Christmas

We had a quiet Christmas Day aboard Ariel. Linda prepared a traditional turkey dinner finished off with apple pie and ice cream. We telephoned our families and got to talk to each of our older grandchildren (older than Camryn): Thomas, Michael, and Evelyn.

This is a departure point for the Abacos, and many, if not most, of the boats here are waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream. A window opened on Christmas Day, so there was quite a large exodus on Christmas morning.  The day after Christmas, we had a taxi take us and our life raft to the shop to be repacked. This gave us a chance to see a little more of the area. We used the bus system to return. The system is extensive, so we should be able to get to most places.

Getting Settled For Christmas

We are now anchored in North Palm Beach. This is where we plan to spend Christmas and probably New Year's. We said goodbye to our friends from Jocks Lodge and Star Shadow at a little get-together on Star Shadow on Wednesday night. Both Jocks Lodge and Star Shadow plan to spend Christmas at Vero Beach, but we wanted to be in the Lake Worth area to have some work done. It was hard leaving, but we also know we will meet up again just as we have before. As we left Melbourne on Thursday morning, a pod of dolphins swam in our bow wave for at least 45 minutes. The water is getting clearer the further south we go, so we could also watch them below the surface, swimming parallel to and about 1-2 feet off Ariel. Our anchorage is surrounded by beautiful homes and high-rise condominium complexes. While here, we need to have our life raft repacked. It needs to be inflated every three years to check for damage and then repacked, replacing any food or water items that have or will expire. We also need to have insulators added to one of our backstays. This is so we can make the backstay an antenna for our new SSB radio. Both businesses have shortened workweeks for the holidays, so it will be January before we can complete the work.

Cocoa

We arrived in Cocoa on Monday morning but just missed Ted and Alice from Windsong. The twins were born the day before, and they left to fly to Seattle just before we arrived. Both Jocks Lodge and Star Shadow were already in Cocoa, so we anchored near them. Once again, we have plenty of space. Our consolation prize was to watch an Atlas rocket launch later that day. It was really awesome, and we were able to follow it downrange for a very long time. After dark, while checking something on deck, we noticed the phosphorescence in the water is very intense here. By making noise to cause the fish to dart, they would then cause bright streaks of light. The next night, we had our dinghy out, and it was as if we had installed lights under the hull. On Tuesday, we joined the crews from Jocks Lodge and Star Shadow to visit Cocoa Beach. It is just a 60-cent bus ride. They currently have a red tide there, so we did not plan to swim. A red tide is an algae bloom that is harmful to marine wildlife. No one was aware of the impact on air quality. As a group, we began coughing as soon as we stepped off the bus. Needless to say, we did not spend much time on the beach and took shelter inside a restaurant for lunch. We decided an afternoon at the mall was a better alternative. It was a nice day to catch up with everyone, ending with Happy Hour on Jocks Lodge. Both Jocks Lodge and Star Shadow are planning Christmas at Vero Beach, so we will be separating again for a while. We sent an email to Ted and Alice to arrange a place to meet up again after they return.

Scrubbed Again

Each day, we get a new Space Shuttle launch date and time, and each new launch is then scrubbed, repeating the process. We are not surprised, and while we would like to see the launch, we will move on tomorrow. This is a very relaxing location. While there are many cruising boats, the anchorage is so large that there is no crowding. It is really nice to have plenty of space. Titusville is nice but small and doesn't have much close by. We are moving on to Cocoa, where we will meet up with Ted and Alice from Windsong before they fly to Seattle for the birth of their twin grandchildren. We will probably stay in Cocoa for a week, then go further south before Christmas. Cocoa is still close to Cape Canaveral. We are both reading again and getting in some walking ashore. We were not able to do these activities while traveling every day. We, of course, are doing boat projects, but at a leisurely pace. Norm is installing our SSB radio, and Linda is sewing the cockpit enclosure. As long as we get both projects done by the end of December, we will be happy. We heard a deep breath and then, alerted, we watched a manatee swim along the side and then under Ariel.

