Log 56
Baltimore, MD.
6:00 AM
Monday, June 12, 2000
Inner Harbor Marina
Baltimore, MD.
Day 71
Before I begin this log I want to say a special hello, and congratulations to “Uncle Bill”. He just had a birthday recently (he turned 80), and Deb and I missed the party. (Which was also a party to celebrate his sons (Mort) retirement from 35 years of teaching) Anyway, happy birthday Uncle Bill, Deb and I hope you have many more. (Ps. Keep those boat shoes handy, cause you’ll need them when we return)
I’m sitting here this morning looking out the back of the boat at beautiful downtown Baltimore. Our slip faces directly across the water and so we can sit on the back deck and look at all of the activity, and this place is very busy. Well at least it was yesterday. This morning it’s fairly quite.
Baltimore is a really neat harbor. It is has been totally redone over the last several years. In the beginning they just fixed up the area adjacent to the immediate downtown, but in the last few years they have keep expanding, and it continues to get better. Some of you who are reading this have been here with us before, but let me tell you it has changed a lot. When we used to come here there was only one marina. (The one we are staying in) Now there are several, and they are huge. Boating is definitely alive and well in Baltimore.
Yesterdays trip was an easy one, and a great one. The waves were almost non-existent. It was one of those mornings where the water had a slight lazy ripple to it. In other words it was almost “dead calm”.
I followed the ship channel most of the way from Annapolis, just so I wouldn’t have to deal with the crab pots. If you haven’t been here, there are crab pots everywhere. On one hand this is a good thing, because many people can make a living from this, and people love “Maryland Blue Crabs”. On the other hand they are a real nuisance to other boaters. If you relax for even a little bit you could hit on of these, and you could have big problems.
Let me explain. A crab trap is just a cage that has a piece of meat in it. There is an opening where crabs can get in, but they can’t get out. (Similar to a fish trap, or a rabbit trap) These traps sit on the water’s floor, so they need a way to mark them. They do this with what they call a crab pot, or a floating buoy that marks that trap. (Each person has a special way they mark their own traps by different colors, etc.) These buoys are connected to the traps by line, or in some cases by chain. If you make a mistake, and run over one of these buoys, it can get wrapped up in your prop, and at the very least cause you to have to go under the boat, and cut off the rope. (Although I have learned a trick over the years that you can back up the boat very fast, and try to “spin” the rope off because the shaft is turning the opposite way that it was wrapped around in the first place) There have also been stories of people running over traps, and they got wrapped around the prop, and punctured holes in the bottom of the boats. Bottom line. Stay away from the crab pots. (Oh……the life of a mariner. One thing to deal with after another)
So anyway….after a short 3 hour cruise we ended up in Baltimore. After a pump out, and some fuel, ($1.30 with Boat US discount) we tied up to our slip, and washed down the boat. (By the way I must say that Rome is getting pretty good at this. He, like the other crews we have had aboard, has really helped us) Once this was done, and we took a break because it was sooo hot, we decided to take a dinghy ride. In order to get through it we all hosed down just before heading out, so we could stay cool enough. It worked, and we had a great time exploring the harbor.
For dinner we walked up to the Rusty Scupper, which is located right on the marina grounds. I think we all agreed we had our best meal yet. (Would anyone like some of this food we bought, and thought we would eat?) After dinner Deb, and I went for a walk around the harbor area and found a great band playing on the sidewalk that we stopped and listened to. Rome and Theresa changed into some power walking clothes, and “walked very fast” to get some exercise. Back at the boat I watched the NBA game, and everyone else sat on the top of the boat, and enjoyed the night view of the harbor.
Today (by the way it’s already 78 degrees, and is forecast to be in the mid 90’s) we will not be moving the boat, but it will be a mixed bag of activity. I’ve got a mechanic coming aboard to change the oil in the engines, and also look at a couple of oil leaks. I also want to work on the charts, and get ready for the remaining miles to New York. Rome and Theresa said they are going to do some exploring around the city, to see what’s here. Deb will be getting ready for her Mom to join us. Barb (Deb’s Mom) will be coming in from Ohare today, and landing about 4:30 this afternoon. We have given her an address to tell the taxi driver to take her to, and we’ll be waiting. It should be interesting. Barb is so excited to be coming, and seeing some of this stuff, she can’t stand it.
Speaking of “seeing some of this stuff” I must tell you I am having some weird feelings the last few days. I’m not sure what it is, so I know I can’t describe it, but it is kind of like a mixture of contentment, and regret. (See I knew I couldn’t describe it) I think what is happening is I am starting to realize that in a few short weeks this trip will be over, and all of this will be behind me. I am not looking forward to that feeling. So with this in mind I find myself wanting to make every minute of every day count, so I never look back with any regret. The good news is I realize how fortunate Deb and I are, and we don’t take any of this for granted. This trip so far has exceeded my dreams, and is certainly something I’ll remember forever. (Or until we do it again)
With that said, I better end this, so I can “live this dream” for one more day.
I’ll keep you posted….
BK.
Monday, June 12, 2000
Sunday, June 11, 2000
Chapter 55: Annapolis
Log 55
Annapolis, MD.
6:30 AM
Sunday, June 11, 2000
Yacht Basin Co.
Annapolis, MD.
We had a great day yesterday. It was a short 40 or so miles from Solomon Island to Annapolis. The morning was just perfect, with a light wind from the south, and crystal blue skies. As we came out of our marina, and rejoined the Chesapeake, I set the chart plotter to the mouth of the Severen River (Annapolis), and hit the autopilot. For the next 4 hours we cruised at about 10 mph, and enjoyed the day, and the bay. We decided to go slow all the way to Annapolis, and it was definitely the right decision.
Side note: As you have noticed, we have not had any maintenance items lately. In fact everything is working great, but we did have an issue I had to deal with. A couple of nights ago the water pump was running much more than usual. (You can hear it when it runs, and we are always listening for any sounds that are not normal) I also noticed that when we got to Solomon Island the water level in the water tank looked strangely low. It concerned me that we had developed a leak somewhere. I looked everywhere, and couldn’t find anything, so when we went to bed I shut off the water to be sure. In the middle of the night I woke up and had an idea of what could be the problem, and sure enough it was. We have a wash down nozzle on the bow of the boat to wash down the anchor, and Steve always uses it to hose himself down to cool off. Well, it seems he forgot to turn it off, and it was leaking down into the anchor compartment, and draining outside. I can tell you it made my morning to find out that this was the problem, and not so many other things that could be a huge pain. So…..still no maintenance problems.
We arrived Annapolis a little after 1 PM. It was hot by then, so washing the boat down, and getting wet was not a problem. After everything was clean, we put the dinghy in the water, packed a cooler, and saw Annapolis by dinghy. We had a good time, but it was very hot, and I was looking forward to getting back to the boat, and sit inside for a while. (Which is exactly what I did)
For dinner we walked into Annapolis (only about 2 or 3 blocks), and took our chances without a reservation. We wanted to eat at a place called Middletown Tavern (Deb and I have been there, and it is kind of neat. It is where George Washington, and his buds used to hang out) and as it turned out they had a place for us. The waiter, and the food were great. The only issue was the prices were a little high, but “hey, we’ll worry about the cost later.” I can see with Rome and Theresa aboard, we might as well sell some of this stuff in the refrigerator, because the chances of us using it are slim.
After dinner Deb and I went for an ice cream cone, and took a slow walk back to the boat. Rome and Theresa decided to walk around Annapolis, and head back later. Which is exactly what they did, because when I went to bed they were not back yet. In fact I’m assuming they made it back, because I haven’t seen them yet this morning. (By the way, if you have never been to Annapolis, and you get the chance, you should go, because it is a great small city)
Today is even easier than yesterday. We are only going to Baltimore, which is probably only about 20 miles by water. We have made this trip many times when we lived here, and it’s great. We have reservations at Inner Harbor Marina, where we have been many times, and I’m looking forward to seeing it again. Baltimore Harbor is a wonderful place, and although I’m sure it’s changed in the last few years, I’ll bet it has changed for the better.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Annapolis, MD.
6:30 AM
Sunday, June 11, 2000
Yacht Basin Co.
Annapolis, MD.
We had a great day yesterday. It was a short 40 or so miles from Solomon Island to Annapolis. The morning was just perfect, with a light wind from the south, and crystal blue skies. As we came out of our marina, and rejoined the Chesapeake, I set the chart plotter to the mouth of the Severen River (Annapolis), and hit the autopilot. For the next 4 hours we cruised at about 10 mph, and enjoyed the day, and the bay. We decided to go slow all the way to Annapolis, and it was definitely the right decision.
Side note: As you have noticed, we have not had any maintenance items lately. In fact everything is working great, but we did have an issue I had to deal with. A couple of nights ago the water pump was running much more than usual. (You can hear it when it runs, and we are always listening for any sounds that are not normal) I also noticed that when we got to Solomon Island the water level in the water tank looked strangely low. It concerned me that we had developed a leak somewhere. I looked everywhere, and couldn’t find anything, so when we went to bed I shut off the water to be sure. In the middle of the night I woke up and had an idea of what could be the problem, and sure enough it was. We have a wash down nozzle on the bow of the boat to wash down the anchor, and Steve always uses it to hose himself down to cool off. Well, it seems he forgot to turn it off, and it was leaking down into the anchor compartment, and draining outside. I can tell you it made my morning to find out that this was the problem, and not so many other things that could be a huge pain. So…..still no maintenance problems.
We arrived Annapolis a little after 1 PM. It was hot by then, so washing the boat down, and getting wet was not a problem. After everything was clean, we put the dinghy in the water, packed a cooler, and saw Annapolis by dinghy. We had a good time, but it was very hot, and I was looking forward to getting back to the boat, and sit inside for a while. (Which is exactly what I did)
For dinner we walked into Annapolis (only about 2 or 3 blocks), and took our chances without a reservation. We wanted to eat at a place called Middletown Tavern (Deb and I have been there, and it is kind of neat. It is where George Washington, and his buds used to hang out) and as it turned out they had a place for us. The waiter, and the food were great. The only issue was the prices were a little high, but “hey, we’ll worry about the cost later.” I can see with Rome and Theresa aboard, we might as well sell some of this stuff in the refrigerator, because the chances of us using it are slim.
After dinner Deb and I went for an ice cream cone, and took a slow walk back to the boat. Rome and Theresa decided to walk around Annapolis, and head back later. Which is exactly what they did, because when I went to bed they were not back yet. In fact I’m assuming they made it back, because I haven’t seen them yet this morning. (By the way, if you have never been to Annapolis, and you get the chance, you should go, because it is a great small city)
Today is even easier than yesterday. We are only going to Baltimore, which is probably only about 20 miles by water. We have made this trip many times when we lived here, and it’s great. We have reservations at Inner Harbor Marina, where we have been many times, and I’m looking forward to seeing it again. Baltimore Harbor is a wonderful place, and although I’m sure it’s changed in the last few years, I’ll bet it has changed for the better.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Chapter 54: Norfolk to Solomon Island
Log 54
Norfolk to Solomon Island, MD.
6:00 AM
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Zahniser’s Yachting Center
Solomon Island, MD.
Day 69
We debated yesterday on exactly how to count the days on this trip. Should we count the days we spent in Norfolk as part of the Great Circle? Well we decided that although I worked, we were on the boat, and they should be counted. So today we begin day 69.
Rome and Theresa Hubert are aboard now. They got on Thursday evening, and their first day was a great one. The day began with me returning my rental car, and trying to get the boat ready to resume our voyage. It has been almost two weeks since I paid any attention to the boat, and I wasn’t ready to go. It took me a while to get everything “back to cruising normal”. (You know…charts, cruising guides, electronics, secure the dinghy, and make sure nothing falls over, etc.)
The day started out sunny, and stayed that way all day long. We left our slip of 2 weeks about 8:15, and headed out into the Norfolk Harbor, and towards the Chesapeake. You could tell it was going to be pretty, and it certainly was.
We joined the Chesapeake where it actually ends. This is where it joins the Norfolk Harbor, and the Atlantic Ocean. This is also the widest part of the entire Bay. The wind was out of the Southwest, and that made the waves just about perfect for us. They were hitting us on our port stern, and not bothering us at all. In fact it was perfect cruising all of the way yesterday.
It was great to be on the Chesapeake Bay again. When we lived on the east coast in the middle 80’s we did a lot of boating on the Bay, and it is some of my fondest memories. This is a great place to have a boat.
Our trip yesterday was about 100 miles. We ended up at a place called Solomon Island. It is one of many Maryland boating communities that dot the perimeter of the Chesapeake. They are all unique, but they also all look the same. As I was walking the dock last night it brought back many memories of a lot of marinas that look just like this one. I know I won’t be able to describe the difference between these types of marinas, but they are definitely different than the places we have come from.
We arrived at our marina about 3:30, and after getting some fuel ($1.11) we tied up to our slip, and cleaned up the boat. It was hot as we cleaned up, and predicted to get hotter. Deb went up to check in, and try to make some reservations for dinner. Although we have been eating on the boat a lot during this trip, I predict we will eat out a lot on this leg. We will be in a lot of neat spots, and many of these marinas do not want you grilling on the dock. Also Rome and Theresa enjoy eating out, so I think this will be the rule, not the exception.
As I said, we had a great (actually awesome) day of cruising, but the thing we will remember most about the day was the waitress at the restaurant.
Her name was Renee’, (about 21, blond, with pierced stuff everywhere) and she was a “dandy”. She had no clue what she was doing, and no clue what any waitress in the US should do. I’m sure if you ask her “What do you think some of the duties of a “normal” waitress should be?” She would look at you with a very blank stare, throw her head back a little, and say “Whaaaaaaat?”. The dinner was good, but she was the real entertainment. Example. When she first showed up, she took our drink order. No problem, right? Well they never came, and they never came. She finally shows up and says, “If you order now, I’ll go get your drinks”. Like she was holding them as ransom or something. Well guess what. We had our drinks BEFORE she took our order. Anyway, you get the picture. Like I said we will be talking about Renee’ for a while.
Today is going to be great! The weather is perfect for boating. Hot, and sunny. In fact they say it will probably hit about 100 degrees. We only have about 40 miles to go to get to Annapolis, so I plan to get a late start (9:00) and take our time with a slow cruise up the bay. I can’t wait to get there again. It is a great boating spot, and they have one of the best marine stores I have ever been in. Yeee Haa!
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Norfolk to Solomon Island, MD.
6:00 AM
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Zahniser’s Yachting Center
Solomon Island, MD.
Day 69
We debated yesterday on exactly how to count the days on this trip. Should we count the days we spent in Norfolk as part of the Great Circle? Well we decided that although I worked, we were on the boat, and they should be counted. So today we begin day 69.
Rome and Theresa Hubert are aboard now. They got on Thursday evening, and their first day was a great one. The day began with me returning my rental car, and trying to get the boat ready to resume our voyage. It has been almost two weeks since I paid any attention to the boat, and I wasn’t ready to go. It took me a while to get everything “back to cruising normal”. (You know…charts, cruising guides, electronics, secure the dinghy, and make sure nothing falls over, etc.)
The day started out sunny, and stayed that way all day long. We left our slip of 2 weeks about 8:15, and headed out into the Norfolk Harbor, and towards the Chesapeake. You could tell it was going to be pretty, and it certainly was.
We joined the Chesapeake where it actually ends. This is where it joins the Norfolk Harbor, and the Atlantic Ocean. This is also the widest part of the entire Bay. The wind was out of the Southwest, and that made the waves just about perfect for us. They were hitting us on our port stern, and not bothering us at all. In fact it was perfect cruising all of the way yesterday.
It was great to be on the Chesapeake Bay again. When we lived on the east coast in the middle 80’s we did a lot of boating on the Bay, and it is some of my fondest memories. This is a great place to have a boat.
Our trip yesterday was about 100 miles. We ended up at a place called Solomon Island. It is one of many Maryland boating communities that dot the perimeter of the Chesapeake. They are all unique, but they also all look the same. As I was walking the dock last night it brought back many memories of a lot of marinas that look just like this one. I know I won’t be able to describe the difference between these types of marinas, but they are definitely different than the places we have come from.
We arrived at our marina about 3:30, and after getting some fuel ($1.11) we tied up to our slip, and cleaned up the boat. It was hot as we cleaned up, and predicted to get hotter. Deb went up to check in, and try to make some reservations for dinner. Although we have been eating on the boat a lot during this trip, I predict we will eat out a lot on this leg. We will be in a lot of neat spots, and many of these marinas do not want you grilling on the dock. Also Rome and Theresa enjoy eating out, so I think this will be the rule, not the exception.
As I said, we had a great (actually awesome) day of cruising, but the thing we will remember most about the day was the waitress at the restaurant.
Her name was Renee’, (about 21, blond, with pierced stuff everywhere) and she was a “dandy”. She had no clue what she was doing, and no clue what any waitress in the US should do. I’m sure if you ask her “What do you think some of the duties of a “normal” waitress should be?” She would look at you with a very blank stare, throw her head back a little, and say “Whaaaaaaat?”. The dinner was good, but she was the real entertainment. Example. When she first showed up, she took our drink order. No problem, right? Well they never came, and they never came. She finally shows up and says, “If you order now, I’ll go get your drinks”. Like she was holding them as ransom or something. Well guess what. We had our drinks BEFORE she took our order. Anyway, you get the picture. Like I said we will be talking about Renee’ for a while.
Today is going to be great! The weather is perfect for boating. Hot, and sunny. In fact they say it will probably hit about 100 degrees. We only have about 40 miles to go to get to Annapolis, so I plan to get a late start (9:00) and take our time with a slow cruise up the bay. I can’t wait to get there again. It is a great boating spot, and they have one of the best marine stores I have ever been in. Yeee Haa!
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Monday, May 29, 2000
Chapter 53: Memorial Day in Norfolk
Log 53
Memorial Day in Norfolk
4:10 PM
Memorial Day
Monday, May 29, 2000
Waterside Marina
Norfolk, VA.
Have you ever heard of a Nor’easter? Have you ever been in one? Me either…until today. At least that’s what the dock master just told us is happening. Here are some of the conditions happening as we speak:
· Winds at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (about 2 miles from where we are) are 40 mph
· Seas are 6 to 11 feet depending on where you are on the Atlantic
· Tides..3 feet above normal
· In the marina where we are they will have to turn the power off, because the water will be over the power boxes. We are lucky enough to be on a floating dock, so we should be fine. People who are tied to the fixed pier (which will be under water in about 20 minutes) will have a time of it, until the tide goes out. The water is up to the bottom of the pier, and high tide is not for another 3 hours (according to the dock master) it will be interesting to see how they handle their boats.
· The winds at the marina are about 15 to 20 mph. (I just asked Deb what she thought they were and she said “oh I don’t know, it seems like about a hundred to me”
· The boat is rocking from the winds hitting us directly on the side
· It is pouring down rain, and it’s coming sideways
During all of this, what have we been doing?
The morning was spent doing some organizing. Me with work, and Deb with the checkbook. I kept thinking the rain would let up, but it has just kept getting worse. We tried to go out a couple of times, but the rain kept us inside. Then at about 2 o’clock, we said the heck with it, and put on our rain gear, and went out. It was pouring! We walked around the marina, and to the small mall, which borders our marina. Inside people looked at us a little funny in our rain suits (well actually they looked at Debbie funny, because hers is yellow), but we got used to it. They were having a small jazz concert inside with a young band, so we sat and watched, while we had a beer. I got tired of that in a hurry, so we decided to head back out, and if possible it seemed like the rain had gotten even worse.
As we were walking back we ran into a guy dressed in an expensive rain suit, and assuming he was on a sailboat, we asked him where he came in from. He said they came in today from about 50 miles away, but they came up the Intracoastal today, because it was so rough outside. In fact he said he was talking to another boat that came in from the outside, and they said they were dealing with some 23 footers. Can that be? I don’t know, but that’s what he said.
