Wednesday October 29, 2014
33.86325 N
112.14029 W
Good night's sleep - the anchor did not drag but the view had stayed the same. Water and gas were turned on by 9 AM, just now waiting for hot water for a shower. As usual Deidre is having trouble getting used to all the space.
From now on I will only make a blog entry if "something happens"!.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Palm Coast (Dock behind private house)
Friday October 24, 2014
Easy run, only 25 miles, and for some reason we had the tide all the way, even after Matansas Inlet. We called our contact (Barry Kipnis) when we arrived at the canal that leads into the development and he met us at the dock 10 minutes later. The dock is behind a house towards the back of the development, in a well protected "corner". The various feeder canals are quite narrow so it was fun looking into the backyards as we worked our way in. Barry invited Deidre and I to join them out for dinner that night.
Saturday October 26, 2014
Rode my bike into town this morning and did a bit of light shopping. Another perfect weather day, lots of warm sun, light breeze, great day for a ride. Spent the rest of the day sorting out the boat.
Sunday October 27, 2014
Another perfect morning. Bacon and eggs for breakfast. We have a couple of days to eat our way thru the refrigerator.
Monday October 28, 2014
Another perfect day. Deidre picked up the rental.
Tuesday October 28, 2014
Left Tide Hiker at about 10 AM EDST and arrived in Anthem at about 8 PM MT. All was well with the house, we were in bed early.
Easy run, only 25 miles, and for some reason we had the tide all the way, even after Matansas Inlet. We called our contact (Barry Kipnis) when we arrived at the canal that leads into the development and he met us at the dock 10 minutes later. The dock is behind a house towards the back of the development, in a well protected "corner". The various feeder canals are quite narrow so it was fun looking into the backyards as we worked our way in. Barry invited Deidre and I to join them out for dinner that night.
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| Entering Palm Coast |
Rode my bike into town this morning and did a bit of light shopping. Another perfect weather day, lots of warm sun, light breeze, great day for a ride. Spent the rest of the day sorting out the boat.
Sunday October 27, 2014
Another perfect morning. Bacon and eggs for breakfast. We have a couple of days to eat our way thru the refrigerator.
Monday October 28, 2014
Another perfect day. Deidre picked up the rental.
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| Tide Hiker on the other side. |
Left Tide Hiker at about 10 AM EDST and arrived in Anthem at about 8 PM MT. All was well with the house, we were in bed early.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
St. Augustine (Mooring Ball)
Thursday October 23, 2014
29 53 286 N
81 18 430 W
The port engine cranked but did not want to start this morning. I quickly checked the various fuel line connections for tightness - the one just before the injector pump took a quarter turn and the 6 machine screws around the perimeter of the low pressure fuel pump took about a 1/4 turn each. Then I bled the fuel filter assembly and tried the engine again - and it started. Amazing.
The 25 miles to St. Augustine were otherwise uneventful. We rode the tide the whole way so it was pretty fast. When we arrived it was low tide so we were able to "squeeze" under the Bridge of Lions and take a mooring ball. We launched the dink just so we could start the engine and run it out of fuel so the gas would not be sitting in the carburetter for the two months we were away - the source of all our issues since.
We did not go into town - been here done that, and we need to eat as much food in the frig as possible in the next 3 days. Perfect afternoon and the solar panels are making 650 Watts.
29 53 286 N
81 18 430 W
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| Mooring Field at St. Augustine |
The 25 miles to St. Augustine were otherwise uneventful. We rode the tide the whole way so it was pretty fast. When we arrived it was low tide so we were able to "squeeze" under the Bridge of Lions and take a mooring ball. We launched the dink just so we could start the engine and run it out of fuel so the gas would not be sitting in the carburetter for the two months we were away - the source of all our issues since.
We did not go into town - been here done that, and we need to eat as much food in the frig as possible in the next 3 days. Perfect afternoon and the solar panels are making 650 Watts.
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| The "Bridge of Lions" north of the mooring field |
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Palm Cove (Marina)
Wednesday October 22, 2014
30 17 410 N
81 25 914 W
Big Change of Plans
Back in Marsh Harbor Deidre took a spill off her bike and landed on her knee. She was really hurting for a few days but after a while her knee felt better, but not great. In Charleston she went to a doctor and received a cortisone shot in her knee and arranged to get an MRI. The cortisone helped but the MRI showed a damaged meniscus and some "loose bodies" and a bit of arthritis. Over the past few weeks she has not been able to ride a bike and can only walk a few hundred yards without experiencing pain. A few days ago she took an awkward step and experienced lots of pain. So we have decided to delay our winter cruise and have her knee issues to attended to with surgery.