Ready For Atlantis

We left Green Cove Springs Sunday morning after saying our goodbyes to Steve and Dale the night before. We would not normally travel on Sunday because of all the weekend boating traffic, but we wanted to allow enough time to get to Cape Canaveral for the scheduled shuttle launch of Atlantis on Thursday. Our first day was unusual, with virtually no traffic on the St. Johns. Then we encountered heavy weekend boating traffic on the ICW, but no cruising boats. That all changed when we reached our planned anchorage and rejoined the pack. The next day, we were back in the rhythm of traveling on the ICW, falling in line with other boats headed south. As we passed through St. Augustine, we hailed Windsong to learn they had changed their plans and would move on down to Cocoa before leaving the boat for the birth of their twin grandchildren and the holidays. Ted has a cousin in Cocoa, so that should make it more convenient. We also learned that Jocks Lodge and Star Shadow were also in St. Augustine, and all three would travel offshore to Cape Canaveral for the launch. We made plans to meet up again once we were all there. We arrived in Daytona for our next night at anchor. This was very special for us, as we have a timeshare in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach. We have had it since 1982, so we know the area well. We are now in Titusville, anchored just south of the Titusville bridge with an unobstructed view of the launch pad. The weather looks good for the next few days, so the launch may go off on schedule.

Visiting Steve And Dale

We left the ICW where it crosses the St. Johns River and then headed up the St. Johns toward Palatka, Florida, to visit Linda's sister, Dale, and her husband Steve. It was strange getting away from the cruising boats migrating south. We had been in company with these boats since Long Island Sound. We had the St. Johns to ourselves, other than a few fishing boats. The river goes through downtown Jacksonville. In Jacksonville, we had the Main Street Lift Bridge open for us. This is a landmark in Jacksonville. We worked our way to Green Cove Springs, about 40 miles up the river. This was as far as we could go, being limited by a 45' bridge just beyond the town. Steve and Dale live on a canal off the St. Johns about another 20 miles further up the river. We anchored out a couple of nights until the wind settled a little and then moved to the town dock. The town has some floating docks at the end of its fishing pier, but they are very exposed to wind and waves. We had not seen Steve and Dale's new home, but had seen the property they have been developing, which began with a seawall. They have a wonderful home, very much in the Florida lifestyle, which takes advantage of the warmer climate.

Norm developed a problem with a tooth that chipped a few weeks ago. It was a challenge to find a dentist who would see him on short notice, but when he finally found one and it worked out great. They understood his situation and accommodated him. They gave him a 25% discount, bringing the rate right in line with what we were charged when we were insured. We are spending a little more than a week here, with plans to leave Sunday to get down to Titusville for the scheduled December 6 Space Shuttle launch.

Day Sailing On The St. Johns

A Cruisers' Thanksgiving Gathering

Iain and Jan on Jocks Lodge always had the goal of being in St. Mary's for Thanksgiving. A few days before arriving at St. Mary's, we decided we would also spend Thanksgiving there, and Windsong decided the same. We radioed ahead that we would attend and arranged for our dish to pass. All coordination is done by radio, which is how cruisers communicate. This was our first big family holiday away, and this gathering was the next best thing. We arrived to find the entire river filled with anchored boats. There were more than 100 boats in attendance and about 250 people. The main events were held at Seagles, a small hotel in town. The gathering has been growing rapidly each year, and so it was tight quarters with every space taken over. We had Happy Hour on Wednesday night, but Thanksgiving was the big event. The turkey and ham were furnished, but all other dishes were provided by the boats. It was an amazing feast to see, as every boat brought a dish, and it had been well coordinated so that the quantities were right and included all of the traditional Thanksgiving foods. We are already planning to be back next year. Friday morning was difficult as we headed out, saying our goodbyes to Jocks Lodge and Windsong. We know we will see them again soon, but it was still hard. We will keep in touch and meet up in late December or early January. We are now off the ICW as we are working our way up the St. Johns River.

