from here or an easy 2 day run or at most 3 lazy days. The herd will be starting north about March 15th from Florida ports south of here and from then on dock space becomes pretty scarce.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
February 27, 2007
Shorty and I moved from San Augustine to Fernandina Beach today which was a trip of 65 statute miles. We are at the dock in Fernandina tonight and may stay another day just so I don't hit the Georgia border before the first of March. After I do the blog tonite I have to change chart books to the one that covers from here to the Chesapeake Bay of the waterway and if I remember right and it is 318 miles of Georgia on the waterway I could be in the Carolina's in six or seven days and I believe that it would still be to cold to be that far north this early. I could back track and go down the St. John's River in Florida but in that area if I am hearing it right on my radio there is a lot of Navy activity going on there and a lot of restricted space. The boat next to me in San Augustine went that way and maybe I can get in contact with them and see what it was like. I sure wish I had another pair of hands and eyes to follow things. The chartplotter can show more area but the detail I need is still better on the paper charts.
The trip today was a very nice and sunny one. North of San Augustine you began to sense a little change in climate. To my eye there were fewer palm trees and more palmetto and hardwood trees. The have a paper mill which is visible from the dock here and I thought I saw many more pine trees today. But the waterway at times was very wide and very deep in places. There were thousands of acres of marsh land and all of the birds that are associated with that habitat and more of those huge white pelicans which always stay outside of the range of my camera. Even at a distance they look as big or bigger than a turkey. We started out early enough today that it was still kind of cool and hazy and it seemed like every blue heron that I saw was sitting with its long neck just curled up on itself and with a very grouchy look. It seemed as though I was in Jacksonville before I even got warmed up. We did it a little different today since we were going to be in a lot more mile wide water than the narrow. I did a little experimenting since the marshes all looked pretty much the same. I increased the speed of the boat to around 3000 rpms and then watched the gas gauge and what I found out was that it was just as efficient as it is running at 1800 rpms. Based on time and mileage we were still getting four miles or better to the gallon. For todays trip I used and estimated 15 gallons of fuel. This means on big water and a good day I can really let it roll. And this was after taking into account all the idle speed areas and the manatee area slowdowns. I have been very pleased with that part of the trip, the economy is really,I think, very good.
I also noticed today that we are more in a working area of the ICW now. There have been more tugs and barges and more commercial facilities for working on them. I expect as the days move forward to see more of this.
Another thing which seemed different today was the enormous numbers of condominiums which Florida seems to be infested with kind of disappeared and a more rural and pristine look to the landscape even around the city of Jacksonville which is on the ICW became the look of the day. Maybe if I had gone into the St. John's River it would have been different. I really wish as I go along I could narrate what I am seeing at the moment. Today in side channels off the waterway I could see the masts of sailboats but not the boat itself as the tide was on the low ebb most of the way. At high tide it would have been a little better but I still don't think you could have seen the whole boat. If you see a sailboat anchored somewhere that definitely means Shorty will fit in there as well. Today there seemed to be more side creeks with deeper water even at low tide.
My plan was to be here in this spot by the first of March and I made it. So I am pretty much on my schedule but I need to slow down again.
The trip today was a very nice and sunny one. North of San Augustine you began to sense a little change in climate. To my eye there were fewer palm trees and more palmetto and hardwood trees. The have a paper mill which is visible from the dock here and I thought I saw many more pine trees today. But the waterway at times was very wide and very deep in places. There were thousands of acres of marsh land and all of the birds that are associated with that habitat and more of those huge white pelicans which always stay outside of the range of my camera. Even at a distance they look as big or bigger than a turkey. We started out early enough today that it was still kind of cool and hazy and it seemed like every blue heron that I saw was sitting with its long neck just curled up on itself and with a very grouchy look. It seemed as though I was in Jacksonville before I even got warmed up. We did it a little different today since we were going to be in a lot more mile wide water than the narrow. I did a little experimenting since the marshes all looked pretty much the same. I increased the speed of the boat to around 3000 rpms and then watched the gas gauge and what I found out was that it was just as efficient as it is running at 1800 rpms. Based on time and mileage we were still getting four miles or better to the gallon. For todays trip I used and estimated 15 gallons of fuel. This means on big water and a good day I can really let it roll. And this was after taking into account all the idle speed areas and the manatee area slowdowns. I have been very pleased with that part of the trip, the economy is really,I think, very good.
I also noticed today that we are more in a working area of the ICW now. There have been more tugs and barges and more commercial facilities for working on them. I expect as the days move forward to see more of this.
