4/30/10

I'm happy to report that Scooter seems well and is underway again. We were escorted out of Tooley Creek by Capt Ron in the TowBoatUS little red boat and sent on our way early this morning. 8 hours of running, some of them at high RPM, showed that Gerald's prop work is nothing short of fantastic. No vibrations or stutter at all. Technically, it seems the pitch may have come down a bit; that would result in a little less forward movement per turn of the prop, or, a higher RPM, thus more fuel burned, for a given speed. For now, I'm content that the boat is doing so well. Only down side we found was that the rudder stuffing boxes are letting in a fair amount of water. One we were able to tighten down, the other may not be so simple. My guess is that the heating on the one rudder may have cooked some of the packing. The other side remains a mystery for now; it feels like it has run out of packing material. Time will tell. In the meantime, we'll press on & keep an eye on the bilges.

Currently, we are at anchor in the Little Alligator River, listening to the wind howl as it supposedly gets ready to diminish. Tomorrow we will cross the Albemarle Sound headed for Elizabeth City, NC and the Dismal Swamp canal. Right now, we are wondering if the NOAA folks have gotten the forecast even close. Scooter is rocking & rolling, the wind is moaning through what rigging we have, and sleep is looking a little doubtful.

We'll check in again with a progress report tomorrow. Have a great weekend

Onward?

We spent a full day in the boatyard today, doing boatyard things: watching, waiting, hoping, then, gasp, paying. Scooter suffered some damage in this episode; bent rudder(s). Bent props, etc. Actually, as bad as it seemed, it could have been a lot worse. The port shaft miked out just about zero, while the starboard shaft miked out at 8. The interesting thing is that shaft was a bit out of true when we bought Scooter 5 years or so ago. Consensus of opinion was "its your call. capt'n" . try making sense out of that one on the spur of the moment. So, anyway, Scooter sat in the slings all day, much to the pleasure of the marina bookkeeper. But, in all honesty, it may have been probably good that it all happened when it did. Scooper's bottom was pretty cluttered with growth; so much for much touted Pettit bottom paint, and all the zincs were shot. The shaft zincs were actually gone, while the rest were all but gone. Obviously we replaced all that while the boat was hauled, cleaned the bottom, straightened the starboard rudder, & redid both props. The port rudder has a slight twist in it, but there is not much we can do about that unless we replace the rudder, Since the starboard unit also has some imperfection in it (ie, twist), maybe they'll balance out & Scooter will go like a train. Our thanks to all the guys that worked on the project; JW, Gerald, and Jake, the resident Golden retriever, and captain Ron, the BoatUS guy. A really great bunch of folks, that did a great job at a reasonable price.

Tomorrow calls for an early get up'n go; stop up the road for fuel, pump out, & water, then back up the Alligator/Pungo canal again to the Albemarle Sound & possibly Elizabeth City. Try, try again; hopefully we'll do better this time.

We'll check in again with a report on the effectiveness of the repair, and our progress thru the logs, stumps, and waves of the Alligator/Albemarle area. Be safe, be happy, we'll catch you on the flip side.

Bad Day on the Pungo Canal

Great day to start; cool temps, breezy, but not over whelmingly so, boat running well. So off we went, out Slade Creek, into the Pungo River and north to the Alligator River -Pungo River Canal, a narrow, tree & stump lined canal running from the Pungo River , yep, you guessed it, Chuckie, the Alligator River. So, off we went, up the canal headed for the Alligator River swing bridge & an anchorage behind Durant Island to await calmer winds on Thursday for the Albemarle Sound crossing on the way to Elizabeth City. Plan was to be in the lower end of the Chesapeake by Saturday or Sunday, and Essex by the end of the week or so.

