Wednesday May 31, 2017
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Today actually started yesterday when we drove to Charleston for Deidre's MRI at MUSC on Tuesday. All went well and we headed over to the kids house, bearing Mexican food. Mason gave us a big welcome, what a nice kid.
This morning we were back at the Orthopedic Department for more ex-rays and a meeting with the spine specialist. We looked at the exrays and discovered that Deidre's back was straight as a ruler and well padded! After some doctor style "this and that" the specialist and his assistant decided that the problem was probably HIP and not BACK! So now she can look forward to a steroid shot into her hip joint on June 13 and a meeting with the HIP specialist a few days later.
We met Ky and Ryan for lunch. We parked our car outside of Belk and Ryan drove us the 80 miles back to Tide Hiker in Beaufort. We were "motivated" to get underway by slack at 3:30 PM and ended up running down the dock at 3:25 PM, had the engines running by 3:30 PM and underway at 3:45 PM.
And anchored in Ashapoo creek by 7:30 PM. We have a couple of strong leads on Tide Hiker, and so we were thinking that maybe this could be the last time......
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Back in Beaufort, SC
Tuesday May 23 to Tuesday May 30, 2017
Not much going on.
This weekend saw the Gullah Festival in Beaufort. "Gullah"is the name given to the communities created by freed slaves in the low country after the civil war. So there were lots of black people in town and some interesting food. Sadly, Deidre's back/hip/leg was too sore to move around much so the best we could do was to take a couple of chairs to the festival and sit around eating and watching the people.
Not much going on.
This weekend saw the Gullah Festival in Beaufort. "Gullah"is the name given to the communities created by freed slaves in the low country after the civil war. So there were lots of black people in town and some interesting food. Sadly, Deidre's back/hip/leg was too sore to move around much so the best we could do was to take a couple of chairs to the festival and sit around eating and watching the people.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Wedding in Williamsburg, VA
Thursday May 18 thru Tuesday May 23, 2016
Thursday we headed north on the I-95. We did not plan to make it all the way to Williamsburg because of Deidre's sciatica, but did make it into Virginia to a little place called Emporia where we took a motel. Friday morning we slept in and made it to the "target" marina by lunch time where our friends had docked. Friday night was an informal "rehearsal dinner" at a local pub.
Williamsburg is located on a peninsula between the York and James rivers and is rather a beautiful and historic area. Deidre and I thoroughly enjoyed cruising around on Saturday before the wedding. The wedding was held at a posh country club and was fun. After brunch with our friends on Sunday morning we drove back to Charleston, arriving at Kylie's after diner. It was great to see the kids.
Deidre had a doctors appointment Monday and we stayed an extra night to enjoy the kids and wait for Deidre's new prescriptions. We were back on Tide Hiker by 4 PM Tuesday.
Thursday we headed north on the I-95. We did not plan to make it all the way to Williamsburg because of Deidre's sciatica, but did make it into Virginia to a little place called Emporia where we took a motel. Friday morning we slept in and made it to the "target" marina by lunch time where our friends had docked. Friday night was an informal "rehearsal dinner" at a local pub.
Williamsburg is located on a peninsula between the York and James rivers and is rather a beautiful and historic area. Deidre and I thoroughly enjoyed cruising around on Saturday before the wedding. The wedding was held at a posh country club and was fun. After brunch with our friends on Sunday morning we drove back to Charleston, arriving at Kylie's after diner. It was great to see the kids.
Deidre had a doctors appointment Monday and we stayed an extra night to enjoy the kids and wait for Deidre's new prescriptions. We were back on Tide Hiker by 4 PM Tuesday.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Downtown Beaufort Marina, SC
Thursday May 11, 2017
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Over the last few days I have called all the marinas in the Charleston area that would suit us, but there are simply no vacancies for the rest of this month. I asked if we could stay at Lady's Island but that was a "No deal" also. So when Downtown Beaufort called back and said "OK" I was a bit relieved.
