Lorenzo & Delois Johnson

We are in Fernandina, Fl tonight.  MM 716

We had a good day today.  There was lots of fog this morning, so we used the marina courtesy car to go to NAPA to buy a new battery for the generator.   We left the marina at 10:30, when the fog lifted.  This area has 7 to 9 ft tides, and low tide is in the middle of the day.  Also, the full moon makes the low tides lower than normal.  Georgia has not financed any significant dredging operations for many years.  The end result is that we spent a lot of anxious minutes trying to find water deep enough to allow us to pass without hitting bottom.  Our forty mile day felt like a 70 mile day.   Tomorrow, we will fuel and continue on to St Augustine a distance of 62 miles.

We have settled back into our cruising routine  The shakedown cruise is now over, and we feel very comfortable with Lil’ David.  Starrie and Portia quickly fell back into their predictable and dependable performance routine.  I am no longer looking for the unexpected.  All is Well. 

We traveled 63 miles today, and we are at MM 677.

We had a very interesting day today.  We left the anchorage at 0800, and then the rain started.  We managed to handle the constant showers OK,  but then we entered a very bad portion of the Georgia ICW.  The charts were showing 12 to 15 feet, and we were finding 5 to 6 feet.  The depth alarm sounded almost continously for 6 hours.  In addition, this section is very curvy, with many many interconnecting chnnels and rivers.  Very close attention must be paid to the charts and the chart plotter just to stay on the right path, and the shallow water and unreliable charting adds to the stress.  Lois learned a lot about charts, chart symbols, and range markers to day.  We probably transited at least 30 marked ranges today alone.

In the midst of this concentrated effort to safely find our way, we were pulled by the Coast Guard for a routine inspection.  This turned out to be the highlight of our day.  These Young men were a shining example of what we wish that all persons in a position of authority were like.  They were very professional, very thourough without being nitpicking, and also very helpful.  They made sure that their work did not have a negative impact on our travel and safety,; we continued to make headway while the inspection was being performed completed.  Yes, He went to the engine room and crawled around between Portia and Starrie while they were doing their own thing.  That can be unnerving to the best of us.  I made sure that the throttle was not changed while they were down there.  In my mind, they have given me some plusses to help offset the very large negatives I have received from the Veterans Administration.  The North Carolina State Troopers could learn a lot from them about how to assert authority in a very professional and positive way.  I did not at any time feel that they would overlook anything found not meeting the requirements, but I also felt that they would not go out of their way to make a problem if one did not exist.  I was very comfortable that I would be treated fairly and honestly.

Tomorrow morning, we will borrow the Marina Courtesy Car to make a quick shopping trip.  Lois still has not had sand on her feet, so we MUST go.   Today, she sure earned her keep helping to navigate those tough channels.  She is definitely a keeper.

Tomorrow, we are planning a short day of 30 miles to travel to Nassau Distribution Company Docks in Fernandina Fl.  2 of our 4 fuel tanks are now down to 1/4, so we will fill up there.  They are a fuel distributing company with limited dockage available for their fuel customers.  Tomorrows travels should be very easy when compared to todays challenges.

We are at AICW Mile Mark 614.  We have covered almost 300 miles thus far, and all is well.   Yesterday, we left the marina and proceeded South.   We passed a really beautiful spot to anchor, so we pulled in and proceeded to drop the anchor.  We found that the anchor would not lower electrically, and a quick check revealed that the battery cable connections on the anchor windlass battery needed some attention (cleaning). After some quick attention, all is well.  The anchor lowers and raises properly.   We then started  the generator and ran the heat pumps to provide heat.  All worked fine.  We then spent the day being lazy and enjoying the peace and quiet.  It was a great day for both of us.  Total distance covered was 4 miles, but we were able to check the operation of systems that have not been used since we completed the loop.  I am still working on uploading pictures to the blog, but the software has changed a lot since I last used it.  Besides, it was too cold outside to take pictures.

We are now in shirt sleeve weather and there are lots of boats on the water fishing and cruising.  The water temperature has risen almost 10 degrees since we left home.

This mornintg, we left the anchorage at around 0900, and we had a good day.  We have been amazed at the number of bottle nose dolphins we are seeing.  We see probably 100 to 150 per day.  I have been truly amazed at their numbers. 

We traveled about 70 miles today, and are anchored in a location we have visited before.  Todays major accomplishment was passing through an area named “Hells Gate” on the charts.  Very tricky channel with lots of rocks, shallow water ,  and constantly changing shoals.  We made it through at high tide which helped with the shallow spots, but my fingerprints are still impressed in the steering wheel.

We are two travel days from entering Florida, so we are looking to top off the fuel tanks before we get to Florida.  Based on price, they have the best marine diesel fuel in the country.

