Merry Christmas (not from Shawnee)

pathetic fake Florida Christmas decore

                     

   For Christmas we drove two days from St. Augustine up to Schenectady, New York to visit family, my daughter, Sarah, her husband, Yeang, my first husband, Angus,  and his 101.5 year old mom and Mazu came too.  Having a great time.  The drive was rather grueling.  The boat is being watched by the cruisers net members, a wonderful group we got in touch with the day we arrived in St. Augustine.
  Big news came in the form of ten Christmas balloons for my mother-in-law, Rhona.  One of the balloons said "It's a girl!"  We all thought, Gee they must have run out of Christmas balloons.  But no, the card said, "Merry Christmas from Dillon, AJ, Tate, Violet and ... Celia due June 14, 2014." Wow, were we all surprised.  So the family grows, another granddaughter.
  Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year.

St. Augustine, Florida, Reached our destination

  We loved Fernandina.  St. Mary's inlet was easy to come into down the Amelia River to Fernandina Marina.  Great little boutiques with no chain stores allowed.  We stayed one night.
  We had much discussion about going  inside or outside to the St. John's inlet. Outside allows us to sail and motor less, go faster and not worry about the depth.   Going inside is smoother and safer because we do not enter the shoaling St. Augustine inlet.  I voted for outside. Captain Drew decided not to take the St. John inlet challenge since it's our first time doing this.  We started inside, down the ICW, what I call the pencil line with white knuckle motoring.  As I've said before the ICW can go from 13' to 4'9" instantly so the helmsman (me for the first day) must watch the depth constantly.
    We were planning to anchor just off the ICW, but when we got to the spot that was tucked into a cove, it was low tide.  The charts didn't show the actual depth at low tide.  We turned to go in and immediately hit ground, smashed the throttle into reverse to get off.  We tried 3 more times continually hitting bottom.   Fortunately we've learned to go slowly -- it's a muddy, sandy bottom.
  It was 4:00, (sun  sets at 5:15), and we had to find a place to stay for the night.  We decided to go on and try another anchorage at Sisters Creek, ICW mile marker 738 (738 miles from Norfolk, VA).  After an hour we found a huge free public floating dock next to a park with only one other boat.  We'd seen it on the mile by mile book we're using, but thought it would be filled at this late hour.  Soon after we got there one more boat, Oriental Moon, arrived.
   We were lucky to be able to tie up so easily.  We invited the captains and crew of the boats aboard Shawnee for evening drinks and to hear stories about going aground, getting off, and  Florida fines from Florida Water Police.

Santa on the ICW near condos south of Jacksonville

  Since I had done the hard shallow ICW with no auto pilot the day before Drew took the helm for the next leg from Sisters Creek to St. Augustine.  We crossed the St. John's inlet with 1.5 knots of current against us.  Funny to look at the instruments and see Speed over the ground 4.5 and regular speed at 7.5.  Later we caught the current in our favor and motored a steady 8 knots south.
  Of course, during Drew's turn at the helm the water never went shallower than 15' (Shawnee draws about 5' that means we can't go anywhere that is shallower than 5').   He set Shawnee's auto pilot and enjoyed the view down the straight part. 
This is Palm Valley outside of Jacksonville that has beautiful homes along the ICW.

Snowman on the dock

 

We arrived at St. Augustine waiting a few minutes for the Bridge of Lions to open at 1:30.  We motored  through the drawbridge and to our mooring at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, right downtown.  The town is entirely lit up at night.  This is City Hall.  A friend of ours, Steve Lalond, a cruising friend from Marblehead, took us to a cruisers party as soon as we got cleaned up.

