2021-2022 Trip Log Florida Keys
2018-2019 Trip Log Abacos Bahamas
2017-2018 Trip Log Florida Keys
We traveled the 1400 miles from our home port near Baltimore MD to Marathon FL (middle Florida Keys) in 36 days, and completed the return trip in 40 days. This excludes one week return in 2017 for a funeral, and 12 days at Wilmington NC in 2018 for driveline repairs.
The trip down the ICW began on 4 Nov 2017 and we arrived at Marathon FL on 17 Dec 2017. The engine ran 183.09 hours and consumed a total of 555.9 gal of diesel, at a total cost of $1528.68, and the average fuel cost of $2.75/gal.
The trip back from Marathon FL began on 9 Apr 2018 and we arrived at our home port near Baltimore MD on 1 June. The engine consumed 656.27 gal of diesel at a total cost of $1941.19, and an average fuel cost of $2.96/gal.
The total trip added 398 engine hours (~366 hrs on ICW) and 1217 generator hours.
Sailed from Annapolis MD to boat's home port at Old Bay Marina on the Patapasco River, outside of Baltimore MD.
Sailed six hours from Solomons Island MD to Annapolis MD.
Sailed 10 hours from Hampton VA to Solomons Island MD.
Sailed 10.5 hours to Hampton VA. Stopped into Bull Island Brewing Company for a tasty craft beer. The Oyster Jalapeno Porter is uniquely wonderful.
Sailed up the Albermarle Sound, a large body of water that is about 20 miles long. We tucked outselves inside an anchorage to wait out nasty weather on the way.
Sailed 12.6 hours up through the Alligator River in NC. The bugs in this area along the intercoastal waterway are very large and creepy looking. We spotted a small dear today, one of the few times we observed wild life along the intercoastal waterway.
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Sailed 11 hours from Wrightsville Beach to a quiet anchorage north of Beaufort NC & Morehead City NC. The water clarity was good throughout this area to Beaufort NC, and many people were out on boats.
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We traveled about two hours north to Wrightsville Beach. The river and ocean water is much more clear here. We tried riding our bikes around town, but the tire blew out on one of the bikes, so we had to retreat and stick to walking around locally. They just opened up a brewery in town that has great beer.
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After 12 days the repairs on our boat are complete. Initially we were scheduled to have the torsional coupling in the transmission replaced while the boat was in the water. Discovering issues with the driveshaft resulted in us being hauled out and the driveshaft bearings replaced. The propeller balance was checked, and so was the driveshaft straightness. Replacement of the torsional coupling and flywheel has resulted in a transmission that is now very quiet in gear at idle speed.
Traveled down the Cape Fear River from Wilmington NC to Carolina Beach. It is a small beach town, with a short boardwalk, and dirty ocean water.
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We watched a small alligator swim around the marina last night.
We have our boat docked in a marina at a service center to have them look at our transmission / drive shaft ratteling sound issue. The bugs in this area aggressively bite you - so we don't go outside the boat much.
Traveled up the Cape Fear River to Wimington NC.
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After walking around the town, we tasted samples from a couple of the many breweries.
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We made it through The Rock Pile without incident, other than some fog. Due to lack of anchorage options, we were forced to take a slip at Southport Marina in Southport NC. Walked to town and shared a fantastic inexpensive seafood dinner at the Provision Company.
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Our departure was delayed by heavy fog. It cleared up in our anchorage, so we started our trip, but later as we sailed, we ran into more fog.
Barefoot Landing SC is a popular area for restaurants and shopping. Turtles, fish, and alligators swim in the marsh lake between the shops. This is our staging point to prepare for passing through The Rock Pile.
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Georgetown SC is a quaint town with interesting architecture. Most of the local shops and restaurants are one block in from the waterfront. The local steel factory was recently re-opened.
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Travel days are always better with an escort.
We started our tour with a visit to the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. This provided a great overview of the history of Charleston SC. We walked around the town, and visited the Historic City Market which was four blocks long! Toured the Charleston Distillery, and then visited Revelry Brewing Co and Fatty's Beer Works.
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Fort Sumpter
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We just happened to be in Beaufort SC when they had a special event called "The Taste of Beaufort". There were crafts and a variety of food offerings.