Tomorrow, we will spend the night at either Two Way Fish Camp or Golden Isles Marina, depending on how early we start.  We spent a week at Two Way Fish Camp Marina, so we would like tro try Golden Isles Marina.  Marinas are few and far between in this area.   Mama needs to get sand on her feet, so tomorrow is a definite marina nioght.  Need to find a place with a Wal-Mart near by.   She is starting to show “lack of Wal-Mart itis” symptoms. 

We had a good travel day today.  We covered more than 70 miles, and were able to stay  warm.  We are  expecting warmer weather tomorrow, and we are hoping to anchor tomorrow night rather than have to deal with stopping at a marina.  The marina office is always a long cold walk, and dropping the hook is much simpler and less stressful.

Tomorrow night, we expect to stop somewhere South of Savanna Ga.  The boat is running perfectly, and we are having a good time.  This winter travel is totally different.   You have very little interaction with anyone else.   There are not many boats on the water at all; today we saw only two boats underway, and one of them waas a commercial fisherman.  As we get to the warmer weather in Florida, we are expecting to see more boaters on the water.

Pictures taken through the plastic curtains are fuzzy and have lots of glare.  Picture taking will start when the weather gets warmer.

Lorenzo and Delois 

We are docked at the Charleston Maritime Center in Downtown Charleston.  We had a good day, and arrived at  3 PM.   Saw 2 boats on the water today.

Tomorrow evening, we will be somewhere in the vicinity of Dataw Island, SC.  There aren’t any marinas available in that area, so we will need to either make a long (cold) day to reach a marina, or make a short day and spend the night at Edisto Marina, OR anchor at a convient location.  The temperature today in Marathon was 62;  anchoring gets us closer to the warm weather.   Anchoring is a lot easier than docking.  Find the desired location, and push the button from the flybridge to lower the anchor. _Done_  Next morning, start engines, allow a short warmup, press button to retrieve anchor  -done-  We will have all the heat and power we need since we will let the generator run all night.  Our water tanks will only last about 5 days, especially if the bosss decides to do the laundry.   I have also noticed that she needs to get sand on her feet at least every third day.

Everything is going very good thus far.  The cold weather and short days make for shorter distances traveled each day, but that was expected.  

We are enjoying the time on the water irregardless of the weather.  We are not doing and sightseeing  or visiting, but it is still good to be free from the daily grind, and each days plans are ours with out having to make concessions.

We had a nother short day today, covering around 50 miles.  It was a little warmer thqan yesterday, but still cold if You go out in the weather.

We saw only two other boats on the water today, and it seemed very strange to be one of a very few boats actually moving.

Tomorrow, we will go to Charleston, and spend the night there.  Many of the marinas are closed due to seasonal concerns, and others are closed due to the weather.  Water is becoming a hard to find item, but hopefully the warmer weather will take care of that problem.

We are finally  underway.  The weather today was really terrible for traveling by boat.   The flybridge windows were coated with ice, and there was a fog on the water that was limiting visibility.

We cranked the engines at 0730, expecting to give them an hour of warmup before casting off.  The dock lines were frozen, making it almost impossible  to untie.  I never expected to need a hammer to free the dock lines.  I gave up and left one line on the dock because I could not loosen it.  A quick trip back to the house to get a couple of forgotten items, and now we are ready to go.  At 0930, I was untiyng the last line when I slipped on the ice covered deck and fell.  I lost my cell phone overboard in the processs.  Retie the lines , stop the engines, and go to Shallotte to buy a new cell phone. 

At 1100, we are finally leaving the marina.  So far, everything seems to be working fine.  We decided to stop at barefoot landing for the night, not knowing what will be available if we continue on.  So, we had a short day, only covering about 30 miles.

The cold and short days cuts the available travel time.    The heater on the fly bridge keeps it toasty warm, but it is very cold when we first started.  Lois decided that she did not need to come to the flybridge today.

Tomorrow, we will go as far as Georgetown and spend the night there. 

I am expecting to have problems filling the water tanks because of frozen water lines.  I was able to refill the tanks today by using a hose to get to the only available water supply. 

This post is more of a test of my memory than a real post.  This is my first post in almost two years.

Tomorrow morning, weather permitting, we will leave Holden Beach, with Marathon Florida as our destination.  This trip of approximately 950 miles is a repeat of the same route we travelled during our great loop trip, except we will be travelling in the opposite direction. 

The last 200 miles will be new to us, and is the most challenging part of the trip.  South of Miami, the ICW is very shallow with lots of obstacles to avoid.  We are planning to run the last leg outside in Hawks Channel, weather permitting.