4/6-4/14/2012

Friday - Still at Thunderbolt Marina today.  Need to get a few things from the store.  Thought about riding bikes so Jerry got the bikes off the boat.  The chain on my bike is so rusted nothing is going to loosen it up.  So we don our backpacks and hike to the Piggly Wiggly.  It's about a mile and a half I think.  Really cool so we bundled up.   Needed something from Home Depot so walked there as well as checking out Target.  The sun came out and it warmed up for the walk back.  Stayed one more night at the marina before heading north.

Saturday - Much longer day today, traveled 71 miles.  Two other boats left about the same time we did, Last Dance and Next to Me.  We passed a cargo ship.  It's size in comparison to us is almost scary sometimes.

Passed Hilton Head on our way to Beaufort, SC.  We heard there was a golf tournament and the slips that went normally for $2/ft were now $8/ft.  Just rumor but I wouldn't doubt it.   They are certainly proud of their fuel.

After getting the props overhauled, we were a little skiddish about shallow water.  Had read that there were shallow places along the ICW just north of Beaufort, SC.  The other two boats tied up in Beaufort at the marina for a few nights.  We wanted to push on and anchor out since we'd been in a marina for several days already.  The closer we got to the reported "skinny" water, the more apprehensive we were.  After stopping and anchoring, trying to decide what to do, we opted to return to the mooring area close to the marina and anchor there.  So back we went.  For some reason, it just didn't feel right and we were too close to shore.  Not wanting to get blown into shore or having the anchor drag, we decided to be safe rather than sorry and went into the marina. 

As we were getting settled, Ginny from Free 2 Be came by and invited us for a drink on their boat.  We needed to check in but thought we'd just be a few minutes at their place.  A few minutes turned into 45 minutes.  Our time with them was valuable as they shared many of their experiences on their first time around.  Leaving their boat we noticed the boat Emerald Lady behind Free 2 Be.  These folks had been dock neighbors at KenLake where we started the loop.  Dick and Nancy are great people and we hadn't seen them for close to a year, I'd say.  We walked over as Dick was washing down the boat.  He didn't recognize us.  Nancy came out and we started talking.  It took them a few minutes and then Dick said, the "bee people".  Then it all came back.  We said we need to check in and they invited us to come back by. 

Off we went, through the gate, across the parking lot to the office.  It was closed.  We wanted to walk so took off along the river.  The houses were incredible.  Antebellum style homes, huge, beautiful gardens and lovely porches.   Good to be out and about.  Back to the gate to the marina and we realized we didn't know the code to get back to our boat.  So we waited for someone to come out to let us in.  It took about 10-15 minutes but someone did finally come by and let us in.  We went back by Emerald Lady and talked for an hour.  It was so good to catch up with them. 

Sunday - I went to the office first thing to check in.  Easter morning.  A couple, with an English accent, were also checking in.  They were on the sailboat, named Hurah, docked by us.  The woman in the office was older.  Come to find out, she is 85 years old and moving slower but still about and cheerily working this fine morning. 

We cruised through the part of the river that was concerning without incident.  It was high tide so that made us more confident that it wouldn't be an issue.  Short day, only 27 miles.  We anchored at the South Edisto River. 

Jerry decided to take the dinghy off the bow and  put the it on the davits at the stern. 

 The lines on the davits are too big so will need to replace with smaller ones.  Otherwise, it went on without a hitch.

Monday - Beautiful day for a cruise.  The same old stuff along the shore, marsh, marsh and more marsh.  We hear some radio chatter about passing a dredge.  When we finally get there it's bigger than we thought it would be.

A tug is pulling all this equipment along.  Unfortunately there isn't much room between us and the dredge in the channel.  He's kind of in the channel and it's not very wide here.  We get past, no problem. 




We passed this house and several others like it.  I liked the style

Check out the length of the dock, it looks to be about 1/4 mile long.  There are more and more of these types of docks along this stretch.

