Roll out the Beryl

5/26/12 Saturday     Holiday week-ends translates to heavy boat traffic. With that in mind I took a big risk and woke Pam up about 6:30 a.m. so that we could get on the water by 7:30 and hopefully avoid the part time boaters that will surely dot the water by later in the morning. Once I tactfully explained my reasoning we were off and running. The plan worked and by the time we crossed the Savannah River we had only spotted a few fishing boats. Actually I was surprised by the small number of boats we encountered all day. In spite of tropical storm Beryl a couple hundred miles offshore the weather was good although a little breezy by the time afternoon rolled around.
Our travel took us past Hilton Head Island, the Paris Island Marine Base and into Port Royal Landing Marina near Beaufort, SC. (www.portroyallandingmarina.com) By now the wind was kicking up pretty good. We took on fuel before tucking in behind their breakwater to hunker down for the impending blow.

Tourist is at the end of this walkway!

As a precaution I removed anything that could blow over the side or get damaged if the wind got too strong. One item of concern was our cockpit seat cover which has a tendency to lift off the seat when windy, thus exposing it to the elements. Fortunately our deck chairs are fairly heavy so I laid them on the seat to hold the cover in place.

Deck Chairs. Not just for sitting.

Once we had things secured we went up to the marina restaurant for lunch and were forced to sit in the bar due to the crowded seating area. Dang the luck! Lunch turned out to be very good and the bartender extremely efficient keeping us in drinks as well as everyone else in the place all while maintaining a friendly, pleasant attitude.

5/27/12 Sunday     The effects of Beryl were evident when we woke up. The wind was howling and the rain was coming down sideways but by noon the rain had stopped and the sun was out, although still windy. The Coast Guard was keeping the VHF filled with tropical storm warnings and notices that the Port of Savannah was going to be closed to commercial vessels over 500 tons. Very little traffic was passing by the marina and only one boat came in during the afternoon and sounded relieved to be in a slip.
The remainder of the day we kept an ear tuned to the weather reports concerning Beryl and were relieved to know that it was going to make landfall south of us sparing us the brunt of the initial storm. Unfortunately once on land it was predicted to turn North and follow the coast back up towards us with less wind but heavy rains.

Not everyone stayed in port.

5/28/12 Monday     Memorial Day. Thank you veterans and all of the active duty servicemen and women defending our freedom!

Port Royal Landing gives the third night free if you stay and pay for two. Combine that with the forecast and it didn't take much persuasion to stay another day. At least that's what I thought at 9 a.m. Then the weather got better. The rain stopped and the winds calmed down. Should we stay or should we go?

Pam said if we stay she could do a load or two of laundry and I took that as "we should stay". It proved to be a good choice since the winds picked up again and the rain was still threatening. After all, we're not on a schedule so sit back and relax. It's five o'clock somewhere!

5/29/12 Tuesday     The day started with some wind & rain then after we decided to stay another day the rain quit. The forecast however predicted Beryl coming up the coast right over us and when checking out the radar it showed rain all around us. The courtesy car was available so we decided to head into town. Beaufort has done a great job of developing their downtown area with a riverfront park full of flowers and of course the tourist shops and restaurants. Our choice was a spot called Plum. The food was great and reasonable. Only one thing confused me about the place. They apparently have take out restrooms as evidenced by the picture below.

Hmmm?

Our time with the loaner car enabled us to make a stop at Bills Liquor Store to re-supply. Pam quickly named it the best liquor store she's ever been in. Now that's saying something!
By five o'clock the rain started and continued until around mid-night coming down very heavy at times. The last gasp of Beryl passing through.

5/30/12 Wednesday     First thing I usually do when I get up is check the weather and today was no exception. After sitting here for 4 days I was climbing the walls. It was time to go. Fortunately the weather forecast was favorable and we got ready to continue our travels. Just as when we arrived, the dock hands were there to assist us as we pulled away from the dock. Port Royal Landing will be on our list of places to stop on the way back.
We traveled up the ICW through South Carolina's low country. Known for the low tide shallow spots along the route we only had one that caused me to pucker up and that was at the south end of the Ashepoo-Coosaw cut-off when the depth alarm went off and was reading only 2'6" of water below the keel. Add another 2' from the keel to the waterline and Tourist only had 6" of water to spare. We made it without a problem other than a change of clothes for me!

South Carolina ICW.

Tourist covered 67 miles today and ended up anchored in the Stono River just below Charleston.

Stono River Anchorage.

A great sunset to finish off T/S Beryl.  