Georgia

Between Savannah to the north and Brunswick to the south are miles of marshes, serpentine rivers, vast sounds, and uninhabited barrier islands. The tidal range in Georgia is 8 to 9 feet, and many areas are only safely navigable during mid to high tide. We took advantage of favorable tides with two very long days, putting us just north of Jekyll Island. The tides were not favorable for the next day, so we went offshore at St. Simons Sound and came back in at the St. Marys River. We turned north on the ICW after re-entering to anchor off Cumberland Island at the Cumberland Island National Seashore. We were in early, and so our treat was to spend the afternoon on Cumberland Island. Access to the island is by ferry or by a dinghy dock. Once landed, we paid our $ 4-per-person fee on the honor system and were free to explore the island without hindrance. The temperature was near 80, so it was a perfect day. There were hardly any other people on the island, but lots of wildlife and breathtaking beauty. Horses run free on this island. Millionaire Thomas Carnegie built a huge turreted mansion shortly after 1882. This burned in 1959 after lying idle for several years. Private ownership throughout the island's history has spared it from development, and it is now a national seashore.

Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island

Jan, Iain, Ted, Alice

Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island

Burned Out Mansion

Cumberland Island

Beautiful Beaufort

After a short day on Friday, as we waited for repairs to Windsong, we made very good progress on Saturday and arrived in Beaufort, SC. This is another cruiser-friendly town and another beautiful southern city. We wound up starting with some wine tasting. The shop owner noticed us trying to figure out his winery on a main downtown street, reopened, and invited us in. He does the fermentation at that location, but other processes are off-site. Of course, it paid off for him as we all bought something, in our case, wine made from raspberries. We had a nice dinner at Plum's, and the service was very friendly. Beaufort is on our list to spend a few days on the return trip.

Eagles And Dolphins

Today, we moved on to a point just short of Charleston. A front passed through at about noon, so the winds picked up substantially. We saw three eagles within about a five-mile stretch, all very close. Tonight, in our secluded anchorage in Dewees Creek, we have dolphins swimming around. They can really startle you when they surface close by for air. Tomorrow, we will bypass Charleston, except for Windsong, which has arranged to repair its engine cooling water pump at the Charleston City Marina. We will wait on them just past Charleston. Yesterday it was near 80 degrees in Georgetown, but now the temperatures are dropping again, and it is expected to go below freezing tomorrow night.

A Day Off In Georgetown

We have been on a bit of a good luck streak. A couple of hours after we passed through a shoal area around an inlet, a four-masted 100' schooner drawing 9 feet ran hard aground. They brought traffic to a complete stop, and with no choice but to wait for high tide later that night. They came into our anchorage in the dark and anchored just in front of us. That was scary for us, having a tall ship anchoring so close. Our luck continued the next day when a swing bridge had mechanical trouble opening for us. They got it open, but after we cleared it, it was closed for maintenance for at least a couple of hours. We have now stopped in Georgetown for a day off the waterway. We have now covered 402 statute miles on the ICW. The waterway is just fascinating. Neither one of us takes a break to do something else for fear of missing something. The experienced couple we are traveling with take turns and read or do chores, or as they did the other day, preparing pizza so it would be ready when we all got settled in and they asked us over. They set the pizza dough near the engine to rise. Georgetown is very cruiser-friendly, and everyone stops here, so the anchorage is quite crowded. The two boats we are traveling with are at the far end, well out of our line of sight. Georgetown is a wonderful small city, and we wish we could stay longer. We did get caught up on laundry and shopping, and had a very nice dinner at the River Room Restaurant.  Linda had shrimp and grits, which they are known for. Norm went with a more traditional grouper, but we shared, and it was all very good. We look forward to returning to Georgetown in the spring and staying a little longer. Linda did pick up some shrimp at the fish market, so we are looking forward to grilling them.