We headed the one mile over to our new home this morning, aiming to arrive exactly at "slack" as I knew the current was a real issue. They assigned us a bit of an awkward spot but we slipped Tide Hiker in quite well, well enough to receive a compliment from the dock hands. (And I gave him a bigger tip for being so observant)
As the name suggests the marina is adjacent to down town, and its quite a cute little place - the second oldest city in SC.
We had experienced some issues with our shore cable at Lady's Island and they had loaned us a cable for the night. This morning I decided to replace one end and so hitched a ride to the local West marine and purchased the "male" for about $100 - robbers. The installation was a first for me so it took an hour or so but when completed and installed the voltages were better, but not what they should be. So (belatedly) I examined the "female" end only to discover it was worse, and so headed back to West Marine for a replacement - this time $125. (Why are girl's things always more expensive than boy's?). When that was installed, all was well - $225 later.
Friday May 12, 2017
Busy day today, just doing "jobs" plus we rented a car for the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday May 13 and 14, 2017
Saturday morning we headed off in the rental to Tampa to pick up our car. Uneventful trip except for driving in heavy rain most of Saturday. Back on Tide Hiker about 6 PM Sunday with another 800 miles under our collective belts.
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Over the last few days I have called all the marinas in the Charleston area that would suit us, but there are simply no vacancies for the rest of this month. I asked if we could stay at Lady's Island but that was a "No deal" also. So when Downtown Beaufort called back and said "OK" I was a bit relieved.
We headed the one mile over to our new home this morning, aiming to arrive exactly at "slack" as I knew the current was a real issue. They assigned us a bit of an awkward spot but we slipped Tide Hiker in quite well, well enough to receive a compliment from the dock hands. (And I gave him a bigger tip for being so observant)
As the name suggests the marina is adjacent to down town, and its quite a cute little place - the second oldest city in SC.
We had experienced some issues with our shore cable at Lady's Island and they had loaned us a cable for the night. This morning I decided to replace one end and so hitched a ride to the local West marine and purchased the "male" for about $100 - robbers. The installation was a first for me so it took an hour or so but when completed and installed the voltages were better, but not what they should be. So (belatedly) I examined the "female" end only to discover it was worse, and so headed back to West Marine for a replacement - this time $125. (Why are girl's things always more expensive than boy's?). When that was installed, all was well - $225 later.
Friday May 12, 2017
Busy day today, just doing "jobs" plus we rented a car for the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday May 13 and 14, 2017
Saturday morning we headed off in the rental to Tampa to pick up our car. Uneventful trip except for driving in heavy rain most of Saturday. Back on Tide Hiker about 6 PM Sunday with another 800 miles under our collective belts.
Lady island Marina
Wednesday May 10, 2017
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We had curtained off every opening to the outside but sadly we both only slept until about 8 AM. Later in the AM Kylie called and said "You are in South Carolina! Its my day off, where can I meet you?" So I called and got a spot at a local marina and by the time we got there and settled in, Kylie and Audrey had arrived.
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We had curtained off every opening to the outside but sadly we both only slept until about 8 AM. Later in the AM Kylie called and said "You are in South Carolina! Its my day off, where can I meet you?" So I called and got a spot at a local marina and by the time we got there and settled in, Kylie and Audrey had arrived.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Port Royal Sound, SC
Tuesday May 9, 2017
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Plan "A" was to get up before dawn and head out into the Atlantic at first light and set a course for Brunswick, GA. Brunswick is about 90 NM and we could do it in daylight.
Plan "B" was to see how the weather was holding, and if OK, change course a few degrees and make our land fall Port Royal in SC, This would be about 160 NM and mean arriving in darkness mid morning.
I like an occasional early morning. For some primitive reason I just like the feel of getting up in the dark and bringing the boat to life - coffee, lights, instruments, engines etc. It just feels like the start of an adventure.
We were up at 6 AM, the anchore was up by 6:30 AM and 15 minutes later we were running directly into the sunrise in the ocean channel. Very pretty but it makes identification of the red or green buoys quite difficult. But all went well and as soon as we were in deep water we turn our noses north, on a heading for the Brunswick channel.