Another thing which seemed different today was the enormous numbers of condominiums which Florida seems to be infested with kind of disappeared and a more rural and pristine look to the landscape even around the city of Jacksonville which is on the ICW became the look of the day. Maybe if I had gone into the St. John's River it would have been different. I really wish as I go along I could narrate what I am seeing at the moment. Today in side channels off the waterway I could see the masts of sailboats but not the boat itself as the tide was on the low ebb most of the way. At high tide it would have been a little better but I still don't think you could have seen the whole boat. If you see a sailboat anchored somewhere that definitely means Shorty will fit in there as well. Today there seemed to be more side creeks with deeper water even at low tide.
My plan was to be here in this spot by the first of March and I made it. So I am pretty much on my schedule but I need to slow down again.
Monday, February 26, 2007
February 26, 2007
Today was one of those days again devoted to getting ready to move. The motor got an oil change and a new filter. I washed down the floor in the boat trying to make him look nicer. I did my laundry because you don’t know if the next facility will have a place to do laundry. Marilee will be happy because I couldn’t find a pony tail thing I really liked so instead I got a haircut. So all is well this evening and everyone is excited again about looking at new water and new experiences. It rained this afternoon and just enough to make the humidity come way up and with it out came the bugs. We have a full load of fuel so if she starts in the morning its away we go across the inlet and up to Jacksonville area somewhere. The thunderstorms predicted for yesterday and today didn’t show up which was fine with me, there is another day, another time for it.
Sitting here in the quiet and listening every hour to the bells which toll in the beautiful Catholic Church here in downtown is wonderful. I think I told you about the construction on the old bridge here, well it goes on day and night. So there is lots of noise but not enough to drown out the critters. The boat next to me last nite and myself hear the constant chatter of something down in the water which sounds a lot like Rice Krispies, with the snap, crackle and pop. Only here we get the snap and crackle no pop. It is like something down in the water is munching on your boat bottom day and night because it never stops. I hope they are enjoying the toxic bottom paint or maybe that is what is attracting them. Maybe they are little bugs from inner space or the ocean since it is so near.
This one tonight will be short because I still have the charts to get ready and it is already nine PM. I must make some decisions for tomorrow and write them down so I don’t forget. It will be the 27th and by the 28th my goal is to be in Fernandina Beach on the Georgia border.
Sitting here in the quiet and listening every hour to the bells which toll in the beautiful Catholic Church here in downtown is wonderful. I think I told you about the construction on the old bridge here, well it goes on day and night. So there is lots of noise but not enough to drown out the critters. The boat next to me last nite and myself hear the constant chatter of something down in the water which sounds a lot like Rice Krispies, with the snap, crackle and pop. Only here we get the snap and crackle no pop. It is like something down in the water is munching on your boat bottom day and night because it never stops. I hope they are enjoying the toxic bottom paint or maybe that is what is attracting them. Maybe they are little bugs from inner space or the ocean since it is so near.
This one tonight will be short because I still have the charts to get ready and it is already nine PM. I must make some decisions for tomorrow and write them down so I don’t forget. It will be the 27th and by the 28th my goal is to be in Fernandina Beach on the Georgia border.
February 25, 2007
On Saturday night I was anchored on the north side of the Bridge of Lions in Saint Augustine, Florida. Today they were forecasting severe thunderstorms for the area and it looked like we really might get them. They fortunately slid off to the north of here but I moved around to the south side of the Bridge of Lions to St. Augustine Municipal Marina where I am tied up currently for Sunday. After some checking around I found out that they will service engines at the dock. So tomorrow morning I am having Shorty’s oil and filter changed at 80 hours because after doing some research and talking to more people going north this is the best place to have things like this done. The service store is within walking distance of the docks.
After arranging that and getting a new cellphone as my first one checked out at two months of age I played tourist. Saint Augustine is a beautiful old city to be in if you have to get stuck for a couple of days. I walked as far as I could stand and probably still only saw just half of the things. I am always fascinated by old architecture and the Flagler College, City Hall, Churches and other buildings are there to be toured and investigated. The city was founded or settled by Ponce De Leon and the day before I passed the inlet to the Atlantic which was named after him.
Boating wise yesterday was cleanup day as usual when docked the first thing is to wash the salt off of everything and then polish the stainless steel parts because they start getting rust spots on them. On Monday I have to do some cleaning inside. The floor needs a good scrub down with fresh water after getting salt tracked in on it. Sure glad I don’t have carpet. I just put some water on the floor and then mop it up with a sponge.
I want you to know that the dock people in St. Augustine have been the nicest friendliest and helpful of all so far that I have stayed other than the Jones Dock in Wabasso and in Moore Haven. It’s probably because I am flattered to be called captain all the time. They also have floating docks here because the tide changes from here north become more pronounced and the currents much stronger when they tide is coming in and going out. Sitting here this morning writing and looking out the window you can see it flowing out past the dock. You want to leave here when the water is preferably flowing toward the ocean and continue on north when it is coming in from the ocean. Since that is hard to do you try to catch it when it is ebbing. With powerboats however you just burn a little more fuel and go pretty much when you want, sail would be different unless they are also under power.