Great thing about plans: not many get to survive combat, or, in this case, real life. Just after we passed under the Fairfield Canal bridge we hit a submerged log that was apparently lying along the edge of the channel. One minute 12' of water, the next minute; THUNKety Thunk. Our Verizon network abandoned us, no one answered channel 16, we were stuck in more ways than one. We wiggled around, moved weight forward, drained the fresh water tank, and put the dink in the water. That seemed to lighten things up a bit, so we tried to idle off the log; Thunk, no dice! Altho' we had tried kedging earlier, only to lose that anchor, we decided to try that again. By some judicious use of passing boat wakes we were able to get Scooter floating properly again, and, joy of joys, recover that anchor. Unfortunately, when we powered up to start down the canal, there was a lot of vibration; possibly bent shafts, possibly bent props. In the interim, a kind hearted sailboater had managed to make contact with TowBoat US, our AAA of the waterways. Once we arranged the relays & made contact, we limped in their direction, picked up the towboat and were towed to what we hope will turn out to be a reasonably priced repair facility with the time & parts to get our work done expeditiously.

I guess the next few days will be interesting, possibly frustrating, but certainly part of our ICW

experience.

Have a great week, we'll send some pics & keep you tuned in to all the upcoming events. Be safe, dodge the logs, and keep the faith!

Update again

I gotta tell you; shore leave is tough. Eat, eat, and eat some more. Quiche, key lime pie, strawberry shortcake, steak, geez; Scooter had to get going, no matter that small craft cautions were in effect or that the wind was gusting to 25 mph. Our thanks, once again, to Jim & Mae for their wonderful hospitality. Please be safe on your trip home next month. To bring you up to date: Scooter moved North on the 21st of April, to New Bern, NC. We were actually a day early in an effort to avoid forecast weather; some of which materialized as we came into the upper end of the Neuse River. We got wet pulling into Northwest Creek marina, but that's boating. Nice place, previously visited by Scooter & various crew members. Lots of sailboats, lots of wind & rain. But it cleared. The people came out, the rain stopped, and life was good again! Next day, life still being good, Scooter moved over to Spring Creek to temporarily join Admiral Jim's fleet at rest behind the main club house. Lovely spot in a great area. From there we drove to Oriental, NC for a town tour & lunch at one of the waterfront eatery's. Biggest discovery there; an incredible nautical consignment store ( boat stuff someone doesn't want, Chuckie). I'd still be there, but.....!

New Bern was on the list for a driving visit. That town is celebrating it's 300th anniversary this year; lots' of good stuff going on all Summer & Fall. Jazz festivals, etc. Pretty neat old town, actually. We roamed about the neighborhood catching some of the local wildlife while they watched us parade around. Made for an interesting walk. Anyway, each time we decided to get on the move, weather intervened, sometimes even measuring up to the forecast, sometimes not even being close. Night before last was pretty fierce in the forecast, with yesterday being just a bit on the nasty side, but the moon slid up out of the pines into a beautiful, clear sky, wind calmed down and it looked like the forecast was going to err in our favor. The decision was made to press on. Fortunately, while really strong, the wind was behind us most of the way down the Neuse River. Incidentally, that sucker is 6 miles wide at the mouth. making for a lot of fetch and other delightful boat stuff. In fact, the trip was not all that rough until we got to the Pamlico River. Then it started to get ugly, wind, towering cumulus, rain squalls, etc, as a cold front moved in. Having come far enough at that point, we elected to anchor in Slade Creek, just off the ICW from Belhaven, NC. Surrounded by pines and whippoorwills, we are tied tightly to the bottom awaiting the frontal passage. Then on to the Albermarle Sound, Elizabeth City, & The Dismal Swamp Canal.

Be safe, be careful, be hopeful. We'll catch you on the flip side!

