March 16, 2013 to March 31, 2013
Mangrove Cay, Bahamas to Savannah, GA.
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| March 16, 2013 | Mangrove Cay, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| We traveled 80 miles from Guana Cay to Mangrove Cay and anchored, getting ready for the trip to the states on the 17th. On the way we stopped at Green Turtle Cay and stopped by the place Bru and Sandy Brubaker rented for the winter. We picked up some stuff to carry back to the states for them. When we anchored at Mangrove, Carey was driving and I was handling the anchor, as usual. Carey backed down as per our procedure to set the anchor and the chain parted, a weak link snapped, leaving the anchor and 30 feet of anchor chain on the bottom of the water. We are not happy it happed but having the weak link snap while we were both on deck was much better than having this happen at night while we were asleep. We had a spare anchor, in fact two of them. I put the spare anchor on the chain and we were ready for cocktails within 30 minutes of our planned time. | ||
| March 17, 2013 | New Point Cove Marina, Rivera Beach, FL | |
| Three boats, Lady Margaret, Apolonia, and Scot Free were anchored at Mangrove (along with 9 other boats) traveling together to the states. The sunset was beautiful. Scot Free (Rob and Kathy) left at 1 am Sunday and arrived at Lake Worth by noon. Lady Margaret and Apolonia slept the night away and left at 7:30 am for Lake Worth. The seas were mixed and a bit bumpy but not a terrible ride for us. You see Lady Margaret, a 57 foot Jefferson Pilot House boat below and as we passed under the stern of a large merchant. Carey even caught Phil reading a book. At the end of the 52 nautical mile transit from the Bahamas to the states you see pictures of the inlet (Lake Worth inlet) but you will never understand the real action required to get in the inlet until you do it. You also see the weekend crowd playing on Peanut Island that is part of Lake Worth inlet. | ||
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| March 18, 2013 | New Port Cove Marina, Rivera Beach, FL | |
| Got up today after a long night of needed rest. We joined Ken and Peggy in a cab to go to the Customs check in location. After check in was complete we took Ken and Peggy to our favorite pizza place in Florida, Romana's. They have the best New York style pizza. We returned to the boat and Carey did some chores in side and I cleaned the salt off the boat. Later that evening Wayne (Wayne and Francine Ashley are old friends from a boat trip to the Bahamas in 2010) picked us up and took us to his place. We had drinks with Wayne and Francine then went to a very good Asian restaurant for a fantastic meal. We're now on board and getting ready to start our trip up the ICW tomorrow. Below you see Wayne and Francine's dog, Skipper and a view outside their Florida vacation home. | ||
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| March 19, 2013 | Peck Lake Anchorage, FL | |
| The first effort of every morning is turning on the coffee pot. It gets us started in the day. This morning Carey left for a walk with Peggy from Lady Margaret before her coffee, a first. I got the boat ready to depart Lake Worth. Once Carey returned and had her coffee we said goodbye to Ken and Peggy from Lady Margaret and made our way north 22 miles to Peck Lake Anchorage. A quiet anchorage on the ICW and just over a barrier island to the Atlantic Ocean. Tomorrow we'll probably make Fort Pierce. | ||
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| March 20, 2013 | Harbor Town Marina, Fort Pierce, FL | |
| Up late today as we really enjoyed a cool night listening to the Atlantic Ocean waves crash ashore just over the island from our Peck Lake anchorage. We finally got the coffee going after waking from our nice sleep on the futon on the back deck. We made a 30 mile trip to Fort Pierce where we provisioned and purchased some new anchor chain that we had lost at Mangrove Cay. We're going out to dinner tonight and will be underway after adding the new chain to the anchor system on the boat tomorrow morning. We have some strange company on the dock tonight, a sailing catamaran and a power catamarin. | ||
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| March 21, 2013 | Wabasso Bridge anchorage, North of Vero Beach area, FL | |
| We are at a beautiful area as seen below after traveling some miles from Fort Pierce. The charts say 4' of water and we've never stopped but input on Active Captain indicated 12' of water in this area. We stopped and are now anchored in a beautiful spot we found on Active Captain. This morning, before getting underway, I tried adding the new chain I bought at West Marine to our anchor chain. The new chain, a 5/16 inch chain almost identical in dimensions to the chain on the windlass (measured by a caliper) failed to work properly. West Marine was helpful and we tried two other kinds of 5/16 " chain without success. The boat is back to the 70' of chain I had left after the loss in the Bahamas. We'll be able to get a 5 to 1 scope in most areas but this is not enough for really windy conditions. I'll work with the windlass manufacturer to get the right chain to add. Hopefully I can get it fixed but right now it is very frustrating that 5/16' is really not 5/16" when it comes to anchor windlasses. Carey has been cooking Asian roast pork in the crock pot all day so we'll have a fantastic meal before we go to bed tonight. In the morning we'll head out to Titusville, Fl to meet up with Rob and Kathy Laird, from Canada, who we plan to travel with to Savannah, Georgia. | ||