One benefit of Brunswick is that we can buy the least expensive fuel on the East Coast at the fishing boat dock. The disadvantage is that we would still be in Georgia and if the weather deteriorated we would have to continue heading north in the wandering ICW. The distance we could cover in 8 hours in the Atlantic would take 2 or 3 days in the ICW
By Noon we were making great progress (we were averaging about 7.5 kts which meant we must have been running on the fringes of the Gulf stream) and the weather forecast was holding for the rest of the day and night. So we adjusted our course 14 degrees and settled in for another 16 hours.
By 8:30 PM all was dark and we were about 15 NM offshore and "all alone on the ocean". Except for a few ships off the St. Johns river we had not seen any traffic. Fortunately the night was perfectly clear and there was a full moon.
Deidre decided that dinner should be a "continuous feast". We still had all sorts of goodies left over from the party and so every hour or so I received hot finger-food treats, consumed with lots of coffee. Tide Hiker was running well. We had a southerly breeze on our stern that probably helped our speed a little.
By 10 PM the southerly started to strengthen a little (as was forecast) and the swells built a bit. Tide Hiker started to "surf" occasionally as the swells rolled under her. The stabilizers keep her from rolling, but the energy is converted into a bit of a "swerve" that kept the auto pilot pretty busy. But still safe and comfortable.
At 10 PM we started to take turns taking a snooze. It was quite comfortable below on the bed. The hum of the engines and the movement of the boat put me to sleep in a few moments. We timed our breaks so that we were both up and awake when we made the entrance to the Port Royal channel at about 2 AM. Its a long (10 miles) marked channel thru the offshore shoals with several places marked "Heavy Swells" and "Tide Rips" so it seems like a good idea to stay in the channel.
As we turned west into the channel the weather was now 1/2 on our beam and tended to slew Tide Hiker around with every large swell. Several times the auto pilot just gave up and we headed off in the wrong direction, and we could hear the stabilizers working hard. The tide was ebbing so we were down to a lousy 5 to 6 kts most of the time. The 10 miles took us the best part of two hours. Fortunately there was no outbound traffic.
Once we were in the estuary the water calmed down and we headed for the spot we had decided to anchor. The tide current in the area can run up to 1.8 kts so I put out all 200' of chain and we set the anchor with both engines. In bed by 4:15 AM. We were now in South Carolina.
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Plan "A" was to get up before dawn and head out into the Atlantic at first light and set a course for Brunswick, GA. Brunswick is about 90 NM and we could do it in daylight.
Plan "B" was to see how the weather was holding, and if OK, change course a few degrees and make our land fall Port Royal in SC, This would be about 160 NM and mean arriving in darkness mid morning.
I like an occasional early morning. For some primitive reason I just like the feel of getting up in the dark and bringing the boat to life - coffee, lights, instruments, engines etc. It just feels like the start of an adventure.
We were up at 6 AM, the anchore was up by 6:30 AM and 15 minutes later we were running directly into the sunrise in the ocean channel. Very pretty but it makes identification of the red or green buoys quite difficult. But all went well and as soon as we were in deep water we turn our noses north, on a heading for the Brunswick channel.
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| Into the sunrise and the nice flat ocean |
One benefit of Brunswick is that we can buy the least expensive fuel on the East Coast at the fishing boat dock. The disadvantage is that we would still be in Georgia and if the weather deteriorated we would have to continue heading north in the wandering ICW. The distance we could cover in 8 hours in the Atlantic would take 2 or 3 days in the ICW
By Noon we were making great progress (we were averaging about 7.5 kts which meant we must have been running on the fringes of the Gulf stream) and the weather forecast was holding for the rest of the day and night. So we adjusted our course 14 degrees and settled in for another 16 hours.
