It Always Ends All Too Soon

The waterway from Moore Haven to Fort Myers is wide and deep with little in the way of obstacles or challenges. One recent comment on this trip was whether or not we felt bored or lacked any excitement traveling along the many canals that interconnect the rivers, lakes and sounds that we have traveled to get to our final destination. My response is, absolutely not. Every canal and waterway has its own personality and each is to be enjoyed on its own merits. If I had one word to describe our transit of the Okeechobee Waterway, it would be, spectacular.



We left the Moore Haven City Dock at 9 AM. The entire day's run would be dictated by the 4 PM lock schedule at the Franklin Lock. Due to the low water levels, Franklin is on a twice daily schedule, just as St. Lucie is at this time. There was no need for us to head out at the crack of dawn and then sit and wait when we arrived at the Franklin Lock too early. By 11:30 AM we had passed through the Ortona Lock, but that one, as with others, would open on demand. We would not motor through Ortona since this lock would drop us 7 feet. We were the only boat in the lock and, unlike St. Lucie, had no problem with turbulence since the gates were opened in front of us to let the water out and we did not have to deal with it rushing in. The whole process went very quickly, and before we knew it, the gates were opened and we were heading west once more toward our destination.

We passed through the Fort Denaud Swing Bring, and because of its 9 feet clearance, we had to wait a moment for an opening. At 2:50 PM, we were under the Alva Bridge which is high enough for our 21-foot air draft to get under without an opening. The waterway along this entire section is very beautiful and full of very large, and we can only assume expensive, homes with very green lawns, compliments of the irrigation systems pumped directly from the fresh water canals. The wildlife was also abundant and we saw many unusual sightings. Among the osprey, eagles, cows and horses, we also saw alligators, turtles and a camel. Yes, that is correct, I said a camel. You can imagine our surprise when we saw some horses grazing in a back yard and noted how strange one of them appeared to be. With a little closer examination, we discovered that this was not a strange horse, but rather a camel grazing side by side with them. At that point, we figured we had seen about everything on this trip. Most of the day was spent at a leisurely pace of about 5 miles per hour, enjoying the scenery and trying to time our arrival at the Franklin Lock.

We arrived at Franklin about 10 minutes to four. We had called the lock on the VHF Channel 13, about 3 miles out, to alert them that we were on our way and would be locking through west bound. As with all of the lock tenders, we received a very prompt and courteous reply and when we arrived, we waited only a few minutes to enter. Once again, we were the only boat in the lock, and this time, we again had to tie up to the wall. This lock would lower us another foot and a half and would be our final lock for the Okeechobee Waterway. The process was easy and painless and we hardly noticed the water leaving the lock except for the fact that we were getting lower on the wall. Shortly after we exited the lock, we were officially on the Caloosahatchee River and within striking distance of our destination. But we would not arrive at journeys end today, so a decision as to where to anchor for the night was needed.





We looked at a couple of possibilities on the charts and in our guide books, and it was after deciding to try one that we discovered another. After passing through the railroad bridge on Beautiful Island, yes that is the name, we turned at red marker "22" and took a channel with private markers that leads to some man-made canals. As we proceeded down the channel, we found plenty of depths in the 8- to 9-foot range. The turn into the canal looked very narrow and not very inviting. We noticed that there was a lonely red marker "12" well past the turn toward the canal and then nothing beyond that. We decided to continue on toward that marker and see how the depths held. We stayed in 8 to 9 feet and when we felt secure that we were not going to block any traffic, we dropped the anchor, GPS coordinates 26 41.415' N and 081 49.875' W, in 9 feet. We were, in fact, behind a small spoil island that was apparently a nesting ground for a large group of Wood storks. These endangered white birds with black wing tips and gray or black heads made quite a bit of noise and were coming and going until the sun went down. Being gregarious and friendly, they also shared their island with a few pelicans and cormorants. It turned out to be a fabulous anchorage. We had a nice breeze coming down the Caloosahatchee that cooled us for the evening and the birds quieted down at sunset. We probably would not recommend this anchorage in heavier weather since it is pretty exposed.

We slept in again in the morning since we had a short run to Ft. Myers Beach, only a little over 26 miles away. The Caloosahatchee got wider as we headed west and finally we went under the bridge south of Ft. Myers and into San Carlos Bay. At this point, we were almost in the Gulf of Mexico and it had been years since we passed this way. San Carlos Bay was kind to us this morning and we made the turn toward the channel into Ft. Myers Beach. Once inside the harbor, the entire area is an Idle Speed, No-Wake Zone. We called the marina where we would be staying and advised them of our location. At idle speed, it would take another 20 minutes or more to reach them. Just after noon, we were tied up at the Snook Bight Yacht Club and Marina in Ft. Myers Beach. This would be our destination, for the next several weeks at least. Susan is excited because there is a Publix supermarket right next door and the beach access is just across the street.

A few facts and figures to ponder. We traveled 1,305 miles from Pasadena, MD to Ft. Myers Beach, FL and were underway a total of 19 days. We took two lay days to visit with friends and rest. We were weathered in at Reedville, VA for 5 days. Once we reached Norfolk, VA, we had no weather delays along our route. We burned a total of about 400 gallons of fuel, still have around 90 gallons in the tank and spent a total of $1,249.00 to fill the tanks. This gave us an average burn rate of about 2.25 gallons per hour. Our expenditures on dockage were pretty high on this trip, with a total of $564.00. Food costs were $445.00 for groceries and $246.00 for dining out. Repairs and maintenance costs were $137.00, laundry $22.00 (our friends helped keep this down), and $31.00 for miscellaneous items. Our total expenses for the trip, plus or minus a few dollars comes out to $2,694.00. The big question is, now what? We will have some work to do while we are here. And of course, the boat projects will begin again; they have just been temporarily on hold. The Ford Lehman did a magnificent job of getting us here without a single complaint, running a total of 180 hours. But we did find a couple of leaks along the way that need to be addressed so that they don't get worse. We will also try and have some fun and enjoy the Florida sunshine and warm weather. After all, that is why we are here! Stay tuned.

