Chapter V - South Again
October 21, 2003 - Solomons, MD
I left Weems Creek in Annapolis on Sunday morning at around 8:00 a.m. and headed out into the Severn. As I reached the mouth of the river and entered the bay, I realized that the wind was stronger than I had anticipated and directly on the nose. It was cold as well. After about 20 minutes of this I decided to head back to Weems Creek and wait for it to warm up. By 11:00 a.m. the wind had died down a bit and it was much warmer, so I headed back out again. As I got to the bay, all of the Sunday morning racers were out and I did my best to stay out of their way as I sailed down the bay. There were well over 100 boats out this morning.
I planned to stop at Dun Cove off of Tilghman Island for the night and then head to Solomons the next day. I had I nice sail across the bay, through Knapp's Narrows, and up to Dun Cove. It was around 3:00 p.m. when I arrived at the entrance to Dun Cove and found two other boats already anchored. The sailboat just ahead of me was heading in as well, but there was still plenty of room. I chose a spot further in, just about where I had anchored when I was first here a few months ago. A fifth boat arrived a few minutes latter but the anchorage still wasn't crowded.
In the morning two boats left just before sunrise. I had breakfast and waited for the sun to warm things up a bit, and left just before 9:00 a.m. The wind was light so I motor-sailed all the way to Solomons. I arrived at the anchorage just passed Old House Cove on Mill Creek and dropped the hook at around 3:00 p.m. I loaded the bike in the dinghy then rode into town and stopped at the library and the supermarket before heading back to the boat.
The wind picked up in the morning and the forecast was for 20-25 knot winds from the SW throughout the day due to an approaching cold front. I decided to spend the day in Solomons and then head out the next morning after the cold front passed. I'm going to do some maintenance on the boat then have lunch at a Chinese restaurant in town.
October 25, 2003 - Deltaville, VA
After checking the electrolyte levels in the battery banks and tightening the alternator belt, I rode into town and stopped at one of the two Chinese restaurants. The place was empty and the staff acted like I was inconveniencing them by being there. They wanted to seat me at the bar in the dark, so I left. As I was getting on the bike, I noticed Bill from Latitudes Attitudes. Bill was with his girlfriend, Nancy and they were on there way south as well. It seemed that they had gotten in just after me. I remember seeing boat behind me at a distance as I was entering the harbor, but didn't recognize it at the time. They had already eaten and I was really hungry, so I rode off to the other Chinese restaurant down the road. The food wasn't bad, but this was more of a takeout place.After eating I rode over to the supermarket then headed back to the boat. The next morning, I stopped at Bill's boat as I was rowing in and we talked for a while then headed into town and stopped for lunch. On the way back to our boats, we saw Scandia was now anchored about a hundred yards from Bill. We stopped and visited with Bev and Arne for a while, then went back to our boats. We had decided that we were going to wait out the strong winds in Solomons and leave on Friday. Also, Scandia was due for a haul-out at Zahnizers tomorrow to install a pack-less shaft seal like the one I had just installed.
The next day we met at Zahnizers and Scandia had the shaft seal installed and I bought some fuel filters. Afterwards we walked into town to have lunch. Arne stayed with the mechanic until the boat was back in the water. We left Solomons at around 7:15 just before the sun had risen, headed out into the bay and turned south. The weather was nice and we had favorable winds from the NW at around 10-15 knots. The winds were over the starboard quarter so we motor-sailed with the genoa only. We were making very good time and decided to go a little farther than planned and stop at Deltaville, VA. From there it would be only about 40 nm to Norfolk and the beginning of the ICW.
At around 2:00 p.m. the wind died and I rolled in the genoa, as did most other boats. As we got close to Deltaville I heard the sound of jet engines close behind me and turned to see two F-18 Hornets practicing dog-fighting just behind my boat. I had the autopilot on so I watched them for a while through the binoculars. We arrived at the anchorage at Fishing Bay at around 4:00 p.m. and dropped anchor for the night.
The next morning I got up very early to change my engine oil because I had noticed that it was getting pretty dirty. When I removed the fill cap I noticed a light brown foam, which resembled a chocolate milkshake, in the fill tube. This was a sure sign that water had somehow gotten into the oil. I guessed that it had leaked in through the lip seal on the water pump that I had taken apart to clean back in Annapolis. I called Scandia in the morning to tell them that I would be staying behind because I had to fix this problem right away and would try to meet up with them in Norfolk.