By 8:30 PM all was dark and we were about 15 NM offshore and "all alone on the ocean". Except for a few ships off the St. Johns river we had not seen any traffic. Fortunately the night was perfectly clear and there was a full moon.
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| This dredge was sitting off the end of the St. Joh'n's channel |
Deidre decided that dinner should be a "continuous feast". We still had all sorts of goodies left over from the party and so every hour or so I received hot finger-food treats, consumed with lots of coffee. Tide Hiker was running well. We had a southerly breeze on our stern that probably helped our speed a little.
By 10 PM the southerly started to strengthen a little (as was forecast) and the swells built a bit. Tide Hiker started to "surf" occasionally as the swells rolled under her. The stabilizers keep her from rolling, but the energy is converted into a bit of a "swerve" that kept the auto pilot pretty busy. But still safe and comfortable.
At 10 PM we started to take turns taking a snooze. It was quite comfortable below on the bed. The hum of the engines and the movement of the boat put me to sleep in a few moments. We timed our breaks so that we were both up and awake when we made the entrance to the Port Royal channel at about 2 AM. Its a long (10 miles) marked channel thru the offshore shoals with several places marked "Heavy Swells" and "Tide Rips" so it seems like a good idea to stay in the channel.
As we turned west into the channel the weather was now 1/2 on our beam and tended to slew Tide Hiker around with every large swell. Several times the auto pilot just gave up and we headed off in the wrong direction, and we could hear the stabilizers working hard. The tide was ebbing so we were down to a lousy 5 to 6 kts most of the time. The 10 miles took us the best part of two hours. Fortunately there was no outbound traffic.
Once we were in the estuary the water calmed down and we headed for the spot we had decided to anchor. The tide current in the area can run up to 1.8 kts so I put out all 200' of chain and we set the anchor with both engines. In bed by 4:15 AM. We were now in South Carolina.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Anchorage near Rockledge - THE MISSING DAY!
Sunday May 7, 2007
28 18 427 N
080 01 95 W
I have not been keeping up with the blog and as a result missed an entire day! Oops!
Now where was I - we slept the night on a mooring ball at Vero Beach?
We launched the dinghy early and gave Tide Hiker a quick "once over" in anticipation of our visitor. She was right on time and stayed for 2 plus hours. In the meantime we had been contacted by old boating acquaintances who were in a slip at the marina. After dropping in on them we reluctantly headed back to Tide Hiker and resumed our way North so as to not lose the entire day.
I wanted to get "in range" of Daytona Beach where we can get a slip and attend to some housekeeping. We made it 44 NM and anchored with our nose pointing West into the wind.
28 18 427 N
080 01 95 W
I have not been keeping up with the blog and as a result missed an entire day! Oops!
Now where was I - we slept the night on a mooring ball at Vero Beach?
We launched the dinghy early and gave Tide Hiker a quick "once over" in anticipation of our visitor. She was right on time and stayed for 2 plus hours. In the meantime we had been contacted by old boating acquaintances who were in a slip at the marina. After dropping in on them we reluctantly headed back to Tide Hiker and resumed our way North so as to not lose the entire day.
I wanted to get "in range" of Daytona Beach where we can get a slip and attend to some housekeeping. We made it 44 NM and anchored with our nose pointing West into the wind.
St. Augustine Anchorage
Monday May 8, 2017
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We were in a bit of an awkward spot in the marina - I had to twist Tide Hiker away from the dock in reverse to get away. The wind was forecast from the North which would be pushing us onto the dock so we were underway a bit early before the wind got up to much. All went well. (After 5 years, I suspect I am getting good at this!)
Uneventful run about 45 NM to St Augustine where we anchored a little North of the channel out into the Atlantic. If the weather holds we will head out tomorrow at first light and run 80 NM north to Brunswick. If the conditions are favorable we may even stay out and run overnight to Beaufort, SC - about 160 NM. But that's just a "maybe".
Before dinner Deidre and I changed the Racor filters and the oil in the main engines. Deidre is a good mate!
