Week 39 ~Thunderbolt, GA to St John’s (with a stop in New Jersey for the Memorial Day Weekend)

Sunday, 5/21/23 ~ Thunderbolt to Beauford, SC
Today:           47 miles          8.1 hours          S/M 536.3
Total:        1341.3 miles      255.9 hours
 

   We were up and out by 8am. The temps were in the high 60s and the clouds were rolling in. The Causton Bluff’s new bridge is in operation. The old, broken bridge is still not completely open. The northwestern span is only 80% up. Caution is still necessary when passing through. By the time we were at the Savanah River, we could see the rains around us. We had gone a mile or so further before we were thankful for the enclosure. The heavens opened up. It caught a number of weekend fishermen / boaters in the open console boats. By the time we were by Skull Creek, the rain had stopped, and the skies were lightening.

 

  

Tillie on watch approaching the Causton Bluff Bridge 

Old bridge not fully in the up position and an osprey took advantage to build her nest.

Homes near the Bridge & a Southern Magnolia in bloom

 

Views approaching the Savanah River

 

 

South and North land points on the ICW crossing the Savanah River 

 

Red 48 close to shore, but in the deep water & the rains came

     We were tied up in Beauford around 4ish. After dinner, we walked with Tillie over to Killian’s for ice cream. She walked terribly, but we still got her a cake cone since she can’t have dairy. Once back, we read for a while before heading to bed, even though the skies were still light. Tomorrow will be a long day.

Monday, 5/22/23 ~ Beauford to St. John’s, SC ~ for 11 Days
Today:         63 miles          10.5 hours          S/M 472.6
Total:      1404.3 miles       236.4 hours

Skies began to clear and we caught a late sunrise

     Skies were once again overcast when we cast off lines at 6:45. With the temps in the low 60’s and the northeast winds around 15, it was cold and raw. We were able to make the bridge for the final opening prior to 7am. We didn’t want to be delayed 2 extra hours waiting for rush traffic period (7 – 9 am when the bridge does not open) to end. The day is long enough as is. Add to that, we were against the current most of the day, so we had an extra-long day. The breeze was perfect for sailing . . . IF we were south bound. It remained pretty much “on our nose” for most of the day. Too much tacking to make any progress via sailing.

Began the day behind 4 other sailboats

Watts Cut and Asheepoo Cut and River were very senic

 

 

. . . and a small pocket cruiser

     CHEROKEE was the dredger working in an area just north of the Asheepoo Cutoff, an area notorious for quickly slitting in. This dredge was larger than we have seen on the ICW and took up most of the deep water. Passing was done with caution.

 

                           This is the only way to appreciate the legnth of the dredge system

 
     While underway, Pete did check on the bilge and found it with a significant amount of water again. The manual switch didn’t work, but the float switch works. It just doesn’t seem to get power all the time. More investigation is needed and soon.

 

Hey, guys, Could you speed it up a little?!

OK! I feel better now!

   We fought the current for most of the day. Since we started early, we arrived on the Stono River around 4:30. Coming into St Johns Yacht Haven, Steve was there to catch lines with another dock hand. The promised paperwork for our stay has not yet arrived in my email. The marina is switching electronic reservations from MoJo to Dockwa and it is still in the early stages. “E” is handling the conversion, so she is swamped. No worries, we will eventually get a bill.

     Tillie didn’t make it to land once again. She tries to hold it until she gets to grass. The dock was christened on their way to the parking lot. Once back, we needed to remove a bunch of thistles and burrs from her paws. Thankfully, none were between her paws.

Tuesday, 5/23/23 ~ St John’s ~ Day 2

     Chores needed to be done onboard as well as Pete having a full day of work. The day passed pretty fast. Oh yea, he checked the bilge again and the pump is working. Curiouser and curiouser!

Wednesday, 5/24/23 ~ St. John’s ~ Day 3

     Pete was able to get a great car rental deal. The only negative was that it would take a good 40 minutes to make the loop around Charleston, to pick up rental car. Traffic was unbelievable! It crawled at 3 mph for miles. Pete was under time constraints due to 2 conference calls. Once back, I had to do laundry, prep and pack. By 9 pm, we were packed, the car loaded with all except last minute items, and boat was just about ready to be left for the long weekend.