What I do know is that I’m just real glad we’re here. Yesterday when I listened to the weather I knew we needed to get going, and cross the Albemarle Sound because it was predicted to get worse. And were they ever right. If we would have been behind one more day, we’d be sitting for a couple of days in the “convenient store, almost a marina” on the Alligator River.
Instead we’re in a great marina in downtown Norfolk, and doing fine. While all of this weather is going on outside, Deb and I are inside the boat, watching all of the action. The temperature is a perfect 72 degrees. She is making spaghetti for dinner. I am typing this log, and watching some old taped reruns of Andy Griffith. If I had a gin and tonic and some cashews, life would be almost perfect. The only thing that could make that better would be if I were reading a boating magazine.
Wait a minute. I have a boating magazine. I have gin, and I have tonic. I’ve also got plenty of cashews. All I need to do is end this log, and get to it.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
BK.
Ps. the water is over the dock now. (Deb’s outside taking a picture)
Memorial Day in Norfolk
4:10 PM
Memorial Day
Monday, May 29, 2000
Waterside Marina
Norfolk, VA.
Have you ever heard of a Nor’easter? Have you ever been in one? Me either…until today. At least that’s what the dock master just told us is happening. Here are some of the conditions happening as we speak:
· Winds at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (about 2 miles from where we are) are 40 mph
· Seas are 6 to 11 feet depending on where you are on the Atlantic
· Tides..3 feet above normal
· In the marina where we are they will have to turn the power off, because the water will be over the power boxes. We are lucky enough to be on a floating dock, so we should be fine. People who are tied to the fixed pier (which will be under water in about 20 minutes) will have a time of it, until the tide goes out. The water is up to the bottom of the pier, and high tide is not for another 3 hours (according to the dock master) it will be interesting to see how they handle their boats.
· The winds at the marina are about 15 to 20 mph. (I just asked Deb what she thought they were and she said “oh I don’t know, it seems like about a hundred to me”
· The boat is rocking from the winds hitting us directly on the side
· It is pouring down rain, and it’s coming sideways
During all of this, what have we been doing?
The morning was spent doing some organizing. Me with work, and Deb with the checkbook. I kept thinking the rain would let up, but it has just kept getting worse. We tried to go out a couple of times, but the rain kept us inside. Then at about 2 o’clock, we said the heck with it, and put on our rain gear, and went out. It was pouring! We walked around the marina, and to the small mall, which borders our marina. Inside people looked at us a little funny in our rain suits (well actually they looked at Debbie funny, because hers is yellow), but we got used to it. They were having a small jazz concert inside with a young band, so we sat and watched, while we had a beer. I got tired of that in a hurry, so we decided to head back out, and if possible it seemed like the rain had gotten even worse.
As we were walking back we ran into a guy dressed in an expensive rain suit, and assuming he was on a sailboat, we asked him where he came in from. He said they came in today from about 50 miles away, but they came up the Intracoastal today, because it was so rough outside. In fact he said he was talking to another boat that came in from the outside, and they said they were dealing with some 23 footers. Can that be? I don’t know, but that’s what he said.
What I do know is that I’m just real glad we’re here. Yesterday when I listened to the weather I knew we needed to get going, and cross the Albemarle Sound because it was predicted to get worse. And were they ever right. If we would have been behind one more day, we’d be sitting for a couple of days in the “convenient store, almost a marina” on the Alligator River.
Instead we’re in a great marina in downtown Norfolk, and doing fine. While all of this weather is going on outside, Deb and I are inside the boat, watching all of the action. The temperature is a perfect 72 degrees. She is making spaghetti for dinner. I am typing this log, and watching some old taped reruns of Andy Griffith. If I had a gin and tonic and some cashews, life would be almost perfect. The only thing that could make that better would be if I were reading a boating magazine.
Wait a minute. I have a boating magazine. I have gin, and I have tonic. I’ve also got plenty of cashews. All I need to do is end this log, and get to it.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
BK.
Ps. the water is over the dock now. (Deb’s outside taking a picture)
Saturday, May 27, 2000
Chapter 52: Wrightsville Beach to Alligator River
Log 52
Wrightsville Beach to Alligator River, NC.
Note: I finally got to send this log on Memorial Day (Monday), so this turned out to be three days of logs.
5:30 AM
Saturday, May 27, 2000
Beaufort Docks Marina
Beaufort, NC.
Day 55
Well, we’re back on the boat again, after a couple of day delay. The trip to Richmond that Steve and I made was definitely a good one. We spent some good time with the customer, and our management team as well. We all came up with some ideas, and plans to make the facility more successful. (Deb will be writing a log about what she and Chris did while we were gone)
On Thursday, we worked at the facility till about 8 PM, and then drove back to the boat. We arrived about Midnight. At 6 AM we were back up, and getting the boat ready to roll, and we left the marina in Wrightsville beach about 7:30. It was a gorgeous day for boating. Storms had rolled through the night before, and in the morning we were left with a beautiful sunny sky.
The trip to Beaufort was very relaxing, and very pretty. We were very close to the Atlantic almost all of the time, and there were many sandy beaches that separated the Intracoastal from the Ocean. In most cases the markers were fairly easy to follow, and the water deep.
Side note: Which brings me to an interesting story. In 92 when we brought a friends boat from Florida to Philadelphia we were coming through this area, and Steve was driving. We were coming under the Beaufort Bridge. I was down taking a shower, and everyone was just getting up and around. I came up to the bridge, to see the waterway open up, with several channels, and markers everywhere. Steve said to me “which way should we go?” I said, “I don’t have a clue. What do the charts say?” He said he didn’t know, and it was obvious he had lost he place on the chart. (Or wasn’t following it at all) I leaned over to look at the chart to see if I could tell where we should go, and out of the corner of my eye I looked at the depth gauge. It read 17 feet……then 10………then 3……….then we came to an almost immediate stop, throwing me, and everyone else, and everything to the front of the boat. (Oh I forgot to mention we were traveling at top cruising speed) We had run aground. Hard aground! The boat was sitting in about 6 inches of water. If I had a lot of time I would tell you a great story that would have you laughing for some time, but I don’t, so let’s just say that it was quite an experience, and it cost over $3,600 to get the boat back on the water. It was also a great lesson in watching the charts, and the depth gauge.
Anyway…as we came up to that bridge yesterday Steve said “I don’t want my hands anywhere near those controls as we come into Beaufort. But he did look at the charts, and say, “I don’t know what the problem was, this harbor is pretty straightforward”. Another lesson learned.
We arrived in Beaufort about 3:30. I toped off the fuel, ($1.30) and Steve washed down the boat, while the girls straightened up, and we got ready to go into town. Well not really into town, because we are parked right on the main street of the town, so we only had about 100 feet to walk. When I checked the boat in they gave us 4 tokens for draft beer at a bar/waterside restaurant next to our boat so we walked there to have our free beer while we made a decision on where we would eat. We had all of these choices; it was a decision of which one. After a couple of beers, we all decided we didn’t want to go take showers and go someplace fancy, and we ordered bar food, and sat next to the main boardwalk and ate. It was not what we had planned but it worked out great. Afterwards we got an ice cream cone, and walked the rest of the boardwalk, before making it an early night. (After we watched a great sunset)
Today…..
We have two big bodies of water to cross today. The Pamlico Sound, and the Nuese River. These are about 20 miles each of crossing, and it should be a beautiful day for it. These are two areas they always give you lots of caution about, but today they should be easy.
6:20 PM
Same Day
Just so we’re clear on times……I started this log at 5:30 this morning, but it got late, so I couldn’t finish it. It’s now later that same day, and we are at a marina, and I had some time, so I thought I’d continue this, and see where we end up. I’m waiting to eat dinner (actually waiting for Steve to cook the chicken) now so if I don’t finish this I’ll do it in the morning.
Today (Saturday, May 27, 2000)
We had another great day of boating, but a tough day in general. (I spent a good part of the day on the phone, talking to our management team that is working on the Richmond start-up. It’s tough going, and I really feel for these guys. I’ve been there, and I know what their going through) I promised myself I’d make every day count in this journey, and today I had to work at it, to make it enjoyable.
Back to boating…
The wind today picked up earlier than they had predicted, and by early morning we had 15 MPH winds. The good news was, the winds were from the Southwest, and that was on our stern, so the going was pretty easy. In fact the long crossing was very nice, pretty, and enjoyable.
I got a good opportunity to use my chart plotter today. I would set the waypoint about 4 to 6 miles ahead of us, and set the autopilot to follow that course, and voila (I wanted to put "wa....la" but I asked Deb how to spell it and she told me viola was a real word.....who knew?) 20 minutes later (depending on our speed) we were on that marker. It made the cost seem worth it.
By the time we got close to our marina for the evening the winds were blowing fairly good, and we were glad we had a marina to tie up to. (In fact as I sit here writing this, there are tornado warnings out, and the sky to the north looks very black. I hope they miss us.) By the way, I’m not sure you should call this a marina. Really it’s a gas station, with a hole dug out back where you can tie up some boats. I’m serious. Have you ever been to a small convenient store that sells gas? One that is on a back road, and appears out of nowhere? This is that place, with water behind it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s clean, and nice, and I’m glad to be here. It’s just not a marina. One thing that is great is the fuel prices. If you buy over 100 gallons, the price is 96 cents. Which is a lot cheaper that we have been seeing. (As we were fueling up I asked the owner how he could sell diesel so much cheaper than everyone else. He said, “Well… it’s half water”). Like I said it’s not marina.
5:25 AM
Sunday, May 28, 2000
Day 56
Well as you can see I didn’t write very much last evening. There was too much going on. And I may not have time to write too much this morning, as we need to get going early.
Meanwhile, back at the “almost” marina………….
When we tied up the boat, I went over to pay for the (½ water) cheap fuel. On my way back I saw an old sailor and he ask me how I was doing, and I said “great, how bout you?” He said, “I’m here, and that’s good”. “Yea?”, I said, “If you were somewhere else, would that would be bad?”. He went on to tell me he was glad to be here because he thought it would storm later. I told him we had this fancy satellite TV on the boat, and I had just looked at the weather channel, and the weather was north of us. “I don’t think so”, he said, “I can feel it. It going to be here”. As I walked away I thought…….. codgy old sailors, what do they know.
Well it turns out they know plenty, because it stormed. (So much for the weather channel) Big time stormed. Not only that, in the middle of the night it stormed again. This time even worse. The power went out about 11 PM, and is still not on. Last night was by far the biggest lighting show I have ever witnessed. Deb had to cover our front hatch with the sun shield because it was so bright in the front bedroom. This morning is very windy, and overcast, and it probably will rain.
7:50 AM
Monday, May 29, 2000
Waterside Marina
Norfolk, VA.
Day 57
Well I should be able to finish these 3 days of logs this morning. I no longer have any excuses of not having enough time. We’re sitting here in Norfolk, the weather is cold, and rainy, Steve and Chris just left for home, so today is get organized day. Both on the boat, and in my business.
Yesterday……
The day started out very ominous. (I’m not even sure if I know what that word means, but I think it describes what I was feeling) The electricity was still out, (we ended up running the generator all night) and it was dark, and windy. If you read the cruising guide there is a special section that talks about the Albemarle Sound, and the fact that “even the slightest wind can stir up this wide open sound, and sailors have been stranded for several days waiting for the weather to lift”.
We were sitting about 5 miles from the Sound, and the NOAA weather was saying the weather would continue to get worse each day for the next 2 to 3 days. We needed to get going. The reason I cut the log so short yesterday was it was starting to get light out and I could see the waves building out on the Alligator River, and I knew that the Albemarle would only be worse, so I went and woke everyone up, and said we need to go. Now. And they were all champs. They got up with no questions, and no complaining.
When we untied the lines, it was not quite light yet, but two boats had left before us, and I could see them off in the distance. So between following the boats in front of us, our radar, and our chart plotter, we were in good shape.
As it turned out, the waves weren’t too bad (2 to 3 footers). And more good news, they were on our bow, so it was bumpy, but not as uncomfortable as if they were coming from our side. In fact the ride was an adventure, and the farther we went, the better the weather became.
The 85 miles to Norfolk was a combination of the wide-open sound, and very narrow waterways. It was fairly easy to navigate, and normally deep. The only problem we had was as were entering the Norfolk Harbor, and I almost ran aground, but I was watching the depth finder, and I caught it in time to put the boat in neutral, and get back into the middle of the channel.
I ran the boat from the lower helm almost all of the way to Norfolk, and that was great. As I have said before, that is one of the reasons I bought this boat, and it paid off yesterday. I was warm, dry, and it was very comfortable handling things from below.
We arrived in Norfolk about 3 PM. The weather was a little better, but it was still very cloudy, and it looked like rain. After some discussion about where we should park the boat (because we would be here for 11 days) the marina finally decided on a slip along the walkway. (Which, as it turned out, was about the same size as the boat itself). With a few nervous looks from my crew, (and the people’s boat we would hit if I were off by a couple feet), we slipped in our slip. We washed the boat, and straightened up a bit, and it stared to rain. (You won’t believe this, but as we were washing the boat a sailor walked by and said “no need to wash it, it’ll be raining here in a few minutes”)
We had thought we would clean up, and go downtown for dinner, but we were all relaxed, and with the rain coming down, we opted to find a way to eat on the boat. Deb solved the problem by finding out that Outback Steakhouse delivered to the boat. (Can you beat that?) So…..we sat back, relaxed, and ordered off of their menu, and 30 minutes later, they delivered us hot, great food. We ended the day with a little TV, and early to bed. (There’s a big surprise)
Today….
It’s cold (60 degrees) windy, and rainy today. The weather channel says to expect more of the same. It’s one of those days where you always feel cold. It may clear by late today, but we’re not counting on it. This is really the only bad weather we have had since we left FT. Lauderdale, so I am not complaining a bit. We have been very lucky.
Steve and Chris left at about 7 AM, to catch an 8:30 flight back to Chicago. Deb is watching movies that she has already seen several times, and I am trying to finish this log, and get it off to those who are thinking we have dropped off the face of the earth. (I haven’t gotten my e-mail for 3 days)
As I said earlier, I’m going to use today to get the boat reorganized, and I need to spend a fair amount of time on work stuff. (Things are going better, but we have a lot to do)
I’ll be back to a normal work day (if there is such a thing for me) tomorrow, so I’m not sure how if I will be doing any logs until we take off for New York on June 9th, when Rome and Theresa get on board.
Maybe Deb can keep everyone posted on what it is like to be a “short time live aboard in Norfolk”
Happy Memorial Day.
BK.
Wrightsville Beach to Alligator River, NC.
Note: I finally got to send this log on Memorial Day (Monday), so this turned out to be three days of logs.
5:30 AM
Saturday, May 27, 2000
Beaufort Docks Marina
Beaufort, NC.
Day 55
Well, we’re back on the boat again, after a couple of day delay. The trip to Richmond that Steve and I made was definitely a good one. We spent some good time with the customer, and our management team as well. We all came up with some ideas, and plans to make the facility more successful. (Deb will be writing a log about what she and Chris did while we were gone)
On Thursday, we worked at the facility till about 8 PM, and then drove back to the boat. We arrived about Midnight. At 6 AM we were back up, and getting the boat ready to roll, and we left the marina in Wrightsville beach about 7:30. It was a gorgeous day for boating. Storms had rolled through the night before, and in the morning we were left with a beautiful sunny sky.
The trip to Beaufort was very relaxing, and very pretty. We were very close to the Atlantic almost all of the time, and there were many sandy beaches that separated the Intracoastal from the Ocean. In most cases the markers were fairly easy to follow, and the water deep.
Side note: Which brings me to an interesting story. In 92 when we brought a friends boat from Florida to Philadelphia we were coming through this area, and Steve was driving. We were coming under the Beaufort Bridge. I was down taking a shower, and everyone was just getting up and around. I came up to the bridge, to see the waterway open up, with several channels, and markers everywhere. Steve said to me “which way should we go?” I said, “I don’t have a clue. What do the charts say?” He said he didn’t know, and it was obvious he had lost he place on the chart. (Or wasn’t following it at all) I leaned over to look at the chart to see if I could tell where we should go, and out of the corner of my eye I looked at the depth gauge. It read 17 feet……then 10………then 3……….then we came to an almost immediate stop, throwing me, and everyone else, and everything to the front of the boat. (Oh I forgot to mention we were traveling at top cruising speed) We had run aground. Hard aground! The boat was sitting in about 6 inches of water. If I had a lot of time I would tell you a great story that would have you laughing for some time, but I don’t, so let’s just say that it was quite an experience, and it cost over $3,600 to get the boat back on the water. It was also a great lesson in watching the charts, and the depth gauge.
Anyway…as we came up to that bridge yesterday Steve said “I don’t want my hands anywhere near those controls as we come into Beaufort. But he did look at the charts, and say, “I don’t know what the problem was, this harbor is pretty straightforward”. Another lesson learned.
We arrived in Beaufort about 3:30. I toped off the fuel, ($1.30) and Steve washed down the boat, while the girls straightened up, and we got ready to go into town. Well not really into town, because we are parked right on the main street of the town, so we only had about 100 feet to walk. When I checked the boat in they gave us 4 tokens for draft beer at a bar/waterside restaurant next to our boat so we walked there to have our free beer while we made a decision on where we would eat. We had all of these choices; it was a decision of which one. After a couple of beers, we all decided we didn’t want to go take showers and go someplace fancy, and we ordered bar food, and sat next to the main boardwalk and ate. It was not what we had planned but it worked out great. Afterwards we got an ice cream cone, and walked the rest of the boardwalk, before making it an early night. (After we watched a great sunset)
Today…..
We have two big bodies of water to cross today. The Pamlico Sound, and the Nuese River. These are about 20 miles each of crossing, and it should be a beautiful day for it. These are two areas they always give you lots of caution about, but today they should be easy.
6:20 PM
Same Day
Just so we’re clear on times……I started this log at 5:30 this morning, but it got late, so I couldn’t finish it. It’s now later that same day, and we are at a marina, and I had some time, so I thought I’d continue this, and see where we end up. I’m waiting to eat dinner (actually waiting for Steve to cook the chicken) now so if I don’t finish this I’ll do it in the morning.
Today (Saturday, May 27, 2000)
We had another great day of boating, but a tough day in general. (I spent a good part of the day on the phone, talking to our management team that is working on the Richmond start-up. It’s tough going, and I really feel for these guys. I’ve been there, and I know what their going through) I promised myself I’d make every day count in this journey, and today I had to work at it, to make it enjoyable.
Back to boating…
The wind today picked up earlier than they had predicted, and by early morning we had 15 MPH winds. The good news was, the winds were from the Southwest, and that was on our stern, so the going was pretty easy. In fact the long crossing was very nice, pretty, and enjoyable.
I got a good opportunity to use my chart plotter today. I would set the waypoint about 4 to 6 miles ahead of us, and set the autopilot to follow that course, and voila (I wanted to put "wa....la" but I asked Deb how to spell it and she told me viola was a real word.....who knew?) 20 minutes later (depending on our speed) we were on that marker. It made the cost seem worth it.
By the time we got close to our marina for the evening the winds were blowing fairly good, and we were glad we had a marina to tie up to. (In fact as I sit here writing this, there are tornado warnings out, and the sky to the north looks very black. I hope they miss us.) By the way, I’m not sure you should call this a marina. Really it’s a gas station, with a hole dug out back where you can tie up some boats. I’m serious. Have you ever been to a small convenient store that sells gas? One that is on a back road, and appears out of nowhere? This is that place, with water behind it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s clean, and nice, and I’m glad to be here. It’s just not a marina. One thing that is great is the fuel prices. If you buy over 100 gallons, the price is 96 cents. Which is a lot cheaper that we have been seeing. (As we were fueling up I asked the owner how he could sell diesel so much cheaper than everyone else. He said, “Well… it’s half water”). Like I said it’s not marina.