Titusville To The Big Lake Okeechobee

It was really great to spend a day with our good friend and rest up a bit. Even with the requirement to hose off the decks 3 times a day to clear the love bugs. In all of our years of traveling the ICW and driving back and forth to Florida, we have never encountered anything like this. Even the locals said the same thing. We caught up on the time that had passed with our friend, ran some errands, played with the dog and cat and restocked some supplies. But we needed to move on in hopes that the great weather we were experiencing would hold until we made the crossing on the Lake Okeechobee.



The Indian River is another of those wide and shallow bodies of water. It would appear that there are many places to anchor, but once south of Melbourne, the anchorages are few and far between. We had a couple of possibilities in mind, but once we reached them, we found they were full of local boats. This is one of the problems Florida faces and why they have been so aggressive about anchoring regulations. It is not hard to understand the state’s position, however we have always felt there are other alternatives to regulating boaters that were out to enjoy the waterway with no plans to move in permanently. But that is a subject for later discussion. Our possible anchorages did not work out with one exception, but we decided to bypass it anyway and pick up a mooring at Vero Beach.


The Vero Beach City Marina has some slips and lots of moorings. They also have a fuel dock and ship’s store. There is public transportation and a courtesy van to take folks into the shopping areas if your plans are to stop for a while. we know some cruisers that stay in Vero for the entire winter and then head north in the spring. We only planned an overnight. One small irritant was the fact that the marina would not accept our credit card over the phone. That left two options. We would have to rig our dinghy and outboard just to go in and pay the fee, or tie up to the fuel dock, pay the mooring fee and then go out and pick up a mooring. We found the marina to be less friendly than we have in the past. The credit card issue and the staff that seemed to have the attitude that we were a bother. This is in stark contrast to years past. But we only planned to stop overnight.


After we picked up our mooring and prepared dinner for the evening, the cell phone rang and it was an acquaintance from MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners Associations) that was on the mooring just two boats away. We chatted a bit. They had been there for a few days and were heading north. We gave them the brief rundown of our trip so far and where we were heading. The rest of the night was very quiet and after a movie, we turned in early. The plan was to get under way as soon as the sun came up and we had enough light to navigate. Our goal for the next day was an ambitious one; to get to the St. Lucie Lock, on the other side of Stuart, to begin our crossing of Lake Okeechobee. We had some concerns about crossing the Lake because a severe drought in south Florida had lowered the Lake levels from the normal average of 12 1/2 feet to just over 10 feet. There had been many reports of very shallow spots along the Lake route, and the St. Lucie and Franklin Locks were on twice daily schedules, at 9 AM and 4 PM, because of the low levels.



We left Vero at 6:40 AM and made really good time to Stuart. Because the St. Lucie Lock would not open until 4 PM, we made a stop at the free dock in Stuart, just before the Roosevelt Bridge. This is a combination high rise, railroad and bascule bridge that are all in the same spot. We turned off the channel just before the bridges and headed to the Stuart City dock in about 6 feet of water right up to the dock. It was a floating dock with power posts but no power, and  it does not appear to have regular maintenance. The St. Lucie River is very wide and open here, and the wind waves and the boats flying up and down the river make this a very rolly stop. We didn’t stay long, had lunch and left way earlier that we wanted to. By 3 PM we arrived at the St. Lucie Lock along with 4 other boats also locking through westbound. We dropped the anchor in the middle of the channel and waited the hour for the lock to open.


As we entered the lock at 4 PM, the port side quickly filled up and we had the misfortune to be the first boat tied to the starboard side, directly in front of the gate. The lock fills by opening the gate and letting the water in from the Lake side. They only crack the gate open initially but the volume of water that comes in is considerable and the current it generates is also considerable. Since we were sitting right in front of the gate, we took the full force of the water. To say that keeping the boat off the lock wall and under control was difficult is putting it mildly. Add to that the fact the large motor yacht tied to the wall directly across the lock from us kept kicking on his stern and bow thrusters, and it made for a very unpleasant hour. The lock brought us up about 6 feet and they finally opened the gates fully so we were able to move out.


Once out of the lock, we immediately turned out of the channel and onto the side near the flood gates, opposite a campground across the canal. This was to be our anchorage for tonight. It was wide enough for us to be out of the channel and the anchor grabbed right away. There was no danger of the flood gates being opened with the Lake levels so low, and the lock would not open again until 9 AM the next morning. We would be long gone by then. We shared the anchorage with a couple of very large alligators, so swimming was out of the question. 7 AM the next morning, the sun was shining, the winds were light and we were heading for the crossing of Lake Okeechobee.


At 10 AM, we were at the Port Mayaca lock. The lock was opened for us as we approached and the lock tender informed us that we could just power through and did not have to tie up. This was a very pleasant surprise after the day before. As we passed him on the lock wall, we asked if he had any advise on the shallow spots on the lake. He stated we should just keep to the green side going out of the lock and that with our 4-foot draft, being loaded down as we are, we might kick up a little mud. We followed his instructions and found one spot at 5.1 feet just as we left the lock and headed out onto the Lake. The depths increased to 6 feet, then 7 1/2 feet and then we had 8 to 10 feet most of the rest of the way across. That is until we reached the other side of the route across the Lake. Just before marker green “1,” and between there and red “4,” we found some depths to be 5.9 feet and then 6.4 feet. Past red “4,” the depths went back to 7 1/2 feet and 8 feet. We did feel the boat bump something under the keel at statute mile 60, even though the depth sounder showed 6 1/2 feet. Another mystery.


