Playing Catch Up!

Monday April 27



We arrived in New Smyrna Beach around 1 PM took a dock in the city marina. Aunt Dot and her friend Don arrived at 2 PM. They were kind to us and drove us to the grocery store to get some provisions. After which we went to dinner for the Early Bird Special at the Riverview Restaurant and Marina, it over looks the ICW. We have on past visits taken a dock there. The weather was beautiful and we ate at a table outside on the deck. It was great to see Dot and to catch up on news and to meet her friend Don. They are planning a trip up North next month. They will take Don's pickup truck and pull his motorcycle in a trailer. They have been doing a lot of cycling here in Florida and are looking forward to the same up North. We suggested on their return in October that they stop in Deltaville to visit us and the four of us can take a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains by cycle. We'll look forward to our next visit together.

Tuesday April 28

We planned another short day today, we will be going to Daytona. There is no need to leave early so I did the laundry and Larry gave the boat a much needed wash. We finished our tasks and left the dock around 11 AM. We arrived at Daytona were we took on fuel at Halifax Harbor Marina. After we crossed the ICW and dropped the anchor in shallow water in front of this beautiful house. We had a quiet night and relaxed in the cockpit and watched as the sun went down.

Wednesday April 29

We lifted our anchor early this morning to catch the bridge opening before they closed for heavy morning traffic. We traveled a long distance today to get to St Augustine. Our relaxing short days are over we are now on a push to get to Charleston. We plan a day of R&R in Beaufort, SC for provisions and site seeing, other than that we are on the move.

When we arrived in St Augustine our plan was to anchor just South of the bridge. After going a ground while entering the anchorage we changed our minds and back tracked to anchor where we were in the Fall. We prefer to anchor North of the bridge but passage though the bridge is restricted to before 7 AM and after 9 PM. We arrived around 5 PM.

The bridge in St. Augustine has been under construction since before our first trip South. The city is all about architecture and the bridge is being restored. They first built a new bridge beside the old one. This took time, then they started renovations on the old one, which is taking the most time. In the past we have had restrictions but nothing this limited. They have a barge blocking the passage during the day while they install the counter weights. We do not know how long this will take. The progress is now visible to those of us who know nothing about bridge building, let alone renovation.

Thursday April 30

This morning as you can see by the picture we were up real early. We needed to get to the bridge before 7 AM and we were a few miles South of it. We got our hook up and traveled to the bridge in plenty of time. We had another long day as we traveled to Fernandina Beach to take on fuel at the marina. While we were getting fuel I noticed a boat that looked familiar. When I saw the owners I recognized them from a previous visit to No Name Harbor. It never ceases to amaze me how we meet up again on this journey of ours. There is so much water and so many places but we manage to meet up again and again.

After taking on fuel we traveled the 5 miles to Cumberland Island in Georgia to anchor for the night. After we crossed the channel and started up the ICW to Cumberland we were hailed by a Coast Guard Cutter. The Coast Guard was warning us of an escort that was in progress and to stay out of the channel as far as possible. She also said to be aware that some ships require 300 yards of clearance. When we saw that they were escorting a submarine we figured that that was one of the ships that needed 300 yards. There were four very large ship doing the escort and a few small ships. In the photo you can see the two main ships and the sub. We were surprised that they gave no prior warning on the VHF. They generally give one in advance to their departure. I will say it is very impressive and a bit intimidating, we feel so small compared to them.

After our bit of excitement we arrived at Cumberland Island and set our hook for a good nights sleep. There were about six sailboats, including us and no power boats in the anchorage.

Friday May 1

This morning we were the first ones to leave the anchorage. I'm sure your not surprised, me neither. Now that we are in Georgia navigating can get tricky. Georgia has little to no funding for dredging the ICW. The Army Corp of Engineers actually closed the ICW in this state but there was such an uproar that they opened it again. Hence why passing by this cruise ship was tense.

The winds were predicted to increase and come out of the Southwest and by the time we got to where we wanted to anchor it was a choppy mess. We entered Dublin Creek and set the anchor twice but we were not comfortable with being there. We lifted up the anchor and traveled another couple of miles to New Tea Kettle Creek. The wind was still blowing but the creek was narrow and windy which made for no chop. Three other boats were already there with anchors set. Two of the boats, one of which we new from Deltaville, were rafted together. We had been communicating with True Luev on the VHF while traveling but had not met up together. After Larry and I got anchored and settled we dinghied over to visit for cocktails. We didn't stay long we were both tired and needed to eat dinner. Tomorrow would be another long day.

Saturday May 2

We again were the first to leave the anchorage. We were sure our friends would catch up to us and possibly pass us. They caught up but never managed to pass us. They planned to go as far as the Isle of Hope Marina for the night and we were anchoring in the Herb River in Thunderbolt, Ga. We arrived in good time and traveled up the river to a some what wide spot and dropped the hook. On the way in we passed another boat doing the same. After we set our hook the same boat we passed came up where we were he tried multiple times to set his hook, then gave up and left. This didn't help our confidence even though we knew we were set. The frequent tidal changes can left ones anchor and reset it. At least we hope it resets. When you get up into these narrow, some what shallow rivers, the current tends to be less. There is always many things to take into consideration and I don't feel any of us are expert at the task no matter how many anchorings we have under our belt. Mother Nature makes sure we stay on our toes inflicting enough fear just so we don't become cocky.

