A night to top all nights

Friday we went ashore at Grand Key and walked the town. Very nice with golf cart roads of concrete and very nice houses. People were cutting grass and their school goes form 1 thru 12 with about 200 students. Nanc bought bread and a pie and made french toast on Sat morning. We waited for high tide to clear a sand bar and motored over to Double Breasted Key. It is a series of long small islands with channels in between with sandy bottoms to anchor on. We picked up another buddie boat, S/V Hawk, with John and Cindy Hawkins on board. They had drug anchor the night before during the high winds. We all three anchored and the leeway was orientated at 320/140 degrees, and we were expecting a blow on Sat night form 320 degrees. After getting settled, everyone came over for Nanc's shrimp and steak dinner and Carlene broght the rum drinks, pasta, and Cindy brought the salad. Everyone left and the moon was full on the water and beautiful. Sat, John, DK, and I went hunting for lobster. We located many but only three surrendered. They made for a nice dinner for Nanc and I; since they were small. About 1730 you could see a very black line of clouds approaching from the NW as predicted and the heavens opened up, and it poured, with winds up to 40 knots.The wind generator almost lost it's mind and made unbelievable noise as the blades stalled out above 30 knots as designed. I tried to put the electronic brake on, but it would not engage. I had backed down on the anchor and buried it in the sand and it held fine. It then cleared up and the wind dropped down. At about 2330 the wind started picking up and blew at about 25 knots during the night. I checked the anchor several times, and we appeared to be holding until about 0500. When I checked I felt we had drug backwards away from Aviator and toward shallow water. We still had 10 feel under the keel; however I could see we had moved. I started the engine and added slight forward power to take tension off the anchor and reset it, which worked. We departed at 0645 and had a great sail all day to Green Turtle Key today, where we are anchored now. The wind is still blowing at about 15 to 20 knots, and I can here the generator doing it's thing. We are eating on Hawk tonight and will stay here for many days awaiting another big blow coming Tue/Wed. I plan on tying up at the marina on Tue night for sure. We passed a power boat who had been here on Sat night, and he said the winds had gusted to 80 knots here and blew screens in and a electrical pedestal over on the dock. Hope it is not the bad while we are here. S

And the wind blew and the rain fell

Oh what a night. We dinghied into Rosie's and had lobster for dinner. As we departed it had started to rain. The rain on the boat reminds me of my childhood when I slept at my grandmothers, because she had a tin roof outside my bedroom. The sound is kind of the same. I told Nanc I had to get some quick sleep; since I knew high winds would accompany the frontal passage. Boy did it ever blow. Our wind generator has a safety feature that causes the blades to stall at speeds over 30 knots and around 2330 they started to stall and woke me up. I dressed and went on deck to stand anchor watch and make sure Marcnicliz did not drag anchor. I had dropped it in the only sandy patch of bottom I could find and spent a lot of time backing down and trying to bury it in the sand. The effort really paid off. At night everything looks different. Boats and docks seem closer, and you need a plan in case you drag. I had put the key in the ignition just in case I needed to quickly start the engine. I then lined up some lights and poles to judge whether I was staying put or not. I used the front porch of someone's house , and the thought occurred to me that as I watched their house they were safely inside sleeping: not worrying about a dragging anchor. I could see the light on in our down stairs state room as Nanc continued to read. She then dozed off, and I continued on watch until 0130. The wind seemed at it's highest, and I had turned the wind generator off earlier to stop the noise, and it's effect on my nerves. I thought I saw a fellow's boat in front of us by the name of John who stopped by for conversation earlier; however this morning he was way down the chain of boats anchored here, and he told us on the radio later he had drug anchor during the night as well as a second boat. Marcnicliz stayed put. The forecast today is for diminishing wind as the day goes on and better conditions tonight and tomorrow. We may sail to Double Breasted Cay tomorrow. Movie tonight. S