We have made arrangements to store Tide Hiker at Palm Coast. Deidre has been in contact with Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale and has arranged a consultation on 11/3. Hopefully the procedure will follow soon after. Being in Arizona means that Deidre can recuperate in our house at Anthem. We will arrive in Palm Coast on Friday and fly to Phoenix on Tuesday.
30 17 410 N
81 25 914 W
Big Change of Plans
Back in Marsh Harbor Deidre took a spill off her bike and landed on her knee. She was really hurting for a few days but after a while her knee felt better, but not great. In Charleston she went to a doctor and received a cortisone shot in her knee and arranged to get an MRI. The cortisone helped but the MRI showed a damaged meniscus and some "loose bodies" and a bit of arthritis. Over the past few weeks she has not been able to ride a bike and can only walk a few hundred yards without experiencing pain. A few days ago she took an awkward step and experienced lots of pain. So we have decided to delay our winter cruise and have her knee issues to attended to with surgery.
We have made arrangements to store Tide Hiker at Palm Coast. Deidre has been in contact with Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale and has arranged a consultation on 11/3. Hopefully the procedure will follow soon after. Being in Arizona means that Deidre can recuperate in our house at Anthem. We will arrive in Palm Coast on Friday and fly to Phoenix on Tuesday.
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| Shipping on the St. John River |
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Jacksonville Landing (Free Dock)
Tuesday October 21, 2014
We decided against heading further south on the river - we have cruised on plenty of rivers and there did not seem to be anything of particular interest on the St. Johns. So we waited for the tide and headed north. On the way back we heard friends on the radio ("Rickshaw") and arranged to meet back at Jacksonville Landing.
We decided against heading further south on the river - we have cruised on plenty of rivers and there did not seem to be anything of particular interest on the St. Johns. So we waited for the tide and headed north. On the way back we heard friends on the radio ("Rickshaw") and arranged to meet back at Jacksonville Landing.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Green Cove Springs (City Dock)
Monday October 20, 2014
29 59 660 N
81 40 473 W
Another easy day - maybe we are just getting into a cruising mind set after 2 1/2 years on the water. Our target was the City Dock in Green Cove Springs, just 21 NM away. This is where our "mail house" is located and we have decided to give it a visit.
The Straus Railroad bridge crosses the river in Jacksonville and it was scheduled to be open between 9 AM and 10 AM so we were off the dock at 9:20 AM and under the bridge. Heading south the river was wide and calm. There was only one spot at the GCS City Dock that we would fit, and when we arrived the place was deserted so there was no issue.
We lowered one bike and I rode a few miles to the mail-house and picked up the current batch of mail. Back at the boat met a South African couple on a sailing boat and invited them back for a beer.
29 59 660 N
81 40 473 W
Another easy day - maybe we are just getting into a cruising mind set after 2 1/2 years on the water. Our target was the City Dock in Green Cove Springs, just 21 NM away. This is where our "mail house" is located and we have decided to give it a visit.
The Straus Railroad bridge crosses the river in Jacksonville and it was scheduled to be open between 9 AM and 10 AM so we were off the dock at 9:20 AM and under the bridge. Heading south the river was wide and calm. There was only one spot at the GCS City Dock that we would fit, and when we arrived the place was deserted so there was no issue.
We lowered one bike and I rode a few miles to the mail-house and picked up the current batch of mail. Back at the boat met a South African couple on a sailing boat and invited them back for a beer.
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| Green Cove Springs |
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Jacksonville Landing (Free Dock)
Saturday October 18, 2014
30 19 467 N
81 39 665 W
Long day with a good fun ending.
Its desirable to catch the tide for the 25 mile run up the St. Johns River to Jacksonville, otherwise you can be pushing a 2 1/2 knot current all the way. So we had consulted the tide tables and timed our departure to arrive 1/2 hour after the flood started. But because of the dinghy motor problem we were delayed a day. So I checked the tide tables and adjusted our Fernandina departure 1/2 hour earlier.
