Melbourne

January 31st, 2014
28 12.702 N
80 38.765 W

Another gray and wet morning. According to the weather station, the cloud base is at 200' and visibility about 1/2 mile. So much for sunny Florida. We were under way soon after 9AM

Before we started engines this AM I did the usual engine room checks plus the strainers (where the cooling sea water enters the engines). To do so you shut the sea cocks. I am an absent minded idiot and forgot to reopen one of them and so 5 minutes underway we overheated and engine.  Not a good start.

As bright as it got

The day stayed gray and wet but calm. We made steady time as there was no tide - pro or con. The temperature managed to climb into the 60s. I celebrated a dryish hour by sweeping the water (and dirt) off the decks but moments later it was raining again. According to the weather report the temp and the dew point were about the same so the moisture was just running down the sides of the boat.

We arrived at the anchorage about 5 PM and made a very professional arrival.

New Smyrna Beach

Thursday January 30, 2014
29 00 951 N
80 54 737 W

After yesterday's experience, I spent an hour last night trying to figure out how to maximize the tidal current for today. I even went to the trouble of constructing an excel work sheet with tide info, openings to the Atlantic (where the tide enters and exits), boat speed etc in order to decide the best time to leave. The result of my analysis was the best we could hope for was about 18 "good" miles and 30 "bad" miles. Deidre's comment was basically "Who cares? Let's leave after breakfast!"

I hopped (hobbled?) out of bed at about 7 AM and had a look at the forecast. It was cold, wet and windy outside and the forecast just indicated another day of the same. I got back into bed and told Deidre "Let's just stay here in bed all day". Her response was "Hell no, lets go South!". We were under way at 7:50 AM and for reasons I cannot possible understand we had a strong tidal current assisting us 90% of the day. We made such good time that we changed our target destination from Daytona Beach to New Smyrna Beach, and extra 15 miles or so. All in all, we did 80 SM.

It was cold, wet and windy all day, but the wind was on our stern (enough to blow the cover off the dinghy!) and we were warm enough in the wheel house. All went well till we tried to anchor and ran aground in 12' of water (according to the chart!). Took us 30 mins to get off, and re-anchor a bit further south. The anchor took two tries in sand, which surprised me. The wind is still up, but the forecast says it will fade over night. I hope so.

Enough to make you dizzy

The wind kept up and after midnight when the tide changed Tide Hiker had a hard time settling down. The wind would not allow it to turn into the current and stay there. The chain ended up under the boat making horrible noises. I got up and spent the night in the pilot house with the computers running. I will attach a photo showing the boat movements.

St. Augustine

January 28, 2014

Will tour this Spanish galleon today

We arrived in St. Augustine just in time to make the 4:30 PM "Bridge of Lions" opening. The weather was deteriorating fast and it took us 4 tries to pick up a mooring ball. (We actually latched on to the ball each time but our lines got tangled under the ball each time). It was cold so we shut down the engines and fired up a generator and put on the heat. It had been a long day so we were in bed before 10 PM

This morning we dropped the mooring ball in Fernandina at first light and headed off shore. There was bad weather on the way and we wanted to get to St. Augustine before it arrived. We went out the channel into the Atlantic and headed south. The ocean was a study of "gray on gray" and looked very ominous, with visibility maybe a 1/2 mile. Radar was running so we could "see it" that way. We listed to the weather periodically and the forecast was holding up OK so logically we were OK but the look of the ocean was just spooky.

Morning tea at sea!

In an excess of caution we decided to go back inside at the St. Johns River entrance. A more efficient solution was to continue outside another 32 miles to the St. Augustine entrance. But my concern was that the worsening weather could arrive when we were about to enter St Augustine and the entrance was not a "Grade A" entrance and subject to strong currents. (I came into St Augustine in a large sport fishing boat with my sister on board about 10 years ago. It was a powerful boat and a sunny day but I remember using a lot of power to keep the boat straight. Tide Hiker does not have that amount of power.) So we came in at St. Johns.

Boat house on the ICW

We were immediately slowed down by adverse tidal currents. As slow as 4 kts in the St Johns and about 6 kts in the ICW. Outside we had been making 7.5 at 1650 RPM. Also, the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine did not open between 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM so we had a bit of a deadline. At one point I was running the engines at 1900 to keep up speed. We made the bridge with 5 minutes spare.

On the St John's river we passed another large US Navy base. We saw 8 destroyers/cruisers in the base plus plenty of other support vessels and helicopters buzzing around. (Did you know: The US Navy has about 430 ships including 10 aircraft carriers. On a tonnage basis the US navy is bigger than the next 13 countries combined! You really wonder what they do all day. These days they are into "stealth" ships so a lot of them don't look like real warships at all.)

