Cumberland Island, GA

It's been almost a week since I last posted. We haven't ventured far but have been very busy exploring. We arrived in St. Mary's, GA on Monday and spent several days visiting museums and enjoying the architecture of the town. The people are very friendly and make you feel welcome and right at home. We anchored a short distance off the town pier and would dinghy in and spend the day. We met only two other cruisers as the main migration hasn't started as of yet.

Friday we lifted anchor and went another 5 miles to anchor in Cumberland Sound just off Cumberland Island. This Island is incredible with pristine natural beach and the sand dunes as you can see in the picture of Larry and me. We have viewed the ruins of Dungeness, the Carnegie mansion. We have seen wild horses that roam the island. We have walked the many miles of ocean beach. One could spend weeks here and not tire of the island and what it has to offer.

Today we are going to take the ferry up to tour another of the Carnegie Mansions, Plum Orchard. This Island has an incredible history and we are sure to return for a future visit.

Anelia Island, Fl

We arrived in St. Augustine Thursday evening and stayed on the boat. It was getting late and the water was very choppy. Friday we planned to spend the full day exploring the city. It had rained the night before and in the morning. By the time we left the boat by dinghy it was just sprinkling. We enjoyed the day and came back for the sunset over the fort as you can see from the picture.

Saturday morning we lifted anchor and arrived in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island in the evening. We were tired and chose to stay put on the boat . The temperatures dropped very low during the night and in the morning we waited till about 10:00 AM to go to shore. We enjoyed the day in the quaint little town. After which we watched the sun go down from the cockpit of the boat. Tomorrow we plan to go about 10 miles to St Marys, GA. and will stay for a few days.

Visiting in Palm Coast

We are excited about our visit with friends from Brockport, Gloria and Roger D. and their son Kevin. Roger and Gloria moved down to Florida about 7 years ago. They like us only sooner decided to live their dream. Roger left Kodak and Gloria left her position at the school for a better life, free from the stress of work and the cold winters. They have a beautiful home on a secluded canal in Palm Coast, FL and are very successful in two business enterprises. One in real estate and one in pool maintenance. They just opened an office in Palm Coast and are in the process of expanding their Real Estate firm. They definitely made the right choice in their move to Florida because they are a very happy, successful family.

Gloria and Roger were great hosts. Larry and I felt like we were at a posh resort, looking out over the water from their deck and inside their beautiful home. They moved here from a gated community about 3 years ago and completely renovated the house and the outside landscaping. They designed and completely decorated everything themselves. It was an awesome visit. We are looking forward to seeing them on our return. Larry and Roger are discussing a plan for them to cruise with us.















This is Tropical Gale Winds as she rests comfortably just off the dock! With our deep draft we were unable to get closer to the dock where it shallowed out. We tied our lines on the starboard side to the dock and the stern to a tree on shore. Then Larry and Roger set two anchors on the port side one at the bow and one at the stern. After a little adjustment we rested comfortably partially in the center of the canal. I felt like we were in Venice coming back and forth by dinghy pulling ourselves along by the lines tied to the dock.

We cast off our lines this morning with help from Roger and Gloria and at high tide were on our way. We traveled a short distance to St. Augustine and set the hook North of the bridge. We haven't ventured off the boat due to the strong winds and chop on the water. We weren't in the mood to get wet. We plan to go to shore and spend the day tomorrow. Augustine is one of our favorite cities. Besides I need to replenish my spices.

Melbourne, FL

We anchored just off the ICW last night in Fort Pierce, before the inlet. It was a quiet night once the boat traffic and the wind stopped. We did have a clicking noise we couldn't figure out but it stopped when the tide switched and the boat traffic stopped. We figured out that it must have had something to do with the anchor chain and the keel. After that it was very pleasant. It was a hot day and we took a swim off the boat and then a shower. We decided not to swim away from the boat because someone on the VHF said they spotted a shark and we did not know where. I wasn't sure I even wanted to get into the water but it was hot. I didn't take my feet off the ladder, just in case.

We woke up early this morning and got underway just after 7:00 AM. The ICW was very busy with Saturday boaters enjoying the sunny, warm day. It felt good to set our anchor again just off the ICW before one of the bridges. We are in Melbourne and the days are starting to run together. We keep saying we are going to do shorter days but we haven't. We plan to take a few extra days in the next few stops before Georgia. The strip we traveled today, Indian River is interesting in that there are many small sandy islands like the one in the picture. You can see people set up camp and have fun. The only way to get to them is by boat. Many people set up tents and stay the night. The ones in the picture have a volleyball net up. It looks like great fun. When we came though in April last year all the islands were full.

Lake Worth, FL

We did leave No Name Harbor yesterday morning. The winds were 10 to 15 knots with higher gusts out of the East and on our starboard beam and the waves were 4 to 6 feet. Needless to say it was a bit lumpy out there. It was not a relaxing sail but we were sailing. Hanging on all the while. At one point Larry needed to use the head and I took the wheel and was topside by myself. A gust hit and held at what seemed to be forever. I could hear things flying around down below but couldn't do anything about it. I was hanging on tight to the wheel. When Larry came topside he said the coffee pot came into meet him and my Corelle dishes came across like flying saucers. He reefed the sails and then I didn't feel like Garfield hanging onto the screen. It sure was amazing how tired we were when we dropped the anchor in Lake Sylvia at Fort Lauderdale. We met up with Mike and Diane M from Express Mail for dinner at the Raw Bar. While Mike was waiting for us to arrive a woman was choking and he administered the Heimlich maneuver to her. After we found out she was Cybil Sheppard's Mother. It would have been nice to spend more time with Mike and Diane but we have been on the move now and will continue to move until we get into Georgia. At which point we plan to slow down and do some sightseeing.