We dropped the mooring right on time at 8:30 AM and headed out into the Atlantic. It was a nice sunny day with a long 1-2 foot swell and virtually no chop. We were making great progress when I realized we would arrive at the entrance an hour early - I had adjusted our departure time the wrong way! So we slowed Tide Hiker back to about 4 kts to delay our arrival. What a drag.
Our target was a free dock at "Jacksonville Landing" - this is in the middle of the Jacksonville entertainment district. Because it was now the weekend - and a football weekend - we were doubtful that there would be space for us but we lucked out and squeezed in at about 5:30PM. The place was really hopping.
Mixed into the restaurants is a stage with live bands till after we wet to bed. The theme was all latino and had the whole place hopping. Most notable was the number of large gyrating asses. Deidre and I had pizza dinner.
Sunday the Cleveland Browns are in town to play the Jaguars. Let's hope no-one throws any batteries at Tide Hiker.
30 19 467 N
81 39 665 W
Long day with a good fun ending.
Its desirable to catch the tide for the 25 mile run up the St. Johns River to Jacksonville, otherwise you can be pushing a 2 1/2 knot current all the way. So we had consulted the tide tables and timed our departure to arrive 1/2 hour after the flood started. But because of the dinghy motor problem we were delayed a day. So I checked the tide tables and adjusted our Fernandina departure 1/2 hour earlier.
We dropped the mooring right on time at 8:30 AM and headed out into the Atlantic. It was a nice sunny day with a long 1-2 foot swell and virtually no chop. We were making great progress when I realized we would arrive at the entrance an hour early - I had adjusted our departure time the wrong way! So we slowed Tide Hiker back to about 4 kts to delay our arrival. What a drag.
Our target was a free dock at "Jacksonville Landing" - this is in the middle of the Jacksonville entertainment district. Because it was now the weekend - and a football weekend - we were doubtful that there would be space for us but we lucked out and squeezed in at about 5:30PM. The place was really hopping.
Mixed into the restaurants is a stage with live bands till after we wet to bed. The theme was all latino and had the whole place hopping. Most notable was the number of large gyrating asses. Deidre and I had pizza dinner.
Sunday the Cleveland Browns are in town to play the Jaguars. Let's hope no-one throws any batteries at Tide Hiker.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Fernandina Beach (Mooring Ball)
Wednesday October 15, 2014
30 40 238 N
81 28 171 W
We are in Florida! Just a short run over the border to Fernandina. We went straight to the fuel dock, pumpted-out and paid for two days on a ball. Nice day but a bit breezy.
Dropped the dinghy but I just could not get it to run. Most frustrating. I called Gene Taylor to get his advise - he was on the way to the airport. We recovered the dinghy and over the next 60 minutes I removed and cleaned the carburetor and blew out the fuel lines. My conclusion was that the problem is the fuel pump - I will attack that tomorrow.
Thursday, October 16
This morning I removed the fuel pump and opened it up. I really have no clue what I am doing ..... but how complicated can it be? Apparently too complicated for me. Put everything back together and launched the dinghy and ......... no noticeable improvement.
So we located a local mechanic and called the marina to ask permission to pull up at the face dock for an hour or so. We used the crane to lower the dinghy on the dock and then loaded the outboard motor in a dock cart. The mechanics place was only a quarter mile away and I walked over dragging the cart. That all worked fine, so now we just have to wait till Friday morning.
We had a problem that a west wind was blowing hard and was pinning Tide Hiker to the dock. We watched several boats have all sorts of issues getting off. But the marina people told us after some discussion that we needed to leave the dock by 6PM, or they will charge us an extra $85! I was dragging my feet hoping the wind will go down with the sun................
At 6 PM the wind was still strong so we used a "bow spring" to spring the stern out into the wind, so we could back off the dock, and that worked well.
Friday, October 17, 2014
It was a beautiful calm morning so when the motor was ready rather than go thru the hassle of taking Tide Hiker to the marina we decided to paddle the dinghy the 200 yards to the dock. We picked up the motor in a marina cart and soon had it hooked up again. We stayed in town and celebrated with a couple of lattes.
The motor started OK but still seems to have idling issues. Oh well..... But we were still able to take the dink back into town for dinner.
30 40 238 N
81 28 171 W
We are in Florida! Just a short run over the border to Fernandina. We went straight to the fuel dock, pumpted-out and paid for two days on a ball. Nice day but a bit breezy.