Grand Cay is Grand

We departed West End this morning at 0730 and passed thru a very shallow cut at Indian Rock with water depths of 7 feet and the constant ringing of the shallow depth alarm. After three miles we were on the Little Bahamas Bank with water depths of around 15 feet most of the way here to Grand Cay. The entrance here was very shallow, and we had to cross a sand bar at about 7 feet. Marcnicliz's keel draws 5.5 feet, but she handled well and performed well all day. We are close to the end of civilization; however there are about 50 houses here and about 8 wifi signals, with one unsecure that I am using. We will await the frontal passage and the expected winds of 25 to 30 knots. The bottom here is grassy which the anchor will slide over top of unless you find a sandy area. I had to pull up once; however I can see the bottom and put the anchor right in the middle of the sand area which seems to be holding. There is a marina here, but I doubt there is enough water to get to the dock. We will probably put the dingy back in the water and go to the only restaurant named Rosie's which DK says is really good. Nanc and I put enough food on board to feed everyone here for a week if needed. She did a pork roast in the pressure cooker in Ft Lauderdale for my cousin and had it done in 20 minutes. It was really good, and she brought the cook book this time to give hints on how to use the cooker. S

Weat End Grand Bahama

My cousin Jimmy, who lives in Hollywood, FL, came and ate with us on the boat last evening. We got off the mooring at 0620 this morning and moved to the dock to top off the water tanks and spare bladder. We then motored to the 17th Street Causeway Bridge and waited for the 0700 opening. Carlene and DK managed to leave about 0630, and they have a 48 foot mast and did not have to wait for the 56 foot bridge to open. We caught them after about 2 1/2 hours and passed them on the way to West End as we crossed the Gulf Stream. At one point I had a 20 degree correction for the current. DK arrived an hour behind us. The winds and seas were light at about 7/8 knots and 3/4 foot seas. We arrived at West End around 1515 with our yellow Q flag (quarantine) flying. The wind picked up to about 12 knots by our arrival time, and made docking interesting. All the custom forms took 45 minutes to fill out, and I am now lighter in the pocket by $300 bucks, the entrance fee to the Bahamas. We are tied to the dock, and Nanc and I had a Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner at the local restaurant. We will depart in the morning for Grand Key to anchor and wait out a front with a lot of wind that is forecast to arrive late tomorrow. We will be out of touch for several days. S

Ft Lauderdale

You can see from the Spot msg we are in Ft Lauderdale. We arrived in Lake Worth/ Palm Beach Friday at 2010 and anchored NE of Peanut Island with a lot of other boats. We then departed at 0735 and arrived on a mooring ball at Ft. Lauderdale's Las Olas Bridge area at 1415, after running outside. I stopped about 5 miles North of the Lauderdale entrance next to a dive boat and got some Cuban divers to inspect my rudder and keel. After running aground many days ago, I have been waiting on warm water to do the dive. When I saw the dive flag, I thought of a better idea. The diver reported some paint missing, but no injury to the fiberglass tip of the rudder. I am sleeping better. We plan on staying here until Tue and cross to West End, Grand Bahama Island with a wind on the beam if the forecasts hold up. Walked the beach yesterday and visited West Marine and the grocery store today. Carlene and DK are on a ball next to us, and we are having them for drinks and dinner tonight. The side curtains are finally rolled up, and we are in short sleeve shirts and swim trunks, sans any socks! Life is getting better. S
We have had Manatees playing around the boat ever since we got here. And on the way down, a pod of dolphins came, including a baby about 2 feet long, and jumped all around us .We are so lucky!! nanc

Long day's journey into night

Departed the dock at Indialantic at 0656 this morning after spending a very nice, relaxing day with Diane and Carlton. Super hosts, beautiful location. We went to the movies last evening with them to see "Blind Side" which was worth the effort. We used the ICW to Ft. Pierce, and the went out into the Atlantic to Palm Beach, Lake Worth entrance, and put the anchor down at 2010. I could not believe the number of boats in the anchorage without anchor lights on. I could see them against the light of the city, but definitely not legal and right next to the Coast Guard station on Peanut Island. I do not understand why they do not enforce the rules. We will depart for Ft Lauderdale in the morning, and should arrive around noon. S

