To Velcro Beach

Friday 19th December (Cont.)
Up anchor and away we go down to Palm Coast to the Palm Coast Marina where Tom and Trudy are to pick us up. They gave us a wonderful time, drove us round to see the local sights, like this 2000 year-old live oak.


They then wined and dined us in fine style and ferried us back to the boat.

Saturday 20th December
Next stop was Daytona Beach, although we anchored at Sea Breeze a little before Daytona proper, for its better shore accessibility for Buddy's run.

Sunday 21st December
After a dinghy ride to the West Marine store the next morning it's onward again on a truly splendid warm and sunny day. Our chosen anchoring spot for the night was just past the Ponce (Ponce de Leon) inlet in Rockhouse Creek just a short way from the main ICW channel. Great little sheltered spot with a beach for Buddy and big open areas where he could run free. You can see the relatively famous Ponce lighthouse which is still in use.

The weather changed for the coooler again as a cold front came through that night and the wind changed to the north and really increased.


Monday 22nd December
We moved on the next day although in retrospect we might have been better staying because when we got to Titusville the destination anchorage was in 25 knot winds with 2 to 3 foot waves. So we chickened out and went to the marina where we stil got bounced around all night, though not nearly as badly as we would have 'outside'.

Tuesday 23rd December
We're really pushing to get to Vero Beach for Christmas so we press on the next day and made it to Dragon Point where they've had some bad luck with first a concrete dragon and then a fibreglas one. A nice anchorage but poor shore access.

Wednesday 24th December
It's Christmas Eve and just 37 miles to Vero Beach - somewhat of a Mecca for cruisers on the ICW. Vero Beach (or Velcro as it's nicknamed because people tend to 'stick' there) has no anchoring but for a reasonable fee you can have a mooring and on-shore facilities and all the shops you need are a free bus ride away. Some people stay for months.

One slight hitch is that because of it's popularity the moorings must be shared. Here we are rafted up next to Mike and Kathy Moore (plus the cats Spooky and Fuzzy Wig) in 'Cgull Seeker'.


On the other side is 'Bilbo' with John and Rejeanne Easton who we had aboard in St. Augustine. They gave us a great welcome and invited us over for supper. Didn't get to bed until 3 am, its' amazing how the warmer temperatures improve the boating experience and sitting out chatting on deck at night with no bugs is hard to beat. Here they are below in Bilbo which John built from scratch over 15 years.


Christmas Day
After the late night it's a really slow start to the day but there is nothing much to do except prepare for the pot luck Christmas dinner on-shore with all the cruisers.

It was truly a spendid feast and totally made up for the complete lack for Christmas atmosphere you get when it's 27degC and the sun is beating down.

After the meal we took a walk to the beach with John and Rejeanne plus New Brunswickers Mike and Judy McKendy aboard 'Sea Sharpe'. Only two people went for a swim - Judy and myself - bracing, though compared to the Bay of Fundy anytime, or the St. lawrence in June it was warm!

After the swim we had happy hour drinks at a beach bar then walked the mile or so back to the marina and went to our seperate boats.

Grilled Mahi Mahi on the BBQ and a much earlier night.

Into the Sunshine State

Wednesday 10th December
After a late start, on again to our last stopover in Georgia, the lovely little town of St. Mary’s, up the St. Mary’s River. It’s a very cruiser friendly place with a splendid waterfront park

The weather forecast for the following day was not good so we decided to anchor out on arrival and then move over to a dock early the next morning. As we set about anchoring suddenly the engine lost power – very disconcerting. However, the first thing to do when this happens (so all cruisers advise) is two change the engine’s primary fuel filter. Sure enough, problem solved.

Thursday 11th December
We awoke to building winds and a threatening sky, so without delay we moved to the marina dock. The squalls came thick and fast with high winds and heavy rain but by the afternoon they had passed. In between squalls we looked out on the dock to see three otters. On seeing us, two of them high tailed it but the big guy with the fish decided to stay.


The sky cleared in the afternoon and I went in search of shrimp on a bicycle borrowed from Moana, the boat on the dock in front of us. It was a six mile one way haul but I was successful.
That night another cold front came through with 45knot winds. We got pounded against the dock, not pleasant at all.


Friday 12th December
We awake to a cold but sunny morning with the continuing high winds and decide another day in the marina is in order. A chance to clean the boat, do various jobs and visit Tom amd Lorraine aboard Moana for some wine and conviviality. We’re all big fans of the Daily Show and seem to share the same taste in movies.
Animal life is plentiful with many many dolphin sightings all along the intracoastal and egrets are everywhere.
Saturday 13th December
Another late start for us as we don’t intend to go very far, just a few miles across the border into Florida to Fernandina Beach. The beach of course is on the other side of the land from the ICW and about two miles away. We took a mooring ball there which gives you marina privileges for 15 smackers. The town is just a tourist trap with the usual parade of jewellery and clothing stores, restaurants and bars. The one shop within walking distance had nothing.
You know you’re in Florida when the pelicans outnumber the gulls.



Sunday 14th December
When we come to leave in the morning we find the mooring ball trapped under the boat due to strong currents in one direction and strong winds in the other. Going forward or backward didn’t rectify the problem so in the end we just loosed the lines and with a loud thwack, the mooring can popped up on the opposite side of the boat.