We arrive at Charleston City Marina about 2 pm today.  This place is incredible.  It's known as the "home of the megadock".  We are lined up with other boats our size along with mega yachts.  The walk to the parking lot for us is almost 1/4 mile and we aren't at the end of the dock.  Here's a picture from their website.

The good thing about this place is that downtown Charleston is within walking distance.  Also there is a van that will take us to the grocery store and West Marine as well as to downtown.

The next day, Tuesday, we took the van to West Marine.  It didn't leave until 11:00 and would pickup at 12:30 so we had about an hour or so to kill there.  This was also a grocery stop for others.  The van was filled beyond the number of seats available, most were after the grocery store.  Jerry wanted to check out the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) with a fiberglass bottom.  He's been looking for awhile because the one we have has an inflatable bottom and also has a leak or two.  It works but for long term, we really need something more reliable. 

Back to the boat and we take off for Coopers Landing Marina another, cheaper one as we need to make a run to Atlanta to pick up glasses that Jerry ordered from Costco in Alpharetta.  They wouldn't ship them anywhere but the store he ordered them at and the wait was 2 weeks.  Oh well, get to see the grandbabies one more time.   Coopers Landing is definitely not the fanciest place but works for our purpose. 

We passed several tour boats going or coming from Fort Sumpter.  Also a cargo ship that we are sure we passed as we were leaving Thunderbolt.

 Lots of tourists for the middle of the week on this boat.



 Coopers Landing Marina is just past this beautiful bridge.

There is, what looks to be, a Maritime museum off to the right before we get to the bridge.  An aircraft carrier is there with several different types of aircraft on its deck.  We didn't make it over there but heard it's a good museum.

We made arrangements to rent a car.  They came to the marina to pick us up on Wednesday morning.  The young lady picking us up got a call from the office shortly after we got in the car.  They thought she should have been back and she said something like, it's a long way out here.  And it was.  There is no easy way to get there.  Once we got the car, we took off for Atlanta.  It's about a 5 1/2 hour drive.  We got the glasses and ran some other errands.  Made it back to April's house in time to see the kids before they went to bed.  I couldn't believe how Harper had changed in just a couple of weeks.  Her little cheeks have filled out.  She is just a sweet little girl. 

Thursday, we waited for traffic to clear and took off for the boat.  When we returned, did a grocery store run.  Another boat had come in while we were gone.  It was Hurah, the British couple we had seen in Beaufort, SC.  Jerry invited them by for a glass of wine.   Looking out by the bridge, I saw smoke coming off the water.  We turned on the news to see what was going on, nothing was being reported.  Jerry turned on the handheld radio and heard the Coast Guard report a boat on fire.  Four people were on board but were rescued by a passing boat.  The news finally caught up with what was going on but it took them longer than I thought it would.

What a fascinating and delightful couple, Angie and David.  She sailed by herself from Australia to Jersey which is north of France, their home, one of their homes.  The other is in Guernsey, another little island north of France.  David is a doctor and worked with Doctors without borders.  They have sailed together around Africa, Australia, South America and up through the US to Charleston, so far.  We really enjoyed hearing about their adventures.

Friday, we returned the car and just hung out on the boat.  Washed it down, cleaned inside and just relaxed.  Angie invited us over for a drink before dinner.  They have a lovely sail boat.

Saturday, Jerry decided we were going to buy the dinghy from West Marine.  He spent most of the morning working out the deal.  In between his calls, he caught these birds on the dock. 

 It was an odd site seeing that many birds together on the dock.

At first we couldn't figure out what kind they are, but we finally decided they were Killdeers.  That was weird too since we aren't in Kansas anymore Toto.

Jerry got a good deal on the boat AND he got someone from the store to deliver it to the marina.  A couple of guys from the marina helped him carry it to the boat.



Before this boat showed up Jerry found a young man at the marina that was obviously pinching pennies.  He bought the old dinghy.  Jerry gave him the lowdown about the leaks and he said he likes to fix things, so it worked out and everyone was happy.