5:25 AM
Sunday, May 28, 2000
Day 56
Well as you can see I didn’t write very much last evening. There was too much going on. And I may not have time to write too much this morning, as we need to get going early.
Meanwhile, back at the “almost” marina………….
When we tied up the boat, I went over to pay for the (½ water) cheap fuel. On my way back I saw an old sailor and he ask me how I was doing, and I said “great, how bout you?” He said, “I’m here, and that’s good”. “Yea?”, I said, “If you were somewhere else, would that would be bad?”. He went on to tell me he was glad to be here because he thought it would storm later. I told him we had this fancy satellite TV on the boat, and I had just looked at the weather channel, and the weather was north of us. “I don’t think so”, he said, “I can feel it. It going to be here”. As I walked away I thought…….. codgy old sailors, what do they know.
Well it turns out they know plenty, because it stormed. (So much for the weather channel) Big time stormed. Not only that, in the middle of the night it stormed again. This time even worse. The power went out about 11 PM, and is still not on. Last night was by far the biggest lighting show I have ever witnessed. Deb had to cover our front hatch with the sun shield because it was so bright in the front bedroom. This morning is very windy, and overcast, and it probably will rain.
7:50 AM
Monday, May 29, 2000
Waterside Marina
Norfolk, VA.
Day 57
Well I should be able to finish these 3 days of logs this morning. I no longer have any excuses of not having enough time. We’re sitting here in Norfolk, the weather is cold, and rainy, Steve and Chris just left for home, so today is get organized day. Both on the boat, and in my business.
Yesterday……
The day started out very ominous. (I’m not even sure if I know what that word means, but I think it describes what I was feeling) The electricity was still out, (we ended up running the generator all night) and it was dark, and windy. If you read the cruising guide there is a special section that talks about the Albemarle Sound, and the fact that “even the slightest wind can stir up this wide open sound, and sailors have been stranded for several days waiting for the weather to lift”.
We were sitting about 5 miles from the Sound, and the NOAA weather was saying the weather would continue to get worse each day for the next 2 to 3 days. We needed to get going. The reason I cut the log so short yesterday was it was starting to get light out and I could see the waves building out on the Alligator River, and I knew that the Albemarle would only be worse, so I went and woke everyone up, and said we need to go. Now. And they were all champs. They got up with no questions, and no complaining.
When we untied the lines, it was not quite light yet, but two boats had left before us, and I could see them off in the distance. So between following the boats in front of us, our radar, and our chart plotter, we were in good shape.
As it turned out, the waves weren’t too bad (2 to 3 footers). And more good news, they were on our bow, so it was bumpy, but not as uncomfortable as if they were coming from our side. In fact the ride was an adventure, and the farther we went, the better the weather became.
The 85 miles to Norfolk was a combination of the wide-open sound, and very narrow waterways. It was fairly easy to navigate, and normally deep. The only problem we had was as were entering the Norfolk Harbor, and I almost ran aground, but I was watching the depth finder, and I caught it in time to put the boat in neutral, and get back into the middle of the channel.
I ran the boat from the lower helm almost all of the way to Norfolk, and that was great. As I have said before, that is one of the reasons I bought this boat, and it paid off yesterday. I was warm, dry, and it was very comfortable handling things from below.
We arrived in Norfolk about 3 PM. The weather was a little better, but it was still very cloudy, and it looked like rain. After some discussion about where we should park the boat (because we would be here for 11 days) the marina finally decided on a slip along the walkway. (Which, as it turned out, was about the same size as the boat itself). With a few nervous looks from my crew, (and the people’s boat we would hit if I were off by a couple feet), we slipped in our slip. We washed the boat, and straightened up a bit, and it stared to rain. (You won’t believe this, but as we were washing the boat a sailor walked by and said “no need to wash it, it’ll be raining here in a few minutes”)
We had thought we would clean up, and go downtown for dinner, but we were all relaxed, and with the rain coming down, we opted to find a way to eat on the boat. Deb solved the problem by finding out that Outback Steakhouse delivered to the boat. (Can you beat that?) So…..we sat back, relaxed, and ordered off of their menu, and 30 minutes later, they delivered us hot, great food. We ended the day with a little TV, and early to bed. (There’s a big surprise)
Today….
It’s cold (60 degrees) windy, and rainy today. The weather channel says to expect more of the same. It’s one of those days where you always feel cold. It may clear by late today, but we’re not counting on it. This is really the only bad weather we have had since we left FT. Lauderdale, so I am not complaining a bit. We have been very lucky.
Steve and Chris left at about 7 AM, to catch an 8:30 flight back to Chicago. Deb is watching movies that she has already seen several times, and I am trying to finish this log, and get it off to those who are thinking we have dropped off the face of the earth. (I haven’t gotten my e-mail for 3 days)
As I said earlier, I’m going to use today to get the boat reorganized, and I need to spend a fair amount of time on work stuff. (Things are going better, but we have a lot to do)
I’ll be back to a normal work day (if there is such a thing for me) tomorrow, so I’m not sure how if I will be doing any logs until we take off for New York on June 9th, when Rome and Theresa get on board.
Maybe Deb can keep everyone posted on what it is like to be a “short time live aboard in Norfolk”
Happy Memorial Day.
BK.
Friday, May 26, 2000
Deb's Memorial Day Update
Meanwhile, back at Headquarters…
Friday, 5/26/00
Hey Everybody! Debbie here. Just thought I’d fill y’all in (that’s how they talk down here) on what was happening on HQ while the guys took care of business in Richmond.
I wanted to get this written before Bob moved on to the next log but it looks like I missed my window. It’s not surprising, given the time BK gets up each morning to write these things. In any case, here’s what the girls were up to while the guys concentrated on work.
First of all, Chris & I talked BK into getting the dinghy ready for us before they left. We were docked at Seapath Yacht Club in Wrightsville, NC, just off the Intracoastal and not far from the ocean. There were small islands all around us with beaches loaded with shells just waiting to be picked up. We were also looking forward to a dinghy ride to the ocean for a swim. Anyway, Bob took the cover off the dinghy, pulled the pole out from the middle and took off the extra bow cover and pontoon covers (*#!@*%!),and ran us through a quick lesson on how to use the dinghy motor & the hydraulic swim platform. They left on Wed. morning with plenty of “be carefuls” & “use your heads”.
The morning started out cloudy & windy (I hate the wind) and we looked at the dinghy with a little uncertainty. We had been talking by phone to my cousin Laurie Cunningham/Connors who lives in Wrightsville and had made a tentative plan to meet for lunch. We did some cleaning, a little laundry, and soaked up the sun while we waited for her call. She came by at noon, took a quick tour of the boat and then took us to a great restaurant where we had a table on a dock sticking out over a sand beach on the ocean. It was fun to see Laurie again and try to catch up on family. She was very busy with work and could only join us for a short time. As it was, her beeper called an end to lunch and she drove us back to HQ. (P.S. I had the very best Pina Colada so far on this trip!)
By then it was 2:30 and the sun had come out and was very warm, though it was still a little windy (I hate the wind). We had been having a problem with the cable on the boat and the folks at the marina took this time to try a bunch of different things to remedy the problem. Even as we looked longingly at the dingy, we allowed the work on the cable to continue. After all, it was Wednesday and West Wing was on!
Meanwhile the wind, which was bad all day, seemed a little worse (I hate the wind) and we decided to pack a cooler and walk to the beach. We headed out but found that it was going to be quite a hike, so we turned around and jumped in the dinghy (the heck with the wind). We were both a little nervous (ok-mostly me) but we finally got the dinghy floating and pointed toward the ocean. I must have looked very nervous because at one point Chris said, “We’re ok Deb, don’t cry.” We found the public dock, tied it up and crossed the street to the beach. Yahoo! We were finally there! It was 4 o’clock! We dropped our gear and ran to the water. The waves looked huge and in fact there were a few surfers skipping along on them. We swam, jumped, dived, got knocked off our feet, swallowed salt-water and generally had a blast until we were exhausted! We left the beach at around 5:45pm.
Earlier that morning, we helped a small day fishing boat into dock…just grabbed his lines is all. We asked how they did and the captain said they caught a mess of mackerel. He said he’d be back later to clean & filet them and we could have some if we wanted. We weren’t so sure…we thought, “Mackerel? How the heck to you cook mackerel?” Well, he showed up with a ziplock bag with about 8 filets just as Laurie was getting on the boat.
So after a great lunch with Laurie, a romp in the surf and nice long showers, we had a wonderful fresh fish dinner, compliments of a local fisherman, and Chris the chef.
The next day the guys were supposed to be back at noon so we could get in a half day on the water to move the boat north. But they called saying they needed to stay a little longer and wouldn’t get back till midnight. Hm-m-m…could this mean another dinghy ride? We had been talking to a local live-aboard about the cool islands around there and all the shells that were on this 8 mile stretch of beach and so we decided to do some beach combing. Chris had a work problem she had to sort out first and so the plan was to leave after lunch.
Thursday started out a much nicer day… warm, sunny and not very much wind (I hate the wind). And we both had much more confidence with the swim platform and dinghy operation. At least Chris said I didn’t look like I was about to cry! We spent the day motoring from island to island. We even got the depth finder to work. We swam a little and walked the beaches and picked up a bunch of shells. It was a great afternoon, something neither Bob nor Steve would take time from the journey to enjoy. Too bad, they’re missing out on some great stuff! I know, I know…we’re on a schedule!
We got back to the boat by 5:45 and squared everything away because it looked like it might rain. Then I walked down to the office to put in a load of laundry and to pay for our extra night’s slip. As I walked into the office I told Danielle (we were quite friendly with the marina people by now) that it was starting to rain. Bill looked out the door, said “Here it comes!” and slammed the door. Two seconds later I saw a bicycle and a lawn chair fly by the window! Lot’s of wind, lot’s of rain for about 15 minutes. I stayed in the office and Chris was stuck on the boat. She said there was lightning all around, the wind came up and then a sheet of rain washed over her. The dock hand came back from checking the docks and said, “Your friend is standing on the back deck with a big smile on her face saying, “This is so cool!” When the wind let up after a while (I hate the wind), Chris came by dressed in a yellow poncho & carrying a huge golf umbrella. She brought a poncho to me at the office! What a pal.
Meanwhile we had ordered a pizza to be delivered and a half hour later, right on schedule, here comes our piping hot pizza. BIG tip for the pizza guy! The storm at it worst, lasted only about 20 minutes. Then only sprinkles the rest of the evening but major lightning all around us all evening. So we settled in to watch TV and eat our pizza. A sad note: No West Wing!
We had called it an early night and at about 11:15, it started raining pretty hard again. I was laying in bed listening to see if the boat was going to be ok in the wind (did I mention I hate the wind?) when I heard a couple of light ba-booms on the boat. It sounded like the boat hit the dock so I got up to see if a line had loosened up and here’s BK & ST standing in the salon, dripping wet and breathing hard from their dash in the rain. They’re back! Everyone made a fast job of getting the boat shut down and we wend to bed.
I knew the next day would be back to normal, BK’s whirl-wind tour, but for a couple of days, we stopped and smelled the sea-breeze.
We had only one casualty during the storm. We had forgotten to check the cover on the radio on the fly bridge and it got wet. The speakers made some interesting sounds all night…pop-pop-pop! Hopefully, when it completely dries out it’ll be ok. We don’t have much luck with radios and speakers on HQ, do we.
Hope y’all are doing well back home. As BK says, Headquarters standing by…
Seeyabye------DK
Friday, 5/26/00
Hey Everybody! Debbie here. Just thought I’d fill y’all in (that’s how they talk down here) on what was happening on HQ while the guys took care of business in Richmond.
I wanted to get this written before Bob moved on to the next log but it looks like I missed my window. It’s not surprising, given the time BK gets up each morning to write these things. In any case, here’s what the girls were up to while the guys concentrated on work.
First of all, Chris & I talked BK into getting the dinghy ready for us before they left. We were docked at Seapath Yacht Club in Wrightsville, NC, just off the Intracoastal and not far from the ocean. There were small islands all around us with beaches loaded with shells just waiting to be picked up. We were also looking forward to a dinghy ride to the ocean for a swim. Anyway, Bob took the cover off the dinghy, pulled the pole out from the middle and took off the extra bow cover and pontoon covers (*#!@*%!),and ran us through a quick lesson on how to use the dinghy motor & the hydraulic swim platform. They left on Wed. morning with plenty of “be carefuls” & “use your heads”.
The morning started out cloudy & windy (I hate the wind) and we looked at the dinghy with a little uncertainty. We had been talking by phone to my cousin Laurie Cunningham/Connors who lives in Wrightsville and had made a tentative plan to meet for lunch. We did some cleaning, a little laundry, and soaked up the sun while we waited for her call. She came by at noon, took a quick tour of the boat and then took us to a great restaurant where we had a table on a dock sticking out over a sand beach on the ocean. It was fun to see Laurie again and try to catch up on family. She was very busy with work and could only join us for a short time. As it was, her beeper called an end to lunch and she drove us back to HQ. (P.S. I had the very best Pina Colada so far on this trip!)
By then it was 2:30 and the sun had come out and was very warm, though it was still a little windy (I hate the wind). We had been having a problem with the cable on the boat and the folks at the marina took this time to try a bunch of different things to remedy the problem. Even as we looked longingly at the dingy, we allowed the work on the cable to continue. After all, it was Wednesday and West Wing was on!
Meanwhile the wind, which was bad all day, seemed a little worse (I hate the wind) and we decided to pack a cooler and walk to the beach. We headed out but found that it was going to be quite a hike, so we turned around and jumped in the dinghy (the heck with the wind). We were both a little nervous (ok-mostly me) but we finally got the dinghy floating and pointed toward the ocean. I must have looked very nervous because at one point Chris said, “We’re ok Deb, don’t cry.” We found the public dock, tied it up and crossed the street to the beach. Yahoo! We were finally there! It was 4 o’clock! We dropped our gear and ran to the water. The waves looked huge and in fact there were a few surfers skipping along on them. We swam, jumped, dived, got knocked off our feet, swallowed salt-water and generally had a blast until we were exhausted! We left the beach at around 5:45pm.
Earlier that morning, we helped a small day fishing boat into dock…just grabbed his lines is all. We asked how they did and the captain said they caught a mess of mackerel. He said he’d be back later to clean & filet them and we could have some if we wanted. We weren’t so sure…we thought, “Mackerel? How the heck to you cook mackerel?” Well, he showed up with a ziplock bag with about 8 filets just as Laurie was getting on the boat.
So after a great lunch with Laurie, a romp in the surf and nice long showers, we had a wonderful fresh fish dinner, compliments of a local fisherman, and Chris the chef.
The next day the guys were supposed to be back at noon so we could get in a half day on the water to move the boat north. But they called saying they needed to stay a little longer and wouldn’t get back till midnight. Hm-m-m…could this mean another dinghy ride? We had been talking to a local live-aboard about the cool islands around there and all the shells that were on this 8 mile stretch of beach and so we decided to do some beach combing. Chris had a work problem she had to sort out first and so the plan was to leave after lunch.
Thursday started out a much nicer day… warm, sunny and not very much wind (I hate the wind). And we both had much more confidence with the swim platform and dinghy operation. At least Chris said I didn’t look like I was about to cry! We spent the day motoring from island to island. We even got the depth finder to work. We swam a little and walked the beaches and picked up a bunch of shells. It was a great afternoon, something neither Bob nor Steve would take time from the journey to enjoy. Too bad, they’re missing out on some great stuff! I know, I know…we’re on a schedule!
We got back to the boat by 5:45 and squared everything away because it looked like it might rain. Then I walked down to the office to put in a load of laundry and to pay for our extra night’s slip. As I walked into the office I told Danielle (we were quite friendly with the marina people by now) that it was starting to rain. Bill looked out the door, said “Here it comes!” and slammed the door. Two seconds later I saw a bicycle and a lawn chair fly by the window! Lot’s of wind, lot’s of rain for about 15 minutes. I stayed in the office and Chris was stuck on the boat. She said there was lightning all around, the wind came up and then a sheet of rain washed over her. The dock hand came back from checking the docks and said, “Your friend is standing on the back deck with a big smile on her face saying, “This is so cool!” When the wind let up after a while (I hate the wind), Chris came by dressed in a yellow poncho & carrying a huge golf umbrella. She brought a poncho to me at the office! What a pal.
Meanwhile we had ordered a pizza to be delivered and a half hour later, right on schedule, here comes our piping hot pizza. BIG tip for the pizza guy! The storm at it worst, lasted only about 20 minutes. Then only sprinkles the rest of the evening but major lightning all around us all evening. So we settled in to watch TV and eat our pizza. A sad note: No West Wing!
We had called it an early night and at about 11:15, it started raining pretty hard again. I was laying in bed listening to see if the boat was going to be ok in the wind (did I mention I hate the wind?) when I heard a couple of light ba-booms on the boat. It sounded like the boat hit the dock so I got up to see if a line had loosened up and here’s BK & ST standing in the salon, dripping wet and breathing hard from their dash in the rain. They’re back! Everyone made a fast job of getting the boat shut down and we wend to bed.
I knew the next day would be back to normal, BK’s whirl-wind tour, but for a couple of days, we stopped and smelled the sea-breeze.
We had only one casualty during the storm. We had forgotten to check the cover on the radio on the fly bridge and it got wet. The speakers made some interesting sounds all night…pop-pop-pop! Hopefully, when it completely dries out it’ll be ok. We don’t have much luck with radios and speakers on HQ, do we.
Hope y’all are doing well back home. As BK says, Headquarters standing by…
Seeyabye------DK
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
Chapter 51: Myrtle Beach to Wrightsville Beach
Log 51
Myrtle Beach, SC. to Wrightsville Beach, NC.
6:30 AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
SeaPath Yacht Club
Wrightsville Beach, NC.
Day 52
It will be a short log today. First of all I’m in kind of a hurry, and secondly there isn’t much to report on yesterday’s trip.
Yesterday…
We left Myrtle Beach at about 7:30. Our plans were to go about 85 miles, but as soon as I got my e-mail, and then my voice mail, I knew there may be issues. Then I talked to our customer in Richmond, and I knew there were issues. Bottom line is we had a lot more volume to handle through the facility than we ever had before, and we told them we had concerns that things were not ready yet, and it turns out they weren’t. So…..Steve and I are going to drive to Richmond (today) to have a meeting to sort out how we work together, with Perdue, to get these issues handled. I’ll be in Richmond the next two weeks, but this is the right thing to do.
Handling all of this yesterday took almost all of my morning, but there were a couple of highlights. First of all there was the pontoon bridge just north of Myrtle Beach. The center part of this bridge is built on a boat and sits in the middle of the water. (I’m serious) Once an hour they stop traffic, and a cable pulls the boat sideways (kind of like the bow of the boat pivots, and the stern of the boat swings). This takes away the center part of the bridge (which is sitting on the boat) and allows for the passage of boats. Once the boats have passed, another cable pulls it back into place. (Wouldn’t it have been fun to be around for the meetings when they talked about some idea someone had to construct that bridge. You want to build WHAT?)
The other thing is that as we got closer (and I was off of the phone) the scenery got very pretty. We were following the coastline, just inside small barrier islands, and the watercolor, and beaches were very pretty. We reached Wrightsville Beach about 3 PM.
Once we got here we cleaned up the boat, and Steve went and got the rental car. I got the dinghy ready for the girls to use while we’re gone. We took advantage of the rental car, by going out to dinner at a local favorite (King Neptune’s), and also went to the store to get some needed items.
