Month: March 2019

I’m actually in North Carolina now, but only just. Stopped here at dusk yesterday. It’s windy cool and rainy today so I’ve stayed put. Nice secure dock at a great restaurant, $34/day. Here’s the view looking down at the boat from the restaurant balcony.

On Thursday I continued north. Started bumping up against solid land after a few days in mostly open marshes.

I stopped for fuel and lunch in McClennanville. Cute quiet fishing village.

Had lunch at a restaurant that has been there for a long time. Delicious seafood but dated decor

The woman running the dock insisted that I was a fisherman. Said I drove the boat and tied it up like one. I took it as a compliment. Lots of current around here, so sometimes you want to come in hot 🙂

Next stop was Georgetown. Nice stop. I anchored by an old steel mill for the night then tied up at the town docks Friday morning and had lunch ashore.

Weather got really nice Friday and Saturday, wind dropped and I was in more sheltered areas.

Friday I was enjoying the cruise through the Waccamaw wildlife refuge. Lovely winding river through the wilderness. I got to a fork where the ICW changes to a long cut canal south of Myrtle Beach around 5:00, and decided to continue on the river up to Conway as a side trip. Very pleasant, and Conway is a nice stop for a meal. I stayed overnight on the town dock. Paid $1/ft.

Conway had record floods last fall, with the water 12+ feet above this level. I was amused to see two extensions to the poles. I hope the flood line comes out in some of my pictures. It’s quite evident in places looking at the forest.

Saturday I had a lovely cruise up to here. No stops and very few places to anchor. Mostly cut channels, with a mix of empty and mcmansions with docks.

Lots of pictures, I’m going to put them in order to show the changes.

These guys were sailing a nice old Pearson up the ICW. Nice SE breeze.

I left Christian’s yesterday afternoon and headed north. Anchored here last night. Weather was cooler, dark and unsettled.

Today I went by Charleston.

The area around Isle of Palms was very built up, with some very large homes. Then it suddenly ended and I’m again in empty marshland. I’m anchored here tonight.

Today was sunny but with a cool moderate north wind. Looks like a couple of nice days ahead.

I’m tied up at a private dock. My old friend Christian and his wife Robin have a lovely home here, and I’m visiting.

Lovely to see them. Will do a grocery run tomorrow.

Last night I anchored just off Hilton Head Island. here. Slept in and had an easy run up here. The only thing remarkable yesterday was a stop at a floating burger take out. Burger was better than average.

The view from my cockpit last night. Weather has been near perfect.

…and the obligatory selfie. Getting shaggy again.

Traveled about ten hours today, and am anchored here.

Weather has been nice, brilliant sun but not hot. Jacket weather.

It’s an interesting area. Tides are about ten feet around here, so lots of current.

I came up this creek on a whim, thinking I could get ashore near the bridge, but no go. Not a bad place to stop. I’ll look for a stop in Savannah tomorrow.

I’ve been trying to take more pics.

We (Samantha, Sarah and I) are buying this beauty.

It’s a Van Gorkum designed Mount Gay 30, professionally built in aluminum in 2000.

My plan is to jump boats in early May. Park Mazurka, pick up the sailboat in Ontario and trailer it to Chicago, work it up at Crowley’s and do my qualifying sail, then solo race to Mackinac June 22, then down to Lake Ontario for the solo 300 there in July. Then back to complete my loop on Mazurka in August.

Maybe I’m crazy. I think the boat can do it, with the appropriate mods. And I’d like to try! Boating Adventures. Bring them on! Here’s the inside

Cruisey 🙂

It needs a name. Suggestions welcome.

Update April 4: visited the boat yesterday and got the cover off. Here are more pics

So long Florida! I stayed last night at the Jacksonville Landing dock in downtown Jacksonville. Wandered around and had mediocre pub food. Today I was underway for 11 hours, down the St John’s River and left at the ICW.

Lots of current here. It’s a giant saltwater estuary. Interesting. The tidal range is something like 6 feet and water rushes in and out the inlets. I installed a tide/current app and am going to play with it tonight.

Tonight I’m anchored here. It’s like being in the middle of a cornfield. Just flat marsh in all directions. It’s pretty empty – I didn’t see too many boats today.

There were some shallow passes at dead low tide. I was muddying the water even further at times.

Not much else of note. Pleasant weather, boat’s purring along.

I took a few pics.

The next Sprint begins. I left Sanford this morning, stopped in Welacka for dinner, then anchored here. Nice calm evening. Nobody around.

I arrived back in Sanford Saturday night, but wasn’t in a big rush to leave. My fresh water had gone foul before I left the boat, and I flushed it out and ran some bleach through. All good now.

My plan is to head north on the ICW at moderate speed. I need to find a spot to leave the boat for a few months starting May 5. Probably best to get it hauled. I’d like to get to the Hudson River. We’ll see how it goes.

I’m going to switch gears a bit in this blog pretty soon. Here’s a teaser.

Here’s what’s on my camera from the last few days. Gators, of course, hanging around the marina. Given the state of the docks and the insobriety of some of the liveaboards their patience may be rewarded 🙂

I finally got a good look at a manatee today. They’re huge and weird. Not t sure how they can coexist with the gators.

That’s all the photos I’ve taken. Will try to do better. But I’m basically retracing my path back to Jacksonville, so no new sights until I get back on the ICW.

I was just reviewing my fuel log, which I update at each fill-up. My first entry was August 2, shortly after I launched, and the most recent was March 2. Close enough to call an even 7 months 🙂

So, some numbers.

Distance traveled: 3,999 nautical miles, 7400 km, 4,600 statute miles.

Motor hours: 617

Generator hours: 248

Fuel used: 898 gal(us), 3725 l

I’m quite happy with that. Getting good diesel heat is becoming important to me and is on my short list of upgrades. Most of to those generator hours were for heat and I want to have a good cold-weather system.

I’m in Sanford, near Orlando. Had a nice trip up the St John’s River. All good. I haven’t been writing lately as I really didn’t have much to say, and Florida is Florida…

After crossing Lake O I stopped at Ft Pierce for a few days at a Trawler Forum gathering. Then headed north on the ICW to Jacksonville and then south on the river.

I’ve parked the boat and am heading home for a visit. I decided not to race in the Laser regattas. I didn’t want to stay in the area for three weeks with Mazurka, and wasn’t that excited about racing.

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to head north.

Some highlights of the river. It’s the nicest part of Florida I’ve seen.