Over the past month, I have been faithful about writing for the blog, but takes longer to process the photos.  With days so busy, lots of helm time, tired when we stop for the night, and the add limited or no internet access, I couldn’t post to the Blog.  Now, I have the time and hope to get everything posted in the next day or two!  Thanks for being so patient.  

~ ~ ~ /)~ ~  Kathy

Busy Week and Lots of Travel

We managed to see some of the autumn colors

    Saturday, I borrowed Ann’s car to pick up Pete at the Marina. We had to pick up the rental car by noon. After leaving Hertz, Pete realized that they didn’t give him the paperwork.  That meant after returning Ann’s car, we needed to return to Hertz, before picking up Bailey and starting our trek north. Even with packing in advance, we weren’t on the road until after 12.  Thankfully, we have hotel reservations in Savannah, 6 hours away.

Riley and Hadl having a great time
Kel knows how to capture the great smiles from these two!

     With an early start, we were at Chris and Kel’s in Pennsylvania by 6 on Sunday.   They have a pizzeria not far from the house that makes the best lasagna, so we brought dinner with us.  It is amazing how much Riley had grown in the 3 week since we’ve seen her. She is be the happiest baby I have ever met.  All she does is smile, talk, eat and sleep.  At five months, she is almost 19 lbs.!  Hadi continue to charm us with her conversations and her dress-up. Tonight, she dressed in Bell’s golden ball gown, pink leggings, her fairy wings, a floral wreath with ribbons on her head, her Hawaiian lei, and two fairy wands!  After all, she has to practice dancing for Uncle Greg’s wedding!  The biggest surprise was with Echo, their dog.  He suddenly went blind two weeks ago.  He is still cautious when navigating around the house, but still has his sweet and loving personality.

     Monday, we were up and out by 9.  The dress I liked, but no one had, was ordered in September, allowing me first right of refusal. We were at Claire’s Bridal in north Wilmington by 9:45 and waited for the shop to open. Thankfully, the dress fits perfectly, except for needing the hem shortened (I can’t believe that!)  I was worried as the wedding is only a little over a month away!

     A quick stop at Christiana Mall to pick up Pete’s repaired Watch. Unfortunately, not everything requested was done, so it will be worked on and hopefully, be ready by our Christmas visit. Then it was down to Pete’s mom.  We had planned to take her to lunch, but she felt the groceries were more important. Sooo… I shopped while Pete and Bailey visited. 

Riviera Marina st sunset

    We were on the road again by 3 and stopped in Florence, NC for the night, before continuing to West Palm.   This is the first time we have broken up the trip with overnight stops rather than driving straight through due to same day commitments.  It might make for a longer day, but we prefer doing it in 1 day.  2 days make it seem like forever!

Moments later, the sky is ablaze with color

     Wednesday, Pete needed to catch up on work.  I did laundry,then found a farm store about 40 minutes north of here that carries the dog food we use for Bailey.  It was a cool ride through cattle and horse country.  I even saw my first “Private Equestrian Community!”  The store was small, but had a huge storage facility and loading dock.  Lots of bales of hay, horse feed, chicken feed and coops, enclosures, etc.  And yes, they had our specific dog food.  On the way home, I stopped in Palm Beach for groceries.  My car was the only dirty car in the whole lot!  It didn’t quite blend in with the shiny Teslas, Mercedes, Lexes, Beemers, and Cadies.

     With Ann under doctor’s instruction to limit standing, Howie and I prepared Thanksgiving Dinner, while Pete headed up the clean-up detail. Delicious dinner, great company and enjoyable day.

From our home to yours.... Hope it was wonderful and delicious!

     Pete was able to run some errands while I scrubbed the interior of the boat. When we arrived here in West Palm, Pete thoroughly cleansed all the salt off of the exterior of the boat, but the interior needed some attention.  He enjoyed exploring the Boater’s Warehouse only a mile or so from the marina.  He also needed to drop off a shirt at the cleaners.  He and his partner will be in California for meetings, Monday through Wednesday and needed something a bit more presentable than jeans or shorts!       

     Saturday, we needed to pick-up the shirt, but not until after one.  We opted to get a new helm seat at the Warehouse and then head out to check out stores for my shoes for the wedding. I found a beautiful and comfortable pair at the mall.  Now I need to arrange a taylor/seamstress to do the shortening.  Thankfully, Ann knows of a couple.