Indialantic

Departed New Smyrna at 0656 this morning and arrived at Telemar Bay Marina at 1445 Put in 34 gals of diesel fuel, filled the water tanks, straightened up, and Diane and Carlton arrived. We are staying with them thru tomorrow and will wash all of our dirty things. The most interesting part of the trip down was getting under the 528 Bridge at Cape Kennedy. We thought we would have to go thru the Barge Canal where they bring the Shuttle tanks in for assembly and into the Atlantic to progress further South. Our buddie boat which is now ahead of us in Vero Beach heard a boat with a 62' mast go under on the next span over several days before. I called the Coast Guard, and they would not confirm that could be done due to liability issues. As we neared the bridge, we passed another boat with a lady at the helm with her sails out. I hailed her on VHF and asked her if she knew about the height restriction of 56 feet at the 528 bridge. She said yikes, and dropped her sails. I then passed another boat North bound with a taller mast than mine and he stated he didn't know anything about the restriction and motored right thru. I told him I would do the same thing, but when I returned to channel 16 a contractor lady at the bridge had listen to our conversation on channel 68 and asked me to please not go thru the center span; since the Northbound guy had almost clipped her workers on scaffolding under the bridge. I agreed to use the Eastern span next to the center one, and we fit thru with a foot to spare. I don't understand how the guy with the 64 foot mast got thru. If he had hit, it would have destroyed his mast. I called the Coast Guard and told them they needed to broadcast a report on channel 16 which all boaters monitor, until the painting is done. They had been, but the work was suppose to be over, so they stopped. Saw Rosy Spoonbills on the Indian River. Meeting Harry Richards tomorrow for a hair cut which is desperately needed, and Nanc is doing the same thing with Diane. S

Mardi Gras in Smyrna Beach

We departed the dock at St Augustine at 0820 and arrived at New Smyrna at 1600. Pleasant motoring doing almost 10 knots for many hours with the tide behind us. I decided to stay inside on the ICW; since it is Nanc's birthday, and I hate to think what it would have cost me had I scared her outside. We entered City Marina and called back home to Priscilla and Doc to get the phone number of Jeff and Joan Applegate. They live in one of the condos next to ours for six months of the year, and the other six months live down here. They came to the marina and visited on Marcnicliz, and then drove us around town to see the sights. There was a Mardi Gras parade in town with the Anheuser Clydesdales. Jeff had recently had a spell in the hospital, and this was his first venture out and about. We really enjoyed our dinner with him at a nice local restaurant. As I have said before, good friends are hard to come by. Hope to be at Indiatlantic tomorrow to stay with our friends Diane and Carlton Wine. It will depend on whether we can fit under the bridge at the Barge Canal into Kennedy or need to go into the canal and out to sea the following day. I also hope to also see Harry Richards from my Winchester days. S
The most interesting thing about this marina is a Pelican rookery which is right in front of our boat. We have seen pelicans in all stages of growth! Also, many dolphins today! It has been a great birthday!! N

Easy day

We arrived at Fernandina Beach at 0630 last night and tied to the dock, watched some of the Olympics, and hit the sack. This morning I refueled and watered Marcnicliz, then Nanc and I walked into town for breakfast at Bright Mornings where a guy form Pittsburgh fixes the best grits any where. We left the dock at 0930 and 30 minutes later the winds were howling, and I doubt we could have gotten off the dock had we delayed further. The motor down was easy with only one bridge to raise. We passed under many fixed bridges which have a clearance of over 65 feet. We passed thru the Bridge of Lions at St Augustine at 1630, which has to be raised, and tied to the Municipal Dock Marina. Nanc and I walked down town and her Myers Briggs ENTJ came out big time. She had two waitress at our table for 20 minutes shooting the breeze instead of ... The weather today was sunny for most of the trip, and we had the side curtains open. Then the last two hours a front passed over and a few rain drops fell. It is suppose to go below freezing again tonight and be breezy tomorrow with sun. We may go outside to New Smyrna Beach or stay inside and pass thru seven bridges. Nanc's birthday tomorrow. S