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Savannah GA. From the visitor center, we walked through the town past many of the historic homes toward the water front. The pictures depict the dramatic change in elevation from the street level to the waterfront level. Toured Ghost Coast Distillery. Visited Service Brewing Company.
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Traveled to Savannah GA. Anchorage opportunities are limited, and dinghy landing is impossible, so we had to dock the boat at a marina.
Today we traveled 7 hours from Fernandina Beach to a quiet anchorage in Georgia. Due to the tidal ranges of 7+ feet, the distance we could travel today was limited.
At Fernandina Beach today. Took the Island Hopper ($1/pp/ride) to tour the island and get groceries. Fernandina Beach is considered the birthplace of the shrimping industry. The town has many shops and resturants, but the beach on the other side of the island has only a few. The picture below is the USPS in the historic town area.
Traveled to Fernandina Beach and picked up a mooring from the city marina. The tidal current is stong here, and the wind is expected to be high this afternoon and evening. The picture below shows the city marina at low tide. The tide ranges as much as nine feet, so you have to be very careful where you dock your dinghy if it is mid tide or higher. The dockage area was filled in after the hurricane last year, and the city doesn't have the budget to dredge it until 2018.
Traveled 6 hours to St Augustine. The moorings and anchorage are exposed to boat wakes (should be a no wake zone). Based on this intolerable condition, we decided not to spend two nights in St Augustine and moved on. Traveled another 2 hours and anchored in quite anchorage for the night.
Visited the Jeep Beach event at the Daytona International Speedway. Hundreds of vendors were on site with all types of Jeep equipment and accessories. Jeep owner attendees were testing their vehicle and driving skills on the obstacle course.
Attended Jeep event on Main Street in Daytona Beach.
Took the bus and walked a mile to visit Daytona Beach Brewing Company, where they were also holding a Jeep event.
Then we took an Uber and attended the Jeep Luau event at the BandShell along the boardwalk.
Rode bikes across the bridge to the beach. The first picture is a view of the intercoastal waterway from the bridge. The anchorage is behind a bridge under construction. The beach is so hard packed, they allow all types of vehicles on the beach. Many Jeeps here due to the upcoming event. We walked up the boardwalk along the beach waterfront.
The inverter stopped working yesterday. Took a bus to West Marine and replaced it under warranty.
Traveled 6 hours from Titusville to Daytona Beach.
Waiting out weather in Titusville FL. They have a space center memorial here at the park. Visited Playalinda Brewing Company.
We had planned to spend two days visiting Cocoa Beach FL, but discovered that all dinghy landing docks have not been replaced after the hurricane. Since it was impossible to land the dink, we continued on to Titusville FL. High winds and rain next few days, so we plan to wait out some of the weather at Titusville FL.
Vero Beach FL. The Blue Angles are practicing all day for upcoming event. We caught a variety of fish right from the back of the boat. Took bikes for ride along beach front.
Traveled 8 hours from Lake Worth to Vero Beach FL. Visited Orchid Island Brewery.
Today we finally passed through the Southern Blvd Bridge. Many other boats were waiting, and the event was complete chaos. Anchored at North Lake Worth FL. The catfish really like our underwater lights.
Traveled to an anchorage at a small town called Lantana FL (north of Delray FL). Explored the town a little, but didn't find much of interest.
Traveled 4.5 hours from Ft Lauderdale to Boca Raton FL. Anchored in a fairly large body of water that is quite popular with weekend boaters. Only a few boats were here when we arrived, but in no time we were surrounded by many boats! We are waiting out bad weather that is expected Sunday.
Rode bikes up and down the Ft Lauderdale beach front in the morning (all the way to the inlet), then up to the New River area and walked the Riverwalk path.
Stuck in Ft Lauderdale waiting for either an offshore weather window, or the bridge near Lake Worth FL to open on 17 Apr. Paid dink landing fee and drove bikes to the Las Olas shops. Later, walked the beach waterfront / boardwalk.
Traveled four hours from Miami to Ft Lauderdale via the intercoastal waterway (ICW) because the winds and waves offshore were very high. We anchored at a place called Lake Sylvia. While reviewing trip plan for the next few days, we discovered that a bridge two days up the ICW is closed 9 to 16 April. We are watching the weather to see if we can get around the closed bridge by sailing offshore, otherwise we have to wait until 17 April to pass under the bridge. Images below are of Miami, Hollywood, and Ft Lauderdale (ship yard, canal) .