Dropped the dinghy but I just could not get it to run. Most frustrating. I called Gene Taylor to get his advise - he was on the way to the airport. We recovered the dinghy and over the next 60 minutes I removed and cleaned the carburetor and blew out the fuel lines. My conclusion was that the problem is the fuel pump - I will attack that tomorrow.
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| I like to take a few photos before I take things apart that I do not understand. |
Thursday, October 16
This morning I removed the fuel pump and opened it up. I really have no clue what I am doing ..... but how complicated can it be? Apparently too complicated for me. Put everything back together and launched the dinghy and ......... no noticeable improvement.
So we located a local mechanic and called the marina to ask permission to pull up at the face dock for an hour or so. We used the crane to lower the dinghy on the dock and then loaded the outboard motor in a dock cart. The mechanics place was only a quarter mile away and I walked over dragging the cart. That all worked fine, so now we just have to wait till Friday morning.
We had a problem that a west wind was blowing hard and was pinning Tide Hiker to the dock. We watched several boats have all sorts of issues getting off. But the marina people told us after some discussion that we needed to leave the dock by 6PM, or they will charge us an extra $85! I was dragging my feet hoping the wind will go down with the sun................
At 6 PM the wind was still strong so we used a "bow spring" to spring the stern out into the wind, so we could back off the dock, and that worked well.
Friday, October 17, 2014
It was a beautiful calm morning so when the motor was ready rather than go thru the hassle of taking Tide Hiker to the marina we decided to paddle the dinghy the 200 yards to the dock. We picked up the motor in a marina cart and soon had it hooked up again. We stayed in town and celebrated with a couple of lattes.
The motor started OK but still seems to have idling issues. Oh well..... But we were still able to take the dink back into town for dinner.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
St. Mary's (Marina)
October 14, 2014
Not too impressed so far - no one to help us arrive. There is quite a tidal current and lots of wind, so a bit of help on the dock would have been nice. But we did OK although the midships fender got a good squishing! We hauled off the shore power cable and connected it - no electricity. Two strikes!.
After we settled in we wandered into town to have a look around The other boats at the slips were a pretty rough lot. We walked over to the Harbor Masters office but he was at lunch so we wandered thru town. Nice enough but not much going on. Visited the "Submarine Museum" which was about worth the $4 entrance fee.
Returned the 1/2 mile over to the Dock Master's dirty office but this time he was "doing a delivery". I scribbled a note "call me when you are available". We returned to Tide Hiker and focused on the approaching huge bank of black clouds. That's about when "Nat" called - "You have to come over as I leave at 4 PM". Like an idiot, I made the trip, arriving back on the dock just as hell broke loose.
The wind was very strong and had changed direction 180 degrees together with lots of lightening and heavy rain. Tide Hiker had blown 8' off the dock and there was no way I could get aboard. How the hell did that happen - we had 2 stern lines, 2 bow lines and 2 crossed spring lines in place? Deidre threw me an extra dock line mid ships and then used the bow thruster to close the gap. I jumped the last 3'.
Not too impressed so far - no one to help us arrive. There is quite a tidal current and lots of wind, so a bit of help on the dock would have been nice. But we did OK although the midships fender got a good squishing! We hauled off the shore power cable and connected it - no electricity. Two strikes!.
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| St Mary's is literally "off the map (chart)". The little yellow boat shows the place where we are tied up to the dock |
After we settled in we wandered into town to have a look around The other boats at the slips were a pretty rough lot. We walked over to the Harbor Masters office but he was at lunch so we wandered thru town. Nice enough but not much going on. Visited the "Submarine Museum" which was about worth the $4 entrance fee.
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| At the submarine museum: "Mark!" |
The wind was very strong and had changed direction 180 degrees together with lots of lightening and heavy rain. Tide Hiker had blown 8' off the dock and there was no way I could get aboard. How the hell did that happen - we had 2 stern lines, 2 bow lines and 2 crossed spring lines in place? Deidre threw me an extra dock line mid ships and then used the bow thruster to close the gap. I jumped the last 3'.