Angie and David had rented a car and were driving to New York to catch a flight home for a few weeks.  She brought me the veggies they hadn't eaten so they wouldn't go to waste while they were gone.

Got the boat ready to take off the next day.

4/1-4/5/2012

Sunday, as we are preparing to leave our anchorage at Fernandina Beach mid morning, Jerry pulls up the anchor.  The anchor didn't get set the night before.

From what Jerry can surmise, the boat drifted over the anchor as the chain dropped wrapping itself around the anchor.  It's a wonder we didn't move. 

 



River is uneventful.  Hardly any houses, mostly marsh on either side of boat.

We passed Cumberland Island.  It is famous for its feral horses roaming free on the island.  We caught a few along the beach today.

We've crossed into Georgia here, making our way north.  The north end of Cumberland Island has these beautiful white sandy beaches.  Even in the cool breeze this family is enjoying a day at the beach.

As are the Pelicans and Cormorants

Big black flies have invaded the bridge.  They bite and are just nasty.  After traveling almost 60 miles today, we stop at mile marker 659 to anchor for the night.

Beautiful sunset from DoBoy Sound.

Monday brings another wonderful day on the water. 

This is an example of a range marker, always found as pairs with one higher than the other.  Range markers indicate the center line of a channel by having them aligned as a boat passes through the channel.

I caught this Laughing Gull following the boat.  It was just riding our wake.  A lot of times, we have had groups of gulls following the boat.  We think props stir up the water and create a good environment for fish to rise closer to the top of the water.  Who knows?

We anchor tonight in a lovely area, Kilkenny Creek, Breakfast Cove, with beautiful homes along the shore.  It's another 60+mile day so we're ready for wine and beer.  As we're sitting on the sundeck, a couple of kayakers stop by.  Husband and wife, we presume, taking in the incredible evening.  Jerry chats with them for awhile as I'm fixing dinner.  She has an art studio in historic Savannah. 

The no-see-ums attacked tonight.  We move inside, close up and turn on the AC.  They seem to come out about dusk, a perfect time to be out on the sundeck.  Jerry ended up with his legs looking like he has chicken pox, he really got it bad.  Once it gets dark, we don't have anymore problem with the bugs.

Tuesday, we have a short trip today to Thunderbolt Marina, just outside Savannah, GA.  Jerry noticed dolphins riding the wake of the boat but couldn't get a picture.  Really cool to see the dolphins that close to the boat.

This house struck me to be the epitome of southern homes.  Huge columns, trees hanging down.  It was absolutely beautiful.

We passed this guy spinning the net to cast.  I'd never seen anyone do this before.  I'm not sure what he was fishing for, probably shrimp.

Thunderbolt is a huge facility with the ability to service vessels 150'-200' long.  Our boat was like a dinghy to some of them.  Jerry decided to have the props pulled since we'd had the mishap about a week ago.  Also wanted to have the extra props checked out in case we need them along the trip.

 This is such a fascinating arrangement to haul these huge luxury liners.  Somehow, they arrange what look to be railroad cars on the dock.  The dock goes under the water and the boat is moved into position in the slip on top of the cars.  The dock then is raised and the boat is now sitting on the cars.  Railroad like tracks allow them to move the boat back to another set of rails and then sideways to go into the hanger like facility. 


We met a couple on Next to Me, also loopers in the office checking in as we were.  Bob and Kathryn had just started the loop about 2 weeks ago so were relative newbies.  They are from the west coast but had bought their boat in Florida.  We all went to dinner at Tubby's Tankhouse.  Great evening visiting with them.

Wednesday they pulled the boat and I got a rental car.  We were headed to Jacksonville to pick up the BMW.  To speed up the process, the pulled props and the spares were loaded in the rental car.  We took them to the prop shop in Brunswick, GA.  This was a family run operation.  Great service.
Jerry asked the owner if he could watch how their process worked.  He was very accommodating and took Jerry to the back to watch one of  props get balanced.  We would need to return tomorrow to pick up them up.  I waited out in the lobby for him.  The owner's wife and I think his mother were in the lobby along with this little poodle.  I sat down and the dog sidled up to me.  They were all amazed.  The dog just didn't do that.  The mother would call the dog over to her and he would come, then run back over by me.  It was the funniest thing to see.