4/20/2010

Today was decreed a day off; no moving the boat northward. We're in a nice spot, it has been a beautiful day, and there were things to do. So, laundry, lunch and explore some of Carrot Island, which is part of the Rachel Carson research center. Actually , we were looking for some of the Shackleford horses that live here. We ended up picking up trash; first, a floating plastic bag, then used that to police cans & bottles in the park area we walked thru. Filled it up in a blink! I used to be employed by the USFS in Montana ( way back, Chuckie, early 60's). Our rainy day work was to cruise National Parks in the area and police trash. I was appalled, as much then as I am now, by American's absolute lack of respect for the environment and the gorgeous country that we are blessed with. Even with all the "Green" noise we live with, some of us just can't seem to understand

"Nuff of the sermonizing. we dinked the trash back to town and headed for Scooter; felt good to get home. Then, 'lo & behold, we looked out the windows & what did we see. Yup; a Shackleford horse, mare, in this case. Chuckie, I just know, OK! Tales of the origin abound, so I guess it really doesn't matter for this blog. Suffice it to say that they are small, a bit scrawny, nasty when approached, and live here. Continuing in the wildlife vein, we saw American Ibis, tri-colored heron, and sea skimmers as well. There is, however, one critter that continues to elude me; has for the whole trip. I have tried to get a picture of a bottle nosed dolphin; porpoise in most of our thinking (like piper cub fits all small airplanes). Its like shooting pool in a dark room; you know its there, but not quite where. Tonight I came closer than usual, so I'll post the pic, and keep trying.

Weather looks like it may deteriorate starting tomorrow; wind, rain & frontal activity. The plan was to head for New Bern, NC via Oriental & The Neuse River. So, we'll keep an eye on it and press on as far as safety and common sense will allow. Naturally, we will keep you updated as we go along. Be cool, be safe, and remember the following saying: " Red touches black, a friend of Jack; red touches yellow, could kill a fellow" . That would be the mystery quote.

Later, all

4/19/2010

It has been pointed out to this writer that there has not been any mention of our partaking in the national day of agony & remorse; April 15th, tax day. Hey, man, we're cruising; there's no time for that sort of stuff; I believe the proper terminology for that attitude is "no problem, mon". However, on a more serious note, thanks for reminding us in such a diplomatic fashion; I feel your pain!

Unfortunately, the morning brought the news that Clyde would not be coming in until the afternoon, so I was unable to get a pic. After dealing with that disappointment, we departed Dudleys & downtown Swansboro bound for Beaufort (pronounced Boe-fart; no, honestly, that is how it is pronounced) NC. We anchored in front of the town dock & waterfront, and fired up the dinghy to explore. One of the local things is the presence of the an estuarine conservatory named in honor of Rachel Carson. It consists of 3 miles & 2600 some acres of island land set aside for the preservation of wildlife & plants. Wild horses, grey fox, all thrive here much as they did on Cumberland Island in GA. Naturally, we took off in the trusty dink, powered by Honda, I might add, to march among the pines and admire the wildlife. I gotta say, for little horses, those guys & gals can really pile it up. Other than that evidence, I am sad to say that we did not see much wildlife.

So, back to the town dinghy dock, set neatly among prop busting rocks at the East end of the town docking area. Apparently, we just missed a free wine tasting "do", so we were left to wander about the town. Honestly, I was more impressed with this 'burg than I have been with some of the others we have visited. Not much fluff yet, just some nice stores and a clean presentation. You sense that the fluff & $$ seeking attitude will be arriving in the future, but, for now, it was a pleasant spot to visit. The waterfront has a pretty boardwalk running along a lot of its length. There are a number of historic buildings in town, some of them quite imposing. There are peaceful spots in the midst of the goings on that surround a renovating town and its tourist followers. I found the old civil war cemetery to be a fascinating, but calming environment; blazing color emphasizing the somber monuments marking the grave sites. In the shade of the live oaks, amidst the fragrance of the azaleas & wisteria, if you but stopped for a moment & allowed yourself to be there, you could almost feel the spirits at rest in this peaceful place.

Having spent the afternoon tromping; over hill, thru the island dales, and around the town, we paused to accomplish one more painfully necessary task; to sample the local general store's ice cream. That job was given to Scooter's captain. Shrug off the pain and get 'er done , I say. Agony, the agony of it all. How true it is that pain can sometimes be so gratifying!