Once we crossed the Lake and entered the Rim Route, the depths for the most part were 13 to 17 feet. We did find a few 9 1/2 foot spots at a couple of turns, but they were brief. At 2:50 PM, we approached the Moore Haven Lock and once again, the lock opened and we were able to motor directly through. The lock tender joked as we passed him that he opened just for us. Once through the lock, we motored into the town of Moore Haven and tied up at the City Dock. This appears to be a new dock in excellent condition, with heavy fenders on the pilings and power posts with water hook-ups. City Hall is across the street and we walked over to pay the dockage. The cost was only $1.00 per foot including water, electric, heads and showers. Such a deal. We will spend the night here and leave late in the morning (late for us–9 AM) to make the Franklin Lock by 4 PM.

Shallow Waters and Strong River Currents, Plus Missed Anchorages

At our appointed time, we left the docks and headed south into the state of Florida. It was really good to be back and the weather was improving, albeit still windy from the south. We had considered running outside from Fernandina to St. Augustine, but the winds had not lightened yet and the ride offshore would be uncomfortable. In addition, there are some shoaling problems at St. Augustine Inlet and two boats have been lost and one skipper killed. Not the conditions we wanted to subject Beach House to. We knew there were a few problem spots with shoaling south of Fernandina, but it is not like we have not been dealing with this along the way. So off we went, straight into the wind and an adverse current, since the tides were running out at St. Mary's.


On the South Amelia River between red markers "34" and "36," we found 7 feet of water in the channel. With the tide state at the time we transited, the depths would only be 4 1/2 feet at low tide. Enough draft for us to pass, but barely. Boats with deeper drafts would surely be grounded. A little farther along between green markers "39" and "41," our depths were 9 feet, making it 5 1/2 feet at low tide. There were several areas that would only be 6 to 7 feet at low tide in the same area. It had been several years since we transited this section of the waterway. With our former sailboat, Sea Trek, we always transited between the St. Mary's River and St. Augustine on the outside, waiting for good weather if we had to. Another reason to not have to keep a schedule. Maybe it was time for us to do another inside run to get familiar with changes along this section of the waterway.

Nassau Sound was pretty much the same as every Sound we have transited so far. Wind against tide and very choppy conditions. By now we were getting so used to waves breaking over the bow that we hardly noticed. The weather was pleasant enough that we could finally spend the day in the flybridge instead of the inside steering station. By 10 AM, we were crossing the St. Johns River where it crosses the ICW. There are two major rivers that have to be crossed on the way south, The Savannah River and The St. Johns. The currents running up and down these rivers can surprise the unprepared helmsperson if they are not aware or not expecting it. The St. Johns is probably the strongest, and once it grabs the boat, will very quickly carry it up or down river depending on direction of the current. We virtually had to steer almost directly downriver to cross it, and we entered the ICW channel on the south side going sideways to head into the channel. This is always a sphincter tightener since there are several shoal areas and rock piles that are very near the channel. But all went well and we made it without incident. This is one of those "what if" spots for me. The what ifs start flowing and are hard for me to stop. What if the engine quits? What if the prop was fouled? What if something else broke? The ship channel is 50 feet deep or more and the current extremely strong. If something happened, trying to get an anchor down would be very difficult if not downright dangerous. The option is to get swept out to sea, not to mention the possibility of encountering a ship transiting the river at the same time. You really have to put this stuff out of your mind quickly and concentrate on getting the boat across the river.

We passed through St. Augustine with no more than a wave since this is another favorite stop that was not to be this time. Transiting the St. Augustine area requires that as you pass the Usina-Vilano Beach Bridge, you need to head to red marker "60" which makes it seem like you are heading out the inlet. This is very necessary since cutting this marker short will put the boat in some very shallow water. Both TowboatUS and SeaTow have done very well here and can usually be seen hanging around most of the day. Our goal was an anchorage just a few miles south behind flashing red "18" right off the waterway. When we arrived, the anchorage was full of boats that had been displaced by the installation of moorings by the city both north and south of the Bridge of Lions. We continued on to a couple of other spots that looked interesting on the chart. The first was a small channel at Butler Beach on the east side of the waterway. It is a recommended anchorage in a very popular anchorage book. As we entered, the channel the depths quickly went from 13 feet to 4 1/2 feet. We slammed on the brakes and backed out the way we came in. This certainly would not work. The next couple of possibilities were just wide spots in the waterway, but when we checked them out, we found no water. A sailboat going north turned into one of them and abruptly ran aground. Fortunately, he was not going very fast and easily backed off and continued north. It was now 3 PM and there were very few prospects for anchorages south of our position. We discussed anchoring in Matanzas Inlet, but the 15 knot winds could make anchoring in strong currents near an inlet uncomfortable. We decided to have a look as we passed by, but to find alternatives farther south. We still had 4 to 5 hours of daylight to get somewhere. So much for this being a short day for us.