After the quick trip to Jacksonville, we stopped back in Brunswick on the off chance the props were done.  Wishful thinking. 

With the boat out of the water, no AC  we stayed in a hotel for the night.

Thursday, Jerry was up early and decided to put the BMW on Craigslist.  We took the rental car back and by the time we were at Panera, Jerry had 3 calls on the car.  Price it right and it will sell.  One guy came by Panera

The sharp, shiny  props.  Tape on the edges warning "sharp edges".  Evidently, the blades are razor sharp, at least here they are.  There was a slight out of balance from backing into the stuff last week.  At least now we know what we have as far as props go. 






All this was going on as Jerry is dealing with the guy that wants to buy the car.  We sold the car, got the props on and stayed another night at Thunderbolt Marina.  The guy that bought the car was an interesting sort.  He is an importer.  Later in the evening he brought us a bottle of champagne. 

3/28-3/31/2012

Left Atlanta about 3pm.  Arrived at the hotel in Jacksonville later that evening.  Sadler's was still working on the swim platform so the boat wouldn't be in the water until probably Friday.  The boat must be in water to run the AC so couldn't stay on the boat.  Temps in the upper 80s. 

Also had the canvas work done after the close encounter with the corner of the dock roof .  Besides the tear in the canvas, one of the  isinglass windows needed to be repaired, zipper replaced, so we had a couple of other zippers replaced that were difficult to zip so ran them to the canvas shop. It's just a little hole in the wall, 2 ladies and a guy, big table and 2 sewing machines. They work on sails as well canvas. So we got there and the door was open when we walked up. The 2 ladies were trying to get a small snake out the door, it was under a cart and hard to get to. Jerry saved the day helping to get that pretty little snake out. He became known to them as the snake charmer.

Thursday morning we went by the marina to check the progress.  Ran some errands then Jerry dropped me at the hotel so he could spend the afternoon taking care of some things on the boat. 

The boys still needed to clean off the hull before they put the swim platform back on the boat. 










Friday morning, checked out of hotel.  Leisurely breakfast, yes at Panera.  Back to the marina. They had a full day left on the boat but were determined to get us back in the water by evening.  Jerry got the canvas back on the bridge  I washed the mustache off the bow of the boat.  It's a brownish gunk that builds up at and just above the water line.  Not easy to get off unless the boat is out of the water.  Looks much better now.

By late afternoon, things were coming together.  The boys had the platform on and the bill ready by 5:15.  The boat was hoisted and lowered into the water.  Jerry bought beer for a job well done.  I went to the store to restock.  When we returned, we decided to anchor out for the night.  I fixed boiled shrimp and salad for dinner once we were at anchor.  It felt good to be back on the water.  Temps cooled off nicely so slept well.

Saturday morning, still cool.  Rain expected today.  Anchors up at 9:15 on our way north.  Plan to get to Fernandina Beach today.  The rain started as we passed downtown Jacksonville.  Lightning and thunder most of the morning. Temp in the low 70s.  The current was with us so got about a 2 mph kick.  We passed some cargo ships.

Also passed the Carnival Cruise Liner Fascination.

We pulled into a creek to anchor and it got too shallow really quick.  I tried turning around very slowly.  As I did the boat hit something from behind.  I threw it into neutral and turned it over to Jerry.  As he pulled forward there was some bad sounds.  After we got back in the channel, Jerry wound up the engines, he felt a vibration.  I think we bent something.  Found a better anchorage further up the river across from the paper mill.  It looks like it's on fire but it's all the lights at 10:00 at night.

 

3/21-3/28/2012

 Wednesday afternoon.  As you can imagine, this is never an inexpensive proposition to pull the boat.  The plan is for them to remove the swim platform, keep the top surface and replace the balsa wood interior with fiberglass and foam.  They will also attach the new davits for the dinghy.