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We were in a bit of an awkward spot in the marina - I had to twist Tide Hiker away from the dock in reverse to get away. The wind was forecast from the North which would be pushing us onto the dock so we were underway a bit early before the wind got up to much. All went well. (After 5 years, I suspect I am getting good at this!)
Uneventful run about 45 NM to St Augustine where we anchored a little North of the channel out into the Atlantic. If the weather holds we will head out tomorrow at first light and run 80 NM north to Brunswick. If the conditions are favorable we may even stay out and run overnight to Beaufort, SC - about 160 NM. But that's just a "maybe".
Before dinner Deidre and I changed the Racor filters and the oil in the main engines. Deidre is a good mate!
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| Sunset |
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Daytona Beach
Sunday May 7, 2017
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We were up at 7 AM and underway by 7:30 AM. We wanted to get to Daytona Beach because after a week of anchoring and mooring balls we were due for a night in a marina - and there was a $1.25 marina in Daytona Beach close to a favorite pizza joint! It would be rather a long day - 62 NM - about 9 hours - hence the early start.
One of the few places that I actually dislike is Smyrna Beach. We have had two "less than ideal" anchoring experiences in the area. Plus we always seem to hit it on a weekend (today was no exception) and it can be a bit "frantic" with boaters. Today was no exception as you can see from the above photo.
Plus we touched the bottom! We were in an area with reported shoaling problems that we had managed to survive in the past, but this time we touched the bottom - it was obviously sand or mud and after a bit of hesitation Tide Hiker just "bumped" over.
We had made a reservation at a "favorite" yacht club marina and we were secure by 4 PM. Deidre had 4 loads of washing and drying to do, plus Tide Hiker needed a hose down after 7 days of cruising and anchoring. For dinner we went to a "favorite: Greek pizza restaurant.
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We were up at 7 AM and underway by 7:30 AM. We wanted to get to Daytona Beach because after a week of anchoring and mooring balls we were due for a night in a marina - and there was a $1.25 marina in Daytona Beach close to a favorite pizza joint! It would be rather a long day - 62 NM - about 9 hours - hence the early start.
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| We anchored with our nose into the western shore of the ICW. Very pleasant residential area with lots of threes. (I dont think this photo belongs on this page! But it looks like a good spot.) |
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| Rather a sad sight - maybe caught by Hurricane Mathew? |
One of the few places that I actually dislike is Smyrna Beach. We have had two "less than ideal" anchoring experiences in the area. Plus we always seem to hit it on a weekend (today was no exception) and it can be a bit "frantic" with boaters. Today was no exception as you can see from the above photo.
Plus we touched the bottom! We were in an area with reported shoaling problems that we had managed to survive in the past, but this time we touched the bottom - it was obviously sand or mud and after a bit of hesitation Tide Hiker just "bumped" over.
We had made a reservation at a "favorite" yacht club marina and we were secure by 4 PM. Deidre had 4 loads of washing and drying to do, plus Tide Hiker needed a hose down after 7 days of cruising and anchoring. For dinner we went to a "favorite: Greek pizza restaurant.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Vero Beach Mooring
Friday May 5, 2016
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We were due for a night at a marina to get some washing and drying. Plus we had a potential buyer who wanted to meet us and tour Tide Hiker. So we booked a slip at Fort Pierce, about 20 miles north of where the Okeechobee joined the Intracoastal.
It was a crappy day with really strong Easterly winds. We even suffered a bit of canvas damage which was frustrating. We arrived at Fort Pierce on time but they messed me around for 15 minutes, then directed us to a slip way back in a corner off a narrow fairway. I was not prepared to attempt the slip in the conditions, and refused the slip. The dock hand pointed out an alternative but in my opinion it was less accessible. I did not want to scratch Tide Hiker, especially after spending several "boat units" fixing 5 years of dings and scratches. So we declined and departed.
Vero Beach was only 12 NM north and we expected to reserve a mooring ball for $15.00, and Vero Beach is one of my favorite destinations anyway. (They have a very positive attitude. Once when we called them for a ball, they responded that they were full, but if we did not mind rafting up with another boat, they would call around and make it happen, and they did.)