Submarines and Horses

5/20/12 Sunday     It wasn't long after Ange & Doug left that the winds picked up from the North sending waves over the dock and rocking the dock boxes in some of the slips. Fortunately we had moved Tourist from the North side to a South side slip. We still rocked a bit but we avoided the pounding of the waves on the hull thus insuring a sound nights sleep! The video below shows a little of the wave action.

Rocky Sunday.

5/21/12 Monday     What a great start to the day. We took advantage of the free pump-out at the marina before we left! Do we know how to have fun or what?
We pulled out just in time to make the 8:30 a.m. opening of the Bridge of Lions and head up the ICW. Along the way we passed some beautiful homes including the one pictured below.

Just waiting for our lottery winnings to process!

Our travel today took us past Fernandina Marina where we saw this sailing ship.

S/V Peacemaker

Once past Fernandina we entered the St. Mary's River passing Fort Clinch.

Fort Clinch

It wasn't long after passing the fort that we saw and were hailed by the Coast Guard advising us to stand clear of the channel because a sub was heading out to sea from Kings Bay Naval Base. When I asked if we could proceed another half mile or so and head into Cumberland Island they consented and told us to step on it.

Escort vessels with the sub in between taking up the entire channel.

Outbound sub with escorts.

For years I've read others accounts of seeing these sleek providers of our security moving in and out of Kings Bay and always thought it would be thrilling to see first hand. Neither Pam nor I were disappointed. What a rush! It makes you proud to be an American!

Tourist continued into the anchorage area and settled in for the night.

5/22/12 Tuesday     Cumberland Island was a place we wanted to stop last year but for some reason went right on by. The allure, or part of it are the wild horses that have free run on the island. Once through with our morning coffee we headed into the ranger station to see what there was to do.

Cumberland Island ranger station.

The ranger gave us a brief orientation and a map and off we went. Into the wilderness on what the ranger said was the short route to the beach on the other side of the island.

The short cut.

It was a great walk. Not too long, and except for Pam freezing in her tracks every time she heard a rustling in the under brush, not a strenuous effort was needed to reach the other side.

This is the life guard station at the beach. No Pamela Anderson here!

The beach on the Atlantic side.

We strolled down the beach until we found the other path back across the island. It wasn't long until we stumbled upon our first horse.

In spite of Pam's efforts, the horse ignored her!

We hiked across the dunes, found the boardwalk, and all of a sudden we came to a swamp.

Glad I didn't have to build the boardwalk!

Back over some dunes headed to the Dungeness Mansion ruins when we stumbled across some more horses.

At least they have grass to eat.

Finally we found the ruins of the mansion that burned down in 1959.

Dungeness ruins.

Pam of course was ignored by all of the horses and following a trek down a dead end trail we found the path back to where we started.

 Yes, Pam was really with me in the wilderness.

We got back to Tourist in time to watch another sub go past. This time it was returning from a deployment. Still cool! Thanks guys!

That night we sat through a wicked thunderstorm with Tourist swinging completely around the anchor until the system went out to sea and we could go to sleep.

5/23/12 Wednesday     The anchor came up with a little mud on it around 8 a.m. and we were off. We went right by Kings Bay Naval Base where we saw the escort vessels but no sign of any submarine. They are all stationed off the ICW in a secure area.

Kings Bay.

Winding our way up the Georgia ICW our biggest nuisance wasn't other boaters. It was thousands of brown headed fly's. It got so bad that Pam went downstairs before she knocked me out trying to swat the pesty insects. Once she was downstairs the carnage began. I had the swatter and I knew what to do with it.

 Just a few of the deceased on the bridge steps.

We continued on to New Teakettle Creek and anchored for the night. Fortunately there was a nice breeze keeping most of the bugs away allowing us to enjoy another great sunset.

New Teakettle Creek sunset.

5/24/12 Thursday     More winding our way through the tidal rivers of Georgia with cuts between them named the Florida Passage and Hells Gate on our way to Isle of Hope Marina just below Savannah. Once tied up Pam went off to do laundry and I went in search of a boat named Drift Away. For quite some time a guy named Dave has been following and commenting on our blog so I thought we should finally meet. When you meet Dave you also meet his dogs Chevy & Ruby and new puppy Olivia, that his wife Pam brought home for a short visit!
Since it's Thursday Dave invited Pam & I to join the gang for potluck that evening in the pavilion overlooking the marina. All the way back to Tourist I was fretting over what to make for the event. PAM!                                    
Of course Pam came through with Jambalaya to contribute to the selection of tasty treats. It was a good time conversing with the regulars as well as a few other transients in attendance.