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| I assume this boat is on a long term rate? |
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| Might need some canvas work? |
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| Varnish needs a bit of work |
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| "Deidre, are you doing the washing???" |
Cumberland Island (Anchorage)
October 13, 2014
30 46 031 N
81 28 319 W
Another beautiful morning, but with wind in the forecast. Another short run planned to the anchorage at Cumberland Island, one of our favorites. Cumberland Island is right on the border with Florida. We arrived about 2:30 PM and the island gave us good protection from the wind.
West of the Island is the St. Mary's nuclear sub base. We have passed it 4 times now and never seen any movement. Just the patrol boat with the 50 cal machine gun on its bow watching us as we pass. But 1/2 hour after we had the anchor down we saw a sub go up the channel.
We had towed the dinghy from St. Simons so it was easy to go ashore for a walk over to the ocean beach. The island is a park and the animals are protected. On the way over a young fawn walked onto the trail and just looked at us for a few minutes. Further on we heard rustling in the undergrowth and observed 2 or 3 armadillos rooting around in the dirt. They were also unconcerned by our presence.
There is a row of big storms crossing the country that will arrive hereabouts sometime tomorrow. So in the AM we plan to head to St. Mary's and take a slip for the night. We have never been there before and we hear it is a quaint old place. As I write this I can hear the wind picking up.
30 46 031 N
81 28 319 W
Another beautiful morning, but with wind in the forecast. Another short run planned to the anchorage at Cumberland Island, one of our favorites. Cumberland Island is right on the border with Florida. We arrived about 2:30 PM and the island gave us good protection from the wind.
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| Passing Brunswick |
West of the Island is the St. Mary's nuclear sub base. We have passed it 4 times now and never seen any movement. Just the patrol boat with the 50 cal machine gun on its bow watching us as we pass. But 1/2 hour after we had the anchor down we saw a sub go up the channel.
We had towed the dinghy from St. Simons so it was easy to go ashore for a walk over to the ocean beach. The island is a park and the animals are protected. On the way over a young fawn walked onto the trail and just looked at us for a few minutes. Further on we heard rustling in the undergrowth and observed 2 or 3 armadillos rooting around in the dirt. They were also unconcerned by our presence.
There is a row of big storms crossing the country that will arrive hereabouts sometime tomorrow. So in the AM we plan to head to St. Mary's and take a slip for the night. We have never been there before and we hear it is a quaint old place. As I write this I can hear the wind picking up.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
St. Simon's Island (Anchorage)
Sunday October 12, 2014
31 10 673 N
81 24 661 W
Tonight we are meeting friends on a DeFever 44' at an anchorage new St. Simon's Island for "Docktails". The anchorage is only 29 NM away so it will be an easy run. It is another perfect day, in the high 80s with a bit of a southerly. The only notable event was crossing paths with a large alligator - maybe 8' long. We stopped and turned to get a better photo but he (or she) was too self conscious and disappeared into the murky water.
We are now anchored, good spot but open to the North.
Our friends ran late so we invited them over to Tide Hiker for dinner. Very pleasant evening.
31 10 673 N
81 24 661 W
Tonight we are meeting friends on a DeFever 44' at an anchorage new St. Simon's Island for "Docktails". The anchorage is only 29 NM away so it will be an easy run. It is another perfect day, in the high 80s with a bit of a southerly. The only notable event was crossing paths with a large alligator - maybe 8' long. We stopped and turned to get a better photo but he (or she) was too self conscious and disappeared into the murky water.
We are now anchored, good spot but open to the North.
Our friends ran late so we invited them over to Tide Hiker for dinner. Very pleasant evening.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Darien (Free Dock)
Friday October 10, 2014
31 22 045 N
81 26 129 W
Darien is one of our favorite stops when we take the ICW through Georgia. It is a bit off the ICW (8 NM up the Darien River) and it is not an especially pretty place, but the dock is free and the supermarket is only a mile away.
We are usually here by ourselfs, but last night another trawler arrived about 3 PM - "Queen Anne's Revenge".We helped them dock (which was a good thing as their "admiral" was rather handicapped and could barely throw a line) and they invited us over for a cocktail before dinner. The captain was an ex Navy destroyer captain and they were an interesting couple to chat with.
Saturday October 11, 2014
We helped Queen Anne's Revenge depart at about 8 AM and then headed off to the supermarket. The supermarket was clean and new but with limited selection. We have a little wheel buggy for grocery shopping and I tend to race ahead with the refrigerated products so we get them into the frig ASAP. On the walk back I ran into a guy who turned out to be the mayor. His name was "Bubba" Hodge- no kidding. We had a nice chat and he offered to drive back and give Deidre a lift to the dock.