You folks have a great day tomorrow; we'll catch you on the flip side! Be safe!

4/18/2010

Out of Wrightsville, NC, northbound for the, yes, north. Of course, we missed the bridge opening. Not because we weren't prepared, but because the tide was much higher than predicted & we couldn't get under the bridge. It's not like limbo, Chuckie, we can go down to 19'+/- and that is it. Lady said, "I have 18', captain" and that was that. 45 minutes later we were underway. 60 miles and 7.2 hours later we were in Swansboro, NC at Dudleys Marina. Some of you, those who have been following this blog, for instance, may remember our previous visit. I mentioned Clyde & Elvis. To the left is Elvis. Clyde was under the desk in the office & I couldn't get his picture. Maybe tomorrow; altho' I understand that he doesn't come in until the afternoon, so that may have to wait until another time. Weather was cheerfully sunshiny, but quite cool. Brilliant colors, blues in the sky & water, whites in the sand & wakes; all in all a gorgeous day to be out & about; particularly on the water. Our route took us thru Camp Lejune's firing range; inactive today, but still a reminder that people that belong to someone are training to go in harm's way. A sobering thought. Bless 'em all.

Then there were the marketing devices employed to get the boater's attention. Right to the point! Get 'em in the door & get the $$'s. And here I was looking for fuel price info; silly, silly me! Anyway, we got to Dudley's Marina; found the fuel dock, got tied to it in a semi-respectable manner, refuelled, paid the bill & took the courtesy van into town for groceries. Remember the cars & vans that came out when seatbelt use was a paramount thing in the regs. You know, Chuckie, the ones that would sit passively in front of you until you shut the door and turned on the ignition. Then, holy cow, they would instantly and determinedly rush for your throat like a swift anaconda, not stopping until you were pinned to your seat for the duration. Well, this was one of those; however, the anaconda portion has died, to be replaced by a screeching, rattling, crone like apparatus groping for your neck and enveloping your chest in a tentative hold until the ignition is turned off. An interesting experience; you gets what you pays for!

Also met an enchanting persona on the docks this evening; kind of exotic; thought I'd share the image with you. Tomorrow's leg will be another leap northward; 40, 60 miles, not sure just yet, but we'll keep you posted as we go along. Weather is supposed to hold for the majority of the week, so maybe we'll luck out. We have some large bodies of water to deal with, & it would be nice if the winds were calm and the seas manageable. From the docks of Dudley's Marina in the historic city of Swansboro, NC, we bid you a pleasant good night, send you our wishes for a good week, and happy trails until we meet again; same site, different day. Be safe.

4/17/2010

Winnndy, this morning, boyyessirreebob. White caps on the river, boats pinned to the dock. I watched a nice shiny new Mainship 39 pull away. Lots of bow thrust to get the bow out, leaving the stern to run along the dock until the dinghy nose got to the piling. Talk about wide eyes; the crew on that boat was as sure as I was that there was going to be a crunch; nope, Chuckie, missed by the skin on those old teeth of yours. Scooter, on the other hand, had no problem.

So, up the Cape Fear River to Wrightsville Beach, NC. A short run with the intention of going ashore to walk the beach, etc. Not to be today, too much wind & wake induced chop to feel comfortable in a 10' dinghy. I know, wuss's don't get'er done. This anchorage is like a major 4 ring circus; 3 engined go-fast boats blasting by a 60mph, Grady Whites zipping by while everyone tries to look into the cabin windows. Meanwhile we, the objects of their scrutiny, are trying desperately to hang on and keep things from breaking in the resulting rocking & rolling. The milk jug actually flew out of the refrigerator today on one roll. I suspect that the town may put some restrictions in place after someone gets hurt, but not until then. Big Sportfisherman's center, with all the attitude & arrogance that goes along with that genre. Big money is a grand thing, I guess. Seems like it can distort so much in so little time.