After I assembled the connectors on the new pump, I realized that one connector wouldn't mate with pipe going to the engine block. I discovered that I could also make the connection by bypassing the pipe with a short piece of hose and a couple of hose clamps if I wasn't able to find the appropriate connector. I decided to try a local marine diesel mechanic in town who has an authorized Volvo service center. I tried calling him a few times, but only got his answering machine so I rode over to BoatUS to buy the hose and hose clamps since I didn't feel that I was going find the connector I needed in town.
October 29, 2003 - Norfolk, VA
The new water pump is installed and working well with no leaks. The 40-mile run to Norfolk will tell me if this was the actual cause of water getting into the engine oil, but I'm pretty sure it was. Since the forecast doesn't look good for the next day or so, I plan to stay in Deltaville and leave for Norfolk early Tuesday morning.I called Bev and Arne to let them know my plans and they told me that Bill had done some damage to his boat when he ran aground while anchoring yesterday. He had found a leak in his bilge and concluded that the hard grounding probably caused it. Bill scheduled a haul out to check and repair the damage at a marina in Great Bridge, which is about 11 miles south of Norfolk. They're guessing that they'll be there for several days at least.
Monday afternoon the wind was blowing strong from the south, which caused the anchorage to become very choppy. A Beneteau anchored next to me started dragging anchor and decided to move across to Godfrey Bay, which had better protection from the SW. I decided to move there as well and it in fact was much better for a while until the wind shifted to the NE and freshened to around 15-20 knots. The boat began horsing on anchor, which means that it would veer back and forth with the stronger wind gusts. This action tends puts a lot of strain on the ground tackle, so I decided to try a technique that I had read about called a 'Hammerlock Moor'. This technique calls for dropping a second anchor from the bow at a very short scope so that it will drag as the boat tries to 'horse'. The dragging resistance of the second anchor helps hold the boat into the wind.
I'm glad to say that the technique worked out very well. The second anchor greatly reduced the horsing effect, which reduced the stress on the primary anchor. I will definitely be using this technique in the future.
I left the next morning just after sunrise and made my way out into the bay. On the way out I had some trouble finding one of the markers that I had used on the way in and got a little too close to a shoal near a point off Fishing Bay. Since it was still somewhat choppy, I bounced lightly on the bottom a few times but was able to steer out into deeper water without going aground. The wind was blowing about 10-15 knots from the NE for most of the trip down, so to make better time I motor-sailed with just the genoa out. Most of the other boats that had left before me had decided to sail the whole way and I passed them all eventually.
The day was overcast and threatening and it finally started to rain at about 2:00 p.m. as I approached Norfolk. As I entered Hampton Roads I noticed a Navy Blackhawk helicopter towing something in the water at high speed and it looked like it was going to intercept my course. I don't know if he saw me, and I wasn't going to wait to find out because he was moving very quickly, so I turned to avoid him. As he passed by I saw that it was some type of research platform on what appeared to be skis.
I steered clear of a couple of tugs pushing barges and a huge container ship anchored in the channel, and made my way down to the anchorage at Hospital point under what now was a steady rain. There weren't too many boats in the anchorage when I arrived, but finding a good spot was made difficult by the many crab pots laid out here. I found a spot at the outside in about 17' of water and set my anchor. The rain intensified and it rained hard all night and finally let up in the morning. By 10:00 a.m. the sun had finally appeared.
I checked the oil for any more signs of water and found none. A big relief because it would have meant a long delay since I would have had to address this problem before I could go any further. I needed fuel so I stopped at the Waterside Marina next door and picked up about 10 gallons and called Bev and Arne. They said that they were still at Great Bridge and would be leaving the next morning. Bev said that I should come down, but it was a little too late by now. I was concerned that if I wasn't able to find a spot there, I would not be able to make the next anchorage by sunset, so I decided to stay in Norfolk another day and leave in the morning. Bev also mentioned that Bill still hadn't gotten a haul out time from the marina and would be a Great Bridge for at least another day.
