2 - 16 March 2006
Georgetown, SC to Lake Worth, FL
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| 2 Mar | Georgetown, SC | We rented a car and drove to the boat in Georgetown, SC on Wednesday 1 March, preparing for the start of the trip to the Bahamas 2 March. Up early to get underway, but listening to the weather report forecasting 35 knots of wind as we had morning coffee convinced us to stay in Georgetown today. We completed some boat tasks scheduled for later in the week; buying fresh vegetables, installing a new dinghy propeller, and storing gear. As the day wore on and the wind increased we were happy to watch the weather front pass while tied to the dock. | ||
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| 3 Mar | Price Creek, SC | Underway at 0900 on a windy and sunny day. We all settled in, even Sophie on her front deck carpet. The views were beautiful. We only met a couple of boats on the waterway so we enjoyed the waterway mostly by ourselves. We anchored in Price Creek and used the dinghy to go out the creek to the Atlantic and its beaches, then returned to watch a glorious sunset. |  |
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| 4 Mar | Fishing Creek, SC | Cool morning but no frost on the windows. The coffee helped start the day. After raising the dinghy and anchor we traveled 52 easy piloting miles to Fishing Creek. A close look at the picture below left shows the mud flats that are uncovered with a 8 foot tidal range which means water level changes over 1 foot per hour. The current is strong. Large homes crowded the waterway in this area, but we enjoyed the early afternoon anchorage at Fishing Creek where we relaxed and read until sundown. | ||
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| 5 Mar | Isle of Hope Marina, GA | Finally in Georgia. Underway at 8 am from Fishing Creek, we hoisted the dinghy early and moved smartly south. It was a great steaming day and we moved 90 miles to Isle of Hope Marina in Georgia. There was a lot of open bays and rivers where the recently fixed trim tabs allowed us to travel at 17 miles per hour, real speedy for us. With the speed we moored at Isle of Hope Marina by 5 pm, our first marina stop of the trip. We filled the water and fuel tanks and enjoyed a great prime rib and oyster sandwich at a local watering hole. The only negative was that you can't buy wine on Sunday in this county of Georgia. Well, we'll go back early tomorrow. | ||
| 6 Mar | Duplin River, GA | Last evening Carey relaxed, with eyes closed in picture at right. Up early though and back to the store for the wine they would not sell us last night. An easy 60 miles today to an anchorage in the Duplin River with trees to protect us from high winds forecast for tonight and tomorrow. We were joined by a 50 foot trawler shortly after we put down our anchor. |  |
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| 7 Mar | Duplin River, GA | A cold front was promised today with over 30 knots of wind so we stayed put, enjoying a very relaxing day doing a few chores. We took the dinghy over to Sapelo Island where the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve is located. Carey was thrilled to find herself in the middle of a research area. We walked around enjoying the low country of Georgia, then returned to the boat for a quiet evening. |
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| 8 Mar | Fernandina Beach, FL | Fog early this morning allowed us to drink that second cup of coffee after a dinghy ride into Sapelo Island. Underway by 8:30 am as the fog cleared, we had a slow and careful trip down the last part of the Georgia ICW. We were traveling on a falling and low tide through some very shallow water. It kept us on our toes. After lunch the tide started to rise and the waterway opened up and we had a pleasant afternoon trip into Fernandina Beach, which was busy with medium size tankers. During the afternoon walk in town Carey found a pirate to look up to as I drooled over the 427 Cobra that was for sale. | ||
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| 9 Mar | St Augustine, FL | Underway at 8:15 we headed for St Augustine. The Coast Guard slowed us down as we were picked for a random inspection along the way. We passed! In the morning we traveled shallow water on a falling tide so we focused on navigation. In the afternoon we paid attention to the 20 to 25 knots of wind that was blowing over the land and water, but enjoyed plenty of water in the waterway. Along the way Carey was talking about finding a nice little cottage on the water. I suggested the place in the picture below at left; she wasn't excited. Despite the windy day there were many boats on the water, including the beautiful Trumpy below right. We arrived in St Augustine at 4 pm, then enjoyed a great dinner at a local restaurant. | ||
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| 10 Mar | Palm Coast Marina, FL | It is getting warmer. We woke to sunshine and pleasant temperatures. After coffee, we walked around St Augustine buying a few needed items, did the dreaded laundry, and washed the boat. Underway at noon, we moved slowly down the waterway and decided to stop at Palm Coast Marina about 3 pm. The homes along the waterway are huge. We are now relaxing, reading, and enjoying a beautiful afternoon. |
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| 11 Mar | Daytona Beach, FL | Up late today, we walked into a European Village near Palm Coat to a resort for breakfast; Asparagus Milanese and Eggs Florentine were quite the treat. Later we caught up with friends on the phone as we cruised along enjoying homes and scenery on the waterway and the unfortunate sail boater who was aground, running engines and raising sails to get off a shoal. In the meantime, we're passing huge houses with elaborate piers, wondering where all the money came from and why would they are built so close together? Twenty feet between them! |
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| 12 Mar | Cocoa Beach, FL | Underway at 8 am for a 70 mile trip to Cocoa Beach. The majority of the trip today was by small homes and travel trailers on the water. Several areas we encountered had small canals off the waterway that snaked through the land and nice vacation homes. There were a lot of fishing boats and fishing going on. For about 30 minutes we had two dolphins traveling alongside at 9 mph. They were having as much fun as we were. We anchored near Cocoa Beach at 5 pm and settled in for the evening with a cold Manhattan. | ||
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| 13 Mar | Fort Pierce, FL | Underway at 7:30 with the tide we made great time moving 68 miles to Fort Pierce, arriving at 2:30 pm in 20 knots of wind. Luckily the marina provided some wind protection and we were quickly tied up. Tom and Bonnie came by for drinks and we had a great meal at a local restaurant. The travel today was easy but breezy, and we passed by one unlucky sailboat who let the wind and tide push him aground outside the channel. The channel was too narrow for us or other passing trawlers to help him out. He and his mate were busily working to kedge an anchor to get off the sand. And this being Florida, we again were astounded at the huge homes built along the waterway. |
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| 14-15 Mar | Fort Pierce, FL | High winds and a serious problem with the forward head require a longer stay in Ft. Pierce; the head pump motor is not working properly. After a day's hard work, Tom and Bonnie entertained us and other former Aquia Harbor friends for the evening. Wednesday was another windy day, so heavy maintenance and monitoring weather forecasts, and looking for favorable conditions for the crossing to the Bahamas preoccupied us. Looks like there may be a possible window on Friday or Saturday, so we will have to hustle down to Lake Worth to await the crossing. |
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| 16 Mar | Old Port Cove Marina, Lake Worth, FL | After fueling at Fort Piece we made the 48 mile trip to Lake Worth. The weather forecast is fair to good for the trip to the West End, Bahamas so we'll be up at 6 am tomorrow and try our luck. If the seas are calm, we'll be gone to the Bahamas. We're hoping, but if the seas are not good we'll come back to Lake Worth and anchor until the weather is right. Three sailboats are leaving between midnight and 4 am so we'll have company if we go. After mooring this evening I installed the new forward head pump motor which arrived as promised at the Marina from Raritan. Everything is working again. | ||
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