Today,
Steve and I are off to Richmond. It’s about 250 miles, and we need to be there mid afternoon, so we’ll leave about 8. If things go well, we’ll stay the night, and head back in the morning. I’m sure the girls will have a great time. It looks like the weather will be great, and Deb’s cousin called (Lori Cunningham, who lives in the area), and so they will be fine. Actually this works out pretty good, because we were trying to get together with Deb’s Aunt JoAnn Cunningham, in Myrtle Beach, and that didn’t work out, and Lori is JoAnn’ s daughter, so Deb can at least see some of the family that she doesn’t see that often.
I’m not sure there will be a log tomorrow, but we’ll see.
BK.
Myrtle Beach, SC. to Wrightsville Beach, NC.
6:30 AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
SeaPath Yacht Club
Wrightsville Beach, NC.
Day 52
It will be a short log today. First of all I’m in kind of a hurry, and secondly there isn’t much to report on yesterday’s trip.
Yesterday…
We left Myrtle Beach at about 7:30. Our plans were to go about 85 miles, but as soon as I got my e-mail, and then my voice mail, I knew there may be issues. Then I talked to our customer in Richmond, and I knew there were issues. Bottom line is we had a lot more volume to handle through the facility than we ever had before, and we told them we had concerns that things were not ready yet, and it turns out they weren’t. So…..Steve and I are going to drive to Richmond (today) to have a meeting to sort out how we work together, with Perdue, to get these issues handled. I’ll be in Richmond the next two weeks, but this is the right thing to do.
Handling all of this yesterday took almost all of my morning, but there were a couple of highlights. First of all there was the pontoon bridge just north of Myrtle Beach. The center part of this bridge is built on a boat and sits in the middle of the water. (I’m serious) Once an hour they stop traffic, and a cable pulls the boat sideways (kind of like the bow of the boat pivots, and the stern of the boat swings). This takes away the center part of the bridge (which is sitting on the boat) and allows for the passage of boats. Once the boats have passed, another cable pulls it back into place. (Wouldn’t it have been fun to be around for the meetings when they talked about some idea someone had to construct that bridge. You want to build WHAT?)
The other thing is that as we got closer (and I was off of the phone) the scenery got very pretty. We were following the coastline, just inside small barrier islands, and the watercolor, and beaches were very pretty. We reached Wrightsville Beach about 3 PM.
Once we got here we cleaned up the boat, and Steve went and got the rental car. I got the dinghy ready for the girls to use while we’re gone. We took advantage of the rental car, by going out to dinner at a local favorite (King Neptune’s), and also went to the store to get some needed items.
Today,
Steve and I are off to Richmond. It’s about 250 miles, and we need to be there mid afternoon, so we’ll leave about 8. If things go well, we’ll stay the night, and head back in the morning. I’m sure the girls will have a great time. It looks like the weather will be great, and Deb’s cousin called (Lori Cunningham, who lives in the area), and so they will be fine. Actually this works out pretty good, because we were trying to get together with Deb’s Aunt JoAnn Cunningham, in Myrtle Beach, and that didn’t work out, and Lori is JoAnn’ s daughter, so Deb can at least see some of the family that she doesn’t see that often.
I’m not sure there will be a log tomorrow, but we’ll see.
BK.
Tuesday, May 23, 2000
Chapter 50: Georgetown to Myrtle Beach
Log 50
Georgetown to Myrtle Beach, SC.
5:15 AM
Tuesday, May 23, 2000
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
Myrtle Beach, SC.
Day 51
I woke up way too early this morning. The first time I looked at the clock it was just before 4 AM, and I finally got up about 4:30. One of those deals where you have a lot on you mind. Have you been there?
It’s an absolutely beautiful morning. About 68 degrees, and a 100% clear sky. I can’t wait to finish this, and take a walk on the dock.
Yesterday…..
We untied the lines about 7:30, and left Georgetown. AS my log said yesterday, the skies were very overcast, and it was raining all around us. And that is what continued to happen. It was raining around us, but not on us. There were a couple of times that is sprinkled, but that was about it. As the day went on the weather got better, and it turned out to be a very nice day. These folks here need rain bad, but it just didn’t happen.
A good portion of the morning was spent on the phone working on Pro Source business. (Maybe that’s why I woke up so early this morning) I’m not complaining though, because cruising along and working is just fine with me. Speaking of cruising. The waterway was just beautiful almost the entire way here. A good portion of the way, we wound around through rivers, where the water went all the way up to banks of cypress trees. It was absolutely gorgeous. I think I misread the waterway guide, about where the great cruising was, because yesterday was special. It would be very interesting to see exactly where we were on a map of South Carolina, because some of the time it felt very remote.
The only issue we had along the way was as we were being passed by a large sport fishing boat, and I quickly got behind him to avoid his large wake, it felt like we hit something. I looked to see if I may have gotten out of the channel, but we were in 12 feet of water. Two things could have happened. He may have stirred something up in the water, and I hit it, or with all of the maneuvering by his boat, and mine, the boat may have cavitated. In either case there is no vibration in the boat, so I guess we’re fine.
Quick story: We met a couple on BONNIEBOB that lived on their boat and had been cruising for a couple of years. They said that last year they hit something under the water, (which they still don’t know what it was), and it took about 3 feet off of their keel. They kept going, and didn’t even know the extent of the damage until they pulled the boat to have some other repairs done, and saw the bottom. The stories you hear on the docks are absolutely amazing.
We got to Myrtle Beach Marina about 2:15. After taking on some fuel ($1.20) and getting a pump out, we were in the slip by 2:45. The girls went to look for a liquor store, while Steve and I cleaned the boat. The girls found the liquor store, but they didn’t sell beer. I know, it doesn’t make sense to me either, but that’s what they said. While we were cleaning the boat we noticed that the back deck drain was not draining properly. After further investigation we found out it was clogged, and it took us the better part of an hour to fix that. (A very messy hour)
By the time all of this was done, and we made a quick trip to the marine store, it was time to go to dinner. We ate at a great Italian place, located right next to the marina. Not only was the food great, but also the portions were HUGE. I know you won’t believe this but Steve’s pork chops were over 3 inches thick. And there were two of them. I had a small strip steak (12 oz's) and it could be the best I’ve ever eaten. To add to this, every meal was 4 courses. Soup, Caesar salad, spaghetti, and then your main dish. It was great.
Today…
The sky is getting bright now, and it looks like the day will be beautiful. I’ve been watching the weather channel for about an hour now, and we may get a late afternoon shower, but otherwise it will be perfect. Our plan is to go about 80 miles, and end up in a town called Hampstead, in North Carolina. (Mile 267 on the Intracoastal) Actually we enter North Carolina in just a few miles from here. I don’t remember what the waterway is like for the next few miles, so I’m looking forward to finding out.
Postings:
· The boat is running perfectly. The only maintenance items are the preventive kind. In fact Steve asked me yesterday if we had any boat projects he could work on.
· I heard yesterday that the New York barge canal is closed because of low water. I have not been able to verify this but that is what one of the captains told me. This could be an issue, because that is how we were planning to get from New York to Lake Ontario.
I’ve got to get going. The sun is up now, and the docks are calling……
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Georgetown to Myrtle Beach, SC.
5:15 AM
Tuesday, May 23, 2000
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
Myrtle Beach, SC.
Day 51
I woke up way too early this morning. The first time I looked at the clock it was just before 4 AM, and I finally got up about 4:30. One of those deals where you have a lot on you mind. Have you been there?
It’s an absolutely beautiful morning. About 68 degrees, and a 100% clear sky. I can’t wait to finish this, and take a walk on the dock.
Yesterday…..
We untied the lines about 7:30, and left Georgetown. AS my log said yesterday, the skies were very overcast, and it was raining all around us. And that is what continued to happen. It was raining around us, but not on us. There were a couple of times that is sprinkled, but that was about it. As the day went on the weather got better, and it turned out to be a very nice day. These folks here need rain bad, but it just didn’t happen.
A good portion of the morning was spent on the phone working on Pro Source business. (Maybe that’s why I woke up so early this morning) I’m not complaining though, because cruising along and working is just fine with me. Speaking of cruising. The waterway was just beautiful almost the entire way here. A good portion of the way, we wound around through rivers, where the water went all the way up to banks of cypress trees. It was absolutely gorgeous. I think I misread the waterway guide, about where the great cruising was, because yesterday was special. It would be very interesting to see exactly where we were on a map of South Carolina, because some of the time it felt very remote.
The only issue we had along the way was as we were being passed by a large sport fishing boat, and I quickly got behind him to avoid his large wake, it felt like we hit something. I looked to see if I may have gotten out of the channel, but we were in 12 feet of water. Two things could have happened. He may have stirred something up in the water, and I hit it, or with all of the maneuvering by his boat, and mine, the boat may have cavitated. In either case there is no vibration in the boat, so I guess we’re fine.
Quick story: We met a couple on BONNIEBOB that lived on their boat and had been cruising for a couple of years. They said that last year they hit something under the water, (which they still don’t know what it was), and it took about 3 feet off of their keel. They kept going, and didn’t even know the extent of the damage until they pulled the boat to have some other repairs done, and saw the bottom. The stories you hear on the docks are absolutely amazing.
We got to Myrtle Beach Marina about 2:15. After taking on some fuel ($1.20) and getting a pump out, we were in the slip by 2:45. The girls went to look for a liquor store, while Steve and I cleaned the boat. The girls found the liquor store, but they didn’t sell beer. I know, it doesn’t make sense to me either, but that’s what they said. While we were cleaning the boat we noticed that the back deck drain was not draining properly. After further investigation we found out it was clogged, and it took us the better part of an hour to fix that. (A very messy hour)
By the time all of this was done, and we made a quick trip to the marine store, it was time to go to dinner. We ate at a great Italian place, located right next to the marina. Not only was the food great, but also the portions were HUGE. I know you won’t believe this but Steve’s pork chops were over 3 inches thick. And there were two of them. I had a small strip steak (12 oz's) and it could be the best I’ve ever eaten. To add to this, every meal was 4 courses. Soup, Caesar salad, spaghetti, and then your main dish. It was great.
Today…
The sky is getting bright now, and it looks like the day will be beautiful. I’ve been watching the weather channel for about an hour now, and we may get a late afternoon shower, but otherwise it will be perfect. Our plan is to go about 80 miles, and end up in a town called Hampstead, in North Carolina. (Mile 267 on the Intracoastal) Actually we enter North Carolina in just a few miles from here. I don’t remember what the waterway is like for the next few miles, so I’m looking forward to finding out.
Postings:
· The boat is running perfectly. The only maintenance items are the preventive kind. In fact Steve asked me yesterday if we had any boat projects he could work on.
· I heard yesterday that the New York barge canal is closed because of low water. I have not been able to verify this but that is what one of the captains told me. This could be an issue, because that is how we were planning to get from New York to Lake Ontario.
I’ve got to get going. The sun is up now, and the docks are calling……
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Monday, May 22, 2000
Chapter 49: Charleston to Georgetown
Log 49
Charleston to Georgetown, SC.
5:30 AM
Monday, May 22, 2000
Harborwalk Marina
Georgetown, SC
Day 50
I woke up before the alarm this morning. I’m not sure why, because we are in no hurry this morning, but I guess I had just had enough sleep.
I did this morning, what I do the first thing every morning I’m on the boat, and that is to turn on the weather channel (then I put on the coffee). Today is the first time in a long time that the weather doesn’t look good where we’re heading. In fact the radar shows that there is rain all around us, and not moving very quickly either. But you if you didn’t have the weather channel, you’d think the world was pretty cool, because outside, although it is still dark, it is a mostly clear sky, and it is 75 degrees. Since we have left home in September, I have only driven the boat from the lower station twice because of rain, so I guess we’ll just have to see if we end up in these storms, or not.
Yesterday…
I sent the e-mail about 7:00, and we left Charleston about 7:30. It was a beautiful morning, although a little cloudy. The guidebook says the miles we traveled were some of the most beautiful of the Intracoastal. I don’t know…… it was pretty in some places, but some of the most beautiful? I’m not sure, but maybe it was because we were spending our time dealing with all of the flies. They were awful. Every one of the boats we passed was swatting them, and not only that, they were biting as well. We had to go fast just to be able to deal with them.
Because we had to go fast, we made the short 67 miles by about lunchtime, and by 12:45 we were tied up in Georgetown for the night. My plan was to stop here, because the Waterway guide said this was a neat stop, (plus the picture of downtown looked great) and the grocery store was a good one, and they would come to your boat to pick you up. As we were coming into the harbor I thought I’d gone to the wrong place. The picture in the book showed this quaint small town with a boardwalk that looked like something out of a movie set of the Wild West. What we saw was a small group of docks with shrimp boats tied up to all of them, and at the end of the waterway was a coal factory spewing out coal smoke. The Harbortown Marina consisted on two small docks the have certainly been here a while. I think they took a few liberties with this one. We said, “Oh well, we’re here, lets stay”. And we did.
After washing the boat, and getting things organized, Deb and Chris went to the store. (No pickup on Sunday, so they either had to walk…….2 blocks up---and 12 blocks over…….or get a taxi. You got it. Taxi) I wasn’t there but the conversation over dinner about what the shopping experience was like was very entertaining. Two things come to mind this morning as I recall the discussion. First was the girls filled up a shopping cart full of beer, only to be told they don’t sell beer on Sunday. (Chris thought she’d try and negotiate this point because after all “we” were from Illinois, not South Carolina) The other thing that we laughed about was Chris saying it was like shopping in the Middle East. (And, to my knowledge, she’s never been to the Middle East. Wait a minute….I guess South Carolina is in the middle part of the East Coast) Anyway, you get the picture. We are in a small rural town.
The rest of the afternoon was spent putting stuff away, and relaxing. Deb and Chris got to read a little, and Steve and I watched the rest of the Nascar race we taped the night before. For dinner we cooked pork chops on the grill, and laughed about the shopping trip.
Side note: We have been seeing several of the same boats, as we make our way north. Some travel fast, then stop. Others travel slow, but put in long days, and they make their time that way. Last night we met a guy, and his friend/captain, who was taking his boat to New York. We shared some boating stories for a while, (he was about the 20th person to tell me that I was very smart to make this trip while I could, and I’m am definitely starting to agree with them) and as soon as I finish this I need to go over to his boat to get some places to stop, and great restaurants along the way.
Today…..
Depending on how the rain treats us, we are planning on getting to Myrtle Beach. Easy trip. Only 55 miles. I remember part of this leg from our trip in 92. We stopped along the way, in the middle of nowhere, at Bucksport Marina, and had a “Bucksport Belly Buster Burger”. (I’m sure if you think for just a minute, you can picture this place)
Who knows maybe we’ll stop there today.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Charleston to Georgetown, SC.
5:30 AM
Monday, May 22, 2000
Harborwalk Marina
Georgetown, SC
Day 50
I woke up before the alarm this morning. I’m not sure why, because we are in no hurry this morning, but I guess I had just had enough sleep.
I did this morning, what I do the first thing every morning I’m on the boat, and that is to turn on the weather channel (then I put on the coffee). Today is the first time in a long time that the weather doesn’t look good where we’re heading. In fact the radar shows that there is rain all around us, and not moving very quickly either. But you if you didn’t have the weather channel, you’d think the world was pretty cool, because outside, although it is still dark, it is a mostly clear sky, and it is 75 degrees. Since we have left home in September, I have only driven the boat from the lower station twice because of rain, so I guess we’ll just have to see if we end up in these storms, or not.
Yesterday…
I sent the e-mail about 7:00, and we left Charleston about 7:30. It was a beautiful morning, although a little cloudy. The guidebook says the miles we traveled were some of the most beautiful of the Intracoastal. I don’t know…… it was pretty in some places, but some of the most beautiful? I’m not sure, but maybe it was because we were spending our time dealing with all of the flies. They were awful. Every one of the boats we passed was swatting them, and not only that, they were biting as well. We had to go fast just to be able to deal with them.
Because we had to go fast, we made the short 67 miles by about lunchtime, and by 12:45 we were tied up in Georgetown for the night. My plan was to stop here, because the Waterway guide said this was a neat stop, (plus the picture of downtown looked great) and the grocery store was a good one, and they would come to your boat to pick you up. As we were coming into the harbor I thought I’d gone to the wrong place. The picture in the book showed this quaint small town with a boardwalk that looked like something out of a movie set of the Wild West. What we saw was a small group of docks with shrimp boats tied up to all of them, and at the end of the waterway was a coal factory spewing out coal smoke. The Harbortown Marina consisted on two small docks the have certainly been here a while. I think they took a few liberties with this one. We said, “Oh well, we’re here, lets stay”. And we did.
After washing the boat, and getting things organized, Deb and Chris went to the store. (No pickup on Sunday, so they either had to walk…….2 blocks up---and 12 blocks over…….or get a taxi. You got it. Taxi) I wasn’t there but the conversation over dinner about what the shopping experience was like was very entertaining. Two things come to mind this morning as I recall the discussion. First was the girls filled up a shopping cart full of beer, only to be told they don’t sell beer on Sunday. (Chris thought she’d try and negotiate this point because after all “we” were from Illinois, not South Carolina) The other thing that we laughed about was Chris saying it was like shopping in the Middle East. (And, to my knowledge, she’s never been to the Middle East. Wait a minute….I guess South Carolina is in the middle part of the East Coast) Anyway, you get the picture. We are in a small rural town.
The rest of the afternoon was spent putting stuff away, and relaxing. Deb and Chris got to read a little, and Steve and I watched the rest of the Nascar race we taped the night before. For dinner we cooked pork chops on the grill, and laughed about the shopping trip.
Side note: We have been seeing several of the same boats, as we make our way north. Some travel fast, then stop. Others travel slow, but put in long days, and they make their time that way. Last night we met a guy, and his friend/captain, who was taking his boat to New York. We shared some boating stories for a while, (he was about the 20th person to tell me that I was very smart to make this trip while I could, and I’m am definitely starting to agree with them) and as soon as I finish this I need to go over to his boat to get some places to stop, and great restaurants along the way.
Today…..
Depending on how the rain treats us, we are planning on getting to Myrtle Beach. Easy trip. Only 55 miles. I remember part of this leg from our trip in 92. We stopped along the way, in the middle of nowhere, at Bucksport Marina, and had a “Bucksport Belly Buster Burger”. (I’m sure if you think for just a minute, you can picture this place)
Who knows maybe we’ll stop there today.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Sunday, May 21, 2000
Chapter 48: Crew Change in Charleston
Log 48
Crew change in Charleston, SC.
6:00AM
Sunday, May 21, 2000
City Marina
Charleston, SC.
Day 49
I’m up a little late this morning, because we are in no hurry to head out, as we only have about 55 miles to go today. I’m watching the local weather channel, and they are saying we are going to have a pretty good day to resume our trek north. Partly cloudy and about 85 degrees.
Crew change day went pretty well. Darrell and Donna left about 8:00, and went to the Charleston airport to get a rental car, and drive to Myrtle Beach to fly back to Chicago. Deb was up early to do laundry, and it was a good thing, because she said as she was leaving people were lined up to use the machines. She spent the rest of the day (until about 3) cleaning, and getting everything ready for our next leg. (Except there was no need to clean Darrell and Donna’s room because they left it cleaner than they found it….thanks)
I spent the same amount of time with routine preventive maintenance. I cleaned the water strainers on both engines, and the generator. (Each engine has an intake to pull water from the bottom of the boat to keep the engines cool. These intakes have strainers on them to keep “stuff” from getting into the engine exhaust) I also cleaned the strainers on the air conditioning. Then I looked at each battery (we have 7 of them) to make sure they were full of water. It was a good thing, because a couple of them needed water badly. And finally I cleaned the air filters on all of the air conditioners. With the maintenance done, I worked on the charts for a while, planning the entire week, and making some marina reservations for the next two nights.