October 31, 2003 - Broad Creek, NC
I left Norfolk at around 7:00 a.m. The first of the bridges didn't open until 7:30 a.m., so I couldn't leave any earlier. There were four powerboats and three sailboats waiting for the first bridge opening. It opened on time and we all passed through and proceeded on to the next bridge which had a first opening at 8:00 a.m. By the time we all got to the Great Bridge lock, there were about 12 boats in line waiting for the 9:00 a.m. opening. I managed the lock without any problems, however I caught my foot on the edge of the dodger as I was stepping around it to go forward and tore the stitching on the seam. It wasn't too bad and looked like I could easily re-stitch it. I guess the threads were getting a little week form all of the UV exposure it had gotten over the years.
As I passed through the lock and under the next bridge I saw Latitudes Attitudes tied up at the dock at the Great River Marina, so I gave him a call on the VHF. Bill answered and told me that they were still waiting for a haul out time. He was getting a little impatient since they were charging him by the day for the dock space. He said that Scandia had left early that morning and were heading to either Buck Island or Broad Creek. The day turned out to be beautiful, with temperatures in the 70s and it's supposed to stay this way into next week. Temperatures may even reach 80 degrees over the weekend.
As I got close to Pungo Ferry I heard Scandia on the VHF and called them. They were just leaving the Midway Marina in Coinjock, NC where they had stopped for fuel. They said that they were going to try to make it across Albemarle Sound and anchor near the Alligator River for the night. I couldn't make it that far by sunset so I decided to try the anchorage near the Pungo Ferry Bridge. The anchorage near the bridge turned out to be much too shallow, less than 5 feet in spots, so I continued on to Blackwater Creek where I had anchored in the spring on the trip up. There was enough water, but it was a little narrow so I dropped two anchors to limit my swing radius.
I left Blackwater Creek at around 7:00 a.m. and crossed the VA/NC border just after 8:00. I stopped at the Midway Marina for fuel and water and picked up a loaf of bread in the marina store. The Midway Marina has very low fuel prices and it's right on the ICW, so I didn't have to go out of my way to get there.
At around 1:30, I got to the anchorage at Broad Creek, the last anchorage before the Albemarle Sound. I had to decide if I would stay here for the night or cross the sound and anchor in the Little Alligator River. It would be close to sunset by the time I crossed the sound and reached the next anchorage, so I decided to drop the hook just outside of Broad Creek. Three other sailboats pulled in and anchored nearby shortly after. One boat went way up the creek to anchored, but since it was going to be a calm night, the most boats choose to anchor out side the creek as I had.
* You've probably noticed that the picture format has changed. There are no longer thumbnails, which you can click on to display full screen pictures. I need to reduce the file size of the pictures on the servers that host my web site because I am running out of room. The full size pictures take up a lot of file space. Therefore, I've decided to display pictures embedded in the text as seen above. This picture size will save a great amount of space on the servers.
I may be changing the older pages over to the new picture format at some time in the future, so if there are any pictures that you particularly like and think you might want a full size copy, download while they're still here.
November 3, 2003 - Hobucken, NC
From Broad Creek I crossed the Albemarle Sound and entered the Alligator River and continued down to mile 102 where I dropped the anchor just off the east bank as it turns to the west. Last spring when I anchored here, I was the only boat in the anchorage, but tonight there were eight other boats here. There was still room for many more boats however.
Before starting out the next morning, I replaced a leaking washer on the reverse gear drain plug with an OEM Volvo washer that I had picked up back at Zahnizers. Therefore, I was the last boat to leave the anchorage that morning. I shortly reached the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal, which leaves the Alligator River a few miles from its end. This is a straight, long and boring stretch of man-made waterway, which connects the two rivers. There is virtually nothing along the banks but short scrubby trees, although I did see one isolated home along the west bank. I turned into Pungo Creek on the east bank just south of Belhaven, NC and anchored for the night with three other sailboats and a trawler.
