Author: Jeff

I’ve been hanging out in the Keys in anticipation of Miles’s visit. He was due to fly in Thursday.

Today he tested positive for COVID. So much for that plan. Disappointing, but not surprising.

I’m ready to move. Not that interested in snorkelling and such on my own, and COVID cases are up by 800% in this area over the past 14 days, so there is little attraction for meeting and mingling ashore right now.

Tomorrow I’ll get underway and head for the Florida Panhandle. There are some remote (and shallow!) spots in the Everglades that I want to pop into, and I’d like to explore the Big Bend area a bit more. Steinhatchee and maybe St Mark’s. Weather looks good for the next couple of days to get across Florida Bay.

What a strange year.  Shaped in many ways by COVID and the accompanying restrictions and barriers to travel.  I feel in many ways fortunate to have carried out my basic plans for the year. 

The time on the boat has been great.  I’ve covered a lot of ground.  From Toronto to Ottawa via the Rideau Canal and Thousand Islands, then Montreal and a side trip to Lake Champlain.  Out the St Lawrence, around Cape Breton, lots of time in Nova Scotia, then a dash down the US east coast to south Florida.  Whew! 

No major breakdowns occurred.  I had two relatively minor incidents.  Got swept into the dock at a seaway lock in Montreal when they opened the fill gates, and put two small scars in the topsides.  Their small boat dock is not friendly.  I also hit the propeller on something hard – I suspect a mooring block – when I was poking around in shallow water in Mahone Bay.  Both could have been avoided with a bit more diligence on my part. 

Escapade has been a good boat for me.  There’s little that I want to change. I had a new shaft installed in Nova Scotia, and all systems are in good order. I had contemplated adding to the fuel tankage before heading for the rivers, but I think what I have is adequate.

What could have been better? I’ve spent too much time by myself. I’m generally happy to be solo when underway, but part of my rationale for a bigger boat was having friends and family join me from time to time in my travels. Also in the past I’ve been able to get off the boat and travel home or elsewhere. My ideal is a mix of time on board and on shore.

It hasn’t been a great year from that perspective. Travel and socialization has been constrained, and some visits canceled.

I’m also disappointed that I couldn’t get into the US sooner. The trip from Nova Scotia south was more rushed than I would have liked. Ideally I would have been in Maine two months earlier than I was. But given that cruisers from Ontario and Quebec weren’t able to make it south at all I’m not complaining too much about that.

Some basic numbers for the year, starting when I left Toronto in May:

Distance traveled: 5,075 nautical miles (9,400 km)

Fuel used: 5,140 l (1,360 us gallons) including 330 l for furnace/hot water

Hours underway: 954

Happy New Year!  It’s sort of snuck up on me.  Guess I need to write a year in review post.  But first, a regular update.

I’ve been enjoying the Keys more than I thought I would.  There are fewer boats and people than I was expecting, and the area more vast. Weather has been relentlessly fair.  I haven’t been ashore much, partly due to Covid concerns, but have had a couple of decent meals out.

Up until now I’ve been in Florida Bay, the west/north side of the keys.  It’s all shallow, with lots of banks and keys. Endless fair weather anchorages.  Yesterday I came under Seven Mile Bridge to the Atlantic side, then into the Boot Key Harbor anchorage in Marathon. I’m anchored here for a few days.

This is a huge collection of liveaboards. The city runs the harbor, with something like 300 moorings and scores more anchored. It’s quite a community. There is a big facility on shore with all support services – dinghy and car parking, laundry, showers, water, garbage disposal, mail, etc. I registered and paid $84 for a week’s stay. Going to do some cleaning and laundry and a few other housekeeping tasks in preparation for guests. Miles and Joe are due in next week, but it’s time, regardless.

It really is quite beautiful down here. I’m looking forward to exploring the ocean side. There is a barrier reef on this side.

Merry Christmas to all. I’m anchored here just north of Key Largo enjoying perfect weather in a beautiful spot.

My stop at West Palm Beach lasted a little longer than expected, but I haven’t been in a rush to move. I had planned to be in Marathon by now, but when family travel was curtailed changed my plans.

I’ll be working my way down the keys for the next two weeks, then (hopefully) having Miles and friend(s) for a visit. Hard to make firm plans with Covid, but that’s firm enough for me.

