SHIP'S LOG:
It was a three hour trip up the St. John's River this morning. It got me through Jacksonville and into the Ortega River where the Sadler Marina is located ( on the right side of the bridge). I got in about 10 am and was frozen stiff. I felt like that little kid in the old Eastern Airlines commercial, standing all bundled up in a snowsuit, standing in a snowstorm, and moaning," I need it bad!" He was of course, referring to the warmth and sunshine in Florida which is where Eastern used to fly. Little did he know that it was probably warmed where he was than down here.
As I try to type this, it is 49 in Jacksonville but the wind chill makes it feel like 30 and the temperature is going down with the sun. It is expected to hit 22 degrees for several hours tonight!!!!!!!! The locals are really upset. I don't know what they are upset about as all they have to do is turn up the heat on the furnace!
A mechanic came and took off the old pump and went away. Good thing I didn't wait any longer or try to make it further as the hose for the bilge pump had worked its way loose and so rather than emptying the bilge of the excess water, it was merely recirculating it. That really could have sunk the boat!!! But the hose is back on and the pump(bilge) works just fine. Another fine adventure has been forestalled and hopefully a disaster prevented.
I won't know until tomorrow whether or not they can fix the pump or whether a new pump will be needed. In any event, I will be here until it is ironed out. This is a very "trusting " marina. There are no codes for the bathrooms, laundry or showers. It is a rare situation. Only Jekyll Harbor was also so trusting. There are several boats here that were on their way south who have developed mechanical problems and up in for repairs. It is like a MASH unit. Lots of people waiting for parts and assistance. It would be much better if the weather was at least where it seasonally should be: High 69/ Low 45. But it ain't! I am sure that the water bottle in the cockpit will freeze tonight . . . as long as it is the only thing that freezes.
If the pump is fixed and ready to go tomorrow, I may just go back to Blount Island and anchor there again. It is not a wonderful spot, but it is almost 20 miles closer to the ICW and there are not a lot of spots on the ICW to anchor in the next few miles. Getting the anchor up and getting moving this morning in the cold, cold wind was a real chore. The only time I was warm today was when I went to the marina office to register. It will be a cold, cold night tonight despite all of my precautions to stay warm. The good news is that I will have a warm toilet seat tomorrow. Let's hear it for heated bathroom and hot showers!!!!!!!!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Where Do Dusty Bunnies Come From?
SHIP'S LOG:
31-25-27-27-34 if you are wondering at that string of numbers, those are the predicted low temperatures for Jacksonville, Florida, Monday through Thursday night! This aberrational crappy and cold weather seems to have started the day after Thanksgiving will have its worst week this week when I am here to experience it.
Truth be told, I am stuck here because of the bad economy and a leaking raw water pump seal. The raw water pump seal needs to be repaired before the pump fails completely and the engine fries. The place for me to do this is at a friend of a friends boatyard in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, the friend of a friend's boatyard is on the wrong side of a fixed 45 foot vertical clearance bridge. so the work will be done by his mechanic in a marina on the right side of the very same bridge. Unfortunately, that marina, like most others, is experiencing an economic downturn and so has cut back on its hours. It wasn't open after noon on Saturday nor was it opened at all on Sunday. This meant that it was closed before I could get there yesterday and wasn't opened at all for me to slide in today and so be ready to receive the mechanic first thing tomorrow morning. In fact, since I was unable to contact anyone there, I have no idea if they even have a spot for me. I won't know before I contact them tomorrow.
As a result, I didn't move from my spot next to Blount Island and spent a not bad day cleaning the boat and reading. Where do dusty bunnies come from? And if you know, tell me where dust elephants come from. It is amazing how much "dirt" gets on a boat when I don't get off it for 5 to seven days at a time. And the dust bunnies that gather in the cockpit under the floor grating, get wet and take on the consistency of matted cat hair. Cleaning the cockpit drains is such a joy!
