Daytona Beach, FL Wednesday November 13, 2013

It's been awhile since my last entry. We are in Daytona Beach and I will attempt to cover this past week in small doses as we continue to our goal of reaching Vero Beach.  Lots of good things have happened to Fiu and us.  I'll start back on Tuesday, November 5 when Fiu was fixed.  Ray installed the vent loop valve which breaks the siphon of sea water entering the engine.  We started the engine and decided to leave the dock and travel as far south on the ICW as possible the rest of the day.   Believe me when I say we motored as far as we had originally traveled on October 30th when the engine failed to start. The anchorage in the  South Edisto River near Watts Cut became a familiar place. The engine ran like new with good oil pressure, temp gauge in green and no idling or power issues!  We were able to travel so far due to catching the tidal currents just right.  We were running with the current most of the way and when 5.5 to 7 kts is normal for Fiu, this day we ran between 6.2 and 8.9 kts!  The 28 miles were fun and our adventure was finally underway with abundant sunshine and a warm breeze.

Entering Watts Cut was a concern at low tide  since 7.2' is alot less than desirable with as ship that requires deeper water and carries a 5' draft with the centerboard up.  Needless to say much of the 3/4 mile dredged cut saw plenty of engine idling and lateral moves to find the deepest water.  The magenta line on the GPS is not always as accurate as we would like due to shoaling.  A light misty rain developed as we began our anchoring sequence.

We lack a firm schedule when sailing since I believe it creates a climate of "poor decision making."  We were a week behind our original broad plan to head to warmer climates.  We decided to travel a long day and get as far south as possible with the good weather which included many clouds but warm temps.  Even the Coosaw River was fairly flat (a first time ever) and a tidal current in our favor.  Beaufort, SC was our next stop with a generous bridge tender at the Ladys Island Bridge who held it open extra long for Fiu to slide through comfortably with only a slight increase in throttle speed. The Downtown City Marina was our noon time stop for diesel and pump out. We spend much less on diesel fuel for Fiu all winter than gas for our hybrid car in just a short summer of driving.

Skull Creek and the Hilton Head Marina  were early afternoon passages with a New River anchorage at 4:30pm.  Emails and texts were sent while dinner was being prepared.

Capt Sid

Saturday, November 2, 2013

While we are still in Charleston we are being well cared for by Karen, Bon's college roommate.  It's important to know why we are still here.  Mud dobbers plugged the vented loop through hull.  Since the marine diesel is cooled by sea water it is important to limit the amount of water coming in to the engine.  As I understand it, the vented loop valve lets air in to break the siphon and stop water from coming in when the engine is shut down.  If the through hull is plugged then air will not get in to break the siphon.  This caused water to fill up the exhaust and eventually fill the cylinders. Usually no damage is done until the water is pumped out which lets in air to begin the corrosion process.  We (I assisted Ray the mechanic) started the engine right away and it is running as before!  The other potential problem besides corrosion is water doesn't compress.  If I had continually tried to start the engine with water in the cylinders then rods and bearings could be permanently damaged! Near miss! A new 62 horse diesel is around $15,000 installed!  Yikes is right!
Today we walked downtown from the Battery to the Customs House.  Near there is the Pavilion 225 Grill.  We enjoyed a cold drink in the glassed in roof top restaurant. 

January 31, 2013 Boot Key Harbor Marathon, FL 33050

It's been almost three weeks since my last entry, but I have to say the time "evaporates" here where every day is a good day!  I also want to have something interesting to write about.  I guess I'm beginning to understand "Island Time!"

Dinner with friends

Jonathon has kept us informed about Max the Cat and the house and property.  Apparently the temps at home are in the single digits both above and below zero!  I don't miss the upstate NY winter weather.  For the most part our temps here range between 62 and 89 degrees.  The night-time lows are great for sleeping, but even then it's not a drastic change from day to night-time temps compared to Averill Park.

We have been out sailing a couple of times.  We had little wind one day and we used the time to fill up with diesel and raise the sails.  In checking the sails and running rigging one batton pocket has a slight tear and I will need to stitch it closed.  Another day we were out in 15-18 kt winds steady from the NNE.  Even with those little creatures living on the hull, we moved right along at 6+ kts.  We will have a local diver scrape the hull before we leave for the Dry Tortugas and the Gulf Coast!  It's amazing how a few barnacles can create drag!