I left Pungo Creek the next morning and motored up to Belhaven, about a mile away, and anchored near the town boat ramp. I rode over to the supermarket and picked up some groceries and made a few phone calls. I was back to the boat and on my way by 10:00 a.m.. I joined a group of six other sailboats and we continued down the Pungo River, across the Pamlico River and then into Goose Creek. About several miles down I passed the R.E. Mayo Co. docks on the west bank. These are the docks of a shrimp processing plant, but they allow pleasure boats to dock overnight for only 20 cents per foot, which is the cheapest price you'll find on the waterway. There are no facilities however, but they do sell fresh shrimp and boat supplies.
There were a couple of sailboats already tied up there for the night as I passed by. I thought about it for a while then turned around and came back and tied up at the dock in front of a Canadian sailboat named Kara I. I paid the $6.40 for the dock space and bought some diesel. I was due for and oil change so I went back to the boat and changed the oil and filter. After talking with David from Kara I, I found out about the waste oil disposal tank on the grounds and I was able to dump the two gallons of waste oil that I had been carrying with me from previous oil changes. Later on David and I walked over to the store and bought some shrimp. I boiled them with a little Old Bay seasoning and they were delicious.
November 4, 2003 - Beaufort, NC
The next morning was very foggy and didn't begin to clear until around 8:00 a.m., so I got latter start than I had planned. The first part of the trip brought us (I was traveling with Kara I right behind me) into the Neuse River where it became necessary to run courses instead of markers. As we got to the entrance to the Neuse it became apparent that the fog hadn't fully cleared yet and I found it difficult to see some of the markers at the entrance to the river. However, after I we got a ways into the river I just set the autopilot to the predetermined course and waited until the next marker was in view. After about an hour it cleared up enough to get a good visual on the markers ahead.
After navigating the Neuse the ICW brought us into Adams Creek and then to a channel that continued to the Newport River and then into Beaufort. David from Kara I was stopping at a marina just before Beaufort where he would be spending the winter. I called him on the radio and to say goodbye and continued on. After I entered the Newport River I saw the first group of dolphins that I had seen since last spring. There were about six or so swimming in the channel leading into Beaufort.
I decided to take a shortcut into the anchorage at Taylor Creek called the Russell Slough Cut. It saved some time getting to the creek, but I just missed the 2:00 p.m. opening of the Beaufort bascule bridge and had to wait a half hour for the next opening. While I waited I decided to explore the other anchorage in Town Creek. There wasn't much room and the only spot I could find was partially blocking the entrance channel to one of the marinas, so I moved on.
After passing through the bridge, I proceeded to Taylor Creek and found a spot on the outside near the channel and close to the dinghy dock. I set two anchors because of the strong current and to limit my swing. After anchoring I hoped in the dinghy and stopped at the post office to pick up mail that was waiting for me. Afterwards I bought some ice cream and stopped by the library.
November 12, 2003 - Thoroughfare Creek, SC
I left Beaufort the next morning and headed past Morehead City and down the Bogue Sound on my way to Mile Hammock Bay at the Camp LeJeune Marine compound. When I arrived at Mile Hammock there were four boats already anchored and by sunset 20 boats were anchored in the small bay. All through the afternoon and on into the night, Marine helicopters flew overhead and hovered over the beach by the anchorage until they finally decided to call it quits at around 11:00 p.m. The Marines also sometimes practice assaults on the beach in the anchorage during the night. I had seen them sitting around there assault craft as I approached the anchorage and I figured that it was going to happen tonight, but it didn't. There was also a work crew at the dock that worked 7x24, but didn't make much noise.
It was raining on and off for most of the next morning, and by the time it had stopped it was too late to make the next anchorage by sunset, so I decided to hang out for the day and do some boat maintenance and housekeeping. I left the following day and headed down to Carolina Beach, about 50 miles south of Mile Hammock, and anchored off of one of the two small islands in the harbor. From there it was on to Little River, SC just south of the NC/SC border. The weather had turned nice again and the sun was shining with temperatures in the 70's and I anchored for the night just off the ICW with about 6 other boats.
From Little River I had planned on traveling 54 miles to Butler Island, but the morning brought a heavy fog which lasted until 9:30. I stopped instead at Barefoot Landing only 12 miles away. Barefoot Landing is a large outdoor shopping and dinning complex in North Myrtle Beach with about 100 shops and restaurants and a free dock for boaters traveling the ICW.