The sky was clear and the temp was somewhere in the high 50's low 60's so it was quite pleasant for a December 5th. Though I have to say that when the sun went down, the temperature went with it. I am not sure what the temperature is right now, but it is a lot less than what it was. Sometime around midnight, it should hit its low and hold there for at least three hours before it begins its rise to the mid 50's sometime tomorrow. It will repeat this performance for the next four days and then, come the weekend, begin to head into the normal weather and temperatures for the season. Also, hopefully, by that time, i shall be much further south, too. As an experiment, I left a bottle of water in the cockpit to see if it will freeze overnight, any night this week.
I am hopeful that it will be a short and inexpensive stay in Jacksonville and that by Tuesday at the latest, I will be sailing further south. Next stop will probably be around St. Augustine. Hope it's warmer there than here!
31-25-27-27-34 if you are wondering at that string of numbers, those are the predicted low temperatures for Jacksonville, Florida, Monday through Thursday night! This aberrational crappy and cold weather seems to have started the day after Thanksgiving will have its worst week this week when I am here to experience it.
Truth be told, I am stuck here because of the bad economy and a leaking raw water pump seal. The raw water pump seal needs to be repaired before the pump fails completely and the engine fries. The place for me to do this is at a friend of a friends boatyard in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, the friend of a friend's boatyard is on the wrong side of a fixed 45 foot vertical clearance bridge. so the work will be done by his mechanic in a marina on the right side of the very same bridge. Unfortunately, that marina, like most others, is experiencing an economic downturn and so has cut back on its hours. It wasn't open after noon on Saturday nor was it opened at all on Sunday. This meant that it was closed before I could get there yesterday and wasn't opened at all for me to slide in today and so be ready to receive the mechanic first thing tomorrow morning. In fact, since I was unable to contact anyone there, I have no idea if they even have a spot for me. I won't know before I contact them tomorrow.
As a result, I didn't move from my spot next to Blount Island and spent a not bad day cleaning the boat and reading. Where do dusty bunnies come from? And if you know, tell me where dust elephants come from. It is amazing how much "dirt" gets on a boat when I don't get off it for 5 to seven days at a time. And the dust bunnies that gather in the cockpit under the floor grating, get wet and take on the consistency of matted cat hair. Cleaning the cockpit drains is such a joy!
The sky was clear and the temp was somewhere in the high 50's low 60's so it was quite pleasant for a December 5th. Though I have to say that when the sun went down, the temperature went with it. I am not sure what the temperature is right now, but it is a lot less than what it was. Sometime around midnight, it should hit its low and hold there for at least three hours before it begins its rise to the mid 50's sometime tomorrow. It will repeat this performance for the next four days and then, come the weekend, begin to head into the normal weather and temperatures for the season. Also, hopefully, by that time, i shall be much further south, too. As an experiment, I left a bottle of water in the cockpit to see if it will freeze overnight, any night this week.
I am hopeful that it will be a short and inexpensive stay in Jacksonville and that by Tuesday at the latest, I will be sailing further south. Next stop will probably be around St. Augustine. Hope it's warmer there than here!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Onward! Southward! There's Got To Be Warm Weather Somewhere!~!
SHIP'S LOG:
The trip from frosty Fernandina Beach was only a little over 24 miles and now I am at anchor in the St. Johns River near Blount Island if that means anything to anybody. The temp is still in the fifties!!!! but the wind is blowing 15-20 and we are supposed to get rain(sprinkles) after mid-night.
The landscape(?) along the ICW is changing. Less marsh, less mud, more sand and real land with trees. The ICW seems rather narrow around here and I wonder how the tugs & barges make it up and down some of these places. They get through, I've seen them do it, but powerboats and sailboats go aground. They just must plow their way through.
I have 19 miles to go from here to the marinas where the work will be done on the boat, the marina on the right side of the bridge. I am hoping that I can secure a "free spot" at the Jacksonville Landing. It is a first come, first served sort of thing but it will save me the cost of a night in the marina or a night on the hook.