Steady Progress

We are making steady progress south. It has been cold and windy every day. We are selecting anchorage destinations that can accommodate Windsong, which has almost a 6' draft, so this pretty much dictates our daily distance. The changes are amazing as we work our way along. Some nights we are anchored in very remote areas, where the Milky Way is visible very clearly, and other nights we are anchored in residential neighborhoods. We are now seeing dolphins each day, which is pretty exciting for us. As a group, we are doing well together, and we will stay together until about the Georgia-Florida border. Windsong needs to hold up in Brunswick; Jocks Lodge is destined for the St. Marys River for a cruiser's Thanksgiving get together, and we are going to Jacksonville. We get together every day after we settle on our anchors, alternating between the boats or going out to dinner. Windsong ran aground hard today on a falling tide. Luckily, Tow Boat US responded in less than 10 minutes, and we were on our way again. We heard It's About Time on the radio, so we hailed them. They were anchored in Beaufort, getting ready for an offshore passage down to the St. Marys River.

Beginning The ICW (The Ditch)

After the storm moved north, it turned nice very quickly. We visited Iain and Jan on Jocks Lodge to plan the next few days and agreed on a 6:00 am departure, just before sunrise, when we would have first light. Later that afternoon, we visited the Virginia Air and Space Center. They have a good collection of planes, and the interactive displays were quite good. We noticed that young teenagers really enjoyed these. Later that evening, Ted and Alice on Windsong checked in with us and decided to join our small group. Monday morning, we were off at 6:00 am as planned.

Passing the Norfolk Fleet

At 9:00 am, we reached ICW mile mark 0. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 3,000-mile recreational and commercial waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, saltwater rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals. It was a very busy day on the waterway. We went through our first lock ever at Great Bridge with a batch of 13 boats.

Great Bridge Lock

It was only noon, and they had already put 104 boats through. This early part of the ICW has many bridges, and so we were slowed by waiting for openings, which made for a long day before we could drop anchor. After we were all settled, we invited everyone aboard Ariel for drinks and snacks. Iain and Jan kept us entertained with stories of cruising in Cuba. They are Canadians, so there is no issue with visiting Cuba. We agreed that 6:00 am worked well, so we set another departure for the same time. Our actual departure was at 7:15 am, as we were awakened to find ourselves in heavy fog. The next day, we crossed Albemarle Sound, which was very rough. The going was slow as we were pounding into the wind and waves. Suddenly, we noticed Jocks Lodge dead in the water. The rough conditions had stirred up gunk in the bottom of the diesel fuel tank, which then actually clogged the pickup tube. The day was getting late, so we towed them while Iain worked to solve the problem. After about an hour, the problem was fixed, and we dropped the tow line. Bad luck struck again immediately as the tow line got caught in their propeller after Jan mistook a hand signal and powered forward before Iain had the line completely pulled in. Windsong took them under tow for the remainder of the day. The sun went down as we were approaching the mouth of the Little Alligator River, so we dropped anchor there even though we were still in open water. Norm told Jocks Lodge he would come over after sunrise with our Hookah system to work on untangling the line. It was a very rough night as the boat bounced in the waves. Our Hookah system (a compressor on deck that provides air through a hose to the diver) worked great, and actually, Jan did the diving. The line was wrapped about six times but came off easily. The air temperature was in the 50s, and the water was in the mid-60s. We both only had shorty wet suits, but they were more than adequate for a short dive. We were on our way at 7:30 am after fixing the problem and stowing the gear. The next day was uneventful, and we all went out to dinner in Belhaven after getting settled on our anchors. It was Iain and Jan's treat. We all agreed to stay another day at anchor in Belhaven.