Let's put it this way, Fernandina Beach was not a high spot and we were very glad to leave and find a very pleasant anchorage in the Fort George River in front of the first slave plantation in the US. Those slaves had beautiful views if nothing else.



Monday 15th December
After the several short hops we went for a longer one to make it all the way to St. Augustine, the US’s oldest and probably most (architecturally beautiful) city.



Tuesday 16th December
FINALLY, the weather finally warms up and shorts can be worn. We take a walk through the city to finally get to a decent supermarket and a West marine store. Everywhere there are stunning buildings.



Wednesday 17th December
A foggy start to the day but that soon clears and it’s another summer’s day. We are anchored out in the river near the municipal marina and for 10 bucks a day you can dock your dinghy and use the outstanding washrooms and laundry facilities.

This is someone's private yacht.


So Carol’s day is mostly spent doing laundry while I do various boat jobs and take another trek to the supermarket to get some shrimps for supper.

Lots of boats never seem to move from the anchoring place and this osprey could usually be found somewhere on this boat.

In the marina, we have again met up with John and Rejeanne (from Quebec City) aboard Bilbo, as they try to get their dinghy repaired. We have been bumping into (not literally) them many times since North Carolina and invite them over to Incognita for Shrimps Alfredo which ends up being a very late night for cruisers – way past the ‘boater midnight’ of 9 o’clock.

Thursday 18th December.
We have a very leisurely start to the day as we don’t intend to go far. Tom and Trudy, who we met way, way back on the Erie canal live in Palm Coast which is not far away. They are returning from Atlantic City and we intend to meet up with them when they return.
So after re-fueling and re-watering we go for a couple of hours to anchor next to Fort Matanzas, founded by the Spanish at the time of a particularly nasty massacre.


Friday 19th December
It's misty morning when I take Buddy to the beach and I pass these fellows on their way up river.

Buddy is not impressed and barked at them. He soon forgot about them doing his favourite thing - racing around on a sandy beach.

Beaufort (SC) to Jekyll Creek (GA)

Sunday 30th November
Forecasted high winds and possibility of tornadoes. Remained at anchor in Wappoo Cr.

Monday 1st December
Forecasted high winds again. Remained at anchor but took the dinghy for some shopping in a great health food supermarket.

Tuesday 2nd December
Finally the weather forecast is tolerable with only moderate winds. It’s beautiful and sunny but cold as we head off down “The Ditch” again. Mostly the current is against us so progress is slow and we don’t get as far as we thought. However, we got to stay on the dock at B&B Seafood on Mosquito Cr. where you can tie to a dock, have power (and thus run electric heater) and buy some more of those fabulous South Carolina shrimp.
As we arrived we were treated to a dolphin beaching himself, apparently to harass a heron on the shore. Again we missed the photo op. The shrimp boat was at the dock when we arrived.

Wednesday 3rd December

The following misty morning he was gone.

But on our way back down the creek to the ICW we passed him in full flight – what a sight.

We decided to anchor at Beaufort (pronounced Bewfurt) not to be confused with the North Carolina town of the same name (pronounced Bo-fort).

Another historic southern town with beautiful historic houses.

Thursday 4th December
A late start after a vain attempt to buy small propane cans for our heater and on we go. Our anchorage this night is again in the middle of nowhere on Bull Creek. The good news (for Buddy) is there’s a great place to run within rowing distance of the boat.

Friday 5th December
Today we left South Carolina, after transiting (successfully) one of the bad places for depths on the ICW, crossing the Savannah River and through the town of Thunderbolt and anchoring in Turner Cr. Wilmington Island. Shopping and a haircut round out the day but we again failed to buy any propane – sold out!!!

Saturday 6th December
Another bad stretch of the ICW today – Hell Gate. We timed it for mid to high tide and there was no problem. Overnight we anchored in Kilkenny Creek which is like most places we anchor – the middle of nowhere in the salt marshes that define the coastline in Georgia too.

Sunday 7th December
We have a late start and don’t make it to the next bad stretch and settle for Duplin Creek that runs through Sapelo Island one of those places with a unique community and also a part of the University of Georgia.

Where there is land on the salt marshes there are flat planes with short vegetation

riddled with tiny holes made by small crabs.

It makes for a great place for Buddy to run.

Monday 8th December
Today we must transit the very worst stretch of the ICW depth-wise. Unfortunately, high tide is late in the day so we can’t leave until early afternoon. So we go in search of the turkey fountain which is in the grounds of the University of Georgia Estuarine Institute.

We meet someone of the ferry dock who works for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. He kindly gave us a ride up to where R.J. Reynolds (the tobacco magnate) had his dairy and his mansion

which you can tour.

The kindly southern gent who gave us the ride also instructed to take one of the golf carts for the trip back to the dock

This was just as well as we didn’t want to miss our window for passing through the Little Mud River. All went OK without running aground and we got to anchor in another historic kind of spot –Fort Frederica - on the beautiful Frederica River.



You might say we were "Under the gun". And yes, they do grow on trees and I did steal one.


Tuesday 9th December
We probably started too early the next day as the tide was only low to mid, instead of mid to high when we went down the first part of the Jekyll Cr. When we got into water less than 6' we were definitely very worried but we got through unscathed to anchor next to the Jekyll Harbor marina and had great supper with Bill and Joann aboard Buckaroo.