Matanzas Inlet is another section of the waterway feared by mariners for as long as we have been doing this. It is very narrow, with swift currents and constantly shifting shoals. It had been dredged about a year ago, but many boaters were still reporting groundings and problems. So we approached the inlet with a great deal of caution. It really turned out to be a non-issue. Approaching the inlet, we found plenty of water in the channel. Where most boaters get into trouble is crossing the inlet and not believing the channel markers. The green markers here need to be kept on the port side of the boat if you are going south or the starboard side if going north. The channel makes it appear like the boat is going to run up on the beach so folks panic and turn on the other side of the greens. They promptly run aground and call SeaTow or TowboatUS. Another moneymaker for them. We stayed in the channel with one foot on the beach, and the shallowest depths we saw, and we were at low tide of course, was 8 1/2 feet at green marker "81D." Most of the depths, with the exception of a couple of 10 1/2 feet spots, were 17 to 18 feet. We also noted that anchoring in the inlet off the fort would be a nice stop for us at some other time in more settled conditions. We pushed on south, working on plan D or E or maybe even F.

It was obvious we had enough time to easily get to Palm Coast at about Statute Mile 803. We would not arrive until around 6 or 6:30 PM and we decided to stop at Palm Coast Marina. This trip was turning out to have more marina stops for us than ever before. We had stayed at Palm Coast before and liked it a lot. They are very cruiser friendly with several long time live-aboards and the marina managers are former cruisers. The marina has a very pleasant feel, is well-kept, has a great ship's store and lounge, clean restrooms and near enough to shopping that you can walk. But they close at 5:30 and we would arrive after 6. A phone call proved this to be no problem, as we were told to tie up at the open space on the face dock and we could settle up in the morning. We tied up at the dock at 6:15 PM, a couple of tired pups. Our short day turned into a pretty long one. Traveling on the ICW and trying to cover the distance we are, the crew needs to be very flexible. The marina had left us keys for the heads in the mailbox and a welcome sheet. We were again tied up in a marina, plugged in to power and looking for a good night's sleep so we could start all over the next day. And sleep well we did.

The trip from Palm Coast to Titusville went pretty much the same as every other day had gone. We were making great time and almost caught up with our original schedule after the five day delay in Virginia due to weather. If we made Titusville, we would be right where we planned to be when we shoved off from our marina in Maryland. Our plan for the evening was to anchor off the Titusville Municipal Marina for the night and then go in first thing in the morning and pick up a slip. We have a very good friend that lives here so we planned to spend Saturday with her. We arrived at about 4:30 PM and found a great spot to drop the hook. It grabbed the first time and we started to settle in for the evening. That's when we heard it. That unmistakable sound of a Florida thunderstorm. I looked over my shoulder and saw the dark clouds, heard the rumble and saw the lightning. It took us all of two minutes to get the anchor back up, get into the marina entrance channel and get them on the radio for a slip assignment. There was no problem and they had plenty of room. The dock attendant was waiting for us as we arrived and we backed into the slip to tie up. And that was when we realized what was happening. A cloud of black love bugs had encompassed the boat and the decks, sides and about everything else was covered with the little buggers. And wouldn't you know it, the zipper on the side door chose just that time to break. We were tied in the slip and crushing love bugs under our feet wherever we walked on the deck. Just another fun experience to add to the blog and the log book. A day of rest would be very welcome by now, but the love bugs would stay with us for as long as we were here.

Heading South At Warp Speed

When we last left off, we were at the docks in Southport, North Carolina.  After leaving the marina, we saw some interesting and unusual sites, transited a whole bunch of Sounds, met old friends, visited our former home and covered a lot of water in a short period of time. We also found several of the waterway's most severe problem areas and transited them at the worst possible time. But I am getting ahead of myself so let me get you caught up to date.

We really hate to be on a schedule like this and have to hurry through areas that beg for the cruiser to linger and enjoy. On Thursday morning, we were off the dock at 7 AM and moving south down the waterway. As we approached the Little River Inlet and the South Carolina border, we were amazed and surprised at the variety of watercraft we encountered. As we rounded a bendk we were greeted by the replicas of the Nina and the Pinta. We were tempted to radio and ask where the third of the trio, the Santa Maria, had sailed to. Shortly behind them was a medium size cruise and casino ship heading out the inlet followed by a very large gambling ship. We wondered what we would find around the next bend. We continued on through Myrtle Beach and into the infamous Rock Pile section of the waterway. This area has a rock ledge just under the surface at high tide that can be devastating if you wander out of the channel.


The rest of the day was very uneventful and we decided that we would make a stop at the Osprey Marina instead of anchoring for the night on the Waccamaw River as we usually do. Every time we transit the Waccamaw we remark how it is one of our absolute favorite waterways and it seems from the water to be untouched for centuries. But we have also heard from many folks about the wonderful marina and friendly folks at Osprey. We have passed it by on many occasions so decided to stop for a visit this time. We were not disappointed and highly recommend this marina to anyone planning a stop along this section of the Waccamaw,

As we entered the very protected marina basin and approached the docks, we noticed that there were several turtles swimming out to meet us. Susan voiced her concern to the dock attendant that was waiting for us, but he said not to worry, they would get out of the way. As we approach the dock and tied up, we saw even more turtles appear around the boat. It seems they were looking for a hand out and apparently they received these quite often. And of course, Susan had to oblige them. Once we settled in, a reconnaissance trip was required. The marina is very nice, with picnic tables, a short order grill for burgers and other yummies, a ship's store, laundry and book exchange. The staff was very helpful and friendly and could not do enough for us. They also gave us a nice welcome package with a block of cheese, a package of cracker, a couple of packages with pecan rolls and honey buns, a key fob with a whistle, a pen, mints and more. It was a very nice surprise and something we had not received in any other marina. And we have stayed in quite a few marinas. This was our second marina in two days - unusual for us.


