All is well in Jacksonville!

Wow, I really don’t know where to begin on this one.  I must admit that I have been remiss, but my memories are intact and we have had a wonderful adventure. We had a fabulous time in Daytona  and it seems that no matter where we are, it is where we  want to be. It’s easy to see the best of someplace when you are passing through, but, in retrospect, there are places that just grab your heart and soul. We have passed through Lake Worth, Daytona, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville and I swear I could pledge my allegiance to any or all of these beautiful places.

We  fell in love with Daytona when we were there, but we only experienced a small portion of their hospitality. We had to anchor well offshore, and it was a chore to come ashore. The West Marine in Daytona offers free dinghy docking and this was the hook up point to meet our friends and family. This was the first time we had really been ashore since our arrival and I was in desperate need of internet access, so it was our good fortune to find a beautiful bar, excellent food, and a wonderful bartender at BLUE GROTTO. Junior got me internet access, hooked us up with drinks and made us feel like we were the only people in the world. When we departed Blue Grotto, we made a stop for ice at Halifax Harbor Marina and as I stepped ashore, I found myself a little short of the dock and face down in the water. Thank you Halifax Harbor for providing me a dry T-shirt for the rest of our journey back to OPA.When we returned a couple days of days later,Junior offered to post all of my mail (which he actually did as promised.)  We had a wonderful time with Chris and Debbie and I will never forget our  time in Daytona (my  favorite place...at the time).

Danny and Debbie.

We continued up the coast and got to experience the most beautiful part of the inter-coastal waterway that I have ever seen. We had the opportunity to enjoy an undisturbed part of Florida. Our journey included dolphins, pink ibis, osprey, pelicans, manatees, and some of the most spectacular water front homes I have ever seen.  Our anchorage was so remote that we felt we were the only human beings for miles.

An immature pelican.

Great blue heron.

           We only glimpsed the shore of St. Augustine, but it brought back a lot of happy memories.

St. Augustine lighthouse.

St. Augustine City Marina.

We continued on to Jacksonville, a city neither one of us had ever been to before. We stayed on the docks downtown and explored the city with our family. The city docks were free, as was the sky transit system, and we were able to experience the Landings of Jacksonville  on the opposite side of the river. It just so happened that the day we were there a fundraiser was being held for the Boy Scouts of America at the AT&T building seen in the background below. Fifty eight people raised a minimum of  $1,000.00 to repel 30 stories or 447 feet.  (http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1252020&CategoryID=9088.)

The view from the cockpit of OPA.

   

 The next morning we watched the start of the Jacksonville River Poker Run where numerous power boats assembled at the landing for a 150 mile run. It was quite the sight, although the noise was deafening. Fortunately, they were traveling at idle speed or they would have really rocked our world! 

Just a few of the many powerboats.

Danny with his brother Chris and nephew Sergio.



Chris and Sergio picked us up and we headed to the New Orleans Cafe where we met up with more family and friends and were entertained for hours with the reggae music of Les B. Fine and some really fabulous creole style food. Needless to say, a good time was had by all. Jacksonville was one of our favorite stops. The city makes it easy for boaters to enjoy all its many offerings. We also made a side trip to Kingsley Plantation, an historic Sea Island cotton plantation built in 1798. It was fascinating, but also a little disheartening to experience the lives these slaves had to endure.

Photos taken from Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve website.

It was with great sadness that we headed up the river to our final destination, Green Cove Springs. The St. John's River was wide and deep and we had a very pleasant journey.  We  experienced numerous fly-overs by Navy planes practicing takeoffs and landings from Jacksonville Naval Air Station. It was pretty incredible as it seemed they would clip the top of the mast on a few of their landings.

                                                              This one got really close!

We arrived at Green Cove Springs Marina and prepared to have OPA hauled out and put into dry storage. We were shocked to find that after not having a bottom job for 7 years, there wasn't a single barnacle on her bottom. I guess the secret is to never stop moving! The staff at the yard was very pleasant and knowledgeable. We left there knowing that our home would be in good hands.

On the travel lift awaiting to be moved to storage.



We are now in southern Maryland with our family and will be returning to Tampa for a couple months to take care of some business. The boat will be in storage until the end of July,  when the next leg of our journey will begin.



Sorry, no photos for this leg! Hope you enjoy anyway!

Heading North on the East Coast of Florida

We have had lots of challenges this trip and I believe we met each one with strength and courage. Notice I didn’t say dignity, because these episodes usually revert both of us to screaming 4-year-olds after the danger has passed. Danny, my ex-firefighter captain, responds to danger by barking orders. I, on the other hand, don’t handle this barking so well... I respond in kind. You can see where I am going with this. Our last incident happened on the way into Lake Worth Inlet from the Bahamas. Just as we got to the outside buoy, the engine stopped. Danny scurried to put up a jib sail as we entered a maze of jet skis, hobie cats, fishing boats, and mega yachts. In the midst of all this chaos was a small boat anchored just off the marker and right in our way. I tried to calmly yell to them that we had no power. They looked at me like I was an alien. If Danny hadn’t put up the main sail, we would have had five new fishing poles and five brown-eyed boys onboard with us.