Last spring when I passed here heading north, the dock had been full I kept on going, but today I got here very early and got a spot at the end of the dock. After I tied off the boat I headed over towards the Wal-Mart which was a few miles down the road. I later stopped at the food court of the local shopping mall for lunch.
After returning from Wal-Mart, I walked around Barefoot Landing poking in and out of many of the shops. Later that night I went over to Johnny Rockets for dinner.
The next morning was warm and sunny and I left the dock at around 8:15 after walking over to McDonald's for breakfast. Today's trip would take me through a section of the ICW known as the Rock Pile because of the rock ledges lining the shore along a 15-mile stretch. After passing through the Rock Pile, the ICW joined the Waccamaw River where I pulled off into Thoroughfare Creek where I decided to anchor for the night after having traveled about 42 miles. I was thinking that the anchorage might be crowded, but by sunset there was only one other boat anchored nearby, which had also left Barefoot Landing this morning.
November 15, 2003 - Toogoodoo Creek, SC
About 5 miles south of Thoroughfare Creek, last night's anchorage, I passed Georgetown, SC. Last spring I had stopped there for fuel and some supplies, but today I kept on going. A cold front had just arrived last night and today the winds were blowing around 25 knots. The wind was blowing out of the NW so it was behind me most of the time. Along the way I spotted a bald eagle sitting at the top of a bare tree along the waterway. I got a good look at him through the binoculars, but he was too far away to get a picture. I arrived early at the next anchorage on the South Santee River and dropped my anchor and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Later on two sailboats from the UK anchored nearby and a catamaran anchored a little further down the river. After the sun set the wind died down substantially.
The next morning was still a little cool, but it warmed up quite a bit by noon. I left after breakfast and motored about 35 miles to the anchorage at Big Hill Marsh off of Dewees Island, which is about 15 miles north of Charleston. I anchored just past the ferry dock. The ferry runs from Isle of Palms to Dewees Island. At the dock at Dewees Island about 30 golf carts waiting for the passengers as they get off the ferry. When I had anchored here in the spring I had assumed that there must be a golf resort on the island, but this time I noticed that ferry was dropping passengers off at the Island well after sunset, and so figured that they must not be going there to play golf, they must live there and using the golf carts to get to their homes.
The next morning after I left the anchorage, I stopped at the Isle of Palms Marina for fuel and water. I saw the ferry pull in and watched some people get off and walk to their cars waiting in the parking lot. So, I guess that the golf carts on Dewees Island actually are for transportation from the dock to the resident's homes.
After fueling up, I headed down the ICW and arrived at the Ben Sawyer swing bridge. I hadn't reviewed the bridge opening schedule and I arrived 5 minutes after the 9:00 a.m. opening, and had to wait nearly an hour for the next opening at 10:00. After passing through the bridge I entered Charleston Harbor. I was considering stopping, but I had read that the anchorage here is not very good, being somewhat exposed with a swift current.
While I waited for the next bridge to open, which was less than a mile away, I motored around the harbor to see if anyone I knew was here. I didn't see anyone, so I continued on to the bridge in time for it's opening (this one opens on the hour and half hour). There was one more bridge to pass through and most of the sailboats boats that I was traveling with today picked up their speed to try and make it in time for it's next scheduled opening. As we got close to the bridge we saw that the swing bridge had been replaced by a 65' high-rise bridge, so we all slowed down. At around 3:00 p.m. I turned into Toogoodoo Creek to anchor for the night. The two boats in front of me kept on going, and two of the three boats behind me also turned into Toogoodoo. The other boat turned into Church Creek a few miles back.
November 22, 2003 - Brunswick, GA
After leaving Toogoodoo Creek the next morning I headed to Beaufort, SC. I arrived there around 1:00 p.m. and anchored in Factory Creek about a half mile down from Ladys Island Marina. I hopped into the dinghy and rowed over to the marina and tied up to one of their docks. They let anchored boats tie up their dinghies at no charge; some marinas charge a fee, usually a few dollars. I rode the bike into town and bought some groceries and boat supplies and had lunch. I needed to call my mail service and schedule a delivery, but it was Sunday so I had to wait until the next morning. Early Monday morning I headed back into town and stopped at the library, called my mail service, and headed back to the boat. I left the anchorage by 10:30 a.m.
