Where's the outrage?

That floating pile of junk in the foreground?  Someone lives there.  We met him.  Probably certifiable lunatic but he has a sense of humor and is engaging.
The mega yacht in the background, all shrink wrapped to keep it free of dust?  No one lives there though it probably could sleep and feed dozens of people.  Another person owns that one.  A very very rich person who may use the boat (ship) on occasion.
That is America today.  It makes me sick!  Where is the outrage?  Makes me want to support Bernie.

Weather looks good for crossing tomorrow night.  Hope to go all the way to Bell Channel and Lucaya if we can stay awake.  About 75 nautical miles at 6 to 6.5 knots.

I lost all confidence in our 35 year old 25 pound battery charger.

So yesterday I changed it out for a new, 8 pound charger.  What a difference!  Putting out 13 volts and 50 amps.  Yay!  Cold beer!

 I know.  I have to clean up the wiring.

In the Bahamas we will hope to have wifi so our phones will work.  Calls can always be made on What'sApp.  We hope to find meaningful opportunities to help rebuild some small piece of Grand Bahama.

Thanks for tuning in.  We have had more than 3000 views of this blog since the beginning.

Last stop in U.S.

The continuing saga of two old folks in an old boat with an old dog....

We're in Lake Worth, Riviera Beach, which is very close to the inlet that we will take to cross the Gulf Stream early next week...hopefully.  The wind has been howling out of the east and I wonder how long it will take for the waves to lie down.  I'm hoping for a nighttime passage Monday to Tuesday.
First we went down to West Palm Beach to hob knob with the wealthy folks and their toys.

But came back up here to be close to our departure point and reality.  Trump the Chump is in town and their is security everywhere.

No getting around the loneliness of Christmas on a boat in Florida without family and friends.  We got through it and are happy it's over.  We spent Christmas eve in a place called Manatee Pocket.  The boat was very festive.

 While Kathleen made Christmas cookies I blasted the Messiah across the moorimg field.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oFGZFPEm9YMpXD1L8

Floridians don't have snow but they are into lights.

And here's another link to a video.  The music is saying "Let it snow; let it snow; let..."
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vEc7QF9MKxP2cMQq6

Maintenance continues to be a big time suck (old boat).  Stuffing box started leaking like crazy and I was dreading the prospect of either repacking it while in the water or having the boat hauled.  But I was able to tighten it up and I may repack in the Bahamas where I expect to clean the hull and inspect the zincs in warm crystal clear water.

And then the fuel solenoid on the generator bit the dust.  I can close it manually for now and hopefully the boater's best frind - Amazon Prime - can bring me a new one right away.

The BMW is running really well.  I spent extra care filling the heat exchanger with oil, tightened the belt an extra milimeter, cleaned the strainer etc etc and now she's running much cooler than she has been.

We've traveled 1700 miles and we're less than 100 miles from our turn-around point.  And after a month and a half or so there, we'll start back up the way we came and bring you all some warm weather.

Happy New Year!

Stuck on Velcro Beach

First weather window remains 12/30 and 31.  So we wait
But a postscript to earlier observations about the south:  there are NO solar panels on any houses!  Is solar energy a political statement?  Some say power is too cheap down here.  So what?  Crazy!

Lots of preventative maintenance to do on Rosie.  Lots of provisioning to do.  Like check out the impeller.

Pretty damned exciting eh?

Velcro Beach

Yup, we're stuck at Vero Beach.  Got here Sunday and we'll be here  next Sunday.  Weather windows for crossing the Gulf Stream are nowhere to be seen.  Next opportunity will be the 29, 30, 31st when the wind will calm down and move to the south so as not to oppose the Stream and put up big waves.  As I right this seas are 7-10 feet in coastal waters and that's not in the Stream.

So this is the preferred place to hang.  Secure moorings for $17.50 a day with showers, pump outs, dog parks and a free bus that take you to consumptive America.

And we have an endless list of chores to do before leaving the country.  Lots of provisioning and lots of safety and precautionary work on the boat.