City Hall and Lightner Museum

More Spanish architecture - Flagler College. 
  Many things are named Flagler because he was the man who was extremely wealthy and built the first railroad through Florida, among other things.  The city of St. Augustine is bustling with holiday horse and carriages, tour trolleys, and many tourists.  A small red convertible just drove by full of Santa's shouting "Merry Christmas."
  This morning I got up at 9 and listened to channel 72 on the VHF, the cruisers net.  It is kind of cool because anyone can call in about upcoming events, introduce themselves if new to the area, and make connections.  There is live music all over town tonight on Amelia Island, across the bridge and tomorrow the Farmers Market.  There is going to be a Pirates Ball January 4th.
  I put up some pathetic Christmas decorations on the bow of the boat, fake green garland and a fake wreath with a red bow.  Everything with greens has to be fake here because the real stuff turns brown in days. 

On south

We repacked the boat after all of the repairs, that took a day.  We waited for a weather window after the rainstorm and front came through.   Using grib files (wind direction and speed), Chris Parker's weather service for boaters going south and the usual weather apps decided Sunday Dec. 15th at 3:00 was the best time to go.  The wind was predicted to change from west to south.  We sailed out of the Cape Fear River channel with huge breakers on both sides of us where the water was shallow.  Kind of an eerie feeling to motor through the calm part with breaking waves on either side of us.
    I was glad to leave the ICW because we couldn't sail very often or for very long and the depth is just constantly changing from 12' to 6' in the blink of an eye in spite of all the good buoy markers.  Out to the open ocean to be greeted by this glorious sunset.

Out in the open ocean we saw the moon rise and set.  The sunset is very much the entertainment for the evening.  The sky goes through so many changes for about 45 minutes.  Just feel close to nature with water, sky, reflections, and this air that was about 45 but felt much colder.

Mazu is not much for offshore sailing.  She doesn't ever get sick, just nervous and scared.  She is always touching one of us.  I took the 10pm to 2am watch at the helm.  It requires watching out for boats on the radar screen.  There are a few radar settings like 1.5 mile out up to 48 miles out.  We usually set it to view 6 miles out.  6 miles is the equivalent of about half an hour at 6 knots.   We used our travel apps to determine a route.  Once the route is set, the program on Navionics tells how long, how far and all the tide and current information.  Night on the open ocean is wonderful.  We were out for 2 days and nights.  The clear sunrise, starts warming up our enclosed (zipper in and out vinyl) cockpit like a sun room.   

We arrived in Florida going down St. Mary's River to the Amelia River to the marina.  : ) One side of the entrance from the open ocean is Cumberland Island,  a nature preserve in Georgia.  The other side is Florida, our primary destination. : ) Fernandina Beach.  Mazu was so excited to get off and go to the bathroom that she jumped and slipped falling in the water between the boat and the dock.  It's about 4' down to the water.  I dragged her up by her leash (yes, around her neck) until Drew grabbed her paws.  Saltwater wet dog is not fun.  But she was cooled off and wasn't scared by the event at all.

Tomorrow we go outside and sail farther south to St. John's River where we may anchor for the first time (anchoring is free.)    If you want to just receive this blog as an email so you don't have to put the address in every time, go up to the top of this page on the right hand side and you'll see a place to type your email address.  Keep in touch.                                                              

 

 

            

Christmas Flotilla in Southport, NC

I have never visited a marina at Christmas time.  Boats in New England are under wraps or inside avoiding snow.  In Southport  and many other ports the boats are decorated, sail past a reviewing stand and then judged by 4th graders.  Even in the rain they went out.  Many boats are decorated for Christmas.  Here are just a few:

 I bought a real wonderful mixed green wreath to put on our boat.  Duh, of course it's so warm down here that it will dry up in days.  It's dropping needles everywhere.  I bought my first fake greens and will decorate when we get to St. Augustine.

 The reflections are kind of neat.  This night the water was like glass.

Christmas Flotilla in Southport

I haven't been to a marina ever that decorates the boats quite like this.  Southport has a contest that is judged by 4th graders.  Even in the rain most of the boats went out and passed a reviewing stand.

Maintenance Items completed ,Hurray!