The next stop was the New River where I planned to wait out a strong cold front that was approaching from the west. NOAA weather radio was predicting possible severe thunderstorms so I decided to just sit there until it passed. When arrived I anchored with two other boats. There was plenty of swing room for us all, even at as much as 10:1 scope. As the front approached the next day, it rained heavily for a while and the wind gusts got as high as 35-40 knots but only for a short periods. The sustained wind was about 15-20 knots until the front passed. I was expecting strong NW winds following the front, but the next day the sun was out and it was blowing only 10-15 knots from the NW.
From New River I motored to Big Town Creek under beautiful clear, sunny skies and fairly warm temperatures. I anchored across from Kilkenny Creek where I had anchored in the spring on the way north. The creek was quiet and peaceful with only marsh and some distant trees in view. I left early the next morning and had planned to travel about 40 miles to the anchorage off of Doboy Island, GA where I also had anchored in the spring. I was traveling today in a procession of six or seven other sailboats. When I arrived at the anchorage at Doboy Island, it was only 1:00 p.m. so I decided to press on towards Brunswick, GA and anchor in the Frederica River near the Golden Isles Marina. I arrived at the anchorage at around 4:00 p.m. and had traveled nearly 60 miles by day's end.
In the morning I had breakfast while I waited for the current to change so that it would be with me as I rowed over to the marina about a mile away. It was an easy row and I paid the dock attendant $5.00 to tie up my dinghy then rode along the bike path into Brunswick. I picked up my mail at the post office then headed to the library. I plan to pick up some groceries then spend the afternoon exploring St. Simons Island on the other side of the marina. By the time I'm ready to head back to the boat this afternoon, the tide will have changed again, so I should have an easy row back.
November 26, 2003 - St Augustine, FL
After picking up my mail I rode over to St Simons Island. As I crossed the bridge I saw signs for the PGA tournament that was going on at the moment. It was the UBS Cup being held at the Sea Island Golf Club. Tour buses were coming and going and it seemed that the whole island was geared up for the tournament. I rode past some beautiful homes and then into town where I stopped for lunch in a cafe along the main road. Later I rode down to the beach then back across the bridge and then back to the boat.
In the morning I lifted anchor and motored around to the Golden Isles Marina for fuel. From there I headed on towards the anchorage at Drum Island, which is just north of the St. Mary's River and the Georgia/Florida border. When I arrived I anchored with about 12 other boats. I was surprised that the anchorage was this crowded. There was a dock at the ranger station where you could tie up your dinghy and walk across to the beach on the other side of the island. I guess that was the attraction of this anchorage.
In the morning I crossed the St Mary's River into Florida. I passed Fernandina Beach, which looked like a nice town to visit and thought that I might stop for a few hours since it was only 10:00 a.m., but there was a smell from a nearby plant that was blowing in the direction of town. It smelled awful and was starting to make me nauseous, so I kept on going. I pulled into the anchorage in the Ft George River and anchored near the Kingsley Plantation, which is maintained by the National Park Service. As I approached the anchorage, I noticed a sailboat that appeared to be aground on a shoal towards the center of the river. After I anchored, I rowed over to the boat and asked if they could use some help. They said that they had done all they could do right now and were just waiting for the tide. The tide was ebbing and they had another two hours until low tide. I saw that their home port was Severna Park, MD and then recognized the boat from the time I had anchored near there home this past summer. They said that they had remembered my boat being anchored there. We talked for a while and I later rowed over to the dock and toured the Kingsley mansion grounds.
On the grounds was a main building (the mansion) and the ruins of about 20 small cottages (the slave quarters). Afterwards I rowed back to my boat and noticed that the sailboat that was aground was lying on its side now that it was low tide. There was nothing they could do at this point but wait for the flood tide. I figured that they had another three hours before they would be afloat. By then it would be about 8:30 p.m.
I arrived at St Augustine by 10:00 a.m. and found spot that was a little tight and I had to use two anchors to limit my swing. I was still a little closer then I wanted to be to one of the boats but figured that I would be okay for the night. I rode into town, had lunch the stopped at Sailors Exchange to buy another battery for the boat. They gave me a good deal on the battery, about $50 less than I would have paid at West Marine, plus they paid for a cab back to the marina, and gave me a used carrying bag for my folding bike. Nice people.