The weather here is the same as the Abacos with 20 kmot northerly winds, clouds and temperatures struggling to hit 70.  (I know; I know!)

So not much happening.  Stay tuned.
(Oh yeah, we just impeached the con man in the White Huose.  I hope it never gets sent to the Senate!)

On to Vero Beach

Finally busted loose from St Augustine.  But while we were there we:

• Lubricated the steering cables and sheaves
• Pulled two injectors on the diesel and installed new seals
• Installed an update on our Garmin chartplotter
• Installed some "rain gutters" on salon windows
• Checked and tightened the stuffing box
• Scrubbed the dinghy to new like new condition
• Installed new relay for the glow plugs
• Biked to Home Depot, Publix, Sailors Exchange
• Bought a Christmas tree
• Scrubbed the teak decks and exterior.
• Entertained some neighbor boats
• Cooked, cleaned, did laundry and found some cool restaurants.

It's a great town but we were ready to leave.

With a full moon the tides were super-sized.
Thursday night we slept in a cemetery in Daytona Beach.  A large and well protected anchorage had a dozen boats.  At least 10 of them were derelict/abandoned/left to die.  It's astonishing how many there are in Florida.  Along the waterway a lot of them are victims of storms however:

Next night we went to Titusville which is across from Cape Kennedy.  No launches though.  We went into town to shop and shower and it was dark by the time we started  back to Rosie.  We got lost!  Well, it took us a while to find our boat.  New flashlight coming on board in Vero.

Tonight we're in a little basin called Eau Gallie.  It's a beautiful little harbor with beautiful houses everywhere and derelict boats all over the place.  It must infuriate the homeowners.
And these strange birds.

We're 100 miles away from our departure spot, Lake Worth, where we will wait for a weather window.  We are definitely at the back of the pack of snow bird mariners and hope we can find some buddy boaters for crossing the stream.

A few observations about the south:

• Big cars kept very clean.
• No one exercises or spends time outdoors.  
• The waterway is free of trash which is great
• Very few craft breweries and lots of fried food
• Military bases everywhere!
• It gets warmer and warmer the further you go.

Couple of days ago a dolphin jumped completely out of the water right in front of our bow!  What a treat.  They are everywhere but impossible to photograph.

Lacy, Rosie, Kathleen and I miss you all!

Waiting in St Augustine

Still here.  Waiting for a chip to upgrade out chartplotter software and a stud that I snapped while replacing one of our injectors on the diesel.  Nice place to wait.  They do Christmas up huge here.  It's their busiest holiday season.  So here are some pictures.

Our house.

Our Christmas tree.

Friday night carols in the park

Saturday night pageantry.  This city is 452 years old!  It is rich in history and very proud of it.  This is the only city in Florida that we know of that has some soul.

Egrets are everywhere and afraid of nothing.

This bird spent the night with us.  What is it Mindy?  Looked like a heron.

There are huge boats here.  Here's a couple.

We'll complete a very long list of chores while we're here before heading south on Wednesday.  Expect to be in W Palm Beach on Tuesday, the 17th where we will wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. 
Thanks for checking in on us.  We've had more than 2500 views of this blog.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Festivus for the rest of us.

On to St Augustine today

From Jekyl Island we  stopped at Ferandida Beach (Florida!) and Sister Creek, just off the St Johns River that goes up to Jacksonville.  But wait...

I forgot to tell you about Wilmington Island where we spent a night because Capt Bob's ICW guidebook said it had a huge supermarket, pharmacy, hardware store and more.  They built all this retail right on the water's edge leaving an old marina to become a ghost town.
An old dry dock...

An old bar with horseshoe pits...

And many abandoned ghost boats...

We did appreciate the retail though.

Kathleen and I have both been sick recently and the weather has been unusually cold and unfortunately that combination kept us from exploring Jekyl Island and from stopping at one of our favorite places, Cumberland Island.  We will get them on the way back.

This cruise ship, American Star, travels the intercoastal waterway between Charleston and Jacksonville and we've been leap-frogging with it for days.