We drove 15 hours straight from New Hampshire to Southport Wednesday night.  Arriving Thursday to Shawnee all fixed!  Zimmerman Marine came in under budget, on time and with quality work completed, a first for any boatyard we've used.

 Lifelines replaced after 15 years.

A/C heater fixed so we can use it when we are plugged in.  We can use the Esbar heater when we are offshore with fuel.

And Voila,  the new toilet, Raritan pump type works.

We plan to leave Sunday night for Florida , outside on the open ocean, after the Saturday storm goes through.

Two jokes today.  We were shopping and typed in the store name with Google GPS.  Following the directions it took us into residential neighborhoods, we're like, "What the heck?? Where is it taking us?"  Finally we drive to a cul de sac and GPS says, "Park your car and walk the rest of the way to your destination."  We roared.  Has anyone ever gotten that message?

We drove up behind a car at a stop light and their bumper sticker said:
HORN NOT WORKING
  LOOK FOR FINGER

Back on Shawnee - all fixed

 

 Amazingly everything is fixed!!
Zimmerman Marine came in under budget, on time with great quality work - a first for us at a boat yard.  They added new lifelines along the entire boat.

 They got the A/C heater system to work which uses electricity when plugged in at a marina.  Our other Esbar heater uses fuel, we use when we are off shore.
  We'll leave Sunday night to head for Florida after the coming storm tomorrow and Saturday.

And Voila  the new toilet, Raritan pump type WORKs - hurray.

Planning to go back to Southport, NC

December 3, 2013

  We will drive back to Southport the beginning of next week with Mazu.  Since we are headed back up to New York for Christmas with my 101 year old mother-in-law (from first marriage) we'll be loaded down with stocking stuffers and gifts.
   Before we go I am going to try and build some fender boards to use since there are so many marinas with pilings.  It should protect the side of the boat and the fenders.
Check out this way to make them with 2  6' PVC pieces of 4" 40 pipe.  These should be easier to store than boards.  see it at fender board link.  It just requires drilling 4  1/2" holes big enough for the line to fit through and then sanding a bit.
  Another item we need is portal curtains since we are in marinas more often.  We never needed them on moorings.  We are inches from some boats and people walk along the finger piers.  I'll have to think about how to attach them inexpensively.  Currently we're using cardboard over the BR portals - very classy.
  We hope to shove off quickly after checking the repairs and maintenance work done by Zimmerman Marine at Southport Marina. The repairs included checking the Yanmar Diesel engine injectors, adding new life lines, checking the air conditioning water pumps, and installing hoses and new toilet .  With a good weather window we'll head out of Cape Fear to St. Augustine.  Everything will be working for a few minutes I hope.

Anyone sailing should see Robert Redford's  new movie "All is Lost."  I've never seen Drew more involved in a movie, speaking aloud agreeing and disagreeing as the skipper, Robert Redford, decided how to handle his dire situation.  After the movie we probably talked for an hour about each step of the situation and what we would have done the same or differently or what we hadn't thought of.  I love survival movies.  It made me get 

Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea: Steven Callahan ... - Amazon

Callahan has lots of references and survival things to talk about.  He was a consultant on "Life of Pi."  We are going to put together an emergency check list.  When an emergency occurs sometimes judgment is clouded or reasoning is not clear from an injury.  I'd like to have a list of things to do or get before abandoning ship that I simply react to rather than having to remember everything to do.

We have check lists for starting up the boat and shutting her down.  Hospitals, airline pilots and other places use checklists with great success.  Some of the items on our check shutdown list are: close all hatches, turn off frig, take in flag, turn all off, check auto on bilge, turn off wind generator.  We have the lists taped on the inside of a door next to the Nav station below.  It really helps and reminds us of the obvious.
"White Squall" is another great sailing movie to see.  Anyone have other good movie or book recommendations?