Nasty Noel

When Hurricane Noel was first named earlier in the week, it was predicted that it would not influence the East Coast in any significant way. We took a wait-and-see attitude anyway and held up in Hampton. Later in the week, the winds were predicted to be from the northwest, so we expected some wind protection from the buildings. Yesterday, we took additional steps to secure our position. Since our anchors were well set, we opted not to move even though the winds were northeast, which is parallel with the river where we are, and therefore we were getting no protection from shore-side structures. During the day, several boats left the anchorage to seek shelter in the marinas. At the end of the day, only five boats, including Ariel, remained in our immediate area. Further down the river were a few more boats, two of which we stayed in touch with. The night before, several in their area had dragged. For us, the wind peaked at around 1:00 am. We didn't check the wind speed, but it was up there, and we just checked that we were staying put. We have a red channel marker buoy (22) that is less than a boat length away, usually just off our stern. This made it really easy to check our position. In the morning, we found that Ted and Alice on Windsong, a Whitby 42 out of Oxford, Maryland, had obviously dragged as they were now anchored closer to us, but still downwind from our position. Hurricane Noel had morphed into a Nor'easter as it passed here. Luckily, it was just far enough offshore to reduce the impact on our position slightly. The miss was by a mere 40 miles. It was a good learning experience and is helping us to gain confidence with anchoring.

Waiting Out Noel In Hampton

We have extended our stay in Hampton to wait on the weather. Once we enter the ICW, we will need enough good weather days to carry us through Albemarle Sound and the Alligator River. We are really enjoying our stay here. This is a very cruiser-friendly town. While out shopping for groceries, we had two offers for rides back to our dinghy. It was only a 1/4 mile, so we declined, but the offers were much appreciated. A few years ago, while on vacation, we stayed in Hampton for a couple of days. This was early in our planning (dreaming) for this trip, when we could only imagine ourselves anchored off the downtown area. Wow, and now we are here. Pictured are opposite views - downtown Cousteau Society from Ariel and Ariel from the Cousteau Society.

 Cousteau Society from Ariel

 Ariel from the Cousteau Society

We really needed the time to get caught up. We found a really neat area on East Queens Way with several boutique-type shops and neat restaurants. We both had crab cakes one last time at the Taphouse before leaving the area. We recommend this place.

Yesterday, we set out a second anchor in advance of the high winds as we are pinched between a large high-pressure system moving in and Hurricane Noel, which is moving up the coast. With Noel now upgraded to hurricane status, the winds are expected to gust to 60. This morning (Friday), we reduced our windage by removing our dodger and connector to the bimini. We also added a third anchor. We put out our Fortress FX37, which is our storm anchor. We should be able to get going again on Sunday.

Last Stop Before ICW

We really enjoyed our weekend in St. Mary's. It is well off the path of the southbound cruisers, so we had the place to ourselves. We stopped in at the college and, while there, bought some groceries at a small store in one of the campus buildings. We considered lunch in their cafeteria, but our appetites weren't ready for the all-you-can-eat pricing plan. The selection looked great, though. The weather did not permit touring St. Mary's City, which is a reconstruction of the original settlement. We have put this on our list of places to return to. They held small sailboat races both weekend days, with St. Mary's hosting Salisbury University.

Leaving St. Mary's, we saw our first pelicans on the Potomac River. There were actually several, and they were busy feeding. We hadn't realized that they were this far north. We stopped in Deltaville after leaving St. Mary's. We are not so sure we will return there.  We ran aground on the way in. Norm was desperately trying to locate the next red buoy when we came to a stop. At least it gave him time to get his bearings. We go so slow in these situations that it was just a nudge, and we were able to back off. The next morning, we left at low tide and ran aground in the channel. We took a guess and moved to the left a little and proceeded out in very shallow water. Traveling to Hampton, we were in company with at least 20 other sailboats and a few trawlers. We are now anchored in the downtown area in Hampton and plan to stay a few days, as high winds are predicted later in the week. It is very close quarters, as the anchorage is packed to capacity. We are using this time to do laundry and shop for groceries.