This ship, however, ain't leaping any more.  It's the car carrier that capsized in St Simon Sound.  You're looking at its hull.  It caught fire but they were able to get all 16 crew members off.  Eery sight.

So it's off to Saint Augustine where we will spend 3 days installing parts that have been delivered.
A new relay for the glow plugs, a new seal for the number 1 injector, a new clasp for the sump pump, "Rosie" letters for our stern so that overtaking boats stopping hailing us as Charlotte Six.

All is well with us and I hope with you too.

Jekyl Island

A couple of postscripts from our visit with Roger and Laurel in Bluffton.
I told you that Roger built a 45' catamaran in his back yard.  He modeled the hulls after PamAm's giant clippers.  Those hulls were designed to rise up out of the water.


So Rogers catamaran does the same thing.  It leaves a path of air bubbles as it flies at 20-22 knots.
Next stop:  America's Cup.
Also, I liked that to clean three bushels of fresh but muddy oysters they put them in a cement mixer.  Took some of the edges off and cleaned the mud.  Love it.

So we headed south again and stopped in the Waterway, out of the channel, where we thought we saw a sanding landing for Lacy.  Nope.  All muck and shells.  So in the morning she understood and we didn't have to bring her in.  Just hose down the deck.

The next day, Sunday, we headed for Jekyl Island amid gloomy gale forecasts and giant cold front.
We tied up at Jekyl Harbor Marina and spent another night riding out the west wind that blew 25 to 39.  I know.  I know.  But it is cold here!

They do get into Christmas down here in a big way with lights.  Boats parade in St Augustine and Savannah.

 Tomorrow we're off to Fernandida Beach to pick up some parts we ordered at the UPS store.  The docks were wiped out by Dorian but the mooring balls are there.  Then two days to St Augustine where we have more parts arriving.

But should be a good day tomorrow if the old adage is true about red skies...

Happy Thanksviging

The boat surgeon was very good.  Reasonable.  Fast.  One reason is that they did the repair dockside, without hauling or "tenting" us, which meant the dust and debris went right into the water.  Never could have happened in Vermont.
Beaufort is very close to Paris Island Marine Base and F-35's were flying overhead constantly.  OMG are they loud!!!  I hope they're capable of throttling back when in BTV.  Down here they just shrug and say "It's the sound of freedom."  I think they cost $1,000,000,000 apiece.  Imagine the waste and lost opportunuity!
From Beufort we came down to Bluffton which is 8 miles up a river from Hilton Head.  We're having dinner today with Roger and Laurel and their extended family and friends.  Roger built a 42' catamaran in his back yard and slid it down a bank into a high tide backwater.  They have just returned from a 5 month trip to Cape Cod and will be continuing with us down to the Bahamas.

Last night they had a low country oyster bake at their house.  They build a big fire and put a 6' X 6' steel plate over it.

When the plate is red hot they dump a bushel of oysters on it and cover with damp burlap or towel.
When the oysters just start to open they fork them on to a big table and everyone stands around and gorges themselves. 

These are cluster oysters, a big bunch of them attached in a clump and they're smaller but delicious.  They come from the local Oyster Company that we're anchored off.

The tides here are 7 to 9 feet.  Yesterday when we went ashore a low tide we put Lacy up on the dock while we secured the dinghy.  Seeing bare ground just off the dock she jumped off...into tidal much up to her belly!  Boy did she stink! 

Hope everyone is spending the day with loved ones.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Christmas decorations!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JFxCGCpba6Z4C1Sg8

Some pictures

Some "rides" in Charleston...

 A couple more...

A different kind of ride...

1963 Studebaker Avanti!


We anchored in Dewees Creek on the way to Beaufort.  Where's Rosie?  Can you find her?

Moss draped live oaks in the morning sun...

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Watch to the end...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2G7TMRw35ia1RPmdA

Stupidity and a self-inflicted wound.

The currents in Charleston in the Ashley River are notorious.  It's why boats try to get a slip at the City Marina instead of anchoring.  We got a slip.  We went bow in because there were million dollar boats on either side of us and the current was strong when we got there.