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We were due for a night at a marina to get some washing and drying. Plus we had a potential buyer who wanted to meet us and tour Tide Hiker. So we booked a slip at Fort Pierce, about 20 miles north of where the Okeechobee joined the Intracoastal.
It was a crappy day with really strong Easterly winds. We even suffered a bit of canvas damage which was frustrating. We arrived at Fort Pierce on time but they messed me around for 15 minutes, then directed us to a slip way back in a corner off a narrow fairway. I was not prepared to attempt the slip in the conditions, and refused the slip. The dock hand pointed out an alternative but in my opinion it was less accessible. I did not want to scratch Tide Hiker, especially after spending several "boat units" fixing 5 years of dings and scratches. So we declined and departed.
Vero Beach was only 12 NM north and we expected to reserve a mooring ball for $15.00, and Vero Beach is one of my favorite destinations anyway. (They have a very positive attitude. Once when we called them for a ball, they responded that they were full, but if we did not mind rafting up with another boat, they would call around and make it happen, and they did.)
We also called the "interested party" and told them we had changed location. (An extra 10 miles is a hassle for us on the water, but for a car its nothing. The only disadvantage is that we had to launch the dinghy to pick her (yes, her) up. On the other side, I think visiting a boat at anchor is a lot more romantic than at slip. The visit was OK, but obviously not a strong prospect.
St. Lucie Lock
Thursday May 4, 2017
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We had anchored right in front of the lock to we had to be awake and ready when the lock opened for business at 7:00 AM. We made it to the last lock before the lake (at Moore Haven) by about 11:00 AM and locked thru with no problem. The Waterway then follows the edge of the lake for a few miles before heading across the lake near Clewiston. This was were the shallow spots were located.
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We had anchored right in front of the lock to we had to be awake and ready when the lock opened for business at 7:00 AM. We made it to the last lock before the lake (at Moore Haven) by about 11:00 AM and locked thru with no problem. The Waterway then follows the edge of the lake for a few miles before heading across the lake near Clewiston. This was were the shallow spots were located.
As we headed off shore away from Clewiston we found ourselves "stuck" behind some sort of large workboat, maybe making about 4 or maybe 5 knots. I was anxious to pass, but a bit nervous about venturing too far out of the channel as we passed. But I can be a bit impetuous, so gave it ago. As we approached the work boat I started to realize that we were being sucked towards her port rails. I tried to ease away using the rudder, without much success. As we were getting dangerously close, I used our bow thruster to try and push our bow away. The turbulence alongside the work boat was simply sucking us in ad I could not control it so I had to back off power and slip back behind. So we followed until reaching the deeper part of the lake.
On the other side of the lake we locked back into the Okeechobee canal that would take us to the east coast thru Stuart and finally back into the eastern Intracoastal Waterway.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Ortona Lock
Wednesday May 3, 2017
(Deidre's and Mason's Birthdays)
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We both slept well. It was perfectly calm in the morning - not a ripple. But the humidity was 80% when we got up and the whole world seemed hot. We were underway by 8:05 AM.
We are pushing to get across Lake Okeechobee, so we decided to bypass the anchorage at Franklin Lock and make the extra 21 NM to Ortona lock, where we anchored in front of the closed lock at about 6 PM. We will be first thru the lock in the AM
It was an interesting weather day. This morning the relative humidity was about 80% - tonight is in the low 40s. The sky went thru several changes as we cruised south to the Caloosahatchee river and then East past Ft. Myers and inland. Looks like we have a weather window on Thursday so we will be pushing to get into and across the Lake tomorrow.
We ate dinner on the aft deck.
(Deidre's and Mason's Birthdays)
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We both slept well. It was perfectly calm in the morning - not a ripple. But the humidity was 80% when we got up and the whole world seemed hot. We were underway by 8:05 AM.