Thursday, 5/25/23 ~ St John’s to Hamilton, NJ (by car)

     Up at 4:30; left at 5:15 am. That included closing all the through hulls. It didn’t take long for Tillie to go back to sleep. We have a dog blanket that covers the back seat as well as the back rests of the back and front seat, with stabilizing the straps around the head rests. That leaves a sling with no support between the back seat to the backs of the front seats. This is Tillies favorite spot not only for sitting, but especially for sleeping.
 

The Annapolis Bay Bridge

   We had no issues with traffic until northern SC, but then we started loosing 2 hours. There was an accident in SC that closed 95 South. As we were passing, they were trying to upright a tractor trailer that was wheels up on the side of the road. Of course, the “Ooo-Aha Squad” (gapers) in the north bound lanes slowed things up considerably. Nearing DC, traffic really slowed. It was after 2 so people were leaving work and heading out for the weekend early. We finally arrived at Greg and Jenn’s by 7:30: 14.5 hours of travel instead of 12!


Friday, 5/26/23 ~ Day 2 in Hamilton, NJ ~

     Jenn and Greg left for work around 5-5:30. I volunteered to so the food shopping and food prep. I made large portions of Tortellini Salad, Potato Salad and makings for a Garden Salad. 

Tillie loves the freedom of the fenced-in back yard. It was great to sit out there with her and just decompress. After dinner we watched the rest of the Netflix Series: The Medici. It was excellent, but somehow, we missed the first season. I know we will watch the entire series again.

   

Tillie and Buns come to an understanding & 

a friend I met when walking this morning
 

Saturday, 5/27/23 ~ Day 3 in Hamilton, NJ ~ The Family Gathers

     My sister Deneen, Joe, Julia, her boyfriend, Dylan, and Shelby; my brother Wayne, Matteo, his girlfriend, Vivian, and Nikki, (who came in from Italy for the week); along with Debi and Mom joined Greg, Jenn, Heather, Pete, Tillie and I, to enjoy Greg and Jenn’s back yard. Chris and family had booked their reservations for camping in Shenandoah National Park for the long weekend back in January. Debi’s Jess and Chels had a conference in Orlando, but will celebrate with everyone at Deneen & Joe’s on Monday. Jason started his new job and had to work this weekend. My sister, Steph and her family bought tickets to fly to NJ in July, BEFORE this weekend reunion was organized. The tickets were past the refund date. So, we will get to see them the first week of July.

Pics from the Party ~

 

  

     Great food, fun, family, and perfect weather. Jenn decided that since we had the perfect dessert, an Ice Cream Cake, we all needed to sing “Happy Birthday” to my brother-in -law, Joe. Needless to say, his confused face was priceless. His birthday is in October! The party continued well into the night. The fire pit is wonderful since sundown also lowered the temperatures and the Italian contingent stayed for the night.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~       K & P

Week 38 ~ Fernandina Beach, FL to Thunderbolt

Eleni & James

     Sunday, 5/14/23 ~ Tillie was up 3 times with loose poop. I let Pete sleep, so I got up with her. Each time I saw the tug & barge still practicing.

 
     Pete was up around 6 am with Tillie and they stayed in the cockpit so I could get some sleep.

 
     After breakfast, Pete spoke with both the marina and TowBoat. While we waited for TowBoat, we heard the Navy security boats calling out on the radio, mariners to proceed with caution and maintain the proper safety zone as a war ship is entering the inlet. We couldn’t see it as the river curves between here and the inlet heading to the base on the St. Mary’s River. This is the second time in the 10 round trips we have made by boat, that we have been so close, but never had the opportunity to SEE a submarine under way in the river.

     We were towed to the inside of the main dock. The plan was for us to be closest to the southern end, but 3 small boats came in to Dock & Dine ($20) and took the space without asking. So, we are now much closer to the Marina office and land to walk Tillie, which is a plus. We got the name of the mechanic from the office and Pete immediately left a message, even though it is Sunday. Hopefully, he’ll be able to come tomorrow.

 
     Once we ate lunch and the miscellaneous chores were done, we tried reading. That only lasted about 90 minutes or so before we both started to crash. I think our naps lasted about 3 1/2 hours.

 
    On a wonderfully positive note, Pete’s niece, Eleni, gave birth to a beautiful and healthy little boy, just in time to join the Mommy Club on Mother’s Day. Wishing a lifetime of happiness and wonderful memories to Eleni, her husband, Brandon, and their son, James.

     We didn’t last long after dinner, even with our naps. We caught the beautiful sunset. Vegged in front of the TV for about 45 minutes, then started to crash again.

 
Views from the dock

 

    Fingers crossed for a better luck tomorrow.