Once again we were off very early with winds forecast to be out of the south at 10 to 15 knots. This entire trip so far has had winds right out of the direction we were heading and in the moderate range. This does not sound so bad but was a problem as we will discuss a bit further along. Other than one idiot on a very large and expensive "yacht" running at full speed with no regard for anyone else around him, the day was pleasant but still long. We covered 83 miles in 10 hours and finally put our anchor down in Dewees Creek at 4:30 in the afternoon. GPS coordinates are 32 49.734' N and 079 45.793' W.

Dewees Creek is not really a creek and in South Carolina, at high tide, a lot of the real estate disappears. As we entered the "creek" it looked more like a lake, and much of the channels were not visible other than on our chartplotter. All we could see were the tops of some of the sawgrass. We followed what was supposed to be the channel using our plotter, until we found a section of high sawgrass to block some of the chop on the water. It had gotten really breezy in the afternoon. We felt like Beach House was anchored out in the middle of nowhere, I guess, which we were. The anchorage was very open to the wind but we didn't have any chop, so for us, that is acceptable. This was another new anchorage for us and as we got used to it, decided it was very scenic, but probably not a good idea in bad weather. The winds did calm down to nothing overnight and once again, rain and thunderstorms passed us by.

The next morning the anchor was up and we were underway by 6 AM. Our destination for the afternoon was Beaufort, South Carolina and our old homestead at Lady's Island Marina. We had lived there for a year and a half after we purchased Beach House and had stayed there on occasion with Sea Trek. The crossing of Charleston Harbor could not have been better and the Battery is always a sight just after sunrise. Charleston is one of our favorite stops along the waterway, but our schedule meant we would have to pass it by this time. We waved good-bye as we headed into Wapoo Creek and Elliot Cut. The currents here are very strong and you either come through at a crawl or you feel like you are shot out at the other end.

We passed through a couple of the problem areas on the waterway at White's Point and Fenwick Cut. In both cases we found a minimum of 8-foot depths with no problem as long as we payed attention to how the currents affected the boat and were careful not to be pushed out of the channel. The final problem area for this day would be the Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff going from the Ashepoo River to the Coosaw. Even though this had been dredged not too long ago, reports were coming in that it was shoaling on the Coosaw end. As we approached the red marker "184" at that end, we found water depths to be just over 6 feet. Not very deep, but enough for us to easily transit and keep Beach House's keel off the bottom. A little farther along the waterway, we would find depths that would not allow us to transit at low tide even with our less than 3-foot draft.

We tied up at Lady's Island Marina at 4:15 PM having covered 81.5 miles for the day. It was a big surprise to many of our old acquaintances to see us and and to everyone's surprise, including ours, we tied up right back in our old slip. It was as if we had never left. It felt good and somehow very comfortable to be back were it all began with us and Beach House. This had been her home under the former owner as well. We planned to take a lay day here and catch up on old friends as well as get a few maintenance jobs done since this was about our halfway point. As is standard operating procedure for us, a marina stop means at the least, washing the boat, doing laundry and making a grocery run. In addition, this time it meant changing the fuel filters and doing an oil change for the injector pump on the Ford Lehman. The injector pump oil change is required ever 50 hours although we don't do it until about 100 hours. A few other chores were done and a visit to one of our old friends resulted in the loan of a car. We did a West Marine run and then had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the Beaufort area, Barbara Jean's. The food here is always very good and there is always plenty of it. We usually take enough home to have leftovers for dinner another evening.

Our time there was way too short, but we had to move on. The next morning we needed to stop for fuel before we ran out, and since Port Royal Landing Marina had the best fuel prices, we stopped there. We always check a couple of sources online for current fuel prices when the time comes to refuel. Prices are currently running well over $4.00 per gallon for diesel, but we paid $3.83 at Port Royal. This did delay our departure, since Port Royal does not open until 8 AM and they mean 8 AM and not 7:55. By 8:30, we were fueled up and on our way. The rest of the day we were forced to steer from the inside steering station since the entire outside of the boat was covered with bighting green flies. They clung to all of the windows plotting ways to get into the interior. Being careful going in and out and making sure all of the screens were in kept them on the outside. A few did bite Susan while she was on deck and they caused big welts that itched like crazy. We watched boaters that had to steer in open cockpits swat the air as if they were possessed. These flies would stay with us for hundreds of miles and keep us inside during the day. By 6:30 PM, we were racing rain into our anchorage in Killkenny Creek, a 74 mile day. Killkenny is another of our familiar anchorages and we travel up into the creek past the marina and the last house on the creek. This gives us good protection from all sides and keeps us well off the ICW. The GPS coordinates are 31 47.537' N and 081 11.947' W.

The next morning, the winds were forecast to be 15 to 20 and, of course, from the direction we were traveling. We debated staying put, but all of the buoy reports were for light winds. This entire section of the waterway consists of crossing several Sounds. The first early on would be St. Catherine Sound. It is wide open and the wind direction against the outgoing tides made for another boisterous ride. Once we made the turn to head up the sound, the waves were breaking over the bow and covering the windshield with salt water. Just past Statute Mile 630 is Sapelo Sound, and it was the same story, deja vu all over again. From there, it was a one-two combination of the Altamaha and Buttermilk sounds. In each case, it was a bumpy and wet ride. This stretch just before Altamaha Sound also took us through the Little Mud River. We arrived in the Little Mud with 2 hours before low tide. We found several spots where the depths would have only been about 3 feet at low tide and would have been impossible for even us to transit. This section should only be done at a minimum of half tide, preferably on a rising tide. Sometimes we had a favorable current making about 10 MPH and other times we have an adverse current and were making 5 MPH. Finally at 4 PM, we arrived at our anchorage for the night. This would be another first for us in a new anchorage, Troup Creek. GPS coordinates are 31 13.245' N and 081 26.496' W. This creek has a narrow entrance, but once inside, the depths are good and we finally anchored in 12 feet at low tide. There is plenty of room to anchor farther up the creek for even better protection. At 59 miles, this was one of our shorter days.