I learned an interesting story from the Mayor. Some of the shrimp boats are now catching jelly fish. The jellies are "cored, dried and sliced" and exported to Korea. Some Koreans have purchased a couple of the boats and set up the processing facility. Note the name of the boat in the photo below. (I am now searching for a boat called "Bubba Kim")
31 22 045 N
81 26 129 W
Darien is one of our favorite stops when we take the ICW through Georgia. It is a bit off the ICW (8 NM up the Darien River) and it is not an especially pretty place, but the dock is free and the supermarket is only a mile away.
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| Darien fishing fleet |
Saturday October 11, 2014
We helped Queen Anne's Revenge depart at about 8 AM and then headed off to the supermarket. The supermarket was clean and new but with limited selection. We have a little wheel buggy for grocery shopping and I tend to race ahead with the refrigerated products so we get them into the frig ASAP. On the walk back I ran into a guy who turned out to be the mayor. His name was "Bubba" Hodge- no kidding. We had a nice chat and he offered to drive back and give Deidre a lift to the dock.
I learned an interesting story from the Mayor. Some of the shrimp boats are now catching jelly fish. The jellies are "cored, dried and sliced" and exported to Korea. Some Koreans have purchased a couple of the boats and set up the processing facility. Note the name of the boat in the photo below. (I am now searching for a boat called "Bubba Kim")
This afternoon I unloaded a bike and rode over to the "local fort" built by the Scottish settlers in about 1721. It was about a mile away, the road was flat and I was in the shade of the live oak trees.
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| The guard tower |
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| The barracks |
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| The timbers were all mortised, held together with pegs |
It was a hot afternoon in Georgia.
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| Our two-fisted neighbor |
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Wahoo River (Anchored)
October 9, 2014
31 35 677 N
81 12 373 W
Our plans for today were dictated by "Hell Gate". This is a narrow and shallow passage in the Ossabaw Sound that we needed to pass through safely. Shame on the Georgia and Federal Governments for not maintaining this passage. We use a "crowd sourced" website for boating information called "Active Captain", and reports in Active Captain indicated that the water in this passage could be as little as 30" inches at low tide. We need a raw minimum of 54" to 57" plus a safety factor. The tidal range in this area is about 9' to 10' so we decided that to be safe we needed at least 50% tide to attempt the passage. (The extra safety factor needed because we would be passing on an ebb tide - the worst time to run aground.)
The tide started to ebb in Savannah at about 10 AM but we decided to leave at 7:30 AM and fight the last of the flood in order to arrive at Hell Gate with plenty of water. We arrived at hell gate right on time and passed through with no less than 6' under our keel - indicating overall depth of about 10.5'. So much for "crowd sourcing"!
We are now anchored - in complete isolation. The marsh stretches out in every direction, with just a few "hammocks" of tree-islands scattered around. The sun is setting, the wind is getting up a bit and whistling thru the boats aerials and insect screens. It is just amazing that in this country of 350 million people that such wild places can still be found, and I love it. We could probably nose our way a bit further into the marsh and no-one could find us for months. A contradiction to all this isolation is that we can still get internet access and satellite TV! The tide is changing and the boat is moving - time to check the plotter.
31 35 677 N
81 12 373 W
Our plans for today were dictated by "Hell Gate". This is a narrow and shallow passage in the Ossabaw Sound that we needed to pass through safely. Shame on the Georgia and Federal Governments for not maintaining this passage. We use a "crowd sourced" website for boating information called "Active Captain", and reports in Active Captain indicated that the water in this passage could be as little as 30" inches at low tide. We need a raw minimum of 54" to 57" plus a safety factor. The tidal range in this area is about 9' to 10' so we decided that to be safe we needed at least 50% tide to attempt the passage. (The extra safety factor needed because we would be passing on an ebb tide - the worst time to run aground.)
The tide started to ebb in Savannah at about 10 AM but we decided to leave at 7:30 AM and fight the last of the flood in order to arrive at Hell Gate with plenty of water. We arrived at hell gate right on time and passed through with no less than 6' under our keel - indicating overall depth of about 10.5'. So much for "crowd sourcing"!