Saturday, November 16, 2013 Jessup, MD  47 degrees, raining
So not exactly sailing but driving back is a part of it.  We left sleepy Southport Friday at 10 am.
 Picture of Mazu at sundown Friday over the Cape Fear River inlet and the ICW.   Way in the background is Bald Head Island.

  We left Shawnee to be fixed and checked out.

As we drove north there were numerous crops.  Most people from the north haven't seen cotton harvested or even growing on its prickly sticks.  Here's a harvested field with a "bale of cotton."

Last night we were in a Red Roof Inn, a national chain. Super cheap, mostly we're here because they are pet friendly. This one has not been reported to the Bed Bug Registry.  Something I highly recommend if you are going anywhere.  Check it before you book it.
  We miss the sailing and just the boat life already as we hit the 5 -8 traffic rush out of DC on a Friday evening, back to the work-a-day world.  We are running into every chain store/ big box you've ever heard of.  But we ate at Madeleine's Bistro, country French Cafe that was pretty good.  Off to New York where maybe you'll see a picture or two of the grandkids.  We are going to a benefit auction at Tate's school Saturday night with Dillon and AJ, Violet's first birthday Sunday, back to Exeter Monday.

  View from the fore cabin bed where I stayed because we awoke to 31 degrees.  It snowed in North Carolina last night; the earliest in the season in history.  Of course we are here for this record breaker, unfortunately.  Thank goodness for our Esbar heater - so reliable and keeps us toasty.
   Today was our day to take a cab to Wilmington, east coast film capital, who knew?  We picked up a rental car, Ford Fusion, and returned items beyond the one month return policy but still got store credit.  We bought at Best Buy more computer cords to connect items to the cockpit and we went to West Marine.  Boat wise, Mazu held guard there for the day.
   Tomorrow we have to move tons of stuff so they can work on areas of the boat, fill the car to take things back to New England including Violet's, (granddaughter) birthday present for Sunday's party in Brooklyn.  Leaving clothes for warm weather and taking what we use for the cold.

View from the deck of our boat at a slip, Southport Marina, NC.

If truth be told, it's our toilet that needs the serious repair.  Can't really continue on our southward trip without it.  So we have had to walk to the building every time we need to use the bathroom - that has been a pain especially in the howling wind last night and the cold today.  So it goes.

Walking in the south on November 12, 2013 

  It’s different.  Belhaven, NC was the first view.  The porched houses with grand staircases are the signature architectural elements there. Here, in Southport, NC a bit bigger town, the houses smaller, a few more stores, art and clothes boutiques, a giant toy store, Bull Frog Corner, and jewelry stores line N. Howe Street

  I felt like I was on the set of “To Kill A Mockingbird” on historic W. West Street that crosses Howe and then becomes E. West Street.  This historic street is lined by dated homes with names on them:  Jacob Brinkman1839, the only pre-Civil War home, Jones Burriss 1875, T. Dosher 1890, Phillips Aldrich 1905, Robert T. Woodside House 1903, Will Davis River Pilot 1891.  Still no swimming pools are in the yards.  Near the shore everyone goes to the beach I guess.  It is not the historic district designation because none of the homes we walk by have pools even a mile away.

   Without the oppressive summer heat that was the setting in the movie, the live oaks are still here arching over the sidewalks and streets providing a shady tunnel.  No change for fall color or dropping of leaves.  They are here perfect for climbers and ready for animal nests, yet I only see three squirrel nests high up.   I know at10 I would have climbed every one with their sprawling branches that spread out 50 feet over the street with the trunk planted in the yard. The camera can’t capture it. Perfect for a tree fort, but none here.  The streets are quieted and blanketed by the tent of live oak branches shading the way.  They were made for southern weather as a natural air conditioner.  No Spanish moss.  Maybe my South Carolina walk will have that added air plant as I get to more humid weather. 