After arranging that and getting a new cellphone as my first one checked out at two months of age I played tourist. Saint Augustine is a beautiful old city to be in if you have to get stuck for a couple of days. I walked as far as I could stand and probably still only saw just half of the things. I am always fascinated by old architecture and the Flagler College, City Hall, Churches and other buildings are there to be toured and investigated. The city was founded or settled by Ponce De Leon and the day before I passed the inlet to the Atlantic which was named after him.
Boating wise yesterday was cleanup day as usual when docked the first thing is to wash the salt off of everything and then polish the stainless steel parts because they start getting rust spots on them. On Monday I have to do some cleaning inside. The floor needs a good scrub down with fresh water after getting salt tracked in on it. Sure glad I don’t have carpet. I just put some water on the floor and then mop it up with a sponge.
I want you to know that the dock people in St. Augustine have been the nicest friendliest and helpful of all so far that I have stayed other than the Jones Dock in Wabasso and in Moore Haven. It’s probably because I am flattered to be called captain all the time. They also have floating docks here because the tide changes from here north become more pronounced and the currents much stronger when they tide is coming in and going out. Sitting here this morning writing and looking out the window you can see it flowing out past the dock. You want to leave here when the water is preferably flowing toward the ocean and continue on north when it is coming in from the ocean. Since that is hard to do you try to catch it when it is ebbing. With powerboats however you just burn a little more fuel and go pretty much when you want, sail would be different unless they are also under power.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
February 24, 2007
Last night while I was getting ready to anchor which I do by finding a spot with about five to six feet of water and then circle around it to determine if the level is pretty much the same all over. I noticed that a mega yacht of probably 80 or more feet was coming wide open up the waterway. With my anchor light on I thought surely he will slow down before passing me. I looked over my shoulder and what do I see but the bow wave which looks to be eight high bearing down on me and I am in the position that I am going to surf toward shore which is not good and the other is I could lose control of the boat. In seconds it hit and I found myself going for a ride I won’t forget and the next thing I know I am high and dry on a sand bar a few feet from shore, good news, its sand bad news, how will I ever get off there. Also bad news is that when this happened the motor was running and trying to dig a hole in the sand, this blocked the hole that allows water to continuously cool the engine, so I immediately shut it off. Now I have two things to recover from and at the moment don’t know how to deal with either. I thought of another thing and that was the tide. I got out my computer and checked the tide chart and I am at low tide and that meant that at about 0600 in the morning I would have two and one half more feet of water under. Now I had to worry about the motor situation so out came the book of instructions and it says to flush motor with fresh water and try to run it to see if water pump is still working. Fine idea but I don’t have anything to flush with so I consider calling Boat US for a tow. Next I thought Mike at Three Rivers said if I ever needed help call him and so for one last try before a tow I called Mike. Well if I ever needed his help it was now. He said take the washdown hose and hold it tight against the fitting and turn it on and flush it backwards and see if anything happened and that I could run the motor slow if that didn’t work for a while to get me off the bar and re-anchor in deeper water. I tried it and his genius came through, I guess I didn’t ruin anything and the motor started and the water came flowing out. Oh Lord, was I a relieved man. I can’t thank him enough for his help cause I really was up a creek.
Once I got under way and made sure everything was working okay by going slow for a couple of miles and no weird sounds I started off for the day. Leaving Wilbur-by-the Sea behind and going up the rest of the Halifax River and then across a cut and into the Matanzas River I passed some beautiful areas, some wide areas and some more of the narrow and marshy land which I have grown to like so well. I can see all of the wild life as I go by on one side and on the other the older Florida homes of the past, moss on the trees, etc. I was just really enjoying myself and I look out the back and here comes by the same guy from last night and I swear I am going to go through the same thing again. I went surfing down his wake and I knew it was going to end so I did a quick turn back up and over the wake and guess what it worked, whew, this is hard work. I got a few more like that during the day but survived all and now I am sitting inside the harbor at St. Augustine, Florida right by the fort and just on the north side of the Bridge of Lions which is famous here. Right now it is quiet in the bay and I am close to the streets above me and can see the fort now at night. When it is quiet and nice like this it is really heavenly but all of the other things I put up with during the day, I sometimes wonder if I will see the sunset. But the good of the day overpowers the bad and I give thanks I am still here to continue another day of this great adventure. I’ve seen so much beauty like coming up the Tolmato River in water that was 30 feet deep at times and just a hundred yards away and right on the edge of the channel at times a field of grass filled with herons and egrets that looked like you could reach out and touch them. And those giant white pelicans that I would like to see fly because they just waddle around on land and look so graceful when they fly. I probably have seen more of the backside of America already than all of the driving could ever do. I love to share the richness of the good and take the bad with a grain of salt. From here I can see the train of lights in the water marking the channel out of the inlet at St. Augustine and that would certainly be another adventure waiting for one if you took off for the horizon. This motorcycle week in Daytona and up and down the coast I have been hearing that familiar thunder of a Harley Davidson including that throaty roar. Last night I panicked as I kept hearing this constant roar and then I looked at my map and figured out I was only probably 200 yards from the Atlantic Ocean and that roar was the surf which during the day at one particular point I saw coming higher than the dunes that separated me from the Atlantic
Friday, February 23, 2007
February 23, 2007
It was another fine day on the move today. This time from Titusville to Wilbur By The Sea. It went from the Indian River till now I am in the Halifax River above Ponce De Leon Inlet. Tonight I am anchored in some very shallow water so when I wake up in the morning I could be sitting on the ground so we will see if I can interpret the tide tables right. I just had a big yacht go by full speed and I thought I was going to be on the shore. If I screwed up I will be sitting on the ground at midnight but that is the only way I am going to be sure as to what I am doing. I am where I am because I wanted to get out the Northeast wind which I have been battling all day. I hope tomorrow it will be calmer. The sunshine today was nice and bright.