Traveled nine hours to Miami via the open ocean. Stiltsville shacks, originally built in the 1930s, by Crawfish Eddie Walker. In the 1960s tey were linked to illegal activities. Hurricanes and ravages of being in exposed places, have made most buildings short-lived. Only seven remain and are now part of the Bicayne National Park. Soon after we arrived at the anchorage in Biscayne Bay, a storm hit Ft Lauderdale that included tornados (warnings on the FM radio). We were only hit with wind and rain, but the clouds were scary.
After nearly four months, we left Boot Key Harbor (Marathon) and started out trip up north. Staying in Marathon has allowed us to fine tune the boat equipment, expand our boating and fishing skills, and to expore many places throughout the Florida Keys. Today we traveled to Channel Five and anchored out at Jewfish Hole on the Gulf side.
Tommy left this morning to go home. We took a bus to the Big Pine Key Flea Market so we could get some hardware.
Bike ride in the morning to Sombrero Beach. Fishing from the dink in the afternoon just outside of the Boot Key Harbour channel. We caught many large Crevalle Jack and Ladyfish.
Snorkeling at Sombrero Reef. The water clarity was exceptional, and the seas were very calm.
Took boat to Looe Key reef and experienced the best snorkeling to date. Observed nurse sharks, golliath grouper, barracuda, etc. Caught another Spanish Mackerel while trolling between Marathon and Big Pine Key (Looe Key).
Took bus to Key West for the day.
Rented a car and toured north east of Marathon (middle & upper Keys).
Church, Easter dinner on boat, then Sombrero Beach.
Winds and waves low today, so we took a trip to Coffin's Patch. It was cloudy, so the snorkeling was not as clear as it could have been. The Gulf Stream is about 6 nm off the shore, so the water is a beautiful blue. Trolled a lure on the way and back, but caught nothing. Our guest Tommy joined us tonight.
Fished Whiskey Creek in the late morning by dink and caught a snapper.
Light winds and waves today so we took a trip to Sombrero Reef for snorkeling. Brought along Tom and Melina from vessel "Take Luck". The Gulf Stream is only 2 nm south of the reef, so the water was very clear.
Took bus to Islamorada to attend the Islamorada Island Feast. It consisted of art (100 + vendors) and old classic cars. They also had a kids and adult water race at the beautiful beach in the park.
Dinner aboard sailing vessel Loonsong.
Sunset at Boot Key Harbor - Marathon FL.
Went out fishing offshore on the boat but cut it short due to the high wind and waves.
Trolled a fishing lure on the way back to Marathon from Big Pine Key and caught this 22" Spanish Mackerel.
The rough off shore water and shark cut or snorkeling short at Looe Key. So we went in shore closer to Newfound Harbor Key. Snorkeling at Newfound Harbor Key was fantastic! Largest size and variety of fish and coral so far. Later, we relaxed on a beach.
Left Marathon FL this morning and took a trip south to the Big Pine Key area on our boat. This is our first FL Keys offshore trip where we didn't return to Marathon at the end of the day. Wind was less than 10 knots and waves 3 ft and less. We trolled a lure and caught a Little Tunny (tuna family). Staying overnight in Newfound Channel (Big Pine Key area).
Later, we took a dinghy ride and explored the area. We found two interesting beach areas (see video).
Windy and cool weather today. I tried fishing Whiskey Cr from the dink with frozen shrimp this morning, but got nothing but one nibble in the morning. When I returned to Knot Workin, I dropped some bait down and immediately got bites and caught a Creole Jack and a Leatherjack. Why bother leaving the boat???
Today we both attended appointments with the U.S. customs and Boarder Protection office in Key West in order to finalize our applications for our Boater Registration (BR) numbers. Normally when you arrive in the U.S. after visiting another country by boat, you must make port in a location where one of the few offices exist and personally visit US Customs. A new Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) exists that allows approved applicants to simply call in by phone and repot that they have returned to the U.S.
We explored the north end of Key West more and found two rum distilleries.
Rain on and off last night and throughout the day. This is the most rain we have had since our arrival 17 Dec 2017.
Marathon Seafood Festival this weekend at the nearby park. Over 200 vendors. Seafood and live music.
Cool and wind again today, so I performed maintenance on the generator.
Windy and cool (72 F) today, so we took the bus to Key West for the day.