Yasmine and Roy

We have a couple of weekly routines that help to keep us busy, have some fun and keep us in touch with our friends and buddy boats.  One is the 25 cent wings and discounted drafts at Hurricanes just up US1 a short distance from the marina and park entrance.  Another is "Guys Lunch Out" which is obviously a counter to the "Ladies Shopping, Lunch, Time Away and We might be home for Dinner Day Out!"

Yasmine

The most difficult part of our time here in Marathon is crossing US1.  Well, I can say that traffic will not stop for me!  However, it has stopped for Yasmine on the catamaran "Yasmine Ann."  While waiting for the bus to Key West and the "Lobster Fest," one has to cross US1 to get to the bus stop.  There are four lanes of traffic to negotiate.  I say negotiate but I really mean "good luck with that!"  Well, Roy made it across but Yasmine was indecisive and waited.  She soon walked to the center line with little or no gap in traffic.  Immediately a pickup truck in the fast lane stopped and motioned her to cross.  In a flash both lanes stopped and Yasmine safely completed the crossing!

A funny story regarding the cleaning of our dinghy a few days ago involved a potential "Life Insurance" claim.  West Marine has a two-step process to clean the barnacles and algae off the bottom and protect it from future buildup.  I'll just say that we followed the directions and cleaned and applied the protectorant to the bottom.  Let me tell you it just shined! It was clear from the instructions we were to apply the protectorant to the entire dinghy bottom and top side.  We had the cleanest and shiniest dinghy in the Marathon mooring field.  As it turns out the protectorant has the same characteristics as Armour All (the very shiny and slippery coating for vinyl etc).  We could barely maneuver sitting or standing and on the way back from Sombrero Beach, where we cleaned the dinghy. Bon slipped while sitting on the side tube and nearly went overboard!  We had to crawl back onto Fiu.  My next visit to West Marine will include a suggestion to not apply it to the topside to avoid the time consuming scrubbing to remove it!

Eric Stone

Sunset from Fiu

We spent one Saturday night at the "Salty Dog" listening to Eric Stone and his bass player, Steve, play at the Tiki bar.  Steve is on a sailboat one row over from us.  The music is island music and we enjoyed ourselves listening, dancing and talking with our friends.







Captain Sid

January 6, 2013 Sunday Marathon, FL

It's been awhile and much has happened since my last entry November 18, 2012!  Bonnie flew home to work at the Country Trunk for the holiday season.  She was quite busy from Black Friday through Christmas Eve.  I stayed with Fiu and tried to work on projects we identified as important!  Important is a relative term!  In any event, The head hoses were replaced.  Even the best of plastic plumbing absorbs odor.  There were immediate results!  I cleaned Fiu and tried to make it a pleasant place to revisit in January.  Lines were rinsed, sorted and stowed.  Fenders were cleaned along with the engine bilge!  An oil and filter change helped to insure the diesel was still happy!

We spent Christmas Day at home with our nephew,Brett. Later in the day our neighbors Mike and Becky and her co-worker and her family from Africa came down to a turkey dinner we prepared to celebrate Christmas and Becky's birthday.  She is the only person I know born on Christmas day.  The conversation was at times difficult since everyone else except Bon and I spoke French.  Oui, my two years of high school French was only slightly helpful.  Si says Bonnie our resident Spanish teacher.

Our Neighborhood Christmas Party was postponed one week due to a windstorm that took down huge trees and power lines.  Some roads near us were closed to traffic.  We had another well attended party and as always it's good to see our neighbors and catch up on the kids and grand kids.

Bonnie and I each got new phones with real keyboards in order for us to learn to text.  Our plan includes unlimited texting and calling so we have one more tool to use to keep in touch with family and friends.  I have been told that texting does not necessarily require a response like a phone message.

New Year's Day was great fun for us.  We boarded the "St. Sacrament," a steamship on Lake George, for a brunch cruise to the narrows and back.  This is our second trip in as many years and the food continues to be the best!  It's as real temptation to over indulge.  Omelettes, fruit, meats, juices and coffee are all cooked to perfection!  The annual Polar Bear Club swim (or should I say "dip and run" for a warm dry towel) took place on Million Dollar Beach just before our return to the docks nearby!  What's wrong with those people!
Tom and Barb, Roberto, Dave and Cindy and Bonnie and I had a great time together!  We look forward to next year.