Part of the potluck crew.

After dinner the dogs come out to play and then it's movie time! Sorry to say we couldn't stay for the movie but maybe next time through.

Ruby & Chevy chillin after play time.

By the way, you can check out Dave's entertaining/informative blog at  www.trawlerdriftaway.blogspot.com. I've been following it for quite awhile.

5/25/12 Friday     Now that Pam & I are on our fitness kick we started the day off with a brisk 1 hour walk around Isle of Hope followed by a trip to West Marine and Wal-Mart. You can't beat fun for a good time!

Friday evening we were joined by Faye and Dave Clark, who live nearby,  for dinner at a local restaurant. It was great seeing them and catching up on each others lives.

See you in the fall.

Birthday Visit

So with our extra day at Marnineland Marina we decided to stroll across the street to Marineland and feed the dolphins. The first feeding only had us with 1 other couple so we were able to spend a bit more time entertaining our dolphin, Sonny. We were able to rub his back and stomach but the best part was watching Pam take the raw fish in her hand to feed him! Of course they don't allow you to take your own camera in to the feeding area so the only pictures we have are a couple they took that we of course had to buy.
Once outside the "secure" area we were able to take a few shots.

Where's my fish?

See me jump!

Marineland was started back in the 30's but hit hard times when the Orlando theme parks opened. Fortunately the Atlanta Aquarium stepped in and took it over in recent years and infused some much needed cash. The focus now is more on research than entertainment but it is still a great attraction without the crowds of a Sea World.

Wednesday 5/16/12     Having exhausted the things to do around the marina we set off for St. Augustine and Rivers Edge Marina. Our primary reason for choosing Rivers Edge was a cheap price on fuel. It's pumped right off the truck for $3.85 a gallon which is about 30 cents a gallon cheaper than anywhere nearby. The marina is a little off the beaten path up the San Sebastian River but still within walking distance of downtown if you like to walk!
Pam & I took the opportunity to use the marinas 3 wheel bicycle to go to Winn Dixie and West Marine a few blocks down the street. Unfortunately the camera was buried under groceries by the time we thought of taking a picture. That evening we went next door to Hurricane Patty's for a drink and dinner. When we arrived the place was packed. We managed to get a drink but finding a place to sit for dinner looked pretty grim. Finally the manager found us a table in a corner next to the stage. Yep. I said stage. Wednesday night is karaoke night! Much to our surprise these people were GOOD! There may have been only 1 or 2 mediocre singers in the group and it was a big group. The DJ had them on a 2 hour rotation. I'm sure some of these folks had sung professionally in the past.
Pam & I enjoyed the singing and the meal was good making for a great night!

Hurricane Patty's

San Sebastian River.

Thursday 5/17/12     After a lazy morning we floated on the tide back down the San Sebastian to the ICW. We turned toward downtown St. Augustine and the City Marina to be in position for daughter Angela's and her husband Doug's arrival. The benefit of the City Marina is that it's right in the heart of the historic district. You fall out of the boat and land in history.

Our company arrived later in the afternoon and settled in for a 3 night stay to celebrate Ange's birthday. During their stay we of course checked out the sights on a trolley tour. Walked the historic district. Found a candy store. Ate at Osteen's restaurant where my mother ate her first shrimp many years ago. Went to the beach. And of course played a couple of games of dominoes. Some pictures of our time together.

Tourists

Candy Little Girl?

Trolley Riders

Ange & Doug

Heading to the beach

Beachcombers

Good Shrimp

Birthday Girl!

Daughter & Dad

Why is it that time goes so fast when you're with the ones you care the most about? All too soon it was time for Ange & Doug to head back home. Although their visit was short it was great to see them and spend time with them on our turf.
We'll spend the rest of Sunday getting ready to head north all while keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Alberto who just formed off the Carolina coast.

Killin' Time

We spent a couple of days in Ft. Pierce cleaning the boat, going to Publix, (still no Hy-Vee in Florida!) and going out to dinner with the Coconuts crew.

Lookin Good!

Finally on Tuesday the 8th we pulled out of Harbortown Marina and started the trek north. We were going to anchor for the night but the threat of strong storms and the fact that we have time to kill before we need to be in St. Augustine combined with the company of Coconuts lured us in to Melbourne Harbor Marina.

Melbourne Harbor Marina

Wednesday 5/9/12     At the invitation of Bru & Sandy we decided to stay another day in Melbourne. Their daughter lives close by and was willing to let us use her car for the day while she was at work. Our first stop was Ron Jon's Surf Shop. Once strictly a surfing shop, now more of an everything else that goes with it kind of shop.