The night was uneventful and we headed out a little later the next morning and immediately transited St. Simons Sound. We then passed through Jekyll Creek. There are also some very shallow spots that would have been 4 to 5 feet at low tide. In some strange twist of fate, we transited this creek at high water. Until now, we had transited every problem area at or near low tide.

We were then out in Jekyll Sound with the wind increasing so of course, this was a very choppy transit with waves over the bow and a slow go. This Sound is one that we need to almost go into the Atlantic before we make the turn and proceed back to the Cumberland River. Once into the Cumberland River, the seas laid down and the ride was smoother. As we neared Kings Bay, we got the favorable current and were making about 11 MPH at our normal cruising RPMs. There is one section called Cumberland Dividing that if you follow the charted magenta line course on your plotter, you will be squarely aground. The channel is well-marked and as long as the channel markers are followed and not the chartplotter, all will be well.

This was a really short day and after 44 miles and 5 1/2 hours we were tied up at Fernandina Harbor Marina. We planned to visit with a friend here and have dinner out. So this brings us up to the present and a total of  over 405 miles in 6 days. I think this is a record for us. But this will only be an overnight stop and tomorrow we move on again. It is really good to finally be in Florida again.

A Roller Coaster Ride

Feeling a bit relieved that we were missed by the storms and tired from lack of a good night's rest, we slept in another hour and were finally underway at around 7 AM. The trip on the ICW was a fast one since we were on a falling tide. That falling tide and our one hour difference in getting started would be the difference between a comfortable trip and a roller coaster ride. But it would not be the first time for us on the Cape Fear River. They don’t call it Cape Fear for nothing.





Between Topsail Inlet and Snows Cut, we averaged about 9 miles per hour, and once we made the turn to head through Snows Cut and under the bridge, we were making over 11 miles per hour with the current. Once out of Snows Cut and onto the Cape Fear, this changed very quickly and dramatically. The tide was coming in with a vengeance and the wind and tides were opposed. Our forward progress was slowed to about 5 miles an hour, and the seas very quickly built to make for short, steep, uncomfortable waves right on our stern. This makes steering difficult since the stern is getting push from one side to another, and the helmsperson needs to make sure the boat does not get turned sideways into those waves. That could be a disaster and very dangerous in these kinds of conditions. The deeper the water, the bigger the waves, and we had to travel part of the way down the river in the deep shipping channel. At some point around Horseshoe Shoal, there is a large gas pipeline pier that sticks out almost to the ship channel. We had to be sure and round that pier, but once we did, it gave us an opportunity to get into shallower water and use the pier to break up the seas somewhat. Things did calm down a bit for the last 5 miles, as we ran with one foot on the shoreline to stay out of the deeper water and bigger seas. At around 1 PM, we rounded the corner and turned into the waterway at Southport.

We knew there were a few options for possible free dockage right where the waterway meets the Cape Fear. There is a small basin with room to anchor a boat or two and a town dock with room for maybe one boat. But there are also a couple of restaurants that offer dockage and will let you tie up overnight if you patronize the establishment. We choose the Provision Company and a quick call confirmed they had a spot for us. By 1:30 PM, we were tied up at their dock and in need of a break and a good meal. We had the lunch specials which were fresh grilled Bluefin Tuna sandwich and cucumber salad with steamed shrimp and a crab cake. It was fairly inexpensive by tourist area standards and was excellent. Once lunch was finished, we walked across the street for an Ice Cream Treat. We debated as to whether we would stay here or move on to our planned anchorage, which was only a couple of miles farther on. The docks were pretty rolly from boat traffic and the surge coming off the Cape Fear so we decided to move on to the Anchorage.

The small creek is unnamed on the charts, but is right at red marker R "8" and next to the docks at South Harbour Village Marina, where we had stayed in the trip north. We entered the creek finding plenty of depths until we got farther inside the basin. There are several local boats permanently moored here, and the depths at low tide for most of that basin would have put us aground at low tide.We found the deepest spot we could and tried to set the anchor. And then we tried two more times. If our new Manson Supreme, sized for a 40-foot boat, would not grab, nothing was going to and it would not grab. We knew there was the chance, albeit small, that we could have some weather come through. And that did not sit right with us in a spot where we could not get the anchor to set with shallow water all around us. The decision was an easy one. We headed back out the creek, made an immediate right turn and parked at the docks at South Harbour Village Marina. We received the same friendly welcome and excellent service we had received the last time we were here.

Marina stops for us are not for resting and relaxing. If we have to pay for a slip, we need to get our money's worth. That means laundry needs to get done, the salt needs to be washed off the boat, the water tanks need to be topped off, a grocery run made if a car is available and Internet work is caught up with the marinas excellent WiFi service. One of the staff at the marina handed Susan the keys to his car to make the grocery run. This kind of service is why we always stop here if we need a marina in the Southport area. That evening we pretty much passed out and even overslept the next morning.

Storms On The Horizon

The day was pretty much perfect for cruising the ICW. It was warm but not too warm and the winds were light to moderate. This section is protected waters so we were not concerned that the weather would turn. Besides, the Weather Service forecast a nice day, so we just relaxed and enjoyed the trip. Even crossing the harbor at Beaufort/Morehead City was uneventful and the many, many small boats usually darting back and forth were missing. The sun came out and warmed things up nicely. But that would change somewhat once we settled into our anchorage for the night and checked the weather.