Deb and I were done about the same time, so we grabbed a beer, and went up to the fly bridge to sit and watch the hustle bustle of all of the boat coming in to the marina for the night. This is a very busy time of year for transient boaters, like us, who make the trip from Florida to the North. About mid to late afternoon everyone is looking for a marina for the night. (Except sail boaters, who are looking for a place to anchor. Hey…there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just a fact) Anyway, this place is very busy with big boats coming in at a very rapid pace. They have about 5 or 6 dockhands here, and they have trouble keeping up. It’ a lot of fun to sit and watch all of these captains put their boats in some very tight places. Plus, I always learn something.
Steve and Chris arrived about 5:00, and they lost no time getting into shorts. (It was over 90 yesterday) In fact Steve wore his shorts from home, even though it was cold in Chicago. The original plan was for Deb, and Chris to go to the store for the week’s groceries, but we bagged that plan in favor of getting a taxi and going out to eat. We talked to some folks, who gave us some ideas, and we chose The South End Brewery. Funny thing about it was we have only been to Charleston twice, (in 92 when we came through here in my friends boat) and we ate there the last time, although we didn’t know it until we pulled up front of the place. Oh well, it was good then, and now. (Rome-Theresa-Les-Annie…..remember the mud pie??)
Back at the boat Deb and Chris went up top, and Steve and I watched the Nascar race on TV. Well at least part of it. When the girls came in and went to bed, we taped the rest, so don’t tell me who won. OK?
Today..
As I said we only have about 55 miles to go today. (The guidebook says the next 50 miles are some of the prettiest on the entire Intracoastal Waterway………I’ll let you know) In fact all week the maximum amount of miles we are planning for any single day is 86, so it should be an easy week. Today’s destination is Georgetown, SC. The guidebook says it is an old historic town with a neat boardwalk, and we are in the downtown marina. (Supposedly on the boardwalk, but as you may remember these adds for the marinas take a few liberties when they describe their amenities)
The sun is up now, (sunrise was at 6:17) and it looks to be a little cloudy, but it is still 75 degrees, so it will be fine for today’s travel. The marina store opens at 7 AM, and they have an e-mail plug in, so I’m going to try to send this before we head out at 7:30.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Crew change in Charleston, SC.
6:00AM
Sunday, May 21, 2000
City Marina
Charleston, SC.
Day 49
I’m up a little late this morning, because we are in no hurry to head out, as we only have about 55 miles to go today. I’m watching the local weather channel, and they are saying we are going to have a pretty good day to resume our trek north. Partly cloudy and about 85 degrees.
Crew change day went pretty well. Darrell and Donna left about 8:00, and went to the Charleston airport to get a rental car, and drive to Myrtle Beach to fly back to Chicago. Deb was up early to do laundry, and it was a good thing, because she said as she was leaving people were lined up to use the machines. She spent the rest of the day (until about 3) cleaning, and getting everything ready for our next leg. (Except there was no need to clean Darrell and Donna’s room because they left it cleaner than they found it….thanks)
I spent the same amount of time with routine preventive maintenance. I cleaned the water strainers on both engines, and the generator. (Each engine has an intake to pull water from the bottom of the boat to keep the engines cool. These intakes have strainers on them to keep “stuff” from getting into the engine exhaust) I also cleaned the strainers on the air conditioning. Then I looked at each battery (we have 7 of them) to make sure they were full of water. It was a good thing, because a couple of them needed water badly. And finally I cleaned the air filters on all of the air conditioners. With the maintenance done, I worked on the charts for a while, planning the entire week, and making some marina reservations for the next two nights.
Deb and I were done about the same time, so we grabbed a beer, and went up to the fly bridge to sit and watch the hustle bustle of all of the boat coming in to the marina for the night. This is a very busy time of year for transient boaters, like us, who make the trip from Florida to the North. About mid to late afternoon everyone is looking for a marina for the night. (Except sail boaters, who are looking for a place to anchor. Hey…there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just a fact) Anyway, this place is very busy with big boats coming in at a very rapid pace. They have about 5 or 6 dockhands here, and they have trouble keeping up. It’ a lot of fun to sit and watch all of these captains put their boats in some very tight places. Plus, I always learn something.
Steve and Chris arrived about 5:00, and they lost no time getting into shorts. (It was over 90 yesterday) In fact Steve wore his shorts from home, even though it was cold in Chicago. The original plan was for Deb, and Chris to go to the store for the week’s groceries, but we bagged that plan in favor of getting a taxi and going out to eat. We talked to some folks, who gave us some ideas, and we chose The South End Brewery. Funny thing about it was we have only been to Charleston twice, (in 92 when we came through here in my friends boat) and we ate there the last time, although we didn’t know it until we pulled up front of the place. Oh well, it was good then, and now. (Rome-Theresa-Les-Annie…..remember the mud pie??)
Back at the boat Deb and Chris went up top, and Steve and I watched the Nascar race on TV. Well at least part of it. When the girls came in and went to bed, we taped the rest, so don’t tell me who won. OK?
Today..
As I said we only have about 55 miles to go today. (The guidebook says the next 50 miles are some of the prettiest on the entire Intracoastal Waterway………I’ll let you know) In fact all week the maximum amount of miles we are planning for any single day is 86, so it should be an easy week. Today’s destination is Georgetown, SC. The guidebook says it is an old historic town with a neat boardwalk, and we are in the downtown marina. (Supposedly on the boardwalk, but as you may remember these adds for the marinas take a few liberties when they describe their amenities)
The sun is up now, (sunrise was at 6:17) and it looks to be a little cloudy, but it is still 75 degrees, so it will be fine for today’s travel. The marina store opens at 7 AM, and they have an e-mail plug in, so I’m going to try to send this before we head out at 7:30.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Saturday, May 20, 2000
Chapter 47: Hiton Head to Charleston
Log 47
Hilton Head to Charleston
6:45 AM
Saturday, May 20, 2000
City Marina
Charleston, SC.
Day 48
I got an e-mail from a couple of you to let me know that a couple of the e-mails were messed up, so I resent them. I hope they came out ok this time.
The trip up from Hilton Head to Charleston was great. The weather was near perfect. A little windy, but other than that, it was excellent. We got out right on time, about 6:45. As soon as we got back on the waterway the terrain looked familiar. Boring, winding marshes. Even the flies came back. But in a short amount of time, things began to change, and it was hillier, and much prettier. We all commented that this trip was much nicer than the day before.
When we were about half way to Charleston I heard a sailboat call on the radio “Do you have any idea how much of a wake you cause when 8 boats pass you the way you do?” I looked back and couldn’t see anyone, but I had an idea what happened. Later I heard another boater on the radio “hey, do you guys have any consideration for your wake? I figured there must be a group of people traveling together. About 15 miles from Charleston I heard a boat that I had met earlier (he was heading south, and I was heading north) call out “If I was the leader of your group, I’d show you how to meet another boater without such a huge wake”. So now I knew there must be a group traveling together, and they were much closer to me now. About 10 miles from Charleston we had to stop for a railroad bridge, and while we waited for them to open, we looked behind us, and they were coming on strong. I decided by the way they were moving I did not want to be a part of this group, so I told the lead boat to tell his group to pass me, and I would follow. While we waited for all of them to get through the bridge I mentioned to Darrell, “I sure glad I’m not with them”. It didn’t take very long to be glad I wasn’t, because in a few minutes you heard on the radio “YOU IDIOT! DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR WAKE DOES? DON’T YOU KNOW YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR WAKE? YOU HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE INSIDE OF MY BOAT.” I’m not sure if this lead boat was not on the radio, or didn’t care, because he did not return the message, and seemed to pay no attention, because the person he “waked” kept hollering, and the armada evidently kept going. The thing that the convoy didn’t know is that they had just waked the wrong boater. He started calling the Coast Guard, and they responded. Darrell and I were listening to the whole thing, and when we came around the bend to Charleston Harbor here was the Coast Guard, blue lights flashing, with all the boats around them. Very interesting.
We arrived Charleston about 2:30. It was pretty windy, and made the docking, against the wind, very interesting. It ended up being no problem, and as soon as we tied up we got some fuel ($1.19), and cleaned up the boat. (I don’t know if the boat has ever looked better)
We decided we would get ready, and head into downtown, but we ended up sitting on the bridge, and enjoying a beer while we watched all of the traffic go by. (The boat is docked on an inside wall right next to the Intracoastal, the harbor, and the fuel dock, so it is very busy) As it turned out we didn’t leave the boat until about 5:30, so our tour of Charleston consisted of about 15 minutes of walking the streets, and then paying two college kids $20 to ride in the back of their “rickshaws” and take us to the Boathouse for dinner. Except for them overcooking my steak, (we were on the east coast, I should have had sea food anyway) we had a great meal, and took a taxi back to the boat, and we were back before dark. To say the least, we are not party animals.
Today…
Sad day. Darrell and Donna are getting ready to leave as I type this. In fact as I look out at the back deck, their bags are lined up, and ready to go. It’s only 7:35, so maybe they want to be out before I ask them to help with some boat maintainance.
Speaking of maintainance, that is how I’m going to spend my day. Nothing major, but I need to clean the A/C filters, check the water in the batteries, and clean all of the fresh water strainers. I also need to check out the vent to the holding tank. It seems to be clogged. (That sounds like fun doesn’t it?) Deb said she would spend most of here day doing laundry, (she is already at the laundry mat as we speak) and cleaning the inside of the boat.
By the time we get that all done, Steve, and Chris will be here. Their flight gets in at 4:15, so they should be here by dinnertime.
Before I end this log I thought I’d add a couple of highlights of the week:
Great weather every day
2 great days on the Atlantic
We saw 2 submarines
Touched a manatee
No mechanical problems
600 miles of cruising
Great crew!
It’s been a very good week.
BK.
Hilton Head to Charleston
6:45 AM
Saturday, May 20, 2000
City Marina
Charleston, SC.
Day 48
I got an e-mail from a couple of you to let me know that a couple of the e-mails were messed up, so I resent them. I hope they came out ok this time.
The trip up from Hilton Head to Charleston was great. The weather was near perfect. A little windy, but other than that, it was excellent. We got out right on time, about 6:45. As soon as we got back on the waterway the terrain looked familiar. Boring, winding marshes. Even the flies came back. But in a short amount of time, things began to change, and it was hillier, and much prettier. We all commented that this trip was much nicer than the day before.
When we were about half way to Charleston I heard a sailboat call on the radio “Do you have any idea how much of a wake you cause when 8 boats pass you the way you do?” I looked back and couldn’t see anyone, but I had an idea what happened. Later I heard another boater on the radio “hey, do you guys have any consideration for your wake? I figured there must be a group of people traveling together. About 15 miles from Charleston I heard a boat that I had met earlier (he was heading south, and I was heading north) call out “If I was the leader of your group, I’d show you how to meet another boater without such a huge wake”. So now I knew there must be a group traveling together, and they were much closer to me now. About 10 miles from Charleston we had to stop for a railroad bridge, and while we waited for them to open, we looked behind us, and they were coming on strong. I decided by the way they were moving I did not want to be a part of this group, so I told the lead boat to tell his group to pass me, and I would follow. While we waited for all of them to get through the bridge I mentioned to Darrell, “I sure glad I’m not with them”. It didn’t take very long to be glad I wasn’t, because in a few minutes you heard on the radio “YOU IDIOT! DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR WAKE DOES? DON’T YOU KNOW YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR WAKE? YOU HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE INSIDE OF MY BOAT.” I’m not sure if this lead boat was not on the radio, or didn’t care, because he did not return the message, and seemed to pay no attention, because the person he “waked” kept hollering, and the armada evidently kept going. The thing that the convoy didn’t know is that they had just waked the wrong boater. He started calling the Coast Guard, and they responded. Darrell and I were listening to the whole thing, and when we came around the bend to Charleston Harbor here was the Coast Guard, blue lights flashing, with all the boats around them. Very interesting.
We arrived Charleston about 2:30. It was pretty windy, and made the docking, against the wind, very interesting. It ended up being no problem, and as soon as we tied up we got some fuel ($1.19), and cleaned up the boat. (I don’t know if the boat has ever looked better)
We decided we would get ready, and head into downtown, but we ended up sitting on the bridge, and enjoying a beer while we watched all of the traffic go by. (The boat is docked on an inside wall right next to the Intracoastal, the harbor, and the fuel dock, so it is very busy) As it turned out we didn’t leave the boat until about 5:30, so our tour of Charleston consisted of about 15 minutes of walking the streets, and then paying two college kids $20 to ride in the back of their “rickshaws” and take us to the Boathouse for dinner. Except for them overcooking my steak, (we were on the east coast, I should have had sea food anyway) we had a great meal, and took a taxi back to the boat, and we were back before dark. To say the least, we are not party animals.
Today…
Sad day. Darrell and Donna are getting ready to leave as I type this. In fact as I look out at the back deck, their bags are lined up, and ready to go. It’s only 7:35, so maybe they want to be out before I ask them to help with some boat maintainance.
Speaking of maintainance, that is how I’m going to spend my day. Nothing major, but I need to clean the A/C filters, check the water in the batteries, and clean all of the fresh water strainers. I also need to check out the vent to the holding tank. It seems to be clogged. (That sounds like fun doesn’t it?) Deb said she would spend most of here day doing laundry, (she is already at the laundry mat as we speak) and cleaning the inside of the boat.
By the time we get that all done, Steve, and Chris will be here. Their flight gets in at 4:15, so they should be here by dinnertime.
Before I end this log I thought I’d add a couple of highlights of the week:
Great weather every day
2 great days on the Atlantic
We saw 2 submarines
Touched a manatee
No mechanical problems
600 miles of cruising
Great crew!
It’s been a very good week.
BK.
Friday, May 19, 2000
Chapter 46: St. Simons Island to Hilton Head
Log 46
ST. Simons Island, GA to Hilton Head, SC.
5:30 AM
Friday, May 19, 2000
Harbortown Marina
Hilton Head, SC.
Day 47
With all of the terrible weather, I feel bad telling everyone how great our weather is. But it is!
We had a great day yesterday. We untied our lines at 6:45, and rejoined the Intracoastal at MM 667. The sun was just coming up, and it was about 75 degrees. (Which is almost 20 degrees warmer than it will be at home today) The waterway through Georgia continued to look the same. Fairly wide, and easy to navigate. There were only two problems. First of all, it was pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have traded places with anyone, but each mile looked almost like the last. The other problem that we had to deal with was the flies. Big flies, and lots of them. In fact we had to go fast so they didn’t bother us as bad. (Keep in mind we were traveling through miles, and miles of marshes) I also came up with another reason not to own a sailboat, because they wouldn’t be able to “outrun” the flies. (I hope I never end up owning a sailboat, and having to eat all of these words)
There were two bright spots to the trip yesterday. The first one was going through a small town called Thunderbolt. This is where they make Palmer Johnson boats, and they had a bunch of them (average size over 100 feet) sitting out so we could admire them as we passed. In fact one pulled out right in front of us, and then followed us up the waterway. The other bright spot was our destination. This marina we are staying is very nice. (And pricey too. They charge you 1.75 per foot, per night) Actually this is a small complex of stores, and restaurants, and it is all built around the marina. It’s not very large, but neat. Last night there was two different areas of live music, both within ear shot of our boat. This morning as I write this it is still dark out, and the harbor is very pretty. (I’m not sure if I didn’t see it in the dark last night, or my appreciation of beauty it keener in the morning)
Anyway….we got to Harbortown at about 3:30 yesterday, after traveling over 100 miles. We took on some fuel ($1.33), pumped out the holding tank, and we were at the slip by 4:30.
Side note: The four of us have really got a routine down for docking, and cleaning the boat. Everyone has a job, and they do it without much discussion. I’m not sure how this even came about, but the last three days this has happened, and it’s worked great. When we get done, the boat is all tied down properly, very clean, and all organized for the next event. Cocktail Hour!!
After getting all of this done yesterday we all took a walk around the shops a little (no marine store..what’s up with that?) They also have a big lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor, which you can climb to the top of. And we did. (We took a couple of pictures, from up there, so if they turn out, I’ll put them on the web page.) When we came back to the boat Deb had dinner ready. She made chicken enchiladas, and they were great. After dinner Darrell and I went to get an ice cream cone, and everyone was glued to TV set to watch the final episodes of Friends, and Frasier. (Hey…. we have to stay touch!)
Today…
Heading for Charleston. It’s supposed to be another very nice day. Sunny, and almost 90 degrees. This is our last full day with Darrell and Donna, so we need to make the most of it. (Like we haven’t done every day since they got here)
Right now I’ve got to go to work. I must fire up these engines. Organize the charts, and get the captains area set to go. Darrell will unhook the power cord, and water hose from the dock. Right before we untie the lines, I’ll pour a fresh cup of coffee, and climb to the bridge to survey the situation, and then give the command “lets go”. Then we will have to grab the sunglasses because the sun will just be coming up, and get prepared for another 6 to 8 hours of cruising. Am I lucky, or what????
See ya……
BK
ST. Simons Island, GA to Hilton Head, SC.
5:30 AM
Friday, May 19, 2000
Harbortown Marina
Hilton Head, SC.
Day 47
With all of the terrible weather, I feel bad telling everyone how great our weather is. But it is!
We had a great day yesterday. We untied our lines at 6:45, and rejoined the Intracoastal at MM 667. The sun was just coming up, and it was about 75 degrees. (Which is almost 20 degrees warmer than it will be at home today) The waterway through Georgia continued to look the same. Fairly wide, and easy to navigate. There were only two problems. First of all, it was pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have traded places with anyone, but each mile looked almost like the last. The other problem that we had to deal with was the flies. Big flies, and lots of them. In fact we had to go fast so they didn’t bother us as bad. (Keep in mind we were traveling through miles, and miles of marshes) I also came up with another reason not to own a sailboat, because they wouldn’t be able to “outrun” the flies. (I hope I never end up owning a sailboat, and having to eat all of these words)
There were two bright spots to the trip yesterday. The first one was going through a small town called Thunderbolt. This is where they make Palmer Johnson boats, and they had a bunch of them (average size over 100 feet) sitting out so we could admire them as we passed. In fact one pulled out right in front of us, and then followed us up the waterway. The other bright spot was our destination. This marina we are staying is very nice. (And pricey too. They charge you 1.75 per foot, per night) Actually this is a small complex of stores, and restaurants, and it is all built around the marina. It’s not very large, but neat. Last night there was two different areas of live music, both within ear shot of our boat. This morning as I write this it is still dark out, and the harbor is very pretty. (I’m not sure if I didn’t see it in the dark last night, or my appreciation of beauty it keener in the morning)
Anyway….we got to Harbortown at about 3:30 yesterday, after traveling over 100 miles. We took on some fuel ($1.33), pumped out the holding tank, and we were at the slip by 4:30.
Side note: The four of us have really got a routine down for docking, and cleaning the boat. Everyone has a job, and they do it without much discussion. I’m not sure how this even came about, but the last three days this has happened, and it’s worked great. When we get done, the boat is all tied down properly, very clean, and all organized for the next event. Cocktail Hour!!
After getting all of this done yesterday we all took a walk around the shops a little (no marine store..what’s up with that?) They also have a big lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor, which you can climb to the top of. And we did. (We took a couple of pictures, from up there, so if they turn out, I’ll put them on the web page.) When we came back to the boat Deb had dinner ready. She made chicken enchiladas, and they were great. After dinner Darrell and I went to get an ice cream cone, and everyone was glued to TV set to watch the final episodes of Friends, and Frasier. (Hey…. we have to stay touch!)