The temporary fix for the water pump was made with a drink cozy and a couple of wire ties. It didn't stop the leak but redirected it so that it didn't hit the belts and spray all over the place. From what I can see, it is just the back seal to the pump but they won't know if the shaft is scored until they take it out and get it apart. It could be a "pop-out the old seal and pop-in the new" and off we go, or it could be "new pump purchased and installation time." Like I said, I won't know until Monday, but either way, it is going to play havoc with my finances. It could be even worse because they might not have the right pump and/or seals in stock and it would necessitate more than one day in the marina and that really can get expensive. ( I wonder if there is some place around here that I can buy a Powerball Ticket?)
I am looking for 75 degrees of temp, clear blue skies and a nice anchorage where I can stay for a couple of days and just veg. I don't think it is coming in the next few days, but after that . . . . .
The trip from frosty Fernandina Beach was only a little over 24 miles and now I am at anchor in the St. Johns River near Blount Island if that means anything to anybody. The temp is still in the fifties!!!! but the wind is blowing 15-20 and we are supposed to get rain(sprinkles) after mid-night.
The landscape(?) along the ICW is changing. Less marsh, less mud, more sand and real land with trees. The ICW seems rather narrow around here and I wonder how the tugs & barges make it up and down some of these places. They get through, I've seen them do it, but powerboats and sailboats go aground. They just must plow their way through.
I have 19 miles to go from here to the marinas where the work will be done on the boat, the marina on the right side of the bridge. I am hoping that I can secure a "free spot" at the Jacksonville Landing. It is a first come, first served sort of thing but it will save me the cost of a night in the marina or a night on the hook.
The temporary fix for the water pump was made with a drink cozy and a couple of wire ties. It didn't stop the leak but redirected it so that it didn't hit the belts and spray all over the place. From what I can see, it is just the back seal to the pump but they won't know if the shaft is scored until they take it out and get it apart. It could be a "pop-out the old seal and pop-in the new" and off we go, or it could be "new pump purchased and installation time." Like I said, I won't know until Monday, but either way, it is going to play havoc with my finances. It could be even worse because they might not have the right pump and/or seals in stock and it would necessitate more than one day in the marina and that really can get expensive. ( I wonder if there is some place around here that I can buy a Powerball Ticket?)
I am looking for 75 degrees of temp, clear blue skies and a nice anchorage where I can stay for a couple of days and just veg. I don't think it is coming in the next few days, but after that . . . . .
Every Little Thing Is Going To Be Alright
SHIP'S LOG:
I am still in Bell's River in Fernandina Beach, cold Fernandina Beach. The back seal on the raw water pump needs replacing, if not the pump itself,and I talked with Gerry's friend up in Jacksonville. The good news is that he may have the pump and the repair kit on hand. The bad news is that I can't quite get to his marina. He is just on the wrong side of a 45 foot bridge so I will have to stay at a marina just on the right side of that same bridge and he will send someone over to work on the pump.
It's about 25 miles to the St. John River and another 23 miles up the river to Jacksonville. It will be a two day trip and hopefully I will be in the marina Sunday night so that bright and early on Monday morning the work can commence.
The weather is calling for a low of 27 degrees on Tuesday night in Jacksonville. Not a comforting prospect to say the least. Hopefully, there is no snow coming. I don't think I could tolerate that!!!!
I am still in Bell's River in Fernandina Beach, cold Fernandina Beach. The back seal on the raw water pump needs replacing, if not the pump itself,and I talked with Gerry's friend up in Jacksonville. The good news is that he may have the pump and the repair kit on hand. The bad news is that I can't quite get to his marina. He is just on the wrong side of a 45 foot bridge so I will have to stay at a marina just on the right side of that same bridge and he will send someone over to work on the pump.
It's about 25 miles to the St. John River and another 23 miles up the river to Jacksonville. It will be a two day trip and hopefully I will be in the marina Sunday night so that bright and early on Monday morning the work can commence.