I like it here. Coming down the ICW from Lake Worth to Miami wasn’t fun. I wasn’t expecting it to be, but I haven’t traveled that stretch since I was down here in the 1980s. I left WPB Thursday, stopped in Pompano Beach for the night and came through Forth Lauderdale and Miami on Friday. I thought things would be quiet Christmas eve and it was. I’m happy to avoid the crowds on the water.

This is new territory for me. So far I’m reminded of the Bahamas. Looking forward to seeing more, and keeping a watch for manatees and alligators.

These pics were taken yesterday coming through Miami and down Biscayne Bay to here. I’m planning to retrace that stretch with Miles and see a bit more of Miami. It looks like an interesting area by water.

I’m anchored here just off the public dock. Nice spot. There is a park with public docks and a vibrant downtown with lots of restaurants and shopping nearby. Everything I need to chill for a day or three.

I’ve been traveling nonstop for days. Not a lot to report. Anchoring out at night, with the very occasional meal ashore. Weather has gotten progressively nicer and warmer.

Filled up with fuel yesterday, 125 gallons to go 602 nautical miles. That was pretty much entirely at my waterway cruise speed of 6.8-7 knots. I’ve been thinking of speed and range heading into the rivers. At that speed my range on my existing tankage is about 750 miles. But I may want to travel faster going upstream.

I’m in no rush now. Plan was to get down to Marathon and meet Samantha and Sarah there on the 28th – 11 days from now – but those plans are in jeopardy due to Covid. This is getting old. Oh well, I’m happy to be on my boat with the windows open.

I think there are dolphins in one of those pics. Have been seeing them lots since South Carolina.

Last night I anchored just north of the St John River, here. Tonight I’m here near the Mantanzas inlet. Nice quiet spot with lots of room. Three other boats anchored closer to the inlet. The current is strong, and reverses according to the tide. I don’t mind that.

I thought about stopping in St Augustine, but didn’t have any real need to get off the boat. I’m just ticking off the miles now to get to the keys. It’s about 300 miles to Miami from here. I’m not a huge fan of southern Florida, but am starting to get excited about the keys and Florida Bay. I’ve never been in that area. Should be through Miami by the weekend.

Not many pics – the scenery isn’t that interesting, mostly cut channels lined by private docks along this stretch. Not much boat traffic, a few sailboats and trawlers like me making the trek south on the ICW and local small fishing boats.

Warm today, mid 20s and sunny. I was up at dawn and had another good day. Took a detour in to Darien and had lunch out, then came back down to the coast via a couple of narrow cuts and anchored here mid afternoon. Walked a couple of km to get dinner and stocked up on groceries and caught an Uber back.

All is good aboard. I’m well stocked and ready for another week or so of plodding south. Should be across the Florida border tomorrow.

Stopped to anchor here for the night. Very quiet and peaceful, in a creek in a nature preserve.

Smooth sailing today, sunny and nice, temperature low 20s. More of the same tomorrow.

I took a detour up the Savannah River to see downtown Savannah, but there is no place to stop downtown so carried on.

There are a couple of towns I’m going to visit tomorrow, Darien and St Mary’s.

Yesterday was grey and rainy. Had an uneventful run from Charleston to Beaufort, where I had a meal ashore and a brief visit with my old pal Christian.

Today was an easy run. I anchored here for the night, and went over to the dock at Daufuskie Island for dinner. The local general store/eatery has Taco Thursdays. Interesting spot.

Tomorrow I’ll be in Georgia. Cruising along.

Last night was at anchor about 20 miles north on the ICW. Today I came into Charleston and anchored here, went ashore for the afternoon, and am now hunkered down for the night. Tomorrow I’ll noodle down to Beaufort.

I like the ICW all through here. Most of it is empty and isolated, with a mix of natural and man made channels. There is almost no traffic. Current is highly variable up to about 1.5 knots. Always interesting.

This is my second trip through here by boat. I came north on Mazurka in 2019, and it was all novel. This time I’ve got more time to look around and gain perspective.

Traveling on Escapade is a joy. I’ve settled on a waterway cruise speed of 6.8 – 7 knots through the water. Hardly any wake, and fuel consumption < 4 l/hr. The pilothouse is marvelous. Good visibility and comfortable all day.