  “Can you believe it’s supposed to get down to 30 here tonight?” Drew says.  And just now the wind picks up howling to bring in the new cool air.  We pass one of the dock hands as he leaves in the 5:00 dark.  Friendly as always he says, “We jes as soon skip these cole fall days.  I like fall but not this. Night now.”  

  At the boat helm I turn on the wind instruments to see how the wind has gone from 0 at the beginning of our evening walk at 4:30 to 25 howling knots now in the dark.  The boat is rolling in the slip and Drew puts on extra fenders and lines.  One lone boat rigging is clanging against its mast.   This is nothing, I think, compared to what a nor’easter can bring up the coast.

   Tomorrow we pack up to go back to New England and the cold north where snow has fallen already, and the temperature is about 32 rather than the 70 we feel here today.  We’ll be back.

NOTIFICATION AND ADJUSTMENT:  Just quickly.  Anna Guth helped me to set my blog so that it is easier to make comments and you can get the blog on your email each time I post if you'd like.  Just go down to the comment section and you won't have to do the scribbly writing or anything.  You can just type in the comment section. 
Click on the email on the top right if you'd like to receive it directly to your email.

Tuesday,  November 12, 2013

 Getting ready to pack up and drive north after we set up dock rental, repair schedule,  car rental.  Reading about snow and cold in the north, YUCK.  It's been 66 degrees every day here and sunny though gale warnings 20 miles off shore.  A lot of boats left yesterday to head south because of a nice weather window.  It's cleared out so the WIFI is free and clear.  Most motored down the ICW and that is many more miles than going outside and straight to Florida.  Hopefully I'll talk a lot more about sailing, watching weather and improved boat operations.  Drew just noticed that the water temperature is 73 degrees 5 to 10 miles off shore, 10 degrees warmer than here.  We're surprised to see such a difference. 
 

Monday, Nov. 11, 2013  It's Veteran's Day.  I've been listening to Sousa Marches which I love.  Hurray NPR honoring the Vets!  Since we have now decided to stay in Southport, NC and have some repairs done by Zimmerman Marine, we met with the manager, Steve.  We have a long list, but we are winnowing down to the essentials.  New head (toilet and hoses), check engine transmission fluid and hoses,  scuppers checked, and maybe cabinetry in the fore cabin for more storage holds.  We have so many bins that are taken up by systems (A/C, water maker, heater duct work) it limits how much storage we have for parts and personal stuff.  We'll rent a slip here for a month and have the work done then come back and sail to FLA.  in December - that's the plan - but you never know.  I'll still blog even if I am not on the boat because this is all part of our efforts to get south and sometimes plans take detours for sure.  This is where the journey is the point not the destination.  So today Mazu got her run, and I got to play with her.
Other pictures of the area.

 View over the stove; i.e. kitchen window view here.

 Sunset/dusk

Walking out to our dockside tie-up on R dock (R for remote I guess).  We were at the end.  That advantage is privacy and quiet.

Sunday, November 10, 2013  Southport Marina
Last night was fun at Fishy Fishy where we had dinner with our new friends, Cathy and Mike Moorehead who are sailing south.  We keep stopping at the same marinas and having a good time together.  Last night there was a band for dancing and good food.

The restaurant provides blankets for people who have to wait outside for a table to free up.


Drew is replacing the water maker pump today and deciding the options for how to proceed.  He has really relaxed on the boat and we've had a super time.  The schedule is relaxed with no plans and no destination but south.  We have to decide when to leave, who should do the repairs, how long to rent space for our boat to stay here at the marina.  It costs $245 each to fly roundtrip and about $800 to rent the car and drive one way to New England.  Maybe we'll reconsider crating Mazu on the plane in the cargo hold.  She'd have to take a tranquillizer, and I think that the experience would be very traumatic - not sure how she'd fair.  
  Since Violet, #1 granddaughter's birthday is next Sunday that is pretty much a priority for us to attend in Brooklyn.  So we'll be there one way or another.