The weather is calling for a low of 27 degrees on Tuesday night in Jacksonville. Not a comforting prospect to say the least. Hopefully, there is no snow coming. I don't think I could tolerate that!!!!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Greetings From Frosty Fernandina Beach In Freezing Florida!!!!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, I am in FLORIDA, not that it makes much of a difference temperature-wise. It got down to 30 at the Jekyll Harbor Marina last night. It was a little warmer when the sun came up. Breakfast coffee at sunrise was drunk in 43 degrees. That is cold be any one's standards but down here in the sunny South, it is COLD!!! Hey didn't I come this way to get away from the cold?
This was a quick day. By doing my laundry this morning, I got a late start and hit all the tides and currents the right way. I must confess that up river from the Sub base at St. Mary's, I did find another one of those "thin" pieces of water. Went aground in soft mud and was stuck for under five(5) minutes before I was able to wriggle myself off and continue on my way.
They were loading or unloading or working on the missiles in a boomer at the base. It is right along a stretch of the river with no enclosures or anything like that. AS went by, a "NAVY" gunboat did a slow pass but I got no challenge, warning or anything like that. I thought for sure that I would, but nada!
The spot between R10 & R12 off Fernandina Beach was packed with people already anchored. I think that they were too cold to move, so I went up Bell's River, a little further inland and anchored behind schooner called "VENTURE" from Mystic. It did say Mystic where, just Mystic. Hopefully it is not from home as it was ratty and abused and in need of a major fix up.
The bad news is that the rear seal for the raw water pimp is leaking badly. The leak is being picked up by the belts and is spraying the engine compartment. I called Gerry, my old instructor from the Chapman School, and he is going to contact a "friend" who owns "Lamb's Yacht Center" in Jacksonville. We'll see if we can do a deal. Anyone who feels inspired to contribute to the water pump fund is encouraged to do so.
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, I am in FLORIDA, not that it makes much of a difference temperature-wise. It got down to 30 at the Jekyll Harbor Marina last night. It was a little warmer when the sun came up. Breakfast coffee at sunrise was drunk in 43 degrees. That is cold be any one's standards but down here in the sunny South, it is COLD!!! Hey didn't I come this way to get away from the cold?
This was a quick day. By doing my laundry this morning, I got a late start and hit all the tides and currents the right way. I must confess that up river from the Sub base at St. Mary's, I did find another one of those "thin" pieces of water. Went aground in soft mud and was stuck for under five(5) minutes before I was able to wriggle myself off and continue on my way.
They were loading or unloading or working on the missiles in a boomer at the base. It is right along a stretch of the river with no enclosures or anything like that. AS went by, a "NAVY" gunboat did a slow pass but I got no challenge, warning or anything like that. I thought for sure that I would, but nada!
The spot between R10 & R12 off Fernandina Beach was packed with people already anchored. I think that they were too cold to move, so I went up Bell's River, a little further inland and anchored behind schooner called "VENTURE" from Mystic. It did say Mystic where, just Mystic. Hopefully it is not from home as it was ratty and abused and in need of a major fix up.
The bad news is that the rear seal for the raw water pimp is leaking badly. The leak is being picked up by the belts and is spraying the engine compartment. I called Gerry, my old instructor from the Chapman School, and he is going to contact a "friend" who owns "Lamb's Yacht Center" in Jacksonville. We'll see if we can do a deal. Anyone who feels inspired to contribute to the water pump fund is encouraged to do so.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
And The Horse You Road In On!!!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
I take back all those snide remarks about South Carolina's lack of Cell phone towers and the dearth of Internet access. Compared to Georgia, South Carolina is Silicon Valley! I at last have access, but I am in a Marina on Jekyll Island which is basically a resort, so of course they have cell phone and Internet coverage . . . . though when I got here today, the entire island experienced a communications breakdown that lasted for 3 hours.