Interestingly enough, a 40 year old Grand Banks 32 pulled in next to us this afternoon. This model Grand Banks was the reason Marshall built the Californian 34 LRC, the model line that Scooter belongs to. Just a tidbit of nautical FYI stuff, Chuckie, do what you will with it.

With the day winding down, Scooter's crew sat down to partake of the evening cocktail and slow down hour. Usually some crackers & cheese, this evening's repast was a bit more enticing; so much so that I felt a pic might be appropriate. Dinner was a shrimp, bacon, & swiss pizza followed by the rest of the pineapple upside down cake. Amazing, eh! All the captain does is drive the boat; looks like the real kudos for the happiness on this trip go to the cook. Hooyah!

You all be safe, we'll catch you later.

4/16/2010

Long grind today; negative tidal flow, lots of traffic; took 9 hours to go 72 miles. Weather was good, cool, but lovely sunshine and great temperature. The pic to the left was taken going north on the Wacamaw River early this morning. Neat river in a lot of ways. This morning, all the birds that were chattering last night were also up & about. No owls this morning, but the turkeys were very active. Speaking of turkeys, there have been some requests to have a photo of Scooter's captain posted on the blog. shades of the toolman show, here he is, hard at work trying to figure out which way to turn the wheel . Actually, that would be the helm.

Onward. We are now in Southport, NC, a mere 310 miles from Norfolk, VA. Norfolk happens to be where mile zero is located. I don't know why, Chuckie, but that is where they put it!

Biggest problem that we have uncovered in this part of the journey is that we can't find the GPS data card for the Chesapeake. Uh oh; what are we gonna do? Point it North & press on, I guess.

Went to the Deadend Cafe for dinner tonight. Live entertainment, Jimmy Buffet songs on a live guitar with a helpful audience, good food, and the beer was cold. The distaff part of Scooter's crew was promptly recognized mere moments into the program; me; I just smiled. Old songs work for me as well, but I'm talking "Home on the range" old songs.

So, tomorrow, weather permitting will most likely be up to Wrightsville Beach, NC. Short hop, so we should have enough time to hit the stores & the beach for a bit. According to the forecast, rain may put a damper on part of that plan, but we'll deal.

Catch you later.

4/15/2010

Sleeping in a boat that is anchored in a strong current can be, quite literally, an eye opening experience. First, there is the constant gurgle as the current rushes past the boat. Don't get obnoxious, Chuckie, the bow is not always pointed into the current. Take our case last night. The wind was very strong from the NW, while the direction of the current was from the NE. In short, the wind on the stern kept the bow of the boat from lining up with the current. Result; a boat lying sideways in the current; much noisier than usual. Next there is the groaning and clunking as the anchor & chain take the strain. Occasionally, as in last night's adventure there is the BANG as the bridle disconnects and the chain pops straight against the stops. Those stories of how the water gurgling & the boat rocking help put you to sleep are somewhat suspect in my book. Oh, did I mention how dark it is in some of these places; Dark, man reaallly dark. Particularly if you are trying to see if your boat has moved.

Despite all the adventure of the night, we were up & in McClellanville early in the am. What was to be a short walk thru turned into a wander thru a neat little town that some of time has skipped by. Not much too it really, couple of seafood companies selling shrimp & assorted fish, a seafood restaurants, a bunch of shrimp boats, and a number of art studios. Lots of neat old buildings, lots of colorful plantings, none of them manicured, or trimmed to Longwood Garden standards; just relaxed & pretty. Nice place to visit again, we'll be back someday.

Pressing on from there we headed up the ICW, past the North & South Santee rivers, thru Winyah Bay, past Georgetown, and up the Waccamaw River. That, in turn, led us by Cowhouse Creek, Wacca Wache Marina, and finally, to Bull Creek. Deep, fast moving, it is more like a small river than a creek; matter of definition, I guess. I'm only sorry I can't put any audio into the blog; that technology is well past my pay grade. As the afternoon sunlight faded and the evening started sliding into night, the bird songs became almost rowdy; a raucous symphony of song, each one trying to outdo the other. Or, perhaps, just their way of celebrating the end of another day of survival, or joy, who knows for sure.