Had friends Jim & Deb who recently returned from the Bahamas over for dinner. They shared valuable information about the places they visited, and updates on what has changed.
The edge of the Gulf Stream is now 26 miles off shore, but the water clarity is still much better. We fished from Knot Workin about 8 miles offshore and caught at least 50 grunts between the two of us. I kept one and filleted it, just for practice. Fried the fillet up later.
Cleaned the boat and dingly bottoms in the late morning (it's not all fun). Went hunting for lobster off of the near south shore in the afternoon (none found). Picture is of sunset.
Sunday Brunch at Boot Key Harbor
Bike ride in the morning. Fishing from the dink off of the southern shore, west of Sister Cr.
Day with low winds and waves, so we took the boat out and fished the Delta Shoal. LK caught over 21 grunts, and one reef fish. Later, we visited Sombrero Reef and went snorkeling. The Gulf Stream edge was 3 miles south from the reef, and the water was more clear at the reef than we had ever seen before.
Fishing from dink off the south shore of Marathon again. LK caught 11 grunts, and I caught 2. A center console fishing boat nearly ran us over! We had to yell and wave our arms to get him to pay attention to where he was going.
Light winds and seas today, so we took the dink and went fishing off of the south shore. The edge of the Gulf Stream is close to shore (~ 3 mi), making the water so clear we could watch the fish biting the bait on the hook right under our dinghy.
I found this seahorse attached to my dinghy painter.
Sawtooth fish caught at sailing vessel Mucho Gusto right here in our harbor (Boot Key Harbor, Marathon FL).
Took bus and attended the Islamorada Nautical Flea Market. The over 300 vendors were mostly from the earlier Miami Boat Show. Great prices on many items.
Low wind and waves today, so we went fishing off the Delta Shoal, and then snorkeling at Sombrero Reef. We both caught several different fish easily. For the first time, we picked up a mooring ball on the south east corner of Sombrero Reef. The area had many sea turtles, and much more fin coral. As always, many large barracuda patrolled the area.
Sombrero Beach
A sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle was released at Sombrero Beach by the Turtle Hospital.
We took the bus to Islamorada for the day. Stopped at Bass Pro Shop, home of Pilar, Hemingway's boat.
Snorkeling at Sombrero Reef, Marathon FL.
Superbowl party at the Marathon City Marina.
Pigeon Key Art Festival at the park next to Boot Key Harbor.
Blue Moon from the Marathon FL Boot Key Harbor.
Big Pine Key flea market
Sunrise was pretty this morning. It finally warmed up enough that we could go to the beach.
Another yummy Pot Luck Sunday Brunch with the harbor community.
Took another day trip via the shuttle bus to Key West. We ate lunch at the Willy T's and left our mark.
Said goodbye to a friend that was visiting on our boat. We marinated and baked the Snapper we caught the previous day.
We took the dinghy out fishing the Gulf side of the 7 Mile Bridge, and caught a small moray eel. We then moved to the Atlantic side of the bridge, just off the channel into Boot Key Harbor, and caught many small grunts. Later we went into the Atlantic on a friend's boat, and caught various Snappers and Groupers. The captain's wife caught a nice Cobia (see video).
The leatherjack fish could be easily caught off the back of the boat using a bare hook. The wind finally dropped and we were able to go offshore on Knot Workin and fish the reef in calm seas. We caught a shark, and many blue striped grunts.
Another hurricane Irma victim was pulled out of the harbor today. We tried fishing in Sister Cr because it was too windy to fish anywhere else, but nothing was caught. We were however, able to catch bait fish right from the back of our boat in the harbor.
Sunday pot luck brunch with the harbor community.
The weather has cooled off here as well, and the winds in the harbor were 20 to 30 knots today. One of the boats on a mooring upwind of us came off of it's mooring (cleat torn out of boat), allowing the boat to sail unmanned throughout the harbor! Fortunately if missed us, but it did slam into other boats. The harbor community worked together to return the boat back to a mooring.
Happy New Year! Started our New Year with a fantastic snorkeling trip to Sombrereo Reef. We saw lots of great fish, many barracuda, two sea turtles, and a nurse shark.
Went for a bike ride and explored the Gulf side of Marathon FL. Super moon sunset.
Took the boat out for a trip on the open ocean to see what it would be like in 10 knot winds from the North. Not too bad. Tried trolling a fishing lure for a while as well. The water was much more clear today, a beautiful green.