We were able to sail straight into the inlet and, once inside, we found boater’s mania. Vessels, celebrating Cinco de Mayo, were coming from every direction and anchored everywhere along the way. Danny dropped the jib and immediately dropped the anchor while we were moving. The anchor grabbed and OPA stopped just over the anchor of a 20 foot Wellcraft. They had no idea we were in distress and their eyes were as big as saucers as we gently came to a stop! It was just like a scene out of the movie “Captain Ron”. If you haven’t seen this hilarious movie with Kurt Russell and Martin Short, I really suggest you rent it…better yet, purchase it. It is the funniest movie ever and way too close to our reality.

Since we had to wait until Monday to clear customs and were not supposed to leave the boat, we anchored in the intercoastal waterway, just off of Peanut Island (party central). We were entertained by a parade of boats that came just a few feet from our bow and as we looked down the channel, we were reminded of U.S. 19 during rush hour.  As the tide dropped around the island, shoals started to develop, and I stared in disbelief as people intentionally put their boats on the ground, jumped in the water and partied until high tide. What a great place!  As it got closer to sunset, the tide started to slowly float the boats and everyone gathered up their kids, dogs, Frisbees, and floats and headed home. 

We watched in amazement as the sheriff side-towed a 22 ft boat with about the same number of people aboard. I guess they exceeded the maximum weight requirement for that vessel.  Needless to say, not even a nook to store even one life jacket.

Danny got to watch his first Nascar race in a year. Papa was happy, but once he got that remote in his hand, I knew I had lost him. The icing on the cake was the fireworks that we enjoyed courtesy of Palm Beach SunFest. They were spectacular and a welcome reward for our successful, albeit exciting, crossing.

We motored up the Atlantic and re-entered the intercoastal waterway at Fort Pierce Inlet. As we were approaching the inlet, the fog started rolling in. Danny and I just looked at each other in amazement, both of us thinking, what next? Fortunately, we had three mile visibility and were able to get safely anchored.

Last night Danny and I came to the conclusion that we could not comfortably make it to southern Maryland in time for my nephew’s graduation, the main reason for the trip. We would be forced to travel about 12 hours almost everyday to make the 700 miles that we still have to travel. An eight hour day nets us only 50 miles. Since we are going to be in the Jacksonville/St. Augustine area, we hitched a ride with my Uncle Paul. I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with this very, dear  man.  This was actually the answer to three people’s prayers; my cousin Joanne, my very good friend Debbie, and my own. Joanne and her husband Don can now enjoy their Harley trip to Washington D.C. knowing that her dad will be in good hands.  My friend Debbie no longer has to worry about who will take care of her 2 dogs, 1 horse, 3 cats, 2 birds, 1 goldfish and 1 turtle while she experiences Europe with her to 2 daughters, and I asked God to get me to southern Maryland, I didn’t specify how it had to happen. My heart was just a tiny bit heavy, as I was really looking forward to the journey aboard OPA. It is the right decision, and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.  We have always said that you can’t have deadlines when cruising. It causes mistakes and bad decisions. As it turned out, because we waited, we were able to experience the most awesome people and places along the way.

We are on the inside today, a welcome respite from the Atlantic. The inter-coastal waterway has no bridges that require opening for the next seventy nine miles which is quite a bonus. It can really add a lot of hours on to a trip if you have to wait for scheduled bridge openings. Navigation has taken on a whole new meaning since we entered this eastern seaboard wateway, where instead of waypoints and courses, we now have red and green markers. With waypoints, there is margin for error; this is not so with the channel markers. It is so regimented, like coloring between the lines, and you really have to stay focused. That’s kind of hard for me, as I suffer from ADHD, just kidding! We were rewarded with plenty of dolphin sightings and I even witnessed an Osprey feeding her baby in a nest that she made on a lighted channel marker.  Where is the camera when you need it?  We passed some phenomenal houses in the most perfect settings.

We dropped anchor at the mouth of Banana River in the Melbourne area. There must have been a lot of fish there, because the dolphins were constantly feeding in our anchorage. It was such a relaxing setting that we decided to spend an extra day and explore. We explored the river by dinghy in the morning and then we walked about 2 miles to a Walmart to get a saltwater fishing license.  My provisioning was limited as we had to haul it in backpacks to the dinghy. We devoured a couple of Wendy’s bacon cheeseburgers, the first beef we have had in a long time, and they were delightful.

The space coast loomed ahead of us and we passed NASA before dropping the anchor in Titusville. I was hoping for a space launch, but we weren’t that fortunate. There is so much natural beauty in this area. We’re off to Daytona Beach tomorrow where we will be spending time with our brother Chris and my friend Debbie. Really looking forward to it.  