That meant backing out when we left.  Not preferred.  I waited an hour and a half past low tide to leave.  There was still some current though so I had to power back in reverse.  When I did that our prop wash teamed up with the current to throw our stern hard to port.

Now we were taking the current on our beam and as I powered forward it slammed Rosie into the dock we had just left and left a 12" gash in her belly.  No damage to the million dollar boats.  Phew!

Really stupid on my part.  If I had waited another hour or so for absolute slack tide this wouldn't have happened.  Never hurry around boats!

We are in Beaufort SC and Rosie goes into the boat hospital tomorrow for some reconstructive surgery.  Please no cards or flowers.  Donations to Amy McGrath's campaign in Kentucky are welcome.

Anchorage

https://photos.app.goo.gl/f7GVNQpQ3kSxELMv8

Charleston

Geography first.  Georgetown, SC to a sleepy anchorage off Dewees Island on Monday.  Tuesday to Charleston, South Carolina's biggest city.

The good news from Georgetown was that we never had to smell the odor of these paper plants.

 The bad news was that the wind blew 20-25 knots constantly with rain.

But Georgetown is a nice town.  The mills must pay well.  And I love the wide streets lined with live oaks, a gorgeous tree that offers shade in the stifling summers.

On Monday it was still cold but the rain stopped and we headed south.  Charleston was too far so we anchored in a typical tidewater creek just off an ocean inlet called Dewees Creek.  Invited Bruce and Judy from PeaPod over for sundowners.

The trip to Charleston on Tuesday was quick and we took a slip at the City Marina which has been purchased by Safe Harbors, which now owns 90+ marinas including Shelburne Shipyard.  They are moving to quickly dominate the marina industry and I've heard both good and bad things about them.

Boats in this marina are huge and don't seem to ever have people on them.  But when we were here in 2009 the current in the Ashley River made anchoring really sketchy.

It's warming up.

Tomorrow concludes our first two months on this journey.  We've traveled 1500 miles and have 550 left to get to West Palm Beach which will probably be our departure point for the Bahamas.  Over 59 days, we traveled 38.  We spent 21 days either visiting friends or waiting out weather.    So we're averaging 40 miles a day.  That's pretty leisurely.

Charleston is lovely of course.  Jack Hurley, an old Burlington restauranteur who lives here now, gave us a wonderful tour.and took us to one of his latest creations - Mex 1.  Also nice to catch up with Mike and Betty Henry who live on their 42 ft Beneteau here at the marina.  Mike and Betty owned a big successful restaurant in Brattleboro and kept a sailboat at Point Bay for years.
A lot of people seem to just get hooked on Charleston.

So off again tomorrow.  Changed the oil and fuel filter, filled the water tanks, stocked the larder and we're off.

BUT....most importantly, Lacy, who just turned 11 on the 16th, is starting to do her morning duties on the boat!  We'll see.  T'would change our routines for the better for sure!

Weather

Weather was and now is the biggest concern for Rosie and crew.  Unpredictable, constantly needing attentioon and often violent.  Like a bratty child.

We left Southport on 11/12 into warnings of record cold and gale force winds.  We made it to Myrtle Beach and tied up at a marina just before the front came through.  We try to limit our marina stops but in this case, we wanted shore power so we could run our AC heater.  It was a hellishly cold night, below freezing with 20+ knot winds.  (I know, I know.  But you're all in houses.  We in a boat!)

The next day was cold but clear and we continued south into the Waccamaw River that flows through swamp and whose water is the color of coffee.

Once again we decided to stop at a small marina in Bucksport.  Dockage was 75 cents a foot and power was $6.  So we could plug in and run the heater.  (We have a big generator but it's noisy and uses diesel).  This marina like so many had been decimated by Hurricane Florence last year and was still recovering.  It had FEMA bathrooms and not much more.

The impacts of violent weather are everywhere down here.  The waterway is strewn with wrecks of all sizes.  Sailboats sitting 100 yards from the water.  Shrimp boats sunk just off the channel.  Climate change is real.