I started of this morning on the Indian River at Titusville and proceeded to the end of the river at a place called haulover cut which is what it literally is just a ditch between the two rivers with a bridge over it that separates two rivers. Once you cross the cut you are in what is known as Mosquito lagoon which when the wind is from the direction it was today makes it a very rough patch of water to navigate and stay in the channel which is out pretty much in the middle of a body of water at least two miles wide. This is where Shorty got salted and when I say that I mean that salt water is sticky and then turns to crystals and you have to clean the whole boat with fresh water, canvas and all. Even the screen curtains got a salt bath. But by going on rough days when it isn’t too bad I am learning how the boat takes rough water. After Mosquito lagoon you go through an area which is known as the Canaveral Wildlife refuge and it is a bird lovers paradise. I saw so many flocks of different birds that I did not recognize at all that a bird lover would have had a field day. Then when I got into the Halifax River it became like old fashioned Florida, not all the big fancy condos and huge homes but more fishing camps with boats and such that are meant for shallow water, they call them flats boats and you see them poling them across the shallow water with a big long pole and standing on a perch in the back about three feet off of the boat.
But that all ended in New Smyrna Beach Florida where civilization has again taken over and that is why I am tied off next to a mangrove just where civilization ends and nature takes over for a stretch.
I am running on an inverter on my computer so I better not take too long or I may run my batteries down and can’t start my engine if the tide starts to go out radically. I have been out to measure the depth with a pole every half hour to see how much more it has dropped. I may end up having to move the boat after it gets really dark, right now I still have about 18 inches under the hull itself and we are getting ready to peak out and start back to high tide. I will let you know how my experiment goes.
I started of this morning on the Indian River at Titusville and proceeded to the end of the river at a place called haulover cut which is what it literally is just a ditch between the two rivers with a bridge over it that separates two rivers. Once you cross the cut you are in what is known as Mosquito lagoon which when the wind is from the direction it was today makes it a very rough patch of water to navigate and stay in the channel which is out pretty much in the middle of a body of water at least two miles wide. This is where Shorty got salted and when I say that I mean that salt water is sticky and then turns to crystals and you have to clean the whole boat with fresh water, canvas and all. Even the screen curtains got a salt bath. But by going on rough days when it isn’t too bad I am learning how the boat takes rough water. After Mosquito lagoon you go through an area which is known as the Canaveral Wildlife refuge and it is a bird lovers paradise. I saw so many flocks of different birds that I did not recognize at all that a bird lover would have had a field day. Then when I got into the Halifax River it became like old fashioned Florida, not all the big fancy condos and huge homes but more fishing camps with boats and such that are meant for shallow water, they call them flats boats and you see them poling them across the shallow water with a big long pole and standing on a perch in the back about three feet off of the boat.
But that all ended in New Smyrna Beach Florida where civilization has again taken over and that is why I am tied off next to a mangrove just where civilization ends and nature takes over for a stretch.
I am running on an inverter on my computer so I better not take too long or I may run my batteries down and can’t start my engine if the tide starts to go out radically. I have been out to measure the depth with a pole every half hour to see how much more it has dropped. I may end up having to move the boat after it gets really dark, right now I still have about 18 inches under the hull itself and we are getting ready to peak out and start back to high tide. I will let you know how my experiment goes.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
February 22, 2007
As Kevin would say, “I departed my Velcro dock which means that it is just very hard to leave a place that you like.” I said goodbye to Richard and Mary Jones not knowing when or whether I will see them again. At there age time is a precious commodity. Once I left I knew one of the first things I must do is fill up with fuel because I plan to anchor out for a few days. The place I got fuel did not have a waste pumpout so now I need to do that the first chance I get. I made it as far as Titusville today which was a good day. The Indian river widens out after Wabasso and so there is not a great deal to see because at some times it is better than a couple of miles wide. With all that open water today I upped my speed and gained a little on time. Tomorrow I will be in a more restricted channel with more to see. With the wind out of the northwest and pretty strong Shorty has a new coat of salt. The water was very choppy and at times we quartered the waves making the spray come over the boat. We ran for about eight hours and are anchored out in the bay on the waterway at Titusville.