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| Leaving the river front this morning |
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| Our only neighbor in the marsh |
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Savannah (City Docks)
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
32 04 889 N
81 05 361 W
Up early today so we could catch the tide up the Savannah River. Savannah is a busy port and traffic on the river was quite amazing - we passed (or were passed by) 4 huge container ships in one hour period.
After a bit of confusion we found the City Docks and secured Tide Hiker. We are the only boat on 300' of riverside floating dock. We are in the epicenter of the tourist area, alongside River Road.
We tidied up the boat and headed ashore. These days when we visit a "large city" we head for the tourist welcome center and take a ride on "Lolly The Trolley".
32 04 889 N
81 05 361 W
Up early today so we could catch the tide up the Savannah River. Savannah is a busy port and traffic on the river was quite amazing - we passed (or were passed by) 4 huge container ships in one hour period.
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| Seems to be headed this way! |
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| At the ready |
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| In the USA we drive on the right side |
After a bit of confusion we found the City Docks and secured Tide Hiker. We are the only boat on 300' of riverside floating dock. We are in the epicenter of the tourist area, alongside River Road.
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| Tide Hiker docked on River Road (You can see she is a chick magnet!) |
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| First on board! |
The tour lasted a good couple of hours and we learned all about Savannah. Most of this I forgot immediately, except:
1. "Jingle Bells" was penned here
2. Savannah sees over 12 million tourists per year. Wow!
Back to the boat for lunch and a read.
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| This giant lady passed by as we were eating lunch |
Wednesday October 8, 2014
The big ships passing our door continue to amaze me.
This morning Deidre headed off to tour a couple of the historical homes, and I headed out to explore the city on my bike. It was another perfect weather day. Throughout the summer and on weekends other times of the year a "tram" provides transport for tourists along River Street. I found it in its shed and immediately recognized it as a Melbourne tram! Back at the boat this afternoon I Google'd it.
"To provide streetcar service a 1930s-era W5-class streetcar (#756), originally from Melbourne, Australia, was purchased by the city for about $207,000 "
We visited our favorite "tea house" for lunch. Very pukka! In the photo if you look closely you can see my pinky finger in the proper position. They even had scones and jam and cream.
Deidre's two houses:
The big ships passing our door continue to amaze me.
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| We looked this one up - 108,000 tons! |
"To provide streetcar service a 1930s-era W5-class streetcar (#756), originally from Melbourne, Australia, was purchased by the city for about $207,000 "
We visited our favorite "tea house" for lunch. Very pukka! In the photo if you look closely you can see my pinky finger in the proper position. They even had scones and jam and cream.
Deidre's two houses:
Wright River (Anchored)
Monday October 6, 2014
32 05 889 N
80 56 387 W
Took it easy this morning as we were waiting for the tide to take us down the Beaufort River. Only expecting a short 35 NM day, planning to anchor in the Wright River tonight. The anchorage is only be about 10 NM from Savannah, and we will catch the end of the flood tide to ride up the Savannah river in the morning. The weather was perfect all day and we expected a calm night.
Arrived at the anchorage at about 3:30 PM and dropped anchor, but we could not make it set so repeated the process. Second time was a charm - or so it seemed. There was a lot of current and it would change a couple of times while we were there so the anchor needed to be well set. Quiet night, not even a crab boat.
32 05 889 N
80 56 387 W
Took it easy this morning as we were waiting for the tide to take us down the Beaufort River. Only expecting a short 35 NM day, planning to anchor in the Wright River tonight. The anchorage is only be about 10 NM from Savannah, and we will catch the end of the flood tide to ride up the Savannah river in the morning. The weather was perfect all day and we expected a calm night.
Arrived at the anchorage at about 3:30 PM and dropped anchor, but we could not make it set so repeated the process. Second time was a charm - or so it seemed. There was a lot of current and it would change a couple of times while we were there so the anchor needed to be well set. Quiet night, not even a crab boat.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Beaufort - Mooring Ball
32 25 801 N
80 40 584 W
The diesel mechanic turned up right on time at about 9:30 AM. Nice old guy. He load tested the starting battery and immediately concluded that it was the problem. The voltage was OK, but it failed under load. We removed the battery, loaded it into his truck, and he was back in about 15 minutes with the replacement. By 10:30 AM the new battery was in place and he was gone. It was that simple. I was pleased with the service but somewhat bummed about the old battery - it was only 18 months old but was only guaranteed for 12 months!