Today…
Heading for Charleston. It’s supposed to be another very nice day. Sunny, and almost 90 degrees. This is our last full day with Darrell and Donna, so we need to make the most of it. (Like we haven’t done every day since they got here)
Right now I’ve got to go to work. I must fire up these engines. Organize the charts, and get the captains area set to go. Darrell will unhook the power cord, and water hose from the dock. Right before we untie the lines, I’ll pour a fresh cup of coffee, and climb to the bridge to survey the situation, and then give the command “lets go”. Then we will have to grab the sunglasses because the sun will just be coming up, and get prepared for another 6 to 8 hours of cruising. Am I lucky, or what????
See ya……
BK
Thursday, May 18, 2000
Chapter 45: St. Augustine to St. Simons Island
Log 45
ST. Augustine to ST. Simons Island, GA.
5:35 AM
Thursday, May 18, 2000
Golden Isles Marina
ST. Simons Island, Ga.
Day 46
We had a great day yesterday.
We left our marina in ST. Augustine about 6:30 just as it was starting to get light. In fact the sun didn’t come up until we were just north of the city. And when it did, it was beautiful. The first hour or so was a little cool, as the temperature was about 70. Then it warmed up nicely, and finally got to about 85 later in the day.
The Intracoastal has taken some very dramatic changes. Since we entered the Intracoastal in FT. Meyers, in January, the waterway has been narrow, with lots of population. Once we crossed the ST. Johns River near Jacksonville, and entered Georgia, the waterway opened up, and all day yesterday we were in much wider waters bordered by marshland. The markers were much farther apart, and the water is much deeper. These marshes are very close to the coast, and at times open up to huge “sounds” where they meet the Atlantic Ocean. The other thing changing is the tides. They are much larger, and they happen twice a day, verses once a day in parts of Florida. (How does that happen?) These tides really affect travel in certain places, because it can increase, or decrease your speed by up to 2 to 4 miles an hour. You should see some of the sail boats try to fight this tide sometimes. (As if I didn’t already have enough reasons not to own one of those, here’s one more)
We made great time yesterday. We started at mile marker 778, and made it to mile marker 677. It was a beautiful day, and we were able to make good time in those back marshes. We were at our marina by about 2:30. Once we got here we took on some fuel, ($1.25) and washed the boat. This is a great marina with all of the amenities, including a ship store, a bar, and a pool. We used all three. (Yes… Deb found a Pina Colada. And Darrell is becoming quite the Margarita Man)
I guess the most interesting fact about yesterday is how I can see the boating changing. No more mega yachts. No more million-dollar homes lining the water. We now see much smaller boats, and very modest lifestyle. Because we have been through here before (in 1992 when I took a friends 47 foot boat from Tampa to Philadelphia) I know what to expect, but it is very interesting to see the contrast. I have told people before that in this trip you see the almost every style of boating you can imagine, and it is sure proving to be true. (In one area we saw what slightly resembled a boat, and it looked like it might be floating. We assumed it had been abandon, until we saw someone come from the inside, and then we realized he probably lived there.)
In case I haven’t mentioned it lately. This trip is AWESOME!
Today….
It’s 6:05 now, and 74 degrees. The plan is to leave between 6:30 & 7. We would like to make it to mile marker 565, and Hilton Head Island, so we have to go about 110 miles. If we can make time like yesterday, it should be no problem. If we make it to Hilton Head, we only have to get another 80 miles or so on Friday, in order to get Darrell and Donna to Charleston where they can get a rental car. They will then drive to Myrtle Beach to catch a flight home. Charleston is also where Steve, and Chris fly into, on Saturday.
Well I need to get going…
BK.
ST. Augustine to ST. Simons Island, GA.
5:35 AM
Thursday, May 18, 2000
Golden Isles Marina
ST. Simons Island, Ga.
Day 46
We had a great day yesterday.
We left our marina in ST. Augustine about 6:30 just as it was starting to get light. In fact the sun didn’t come up until we were just north of the city. And when it did, it was beautiful. The first hour or so was a little cool, as the temperature was about 70. Then it warmed up nicely, and finally got to about 85 later in the day.
The Intracoastal has taken some very dramatic changes. Since we entered the Intracoastal in FT. Meyers, in January, the waterway has been narrow, with lots of population. Once we crossed the ST. Johns River near Jacksonville, and entered Georgia, the waterway opened up, and all day yesterday we were in much wider waters bordered by marshland. The markers were much farther apart, and the water is much deeper. These marshes are very close to the coast, and at times open up to huge “sounds” where they meet the Atlantic Ocean. The other thing changing is the tides. They are much larger, and they happen twice a day, verses once a day in parts of Florida. (How does that happen?) These tides really affect travel in certain places, because it can increase, or decrease your speed by up to 2 to 4 miles an hour. You should see some of the sail boats try to fight this tide sometimes. (As if I didn’t already have enough reasons not to own one of those, here’s one more)
We made great time yesterday. We started at mile marker 778, and made it to mile marker 677. It was a beautiful day, and we were able to make good time in those back marshes. We were at our marina by about 2:30. Once we got here we took on some fuel, ($1.25) and washed the boat. This is a great marina with all of the amenities, including a ship store, a bar, and a pool. We used all three. (Yes… Deb found a Pina Colada. And Darrell is becoming quite the Margarita Man)
I guess the most interesting fact about yesterday is how I can see the boating changing. No more mega yachts. No more million-dollar homes lining the water. We now see much smaller boats, and very modest lifestyle. Because we have been through here before (in 1992 when I took a friends 47 foot boat from Tampa to Philadelphia) I know what to expect, but it is very interesting to see the contrast. I have told people before that in this trip you see the almost every style of boating you can imagine, and it is sure proving to be true. (In one area we saw what slightly resembled a boat, and it looked like it might be floating. We assumed it had been abandon, until we saw someone come from the inside, and then we realized he probably lived there.)
In case I haven’t mentioned it lately. This trip is AWESOME!
Today….
It’s 6:05 now, and 74 degrees. The plan is to leave between 6:30 & 7. We would like to make it to mile marker 565, and Hilton Head Island, so we have to go about 110 miles. If we can make time like yesterday, it should be no problem. If we make it to Hilton Head, we only have to get another 80 miles or so on Friday, in order to get Darrell and Donna to Charleston where they can get a rental car. They will then drive to Myrtle Beach to catch a flight home. Charleston is also where Steve, and Chris fly into, on Saturday.
Well I need to get going…
BK.
Wednesday, May 17, 2000
Chapter 44: Daytona to St. Augustine
Log 44
Daytona to ST. Augustine
5:05 AM
Wednesday, May 17, 2000
ST. Augustine Municipal Marina
ST. Augustine, FL.
Day 45
Yesterday was a great day…
We were in no real hurry to leave yesterday morning because we only were going a little over 50 miles. After I typed my log, I walked down the dock to send my e-mail, and it was beautiful. At 6:15 there was almost no wind, it was already 75 degrees, and the sun was just coming over the horizon. I was surrounded by huge boats, in a beautiful marina, and I thought to myself that this must be heaven. If not, it ought to be like that. As Barb, my mother in law, would say “If you can find something better than this, I’ll go in with ya”
We left the marina about 8:00, and took our time going through Daytona. It was nice, but the farther north we went the nicer it got. The water way narrowed quite a bit, and some of the homes that lined the water were amazing. The entire trip was pretty, some wide areas, but mostly narrow rivers, and man made canals. It wasn’t until we got almost to ST. Augustine that it widened again. A very enjoyable ride.
We arrived at ST. Augustine about 1:00 PM. We didn’t need any fuel, so we pulled directly into our slip, and we had no more than tied up when it started raining. It was weird, because it didn’t even look like rain until all of a sudden it started to sprinkle, and we looked up to see one cloud. One dark cloud. It turns out the rain was over the Atlantic, and the wind switched, blowing it in. It only lasted about 20 minutes, and we sat up on the bridge, and watched it.
After the short rain the sun came back out in force. We washed the boat, I checked in at the marina, and visited the marine supply store. Nothing new! Donna wanted to see some of ST. Augustine, so we chose a marina that was right down town. We all decided to take a walk into town with different agendas. Donna wanted to site see a little. Deb was looking for the perfect Pina Colada. I was looking for a hardware store. Darrell? I don’t know, I think he was just glad to be with us. As it turned out we didn’t find anything we were looking for, but I don’t think we cared.
A short note here; during our walk I got a call from Neal Walsh, our customer in Richmond. He was not having a good day, and he said “he wanted to talk to someone about something other than business” He knew I was making this trip, so we talked about how it was going. The point of all of this is as we were hanging up he said “Have a great time, your guys are handling things just fine” If he would have given me a sack full of money he wouldn’t have made me any happier.
While walking around we found a place for Deb to try the Pina Coloda’s. She said they were ok, but I found the perfect Margarita. Or at least I can’t remember one better. After that we split up. Deb, and Donna stayed in town, and Darrell and I went back to the boat, where I spent about an hour with the charts, getting ready for the today.
The evening was great as well. We walked into town and ate at a place called Harry’s. Great seafood, and they even gave us a 10% discount for staying at the marina. Back to the boat, and a short walk up and down the docks to walk our dinner off, and we called it a night. Even Darrell went to bed early. (9:00)
Today….
Up a little earlier than usual. (4:45) I need to get this log written, and we are going to head out at first light. We have about 100 miles to go today, and all on the inside. Having made this part of the trip before I seem to remember the waterway changing quite a bit from here. Once we get past Jacksonville, it turns from rivers, to swamps, with only a narrow ditch to navigate in. It’s not really a problem, just slower going than in some areas. The other thing we have to contend with from here is being much more affected by the tides. They range from 5 to 8 feet, and the current they make, can really change the speed you can go.
I’ll keep you posted….
BK
Daytona to ST. Augustine
5:05 AM
Wednesday, May 17, 2000
ST. Augustine Municipal Marina
ST. Augustine, FL.
Day 45
Yesterday was a great day…
We were in no real hurry to leave yesterday morning because we only were going a little over 50 miles. After I typed my log, I walked down the dock to send my e-mail, and it was beautiful. At 6:15 there was almost no wind, it was already 75 degrees, and the sun was just coming over the horizon. I was surrounded by huge boats, in a beautiful marina, and I thought to myself that this must be heaven. If not, it ought to be like that. As Barb, my mother in law, would say “If you can find something better than this, I’ll go in with ya”
We left the marina about 8:00, and took our time going through Daytona. It was nice, but the farther north we went the nicer it got. The water way narrowed quite a bit, and some of the homes that lined the water were amazing. The entire trip was pretty, some wide areas, but mostly narrow rivers, and man made canals. It wasn’t until we got almost to ST. Augustine that it widened again. A very enjoyable ride.
We arrived at ST. Augustine about 1:00 PM. We didn’t need any fuel, so we pulled directly into our slip, and we had no more than tied up when it started raining. It was weird, because it didn’t even look like rain until all of a sudden it started to sprinkle, and we looked up to see one cloud. One dark cloud. It turns out the rain was over the Atlantic, and the wind switched, blowing it in. It only lasted about 20 minutes, and we sat up on the bridge, and watched it.
After the short rain the sun came back out in force. We washed the boat, I checked in at the marina, and visited the marine supply store. Nothing new! Donna wanted to see some of ST. Augustine, so we chose a marina that was right down town. We all decided to take a walk into town with different agendas. Donna wanted to site see a little. Deb was looking for the perfect Pina Colada. I was looking for a hardware store. Darrell? I don’t know, I think he was just glad to be with us. As it turned out we didn’t find anything we were looking for, but I don’t think we cared.
A short note here; during our walk I got a call from Neal Walsh, our customer in Richmond. He was not having a good day, and he said “he wanted to talk to someone about something other than business” He knew I was making this trip, so we talked about how it was going. The point of all of this is as we were hanging up he said “Have a great time, your guys are handling things just fine” If he would have given me a sack full of money he wouldn’t have made me any happier.
While walking around we found a place for Deb to try the Pina Coloda’s. She said they were ok, but I found the perfect Margarita. Or at least I can’t remember one better. After that we split up. Deb, and Donna stayed in town, and Darrell and I went back to the boat, where I spent about an hour with the charts, getting ready for the today.
The evening was great as well. We walked into town and ate at a place called Harry’s. Great seafood, and they even gave us a 10% discount for staying at the marina. Back to the boat, and a short walk up and down the docks to walk our dinner off, and we called it a night. Even Darrell went to bed early. (9:00)
Today….
Up a little earlier than usual. (4:45) I need to get this log written, and we are going to head out at first light. We have about 100 miles to go today, and all on the inside. Having made this part of the trip before I seem to remember the waterway changing quite a bit from here. Once we get past Jacksonville, it turns from rivers, to swamps, with only a narrow ditch to navigate in. It’s not really a problem, just slower going than in some areas. The other thing we have to contend with from here is being much more affected by the tides. They range from 5 to 8 feet, and the current they make, can really change the speed you can go.
I’ll keep you posted….
BK
Tuesday, May 16, 2000
Chapter 43: ...to Daytona
GCT Log 43
FT. Pierce to Daytona
5:25 AM
Tuesday, May 16, 2000
Halifax Harbor Marina
Daytona Beach FL.
Day 44
Short day yesterday. We only made about 53 miles, but we had, and have a plan.
As soon as we left our marina in Titusville, we were in one of those areas that the people who write those cruising guides talk about. It was very narrow, and very shallow. It was awful. As hard as Darrell and I tried we found it very difficult to find enough water to float this boat in. The good news is we never ran aground, but let me tell you it was close. (Later, on the radio I heard a charter captain call on the radio to another boat and tell him to stay back until he got through this shallow area because he said “at times I need to move around a lot to fine deeper water”) It so happens that while we were in this area the girls fixed a wonderful breakfast, but my stomach was in such knots, I really couldn’t eat it.
Once we got through this area the water got a little deeper, and much easier to navigate. It also was very slow going because we were near some towns, and several Manatee zones. (Speaking of Manatees, we had one at the back of our boat in Titusville. He stayed there for several minutes, laying on his back between our boat and the dock, drinking the fresh water we were spraying to wash down the boat. Deb has several pictures, and Deb and Darrell even touched him. He had several places where he was hit with a prop, and also had barnacles growing on him) Anyway, we decided to only go to Daytona, and then to make an early day of it on Tuesday as well and just go to St Augustine and spend the afternoon looking around. With that in mind it made the slow going a little easier.
The 53 miles was a pretty trip as we wound around marshes, and very shallow areas. It was quite a contrast, as we got closer to Daytona with all of the high-rise hotels. By the time we got here it was about 12:15. We got some fuel ($1.19 @ gal), and had the holding tank pumped out, and we were having lunch at our slip at 1:15 PM. Once settled, we had two important missions. Deb and Donna needed to find a grocery store for a couple of things, and Darrell and I needed to visit the West Marine store that was located next to the marina. (You never know what came in last night) Steve, and Carl will be glad to know I bought a new water hose. I have been connecting some different colored ones together for a while, and I am finally “dialed in”.
Once we met back at the boat we went in search of the “perfect margarita”. The good news is we found a place called McKay’s to have one. The bad news is they weren’t that good. Oh well, back to the boat, where we had spaghetti, watched the rest of that movie I missed the night before, and then took a walk on the dock before calling it a night. (9:00 for me)
Today…
Well as I said, today we are heading to ST. Augustine, about 50 miles, all on the inside. (They are saying 4 to 5 footers on the Atlantic today) The weather should be near perfect. Sunny, and 85. We are going to start a little later (8:00) because there is no reason to rush, and I can get some work done (company work, not boat)
A couple of follow up’s…
Remember that guy next to us in Titusville that just sat there on the back of his sailboat? After I wrote the log I went out there to get the boat ready to go, he was still there. Same chair, same cigarettes, but this time he had coffee instead of a beer. Maybe he stayed there all night.
Remember the smoke in the engine room. We still have no clue what it was, and everything is working great.
The boat engines, and the entire boat is working great!
Talk to you tomorrow.
BK
FT. Pierce to Daytona
5:25 AM
Tuesday, May 16, 2000
Halifax Harbor Marina
Daytona Beach FL.
Day 44
Short day yesterday. We only made about 53 miles, but we had, and have a plan.
As soon as we left our marina in Titusville, we were in one of those areas that the people who write those cruising guides talk about. It was very narrow, and very shallow. It was awful. As hard as Darrell and I tried we found it very difficult to find enough water to float this boat in. The good news is we never ran aground, but let me tell you it was close. (Later, on the radio I heard a charter captain call on the radio to another boat and tell him to stay back until he got through this shallow area because he said “at times I need to move around a lot to fine deeper water”) It so happens that while we were in this area the girls fixed a wonderful breakfast, but my stomach was in such knots, I really couldn’t eat it.
Once we got through this area the water got a little deeper, and much easier to navigate. It also was very slow going because we were near some towns, and several Manatee zones. (Speaking of Manatees, we had one at the back of our boat in Titusville. He stayed there for several minutes, laying on his back between our boat and the dock, drinking the fresh water we were spraying to wash down the boat. Deb has several pictures, and Deb and Darrell even touched him. He had several places where he was hit with a prop, and also had barnacles growing on him) Anyway, we decided to only go to Daytona, and then to make an early day of it on Tuesday as well and just go to St Augustine and spend the afternoon looking around. With that in mind it made the slow going a little easier.
The 53 miles was a pretty trip as we wound around marshes, and very shallow areas. It was quite a contrast, as we got closer to Daytona with all of the high-rise hotels. By the time we got here it was about 12:15. We got some fuel ($1.19 @ gal), and had the holding tank pumped out, and we were having lunch at our slip at 1:15 PM. Once settled, we had two important missions. Deb and Donna needed to find a grocery store for a couple of things, and Darrell and I needed to visit the West Marine store that was located next to the marina. (You never know what came in last night) Steve, and Carl will be glad to know I bought a new water hose. I have been connecting some different colored ones together for a while, and I am finally “dialed in”.
Once we met back at the boat we went in search of the “perfect margarita”. The good news is we found a place called McKay’s to have one. The bad news is they weren’t that good. Oh well, back to the boat, where we had spaghetti, watched the rest of that movie I missed the night before, and then took a walk on the dock before calling it a night. (9:00 for me)
Today…
Well as I said, today we are heading to ST. Augustine, about 50 miles, all on the inside. (They are saying 4 to 5 footers on the Atlantic today) The weather should be near perfect. Sunny, and 85. We are going to start a little later (8:00) because there is no reason to rush, and I can get some work done (company work, not boat)
A couple of follow up’s…
Remember that guy next to us in Titusville that just sat there on the back of his sailboat? After I wrote the log I went out there to get the boat ready to go, he was still there. Same chair, same cigarettes, but this time he had coffee instead of a beer. Maybe he stayed there all night.
Remember the smoke in the engine room. We still have no clue what it was, and everything is working great.
The boat engines, and the entire boat is working great!
Talk to you tomorrow.
BK
Monday, May 15, 2000
Chapter 42: Ft. Pierce to Titusville
GCT Log 42
Ft. Pierce to Titusville, Fl.
6:45 AM
Monday, May 15, 2000
Titusville Municipal Marina
Titusville, FL.
Day 43
Yesterday…
Our Mothers Day was a good one. We left the marina in FT. Pierce at 6:55, and it was only about a mile to the ocean. The Atlantic was beautiful, with just the slightest of swells, and those were at our stern. I set a course of 351 degrees on the autopilot to get us to the entrance buoy at Cape Canaveral, (55 miles) and we were there by 10:30 AM.
There is a canal that connects the Atlantic to the Intracoastal called the barge canal. It’s about 3 miles long, with one lock to keep the seawater from dumping into the Banana River. On that canal is where our friend, Bert, keeps his boat so we stopped for a few minutes to see his catamaran. He was getting ready to leave, on an airplane, back to Trinidad, so we only stayed a short time.