In our case, we had a beer, some shrimp and salad, some pineapple upside down cake, and called it a night. A gurgle by the bow, an owl call from the woods, and a cool breeze thru the hatch. I guess that would be enough to sing about, Be safe. Catch you later.

4/14/2010

Up and at it first thing today; a little sunglow in the air; yet cool enough so that there was mist on the water; and, thankfully, so that the critters were not ready to feed on flesh. We rumbled by Charleston on a rising tide, turned the corner into the ICW by Isle of Palms & promptly slowed to a crawl. Small craft advisories, cold, & lots of wind removing the water from the channel, Our original goal was to get to McClellanville, SC, get fuel, ice, etc, explore the town for an hour or so, then move North a bit & anchor for the night. As it turned out, we didn't get to the McClellanville area until 3:30. We decided to back things around some & anchored in Five Fathom Creek instead. We'll be up early, get into town and do all that stuff; then run the rest of the day almost to North Carolina. That is, of course, if the wind, tide & weather cooperate. Interestingly enough, when we came thru here early this year, we anchored in the same area. It was cold, cloudy & very windy then as well.

Well. tomorrow is another day. I am sure it will be full of surprises and excitement. Until then, be safe.

4/13/2010

Well, here we are again. Isn't it just wonderful being able to meet so often. Frankly, it is quite enjoyable to us, I hope it is for you as well. Good, fast day today. Lots of favorable tidal currents that boosted our speed immensely; I even saw a reading of 10.4 kts ( that would be a whopping 11.9 mph, Chuckie). We were, unfortunately, also being blasted by adverse winds. Didn't affect the speeds all that much, but it blew a lot of water out of the channels. That slowed us down a bit, 'cause I'd rather hit at a slow speed than going fast. One word reason: cheaper! We are currently about 20 miles South of Charleston, SC. Our goal for tomorrow is McClellanville, SC. Nothing much there, but we'd like to stop, get some shrimp, diesel, and ice. If that isn't possible due to shallow water, or some other obstacle, we'll head to the Santee River, or Minim Creek, tie the boat to the ground, and figure out what to do next.

We have come across an ugly, ugly thing on our northbound trip thru the waterways & marshes of the South. I've heard about this phenomenon, read about it, and even experienced it on a small scale. Frankly, in this day & age, I did not think this sort of thing would be allowed to exist. Only a mere 4mm in length, this critter can drive a person nuts in a matter of minutes; day or night, they are all over you. Open your mouth to cuss, they'll bite your teeth! can't swat them; you can't see them! Officially, they are midges: in real life they are no-seeums. The Yankee versions are quite mild, biting a chunk off now and then, but the southern versions operate in highly trained attack groups; gnawing off any exposed flesh on one side while going for the eyes & ears on the other side. The gyrations that sane people go thru; wild arm waving, knees pumping so the ankles can be reached; it is surely a sight to behold. Its like the dance of the demented! Then there are the chemicals. Ah, the sweet smell, & taste, of Deet. Funny, we spray it, with our eyes closed, on our body parts, then start the wild arm waving all over again. What will the human race do when we come up against something really big & bad?

Ain't life grand! On the serene side, we are sitting in a peaceful spot, surrounded by gurgling water, blowing dolphins, and enjoying a gorgeous sunset. Have a great day tomorrow; be safe, be adventurous & smile at someone you don't know. Catch you later!