Several boaters are having a Thanksgiving turkey dinner at the dock and Sheryl, the woman who was hosting it invited me over. I asked what I could bring and she said just bring whatever you want to drink; they have a lot of everything. It should be fun.
November 27, 2003 - St Augustine, FL
Thanksgiving dinner was fun. Several other boaters came and we had a good time. The food was very good as well. The next morning I listened to the weather forecast for the area when I woke up and they were now saying that the cold front coming through would have gale force winds with gusts to 40 knots. After hearing the stories about what happened three weeks ago out in the anchorage, I decided to take a slip for two nights until the front passed. The people that were here three weeks ago were saying that several boats had broken loose and one boat hit the bridge and another had gone around south of the bridge. Several people had to be removed from there boats and the coast guard was patrolling the anchorage in case they had to rescue any more boaters.
After hearing that and the forecast for the next two days, I called the St Augustine Municipal Marina and reserved a slip. By chance they happened to have a slip right next to Sheryl and Ed, the couple that hosted the Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, and put me in there. After I got settled in we went to breakfast at Athena's in town, then drove over in Ed's car to a couple marine supply stores.
Right now I'm thinking of possibly staying here for a month. The monthly rate is so much cheaper than the daily rate, $14 per night with utilities as opposed to $48 per night for the daily rate. They are supposedly booked up for a while, but I'm going to talk to the guy who handles long-term reservations to see if he can't squeeze me in.
November 29, 2003 - St Augustine, FL
The winds weren't as bad as forecasted and I probably would have been fine in the anchorage, but I am enjoying being in a marina for a change. It's nice being able to go out at night and just walk back to the boat whenever I felt like it. I was talking to another boater in the marina lounge yesterday and he told me about the Pot Belly Theater in town, so after having dinner in town I went to see a movie. The theater is very old and is decorated with memorabilia from the '50s in display cases along all of the walls, mostly small toys and such. The decor looks like it hasn't changed since the '50s either. The chairs in theater have small tables in front and a waitress comes around before the movie and takes orders for sandwiches and drinks. All of the sandwiches are named after movies, and they're all inexpensive at $3.95. I saw 'Bad Santa' with Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, and John Ritter. It was very funny. After the movie I walked back to the boat. What a pleasure it was, not having to row for a change. I can get use to this marina life.
I called Tom and Patty from Swan yesterday and asked about the marina they were staying at and they told me that it was only $9.50 per ft, so I called to make a reservation for a month. It comes to only $11 per day with utilities, and they say that it's a nice marina with a good crowd of people. I had been planning to get a mooring at Stuart, FL for $8 per day but decided that the marina would be much nicer. I would have electricity, water, wouldn't have to row to and from the boat, and wouldn't have to deal with the wakes from the passing boats which could be pretty substantial in the mooring field at Stuart. Another alternative was Vero Beach, which is a very nice mooring field, also at $8 per day, but very crowded and they often require that you raft to another boat at the mooring. I should be there on Wednesday or Thursday, then I can relax for a while and maybe pickup my car in Ft Myers.
December 2, 2003 - Indian Harbour Beach, FL
I left St Augustine at about 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. I was a little concerned about backing out of the slip, since I had no experience doing so (I'm used to just pulling up the anchor an going), but with the help of the dock assistant I got out with no problem. It was a cool morning and I was dressed warmly. I motored down the ICW towards Daytona Beach where I would anchor for the night.
As I approached the Matanzas Inlet I heard someone talking on the VHF to the Coast Guard about a 25-foot boat on fire at St Augustine. They were reporting that the boat was covered in smoke, and a few minutes later said that it was now 50% engulfed in flames, then shortly after, totally engulfed in flames. I turned around and looked back toward St Augustine. I could see the smoke from 12 miles away.
I continued to monitor the reports and heard that there were people on board the boat. Someone said that he had helped them out of the water and was taking them ashore. He said that they were just wet and a little cold but no one was hurt. Someone else called to report that the anchor rode had burned through and the boat was now adrift in the anchorage. The fire department was now on the scene and got the fire quickly under control.