     Monday, 5/15/23 ~ Day 2 in Fernandina ~ Pete called and also left a text message again for the mechanic. He spent a good part of the morning searching the internet, getting suggestions from our sailing buddies, and putting request for info on Catalina 350, as well as sailing & cruising Facebook pages.

     We both spent time searching the internet and checking for mechanics in this area. Everyone we found is an outboard engine repairman. By noon, Pete was getting annoyed and frustrated with no response to the mechanic he already called. He checked back with the marina staff, who found that it remarkable that the mechanic they had recommended didn’t respond. The only other person who might be able to help is the diver, who also does some mechanics. Left him a message, too.

Waiting is hard
on everyone

     Justin, our mechanic from St Augustine texted Pete to find out how we made out with our sea trials. Pete responded thinking the text was the mechanic here. Once he realized his error, he responded back with the report as well as the explanation for the previous text. Later, when he spoke with Justin, Pete asked if he would be willing to come here? We would also pay for his driving time (1.5 hours each way). Justin will get back to us.

 
     Needless to say, it has been a long and frustrating day. The rains and storms came so no snset tonight.

 

 

 

     Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

     Tuesday, 5/17/22 ~ Day 3 in Fernandina ~Tillie was up again 4 times and Pete was the one who lost sleep, again.

     After breakfast, Pete found a few other mechanics and marinas to call. Only Tiger Marine (the small working marina about a mile north of here) MIGHT be able to help us. The service manager called a number of people and is waiting for them to get back to him. At least he is very helpful and good at communicating.

 
     Mid-morning, Tillie and I walked into town and tried to continue with training. She is still pulling constantly following smells. However, when she sits on a park bench, she is an angel watching the world go by. With the sun, heat, and humidity, we found a number of benches. Once back she slept. Yea!

Views of Fernandina ~ 

  

~ Architecture ~

  
~ Nature ~

 
~ Art ~

     The original mechanic finally called this afternoon. He is currently out if state and won’t be back until the weekend. Next week. he is totally booked, so the earliest we could get on his schedule would be in 2 weeks. Oh yea, the diver texted that he can’t make it today, perhaps tomorrow?

 
     Around 5 pm ,we got a call from Bob Connor, one of Tiger Marine contacts. He is a marine electrician, who works on pedestals, docks, etc. for the city, not usually on boats. He will be here around 8 am. If he can’t fix, no charge, but he knows people.

 
 

Accidentally caught
reflections on water

   After dinner we walked down to Fantastic Fudge. Pete wanted a Strawberry in a cone, but they were out. He settled on a delicious Vanilla, while their Butter Pecan was the best I have ever had. Once back, we once again discussed what were our options if the newest mechanic didn’t work out. Things like: Should we skip our trip to NJ for a family reunion over Memorial Day weekend? Rent a car or retrieve our car from Delray Beach? Where we could leave the boat, but should we? What are our options for repairs if no one here can fix it? Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. . . .

Wednesday, 5/18/23 ~ Day 4 in Fernandina ~ Tillie is doing a little bit better. She is fine during the day; it is only at night that she squeaks to be let out. It was again 4 times last night.

 
     We were getting things organized for the day, when I reminded Pete that the mechanic is supposed to be here around 8. He said, “No. He texted me to confirm 9:30.” Sure enough, Bob showed up at 9:30 and Pete started to show & tell him the problems. I took Tillie ashore so they could work. Apparently, the diver also showed up shortly after 9:30. The diver said that he confirmed for 9:30 today, while the mechanic said he was running behind for the 8 am promised on the phone yesterday. Pete had made so many calls, spoke to so many people, and had all their phone numbers on his phone call list. The only problem there was no identifier to go along with the phone numbers. Hence the confusion.

 
     OK, now it’s time to sum things up. Pete apologized to the diver, who repairs all the dive boats in this area, and he went on his way. The mechanic, Bob, was familiar with our boat as he has a Catalina 34 sailboat. After Pete filled him in on the procedures followed, and research found, they decided to check the red fuse that is on the back of the engine. Pete had already checked it, but the fuse hadn’t popped. . . or so he thought. Bob informed him that this particular fuse does not pop out. It is inset and will only pop flush with the housing. Using a screwdriver to reach the reset, it clicked into place. We now have power, lights, and engine alarm again on our pedestal. WOO HOO!!! Even though Bob said there was no charge, Pete paid both him and the diver, for their time and we both are thrilled that the repair was so simple, and we can be on our way north tomorrow!!! Pete also wrote up a great review for Tiger Marine.