Rough Day But Great Location For The Weekend

While the forecast was for rain all day, we decided to move on to Deltaville. We pulled anchor at 7:30 am and, on the way out of the creek, noticed the open sign at the fuel dock with a very good price posted for diesel. It was still raining, but we got out the fenders and dock lines and tied up at the fuel dock. The problem was that no one was around. After searching for the attendant without success, we decided to leave. Just then, the attendant arrived, saying he wasn't expecting any business in the rain. After pumping about 10 gallons of the 60 or so we needed, they ran out. We should have known by then that the day was not going to go well. On entering the bay, the waves were really steep, having been driven by two days of strong winds. These waves reminded us of Lake Erie, which is also shallow. This wave pattern creates a very uncomfortable ride. We continued on and, after turning more southerly, put out a highly reefed main sail to help stabilize the boat. The winds continued to exceed the forecast, and the rain and, sometimes, fog did as well. We had been considering a stop in St. Mary's, which is off the Potomac. After a few hours of being pounded by the wind, waves, and rain, we decided a weekend in St. Mary's sounded really good. We are anchored just off St. Mary's College of Maryland. St. Mary's City is the site of the fourth permanent settlement in British North America, and was Maryland's first capital. We hope to explore both the college and the old city this weekend if the weather permits.

Heading South Again

Solomons

Linda returned home on Monday. She was so happy to have spent time with Pamela, Scott, and Camryn, and was sad to leave, but at the same time wanted to get back. After a month at the same anchorage, we were extremely anxious to get going, but decided to stay another day in Annapolis to give Linda a day to get settled in again. The forecast for Wednesday through Friday was for rain and windy conditions. We decided to leave anyway and made the 9:00 am bridge opening. The day turned out pretty good with only a couple of brief showers. The skies were very gray, and the winds were moderate but variable. We did get in a little sailing in the afternoon. We were amazed at the number of boats on the bay with the poor conditions, but noted they were all also on southerly courses. We anchored near the mouth of Back Creek in Solomons. We were expecting to leave in the morning and, given the conditions, did not plan to go ashore. The wind increased overnight, and the morning forecast was for high winds for the next 24 hours. We decided to stay another day, so we moved further up the creek to a more protected area.

We have our new laptop now, and what a difference. Norm was just trying to push the old one beyond its ability, and it wasn't working out. Linda had quite a heavy load on the return trip. In addition to the laptop, we had repair parts and other boat stuff sent to Scott and Pamela's. We learned after the fact that the Harbormaster in Annapolis provides package receipt service (free) and that they even contact you when the package arrives. Now we know.

Go Bucks

Scott and Pamela are OSU alumni and fans, as are we.

Repairs Complete - For Now

We have our chartplotter back, and it is working well. It should be, as it was a very expensive repair. They replaced the main processor board, which we have to believe is the most expensive component. Unlike personal computers, which support older technologies for quite some time, it is not the case with marine electronic equipment. Our chartplotter uses C-cards. These cards, which plug into the chartplotter, contain the charts and are purchased by region. Raymarine has since switched to Navionics for its chart cards, which use an entirely different format. Before investing in our chart cards last spring, we considered replacing the chartplotter with a newer model; however, at that time, it was working fine and had never had any issues, so we stayed with it. Once we invested in the chart cards, we were committed to our chartplotter. We did accomplish a software upgrade during the repair, and the problems we were seeing before the complete failure are gone. The timing of the failure worked out as we were without the chartplotter for three weeks, but since this coincided with our plans to remain in Annapolis, it was not an issue. Our backup system, which is displaying charts on our laptop that has a GPS unit attached, worked extremely well. We used this to travel from the Sassafras River to Annapolis. The drawbacks to this system are that the PC draws a lot of power (comparatively) and the display is difficult to see in sunlight.

As of right now, everything is working on Ariel, so we are good to move on after Linda returns next week.