We are pushing to get across Lake Okeechobee, so we decided to bypass the anchorage at Franklin Lock and make the extra 21 NM to Ortona lock, where we anchored in front of the closed lock at about 6 PM. We will be first thru the lock in the AM
It was an interesting weather day. This morning the relative humidity was about 80% - tonight is in the low 40s. The sky went thru several changes as we cruised south to the Caloosahatchee river and then East past Ft. Myers and inland. Looks like we have a weather window on Thursday so we will be pushing to get into and across the Lake tomorrow.
We ate dinner on the aft deck.
Pelican Bay
Tuesday May 2, 2017
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The alarm did not "go off" and we slept until 6:20 AM but still got underway by 6:45 AM. The weather was a bit blowy from the south (in our face) but forecast to ease and turn to the west. Once out of the Bay there were plenty of 4 and 5 footers and the Admiral was not feeling too good. The weather did ease as the day but the Admiral fed the fishes a couple of times - I think that was a first.
The poor lady has a sore foot, sciatica and is throwing up! At least her birthday is not until tomorrow!
The highlight of the day was a couple of porpoises who were so excited about swimming with Tide Hiker that they jumped clear out of the water as they approached. They are big fish, and its quite a sight to see them 100% airborne.
The XX miles passed uneventfully, Tide Hiker was running well as usual. We came in thru Boca Grande passage, and were anchored in Pelican Bay by about 6:15 PM. It was beautifully calm. What a shame we cannot stay.
The Okeechobee Lake depth seems to be holding up so we are going to make a run for it.
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The alarm did not "go off" and we slept until 6:20 AM but still got underway by 6:45 AM. The weather was a bit blowy from the south (in our face) but forecast to ease and turn to the west. Once out of the Bay there were plenty of 4 and 5 footers and the Admiral was not feeling too good. The weather did ease as the day but the Admiral fed the fishes a couple of times - I think that was a first.
The poor lady has a sore foot, sciatica and is throwing up! At least her birthday is not until tomorrow!
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| View from our stern as we headed out |
The highlight of the day was a couple of porpoises who were so excited about swimming with Tide Hiker that they jumped clear out of the water as they approached. They are big fish, and its quite a sight to see them 100% airborne.
The XX miles passed uneventfully, Tide Hiker was running well as usual. We came in thru Boca Grande passage, and were anchored in Pelican Bay by about 6:15 PM. It was beautifully calm. What a shame we cannot stay.
The Okeechobee Lake depth seems to be holding up so we are going to make a run for it.
In the shadow of the Tampa Bay Bridge
Monday, May 1, 2017
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We decided to leave the marina as soon as the diver cleaned the hull and running gear. There was a screw up and the diver did not turn up until 2 PM. But that was OK, normally a diver takes maybe an hour and we really only wanted to get the 25 miles down the Bay to be "strategically located" for Tuesday's offshore run to Pelican Bay.
The diver took THREE HOURS. I have no clue how he entertained himself, maybe he took a book down with him? As a result we did not leave until about 5:15 PM with only maybe 3 hours of light. So we shortened our route and decided to anchor behind the bridge viaduct on the south side. It was just dusk when we arrived so all was well. The weather was a bit windy (maybe 15 -20 MPH) but we were in the lee so quite comfortable.
We set the alarm for 6 AM
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We decided to leave the marina as soon as the diver cleaned the hull and running gear. There was a screw up and the diver did not turn up until 2 PM. But that was OK, normally a diver takes maybe an hour and we really only wanted to get the 25 miles down the Bay to be "strategically located" for Tuesday's offshore run to Pelican Bay.
The diver took THREE HOURS. I have no clue how he entertained himself, maybe he took a book down with him? As a result we did not leave until about 5:15 PM with only maybe 3 hours of light. So we shortened our route and decided to anchor behind the bridge viaduct on the south side. It was just dusk when we arrived so all was well. The weather was a bit windy (maybe 15 -20 MPH) but we were in the lee so quite comfortable.
We set the alarm for 6 AM
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