 The weather woke us up during the night. At one point the current and the wind were working together and the lines on the mooring ball (doubled up) were groaning out loud. It rained all night and was 38 degrees when we woke. We plan to stay 2 nights and go ashore today for lunch and to tour the replica ships.

Wednesday January 29, 2014

Woke up to a cold and wet and gray morning. The honey boat came at 9 AM when I was still in my pajamas. We took it easy and caught the 10 AM water taxi to shore. We were rugged up but went straight to a coffee house for a latte and a paper. Then to the USPS and a "sailors consignment" store and the bank and I got a haircut (that made me feel even colder so Deidre bought me a hat).

Then we took a tour of the two replica ships. The Caravel was the size of the Magellan and Columbus ships. It really is not much bigger than Tide Hiker. The galleon is much bigger than the caravel and a replica of the ships send to Florida back in the 1600s to chase off the French who were nosing around at the time. In effect, St Augustine is its "home port". I was very impressed with the Galleon and just wish my camera was not dead.

The galeon

The caravel

Fernandina Beach, Florida!

January 27, 2014
30 40.239 N
81 28 136 W

Its amazing what you can get done if you get your ass out of bed at a decent time. We were up and under way by 8AM. The anchor came up clean as a whistle. Looked like a warm sunny day. We had a bit of a bad start with the tides but after lunch enjoyed a 1.5 kt push most of the way. As the miles passed under the keel we started extending our target until we decided we could make Fernandina Beach in Florida. We are now tied to a mooring ball in FB

Part of the "push" is that there is another giant cold front approaching from Canada. (These Canadians have a lot to answer for!) and it is expected to arrive around here tomorrow. At the moment the weather is quite balmy for a change, but all that is expected to change some time tomorrow. We need to go "outside" for the next leg and so if the morning forecast gives us 1/2 a day of decent weather we will head out and get into "Florida proper" If not, we will probable be here for a couple of days.

The fort

We have been here a couple of times now. It is quite an industrial little town, but has a quaint and well maintained downtown.

One of the paper mills

Shipping

I am not sure about these things

Did I mention it was calm?

Crescent River

Sunday January 26, 2014
Australia Day
31 30 137 N
81 20 153 W

Shipyard

We were on our way at 8:45 AM and anchored by 4:45 PM and managed 53 NM. A little warmer today, calm and overcast. We are anchored a mile or so off the ICW in about 20' of water. There are no sounds at all, very peaceful.

Once a boat leaves the Savannah area on the ICW all signs of civilization fade away. This is what the Georgia section of the ICW is renowned for. Today was 50 miles of marsh, "hammocks" and a tangle of rivers and creeks. There are no roads, bridges, houses etc. And today we only saw a couple of boats all day. Tomorrow will be basically the same until we hit Brunswick. I would guess that we had to travel two miles for every one  made. Last year when we went north in the Atlantic direct from Brunswick to Charleston it was 140 NM and 20 hours. Following the ICW will take 4 days between the same places. But the weather has been just too bad to go offshore

While on the subject of the weather another winter storm is forecast to arrive Monday night and last 2-3 days. So tomorrow afternoon we will be looking for a protected anchorage to hunker down in for a couple of days.

Thunderbird, GA

Saturday January 25, 2014
32 02.130 N
81.02.732 W

We kept warm and slept OK although Deidre got spooked by something that woke us all up. I was up about 8 AM (it was 29 degrees) and started a generator and turned on the heat and made some coffee. We took it easy keeping warm and did our emails.

I must not have been too keen to get out on the deck to recover the anchor, as we ended up not starting engines till about 9:30 and were not underway till about 10 AM. Other than being cold the morning seemed OK even though there was another small craft advisory predicting 30 MPH winds.

The captain keeping an eye open for "ships crossing"

Ship Crossing ahead

As we passed behind Hilton Head Island the waterway was deserted. We only saw one other boat all day. Ten miles later we crossed the Savannah River. It's an awkward crossing as the charts and navigation aids contradict each other (its not an uncommon issue) plus we have to be on the alert for big ship traffic. The good thing is that one can usually see the big ships over the marsh. Bottom line is that we needed to slow down to let a giant container ship cross in front of us.

The west wind built during the day and by the afternoon we were really feeling the effects. Since we were mostly heading south, the gusts were hitting our beam and leaning us over. We also seemed to be fighting the tide all day and averaging less than 6 knots. That combined with our late start meant we would not reach our target anchorage before dark. So we started thinking marina, and here we are. We were also getting a bit low on water so we filled up. It will be another cold night so we are plugged in and will keep warm all night. The forecast for tomorrow is much better.

Hilton Head - Nice place

Cohen Creek

Friday January 24, 2014
32 21 68 N
80 38 91 W

Was 27 degrees when we got up this AM with a forecast high of 37 degrees. The good news was that the updated Small Craft Advisory this morning predicted less winds (down from 30 MPH to 25 MPH) and the warning ended at 1 PM rather than 6 PM. So we cast off about 9 AM and headed back to the ICW.