Saturday, November 9, 2013:  Video At Southport, NC  Looks like the boat may have to stay here and get fixed by Zimmerman Marine.  Did you notice how I did not take many/any pictures of the boat below deck?  It is quite a mess from working on this problem.  Many lockers are open to get tools or access areas that have this hose we are trying to get out. We need to replace a long piece of hose.  We ordered the new piece that came immediately from Defender, a great supplier.  But it's a bear getting the hose out!! Grrrrr.
    We are thinking about me driving back with Mazu and Drew flying back.  Hmmm

Friday,  November 8, 2013  Yesterday we sailed from Carolina Beach to Southport, NC.  Here is what we saw.

 Snow's Cut on our way to Cape Fear River shows lots of erosion, logs floating in the water.  We had to go slow to avoid debris.

 Colorful waterfront of Southport, NC

 Entrance to the Southport Marina.

 Giraffe cranes again.  There is a huge army installation here.

 A little crayfish in a dockside trap.  We saw an otter and rat eating out of these traps.  They went away pretty quickly when we walked up to the traps.

 Live Oak park at the marina.

An eco boat we guess.

Happy at the helm with earphones to my Audible book.  We zipped in the back vinyl on the boat because it got cold, and we found it also keeps out the diesel fumes : ).  Mazu takes the back part of the seat.

This is the auto pilot that allows the boat to steer at a compass heading, above shows Shawnee going 204 degrees on a 360 degree circle.  The little black dots underneath show exactly where the rudder is, above it is a bit to the left.  If I push standby then I will be steering the boat.  -1 or +1 means if I push those buttons in the auto mode the boat will turn 1 degree left or right, or 10 degrees as shown below the 1.  It allows you not to have to hold the wheel all the time.

 Here you can see the depth 14.3'  Our speed is 5.2 knots and the sea temperature is 61.5 degrees.  It hasn't changed a whole lot since we left Marblehead almost a month ago.

This shows the wind speed 13.7 knts, and it is coming from the starboard (right) side of the boat at 80 degrees.

When we are sailing here are the instruments we use to give us information.

We've been in Southport, NC for a day and were planning to leave for Florida on Saturday, but

It seems that Mazu is getting a following on the blog such that we should rename it DrewDebMazusailing.  Her role on the boat is to listen to me when I talk to myself, keep me warm on cold days and to snuggle.  Here are some videos of Mazu around the boat.  Sometimes we are amazed at her confidence on deck.  First of all you should know that Wheatens are known for jumping, and she can reach 4' from a stand.  Here she is down the companionway and dock to deck. They may take a while to download.  I'll try to get some better ones later.

Wednesday afternoon: Carolina Beach, NC After resting on the boat all day,  Mazu is happy, happy, tearing around.  The video may take a while to download.
I want to show you Mazu up and down the companionway (stair/ladder from salon to cockpit, and also give you a video tour of the boat.

 There was this one dock, after seeing dock after dock empty, this one dock with all the pelicans!  There are many long docks because most of the ICW is very, very shallow 1' or 2'before you get to a depth for a boat.  We draw 5' so whenever we get to 8' we sort of panic. With auto pilot my sister, Chris, described our sailing as "push button sailing."  Well, this is white knuckle, push button sailing.  The constant watch of the depth sounder elevates our anxiety.  It will be 18' and then shoot down to 10' because of shoaling randomly from currents, tides, and wave action.  The good news is today we didn't go aground.

 This is the view much of the time.  These are the posts that mark the channel.

 This is Joyner Marina where we are tonight.  We went about 25 miles from 7:30am to 1:30.

Getting into this slip was a bear!  As we came in sideways between rocks with a 2k current against us, Drew was giving instructions from the deck.  I was at the helm screaming, "I hate this!!"  (He said he didn't hear me.  We almost hit the rocks, the docks, the pilings, other boats.  Just inches away to back into this spot.  THAT would be a good video.  Now that we got in and everyone said we did a good job, I feel I met the challenge.