Took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Key West for the day.
Attended the cruiser's pot luck Christmas lunch. The picture is of a special visitor.
We went fishing this afternoon and caught a fish in the canal (Sister Cr) that we think may be a yellow tail snapper. The wind and waves were both low in intensity today, so we also went out in the open ocean with the dink to the Seven Mile Bridge to fish.
Fish (jack) caught in canal between the harbor and Sombrero Beach.
Worked on boat maintenance most of the day. The image is a barge bringing in victims of hurricane Irma. The Gulf Stream is currently still 13 nautical miles out from Marathon. It is also only 3 nautical miles off of Key Largo - too bad services are limited in that area, or we could enjoy great fishing and snorkeling.
The weather today was exceptional. We had less than 5 knots of wind all day, and the waves were less than 1 foot offshore. These conditions made our two hour trip to Coffin's Reef very pleasurable. Unfortunately, when we arrived at Coffin's Reef, the current was strong, and the visibility was poor. We tried fishing (trolling) one the way to and back from Coffin's Reef, but caught nothing. Later in the evening, I listened to a fishing report on the radio and they commented that the fishing was unusually poor for this time of year, and they blame the fact that the Gulf Streem is far (12 miles) off shore. Apparently when the Gulf Stream is closer to the reef (3 to 4 miles from shore), it brings clear water that dramatically improves fishing and snorkeling / diving conditions.
The wind was less than 9 knots today, so we tried a trip out on the open ocean to visit Sombrero Reef for snorkeling. It was a short trip (less than 1 hour to the reef), and we dropped fishing lures along the way, more in an effort to test out the equipment than to actually land a fish. The waves built in height as we approached the Sombrero Reef, and we easily picked up a free mooring (out of over a dozen). The water is still cloudy after hurricane Irma, but the coral and fish are still visible. At the end of our snorkel tour, we spotted a barracuda (very close to us). We finished the day with a dinghy tour of the Boot Key Harbor.
We visited the Sombrero Beach (park) for a break via dinghy, and then took a bike ride west to explore the area. We spotted a large orange iguana in a tree on return from the Seven Mile Bridge.
Started our day with a morning run to get some land exercise, and to scout the area east of us. Followed that with a short dink ride down Sister Creek to Sombrero Beach. Then we went for a long bike ride east to explore the area. Finished the day watching the sun go down from the top of our boat. When we put on our underwater lights at night, it attacts small bait size fish, and then larger fish attempt to feed off of them at night. Great fun to watch!
We dodged crap pots for many miles on our way to Marathon FL. On approach to Marathon, we found the Seven Mile Bridge 19 foot clearance to be questionable, so we cruised further to the full 65 foot crossing. This was our first full encounter with the Atlantic ocean outside of the intercoastal waterway since our start in November 2017. We were very fortunate to find that the city of Marathon has made considerable progress in preparing the mooring field for transient boater usage. Normally this time of year, we would be on a 60+ wait list to get a mooring. Mooring M10 will be our home until mid January.
The damage from hurricane Irma has caused a scarcity in the availability of (sewage) pump out, fuel, and water for transient boats in the Key Largo area. We were able to get fuel and water yesterday, but not the pump out. Our need is now desperate, so we sailed three hours to a location that confirmed by phone they had pump out, but when we arrived we were advised it recently started not working. Fortunately the marina was able to help us locate another source, so we turned around and went back in the direction we came from, and then we were able to get the pump out before the tide was too low to enter and exit the channel going to the marina. We anchored just outside of the marina where we got the pump out because by then it was coming up on noon (low tide). The water is clear green, and I can see the bottom. When it got dark, we turned on the underwater lights and within a short period of time it attracted a variety of fish and small crabs.
Due to high winds offshore (Atlantic side of Keys), we are traveling on the Gulf / bay side of the Florida Keys and the intercoastal waterway (ICW) is much more shallow. In order to do this, we can only travel during a high tide condition. Currently this restricts our travel beween sunrise (7 am) and noon. Research today indicates that services have recovered much better at Marathon, so our goal is to get to that location over the next two days via the ICW. The upcoming holiday also imposes another need for us to insure we are filled up with water, gasoline (for dinghy), and pumped out before all services shut down.