     Pete packed for tomorrow’s flight before we went to meet up with Ann and Howie for lunch. Being Thanksgiving weekend, travel will be heavier, the security lines longer, and traffic to the airport at 6:30 am abysmal. After we see J.K. Rowling’s newest cinematic addition to the world of magic, FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, I dropped him off at the hotel by the airport.  The movie theater had recliners for the 50 or so seats in the theater!  What a way to watch a movie on the big screen!  

     Bailey was really glad to see me when I finally got home around 10 pm.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P

Final leg: Fort Pierce to West Palm

The Fort Pierce City Marina was completely reworked since we were here last.
I really thought Pete was entering the wrong marina yesterday.
We were on the other side of the ship: MV OCEAN CLUB

Sunrise

      We slipped away from the dock by 6:45. Winds were out of the NNW at 13 and the current just began to flood, so we started our day doing 8 mph. Adding the main we gained another .2 miles. Fingers crossed for the current and winds gods to smile upon us.

     About 7:15, we herd SV PATRIOT call to the marina.  Our friend George, from CCYC, is crewing on a Hylas that left the Chesapeake 6 days ago. We were hoping to say “HI!”, but it wasn’t meant to be.  I hope they had a good passage. We will just have to catch up later.

Someone seeking a colorful life!

     Pete had an early conference call, but the rest of the work day was light.  He was at the helm during the skinny waters by the St. Lucie Inlet and all the squirrelly passage south of the inlet.  As we were navigating the twists and turns, the winds also decided to shift. Sail was rolled in and we motored the rest of the way. Timing was good. We were only a mile or two from the first of the 7 bridges we must pass before Lake Worth. 

Norhaven docked at home

Private marina in Jupiter

Boat larger than its boathouse!

  

    We timed it well with all but one bridge. Our first timed opening was delayed due to a pedestrian ignoring the lights. The bridge tended would not open until she crossed and passes the gates.  That five-minute delay made us 3 minutes too late for the next opening.  We were waiting at the bridges with 3 Canadian boats.   They loved to approach and wait about 50 foot from the bridge. Hopefully, they will not encounter engine failure while they wait in these currents. By 2:15 PM we passed our last bridge for 2016. 

Jupiter Light house

Mega homes in Jupiter

Too much money!
A modified sailboat with a Tuna tower and shortened boom!

     As we were approaching the marina, a 30-foot power boat was wandering at slow speed totally unconcerned as she crossed our bow within 5 feet.  Then proceeded to call us names as Pete through the engine into full reverse to avoid collision!

    The marina surprised us by reassigning our slip closer to the fairway.  Pete was able to back into the slip, making the electrical hook-up much easier. By 3:15, we were secure in our “new home” for the next 2 months.

Active large working yard
next to Riviera Marina

Peanut Island just across from our new Marina

     I called Ann and told her I’d be there by 5.  As I was packing, Pete started talking with the crew of another boat further out on the dock.  I recognized the voices! It was Brett, Jean and Sue from SV WHAT’S NEXT.  They were our buddy boat for the jump from Charleston to Fernandina.  It was wonderful to meet them in person.  They hope to catch the window this Saturday, to sail over to the Bahamas.

       Uber was great and I was at Ann’s by shortly after 5.  She is doing well, but sore, which is to be expected.  We had dinner and watched TV (What a treat! We haven’t watched anything in 3 weeks).  After the long, hot shower, I didn’t stay conscious long.

~ ~ ~/) ~ ~ K & P

Melborne to Fort Pierce

Following sailboats,
reminding us of our friends
 who traveled with us for the 2010 cruise 

     Bailey was walked, the dinghy hoisted back in its davits, and we left the anchorage as the sun rose. Today’s was an unremarkable sunrise.  It is ok, as it makes the spectacular ones more appreciated.

Passed by a smaller dredger

The "business end!"

Unusual "SLOW" sign in Wabasso

     First thing this morning, Pete called to see about dockage in Jensen Beach. None of the four marinas had dockage and there is no place to anchor and be able to walk the dog.  He called Fort Pierce City Marina and they had room. Unfortunately, that is 20 miles north of Jensen Beach.  That will mean a longer haul tomorrow to make West Palm Beach. 