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| March 22, 2013 | Titusville Marina, Titusville, Fl | |
| We were underway from out anchorage for a 65 mile trip to Titusville to meet Rob and Kathy. An easy and almost boring trip up the Florida coast today got us to Titusville at 3 pm. We pulled in to our slip at Titusville, met Bru and Sandy's daughter who picked up some stuff we brought for them from the Bahamas. Later we had drinks and pizza with Rob and Kathy who we will travel with for a while. After pizza we played Farkel and Kathy won the game and got the great honor of wearing the Farkel crown. We will fuel in the morning and head toward Daytona Beach Fl. | ||
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| March 23, 2013 | Seabreeze Bridge anchorage, Daytona Beach, FL | |
| Up at 7 am at Titusville. Rob and Kathy moved to fuel dock first, then got underway towards Daytona Beach. We moved over and fueled up after they left. We caught Scot Free (Rob and Kathy's boat) by 10 am. It was cloudy and rainy all day but really a nice day to travel. At Haul Over Canal we noticed, in the shallows, several guys who put up a sunscreen tent and parked a boat under it. As we passed thru the canal we noticed several people fishing but not as many as we have seen in the past. Must be the cloudy weather. Carey was relaxed as she drove the boat up the ICW and we had a good view of several bridges after we anchored in Daytona Beach. One hour after anchoring we had a thunderstorm with 35+ knot winds. If you have kept up with the blog you know we lost 55 feet of anchor chain and our primary anchor that has not yet been replaced . Well, the expected happened and the anchor dragged a bit. Still very safe we powered up the engines in case of more heavy winds. After the major wind was through we pulled up and reset the anchor in the original spot. We're through with the major wind for the evening but will stay alert. Carey is now fixing a great pork dinner and we're enjoying a cool light wind in the cabin. | ||
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| March 24, 2013 | Marine Land, Florida | |
| Underway at 7:15 am from Daytona we headed south. We decided to stop at Marine Land Marina, a town with the same name as the marina. It was a nice stop that includes a good tie-up on the cement wall with fixed bollards ready to tie to. The dockmaster was the most helpful one we've had on the trip. We were coming in with 20 kts of wind and he explained what we would experience inside the marina. A great help. The marina charges $1 foot and $12 for 50 amp electric. Great price. The laundry was free. They only had one washer and dryer but free is good! Once tied up, we walked on the Atlantic Ocean with Rob and Kathy, had a good lunch at the local food store while enroute to the Ocean and enjoyed a visit to marina land where the dolphins play; see the dophin looking at us from the water. At sunset we sat on an ICW bulkhead pier and toasted the setting sun. Nice stop. We'll be back. And the last row of pictures show one shot of the sunset and an old Navy tug that we noticed on the waterway. | ||
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| March 25, 2013 | St Augustine Municipal Marina, St Augustine, FL | |
| Underway in 15 knots of wind from Marine Land at 7 am heading toward an early arrival at St Augustine. We made it by 10:30 am and worked to get settled in the slip. Winds were up to 25 knots on the ICW. Rob called the marina and worked hard to get us easy to enter slips. It worked and all was well. We were protected by city buildings and were able to drive into the oncoming strong tide. We quickly got moving to take a tour of the city. We enjoyed the tour guides and a favorite spot was the Oak lined avenue we drove under half way through the tour. Later we walked the historic old town streets and had lunch at a great bar on the waterfront. We returned to the marina and noted several more boats had arrived, including one very pretty Midnight Lace cruiser. Rob and Kathy ate dinner on board and Carey and I went to the Bistro de Leon, a French restaurant where we had authentic French steak au poive. A great day. | ||
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| March 26, 2013 | City Marina, Fernandina Beach, FL | |
| We were up early today, but had coffee and took our time getting underway. By 9 am we were heading north toward Fernandina Beach, a 65 mile trip. The winds were less than 15 when we started but by noon the wind was howling at 25 knots. When on the beam we leaned at least 5 degrees. The ICW was just choppy so we continued north. It was a tiring day though, with the high winds and shallow water. We passed one of the worst areas on the ICW just south of Fernandina Beach at -0.2 feet MLW (that means .2 feet below normal low tide). We talked on the VHF radio to Tow Boat US and others traveling the area. Three of them went aground with one requiring Tow Boat US to pull them off. We followed Tow Boat US instructions and made it through without touching bottom, although we saw a couple areas just over 4 feet. At 4 pm we finally arrived at Fernandina Beach City marina and made a landing in 25 knots of wind. A real joy! All ends well that keeps us safe and off the bottom. I guess we would not boat if all was great every day. This was a worry and working day. But it ended well. Off tomorrow for a nice quiet anchorage as the wind is expected to fall off tomorrow afternoon. After tying up and having one stiff drink we walked into town for dinner. Below are two pictures of the main street. | ||
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| March 27, 2013 | City Marina, Fernandina Beach, FL | |