There seemed to be more dolphins in the channel today than prior. I do not know why or what inlets they came in from the ocean. Today also had deeper water most of the way and tonight I am anchored in eight feet of water and hopefully won’t drag my anchor as there are quite a few other boats and sailboats anchored near me.
I am across from Merrit Island and Cape Canaveral tonight. You can see the big preparation building from my anchorage and today I think I could see the Shuttle on the launch pad but it was kind of hazy so maybe it was not. Merritt Island also is a huge wildlife refuge and I saw flights of pelicans all day and they were sitting on the bridge abutments when I went under the bridges. I did not get any photos but tomorrow could be different when the waterway narrows again. They had an announcement on the radio today on CH 16 that you monitor underway that the ship the Sunsation was requesting that everyone be aware that she was leaving port and going to sea. There was not a great deal to report on today as everything was too far away and one had to pay attention to the chartplotter so you did not take off the wrong way. However you would have been pleased today as I did not scratch the boat going in for fuel in a very difficult marina. I sure know how to pick the places to get fuel, but when you need it you got to do it. Sitting here watching the sunset and writing this is making me very sleepy. The fishermen seem to go all night long. You can hear their engines whining in the distance and I am pretty close to a group of crab pots that someone has put out so I imagine in the morning they will be by to get their catch.
There seemed to be more dolphins in the channel today than prior. I do not know why or what inlets they came in from the ocean. Today also had deeper water most of the way and tonight I am anchored in eight feet of water and hopefully won’t drag my anchor as there are quite a few other boats and sailboats anchored near me.
I am across from Merrit Island and Cape Canaveral tonight. You can see the big preparation building from my anchorage and today I think I could see the Shuttle on the launch pad but it was kind of hazy so maybe it was not. Merritt Island also is a huge wildlife refuge and I saw flights of pelicans all day and they were sitting on the bridge abutments when I went under the bridges. I did not get any photos but tomorrow could be different when the waterway narrows again. They had an announcement on the radio today on CH 16 that you monitor underway that the ship the Sunsation was requesting that everyone be aware that she was leaving port and going to sea. There was not a great deal to report on today as everything was too far away and one had to pay attention to the chartplotter so you did not take off the wrong way. However you would have been pleased today as I did not scratch the boat going in for fuel in a very difficult marina. I sure know how to pick the places to get fuel, but when you need it you got to do it. Sitting here watching the sunset and writing this is making me very sleepy. The fishermen seem to go all night long. You can hear their engines whining in the distance and I am pretty close to a group of crab pots that someone has put out so I imagine in the morning they will be by to get their catch.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
February 19, 20, 21
Today’s blog covers three days. They have pretty much been the same. Work on getting the back in shape so that I can go onward. The meds arrived today along with another gentleman who is riding shotgun up by the windshield. We had a nice warm day and immediately this evening the no-see-ums are out in hordes and nothing seems to get rid of them. I have closed everything up since they seem to be able to go right on through window screen, etc. It seems the only thing you can do is just let them land on you and then before they bite you smash them.
Yesterday was different in that we went to Welaka, Florida on the St. John’s river to pick up Kevin’s car that was over there. We now have wheels and today since my meds came we went and did laundry and I stocked the boat with new groceries. In Welaka there is a Maritime Museum which is owned by the man who refurbished and sailed along with his six children a boat called Andante. It was a great lakes fishing boat and they really worked on it for a whole year and the people of Grand Haven, Mich thought he had lost his mind. But it is the story of their adventures on the way to the island of St. Croix in the Carribean where he worked for ten years and then came back to USA. He builds boats to this day in wood using glues and strips of fine lumber which are replicas of the old boats of the past. I sort of overstayed and had to drive part of the way back to Wabasso in the dark which for me was not fun. I found home though even if I didn’t remember all the streets but remembered some of the landmarks as they passed by. You can look on a map and see that we traveled quite a ways to do our deed for the day.
We stopped in Daytona at a boat salvage store and now Shorty has a new set of man size bumpers for the rest of his trip because those that fit nicely into the strorage area just were not holding their own against the walls and piers that Florida has most places. I think I have seen one floating dock to this point and it is one on the Coloosahatchee river where I refueled. They say there are more coming but I doubt it. But we have solved the problem and now when wakes hit him at the dock he just wiggles a lot.