Being Saturday there was considerable amount of small boat traffic, which calmed down by late evening. The Herb River was a very pleasant anchorage, I'm sure we will come again.

Sunday May 3

We had another long day to Beaufort, SC. We again got an early start. After traveling the distance to Beaufort, we needed fuel again. Instead of going to the City Marina in Beaufort we stopped in route at Port Royal Landing Marina in Port Royal. The wind was blowing and creating quite a chop on the river. This made for a lees than easy landing on the fuel dock. I'm glad Larry was driving. The dock hand was helpful and seemed to know what she was doing. That always helps in these conditions. After we were fueled and took on water, Larry had me drive so he could help push us away from the dock. His arm strength is greater than mine and the wind had us pinned to the dock. We got off without an issue but I was a little bit nervous, even though Larry has me drive and dock about as much as he does. We both feel it is important in the case that I have no choice in the matter.

After fueling, we proceeded to Beaufort. Our plan was to anchor just South of the marina. When we arrived we could see the fetch on the water in the anchorage was building with the winds 15 to 20 knots out of the South. There are several boats owned by the locals on private mooring balls that take up much of the anchoring space, making it difficult to find a spot with enough space to allow for swing room. Added to this many of the transient boats put out two anchors, with the current and tidal change it is almost impossible to guess where their anchors are set. After driving around for a while we chose a spot and set our anchor. Even after shutting off the engine it still was noisy with the wind and waves. We decided it would not be as pleasant a stay as we anticipated and we were staying for two nights. We lifted the hook and waited for the next bridge opening for the Ladies Island Bridge. Just passing though the bridge lent it's self to peace and quiet. Just North of the bridge we took a left and headed up Factory Creek. Past the Ladies Island Marina we set our hook. The tide was on the verge of changing so we sat to watch how the boat would respond. The creek in narrow with deep water in the center but shallows out at about 15 feet in from the marsh.

Several small power boats were enjoying the beautiful day, one anchored and everybody took a swim. Larry decided he wanted to take a swim also. About that time the tide changed and we swung to close the shore for our comfort. As the tide was going out we knew if we didn't reanchor we would be a ground and out of the water. Not Good! We started the engine and moved more to the center of the creek. In the fall when we anchored we needed to be closer to the shore. This time not giving thought to the wind direction being different we did the same. This is what I mean about no matter how much you anchor you'll never be an expert. Once we moved all was good and we enjoyed our evening.

Monday May 4

Try as we may we could not sleep in. This is what happens to us when we get in travel mode. Leaving early gets us in at our anchorage with time to enjoy the evening. Today though we are not traveling but need to get some provisions at the grocery store. You probably wonder why we shop so frequently. We have a very small refrigerator and can only hold small amounts of food. I don't mind because this keeps us from having spoilage due to the heat.

It was close to 10 AM when we dinghied to shore at Ladies Island boat launch for a walk to the grocery store. We were back to the boat in time for the tide change, which made Larry happy. After putting things away and lunch we headed back out in the dinghy to go the main land and the city of Beaufort. This was a bit longer of a ride than in the morning but not as long a ride in Marathon to Castaway's. The water was calm and the winds were light but the tide was against us. It was an easy ride to the dinghy dock, we tied up and walked into town. Larry and I have been into all the shops numerous times but we never tire of Beaufort. The people are friendly and the towns shops are great for browsing.

We stopped at Panini's for an early dinner and then the city marina for a shower. The ride back was a little rough the fetch had grown with the increase in wind speed. Once again as soon as we went under the bridge the water was calm and the waves gone. When we returned we enjoyed the early evening sitting in the cockpit but retreated to below decks as the temperature dropped due to the threat of impending thunderstorms.

Tuesday May 5

This morning we again left by 7 AM. We have a long trip to Charleston, SC. We plan to stop and anchor about 5 miles South of Charleston. We won't make it in time to catch the bridge opening before it goes on restriction and closes from 4 to 6 PM. We'll wait and go in the morning when it comes off of restriction at 9 AM.

We got to our anchorage around 4 PM and dropped the hook just in time for the rain to come. The tide was coming in and was strong enough to keep the wind from pushing us so we stayed in line with the current until slack tide. There was plenty of water around us so there was no worry of coming too close to the docks on shore when we swung.

When we shopped in Beaufort, I purchased a whole chicken at the store. For dinner I prepared it and wrapped it in aluminum foil and cooked it on the grill. When I do this we have several meals that are easy. We had a good dinner tonight of roast chicken, fresh green beans, rice and gravy. We watched a little TV and went to bed.