I arrived in Daytona Beach around 3:00 p.m. and anchored just past the Seabreeze Bridge with about 6 other boats. I rowed ashore to Caribbean Jack's, bought some beer and chips and called the Telemar Bay Marina to let them know that I would be arriving on Tuesday.
Several times the next day, on my way to Titusville, I was entertained by dolphins swimming alongside the boat. They would swim over from about 50 yards away as I passed by. You could see then dart under the boat then come up on each side near the cockpit as they swam alongside. For a while I had four dolphins swimming with me, two on each side of the cockpit.
When I arrived in Titusville there were about 15 boats in the anchorage but I found a good spot near the entrance to the Titusville Municipal Marina. I noticed that Charlie from Kiawah was here also. I met Charlie in while in St Augustine. He is also sailing single-handed.
The next morning the forecast was for 20-25 knot winds building from the NE and lasting for a few days, but in the morning it was only blowing about 5 knots. I was hoping that the wind wouldn't pick up until after I arrived at the marina, but at around 10:30 it started to build to 15 knots then a steady 20-25 knots. It was on my port quarter so I was able to unfurl a portion of the genoa and motor-sail a bit of the way. I called the marina on the VHF and told them that I would be arriving at noon and asked for directions to the marina once I got to Dragon Point. They said they were just before the Mathers Bridge to starboard. I knew where that was since I had anchored nearby last spring.
I needed to put out my fenders and lines before I arrived and the wind was kicking up a nice chop, so I left the channel and headed to the protection of the houses and trees along the shoreline just before Dragon Point. I arrived at the marina fuel dock and paid for the month then motored around to my slip. The marina was pretty well sheltered so I didn't have the winds that I had out in the Indian River and I was able to pull in with out too much trouble. My slip was on the same dock as Tom and Patty, just a couple of slips down. Later that evening they invited me over for drinks and Patty cooked another delicious pasta dinner. Mat and his son from a Moody 40 on the dock were there as well. The dinner was great and we had a good time talking.
December 10, 2003 - Indian Harbour Beach, FL
On Saturday, Matt, his son Jared, Tom, Patty and I took a ride down to Matt's condo in Port St Lucie. Matt is renting it to a couple for a few months and was driving down to get it ready for them to move in next week. It's a nice development and Matt has a great view of the water and docks. Afterward we stopped for lunch and then drove a few miles to the Southpoint Anchorage in Stuart. It was packed just as I had expected. I talked with Mike the harbor master and he said that he would get me a mooring if I came down, but I was quite content at the marina for now. Tom and Patty have loaned me their second TV and their VCR, which they got out of storage. I got a temporary library card from the Satellite Beach Library down the block and now I can take out movies whenever I want.
On Monday I rode down Riverside Drive passed some beautiful homes and then over the bridge to downtown Melbourne. I stopped at the Melbourne Square mall for lunch and walked around for a while, then rode back to the marina. The weather has been great most days, with temperatures in the mid 70s during the day and low 60s in the evening. I'm contemplating getting my car in Ft Myers, although I'm not sure I really need it. I might just go pick it up and try to sell it while I'm down here.
December 17, 2003 - Indian Harbour Beach, FL
Bill on Magnolia sent me an email with a link to a news story about the boat fire at St Augustine. The story mentioned that the boat that had burned was a brand new trawler, which a retired couple had recently purchased as their retirement home. Before I read this story I had assumed that it had been one of the older boats that were permanently anchored in the harbor. I hope that the boat was well insured. I haven’t been doing anything too exciting lately. I’ve been visiting the local library to use the Internet and borrow movies. I’ve also done some routine maintenance on the boat and plan to start a few small projects, which I had been postponing until I got to a marina. Tom and Patty have had me over for dinner quite a bit and Patty has cooked some delicious meals. She’s a very good cook. I've been inspired again to install refrigeration so that I can cook with fresh meats and vegetables.
On Sunday, we drove over to Tom and Patty's friend's house where they had been house-sitting while their friends were vacationing in Jamaica. Matt ordered pizza and we talked and watched their big screen TV with several hundred-cable channels. Tom handed me the remote and after being without TV for almost a year, I was overwhelmed while surfing through all those channels. I had discovered that I really don't miss TV that much and can easily do without it. I do however, miss movies.