We saw lots of wildlife today...many egrets. It was a relaxing day! N

Valentine Day Ocean Voyage

We departed Steve's dock at 0645 this morning after slipping and sliding on the frost. I followed a cookie trail that I had left as we arrived several days earlier, and departed with no problems. On arrival I read 8.2 feet crossing a sand bar at the mouth of Turner Creek. On departure this morning, I read 13.8 ; since the tide was high. We motored down the Wilmington River to the Atlantic, and it was clear and the wind was 8 knots on the starboard side most of the way until about 1300. I had the jib out and tight to the port side. After 1300 the wind came around to being on the bow at about 12 knots true, and with Marcnicliz's speed of 8 knots, we had 20 knots over the deck. The sea was smooth with 2 foot waves until the wind picked up. We then started getting 3 foot waves, but not bad. The last two hours were a little rougher with spray flying back onto the dodger window. The jetty's extend about 1.5 miles out into the ocean, and you have to give them wide birth as you enter the St. Marys River. Nanc fixed a great Valentine Day dinner of steak and baked potato, and we are now watching the Olympic speed skating. Hope to have breakfasts at a local restaurant I know with the best grits in the world. If we can get off the dock in the expected high winds tomorrow, we should be in St Augustine tomorrow evening. A special thank you to Beth and Steve for a most enjoyable stay in Savannah. S

Tied to Steve's dock awaiting snow!!!

That is right, they are predicting snow in Savannah tonight. I was here one other time observing a ORI at the ANG Field Training Site when it snowed.

We departed Beaufort this morning at 0715 and ran thru many shallow cuts, but only touched bottom one time for a moment. We were traveling at low tide, and I had many notes on my charts and Water Way Guide from last year. At one point the Raymarine chart plotter had the red day markers shown on the wrong side of the channel or the channel on the wrong side of the markers. I had a note, and we sailed right thru. They have dredged some areas since last year also, and that helped. How much easier it was last year following a seasoned buddie which lessened the stress considerably. NOAA kept predicting a gale, with snow, and we wanted to get on the dock by around 2pm. We tied up at 1330 after stopping for a fuel top off at Bahia Blue Marina which was just 2.5 miles from Steve's dock. Steve met us there and explained the channel into his creek which was very helpful. We are now snug, and it is starting to rain. I changed the oil and filter and am now good for another 150 hours. We are going to dinner with Steve and Beth tonight, and they are joining us on the boat tomorrow night for a meal. It's is going to be a good night to be tied to a dock. It was very cold last night in Beaufort, but I tied to the City dock and we walked to Luther's for a pizza. We then moved out and put the anchor down. When I got up this morning it was cold enough to cause me to move extremely fast , get the heaters going and jump back in the sack for 5 minutes as the inside warmed up. I could have run the generator and the heat pump, but it's a chore to set up. Sunday it is forecast to be really nice, 50 degrees and sunshine, and I hope we can run outside for 88 NM in the Atlantic to Fernandina Beach and warmer weather. S

PS. We spent the evening at the Savannah Yacht Club with Beth and Steve remembering watching the snow fall! Didn't stick on the roads or walkways; however made for a time of concern for boarding Marcnicliz. Snug again watching the Olympic opening ceremonies. Hope you have fires going. S