The 20 miles down Bogue Sound would be our largest body of water to transit this day. This is another very shallow Sound and depths outside the channel are mostly 1 to 2 feet. It is very important that you stay in the marked channel and at times that can be challenging. There seems to be a constant cross current rather than the normal currents that run up or down the Sounds that we are used to. This cross current can push the boat out of the channel and into very shallow water rather quickly if you are not paying attention. With the winds out of the east and northeast, vigilance was even more important. But we made it down the Sound without mishap and soon crossed Bogue Inlet and passed the Swansboro marinas. If we needed fuel, Casper’s Marina usually has the cheapest fuel prices in this area. Continuing south, we were amazed at the development along the waterway and the mansions, one after another, that were lining the shoreline. Obviously, many have not been affected by the economy for the last few years.


Our destination for the evening would be a new anchorage for us just north of Topsail Inlet. The entrance to the creek that goes behind the spoil islands and runs along the barrier islands is located at statute mile 263.1. Did I forget to mention that we were making excellent time? The channel is well-marked and deep so getting in was no issue. We had to deal with a trawler full of guys, mostly of very young ages, constantly stopping in the middle of the waterway, diving off the flybridge, running around in an inflatable and urinating off the stern of the boat right in front of us. And wouldn’t you know it, they turn in just as we did and stopped right in the middle of the channel. We let them know we were not very happy and they pulled off to the side and let us pass. We kept our fingers crossed that they would not come in and anchor next to us, and they kept going, thank goodness. We anchored in a wide spot near red marker R “14” in 7 to 8 feet of water once the tide went out. One other powerboat was anchored some distance away and a large sailboat came in later and anchored a bit farther south of us.



A big surprise came when we had the Satellite Dish set up and the local stations tuned in on the TV. We watched the local news as they announced that severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings were in affect just south of us in the Southport and Myrtle Beach areas. Southport was our destination for the next day. This system would pass just south of us, but behind it and moving from the northwest to the southeast was another nasty looking system with severe thunderstorms. That system would be heading our way overnight, of course. We tried to get some information from the Weather Channel but there was severe weather in Minneapolis, so they were not providing any information for any other areas. We did get a decent WiFi connection so were able to get online and check the national radar and a few other resources. It was going to be close and would not arrive until 2 AM or later. We set out some additional anchor rode and settled in for the night. We could see lots of lightning just offshore and south of us from the first batch of storms.


At times like this, it is difficult to get a good nights’ sleep and I am typically up about every hour checking on things and scanning the skies. At about 3 AM, we were getting some light drizzle and at about 4 AM, the wind picked up a bit. But once again we lucked out and both systems passed just south of us; we woke the next morning unscathed. Another bullet dodged as the storms were severe where they did hit and baseball size hail had been reported in some localities. It was time to prepare for the day and a trip down the Cape Fear River, which can be, let me say, exhilarating, depending on conditions. The NWS guesscast was for east 10 to 15, which might not be too comfortable. Stay tuned.

Fog In The Morning And A Surprise At The Next Anchorage

We did have a very peaceful night and the rain finally went away by sunset. A sailboat came in late and shared the anchorage with us. The next morning was clear at sunrise, but we noticed heavy fog in the canal that we needed to transit to head south. It looked as if a large cloud had settled into the canal and was spilling out the entrance. We decided to wait a bit for the fog bank to lift because we had transited narrow canals in dense fog before and it is not a fun experience. We were catching up on some weather information on the Weather Channel when we noticed the fog was getting closer to us. Before we knew it, our entire anchorage was completely socked in. Did I mention that there was not a word about fog from the National Weather Service on the VHF reports? At this point, we had no choice but to wait until the sun was a little higher and burned the fog off. This can happen quickly or take hours.

By 7:30 AM, the fog disappeared as quickly as it appeared and we hauled up the anchor. It was now an hour and a half later that we wanted to get started. But then that is cruising, you have to always expect the unexpected. We have a friend that is always fond of saying, “It’s just part of the adventure.” Our northeast guesscast for winds turned out to be westerlies all day. We headed down the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal and into the Pungo River. This would be our fallback stop should things get ugly crossing the Pamlico and heading down the Neuse River. Both of these bodies of water can be just as daunting as the Albermarle and should be respected in foul conditions. We would have to pass up the town of Belhaven this time, which is another of our favorite stops along the Waterway. At a little past 12:30 PM, we entered the Pamlico River.

The rest of the day was uneventful, but as we neared the turn off on the Neuse River to Adams Creek, the wind had pick up a bit from the south and we were getting some chop that slowed our progress. Did I mention the the forecast was for northeasterly winds? We considered stopping in Oriental since we had never been there in all of our trips up or down the ICW. But after some discussion, we decided to press on another 7 or 8 miles to our familiar anchorage off Adams Creek behind the upper range marker. This would put us off the Neuse River and we would not have to be concerned about what the conditions were in the morning. Other than Bogue Sound, we would be in protected waters for the next day.


As we turned into Adams Creek, we noticed right away that the entire Creek outside the marked channel, and even in the channel, was covered with floats for fish traps. We can not ever remember there being so many here in the past. It wasn’t until we had reached the turn off to our anchorage at Cedar Creek that we noticed that the floats also carpeted the entire anchorage area and there was practically no space to anchor that the boat would not swing over a float. This is a total shame since this was, until now, a very popular anchorage stop and would often be filled with boats heading north or south. We can only assume they have overfished the Neuse River and now are concentrating all their efforts in the smaller creeks. It was getting late and the question was, now what?