The blue dot on the Google Map shows our current location. You can also see on the map our next destinations of Marathon, and Key West. The second image shows a typical narrow channel with mangroves on each side that we must traverse every 10 miles or so. For the most part the bay side is otherwise large bodies of water (sounds).
Traveled from Miami to Key Largo via the intercoastal waterway. The water at 10 feet was so clean we could see every detail on the bottom. A school of dolphins decided to ride our wake for a short period. Living the dream!
Most of this beautiful day in Miami was spent helping a fellow boater exchange a failed turbocharger for his engine. We met the crew of 'Tonic' early on our trip, and just happened to spot them in the anchorage here in Miami. The remainder of the day was allocated to planning our next trip leg to Key Largo, and researching fishing. Sea planes fly out (several times right over our boat) and land in the anchorage area.
We cruised through Dania Beach, Hollywood Beach, and the city of Miami on our way to the Miami Marine Stadium anchorage. Only passed under 11 bridges today, with one that needed to be opened for us. The water is finally clean and green. We identifed the boat of another cruiser we met on Nov 10th, and visited them briefly to catch up. (small world).
Although we were fortunate enough to be able to anchor close to the center of the Ft Lauderdale beach shops and restaurants, landing a dinghy is a challenge. The best option (of only two) is to pay the city marina $21/day to dock the dinghy. This gets us within two blocks of the beach, and the Las Olas intersection. We stocked up on groceries in the morning, and then enjoyed waking along the water front in the afternoon. The wind and weather is forecast to be favorable the next two days, so we hope to be in the Key Largo area by Thursday.
We traveled through Palm Beach where, yes, there is always a bigger boat (see picture). We passed under 20 bridges today (each requires you to check the published height, the actual height, and then notifiy the bridge operator before passing under)! Fortunately, only six of those were too low and required us to wait for an opening, based on their schedule. Passed many fancy homes in Delray and Boca Raton. Finally anchored in Ft Lauderdale and observed a blimp pass over us.
Continued south through Ft Pierce, St Lucie, and Jupiter FL. Dolphins were riding our stern wake as we cruised along the canal. Pictures are of fancy home in Jupiter, and Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.
At Vero Beach. Waited for arrival of nasty storm Saturday morning. Performed maintenance on the boat engine and generator. Went fishing and caught many interesting small fish.
We passed by Coco Beach Beach, Melbourne, and Sebastian on our way to Vero Beach. Shared a mooring with another trawler at the Vero Beach Municipal Marina.
Spent the day provisioning the boat. Drove to Cape Canerval National Seashore park.
Flew back to PA to attend a funeral.
Passed by the Ponce de Leon lighthouse on our way to Titusville, FL. Spotted several manatee in the water.
We passed through Rattlesnake Island, and ritzy Palm Coast area outside of Daytona Beach FL. Spent night at anchor in Daytona Beach.
Arrived in St Augustine FL and walked around the historic district.
Heavy rain all morning. Due to the holiday, we were unable to get groceries or do anything productive. So we traveled all day further south to an anchorage about 10 miles north of our next stop, St Augustine FL. We passed only one other boat the entire day. Many fancy homes were along the 10 mile long stretch called Cabbage Swamp. The picture of the large yacht is named the Le Grand Bleu, and it carries it's own powerboat and sailboat. It is 374 feet long, has a crew of 35 people, home port Bermuda, and is one of the largest yachts in the world.
Departure in the morning was delayed due to heavy fog. We crossed three ocean inlets today without concern for ocean swells, thanks to the low wind conditions. Arrived early afternoon at Fernandina Beach. The small town on Amelia Island has many shops and restaurants long the main street, including the oldest bar in Florida.
Departed after sunrise and passed through the shoals at Hells Gate without incident. We passed through two rivers that had full exposure to two inlets from the ocean Fortunately the wind has been very low, so we didn't experience any ocean swells. I was tempted to travel on the ocean between the inlets and avoid the intercoastal waterway, but rain and possible storms made that a bad choice. Passed Blackbeard Island and then anchored near St Simon Island.
As we exited a small river in the marsh that intersected the Savannah River, two larger cargo ships were crossing. We waited, and then crossed into the next small river. Picked up a friend at Savannah Bend Marina who will accompany us down the intercoastal waterway. Stopped early afternoon to avoid passing through shoal areas at low tide. The tides in Georgia can range in 9 ft, and currents can be as strong as 5 knots (the boat's normal cruising speed is 8.2 knots).