Sunday November 28th
Would you believe that there are two "Hell Gates" on the ICW? One, the more famous, is in New York in the East River. There other isn't. It is in Georgia and connects the Little Ogeechee Riber and the Ogeechee River. It was supposed to the that channel of swirling currents and sand bars and it was one of those places of "Legend" on the ICW. Unfortunately, It didn't live up to its reputation and it got dredged and all the "terror" has gone out it. But it is not all fun and games on the ICW. During this stretch, I have found marks that are charted as being on land and they are out in the water and marks that are charted as being in the water which are high and dry on land. If you are not careful, you can run aground seriously by aiming for a mark and heading at it irregardless. Dropped the hook that night in WALBURG Creek. It is a creek that lies between Walburg Island and St. Catherine's Island on the South shore of St. Catherine Sound. IT runs along the eastern and southern shore of the Island. There was a boat already in the creek, though in the eastern portion. There was a lot of wind that day and they were dealing with that and the wave action flowing in from St. Catherine's Sound. The sailboat was "SELA" from St. Cloud, MI, and its crew way Bob and Mary Anne. We discussed anchoring scenarios and I decided that I would rather deal with just the wind and anchor on the southern portion. I think it was a good choice as "Sela" dragged during the night. No harm was done just a little bit of excitement. Dragging an anchor in high wind, which have had a lot of recently, makes going to sleep at night a real act of faith.
Monday,November 29th
I might have dragged a little last night myself but not much. The high wind was still with us and made some passages slow, battling the wind, and others very fast going with the wind. Sapelo Sound was a perfect example. with the throttle untouched, my speed ranged from 3.8 to 8.6 depending where I was in the sound and which way I was trying to go.
You do a lot of switch-backing in the ICW in Georgia. You can look ahead or behind and see boats moving left to right across your field of view. For every mile south you go 3 or four miles east and west. Fully 20% or more of the ICW in Georgia is going back and forth and not forward. Had a great spot picked out for the night in a place called "New Teakettle Creek" and when I got there, a big power boat was in the sweet spot. It was a guy who had rush passed me that day and never bothered to slow down or ask how I wished to be passed or even to let me know what his intentions were. But I always have back up and so I went into "Doboy Sound and up "Duplin Creek" and anchored. IT is a bit unnerving to anchor in a creek where the width of the creek seems little more than the length of your boat. You have to pick your spots based on what the wind will be doing that night so that you are always oriented up or down the creek at anchor. Usually, you have good holding if you are in a marsh as the marsh grass holds the mud in place. Otherwise, soft mud has very little holding power, especially in a blow.
Tuesday, November 30th
The day was hot and humid and in the 70's BUT it wasn't going to stay that way. NOAA was already calling for a cold front hat would show up Tuesday night proceeded by thunderstorms and heavy winds. The winds would come from the south and south west and build during the day and then when the cold front approached, there would be thunder storms, possible tornadoes, and a wind shift to the North, North west. Just outside of Brunswick, there was a place called Jove's Creek and it had a lovely spot in it that oriented east and west but was wide enough to anchor north and south. This would be "perfect" as the marsh grass would cut the wind and I would still be able to rotate with the wind when it shifted.
To get there, I had to pass through another one of those ICW "Legends", the Little Mud River. It is amazing how w]many rivers and water ways on the ICW have MUD in their names. This little spots, about 3 miles long, was a River that ran into ALTAMAHA Sound from Doboy Sound. I had been hearing about this place for week. Nothing particularly dangerous, except for that fact that odds are that you would run aground. I seriously considered running outside between Doboy and Altamaha, but there were small craft warnings and the just crossing Doboy Sound from my anchorage was enough to convince me it would have been a bad idea. Entering into the canal that led to Little Mud River, I met a Core of Engineers' Survey Boat doing a survey of that portion of the ICW. I asked the crew about Little Mud River and they said that the channel was narrow and shallow.By the time I got to Little Mud River, I was hyperventilating. I am not sure why as a gounding in "mud" would not damage the boat and would be easily extracted, either on my own or by the friendly Folks from TowBoat/US. This Bogey Man of the ICW also turned out to be a bust. By not following the channel and going wherever I found deep water, I got through and never saw less than 11 feet.
When I got to Jove's Creek, there was another boat already there but not in the spot I had picked out which was farther up stream. I dropped the hook, had supper, listened to the weather several times and went to bed.