The ICW winds around the compass in SC, but most of today we travelled South and West. When the wind was on our beam Tide Hiker healed over a few noticeable degrees, but we had the portable space heater going so we were pretty cosy in side. We saw two moving boats all day. The ambient temp reached its max of 37 degrees mid afternoon.  Deidre made me a "egg and sausage" sandwich about 11 AM and cheese sandwich with soup about 1 PM, so I was doing OK.

Sunset

We are now anchored in Cohen Creek, a few miles south of Beaufort, SC. We will make it to Georgia tomorrow. The temp has already dropped below freezing. We have a generator running to provide heat.

Rockville Marine (11 nights)

32 36 444 N
80 12 103 W
Monday January 13, 2014

Kylie and Mason came down to the boat to say goodbye. We were underway by 8:10 AM. The weather was cold - with ice on the deck - but sunny and clear, and it soon warmed up. The water was flat calm, we ran the boat from the Pilot House with the heater on. It was fun to be underway again. The trip to the boat yard was 42 NM, probably half that as the crow flies. We arrived at 2:30 and docked on a face dock in the creek. We will get hauled in the morning. We have 5 TV stations here!

Tuesday January 14, 2014

The evening was uneventful, although the power supply caused some issues so we switched over to the batteries for the night. Slack tide was conveniently timed at about 9 AM so positioning the boat was easy enough. The only hassle was the persistent rain.

Maybe if it stops raining we can go for a swim!

We discovered this AM that we are not allowed to sleep on the boat while it is "on the hill". But there is a B&B right next to the yard and so we will stay there for $40 a night! We popped over to have a look in the rain and meet the proprietor - she included use of her husband's truck so now we have wheels too. (So its really a "B & C")

The boat yard is a mess. The only saving grace seems to be that they have a pet goose called "AFLAC" (What else?) Aflac is pretty aggressive and seems to have Deidre fooled.

Aflac

Our digs

Wednesday January 15th, 2014

Nothing happened this morning. Apparently the electrician was feeling sick and we had not heard from the welder. Feeling a bit frustrated. I removed the aerials and peeled back the bimini roof in anticipation.

The welder and helper appeared at about 2 PM with the panels and the frame. They worked steadily until dark and the now frame is "tacked" in place. It looks fine. Before they started welding I got a bit paranoid and shut down all the electricity and disconnected all the electronics.

New shaft zincs

I entertained myself replacing zincs.

We found a really nice Italian restaurant about 12 miles away and had a delightful dinner. I do not say that very often!











Thursday, January 15th, 20114

Its bloody cold, close to freezing again. The electrician is still sick. The parts we need for the stabilizers were not ordered till yesterday and sent UPS ground.The welders said they would be here by 10 AM and arrived at 12:30 PM.  I am getting frustrated.

The "before"

Since we have the opportunity Deidre and I worked on the anti-fouling paint. The hull is in pretty decent shape but the running gear has lost a bit of paint. I sanded some spots on the hull where the paint had failed and wire brushed and sanded the running gear, and Deidre painted. It was sunny but so miserably cold.that the paint was stiff and work to apply. We were done by 4 PM and I feel at least some progress was made!

The welders arrived at 12:30 PM.  When they are here, they work hard but...... It is now about 6 PM and they have finished and I have paid them.
I was expecting them to help load the solar panels

The "after"

onto the frame but it was already dark and very cold, and I just wanted them gone. Deidre and I can put on the panels in daylight in the AM.

We are expecting another near freezing night. I was so stiff & cold when I got back to the house that I stood in a hot shower for 15 minutes to warm up.

The Admiral

Friday January 17, 2014

A good day that ended unhappily. Cold in the morning but warmed up as the day proceeded.

Panels resting in place.

We set to loading and securing the solar panels today. They are "only" 44 lbs each, but are awkward and we have to lift them vertically about 30'. So we carried them to the side of the boat, leant them against a 60" step ladder and put them in a sling on a rope that lead to the boat deck. I hauled from the top, Deidre lifted from the ground until the panel could "sit" on top of the step ladder. While I held the rope tightly, Deidre rushed up the steps onto the boat and the companionway. Then as I lifted again she grabbed the top of the panel as it passed. We both lifted until the panel could be rested on the side rail. Then Deidre rushed up to join me on the boat deck and we both hoisted and then lifted the panel onto the deck. This we did three times and had a cup of tea.

Next step was to get the panels up the last 15' onto the rack. We brought the step ladder onto the boat deck, lifted each panel on its end and rested it onto the top of the ladder. While I held it steady, Deidre climbed up onto the back of the seat in the flying bridge (my poor varnish!) and grabbed the leading edge as I lifted. Once the center of gravity passed onto the frame I joined her and scooted the frame into position. This we did three times.