Thursday, 5/18/23 ~ Fernandina, FL to Jekyll Island, Ga

Today:          32 miles                    5.8 hours                S/M 685.0

Total:           1158.3 miles              196.6 hours 

     Tillie still needed to get up 3 times again last night. When I let her out into the cockpit, she dropped a small load, then promptly jumped on the portside seat, and then jumped to the dock. She has never done this before. Well, she walked off the boat when it was flush with the dock in Ft. Pierce, but this involved a 2-foot jump to the dock. Of course, I was in my PJs. I grabbed my shorts and as I was exiting the cabin, a kind, dock mate was walking his dog (at 5:20 am), caught Tillie and held her until I could get her on board. Tillie didn’t like being scolded, but she did stay quiet until 7.
 

 

    We were up, the dog walked, the boat prepped for the day, electrical and water lines coiled and away. The engine started! Yea! Lines undone and by 7:57 we were away from the dock.

     High tide was at 8, so we rode it out to the inlet doing 8.5 mph. Of course, once on the other side we once again saw 5.8 mph. We also passed the subbase, but this time we did see the sub at the sea wall. It was very impressive.

     It was a slow ride until we were about 3 miles from the St. Andrews Sound. We caught the ebb tide, and we topped our speed out at 10 mph! St Andrews Sound is one of 4 or 5 on the Georgian coast. The are wide, but very shallow. One must follow the channel. They can be very sporty when the winds come from the ENE, E, or the ESE. There are shoals at the mouths, that allow for the breakers to continue into the sounds. Bob423 has published an alternative route across the St Andrews. It is only a fractionally longer, but there is a very tricky/thin area where there is no room for error. Since winds were calm today, we continued along the older route.

     We were tied up to the dock at Jekyll by 1:15 pm. Air conditioning was on at 1:20. Once past the base, the horse flies were out in droves. At one point there must have been 100+ on the ceiling of our dodger and Bimini. They were hungry and persistent. Pete must have killed at least 30, gotten bitten 8-9 times, and had them fly into his face, ears, hair, legs. I was down below during the start of this excitement, but he soon asked for his jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I quickly changed and took the wheel so he could change. Tillie became fascinated by them. She tried to catch them in her mouth and eat them, Yup! She liked the protein. She had already cleaned up all the dead ones on the floor.

 
     Soon it was time to rig the lines for docking. Even as I was out of the cockpit, they continued to bite me. So, yea, the AC went on as soon as possible. Once things were put away, we headed down below to the AC for lunch, reading and for me, working on the blog.

 
     More storms rolled in late afternoon. Forecasts have them returning tomorrow and through the weekend. We are keeping a close eye on the weather, but would like to keep going until we get to St John’s. That is 4 more days of travel.
 

Night illumination at Zachary's

    Reservations for Kilkenny are confirmed. With the shoaling on the Mud River, we need to leave by 7 am tomorrow. We should have a high tide for most of the trip,

    The WiFi here at Jekyll Island Marina is excellent. I hoped I could get last week posted before we leave. I even worked until bedtime. The blog is written through today, but I was unable to finish processing the photos. Hopefully, I will post once we get to Thunderbolt.

     I’m exhausted, so good night!


Friday, 5/19/23 ~ Jekyll to Kilkenny, GA
Today:          72 miles                   11.0 hours                S/M 613.0

Total:           1230.3 miles              207.6 hours 

     Tillie slept through the night! That meant so did we! We now know that Tillie is lactose intolerant. We allowed her to lick out our yogurt containers after breakfast and had been giving her pieces of cheese as we made sandwiches for lunch. Now we give her a few Cheerios instead. She doesn’t seem to mind the change. She just wants to join us when we eat.

     The alarm went off at 6 and we left the dock at 6:50 am. The tide was still rising. We transited Jekyll Creek, staying to Bob’s tracks. There were 2 or 3 areas that we would not be able to traverse at low tide. The storms of last night have traveled offshore, but the clouds and humidity and now intermittent fog are still around. Long pants and jackets are good to keep us warm, since it is cool and raw. It also helped when we were once again visited by the horse flies, just not as bad as yesterday.

Coming and Going on the Brunswick River

     Once across the Brunswick River, we had the flood tide for a good while. Of course, we encountered flood and ebb tides all over due to the many rivers and creeks that weave through this area. We were pleased that we spent most of the day dealing with high tides, especially through Mud River. It was good to know that we could go through this area at low tide since this area has been recently dredged.