Ron Jon's

We also walked across the street to the Cocoa Beach Surf Shop and found more items at a slightly lesser price. The highlight of this stop was the huge aquarium they have in the store. We were there just in time for the noon feeding.

Noon feeding. By Hand!

The diver had a bag of squid and other goodies that he hand fed to the fish and eels that occupy the tank. And yes that's a shark by his head!

Watching the fish feeding made us hungry and we moved on to a waterside restaurant for lunch followed by a stop in old town Cocoa for some shopping. We made a few more stops before heading back to the boats. As luck would have it the rains came before we got back and in our rush to leave in the morning I forgot to close the isinglass on the bridge. You guessed it. Everything under the seats got soaked! Oh well. It needed to be cleaned anyway.

Thursday 5/10/12     We said so long to Coconuts and headed out thinking this would be the last we saw them for awhile since they were stopping in Titusville to visit family and then hot footing it to North Carolina.
Tourist headed to Addison Point anchorage right beside the causeway that leads to the space center. We had a good night looking at the Vehicle Assembly Building and watching the dolphins play in the water around us.

Friday 5/11/12     Before we pulled anchor this morning I heard a loud slurping sound that I thought was coming from the causeway. When I looked out it went away. A few minutes later I heard it again and went out to investigate. In conjunction with the slurping it sounded like the generator exhaust was being muffled. When I looked over the side I was astonished at what I saw and called for Pam to come look.
We had a manatee drinking our exhaust water from our generator! Of course I took a picture even though most of him is under our swim platform. You can still see his head and nostrils in the photo.

Exhaust drinking manatee.

Swimming away.

Our travels today took us past Titusville, through the Haulover Canal and Mosquito Lagoon (sounds inviting doesn't it?), past New Smyrna Beach to our anchorage in Rockhouse Creek.

Haulover Canal.

Crab fishermen in Mosquito Lagoon.

Rockhouse Creek Anchorage.

Why is it that when there is plenty of room to anchor someone has to drop their hook right next to you?

The smaller Nordhavn was anchored first when the other guy came in. The gap between is smaller than it appears.

Saturday 5/12/12     Although a beautiful setting the anchorage didn't protect us from the wind like I had hoped so we decided to move up to Daytona to a spot we anchored in last year. Of course the spot we were heading to wasn't giving the protection I wanted either so plan B went into effect. Keep moving!

Fortunately we didn't have to move too far and found a spot tucked in behind a causeway that offered the protection I was looking for. A little while later we were surprised by Coconuts who had made the trek from Titusville. Their original plan was to stay in a marina in Daytona but when given their slip assignment decided against staying because of the difficulty in getting into it in the strong winds. We offered a raft up and they took it! (We were in a no wake area which made it less bumpy.) Cocktails, dips, oysters, and dominoes consumed the rest of the day. True to form by evening another boat anchored right off our bow.

Sunday 5/13/12     Happy Mother's Day!

Once again we said so long to Coconuts. Hopefully we catch up with them in Northern Virginia.

Adios Coconuts

About an hour later we pulled anchor and headed out. Along the way we passed this group of campers. Pam said this did not appeal to her at all!

Not Pam's idea of fun!

While travelling along I was reminded of just how small a world the boating community is. We were passed by a boat we had seen in Lucaya, Three Amigo's, but with a different Amigo at the helm. Then a call on the radio from Soul Mates asking if we were the same Tourist that was rafted off of Lindonia at Bobby's Fish Camp last November. They are the 55' Fleming that was in front of us. Then when we arrived at Marineland Marina we met up with Star Gazer, a sailboat we docked next to in Lucaya.

We checked into the marina for the next two nights. At $1.00 a foot one of the best buys in Florida!

Marineland Marina. Small but friendly with floating docks.

Monday 5/14/12     Boat cleaning, laundry, lunch across the street, and a decision to stay another night. One more decision was made also. I convinced Pam to take a sunset kayak tour! We met at 6:15 p.m., got our instructions and pushed off following our guide. Just like when we dance, Pam wanted to lead! However I had the rudder controls so as much as she wanted to turn right, I could make us go straight. It didn't take long for us to get in sync. We saw ducks, fish, and all kinds of birds along the route. We cruised over areas that at low tide would be dry and stopped long enough to watch the sun recede behind the clouds. By the time we were back, about 8:30, Pam thought she might like to get a kayak! Something I've been wanting for a few years.

I'm Ready!