Today we dropped off our rent car and ate breakfast at the airport in Vero Beach. That was a little different way of doing things. Then we took Kevin’s car to the Municipal Marina in Vero Beach where we did laundry and then on the way home stopped and stocked up on groceries for the next move to where I do not know but I think it will be on the hook a little further north. I checked the temperatures and the next few days going north looks okay. I don’t plan on going fast because I still have a few days to go before the first of March. From then on though I am going to have to get it going to make places in the time frame I have set. Tonight was another very pretty sunset and the dolphins were out here snorting and really had some fish cornered and were having a feast. The water today was especially clear and the pelicans were diving and fishing all day long. I wonder if that is some kind of weather omen when they do that.
Today the photo’s finally have a picture of Lucy. She is an old yellow headed female with feathers which when you see them from the top look like they are graying somewhat. The old barn from the last posting has a post that she is usually sitting on when she is not fishing. As Kevin said today this place is one of those that the boaters call a Velcro pier, it is very hard to move on. His next step is the Bahamas in a couple of months. I am going to miss Richard and Mary’s visits and the trips to places to resupply and get other things. They will always remain very special in my heart and I am going to try to stay in touch if possible as I travel. Being in the same place and meeting people for 87 years is truly a feat these days especially when your parents and grandparents before you were also here. They have a neat little second house that is a nice cottage and also has a dock. They are truly a piece of Florida history and a local school teacher who is a friend of theirs is doing a book about the family and when it is published I certainly want to find it and read it. Just think of all the storms and hurricanes this place has weathered over the time that they have lived here. And until Hurricane Gene they always survived intact but this time they lost the orchard that had been there livelihood for all these years.
According to Kevin, parts of the trip coming up do not have good cellphone coverage going north for a ways so the blog may be updated only when I can find the coverage to do so. It does not mean that I have quit writing it just means I have no way of posting it.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
February 17, 18, 2007
Well someone has said that time passes slowly when waiting for something to happen. I am still working on walking as much as possible to help shake my back problem. Kevin gave me a Skipper Bob book on the intracoastal with all sorts of help and advice for where to anchor and where they have free docks, etc. He has traveled the area I am going to be going to and has contributed to the books. The man who originally started the book died this past December and now it will be up to a group of people to maintain his work. It will be difficult as he really did it with lots of detail. I have some more reading in it tomorrow and will start to mark on my charts where some of these things are so I don’t miss out on things. A lot of his advice involves using a dinghy to get to them. Since I don’t have a dinghy I can use a lot of his marina and anchorage advice to save a little money.
It is 7:15 PM and totally dark outside except for a very small crescent moon just about to go below the horizon. The weather today was a very gusty northwest wind, which I timed once at 35 MPH and that kept us pinned against the docks all day long and not just rocking in motion but getting little jolts. And the wind chill ranks right up there with my experiences in Texas. The sunshine felt good if you could find a place out of the wind.
The guys working on the boat next door gave up and drove to Miami to the boat show for the day and if my back had felt better I would have gone with them. Last night about this time a big trawler pulled in for the night. It was a Marine Trader 44 foot and he just missed my bow coming in and then when he got alongside he proceeded to back up into my boat. The anchor hit his dinghy and he stretched my lines so hard that when I told him to move it forward about four feet the line just went zing and the boat sprang forward enough to hit him again but then settled back where it was about 3 feet from him. You can imagine that whenever I slightly woke up last night I would check where he was because of the howling wind and then this morning we got showers to go with it until it cleared off at noon. And then he ran an ordinary electric cord out the boat door for his space heater and oops, there went everyone’s electricity for the night if they used it for heat. That is where my diesel heater comes into its own and does not need the electricity at 110 just uses 12v off of the batteries as long as you have them charged.
Friday, February 16, 2007
February 16, 2007
Not much going on here just waiting. The weather finally cleared off today from the gloomy grey stuff and the high winds kind of died off for a while but they are now coming back again tonight with a vengeance. I had to remove the flags from the front of the bow today as the wind was starting to fray them a little and I wanted to save them for the trip.
We had a little mix up on my medicine which was coming here and now will have to wait until possibly Wednesday of next week. Richard said that was okay, just give us more time to tell lies to each other. Kevin on the trawler behind me, brought me some wonderful pea soup and a hunk of french bread which was really a nice meal for the cold night to come. As I write this I have my heater fired up because when the sun went down it was just like minutes before it became cold in here. I can tell there is not much insulation. The only difference is the floor of the boat is actually warmer than the walls because the water controls that temperature and the hull below the water is warmer than the outside air. The few boats that went by today were cold also and you could hardly find the people they were hiding to get out of the cold northwest wind. This must be summer for the Canadians as they were all out walking in there shorts and windbreakers and we were huddled up. I even had my funny suit on today which is what I call my sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt. If I didn't have my sleeping bag it would be tough living. So today was not a day to do any prep outside on the boat but it is now pretty much ready just waiting to go.