Super Moon still affecting the tides

     The scenery south of Melborne is dotted with small islands, which are the spoils from the dredging of the channel. Over the years, scrub has grown and some of the islands have shrunk or disappeared below the surface.  Further down, the channel cuts through a series of islands and marshes and a very picturesque community of Wabasso Beach.  And, of course, as we near the ocean inlets, the clear waters become a beautiful shade of aqua blue.

Our temporary, but captivating, traveling companions

     The currents were still favorable, as was the wind. For most of the day our mainsail added about a half mile to our speed.  We arrived at Fort Pierce City Marina by 2:30.    I kept asking Pete if we were approaching the correct marina. We did not know that the marina had undergone a tremendous remodel since we were her 6 years ago. There are now various rock islands serving as a breakwater.  The entry channel is from the north instead of the south, and a number of new floating docks extend out from the original retaining wall. It looks like they added another 150 slips.  All the floating docks are wide, very stable, and well lit, which we appreciate as we are the last boat out on the longest dock. There is also dockside pump-outs.  Another bonus is the 20% off coupon receive when registering, which is good at the two restaurants here at the marina.

The spoil islands along the ICW

The Wednesday market

12-15 inch fish along the dock

      

    We met Kay and Frank for dinner here at the Tiki Bar.  We enjoyed the company as well as the great food. Hopefully, we will be able to get together again while we are in the area.

Sunset as seen from the Tiki Bar at the Marina

     Since we were not able to cover the extra 20 miles today to Jensen Beach, Pete took a look at traveling outside rather than dealing with the 7 bridges, 4 of which are on fixed schedules. Traveling time would be about the same. Tomorrow, the breezes inland are to be 10-15; outside on the Atlantic, they are to be 20 and above. Depending on the Gulf Stream’s closeness to shore, it could be a messy ride.  We’ll play it safe, take the ICW, and hope the timing works in our favor.

~ ~ ~ /) ~~  K & P                                                

New Smyrna to Melborne.

The Ponce Inlet Light house

Up before Sunrise New Smyrna Beach

Our anchorage last night, Rockhouse Creek

Super Moonset

Unusual home on the ICW

Homes with sunrise views

    Lifted anchor before sunrise again this morning.  The sunrise proved to be another beauty.  We even saw the Super Moon + 1 day, setting in the west as we waited for the bridge opening at 7 AM.  The Musson / Coronado Beach Bridge has to be the slowest opening bridge we have ever encountered.  It must have taken a full 4-5 minutes for the bridge to be fully opened.

     Matthew left his mark on this area, too.  Lots of docks were destroyed. Many boats are on shore or have sunk.  Most were sailboats of varying sizes, but there were some motor boats, including one 60+ wooden hulled cabin cruiser.

     The area just north of Mosquito Creek has a number of fishing camps. In this area we started seeing lots of manatees. I stopped counting after 35.  Most times I would see a nose rise slightly above the water, followed by the large, dark, curved back. One or two of the manatees actually showed their tails. As we were transiting Haul Over Canal, I think we surprised a sleeping manatee. We heard a slight bank against the hull at the same time there was a tremendous splash by the starboard bow.  We checked, but there was nothing in or below the water to see.  When exiting the canal, Pete spotted a dolphin wrestling with a large fish. It is hard to take photos when at the wheel. Many of these images are in my memory banks rather than on a memory card.

Open water but very shallow outside the channel

      Both Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River on the western side of the Canal are large bodies of water with the narrow navigation channel cutting through broad areas of very shallow water. It still blows my mind since we are used to the Chesapeake with its open deeper waters.

More of the white pelicans

The huge assembly tower
doen't look so tall at 5 miles out

      Originally, we planned stop today in Titusville. However, 10:30 Am is a bit too early to stop when we are trying to make time.  The winds were about 10-12 from our backs. We put up the mainsail and motor sailed for the rest of the day, picking up another 2-3 tenths of a mile in speed. Every little bit helps when you are traveling at 7 mph.  It is even better when the current is adding an extra mile or two.