Wednesday, Dec. 1st
The thunderstorms came at 1:47AM and I spent the rest of the night watching my little sailboat go round and round on the GPS as she danced to the wind. It was quite nerve racking and when the sun came up, I took off intending to get to my next location early and crash for the day. I never got the chance. The winds from the storm and the front were still blowing and I had to cross St. Simon's Sound which was a horror. Waves crashed the boat and about every 10th one got me square in the face. I had my rain gear on ( to keep warm) but neglected my boots and my sneakers got wet. I really had to fight to make even a reasonable show of staying on course but thankfully there were few turns until I got to the Jekyll Island Creek. To call this water way a creek is to damn with faint praise. Actually, it is more wet mud than water. And twisty. I had planned to stop at the Jekyll Harbor Marina for fuel and a pumpout and then proceed, but the wind was still gusting to 30 and showed no hints that it would wind down soon. Also I was beat, having been up most of the night and having to fight to get this far. So I decided to stay. Good think to as I found a leak in my raw water system that cools the engine.Technically it could have sunk the boat or at least cooked the engine. So the stopped was a very good thing. The best part is that I am 32 miles from Florida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I take back all those snide remarks about South Carolina's lack of Cell phone towers and the dearth of Internet access. Compared to Georgia, South Carolina is Silicon Valley! I at last have access, but I am in a Marina on Jekyll Island which is basically a resort, so of course they have cell phone and Internet coverage . . . . though when I got here today, the entire island experienced a communications breakdown that lasted for 3 hours.
Sunday November 28th
Would you believe that there are two "Hell Gates" on the ICW? One, the more famous, is in New York in the East River. There other isn't. It is in Georgia and connects the Little Ogeechee Riber and the Ogeechee River. It was supposed to the that channel of swirling currents and sand bars and it was one of those places of "Legend" on the ICW. Unfortunately, It didn't live up to its reputation and it got dredged and all the "terror" has gone out it. But it is not all fun and games on the ICW. During this stretch, I have found marks that are charted as being on land and they are out in the water and marks that are charted as being in the water which are high and dry on land. If you are not careful, you can run aground seriously by aiming for a mark and heading at it irregardless. Dropped the hook that night in WALBURG Creek. It is a creek that lies between Walburg Island and St. Catherine's Island on the South shore of St. Catherine Sound. IT runs along the eastern and southern shore of the Island. There was a boat already in the creek, though in the eastern portion. There was a lot of wind that day and they were dealing with that and the wave action flowing in from St. Catherine's Sound. The sailboat was "SELA" from St. Cloud, MI, and its crew way Bob and Mary Anne. We discussed anchoring scenarios and I decided that I would rather deal with just the wind and anchor on the southern portion. I think it was a good choice as "Sela" dragged during the night. No harm was done just a little bit of excitement. Dragging an anchor in high wind, which have had a lot of recently, makes going to sleep at night a real act of faith.
Monday,November 29th
I might have dragged a little last night myself but not much. The high wind was still with us and made some passages slow, battling the wind, and others very fast going with the wind. Sapelo Sound was a perfect example. with the throttle untouched, my speed ranged from 3.8 to 8.6 depending where I was in the sound and which way I was trying to go.
You do a lot of switch-backing in the ICW in Georgia. You can look ahead or behind and see boats moving left to right across your field of view. For every mile south you go 3 or four miles east and west. Fully 20% or more of the ICW in Georgia is going back and forth and not forward. Had a great spot picked out for the night in a place called "New Teakettle Creek" and when I got there, a big power boat was in the sweet spot. It was a guy who had rush passed me that day and never bothered to slow down or ask how I wished to be passed or even to let me know what his intentions were. But I always have back up and so I went into "Doboy Sound and up "Duplin Creek" and anchored. IT is a bit unnerving to anchor in a creek where the width of the creek seems little more than the length of your boat. You have to pick your spots based on what the wind will be doing that night so that you are always oriented up or down the creek at anchor. Usually, you have good holding if you are in a marsh as the marsh grass holds the mud in place. Otherwise, soft mud has very little holding power, especially in a blow.