We had a little mix up on my medicine which was coming here and now will have to wait until possibly Wednesday of next week. Richard said that was okay, just give us more time to tell lies to each other. Kevin on the trawler behind me, brought me some wonderful pea soup and a hunk of french bread which was really a nice meal for the cold night to come. As I write this I have my heater fired up because when the sun went down it was just like minutes before it became cold in here. I can tell there is not much insulation. The only difference is the floor of the boat is actually warmer than the walls because the water controls that temperature and the hull below the water is warmer than the outside air. The few boats that went by today were cold also and you could hardly find the people they were hiding to get out of the cold northwest wind. This must be summer for the Canadians as they were all out walking in there shorts and windbreakers and we were huddled up. I even had my funny suit on today which is what I call my sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt. If I didn't have my sleeping bag it would be tough living. So today was not a day to do any prep outside on the boat but it is now pretty much ready just waiting to go.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
February 15, 2007
I think Richard may be putting in adoption papers on me. I have been here so long but it is still to cold to go north. Tonight the cold air has finally caught up with me down here. They have been forecasting it. It has been showering off and on during the day. It feels like the wind has turned to the North after dark and it is chilly enough I may have to turn on the heater. I have now gone to diesel and the heater works fine and it seems to have a unique way of doing away with the smell though I am not positive I know how it does it.
I went to the grocery store today with Richard and Mary to get a few things. I am now stocked up pretty well on everything and when the front passes I think I will start north. I was joined tonight by a trawler which came from the St. John’s river area and he said that it is a good place to go and either anchor out or use city marina’s this time of year and that it is really more like old Florida country used to be.. By that he meant not all the flash and dash and more like it is here at the Joneses dock. Very quiet and a nice more rural atmosphere so I think I am going to go up and check it out on my way to Georgia. I am a mangrove type of person. I enjoy sitting here watching the wildlife carry on each day. Today, I think Lucy was trying to put me on. She lit right next to the boat and just paddled about merely ten feet away. I think she knew the camera was on the table and not in my pocket. I slowly got up and walked inside the cabin and got the camera and sat back down. Slowly I brought it up to eye level and got ready to snap her picture and there she went, just flew off. Oh Well maybe she will try again. I know she knew I didn’t have it on me, what do you think? There was a group of birds I think were crows in the grove near me. They seemed to be talking to one another. But one raucous one seemed to have a cold or something because it was saying something like, “Aw thit” to the others when they were talking. I thought first it might be a parrot talking about the coming weather cause that’s what I thought too, gray day and showering rain off and on. I know that you are probably wondering what I am drinking when the birds began to talk. I am off of coffee and drinking water so blame it on the Florida water.
Other than talking birds there has not been much going on here today and I don’t blame anybody for not traveling. The only boats that went by today seemed like they were in cocoons and wishing that the sun would come out. The sailors looked like they had all the clothes they could find on today on the open sailboats and the powerboats had everything closed up unlike a day or so ago when all was open and they were in short sleeves. But the grey day should give way tomorrow to cold but sunshiny weather or at least one can hope it will. The sleeping bag will feel good tonight. The best part of today was the mosquitoes and no-see-ums also took the day off as well. Always a silver lining if you dig deep enough.
I went to the grocery store today with Richard and Mary to get a few things. I am now stocked up pretty well on everything and when the front passes I think I will start north. I was joined tonight by a trawler which came from the St. John’s river area and he said that it is a good place to go and either anchor out or use city marina’s this time of year and that it is really more like old Florida country used to be.. By that he meant not all the flash and dash and more like it is here at the Joneses dock. Very quiet and a nice more rural atmosphere so I think I am going to go up and check it out on my way to Georgia. I am a mangrove type of person. I enjoy sitting here watching the wildlife carry on each day. Today, I think Lucy was trying to put me on. She lit right next to the boat and just paddled about merely ten feet away. I think she knew the camera was on the table and not in my pocket. I slowly got up and walked inside the cabin and got the camera and sat back down. Slowly I brought it up to eye level and got ready to snap her picture and there she went, just flew off. Oh Well maybe she will try again. I know she knew I didn’t have it on me, what do you think? There was a group of birds I think were crows in the grove near me. They seemed to be talking to one another. But one raucous one seemed to have a cold or something because it was saying something like, “Aw thit” to the others when they were talking. I thought first it might be a parrot talking about the coming weather cause that’s what I thought too, gray day and showering rain off and on. I know that you are probably wondering what I am drinking when the birds began to talk. I am off of coffee and drinking water so blame it on the Florida water.