Wind, Bridges and Joe

The wind did not lay down early enough for us to go outside to Savannah, so we proceeded down the ICW to Beaufort, SC. We got up at 0500 in anticipation of going out into the Atlantic, but the wind at the dock was about 15 knots which elevates when over open water. I called the Charleston Harbor Pilots frequency and spoke to one of the pilots who had been beyond the breakwaters earlier. He said the waves were only 3 to 4 feet; however the frequency was 4 to 5 seconds and was very uncomfortable. Sealed the ICW deal. We then waited for sunrise to proceed, only to find that the Wappoo Bridge was on restriction until 0900. My book said restricted 9 to 4, other times on request. We went thru last year at 0730 with no problem. The delay meant a late arrival in Beaufort. We got here at 0420 and the Lady Island Bridge was on restriction from 4 to 6pm. We went into Factory Creek to wait until 6pm for the opening and had called Lady Island Marina re; service available. Joe, the Dock Master, said he saw us coming down the creek, and said he had been a cruiser too. Come on in , tie up, get water, a pump out, and walk around until the next opening of the bridge. Nice folks are sometimes hard to come by in life, but not in the boating community, and Joe is one. We hope to easily make it to Savannah and my friend Steve Westgate's dock tomorrow. He was the only guy who volunteered to come and serve as my assistant Director of Mobility Forces in 2003 at a moments notice, and I have known him as a fellow military pilot ;and commander for years. Again, he and Beth are nice folks. Nanc said dolphins came and swam along side as we transited many shallow channels. Caused a low of anxiety, but we never touched bottom. Hope I can say the same thing tomorrow evening. I spoke with my friend Henry up in West Virginia, and he said they have the most snow he has seen in 50 years; over 40 inches. Keeps me motivated to keep the bow pointed South! S

Time

If you don't have some spare time, do not travel in a small sailing vessel. We are waiting out a gale here at the docks in Charleston, SC. Yesterday was nice, and we could have made it down the ICW to Beaufort; however the forecast was for winds of 35 gusting to 40 plus in the afternoon. There was a line of thunderstorms that went thru at 1300, and I was glad we stayed put. I spoke with our buddie boat today, and they made Beaufort thru the storms in the afternoon and are now pinned to a dock by high winds. I am too old for that, so we stayed put and had shrimp, sausage, and grits at Magnolia's last night. We have filled our water tanks, washed clothes and await an e-mail from Chris on whether to try outside to Savannah tomorrow. If not we will go the ICW to Beaufort. The picture shows Marcnicliz tied along side next to Tamsen, a 171 foot sailboat owned privately by 11 folks. Makes Marcnicliz look like a dingy tender.

Long day

Well, we departed Southport, NC at 0420 in the dark and arrived in the dark at Charleston, SC at 1945 and tied to the City Marina dock. We were forced to go out into the Atlantic due to the closure of the Ben Sawyer Bridge over the ICW, just prior to Charleston Harbor. It was a long day , but exactly as Chris Parker, weather forecaster extraordinar said it would be, light wind and easy seas. We indicated 8.3 knots over the ground most of the way. Our buddie boat, Madam called me at 0630 to report glassy seas, and I informed them I was twenty miles ahead and looking at the lights of the high rises at Myrtle Beach in the distance. The day started out clear and the enclosure made us peal out of our coats, yea; however we had Mr Heater going and our coats back on as we entered the Charleston channel. I called the Charleston Pilots as we neared the jetty's which extend out into the ocean about 2 to 3 miles to see what big ships would be moving in or out of the channel that we would have to share. He had three departures, and we steered clear of two of them as we entered the channel. Didn't see the third one. The seas were picking up with the increased wind, but the jetty's smooth things out. I gave Nanc lessons on how to work the E-120 and handle the boat in building seas in case ... We observed some unusual light as we motored in. A red, a green and a red higher up, flashing, with a white light??? I told Nanc I had no idea what it was, even though I have my Coast Guard Captain's license and am suppose to know everything. Turned out it was a helo flying behind a small boat and lowering a guy down to the deck while underway in the dark. I did that in the English Channel in 84' with the Belgian AF during the daylight. Unbelievable. Good Night. Speedy

Smooth sailing

We departed the marina at sunrise this morning and while it was chilly, at last it was sunny and the cockpit became very pleasant. The trip through the bridges was the usual "pain" with getting to the bridge like 2 minutes too late and having to wait an hour for the bridge to open but...then we made it through all the bridges and the ICW with no other challenges and we are now in Southport. We have never stopped here and it is a beautiful little town, lots of turn of the century homes with beautiful flowers and gardens. Although...it was also the quietest town and I began to think all the inhabitants had been murdered! We stopped in a bar, had a drink and an appetizer and then the bartender sold us a bag of chips and celery for the boat. You have to love the boating community! We plan to leave at 4:00 a.m, go out the inlet and sail to Charleston. It is about 120 miles and the weather forecast looks good. We actually tied up in a marina tonight so we could watch the superbowl...but....we can't get a channel that is carrying it! So...early to bed for the VERY early departure. Stayed tune...cause you know I don't like to sail in the dark! Watch for tomorrow's update.