     We anchored about a mile south of the Matthers Bridge. On the eastern shore, along the causeway, there is a boat ramp with a small beach; perfect for Bailey. There is plenty of deep water, just not close to the causeway. Pete and Bailey didn’t mind the ride to shore.   Thankfully, the moonlight was bright and we left a droplight lit in the cockpit for the night time run.  It was easy for them to find their way back to the boat.

     We did 76 miles today in just under 9 hours. With the exception of about 15 minutes of 6.4 mph in an inlet area, our speed was 7.5 or higher most of the day. We averaged 7.6 mph! I like moving at this speed!

Another beautiful sunset

     Planning the next few days’ journeys, we will probably be in Jenson Beach area tomorrow. My friend Kay and her husband, Frank, live in this area.  I called Kay and we made plans to meet tomorrow for dinner.

     Another early night with an early rising in the morning.

~ ~ ~ /) ~~  K & P

St Augustine to Rockhouse Creek

     Up and out by 6:30 in order to make the 7 AM opening of the Bridge of Lyons.  Thankfully, we allowed a time cushion as we fought the current, averaging 3.4 mph until we hit the inlet access. Only had to wait about 5 minutes for other boats to gather.

     Once through, we had the blessings of the current gods.  It is fun to watch the speed stay in the 9-10 mph area for long periods of time!  However, the weather gods felt we have had enough fair skies and mild temperatures.  It drizzled for a good part of the day.  Thank heavens for the enclosure!  Knowing today would be raw, I started a nice chunky soup cooking in the crock pot.

      Passing through Ormand Beach, we once again saw more destruction of roofs and docks. There really wasn’t opportunities for photographs, just these sunken dreams:

      My friend, Ann, called to say that her surgery was rescheduled for Wednesday. The original surgery was to be last Friday, but a transformer blew, placing the surgicenter into a blackout. Patients could not even get signed in, so everyone was sent home. The problem with the rescheduling is that her husband is away for the weekend, so I offered to stay with her a few days if needed.

         Our plan was to stop in Daytona for the evening.  With the currents being so strong due to the Super Moon, we stopped for fuel at 1 pm in Daytona and decided we could chop some time off tomorrow’s journey by continuing to New Smyrna Beach.  Since the marina had no slips available, we opted to anchor in Rockhouse Creek, just south of the Ponce Inlet.  It was a nicely protected anchorage, with deep water to the north and a sandy beach for Bailey to the south. Pete thinks that on the weekends, this place must be jumping. Add to that, the bottom is very hard packed sand.   As a result, a few comments on Active Captain were negative, but for us, it was a great spot.

        We did 71 miles in 9 hours today.  We averaged 7.7 mph all day!   No wonder we were able to continue past our original destination.  Looking ahead, if the currents remain favorable, we might be able to get to West Palm Beach on Thursday, instead of Friday and be there for Ann.

       The soup was perfect for this raw day. Did a little reading after dinner before calling it a day.

~ ~ ~ /) ~~  K & P

2 Days at Comanchee Cove Marina

     Pete spent the day catching up on work and doing a special weekend project.

     I sent most of Saturday driving the car. I left at 8 AM, heading down to Delray Beach to pick up Bailey.  Had a wonderful lunch with Ann and Howie before picking up Bailey. She has never spent more than 2 days in a kennel and is usually depressed when we leave her with Chris and Kelli or Heather.  I didn’t know how she would be when I got there.  As it turns out, she charmed the staff and everyone wanted to play ball with her.  She has a mean pitch.  She will toss the ball and it will always hit your foot! She was excited to see me, but it was the same if I had only been gone an hour.

     There was another beautiful sunset today, but it happened while I was traveling.  I used my cell phone, but it couldn’t do the sunset true justice.  Bailey and I returned to the marina around 7 PM and picked Pete up to grab a quick bit to eat. Since we didn’t want to leave Bailey alone, we ate in the car.

      Once back on board, Bailey was needy, so I sat on the floor and cuddled with her. After that, things were back to normal.

     Sunday was spent between laundry, onboard chores and shopping. Oh, Yea, we needed to move the boat again as the slip holders were returning today. Exiting the new slip will make it easier to head out at twilight tomorrow.