As we were coming out of the lock we had a scary experience. Deb was in the salon getting something, and she came up to say she smelled smoke, and it was coming from the air conditioner ducts. I jumped up, and what I found was it was coming from the engine room. After a few minutes of panic while looking for anything that could be causing this smell (it smelled like rubber burning) we didn’t find anything. That is both good news, and bad news. We looked everywhere for what could have caused this, but up till now we still don’t have a cause. I’m going down in the engine room as soon as I complete this to look again, but for now it is a mystery.
Our original plan yesterday was to try to make it to mile marker 840, near New Smyrna, but we couldn’t find a marina with a transient slip, so we ended up stopping in Titusville. (Mile marker 885) This marina is ok, but not one of the nicer ones we have ever been in. It seems to have more than its share of Live-a-boards (people who use their boats as homes), and that makes it look a little old. The good news is they have floating docks, so the tide does not affect us.
The boat next to us is one of those live a boards. It is a sailboat, and you can tell someone lives aboard, because if it were a home you could picture it with old cars in the yard with grass growing up around them. Maybe even a refrigerator in the front yard as well. Anyway there is this guy sitting on it in one of those plastic chairs, chain smoking, and chain drinking. He would talk to those who went by, and the more time went on the less sense he made. When I went to bed he was still sitting there. Maybe I should go out and look now to see if he made it in last night.
To end the day we enjoyed a shrimp cocktail, during cocktail hour, and then Darrell cooked some great steaks on the grill for dinner. This together with some corn on the cob, and excellent biscuits, and we were all set. Earlier in the day Deb had promised Darrell we would watch a move before bed, so we did. Well, I should say… they did.
Today…
It’s a little cooler this morning (72) than it has been, but they say it will be about mid 80’s by noon. After another check in the engine room we need to get going to try to make it to ST. Augustine by dinner. There is a friend there we are going to try to have dinner with, but I’m not sure we can make it that far (120 miles) because right now my plan is to stay inside all day. They are talking about some chance of storm today as a cold front goes through, and I don’t want to be out there if these predictions come true.
No matter what happens, it’s going to be a great day.
BK
Ft. Pierce to Titusville, Fl.
6:45 AM
Monday, May 15, 2000
Titusville Municipal Marina
Titusville, FL.
Day 43
Yesterday…
Our Mothers Day was a good one. We left the marina in FT. Pierce at 6:55, and it was only about a mile to the ocean. The Atlantic was beautiful, with just the slightest of swells, and those were at our stern. I set a course of 351 degrees on the autopilot to get us to the entrance buoy at Cape Canaveral, (55 miles) and we were there by 10:30 AM.
There is a canal that connects the Atlantic to the Intracoastal called the barge canal. It’s about 3 miles long, with one lock to keep the seawater from dumping into the Banana River. On that canal is where our friend, Bert, keeps his boat so we stopped for a few minutes to see his catamaran. He was getting ready to leave, on an airplane, back to Trinidad, so we only stayed a short time.
As we were coming out of the lock we had a scary experience. Deb was in the salon getting something, and she came up to say she smelled smoke, and it was coming from the air conditioner ducts. I jumped up, and what I found was it was coming from the engine room. After a few minutes of panic while looking for anything that could be causing this smell (it smelled like rubber burning) we didn’t find anything. That is both good news, and bad news. We looked everywhere for what could have caused this, but up till now we still don’t have a cause. I’m going down in the engine room as soon as I complete this to look again, but for now it is a mystery.
Our original plan yesterday was to try to make it to mile marker 840, near New Smyrna, but we couldn’t find a marina with a transient slip, so we ended up stopping in Titusville. (Mile marker 885) This marina is ok, but not one of the nicer ones we have ever been in. It seems to have more than its share of Live-a-boards (people who use their boats as homes), and that makes it look a little old. The good news is they have floating docks, so the tide does not affect us.
The boat next to us is one of those live a boards. It is a sailboat, and you can tell someone lives aboard, because if it were a home you could picture it with old cars in the yard with grass growing up around them. Maybe even a refrigerator in the front yard as well. Anyway there is this guy sitting on it in one of those plastic chairs, chain smoking, and chain drinking. He would talk to those who went by, and the more time went on the less sense he made. When I went to bed he was still sitting there. Maybe I should go out and look now to see if he made it in last night.
To end the day we enjoyed a shrimp cocktail, during cocktail hour, and then Darrell cooked some great steaks on the grill for dinner. This together with some corn on the cob, and excellent biscuits, and we were all set. Earlier in the day Deb had promised Darrell we would watch a move before bed, so we did. Well, I should say… they did.
Today…
It’s a little cooler this morning (72) than it has been, but they say it will be about mid 80’s by noon. After another check in the engine room we need to get going to try to make it to ST. Augustine by dinner. There is a friend there we are going to try to have dinner with, but I’m not sure we can make it that far (120 miles) because right now my plan is to stay inside all day. They are talking about some chance of storm today as a cold front goes through, and I don’t want to be out there if these predictions come true.
No matter what happens, it’s going to be a great day.
BK
Sunday, May 14, 2000
Chapter 41: Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Pierce
Log 41
FT. Lauderdale, Fl. to FT. Pierce, Fl.
5:20 AM
Sunday, May 14, 2000
Pelican Yacht Club
Ft. Pierce, FL.
Remember at my last log I predicted that yesterday would be a great day. Well I was wrong. It was an awesome day! At 6:50 we untied the lines, and left Pier 66. The sun was up, and you could tell it was going to be beautiful. It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the Atlantic, and when we got there it was quite a sight. There were almost no winds, so the ocean was almost flat. There was a slight swell, and it was just enough to gently rock the boat as we made the turn north. In fact as it turned out the swells were at our starboard aft, so they kind of pushed us along. My plan was to test the Atlantic, and duck into an inlet if necessary, but you could tell that wouldn’t be necessary.
The first way-point (that is the technical/nautical term for a particular longitude/latitude point on a map) was Lighthouse point, almost 10 miles away. We blew by that in about 45 minutes. The next waypoint was an inlet just north of West Palm Beach.
No problem, lets keep going. Finally, I set a course (almost due north) for St. Luice inlet. This was about 70 miles from where we entered the Atlantic, and the way we were going it seemed like it would be no problem. As it turns out, that was in fact the case. No problem
Once we came inside, we rejoined the Intracoastal at about mile marker 995, where we made a hard right, and headed north again. This intersection is also the place where if you go east on the St. Lucie River, you would end up on Lake Okeechobee. We were at this exact intersection last January 1st, when we went south to Ft. Lauderdale.
For the next 30 miles we followed the Intracoastal, and ended up in FT. Pierce. The place we’re staying is called Pelican Yacht Club. I knew this place because we had a friend who had a boat here, and I’ve been here a few times to go boating on it. Once we arrived, we put in some fuel ($1.35 @ gallon) and tied up to our slip. We all grabbed something to clean with, and washed the salt off the boat. I also went to the office, and got my e-mail. After that some good ole fashion relaxing, with Deb and Donna on the bow, and Darrell and I up on the bridge.
We had a bit of a surprise during dinner. I had called a friend of ours (Bert McGuire) who we knew from when we lived in Germany. He was the engineer who built the distribution center we were operating for Kraft. He has just since relocated to Coco Beach. When we talked it didn’t sound like he would be able to meet us in Ft. Pierce, but just as we were putting the chops on the grill, he called, and said he was on his way. He arrived about an hour later.
I wish you could have listened to him tell some of his stories. He has lived, and traveled all over the world, and has just moved from Trinidad. In fact not only has he just moved from there, but he sailed his 53-foot catamaran from there. The stories of his trip made our adventure seem like a trip to the local 7-Eleven. It was great to see Bert, but he kept us up past my bedtime, and I didn’t get to bed until after 10.
Side note: When Deb and I were in Germany a few years ago Bert took us to his relatives who live in former East Germany, for Easter. It was a memorable experience seeing both East Germany, and meeting his relatives who had lived there all of their lives. Anyway, during our visit we met a young girl named Anka, who Deb still sends cards too. Bert tell me he forwards our e-mails to Anka, in Germany, so I wanted to say “Hi to Anka” from Deb and I. (I guess I need to be careful who I talk about in these logs, because who knows where these things end up!)
Today….
It promises to be another beautiful day here in central Florida. (Which is a sharp contrast to home where it is rainy, and cold) I just helped a 75-foot boat leave the dock, and he tells me it will be perfect out on the Atlantic this morning. He is heading for New York, and will make almost the entire trip outside.
Our plan is to go about 100 miles, or so today, and end up about ½ way to St Augustine, where we want to be on Monday evening. I don’t see anything keeping us from doing that. By covering the distance we did yesterday we have already gained a day, according to my schedule.
So I need to end this and get to work. A quick check in the engine room to review the fluid levels, set up the charts, and the electronics, and we’re off.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM! I LOVE YOU.
BK.
FT. Lauderdale, Fl. to FT. Pierce, Fl.
5:20 AM
Sunday, May 14, 2000
Pelican Yacht Club
Ft. Pierce, FL.
Remember at my last log I predicted that yesterday would be a great day. Well I was wrong. It was an awesome day! At 6:50 we untied the lines, and left Pier 66. The sun was up, and you could tell it was going to be beautiful. It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the Atlantic, and when we got there it was quite a sight. There were almost no winds, so the ocean was almost flat. There was a slight swell, and it was just enough to gently rock the boat as we made the turn north. In fact as it turned out the swells were at our starboard aft, so they kind of pushed us along. My plan was to test the Atlantic, and duck into an inlet if necessary, but you could tell that wouldn’t be necessary.
The first way-point (that is the technical/nautical term for a particular longitude/latitude point on a map) was Lighthouse point, almost 10 miles away. We blew by that in about 45 minutes. The next waypoint was an inlet just north of West Palm Beach.
No problem, lets keep going. Finally, I set a course (almost due north) for St. Luice inlet. This was about 70 miles from where we entered the Atlantic, and the way we were going it seemed like it would be no problem. As it turns out, that was in fact the case. No problem
Once we came inside, we rejoined the Intracoastal at about mile marker 995, where we made a hard right, and headed north again. This intersection is also the place where if you go east on the St. Lucie River, you would end up on Lake Okeechobee. We were at this exact intersection last January 1st, when we went south to Ft. Lauderdale.
For the next 30 miles we followed the Intracoastal, and ended up in FT. Pierce. The place we’re staying is called Pelican Yacht Club. I knew this place because we had a friend who had a boat here, and I’ve been here a few times to go boating on it. Once we arrived, we put in some fuel ($1.35 @ gallon) and tied up to our slip. We all grabbed something to clean with, and washed the salt off the boat. I also went to the office, and got my e-mail. After that some good ole fashion relaxing, with Deb and Donna on the bow, and Darrell and I up on the bridge.
We had a bit of a surprise during dinner. I had called a friend of ours (Bert McGuire) who we knew from when we lived in Germany. He was the engineer who built the distribution center we were operating for Kraft. He has just since relocated to Coco Beach. When we talked it didn’t sound like he would be able to meet us in Ft. Pierce, but just as we were putting the chops on the grill, he called, and said he was on his way. He arrived about an hour later.
I wish you could have listened to him tell some of his stories. He has lived, and traveled all over the world, and has just moved from Trinidad. In fact not only has he just moved from there, but he sailed his 53-foot catamaran from there. The stories of his trip made our adventure seem like a trip to the local 7-Eleven. It was great to see Bert, but he kept us up past my bedtime, and I didn’t get to bed until after 10.
Side note: When Deb and I were in Germany a few years ago Bert took us to his relatives who live in former East Germany, for Easter. It was a memorable experience seeing both East Germany, and meeting his relatives who had lived there all of their lives. Anyway, during our visit we met a young girl named Anka, who Deb still sends cards too. Bert tell me he forwards our e-mails to Anka, in Germany, so I wanted to say “Hi to Anka” from Deb and I. (I guess I need to be careful who I talk about in these logs, because who knows where these things end up!)
Today….
It promises to be another beautiful day here in central Florida. (Which is a sharp contrast to home where it is rainy, and cold) I just helped a 75-foot boat leave the dock, and he tells me it will be perfect out on the Atlantic this morning. He is heading for New York, and will make almost the entire trip outside.
Our plan is to go about 100 miles, or so today, and end up about ½ way to St Augustine, where we want to be on Monday evening. I don’t see anything keeping us from doing that. By covering the distance we did yesterday we have already gained a day, according to my schedule.
So I need to end this and get to work. A quick check in the engine room to review the fluid levels, set up the charts, and the electronics, and we’re off.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM! I LOVE YOU.
BK.
Saturday, May 13, 2000
Chapter 40: Last Day in Ft. Launderdale
Log 40
Last Day in Ft. Lauderdale
5:20 am
Saturday, May 13, 2000
Pier 66 Marina
Day 41
By all rights, this should be a short log. We haven’t moved the boat yet, and so how much can there be to write about. Let’s see.
The day started out, and stayed the same. Hot, and sunny. I took my coffee, and did my dock walk, and there were several boats heading out. And a few of them were heading for the Bahamas. I was envious, because you knew they were going to have a great ride. All reports of the Atlantic were to be flat. Dead calm. I hope there that way today.
Most of yesterday was spent cleaning, fixing, and rearranging. Deb cleaned the entire inside of the boat, and did laundry. (Now you may be asking, like me; what laundry could there be to do? We just got on the boat. Deb said that she needed to clean sheets, towels, etc.) Anyway the inside of the boat is spotless. Me? After spending a good portion of the morning on the phone, I fixed the stereo, and arranged the engine room. I also got all of the charts ready to go. In general we were getting ready to get underway.
Deb was like a little kid yesterday. Several times during the morning she would come up to the fly bridge, and hug me, or give me a kiss, and tell me how excited she was. She couldn’t wait for Darrell and Donna to get here, and she was so excited about what was coming. I was playing the tough guy, and said it was no big deal. Right!
Darrell and Donna arrived almost on schedule. They got to the boat about 2:30. The first thing they did was put their shorts on, because it was hot out, and then we all broke out a beer to toast the beginning. Not much time to waste though, because Deb and Donna needed to go get groceries. They caught a taxi, and it took about 2 hours for them to return. Darrell and I caught up on what has been happening.
The day ended with the 4 of us going to the Pelican Bar for drinks and dinner. It was a beautiful evening, and we sat on the deck, overlooking the harbor. Yes, Deb had a Pina Colada. In fact she had two of them. (You see the second one was only 66 cents, so she had to.) We also had a first. Darrell had his first margarita. And his second margarita. (How can you be that old and have never had a margarita?) After dinner we took a walk up and down the docks to admire the boats. I’m going to miss this place.
Today is going to be near perfect for this part of the world. As I have been writing this I have been watching the Weather Channel, and listening to the weather on my marine radio. The temperature is 74 degrees (at 5 am), the winds are calm, and the waves are predicted to be 2 foot, or less. Yes!!
My plan is to leave at first light (about 6:45 am) and head out into the Atlantic. We will take a hard left, and head almost due north. The thought is to make the most of the calm conditions, so we can make some time outside (verses the Intracoastal) and try to make it about 100 miles, to Ft. Pierce, FL. If the seas change, or if we get tired, we can always go inside, and have our pick of many different places to stop. In this part of the country it is no problem finding a marina.
So that’s the plan. It’s now 6:05, and the sky is just starting to show the slightest sign of getting lighter, so I need to get busy. This is going to be a great day!
BK.
Last Day in Ft. Lauderdale
5:20 am
Saturday, May 13, 2000
Pier 66 Marina
Day 41
By all rights, this should be a short log. We haven’t moved the boat yet, and so how much can there be to write about. Let’s see.
The day started out, and stayed the same. Hot, and sunny. I took my coffee, and did my dock walk, and there were several boats heading out. And a few of them were heading for the Bahamas. I was envious, because you knew they were going to have a great ride. All reports of the Atlantic were to be flat. Dead calm. I hope there that way today.
Most of yesterday was spent cleaning, fixing, and rearranging. Deb cleaned the entire inside of the boat, and did laundry. (Now you may be asking, like me; what laundry could there be to do? We just got on the boat. Deb said that she needed to clean sheets, towels, etc.) Anyway the inside of the boat is spotless. Me? After spending a good portion of the morning on the phone, I fixed the stereo, and arranged the engine room. I also got all of the charts ready to go. In general we were getting ready to get underway.
Deb was like a little kid yesterday. Several times during the morning she would come up to the fly bridge, and hug me, or give me a kiss, and tell me how excited she was. She couldn’t wait for Darrell and Donna to get here, and she was so excited about what was coming. I was playing the tough guy, and said it was no big deal. Right!
Darrell and Donna arrived almost on schedule. They got to the boat about 2:30. The first thing they did was put their shorts on, because it was hot out, and then we all broke out a beer to toast the beginning. Not much time to waste though, because Deb and Donna needed to go get groceries. They caught a taxi, and it took about 2 hours for them to return. Darrell and I caught up on what has been happening.
The day ended with the 4 of us going to the Pelican Bar for drinks and dinner. It was a beautiful evening, and we sat on the deck, overlooking the harbor. Yes, Deb had a Pina Colada. In fact she had two of them. (You see the second one was only 66 cents, so she had to.) We also had a first. Darrell had his first margarita. And his second margarita. (How can you be that old and have never had a margarita?) After dinner we took a walk up and down the docks to admire the boats. I’m going to miss this place.
Today is going to be near perfect for this part of the world. As I have been writing this I have been watching the Weather Channel, and listening to the weather on my marine radio. The temperature is 74 degrees (at 5 am), the winds are calm, and the waves are predicted to be 2 foot, or less. Yes!!
My plan is to leave at first light (about 6:45 am) and head out into the Atlantic. We will take a hard left, and head almost due north. The thought is to make the most of the calm conditions, so we can make some time outside (verses the Intracoastal) and try to make it about 100 miles, to Ft. Pierce, FL. If the seas change, or if we get tired, we can always go inside, and have our pick of many different places to stop. In this part of the country it is no problem finding a marina.
So that’s the plan. It’s now 6:05, and the sky is just starting to show the slightest sign of getting lighter, so I need to get busy. This is going to be a great day!
BK.
Friday, May 12, 2000
Chapter 39: Heading North
Log 39
Heading North
5:08 am
Friday, May 12, 2000
Pier 66 Marina
Day 40
I’ve been looking forward to writing this log for some time now. The reason is, I knew when I wrote it, I would be on the boat, and getting ready to head north. I also knew that when I wrote this, Deb, and I would be on the boat for 5 weeks (although 2 of those weeks, I’ll be commuting from the boat in Norfolk to Richmond) The will be the longest time we have ever spent on the boat at once. This is an exciting time, and we have so many adventures ahead of us.
Side note: Writing this log, and this entire day will be much better now because I just checked my voice mail, and I got an update from our new distribution center we are operating for Perdue Farms (the east coast poultry company) in Richmond VA, and the night went very well. We are finishing our second week of production, and this is great news. I’ll try not to bore anyone with too much information from this new operation, but I will tell you it is a huge part of my life now, and these daily updates from Richmond will have a lot to do with my ability to enjoy this adventure.
Yesterday…
All in all, the day was pretty smooth. Deb and I flew out of Midway Airport on ATA Airlines, directly into FT. Lauderdale. We arrived to perfect weather. Hot, and sunny. We had an interesting cab driver, who was telling us OJ Simpson jokes before the car was barely moving. Each time there was a new subject, he had the answers. When he heard we were boaters he told us he had a 39 foot Sea Ray when he lived in New Jersey, but he had to sell it because his partner went to prison. (Get the picture?)
It was great to see the boat again. I had the marina pull it out from under cover, and wash it up, so it looked good. They had also started the A/C so it was cool inside. In fact the only surprise was the fact that our holding tank was full, and we had just emptied it before we left for home the last trip. How could this happen? ( I’ll try to quickly explain this) Our holding tank holds our waste from the toilets. We normally have it pumped out at marinas, but we also have the ability to pump it overboard if we are over three miles from shore. Anyway, the pump is located below the water line, and evidently, the river water backed up through the pump, and filled up the holding tank. There is a shut-off valve at the thru-hull fitting that will keep this from happening, but it was open. I always keep this closed, but maybe I forgot. Anyway, we pumped out the water, and we were on our way.