4/12/2010

Today was a short day as far as travel distance & helm time: 6.5 nm & 1.1 hours running time. We went from Cowen Creek to Port Royal Landing Marina. This particular marina is just south of Beaufort, SC. Scooter tucked in among all the bigger craft with a minimum of fuss. Nice place, really. Has an eatery on the premises that serves cold drinks & decent food. Staff is very friendly & helpful. Also has a great exercise area for walking to & from the shower. Place is quiet, set in a neat little community. Some of the houses are built out over the tidal plain on pilings. Remember, this is an area of 8' to 9' tides. For those of you that might have been in the USMC, it is also just down the road from Parris Island. We acquired the courtesy car; a relatively new F150 & went shopping for motor oil, TP, groceries, the usual " keep the boat going"stuff. Part of the intention was to explore the historic district of Beaufort. I hate to be cynical, but these towns are all starting to look the same. Wood siding in pastel colors, on streets lined with live oaks, draped with Spanish moss. And tourists all over the place. I can't blame them, that 's what the market is all about. Draw in the $$;( lord knows people that own boats gotta have big bucks), by renovating the waterfront & shopping areas in a cutesy manner, populate it with trendy shops & sit back & count the dollars. I hope it all works, but I'm not overly optimistic. It is almost like everyone is trying too hard.
Tomorrow we are pushing further North towards Charleston, SC. The tides will not be in our favor in the morning, so I'm not sure how far we will get. I'm not even sure if we will stop in that fair city again. A frontal system is forecast to drop south in that area, bringing strong winds and lumpy seas to visit with us. We'll see how it goes. Be safe; we'll catch you on the flip side.

April, 11, 2010

Sorry for the lack of posting activity over the last few days. There have been a few problems with the photo editor functions, and a few internet connectivity issues as well. Hopefully, that has been sorted out; I do not handle tech problems all that well at the end of a long day.
We are sitting at anchor about 8 miles South of Beaufort, SC. Last night we were watching deer, eagles, & sunsets in Walburg Creek, GA. The night before that we were in Jekyll Island Marina again, and on the night of the 9th, we were anchored at Cumberland Island, one of our favorite spots to visit. And, just before that we were attached to a mooring ball in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Don't you just love sunsets? The leg from Fernandina Beach to Jekyll was a bit wild, wet, and windy, with spray over the bridge. What a blast!. The rest of the trips were pretty peaceful; my only possible complaint is that it has been cold. Shorts are OK, but the bridge enclosures stay shut & the sweatshirts stay on 'til about noon.

Yesterday, Virginia spotted some 'gators sunning on the banks of the one cut we went thru, but we couldn't stop to get good pics, as the wind & low water dictated that we keep moving while we could.. Wind & low tides combine to make low spots reaally low spots in the channel. That phenom, in turn, can make for a lot of breath holding while the depth finder alarm blares and the little red line that shows the bottom pitches up like a rocket. takes some of the relax out of the equation!. The height differences in the tides here can make inattentiveness a major problem. Good day for bottom cleaning, I guess. The issue will be whether or not the tide gets high enough to refloat it, or can they get a crane in to help out. We'll do our best to avoid that kind of dilemma.

Tomorrow, we'll move over to Beaufort; that is Bew-fort to anyone who asks, to refuel and explore the town a bit. Once we get moving again,we'll probably stop in Charleston for a day to reprovision, maybe changes Scooter's oil, get a Moe's burger, and take a breath.

Hard to tell what's next, but we'll keep you in the loop. Be safe!

4/6/2010

Wow! April is zipping right along, eh. Speaking of zipping, Scooter caught a good tidal current boost today. We now find ourselves sitting at mile marker 735; last night we were sitting at mile marker 802. Pretty impressive stuff; at least in our book. We took off at a decent time this morning, hoping to catch a rising tide as we approached the dreaded "Gotcha Inlet". In more politically correct terminology, that would be the Matanzas Inlet. Ugly history here, matanzas is the spanish word for massacre. But, that happened in 1565. Now, the inlet itself is shoaling very badly, very quickly, and in an ever changing fashion; hence Scooter's crew calling it the "gotcha Inlet" Actually, to my chagrin, it almost did. All seemed to be OK; we moved on to St. Augustine for fuel & ice; two items that we can't move far without. Once refuelled & reiced, we pressed on to Jacksonvile, FL. Actually north of Jacksonville, in a small creek just off the ICW. Known as Sister's Creek, it is just north of the St. Johns river. We can see the humongeous freighters sliding by from Scooter's bridge