      Dinner was at Vinny’s Pizzeria here at Comanchee Cove.  It was an excellent, thin crust pizza. Carried out the remaining pizza in a box and took it with us as we went to drop of the car.  The Enterprise location is on Outlet Mall Blvd.  About a mile off the road is a Cadillac Dealer.  After that is the Outlets for another half mile, then there is the Enterprise building across from the Ford Dealer. Very dark and deserted after 7 pm on a Sunday.  Since there is not key drop-off at Enterprise, I was told to drop the car off at the Ford Service area and place the key in the drop box.  With the area so remote, Pete felt our best chance of getting an Uber driver to pick us up would be back at the main road. So. . .  we walked the mile and a half back to a hotel near the Route 16.  And, yes, Uber did come pick us up. 

     Most of the world was treated to a magnificent Super Moon tonight.  Here in St. Augustine, we had heavy clouds. I am looking forward to photos taken by those who saw it!

      Once back, we readied for an early departure in the morning.

~ ~ ~ /) ~~  K & P

Fernandina Beach to St Augustine

Sunrise over the Georgia on the St. Mary's River 

   

Birds, the only action at
Fernandina City Marina

Look closely. See the scrapes along the columns
 and the caps dislodged by the rising docks

Two sailboats washed ashore

  Another raising anchor at sunrise.  I have to admit, these sunrises are incentive to be up and out so early.

   As we passed the Fernandina Beach Marina, initially things didn’t look that bad. Upon closer look, many of the cement pilings were angled, scrapped and the tops misaligned.  The water raised the floating docks to the top of the pilings. Banners were posted stating that the marina, fuel docks, transient slips, mooring balls and dinghy docks were closed.  Active Captain published that they will be closed until spring. We saw a sunken ketch in the mooring field with only part of the masts showing and two sailboats completely up on shore.

Dredge lines being towed in serpentine and shallow waters

Canal through an area south of Fernandina

      The first 2 hours or about the first 12-15 miles of the ICW were very tricky to navigate.  There is a lot of shoaling and, in some places, I don’t think we could have traversed at low tide.  Even following the

Tides way out!

notes of previous cruisers and the soundings by Bob 423, there will be  

There are 7 channel markers in this area.
Proof of the twists and turns

some places that have about 4 foot of water at low tide.  The magenta guide line on the GPS also decided to disappear in a few spots.   Those difficult spots without the magenta line were on the South Amelia River, just west of the low fixed bridge. I knew we couldn’t go under it, but was unsure where the ICW went from there. I took me about 5 minutes to locate Red 46A and continue our journey.  The other crazy intersection was at the St Johns River.  We were just coming around the final curve and hail the Sisters Creek Bridge for an opening when we notice it has been replaced with a new fixed bridge with 65-foot clearance. Thrilled that we didn’t embarrass ourselves by hailing a nonexistent bridge tender, we entered the St Johns River. On the south side, they are dredging and reinforcing the banks. New day markers have been placed and at first glance, it was confusing. Following the marks, we did ok.

Skeleton of a majestic tree 

A dolphin's tail!

       

Additional storm damage

White Pelicans

  

  The rest of the ride was through some beautiful country. Even at almost low, we had 7 feet under the keel.  Being Veteran’s Day, there were a lot of small boats, cruising up and down the ICW and many other just enjoying the fishing.

    You know what they say about cruisers should never have ridged plans! Well, we were trying to get into the marina by 4 so that I could pick up our rental car. Unfortunately, we fought the strong currents most of the day.  Four o’clock became 5. Knowing that Jay was waiting at the Comanchee Cove Marina, to drive me to pick up the rental, we docked ourselves. The dock hands were busy with docking the boats that came in just before us.

     When I returned, no lights were on in the boat.  The electrical cords would not reach the pedestal with us bow in.  So, we started the engine, undid our lines, exited the slip, turned around and backed into the slip.

      With the electric hooked up, I turned on the air conditioner.  It stopped after a few minutes.  All that bouncing and side-to-side movements created air bubbles in the supply hose. Pete was able to bleed the lines and get it back working.  Unfortunately, he also called Garmin and told them of the error code we received when the radar ceased functioning. They told us the magnetron is shot and we need a very expensive repair or a slightly more expensive new unit. Wonderful!!!!

      Pete fell asleep reading and I am crashing and burning, so I bid you all, “Good night!”

~ ~ ~ /) ~~  K & P