On our last visit here we had found that the charted depths to a small creek in the northeast corner were not correct and it was in fact plenty deep enough for us to negotiate the creek and anchor for the evening. But would that too be covered with floats? The entrance to Jonaquin Creek is difficult to find unless you know where it is and it is not visible until you are right on top of it. The entrance is only about 60 feet wide, but opens up once inside the creek. As we approached the entrance, we saw floats inside the creek but also noted an open spot just inside. The depths up to the entrance run 7 to 7 1/2 feet and 6 1/2 feet once inside. It can get to 8 feet, but because of the floats, we had to settle for just inside the entrance in a 6 1/2-foot spot. We had set out a blow on the Neuse River on our trip north for a couple of days here and we knew the holding was good. The anchored grabbed right away and at 6:00 PM we were home for the evening. We always say home is wherever the boat is. Our GPS coordinates for the anchorage are N 34 56.235’ and W 076 38.437’. We settled in for dinner, a movie and a good nights’ rest. Tomorrow is another day.

Hallelujah We Are Down The Bay

We spent 5 days in Reedville, Virginia waiting for the southerly winds to die down so we could get to Norfolk. My friend John Denver once wrote, “I spent a week there one day.” Of course he was writing about Toledo, Ohio. Now don’t get me wrong, Reedville is a very beautiful area with great old houses once owned by Sea Captains alongside new McMansions being built as retirement homes. But a major metropolitan area it is not. We needed to get on our way and make some time. The day did finally come.

We did have a good stay. Eddie and the crew at Buzzard’s Point Marina could not have been more friendly and accommodating. We made a couple of new friends at the marina, Joe and Barbara on the trawler Barbara Ann, named after, guess who. They own a rental house there in Reedville which is very nice and quite affordable for folks looking for a quiet vacation getaway (www.barbarascozycottage.com). They took us out for a great dinner at the Crazy Crab restaurant (http://www.reedvillemarina.com/) and homemade ice cream at the Chitterchats (sorry, no website, just great ice cream), both places we highly recommend. But if you stay at Buzzard’s Point, you will need transportation to get anywhere (http://www.tangiercruise.com/buzzardspoint-marina.asp).


Finally, on Saturday we had a decent forecast that did not suddenly change for the worse the morning we planned to leave. I get very frustrated with weather forecasts. You would think that with all of the modern technology they have and the billions of dollars in budgets, they could at least get it right once in a while. We would get a good forecast for light winds out of a decent direction at 10 PM and by 5 AM the next morning, it was changed and not for the better. We went through this for 3 days. Finally, their guesscast held and we were able to leave the dock and get underway. Even then the forecast was for light westerly winds although all of the buoy reports were for southerlies all the way down the Bay. But they were still light enough that the seas laid down enough for us to get to Norfolk. By 2 PM we were motoring past the International Shipping Terminal in Norfolk and heading for our fuel stop at Tidewater Yacht Marina. We had done some research and found that they had the best fuel prices in the area and we needed fuel before we headed down the ICW. We found the best source and most current fuel prices are on Claiborne Young’s website, cruisersnet.net. A quick fuel stop and we moved on to our destination for the evening at Great Bridge, Virginia.


We arrived at Great Bridge at 6:45 PM after locking through the Great Bridge Lock with a couple of other pleasure boats and a commercial tug. The free dock just outside the lock was pretty full, but there was just enough room at the end for us to squeeze in. The boat we tied up behind was the exact same boat that was tied up with us when we made the trip north from South Carolina two years ago. It is indeed a small world when it comes to boaters. We had a chance to catch up for a few minutes before settling in for the night.  We like Great Bridge very much, not only because of the free tie up, but because everything you might need--groceries, restaurants, hardware, laundry and more--is within walking distance of the free docks.

The docks, more of a bulkhead, are between the lock and the bridge, so in order to leave heading south, we wanted to catch the first bridge opening at 6 AM the next morning. After our usual pre-departure check list, we untied the dock lines and pushed off to wait for the bridge. It took about four calls before the bridge tender finally answered even though we were sitting next to the span. After Great Bridge, there were two more bridges we had to have open for us. Both the Centerville and North Landing bridges opened as we arrived so there was little delay. Our only other bridge we would have to deal with would be the Alligator River swing bridge. The weather was not the best and it rained off and on almost all day. But the winds were very light so we just had to deal with some rain. These are the times we really appreciate the inside steering station on the trawler.

Crossing the Albemarle Sound can be a very daunting experience if conditions are not right. We have crossed in flat calm conditions and in roller coaster conditions. The shallow water can make very uncomfortable seas when the wind is up and especially if there is a wind against current conditions. No matter what the wind direction, it seems to funnel either straight up or down the Sound and steep seas spaced close together don’t take long to develop even in less than strong winds. This day we would be lucky since the winds were light, on our stern and the rains were scattered and light. Crossing the Sound was uneventful and the run down the Alligator River also had the winds and small waves on our stern all day. At about 2:40 PM, we called the Alligator Swing Bridge to ask for an opening. The bridge tender here is very accommodating and efficient. We did not even have to slow down and the bridge was completely open by the time we arrived. By 5:30 PM, we had the anchor down at Tuckahoe Point at the south end of the Alligator River. We have anchored here in the past and there were several other cruising boats anchored just outside the ICW channel. This area always has a primeval feeling to it. In 8 1/2 hours, we had covered 93 statute miles. Not a bad day for us and it helped make up for some of our delay in Reedville. There are still a lot of clouds and potential rain around so we will see if we have a peaceful night.