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| The DeFevers, Tide Hiker in the middle |
Saturday October 4, 2014
Beaufort, SC is an attractive and historical town. The area has a long history of being contested by the Indians, the Spanish, the French, the British as well as being involved in the war of Independence and the Civil war. It is located about 15 miles inland up the Beaufort River from the Atlantic that made it a natural port. In the 1700's and the 1800's the slave based rice and cotton industries made plenty of fortunes and this is still evidenced by the bounty of mansions still standing.
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| View of the marina and the "Shrimp Festival" on shore |
There was a good crowd at the fair on the waterfront and the adjacent Main Street was bustling with a real holiday atmosphere. Deidre has a bunch of Xmas presents to buy so treated all the stalls as a buying opportunity. There was lots of "Carnival food" available but we opted for an outside restaurant on Main Street for lunch. Shrimp of course. We bought a newspaper and headed back to Tide Hiker.
Sunday October 5, 2014
Another perfect morning. We headed into shore for breakfast, and a Sunday paper, my favorite reading & eating activity. (Although the news on the front page did not help much.) After breakfast we headed off for a walking tour around the shaded streets. Many of the streets are lined with very old and huge Live Oaks which in turn are draped with Spanish Moss. Really very delightful.
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| So many houses ... |
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| At the dinghy dock |
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| Live Oak overhanging the street |
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Lady Island Marina, Beaufort, SC
Thursday October 2, 2014
32 25 183 N
80 39 461 W
The port engine did not want to start again this morning. The engine only needs about 1 rotation to fire, but this morning it would only crank about 1/2 a turn. I do not think it is the battery. Each engine has a dedicated 4D battery with 1,050 cranking amps. I had previously checked the battery and it seemed fine - 12.8 V at rest - and it is less than 2 years old. We have the ability to push a button and "jump" both starting batteries, and that started the engine. But not "enthusiastically". So once we got underway I made some calls and decided to stop at this marina in Beaufort and hire a diesel mechanic to look at the system. We are now secure at the marina and the mechanic will be here in the morning.
Other than the issue with the port engine, the day was pretty perfect. We arrived at the marina to find another DeFever and another arrived an hour or so later - a mini rendezvous. There is a group headed to a local restaurant for "pork chop night" but Deidre has been cooking spaghetti sauce in the crock pot all day so we are staying put. There is a good exchange library here, so I am off to get some new reading material.
32 25 183 N
80 39 461 W
The port engine did not want to start again this morning. The engine only needs about 1 rotation to fire, but this morning it would only crank about 1/2 a turn. I do not think it is the battery. Each engine has a dedicated 4D battery with 1,050 cranking amps. I had previously checked the battery and it seemed fine - 12.8 V at rest - and it is less than 2 years old. We have the ability to push a button and "jump" both starting batteries, and that started the engine. But not "enthusiastically". So once we got underway I made some calls and decided to stop at this marina in Beaufort and hire a diesel mechanic to look at the system. We are now secure at the marina and the mechanic will be here in the morning.
Other than the issue with the port engine, the day was pretty perfect. We arrived at the marina to find another DeFever and another arrived an hour or so later - a mini rendezvous. There is a group headed to a local restaurant for "pork chop night" but Deidre has been cooking spaghetti sauce in the crock pot all day so we are staying put. There is a good exchange library here, so I am off to get some new reading material.
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| A fleet of DeFevers (Tide Hiker in the middle) |
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Toogoodoo Creek
October 1, 2014
32 39 678 N
80 16 416 W
We delayed our departure until 11 AM to catch the tide. We only planned a 35 NM day so there was no rush. It was a beautiful calm and sunny morning, and stayed that way for most of the day. Our target was Toogoodoo Creek and we arrived about 4 PM and the anchor was set by 4:30 PM. It is a very peaceful and isolated spot deep in the marsh. Tide Hiker ran well, there were only a couple of minor issues that I can sort out. Deidre made roast chicken dinner and TV reception was pretty good. When we went to bed we could hear the dolphins feeding around us in the dark. Tomorrow we head for Beaufort, SC where we will stay a few days on a ball and enjoy the town. We have 15 days to make it to Florida so "What's the hurry?"
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| Elliot Cut |
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| Bald eagle |
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