Tuesday, November 30th
The day was hot and humid and in the 70's BUT it wasn't going to stay that way. NOAA was already calling for a cold front hat would show up Tuesday night proceeded by thunderstorms and heavy winds. The winds would come from the south and south west and build during the day and then when the cold front approached, there would be thunder storms, possible tornadoes, and a wind shift to the North, North west. Just outside of Brunswick, there was a place called Jove's Creek and it had a lovely spot in it that oriented east and west but was wide enough to anchor north and south. This would be "perfect" as the marsh grass would cut the wind and I would still be able to rotate with the wind when it shifted.
To get there, I had to pass through another one of those ICW "Legends", the Little Mud River. It is amazing how w]many rivers and water ways on the ICW have MUD in their names. This little spots, about 3 miles long, was a River that ran into ALTAMAHA Sound from Doboy Sound. I had been hearing about this place for week. Nothing particularly dangerous, except for that fact that odds are that you would run aground. I seriously considered running outside between Doboy and Altamaha, but there were small craft warnings and the just crossing Doboy Sound from my anchorage was enough to convince me it would have been a bad idea. Entering into the canal that led to Little Mud River, I met a Core of Engineers' Survey Boat doing a survey of that portion of the ICW. I asked the crew about Little Mud River and they said that the channel was narrow and shallow.By the time I got to Little Mud River, I was hyperventilating. I am not sure why as a gounding in "mud" would not damage the boat and would be easily extracted, either on my own or by the friendly Folks from TowBoat/US. This Bogey Man of the ICW also turned out to be a bust. By not following the channel and going wherever I found deep water, I got through and never saw less than 11 feet.
When I got to Jove's Creek, there was another boat already there but not in the spot I had picked out which was farther up stream. I dropped the hook, had supper, listened to the weather several times and went to bed.
Wednesday, Dec. 1st
The thunderstorms came at 1:47AM and I spent the rest of the night watching my little sailboat go round and round on the GPS as she danced to the wind. It was quite nerve racking and when the sun came up, I took off intending to get to my next location early and crash for the day. I never got the chance. The winds from the storm and the front were still blowing and I had to cross St. Simon's Sound which was a horror. Waves crashed the boat and about every 10th one got me square in the face. I had my rain gear on ( to keep warm) but neglected my boots and my sneakers got wet. I really had to fight to make even a reasonable show of staying on course but thankfully there were few turns until I got to the Jekyll Island Creek. To call this water way a creek is to damn with faint praise. Actually, it is more wet mud than water. And twisty. I had planned to stop at the Jekyll Harbor Marina for fuel and a pumpout and then proceed, but the wind was still gusting to 30 and showed no hints that it would wind down soon. Also I was beat, having been up most of the night and having to fight to get this far. So I decided to stay. Good think to as I found a leak in my raw water system that cools the engine.Technically it could have sunk the boat or at least cooked the engine. So the stopped was a very good thing. The best part is that I am 32 miles from Florida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Is It Supposed To Be This Cold?
SHIP'S LOG:
I couldn't believe it. I got up this morning and hopped around hissing blue breaths. I'm in South Carolina and I am freezing. Somethings wrong here! The farther south you go, the warmer it is supposed to get.
Now it wasn't cold COLD, but cold enough for that I was eventually attired in the "layered look." When I thought to check the temp, it was reading a brisk 47, but the wind was also blowing a good 20 knots and the sun wasn't up yet. Any way you slice it, it was cold! Eventually it did warm up, up to a high around 66 but it dropped just as fast as the the sun. According to the NOAA weather report, and you know they'll get this one right, there is a frost warning down here and the temp is supposed to dip into the 30's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is not what I had planned for nor is it anything I want. I want sun. I want Heat. I want high humidity.
Actually not a bad day sailing though the different currents and tides play havoc with one's speed. The Savannah River isn't all that wide, but it has a great flow rate and a lot of eddies along the banks especially where the ICW crosses. It doesn't help matters that big container ships are plying up and down the river like semi on I95. One must almost make a made dash across the river to get by, like trying to run across five or six lanes of traffic on foot. Actually, it wasn't that bad, close but not that bad.