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Traveled past the cities of Beaufort SC and Port Royle SC. Rough ride on Port Royle sound. Blue water and light sand beaches. Then passed through Hilton Head. Stopped day early in order to avoid shoaling areas at low tide (high tide will be tomorrow morning). Sat on the upper deck, relaxed, and enjoyed the scenery.
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Passed through Isle of Palms, SC and then Charleston SC. We planned the day short so we could get through all of the shoaling areas during high tide. For the first time, the weather was warm enough that we could sit on the upper deck of our boat and enjoy the view.
Finally in South Carolia, traveling though marsh areas with shoaling at many intersections.
Passed through Cape Fear River and then Southport NC. SURVIVED "The Rock Pile" (a streatch of water that is like white water rafting). Intended to stop at Barefoot Landing SC, but was advised that the next bridge would be closed the next day, so took off and got through the bridge. Observed Spanish Moss for the first time on trees.
The color of the water is now pretty blue. Dolphins swimming around our boat frequently. Overnight at North Carolina Beach (mooring).
Knot Workin touched the bottom for the first time today. Fortunately it (felt like) soft sand and it was just enough to slow us from 8 knots to much less quickly, but not shallow enough to hold us. Water within the intercoastal waterway is now very clear and ocean like.
Traveled for about two hours and then needed to stop and anchor to wait out fog for an hour. Continued on in rainy conditions with the waterway alternating between large open bodies of water and small straight narrow canals. A school of dolphins fed in the waterway right in front of us as we approached the twin cities of Beaufort and Morehead City NC. The two hour delay from the fog caused us to not have enough time to make our anchorage before dark, so we docked at the Sanitary Fish Market in Morehead City for the night. The temperatures are forecast to be in the low 60's this week. The next couple of days we will be traveling less than two miles inland parallel to the ocean / beach.
The blue dot in the picture below shows our current position. We started at the top near Baltimore, and intend to travel all the way along the coast to the lower left on the map.
Traveled a very long time down a narrow straight canal. No signs of wildlife for miles, no animals, birds, fish. Found a marina near Belhaven NC with a good price for fuel so we topped off the fuel and water tanks.
At 8:45 am the USCG announced that the Great Bridge lock was closed due to the high water level from the Chesapeake Bay. So glad we passed through yesterday. Traveled down a large body of water called the Albemarle Sound. At first the waves hitting us from behind were small, but 10 miles later they built strength and height. The boat (and autopilot) handled the conditions without incident. We spent a night at anchor in a small river. Nobody around, no light from any nearby home or distant city could be seen.
Our first day on the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) ! The 16 knot winds created choppy white cap waves as we traveled comfortably down the Elizabeth River. We passed easily under many bridges due to our low height off of the water. The Great Bridge Lock was our first lock experience. Given the loss of time at the lock an then the Great Bridge bridge not opening as scheduled, we chose to dock on the wall for free and start again the next day. Walked to nearby grocery store for supplies.
Traveled from Deltaville VA to Hampton VA. Despite the weather challenge (high winds & waves), we chose to try to make it to Hampton VA, otherwise we would have been forced to stay another day at anchor as Friday was forecasted to have 23+ knot winds. The trip conditions were tolerable, but as we approached the opening of the Chesapeake Bay the ocean swells came in. This caused use to face waves from both the north east, and the south east. At the end of the day we made it safely to Hampton VA and took a free slip (courtesy of a coupon from the Annapolis boat show) at the Hampton Public Piers. On the way in to the Norfolk VA enterence, we had to slow our approach to allow a naval sub to pass first.
At anchor all day due to high winds (and rain). Worked on boat projects all day.
Traveled 3.5 hrs from Reedville VA to Deltaville VA. Rough weather and rain.
A weather window opened up late morning and we were able to travel 5 hrs from Solomons Isl to Reedville VA (anchored just south of the fish company in operation since 1878).
Annapolis to Solomons Isl. Waiting for a weather window to continue.
Short video shows what travel on the Chesapeake Bay in light weather conditions is like.
Start of trip from Patapsco Rvr (Baltimore area) to Annapolis.
Launched Knot Workin after four days of preparation on the land.
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Log
Atlantic ICW
Florida
Bahamas
Cuba
The Great Loop