Bolting on the panels

Next step was to bolt them down. The frame had moved a bit due to the welding heat but I only had to re-drill 6 connections (out of 30). By 4 PM I had them all bolted down. We tied a tarp over the panels so that they would not build up a charge.

I then turned my attention to getting the canvas top back on the Fly Bridge (under the panels) It needs to be laced on with nylon cord (that Deidre had driven to a not so local vendor to acquire). And that is when IT struck me. The welders had welded the solar panel frame to the wrong part of the "roof" structure. I must admit I could hardly believe it. I had given them drawings, and we had discussed the connection points, but had not actually supervised the work. Shit!

I immediately called the welder boss. When I told him he went silent and then as "the pennies dropped" he agreed a mistake had been made and took responsibility. They say they are coming Saturday to make the changes. Oh dear.

Dinner with friends visiting Charleston on a trawler and I had a couple of beers. On the way home a big thunderstorm rolled thru and beat the boat and panels with hail. That seemed to sum it all up.

Tomorrow I will have to take the panels off to protect them from the grinding and welding.


Saturday January 18, 2014

Too cold to work outside. I have decided to wait at least until the temp gets up to 40 degrees before I climb into the FB. The welders eventually arrived at about Noon. They worked till about 5:30 PM and got one connection replaced. Four to go!

We have been "evicted" from our "B & C" - the lady had a reservation for the long weekend. But she said we could keep the car! So we drove to Kylie and Ryans for the night - 36 miles each way. The welders promised to return at 11 AM Sunday.

Sunday January 19, 2014

Welders on the roof

Warmed up a bit this morning. I was a bit late, did not arrive till 11:10 AM. I was a bit concerned that I was late and would be holding them up.. No problem - they turned up at 1:30 PM! But they worked hard and cut out and replaced the remaining 4 supports, finishing just after dark. I was back at Kylie's by 7 PM and Deidre had dinner on the table. Long cold day.






Monday January 20, 2014

Back to the boat by 10 AM. First job was to put the panels back in place, followed by re-installing the 30 bolts, washes and nuts that hold them in place. I then put a meter on each of them to make sure no damage was done and was rewarded with about 35 Volts a panel.  Then I connected the three panels in series resulting in about 105 Volts. So far so good.

Its still cold!

Next step was to re-stretch the bimini top under the new solar rack, preliminary to re-lacing. This involved jacking up the solar rack and weighing down the bimini frame. This went well also.

The management advised that the electrician would be back at work Tuesday. We had endured some long cold days and so decided to take the rest of the day off.






Tuesday January 21, 2014

We were back at the boat by 8 AM (out of bed at 6:15 AM!) and both the mechanic and the electrician were on the job. By mid morning the boat was in an even bigger mess.

We had to get under the bed.....

The mechanics changed the stabilizer seals but discovered an oil leak. (I knew there was a leak somewhere as I have needed to top up the reservoir occasionally, but I was hoping the external seals would resolve the issue). The bad news was that a seal accessed inside the boat needs to be changed - and to get access the mechanics will need to remove a lot of "stuff".

I worked with the electrician and made decent progress.

We are back at the "B & C" for the night. The forecast calls for rain, wind and cold tonight.

Wednesday January 22, 2014

We were "splashed" back into the water today. The rest of the work can be done in the water, and it is a lot cleaner and more comfortable for us. It stormed last night - wind and rain. This morning our decks were covered in dead leaves frozen to the deck. As the sun warmed the boat Deidre spent an our getting the ice, leaves and dirt of the decks.

The big news is that we turned on the solar panels, and they worked. It is a cold (still in the 30's) but sunny day with a bit of haze. We are still a good way north and close to the winter solstice, so the sun is low in sky. Bottom line is that we are getting about 480 watts off the panels. The max potential is 750 watts. We will get more as the sun gets higher in the sky.

Some really shocking news today from Phoenix - a business acquaintance of mine died from a heart attack on Monday, aged 48!

The electrician was on the boat the rest of the day but did not get much done. I am looking forward to sleeping on the boat tonight.

Thursday January 23, 2014

TV Antenna

We are leaving tomorrow! This morning we decided that it would be more logical to have the stabilizer oil leak looked at in Florida. This morning the electrician finished running the co-ax cable for the sat TV aerial. Of course, it did not work so we will have that looked at in Florida also.

Deidre has taken the marina truck and is getting her hair cut, as well as grocery shopping, visiting the Post Office and the hardware store. I am busy watching the solar panels work!

This morning we watched a couple of full sized porpoises "herding fish" and ending up almost totally out of the water on the bank of the marsh opposite Tide Hiker - then wiggling off.

It will be cold tomorrow, but at least we will be moving.