South along the ICW from Atlanta is Thunderbolt, Georgia. From the river/ICW it doesn't look a big place but they Thunderbolt Marina, which is HUGE and Hinkley Yacht Services has a yard in Thunderbolt. This really caught my eye. For those of you unfamiliar with Hinkley, automotively think in terms of Ferrari. Hinkley in Thunderbolt is like Ferrari having a dealership in Resume Speed, Oklahoma. It just didn't fit . . . that is until two miles down from Thunderbolt, I passed the Savannah Yacht Club. It is bigger than most of the marinas I have seen on this trip! The has a boat hauling facility most marinas would give their eye teeth for and it is grand in every conceivable way. I would love to have reciprocating privileges with that spot.
Considering the next available diesel was 90 miles down the ICW, I stopped at Isle of Hope Marina in lovely Isle of Hope, Georgia and decided to spend the night. The fact that it is going down into the 30's means trouble in the morning, if you don't have a heated toilet seat on your yacht. Sadly, it is one of the things on my projects list that I just never quite got around to taking care of before the start of the trip. Who knew it would be needed. But this way, I get a warm backside and a shower to boot. As I was talking with Kim the Dock Master(Mistress?) as I was docking, I was informed that the tides here have a range of 8.5 to 9 feet, and that this is common on the ICW. It is going to make for some very interesting anchoring in the days ahead.
I couldn't believe it. I got up this morning and hopped around hissing blue breaths. I'm in South Carolina and I am freezing. Somethings wrong here! The farther south you go, the warmer it is supposed to get.
Now it wasn't cold COLD, but cold enough for that I was eventually attired in the "layered look." When I thought to check the temp, it was reading a brisk 47, but the wind was also blowing a good 20 knots and the sun wasn't up yet. Any way you slice it, it was cold! Eventually it did warm up, up to a high around 66 but it dropped just as fast as the the sun. According to the NOAA weather report, and you know they'll get this one right, there is a frost warning down here and the temp is supposed to dip into the 30's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is not what I had planned for nor is it anything I want. I want sun. I want Heat. I want high humidity.
Actually not a bad day sailing though the different currents and tides play havoc with one's speed. The Savannah River isn't all that wide, but it has a great flow rate and a lot of eddies along the banks especially where the ICW crosses. It doesn't help matters that big container ships are plying up and down the river like semi on I95. One must almost make a made dash across the river to get by, like trying to run across five or six lanes of traffic on foot. Actually, it wasn't that bad, close but not that bad.
South along the ICW from Atlanta is Thunderbolt, Georgia. From the river/ICW it doesn't look a big place but they Thunderbolt Marina, which is HUGE and Hinkley Yacht Services has a yard in Thunderbolt. This really caught my eye. For those of you unfamiliar with Hinkley, automotively think in terms of Ferrari. Hinkley in Thunderbolt is like Ferrari having a dealership in Resume Speed, Oklahoma. It just didn't fit . . . that is until two miles down from Thunderbolt, I passed the Savannah Yacht Club. It is bigger than most of the marinas I have seen on this trip! The has a boat hauling facility most marinas would give their eye teeth for and it is grand in every conceivable way. I would love to have reciprocating privileges with that spot.
Considering the next available diesel was 90 miles down the ICW, I stopped at Isle of Hope Marina in lovely Isle of Hope, Georgia and decided to spend the night. The fact that it is going down into the 30's means trouble in the morning, if you don't have a heated toilet seat on your yacht. Sadly, it is one of the things on my projects list that I just never quite got around to taking care of before the start of the trip. Who knew it would be needed. But this way, I get a warm backside and a shower to boot. As I was talking with Kim the Dock Master(Mistress?) as I was docking, I was informed that the tides here have a range of 8.5 to 9 feet, and that this is common on the ICW. It is going to make for some very interesting anchoring in the days ahead.
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