We are 45 miles further South after departing Beaufort at 0650 this morning. With the wind blowing at 30+ knots, and me single handed, it took some real ingenuity. After 6 hours, Nanc made a wrong turn and followed the wrong channel while I was rigging lines and fenders for a Marina to get gas. When I took the helm back none of the channel markers were making sense, and I finally realized we were no longer on the ICW. I turned around and ran aground as we tried to retrace our steps. The chart plotter showed us in the middle of the channel; however we were hard aground. Called Tow Boat US and about 45 minutes later he was along side. It took him 45 minutes to get us back in the channel and the chart plotter showed us in very shallow water. There were temporary channel markers which were misplaced. We were almost out of gas as it turns out and God was looking out for us. My fuel consumption is 1.45 gal per hour vs the 1.2 I had been using to calculate fuel remaining. We would probably have run out of gas had the mistake not happened. I carry 15 gals in jugs on deck for an emergency but... God is looking out for us. This is a cheap marina and we have elect for heat which is a good thing. I am trying to see where we will be tomorrow. S

From Nanc, Speedy got us off the dock this morning which was amazing.....but I got a tell you.....there were buoys all over the place when I made that turn! We all know I have no sense of direction. I should only steer on the straight stretches! We will have a great dinner and tomorrow will be a new adventure!!! Love, M

Beaufort

Tied to the dock at Beaufort, NC after a 103 statute mile run today. Departed at 0649 this morning after spending a super cold night on the boat at the end of the Alligator River. I left the port window open over the stove as I cooked earlier. I have taken 3 aspirin for the pain in my neck today due to the cold. At 0420 I climbed out of my sleeping bag with a stuck zipper and turned Mr Heater on. When I had wormed my way back into the bag the thought occurred to me as to whether I had closed the port due to the smoke alarm during my cooking of the steaks the previous night. By then I was again warm, and decided I probably had. Nope. Nanc, Ed and I are having a pre dinner cocktail, and he will drive Nanc's car back to D'ville tomorrow. We will try to beat the high wind forecast to Mile Hammock tomorrow which is only 45 miles further down the ICW and join our buddies Paula and Normand on "Madam" with Tammy the pooch. Hope everyone North enjoys the snow. S

Deltaville to Norfolk on Kath's birthday

Marcnicliz departed Deltaville at0730 on 2 Feb with enough food to feed two for two months and enough snow on the deck to urge me South. There was a beautiful sunrise and it is Kath's birthday. Happy birthday Kath! The Bay was like a "Mill Pond" to quote the Captain of the Titanic. I could see the aircraft carriers after about 5 hours of motoring at 8.2 knots; since there was no wind. I made it thru the Gilmerton Bridge at 1430 which is the first real road block to heading South. If you are not there by 1530 it will not open until 1730 due to rush hour traffic.You then have to proceed after dark this time of year. You then go thru several rail road bridges, and then Steel Bridge which only opens on the hour. Next comes Great Bridge Lock. I had to wait for a tug to push his barge thru going North before I got the green light to enter the lock. I was by myself and had to handle the lines and hold Marcnicliz steady as they flooded the lock to raise it up to match the water in the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. I then tied up at a Marina to spend the night, get water, and wait for my next door neighbor, Ed Strazzini. He is going to help me down to Morehead City where Nanc is driving to join me on Thursday night. Ed will then drive her car back to D'ville. TV says there will be another snow storm this weekend. Warm weather here we come!