Other than talking birds there has not been much going on here today and I don’t blame anybody for not traveling. The only boats that went by today seemed like they were in cocoons and wishing that the sun would come out. The sailors looked like they had all the clothes they could find on today on the open sailboats and the powerboats had everything closed up unlike a day or so ago when all was open and they were in short sleeves. But the grey day should give way tomorrow to cold but sunshiny weather or at least one can hope it will. The sleeping bag will feel good tonight. The best part of today was the mosquitoes and no-see-ums also took the day off as well. Always a silver lining if you dig deep enough.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
February 14, 2007
Today was very windy all day coming mostly out of the west and west northwest. This means that the colder weather is getting closer. The sunset right now is another of the absolutely gorgeous ones. All of the birds are going about their last searches for the day. The osprey’s and the chicks seem to be all right. The dolphins just made their pass through. The only one I haven’t seen much of is Lucy the pelican. Today since it was so extremely windy, waves white capping in the quarter mile across the waterway at times. Most of the pelicans were working the shoreline looking for there meal. The best thing about the wind is it also seems to keep the no-see-ums and the mosquitoes at home also. At least I haven’t felt any more new welts come up anywhere from them. The sun just has set here and there seems to be a chill wind now. I have closed the windows to keep some of the sun’s warmth in here as long as possible. About half and hour before sunset a flock of white pelicans lit on the water across from me. They seem to be much larger than the brown pelicans. They were preening themselves in the shallow water over there and some slipped away to do a little fishing in and around the mangroves.
Other than that it was a very quiet day. Not many boats went by, a few fisherman, and a few cruisers probably less than ten the whole day. I am still trying to get my back to shape up and at times it feels better and others I am still stooped over. I hope to start north for new territory on Friday or Saturday even if it means it will be a little colder. I got more diesel fuel for my heater yesterday and put it in the container today so I am ready for the colder weather.
I spent some of the afternoon visiting with the Joneses some more. It is so interesting to me to listen to the history of the area from a man who has lived in the same place for 87 years of his life. You really find out about all of the different people who have lived here and are now gone and people who owned property in this small town, some of them very wealthy and some of them more middle class. Now this area seems to be progressing from the rural to an urban area faster than most want it to. When we drive by some of the houses you find that some people are only here for the winter and some of them have owned property here and never even come down, it is just another house they own somewhere. From the looks of things in the first 400 miles it seems that it is going to take very little time to become a nation of have’s and have nots with not much left in the middle. But the biggest worry to me is that areas like the one across the waterway, the mangrove islands and the wooded and the swampy areas will all be gone and all we can see of an area like I am in is the three car length width of public beach that is available to the area. One of the reasons for making the trip is to view those areas and photograph them and show all of the beauty that will shortly be gone from view to anyone
February 13, 2007
Shorty and I just had our first severe thunderstorm and we did okay. The boat tied up with me here tonight has the wind instrument and he said the winds topped out at 60 kts. I know that I could just barely see the boat which is 20 feet away from me. If I had been out in it I would have just dropped anchor and hoped that the line did not tear apart while it lasted. The storm lasted like thunderstorms usually do; probably thirty or forty minutes just before 5:30 PM tonight. After the storm it was just like in Texas, that really intense but gorgeous sunset. It is like Mother Nature saying, “ Look, I am in control here and if I want to be really nasty I will but then I can purr like a kitten afterward. Shorty is now officially salt free after that super shower.
The fellow who goes fishing every night in the canoe almost did not make it back to shore over here before the storm hit. I saw him sneak past my bow just seconds before the rain hit. The state Law Enforcement boat offered to pick him up but he said no he was alright and he would make it to shore.
There is a boat in front of me tonight. It is another 48 foot Kadey-Krogen whale back which came in after the storm. They call those boats whale backs because they have such a high bow and then the stern of the boat arches upward and they are somewhat rounded off. The living quarters are all on one level which makes it nice but you have to climb up to the pilot house from they have a beautiful view of what is going on. They said the the storm did not bother them much just sort of wiggled them around a little bit. It certainly wiggled me around a lot but just before the storm hit I set out a stern anchor which helped keep the boat off of the dock face I am next too.
I kept looking through the binoculars to see how the Osprey’s in their tree top nest across from me fared during the storm because I had not heard the chicks who are always raising such a fuss all the time during the day yelling for more food. I heard the parents calling but I have not heard the chicks. I hope they are okay. Lucy, the pelican also did not make her usual sundown passes. I imagine she holed up somewhere and will be back in the morning. I just heard the dolphins go by a little bit ago as they are not affected by all this on the surface.
Been checking the weather and it is still forecasting that it will be in the 30’s in a day or so. I went to town and got some diesel fuel for the heater today thanks to Gary who gave me the ride. I did some more inside cleaning today and Mother Nature completed the outside for free. I think some days that not only am I shedding but the clothes I am wearing are also shedding. It is too early for spring, so we better both hang on to everything we got. I met some more people today from the neighborhood and Richard introduced me to some of his friends. Two of them were boat captains all their lives and stopped by on their way driving south.
Not too much action on the waterway today most people I think were heeding the weather forecast and staying put if they did not have a boat capable of handling the weather which was coming late in the day.
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