We stayed long enough so Jerry could see what the swim platform looked like as it was being removed. 

We drove to Atlanta to stay with April while the boat was out of the water.  No air conditioning and the temps were in the upper 80s.  Oh darn, have to visit the grand kids again.

Papa spending some quiet time with Harper.

Besides Harper, Papa won the heart of their dog, Dakota.  She's a two year old Boxer.  When Papa was sitting in one of the oversized chairs, Dakota would come by to be rubbed, then inch her way up on his lap.  It was funny to watch.

April and Craig added an incredible deck to the back of their home.  Jerry spent many hours on the deck reading and birdwatching while we were there.  I helped out with the girls.

 Brooklyn





Charley

 

 

April and Harper

 

Tuesday night, Charley spent the night with her dad.  We decided to go back to the boat so Jerry could watch the final stages of the repairs to the swim platform.  Waited until the girls got home from school so we could say goodbye.  I certainly enjoyed my time with them.

 

 

3/14-3/21/2012

We moved the boat from Ortega Landing Marina to Sadler Point Marina to have the swim platform worked over. They can't do the work for another week but it's cheaper here so we'll just hang out here instead of the fancier Ortega Marina. The slip is very close to a railroad bridge that claims to open 15,000 times a year. We believe it. Now we know what it's like to live close to a railroad track. Loud, clickity clack most of the day and night. We are much more aware of the birds here than at Ortega. They roost on the roof just next to the sun deck of the boat. We determined that the predominant bird is the Laughing Gull

Thursday, March 15, we decided to anchor out. Didn't go far just a few miles out on the St. Johns River across from NASJax, the Naval Air Station. Watched P3s circling overhead, around and around they went. Jerry went to A School for ordinance training in 1962. Changed a bit since then. We really like being out on the water. It's calm and quiet aside from the air traffic and occasional boat zooming by.

Friday, we head back to the marina to get ready for our visitors. Cleaned the boat inside and out. Also picked up a few things from the grocery store.


Saturday, late morning, Dan and Bogusia arrived. It was great to see familiar faces from home. We got them settled then decided to head out for a couple of nights on the river. Might as well give them a taste of our new life. We gave Dan the helm with a watchful eye from Jerry.

Our destination was Sisters Creek. Along the way we passed a small cruise ship, a couple of cargo ships and a Carnival cruise ship. Very cool.

Winds picked up in the late afternoon and the sky looked dark so we opted to tie up to the free dock at Sisters Creek right by the boat ramp. Lots of traffic in and out. We cooked out on the deck and enjoyed the evening with Polish beer ZYWIEC. Dan and Bogusia gave us a case when we left on the trip. Good stuff!

Sunday, we cruised out to the Atlantic Ocean. Didn't go too far out but can now say we've been there done that. We passed these dunes on the way out.

For lunch we anchored just off the ICW.

Afterwards, it was warm and breezy. We all napped a bit, just right for dozing. Later in the afternoon, we cruised back towards the marina and anchored for the night close to where Jerry and I had anchored Thursday night. Just a nice place to be.

Monday morning, Jerry and I are up early and enjoying the morning on the sundeck. A fisherman is out checking his crab pots.

A little before 9am, Jerry noticed racing shells moving ever so quietly not far from us. Man these guys could move. So cool to watch.

Back to the marina, Monday afternoon. As we were backing into the slip, the wind/current pushed the boat into the roof overhang ripping a hole in the bimini. Boo hiss. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Dan and Bogusia invited us to dinner, we went to a local favorite, Trent's Seafood. Very folksy, unpretentious place, recommended by one of the guys at the marina. It was good. Probably would be really good if we would have ordered all the fried goodies on the menu. We opted for blackened grouper.

Tuesday, Dan and Bogusia took off late morning. It was great having them with us.

Wednesday, they pulled the boat in the afternoon.