The trip from Jackson Marine to Pier 66 is very special. It takes about an hour, and you must idle all the way, but you go by some of the biggest boats, and prettiest homes you will ever see. As you know by now Pier 66 is one of my favorite marinas. I guess the reason is, the average boat is probably about 80 feet long. Also, it has a neat bar overlooking the Intracoastal waterway where you can watch all the boat traffic heading to, and coming from, the Atlantic. Deb and I went there for dinner, and watched the sun go down. And yes, Deb had one of her favorite Pina Colatas. Great end to a great day.
Today….
Perfect weather.
I have a lot to do today. The boat needs to be ready to roll. We didn’t do a great job of putting stuff away yesterday, because we were too excited. Today I need to organize the charts, and get everything put where it belongs. Now that we are here, and I can see what the weather will be, I need to plan where we will spend the next few nights, and make some marina reservations.
Darrell and Donna arrive at about 2 PM today. Once settled, Deb and Donna need to get the weeks groceries. (Oh, and maybe a case of beer) Bottom line is we need to get set to cruise.
So that’s it for now. It is about 6:00, and the sky is just starting to brighten up, so I think I’ll take a cup of coffee, and walk the dock. (One of my favorite things in the whole world to do) This morning I’ll be paying special attention to the sunrise, to tell me when I can plan on leaving the marina each morning, and get underway. My plan, starting tomorrow, is to leave just after first light, so we can get the most miles in, yet be at our slip by late afternoon each day.
I wish everyone of you could feel the way I do now……..
BK.
Heading North
5:08 am
Friday, May 12, 2000
Pier 66 Marina
Day 40
I’ve been looking forward to writing this log for some time now. The reason is, I knew when I wrote it, I would be on the boat, and getting ready to head north. I also knew that when I wrote this, Deb, and I would be on the boat for 5 weeks (although 2 of those weeks, I’ll be commuting from the boat in Norfolk to Richmond) The will be the longest time we have ever spent on the boat at once. This is an exciting time, and we have so many adventures ahead of us.
Side note: Writing this log, and this entire day will be much better now because I just checked my voice mail, and I got an update from our new distribution center we are operating for Perdue Farms (the east coast poultry company) in Richmond VA, and the night went very well. We are finishing our second week of production, and this is great news. I’ll try not to bore anyone with too much information from this new operation, but I will tell you it is a huge part of my life now, and these daily updates from Richmond will have a lot to do with my ability to enjoy this adventure.
Yesterday…
All in all, the day was pretty smooth. Deb and I flew out of Midway Airport on ATA Airlines, directly into FT. Lauderdale. We arrived to perfect weather. Hot, and sunny. We had an interesting cab driver, who was telling us OJ Simpson jokes before the car was barely moving. Each time there was a new subject, he had the answers. When he heard we were boaters he told us he had a 39 foot Sea Ray when he lived in New Jersey, but he had to sell it because his partner went to prison. (Get the picture?)
It was great to see the boat again. I had the marina pull it out from under cover, and wash it up, so it looked good. They had also started the A/C so it was cool inside. In fact the only surprise was the fact that our holding tank was full, and we had just emptied it before we left for home the last trip. How could this happen? ( I’ll try to quickly explain this) Our holding tank holds our waste from the toilets. We normally have it pumped out at marinas, but we also have the ability to pump it overboard if we are over three miles from shore. Anyway, the pump is located below the water line, and evidently, the river water backed up through the pump, and filled up the holding tank. There is a shut-off valve at the thru-hull fitting that will keep this from happening, but it was open. I always keep this closed, but maybe I forgot. Anyway, we pumped out the water, and we were on our way.
The trip from Jackson Marine to Pier 66 is very special. It takes about an hour, and you must idle all the way, but you go by some of the biggest boats, and prettiest homes you will ever see. As you know by now Pier 66 is one of my favorite marinas. I guess the reason is, the average boat is probably about 80 feet long. Also, it has a neat bar overlooking the Intracoastal waterway where you can watch all the boat traffic heading to, and coming from, the Atlantic. Deb and I went there for dinner, and watched the sun go down. And yes, Deb had one of her favorite Pina Colatas. Great end to a great day.
Today….
Perfect weather.
I have a lot to do today. The boat needs to be ready to roll. We didn’t do a great job of putting stuff away yesterday, because we were too excited. Today I need to organize the charts, and get everything put where it belongs. Now that we are here, and I can see what the weather will be, I need to plan where we will spend the next few nights, and make some marina reservations.
Darrell and Donna arrive at about 2 PM today. Once settled, Deb and Donna need to get the weeks groceries. (Oh, and maybe a case of beer) Bottom line is we need to get set to cruise.
So that’s it for now. It is about 6:00, and the sky is just starting to brighten up, so I think I’ll take a cup of coffee, and walk the dock. (One of my favorite things in the whole world to do) This morning I’ll be paying special attention to the sunrise, to tell me when I can plan on leaving the marina each morning, and get underway. My plan, starting tomorrow, is to leave just after first light, so we can get the most miles in, yet be at our slip by late afternoon each day.
I wish everyone of you could feel the way I do now……..
BK.
Saturday, April 29, 2000
Chapter 38: Getting Ready to Head North
Log #38
Getting ready to head north
11:00 am
Saturday, April 29, 2000
On an airplane heading for Phoenix, AZ.
It seems like I’m always on an airplane heading somewhere. Deb, and I are on our way to a conference in Phoenix for a few days, so I thought I’d take some time to update my logs, and give a preview of our northbound plans.
Before I talk about the trip north, let’s get up to date a little bit.
My last log left off with Deb and I in Miami Beach, and I was getting ready to head into a marine store to see what they had. Good news, I found something I needed. Actually what happened was, when we were washing the boat I knocked the scrub brush, and handle in the water, so I needed to replace it. Which I did………plus a few other items I couldn’t live without.
The morning was somewhat cloudy, but you could tell the sun could break through almost any time. I decided to take the bimini top down, so whatever sun there was I could enjoy it on the fly bridge. Getting out of the slip was not quite as much of a challenge as getting in, but almost. Deb, and I took our time untying all the lines, and getting HEADQUARTERS ready to exit, without hurting anyone. As it turned out, we did fine, and were quickly out in the main channel, with all of the huge ships heading to their berths, getting ready to unload their goods in Miami.
In about 3 quick miles we were back on the Intracoastal, and heading north. The sun by now had broken through the clouds, and it was a little cool, but very nice. The only thing noteworthy, as we headed back was a bridge that wouldn’t wait. We were following 3 other northbound boats, and they were about ½ mile ahead of us. The bridge was getting ready to open, so I called the bridge to tell them I’d pick up my pace in order to make this opening, (the next one was 30 minutes later) but just as we got almost up to the bridge, they dropped it. I bitched a little bit, until I thought…….I’m on a boat…….it’s sunny out………I’m in Florida, in the winter……..ok, ok, ok……..this is no big deal.
We had a great trip back to Ft. Lauderdale. When we arrived, we stopped at Pier 66 to top off the fuel ($ 1.26 @ gal.) and Deb picked up our rental car that we left there, while I took the boat, by myself, up the New River, and back to Jackson Marine. By the time I got to the marina, Deb was waiting on the dock to help me tie up. We had plans on where we were going to dock, but someone had just brought their boat in, and took our spot. As it turned out they lived just a few miles from us in Batavia. (They saw our name, and home port on the back of our boat, and instantly became friendly)
We found another spot, washed the boat, and ended the day with a great, very long, dinghy ride on the New River, as we looked at all the huge yachts. Ft. Lauderdale is amazing!
We are just a short time away from getting started on our return trip, and I’m getting excited. I have ordered all of the charts we will need to get us home. There are three different types. First I need Cruising Guides, for all the areas, to tell me about places to go, and information on the marinas. Next I need paper charts of all of the waters we will be in. I will then read the cruising guides, as I follow the charts, and use a highlighter to plot our course on them. This is makes it easy to see where you need to go, and saves me a lot of time as we travel. (I also love doing this, and I spend many hours dreaming about “being there”. Actually, the planning piece is one of my favorite parts about this kind of a trip.) The other thing I need is electronic charts. These are little chips that have the charts burned into them, and I can load them in my Chart plotter, which interfaces with my GPS, and I can see where I am at all times. The problem is these are expensive, and a luxury on this type of trip, so I’m trying to figure out which ones I need, and which ones I would like to have. No matter which ones I order, the cost of the charts is very costly. I hope I can find a way to sell these charts after we are home, because they will be useless to me.
Anyway……….a number of you have asked about how many legs we have left, and what our plans are, so I thought I’d give you a recap of what is coming up. (Remember, if you want to catch up on what has happened so far, and where we came from………log on to
www.greatcircle.homepage.com, and you will see all of the previous captain’s logs.)
Our plans from here are.
Thursday, May 11th Deb and I head to Ft. Lauderdale to get on the boat at Jackson Marine, and take it to Pier 66. From this point Deb will be on the boat for 5 weeks.
Friday, May 12th Darrell, and Donna Thompson (boating friends of ours, who were on the boat during the first leg) will fly into Ft. Lauderdale in the afternoon, and meet us at Pier 66, and travel with us the first week.
Saturday, May 13th. The official day we begin out trip north!
Saturday, May 20th we should be somewhere around Charleston, SC. Darrell, and Donna will get off, and head home, and Steve and Chris Thoke (my partner in business, and his wife… who got married on the boat last January) will get on board.
Saturday, May 27th by now we should be in Norfolk, VA. (1,065 miles from Ft. Lauderdale) Steve and Chris, will head home. For the next two weeks I will go to work in our Richmond VA. Facility, and Deb will stay on the boat. It is only about an hour drive from Norfolk to our facility, so I will drive it to work each day, and come back to the boat at night. We have already found the marina we will stay in here (we did this on one of our trips to Richmond earlier) and it’s right downtown, so Deb can explore Norfolk during the day. We also plan to have a few of the management team on the boat over the weekend that we are docked there.
Thursday, June 8th Rome and Theresa Hubert fly into Richmond. (They’re our neighbors, who became friends while we were living in Bourbonnais IL. from 1988 to 1996)
Friday, June 9th we continue our journey, and head out from Norfolk, into the Chesapeake Bay. We need to hustle in order to get to ST. Michaels Maryland, by Saturday night, in order to meet one of our customers, and entertain him and his wife on the boat on Sunday.
Monday, June 12th Barb Cunningham (Deb’s Mom) will fly into Baltimore, to join us on our way up to New York City.
Tuesday, June 13th We’ll leave Baltimore, to finish our trip up the Chesapeake, through the C&D canal, into the Delaware Bay, and to Cape May at the very southern tip of New Jersey. From there we’ll head out into the Atlantic, and up to Atlantic City. From Atlantic City it’s a little over 100 miles, all outside in the ocean, up to New York City.
Saturday, June 17th We should arrive in New York City
Sunday, June 18th we head home, and I go back to work for 2 weeks.
Saturday, July 1st we fly back to the boat in New York City. We will be joined by Steve, and Claudia Larry. (Steve is one of our VP’s at Pro Source) We will also be joined by Gary, and Joan Hedge. (I used to work with Gary at my previous company) They will be with us for the next week.
Sunday July 2nd. We will leave New York Harbor, and head up the Hudson River to Troy NY. At Troy we will turn due west, as we join the beginning of the Eire Canal. We will follow the Eire Canal west to the Oswego Canal, and then head north to Lake Ontario.
Saturday, July 8th by now we should be at the southeast corner of Lake Ontario, in Oswego NY. We will all head home, and I will go back to work for 2 more weeks.
Friday, July 21st We will fly back to the boat, joined by Terry and Jeanie Ruhland (Jeannie is Deb’s sister) This will be our final leg which will take us across Lake Ontario, into Canada. We will then navigate through the Trent-Severn waterway, through the Georgian Bay, and on the very north side of Lake Huron. At that point we will join Lake Michigan, near Mackinaw Island. We will then come down the east side of Lake Michigan, and head across to Chicago at, or about Michigan City. From there it’s all river as we leave Chicago, and join the Kankakee River, and then finally the Illinois River, about 50 miles from our marina.
Saturday, August 5th we should arrive Starved Rock Marina. Our starting point.
So that’s it. We have a long way to go, and a lot of things to see along the way. Hopefully things will go smooth, and we will only have great memories to look back on.
I’ll keep you posted along the way.
BK.
Getting ready to head north
11:00 am
Saturday, April 29, 2000
On an airplane heading for Phoenix, AZ.
It seems like I’m always on an airplane heading somewhere. Deb, and I are on our way to a conference in Phoenix for a few days, so I thought I’d take some time to update my logs, and give a preview of our northbound plans.
Before I talk about the trip north, let’s get up to date a little bit.
My last log left off with Deb and I in Miami Beach, and I was getting ready to head into a marine store to see what they had. Good news, I found something I needed. Actually what happened was, when we were washing the boat I knocked the scrub brush, and handle in the water, so I needed to replace it. Which I did………plus a few other items I couldn’t live without.
The morning was somewhat cloudy, but you could tell the sun could break through almost any time. I decided to take the bimini top down, so whatever sun there was I could enjoy it on the fly bridge. Getting out of the slip was not quite as much of a challenge as getting in, but almost. Deb, and I took our time untying all the lines, and getting HEADQUARTERS ready to exit, without hurting anyone. As it turned out, we did fine, and were quickly out in the main channel, with all of the huge ships heading to their berths, getting ready to unload their goods in Miami.
In about 3 quick miles we were back on the Intracoastal, and heading north. The sun by now had broken through the clouds, and it was a little cool, but very nice. The only thing noteworthy, as we headed back was a bridge that wouldn’t wait. We were following 3 other northbound boats, and they were about ½ mile ahead of us. The bridge was getting ready to open, so I called the bridge to tell them I’d pick up my pace in order to make this opening, (the next one was 30 minutes later) but just as we got almost up to the bridge, they dropped it. I bitched a little bit, until I thought…….I’m on a boat…….it’s sunny out………I’m in Florida, in the winter……..ok, ok, ok……..this is no big deal.
We had a great trip back to Ft. Lauderdale. When we arrived, we stopped at Pier 66 to top off the fuel ($ 1.26 @ gal.) and Deb picked up our rental car that we left there, while I took the boat, by myself, up the New River, and back to Jackson Marine. By the time I got to the marina, Deb was waiting on the dock to help me tie up. We had plans on where we were going to dock, but someone had just brought their boat in, and took our spot. As it turned out they lived just a few miles from us in Batavia. (They saw our name, and home port on the back of our boat, and instantly became friendly)
We found another spot, washed the boat, and ended the day with a great, very long, dinghy ride on the New River, as we looked at all the huge yachts. Ft. Lauderdale is amazing!
We are just a short time away from getting started on our return trip, and I’m getting excited. I have ordered all of the charts we will need to get us home. There are three different types. First I need Cruising Guides, for all the areas, to tell me about places to go, and information on the marinas. Next I need paper charts of all of the waters we will be in. I will then read the cruising guides, as I follow the charts, and use a highlighter to plot our course on them. This is makes it easy to see where you need to go, and saves me a lot of time as we travel. (I also love doing this, and I spend many hours dreaming about “being there”. Actually, the planning piece is one of my favorite parts about this kind of a trip.) The other thing I need is electronic charts. These are little chips that have the charts burned into them, and I can load them in my Chart plotter, which interfaces with my GPS, and I can see where I am at all times. The problem is these are expensive, and a luxury on this type of trip, so I’m trying to figure out which ones I need, and which ones I would like to have. No matter which ones I order, the cost of the charts is very costly. I hope I can find a way to sell these charts after we are home, because they will be useless to me.
Anyway……….a number of you have asked about how many legs we have left, and what our plans are, so I thought I’d give you a recap of what is coming up. (Remember, if you want to catch up on what has happened so far, and where we came from………log on to
www.greatcircle.homepage.com, and you will see all of the previous captain’s logs.)
Our plans from here are.
Thursday, May 11th Deb and I head to Ft. Lauderdale to get on the boat at Jackson Marine, and take it to Pier 66. From this point Deb will be on the boat for 5 weeks.
Friday, May 12th Darrell, and Donna Thompson (boating friends of ours, who were on the boat during the first leg) will fly into Ft. Lauderdale in the afternoon, and meet us at Pier 66, and travel with us the first week.
Saturday, May 13th. The official day we begin out trip north!
Saturday, May 20th we should be somewhere around Charleston, SC. Darrell, and Donna will get off, and head home, and Steve and Chris Thoke (my partner in business, and his wife… who got married on the boat last January) will get on board.
Saturday, May 27th by now we should be in Norfolk, VA. (1,065 miles from Ft. Lauderdale) Steve and Chris, will head home. For the next two weeks I will go to work in our Richmond VA. Facility, and Deb will stay on the boat. It is only about an hour drive from Norfolk to our facility, so I will drive it to work each day, and come back to the boat at night. We have already found the marina we will stay in here (we did this on one of our trips to Richmond earlier) and it’s right downtown, so Deb can explore Norfolk during the day. We also plan to have a few of the management team on the boat over the weekend that we are docked there.
Thursday, June 8th Rome and Theresa Hubert fly into Richmond. (They’re our neighbors, who became friends while we were living in Bourbonnais IL. from 1988 to 1996)
Friday, June 9th we continue our journey, and head out from Norfolk, into the Chesapeake Bay. We need to hustle in order to get to ST. Michaels Maryland, by Saturday night, in order to meet one of our customers, and entertain him and his wife on the boat on Sunday.
Monday, June 12th Barb Cunningham (Deb’s Mom) will fly into Baltimore, to join us on our way up to New York City.
Tuesday, June 13th We’ll leave Baltimore, to finish our trip up the Chesapeake, through the C&D canal, into the Delaware Bay, and to Cape May at the very southern tip of New Jersey. From there we’ll head out into the Atlantic, and up to Atlantic City. From Atlantic City it’s a little over 100 miles, all outside in the ocean, up to New York City.
Saturday, June 17th We should arrive in New York City
Sunday, June 18th we head home, and I go back to work for 2 weeks.
Saturday, July 1st we fly back to the boat in New York City. We will be joined by Steve, and Claudia Larry. (Steve is one of our VP’s at Pro Source) We will also be joined by Gary, and Joan Hedge. (I used to work with Gary at my previous company) They will be with us for the next week.
Sunday July 2nd. We will leave New York Harbor, and head up the Hudson River to Troy NY. At Troy we will turn due west, as we join the beginning of the Eire Canal. We will follow the Eire Canal west to the Oswego Canal, and then head north to Lake Ontario.
Saturday, July 8th by now we should be at the southeast corner of Lake Ontario, in Oswego NY. We will all head home, and I will go back to work for 2 more weeks.
Friday, July 21st We will fly back to the boat, joined by Terry and Jeanie Ruhland (Jeannie is Deb’s sister) This will be our final leg which will take us across Lake Ontario, into Canada. We will then navigate through the Trent-Severn waterway, through the Georgian Bay, and on the very north side of Lake Huron. At that point we will join Lake Michigan, near Mackinaw Island. We will then come down the east side of Lake Michigan, and head across to Chicago at, or about Michigan City. From there it’s all river as we leave Chicago, and join the Kankakee River, and then finally the Illinois River, about 50 miles from our marina.
Saturday, August 5th we should arrive Starved Rock Marina. Our starting point.
So that’s it. We have a long way to go, and a lot of things to see along the way. Hopefully things will go smooth, and we will only have great memories to look back on.
I’ll keep you posted along the way.
BK.
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