| Up to 40 degree weather and strong winds. We said ... no more on the water until it warms up and the wind slows down. So we stayed put. Carey caught up with inside chores and made a grocery run. A local charter Captain that we moored next to offered his car for Carey and Kathy to use for the grocery run. I finally cleaned the salt off the boat and started work on sanding and varnishing the rails. The wind died down and tomorrow promises to a nice quiet day with temperatures in the mid 60s. Carey and Kathy went walking and shopping in the late afternoon and then Carey fixed she and I a great spaghetti dinner. We enjoyed watching the pelicans fight for the throw aways from the Charter Fishermen as they cleaned fish caught today. One pelican decided to take a break from eating and sat on the bow rails of Apolonia. | ||
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| March 28, 2013 | Walley's Leg Anchorage, Georgia | |
| Eight o'clock and we're getting ready to move north. Rob and Kathy are early risers so were probably getting anxious for Carey and I to start moving. I'd been researching my anchor and anchor chain issue (lost the primary anchor and some chain in the Bahamas when a link snapped). It turns out, after talking to the anchor windlass manufacturer in New Zealand on Skype and thru emails that 3/8" chain (type BBB) should be on the windlass. I've had 5/16 chain for as long as I've owned the boat. Someone changed it and did so incorrectly. I have had some problems in the past with jamming of the chain but it was minor and not a major concern. Crazy but in Titusville a boater was trying to sell 150' of 3/8 BBB chain when we passed by. Ouch. I could have purchased it very cheaply if I had only known. No use worrying over the issue. We'll just move forward looking for the chain that is not easy to find. And it must be tested on the system to ensure it will fit correctly in the anchor locker. Is it too large to fit fully in the locker? That aside, we got underway at 8:30 am. Rob and Kathy moved north and Carey and I stopped at the Florida Petroleum dock to buy diesel, at $3.77 per gallon. At the marina the cost was $4.40. Quite a savings. We then moved north catching Rob and Kathy before traveling the 45 miles to a new anchorage for us at Wally's Leg. We're sitting here quietly tonight on our secondary anchor and 65 foot of chain. Our next major stop is Savannah. We'll decide when we get there sometime soon. The pictures below are of the anhcorage area and Scot Free, Rob and Kathy's boat. | ||
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| March 29, 2013 | Kilkenny Creek Anchorage, Georgia | |
| We seldom get up for sunrise, but we did today. At anchor with Scot Free (Rob and Kathy's boat) on our bow we watched the sun rise with a cup of coffee. We also noticed all the grass floating down the waterway. The tide range here is 8 foot so it comes up a good bit and grabs what ever is on the shore and moves it quickly. With the 8 foot tide the current is very strong in this area, a good 2-3 knots. We finally got underway at 8:30 am and moved 50 ish miles to Kilkenny Creek just off the marina of the same name; note the long face dock of the marina below. After anchoring Carey and I had a drink to relax after a good 7 hours traveling the ICW. Tomorrow is a short trip to Herb River, placing ourselves for a quick trip Sunday morning to downtown Savannah. We're aboard and Carey is fixing a great Mexican meal for us tonight. | ||
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| March 30, 2013 | Herb River, Georgia | |
| No pictures today. We had a leisurely start to the day, getting underway at 8:30 am. We had a short trip of 32 miles to Herb River. From Herb River we will be heading to downtown Savannah, GA Sunday to tour the city. We wanted to be there for one day but get in early so we could have a good full day there. We'll leave here tomorrow morning at 7:30 am and be in Savannah by 10 ish. Herb River anchorage is a great place to stop, just 16 miles from Savannah. This afternoon Carey did some in boat chores and I sanded the wood rails and got a coat of varnish on them before cocktail time. Not a bad day. Carey is fixing Salmon and potatoes for dinner tonight. Rob and Kathy on Scot Free are anchored nearby and the ladies are both ready for Savannah and a good restaurant. The ladies are tired of fixing dinner on board the last three anchorage nights. Last night after dinner the generator, still running to top off the batteries stopped running. It was a broken pump V-belt. Luckily I had a spare and a repair was a simply 15 minutes of work. Tonight the generator is running nicely with its new belt. | ||
| March 31, 2013 | Riverside Market Docks, Savannah, GA | |
| We were underway from Herb River by 7:30 am. We made the 30 mile trip to Savannah (8 miles up the Savannah River from the ICW) and arrived just after 10 am. We are tied up at Riverside Market Docks right alongside the old town Savannah historic district. We saw the river cruises going on and walked the city streets. Kathy and Carey were really having a good time getting off the boat after 3 nights of anchoring. Across the river from our dock is the Westin Inn, a large and fancy hotel. After a great Sunday brunch we boarded the trolley for a tour around the city. Later in the day we walked around and relaxed. In the evening Carey and I went to Boar's Head Tavern for dinner, one of our best meals of the trip. Later, Mark, Carey's son, arrived. He will be traveling back to Virginia with us. We're happy to have him. | ||
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