 
Single house on an island                                               Fishing Boat GALE FORCE

 

Red 124

   It wasn’t until we were within 4-5 miles of Kilkenny that the clouds began to break. There were some ominous ones to the SE and E, but no rains showed on radar.

     We pulled up to Kilkenny Marina, but hadn’t been able to reach the marina via radio. A mechanic and his friendly black lab helped us at the dock along with one of the brothers who own the marina. Tillie was besides herself when she couldn’t join the lab on the dock. Once we were secured and plugged in, Pete took Tillie up to the office, where she and the lab had fun playing off-leash. That is still quite unnerving as Tillie is not good at coming when called. The lab had a small zapper on his collar. When they were headed for the water, Pete yelled for Tillie while the lab came back due to the shock on the collar, no worse for wear.

     Once the boat was reorganized, we had dinner. Afterwards, Pete watched some TV while I completed the photos and the blog for today. I should be able to post everything either in Thunderbolt tomorrow, or Beauford on Sunday, I hope. There is no usable cell service in this area.

Saturday, 5/20/23 ~ Kilkenny to Thunderbolt, GA
Today:          32 miles                    5.1 hours                S/M 582.4

Total:           1262.3 miles              212.7 hours 

     Tillie slept through the night again! I think we have finally won the battle over her lactose intolerance. Oh boy! Sorry for sounding like a new mom. No more reports, I promise.

     We were up and away from the dock at 7:45 am. Today should be only a 5-hour trip. Skies are cloudy, temps in the upper 60’s, and winds of 5-10 from the north. It’s a bit raw so back to long pants and jackets (Mid-May in Georgia!)

     Once again, we have ebb and flow currents due to all the estuaries, and high tides. Hell’s gate was no problem and would probably be no problem at low; just a bit unsettling with less than 6 inches under the keel.

     Skies started to lighten as we traveled Moon River through Montgomery area, south of Isle of Hope. Butterbean Beach and boat launch area by the Diamond Causeway Bridge was very active. There were a number of small boats waiting to return, while a lot of kayakers were exploring north of the bridge. I didn’t see any eagles. There were a few ospreys, but I did see a pair of storks by their nest as we approached Isle of Hope.

     I finally realized why there were so many boats on the water. Today is Saturday. Duh!

 
Dad & Daughter Day                                       Southbound boater

  
VIEWS ALONG THE RIVER ~                 Casuseway Bridge has 68 foot clearance at HIGH tide

 

 
Getting close with nature

  


Storks' next south of Isle of Palms

Thunderbolt Marina ~ The big boys' boats, a deep marina that can take them, a colored hull, large, motor cat and the 1920 Truphy Yacht FREEDOM.  When in Beauford, SC 2 years ago, we had a chance to see her close up. What a beauty!

     We pulled up to Bahia Blue Marina in Thunderbolt around 1, filled up with fuel and was in our dock by 1:30. Time for lunch.

     After lunch Pete was checking resources when he came across a post stating the there will be a fishing tournament in Morehead City, NC beginning June 9 through the 18th. More importantly, there are no slips available in that area beginning a few days earlier. This will pose a problem as without problems, we should be in Morehead City on the 9th! After some additional research, Pete believes that we could stop at Swansboro, a few miles south of Morehead City and continue north to the top of Adams Creek, Oriental or River Dunes. It will be a long day, but doable.

     I worked on the blog, while Pete sat up in the cockpit reading and watching the world float by. The Tipsy Turtle is one of those floating tiki bars. It is docked by us. While Pete was sitting, they returned from a cruise. There were all women on this cruise. Some obviously imbibed more than others.

     Shortly after Pete and Tillie went up to the parking lot to meet the Door Dash person delivering our dinner, some of the ladies were waiting for their ride and spotted Tillie. The one that was most tipsy quickly approached and wanted to say hi. Tillie, being a typical 7-month-old was ecstatic. She bent down to hug Tillie when her halter top misfunctioned. Her friends told her one boob was hanging out. Her response was, “The dog doesn’t care!” With that, Pete excused himself saying, he needed to find the Door Dash guy.

     Dinner from Jersey Mike’s was great. After, Pete read while I finished and posted the blog. I am finally completely up to date! Posting the current entry on the same day!!! No promises, but i will really try to be more prompt,  Only time and good internet access will tell.

     Good nght.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~    K & P