Abaco, Grand Bahama, and the USA

Hopetown, Marsh Harbor, & Great Sale Cay
West End and the USA!

We had such a wonderful time in Hopetown. The bad weather forced us to stay, but it also gave us the opportunity to explore a little more and we were not disappointed. This is the quaintest island we have stumbled upon so far. The bank only opens one day a week and only for two hours. There was an eclectic mix of locals, tourists (staying at a cottage) and boaters, all coming great distances. The locals are delightful and food was fabulous. We found that both food and drink were very reasonably priced at all the restaurants. It was a bit discouraging to find the local water supply so taxed by visitors. This is the second island that I have tried to do laundry on and had to wait until the water was made. We were anxious to move on after 3 days, not because we wanted to, but I want more to be in southern Maryland for our nephew’s graduation.

Red sky at night...sailor's delight!

We moved on to Marsh Harbor in really yucky weather. We decided to move on in spite of the overcast skies. We still had some shallow banks to conquer, but before Danny skillfully maneuvered from the tight slip in 25 knot winds, I heard from a few other yachties who had run aground in the same location as I did. I once again put my fears aside and considered our grounding a rite of passage. We were not the only ones affected by the weather; they actually closed every government school in all of the Bahamas. Bonus day for my friend in Georgetown, hope you enjoyed it, Janie!

Enjoying his weather day off from school.

Our trip to Marsh Harbor was uneventful…hallelujah! We spent 2 days in Marsh Harbor and my favorite things were the Island Bakery, the KFC, and, believe it or not, a Save A Lot, just like in the states. The bread from the bakery melted in our mouths (2 loaves in 2 days actually), we got our dose of that finger lickin' good chicken, and I actually got bananas for less 89 cents a pound. The children were delightful here and actually offered a hand at the dinghy dock. I was disappointed in how much litter we saw. It is the big city, after all, as evidenced by the very first traffic light I have seen in all of the family islands. 

We have had four uneventful days at sea. The first was only 8 miles, but still worthy of a celebration. The second day was a little more stressful as it was rife with VPR (visual piloting required) notations. That means shifting sand bars and very, very shallow water. To pilot these areas, you need good weather, sunlight, bottom reading and piloting. I really dread these areas, especially after our grounding, but every day I become more comfortable with my skills and a little less tense. That’s a very good thing for both of us in our tiny little habitat. Now that Danny has resolved just about every issue that we have encountered, we are both hoping for a lot less stress for the rest of our journey. We choose not to ride with the packs and last night we were rewarded with my definition of the perfect anchorage. We had to travel 300 miles before we found an anchorage that had no one else in it! The lagniappe was the peaceful serenity and no swell. What a delightful place.

Imagine our excitement when we anchored the next night. We were the only boat in the harbor. Sadly, as I write this, another 12 boats have joined us and it is only 4:30 pm!! Oh well, it’s off to West End, Grand Bahama, in the morning.

I was thanking God that I did not study my charts prior to our departure. As it was, I had six wonderful hours of bliss until I discovered that the last 5 miles of our trip were extremely shallow. Let me put this in perspective; five miles is a very long time when in water that is 5 feet at low tide and you need 4 ½ feet to float.  We figured as long as the tide was coming up, we were okay. It was the longest hour of my life. We slowed down to let the three motor vessels that were following pass us, but guess what, they slowed down also and allowed us to guide them in (cowards!). We had five miles of white-knuckling before we reached our destination.   (Thanks,  Schultise family for the awesome depth sounder). Then we had to find the anchorage, find a “sandy spot” and hope like hell the current wouldn’t get us.  At this point, we were stretched to our limits. I thought the whole settlement of west end must have heard our terms of endearment. We made it in safely, put the outboard on the dinghy and headed to shore. 

This was my first time to west end and I didn’t know what to expect. We found the Old Bahama Bay Marina just off our anchorage to be a delightful place. What a surprise to find a friend from Exuma visiting his home here in West End. He picked us up and showed us his island. Danny got a lesson in cleaning a conch when Dwight acquired a few from a local fisherman. He proceeded to make us the best conch salad around. Thanks Dwight, you gave us a very special tour and it was much appreciated.

I am very sad to be departing the Bahamas. We have a lot of very special friends here. It is in knowing that I will return, that I am able to leave.  I am also looking forward to our family gatherings, one in Jacksonville, and one in southern Maryland. We are blessed with two wonderful families!

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning!

We had a wonderful trip crossing the Gulf Stream. I have never experienced such calm water during a crossing. It was absolutely beautiful. We sailed in to Lake Worth Inlet and dropped the anchor. We are waiting to clear customs. We have to appear personally tomorrow morning, so our journey has been delayed another day.

I can't believe this is the Atlantic Ocean. Great crossing!

Our first sunset in the U.S.A.!!!

Our new neighbor departing  Lake Worth Inlet!

There’s a full moon tonight…bonus!