From Bucksport we made a short trip to Georgetown, SC.  It's a nice town when the wind isn't blowing the paper mill smell at you.  We're anchored in the basin with easy access to shops and bakeries.  But the Weather Channel headline as we arrived here said "Strong Storm to Lash Southeast."  Is is and won't let up until Sunday.  Steady rain with winds 20-25 knots.  So we'll stay here.  Charleston, which is closer to the ocean will see storm surge and strong currents.

So we hunker down and wait.

It's cold but comfortable.  And if you look carefully you can see that we have the means to self-medicate when necessary.

Southport and south

Geography first.  Beafort to Swansboro to Wrightsville Beach to Southport all in N. Carolina.  Leaving tomorrow for Myrtle Beach South Carolina.
Tied up at Swansboro for 2 nights because of gale warnings that never happened.  Strange little town.  Muscovie ducks wandering the streets.  Everyone hanging Christmas lights, big tree lighting on a giant fake tree.  Chowder cook-offs and fishing derbies.

 We got a bunch of wind but we won't be so cowardly next time.d

Left Swansboro with some good tide and wind and decided to go for Wrightsville Beach, about 50 miles but to do that we had to make two bascule (draw) bridges exactly right.  We didn't. Both 8 Mile and Wrightsville bridges only have to open on the hour and we didn't make them.  So we had to find out way through the channel into the anchorage in the dark and the searchlight on our pilot house decided not to work.  Just a little stress we didn't need.  Got Lacy ashore and had a quiet night.

From Wrightsville to Southport we had to go down the Cape Fear River upon which we encountered a crazy rage 9 years ago.  We  planned this trip just right and rode the ebb tide into Southport doing almost 10 knots!  Sled ride!
Two friends of Kathleen's from the Bahamas live in Southport,  Ed and Cass.  We agreed to meet them at one of their favorite watering holes, The Provision Company, where we would get free dock space if we ate there.

It's a wonderful funky old restaurant that serves 4,000 people a day in the summer and we arrived on the day they were closing for 4 months.  So a pretty wild party erupted and Rosie was the guest celebrity.  A lot of fun.

Today, Monday, Cass lugged us all over town to buy food and hardware and let us do laundry at her house.  SO appreciated.  Thanks Cass.

Lacy fell in the water today while trying to jump to the dock to find Kathleen.  Not good. Whenever Kathleen is off the boat, here is where you find Lacy.

Mindy Donnelly, who has coaxed an old Perkins diesel to the Bahamas several times, told me long ago that I shouldn't baby a diesel.  "They like to run hot.", she said.  Well Mindy is usually right and the more I run this engine the better it gets.  I'm now running at 2400 rpm getting 6.5 knots if flat water.  I'll take that.

Gale force winds predicted again for tomorrow and yes, it has been cold here. 30 degrees predicted for tomorrow night.  And we're aware of what's happening in Vermont.  That kind of weather in November is just plain cruel.

So we'll push on south.  Rosie is rarin' to go.

 



 

Beaufort

First, a quick update on the Halloween storm.  Got to talk with the sailor that rode it out next to us at Pungo Ferry.  He said he saw winds of 65 knots and 50 sustained!  (We don't have a wind gauge)  Big winds.  If you know that's coming you'd take your sails off or at least lash them.  I guess this guy didn't know...

Speaking of sails, we're still learning to fly ours effectively to keep Rosie from yawing while at anchor.

After 3 nights in Oriental we left for Beaufort where many of the big boats go outside for the rest of the trip.  Another great boater town but much more developed than when we were here 9 years ago.  Bigger boats, bigger buildings, bigger egos.  But the dock in the center of town is just as we left it.

Tomorrow we go to Swansboro where we'll ride out some bad weather on Friday.

Oh year, on the way down, riding an ebb tide at 8 knots, we tried to capture this very symbolic picture but we were going to fast.  It's a confederate flag on top of a Trump 2020 flag.  just perfect!

Snowing in Vermont?