This morning we left early and decided to take the inside route (ICW). The ocean was to be more of the same as yesterday, we figured the many bridges are a challenge but maybe a little less so than outside in these conditions. The picture is of Chez Nous, Tom and Mel Neale's boat. It was docked at Las Olas Marina as we went under our first bridge. They are boating celebrities and have lived aboard their boat for many years. We had the privilege of hearing Tom and their daughters speak at a boat show in Atlantic City several years ago. It was exciting to think how close we were to two different sets of famous people. Maybe next time though we will at least meet the Neale's. We arrived in Lake Worth around 4:30 and set the hook for the evening. We showered, ate dinner and plan to turn in early. In fact Larry has already turned in.

No Name Harbor

Wednesday we were successful in leaving our anchorage at Sanibel Causeway. The Gulf was very flat like a mirror and the sun was high and hot. The conditions made it good for seeing in the water and Larry was standing on the bow when he saw a school of rays swimming by. They are so graceful in the water. We put in a very long day of 60 KM. When we turned into Indian Key Pass a very large thunderhead was looming over us. We decided not to anchor directly under it and go up the river 2 more miles and anchored in Russel Pass with three other boats. It was actually a better anchorage than right off Indian Key. No currents slapping the stern like we had on the trip up.

The next morning we lifted anchor again at dawn and traveled a shorter day mile wise but arrived late because the current, wind and waves were against us. We had the wind on our nose and were unable to use the sails for an assist. On the trip up, the Gulf was calm and we anchored outside off the shore. This time we entered Shark River for some protection from the wind and waves. When we made the turn I got to see a ray jump out of the water. It helped make up for missing the school of rays the day before. While we were in route about a dozen motor trawlers passed us approximately 4 miles out and they were headed to Shark River also. We didn't know if we would get a spot to anchor. It wasn't a problem because they just anchored in the middle of the river so we had the the first anchorage to ourselves. The night was quiet and we had a good sleep.

The next morning we picked up our anchor before sunrise and headed for Islamorada. We decided to go there instead of Marathon the distance was shorter because of the angle. We weren't sure of the how the Small Boat Channel would be in depth but a few other cruisers we met had used it and said it was deep enough and a few others didn't like it. We figured we would make our own opinion. The one challenge we did have was all the sea grass floating on top of the water. Our engine intake kept clogging and Larry had to get in the water twice again because it not only clogged the inside strainer but the outside through hull as well. I was treated to another creature of the sea a Hawksbill turtle surfaced twice just before we stopped to clean out the intake. We anchored off Lorelei's and after a swim we took the dinghy and went to the restaurant for dinner. It was a very calm and peaceful night with the wind light and out of the Southwest.

Saturday morning we woke early and changed our plan of staying another day to leaving and going all the way to No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne. The winds were going to clock around to the North and bring in some bad weather on Sunday afternoon. We got caught last year in a storm that was supposed to arrived in late afternoon and it came early before we got to our destination. We decided not to take that chance this time. It was a good sail but we were getting tired and looking for a rest of a day or two. The winds were good and we motor sailed all the way. If it weren't such a long trip and needing to get there before dark we would have just sailed. We arrived in No Name Harbor in the early evening but it was very crowded as it can get on the weekend. There had also been a diving accident out at Foley Rock and they brought the diver in the harbor. The Miami police and camera crews and onlookers were everywhere. We decided to go out and around to Nixon Beach for the night and anchor. We were protected but getting the wake action from the boats as they would go up the channel. That night we sat in our cockpit and watched the eclipse of the Moon. It was pretty incredible. It was a warm night so we watched the entire event. Something we would not have done if we were up North burr!!!!

Sunday morning we lifted our anchor and tried to find a spot in the harbor again. It was tight but we did it. In the afternoon it became crazy again. We didn't think it would because it was overcast and cool! Go figure! It was quite late but most of the day trippers left by dark or just after. The picture of the dolphin was taken during the afternoon. He gave us quite a display but he was hard to get a good shot of. He actually swam directly at our boat on this back chasing a large fish. It was cool! I have never been close enough to see one do that.

Monday morning the weather and wind was not in our favor to go North to Fort Lauderdale so we stayed put. Larry wanted to put out more anchor rode so we moved the boat to a new spot. We set the hook had lunch and even went to shore for a bike ride and shower. After coming back and siting in the cockpit we noticed the very large trawler was swinging in front of us, not good we were dragging. After a tour of the harbor we set our hook again. This time it is in. This harbor gets really chewed up on the weekends with the day trippers. About 5:00 PM last night the cruisers all got together on shore for a sun downers party so we joined in. It was our first gathering like it and it was a fun way to meet other cruisers.

It's Tuesday and we still don't have good winds for going North so we are staying until tomorrow morning. We should have winds out of the East which will be tough going around the Cape of Florida but good for going up the coast. Larry and I took advantage of the morning and he ran and I bladed and then a brisk shower at shore.