Along the way we were attacked by a swarm of river lice; the little multi-colored units that hum & buzz like chainsaws as they flit about the tail end of your boat. Annoying at first, you can only hope that they don't manage to get in the way or, worse yet, get hurt in some manner. They thrive on waves generated by the passage of the bigger boat thru the water. Beyond that amusement, the trip was relatively peaceful. Same scenery as usual along the waterway; oodles of excess punctuated by moments of sanity and independence. There was even some nature type scenery. One of the problems that we have experienced along the way on this trip, is viewing the effects of all the cold weather on the local wildlife & fauna. There is an obvious amount of damage to both. We have not really seen that much in the way of animal activity.

Tomorrow's adventure will see us moving further north to Fernandina Beach. We have been there before, but it makes a convenient stop for food & fuel prior to tackling the lower end of Georgia. Once again, thanks for checking in; we'll catch you later.

4/5/2010

Coffee may be good to get the morning going, but NASA has a better way. We have all watched the shuttle lift off event on TV at one time or another, but, I have to say that being close to the actual blast off is an awe inspiring thing to deal with @ 0630 in the am. Slam , bam, crackle, pop, & it is all over. At first, there is no noise, just lots of light, brilliant, glaring light. While the light moves upward there begins a faint rumble, or thunder. As the shuttle continues to rise, the noise grows to an almost painful blast. It is not a steady roar, but, instead, one filled with cracking and popping. Hey, if it were my airplane engine, I'd get it back on the ground ASAP. But it continues to blast upwards. Now the vibration hits; our 20,000# boat shook like a leaf!. After some moments of that, not really countable, 'cause time seems suspended at that point, the craft seems to level and become a fast fading point of bright light arcing away to the East. All you are left with is a swirl of colored smoke against the early morning sky. Amazing; and yet we all take it so for granted; so many of us not even knowing it happens.

The rest of the day fell into a 9 hour, 85 mile grind to the North, ending up in Palm Coast Marina, somewhere South of St. Augustine, FL. When there are no places to anchor, one does the marina thing. This part of the ICW does not lend itself to anchorages readily, being not much more than a ditch heavily populated with residential developments. Some very posh, some that used to be, some that wannabe. But all there nevertheless.

Tomorrow, we'll push some more; this time thru St. Augustine and into or close to Jacksonville, FL. Be safe; catch you later!

4/4/2010

Happy Easter to One & All! Hippety Hop!!

There was no posting last night since there wasn't much to report. We sat at Vero Beach all day Saturday doing mundane things like cleaning the inside of the boat, fixing the grill, getting groceries, and dumping the trash. We did have the fun experience of using Vero Beach's free bus service. It is called GoLink, and, quite Frankly, is pretty impressive. Running thru several transfer hubs, it gets you almost anywhere in town that you might need to be. Donations are accepted, but there is no other charge. Pretty cool idea.

Currently we are sitting next to the NASA Causeway bridge in Addison Point Bay looking at the Discovery Space Shuttle launch preparations. It is due to lift off @ 0630 in the morning. We thought that it might be a neat thing to be here for. Hope all goes well for them tomorrow.

Once we're done with that spectacle, we'll move on as far north as possible. Anchorages are a bit scarce in this area, so we may have to stagger things just a bit to make it all work out. There is also a nasty shoal area that should only be crossed on a high, or rising tide. We'll see; we've got plenty of fuel, full water tanks, empty holding tank, and plenty of food & drink. Points that are coming up are St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and Fernandina Beach, followed by Georgia, etc. Press on!