Our 11:30a flight from Albany to West Palm Beach was uneventful with just the right amount of lay over in Baltimore to get a crab cake lunch.  The connecting flight to West Palm was interesting.  I sat next to a man who was eighty but looked like late sixties.  He was interesting to talk to and he led quite a life.  His girlfriend was picking him up at the baggage claim.

Once on the ground we loaded the rental car and headed south to Marathon.  The one-way car rental sure is handy.  The return was located at the Marathon airport just a few miles from Fiu and a short bike ride back to the dinghy dock.  It seemed like only yesterday I left Fiu for the holidays.  The Damp Rid did its job and there were no problems with mildew or the like!

Friday was a day to clean and freshen Fiu with nice weather we took the bikes ashore and went to our favorite grocery store- Publix!  We filled the new fridge/freezer with fresh food and set the temp to 35 degrees.  The air was calm so the wind generators were slow on output, however, the batteries were fully charged and they supplied enough power to keep things going until Saturday morning.  The temps were in the 80's with high humidity.  These are types of days where it quickly becomes a (3) tee shirt day!

Saturday afternoon we rode bikes to the Sunset Tiki pub and enjoyed beer and wings.  Our new friends we met through Pat and Walt accompanied us and we enjoyed getting to know one another.  Roy and Yazmin have a new 40' catamaran and are hardy sailors.

Bonnie and I went to the Methodist Church in Marathon today.  It's a friendly church and much of the service is singing! People are friendly.

Time to go.
Captain Sid

Sunday, November 18, 2012 Vero Beach, FL

Ken and Marie

Today the winds are kicking up with some whitecaps in the mooring field and speeds between the constant 10 kts to 20+ kts.  The gusts can be unforgiving and everything not lashed down or taken below has a high risk of being blown into the water!  We are using today to hunker down and complete some of the items on our "To Do Lists"!  Bonnie continues to be an avid reader and keeps Fiu spotless!  I have spent time with minor electrical and dinghy issues and overall maintenance of Fiu. 

Mooring Field

This past week here at Vero Beach the weather has been in the 70's with sun and a mix of rain spats!  I'll call them spats because they appear with the wind even on a mostly sunny day.  They keep us alert to the current weather but don't stop us from riding bikes or getting to cross errands off our lists.  We, however, would like to get to the beach more often.  The breezes are uncomfortable at 15+ kts while at the beach.  The winds do make a dinghy ride to the docks a little, shall we say, adventurous!

Near by Housing

We had dinner at the Sunset Cafe on the water near our mooring field with Walt and Lynn, and Ken and Marie last Wednesday.  We managed to get the "Happy Hour" specials and some draft beer for a very affordable night out!  It was bittersweet in that we celebrated all being together , but also Ken and Marie were leaving to get to Ft. Lauderdale for the Thanksgiving dinner with family from out of town.  From there they cross over to the Bahamas later in January for an extended sail to the Exumas!  We expect to meet up again in Florida sometime in April.

Surf's Up!

Other news includes a "no pain" tooth crown falling out with an "E trip" to the local dentist for re-gluing! The bike ride was about 3.5 miles on sidewalks and side streets for a safer trip.  The dentist could be a model and she was interested in sailing stories and consequently, I had no pain while being treated! 

Beach Erosion from Sandy

Summer Weather in Vero Beach

Rafting with Tempest at Mooring

Bonnie leaves from Palm Beach airport for a flight home this Tuesday, November 20th.  She will work at the "Country Trunk" Black Friday and through the Christmas holidays!  I will return December 11 after hopefully completing most of an extended list of "Honey Do's"!

Partial Double Rainbow

Tonight we dine with Lynn and Walt.  Ed and Patty Ann will also drive from Ormond Beach to join us.  We feel fortunate to have met so many friendly and thoughtful sailors during our trips while sailing Fiu.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Captain Sid

Friday, November 9, 2012 Vero Beach, FL

Following Tempest

For the last couple of days we have traveled with a string of sailboats south on the ICW!  It seems we all leave our anchorage at dawn.  The power boats like the trawlers can pass easily.  However, with sailboats it is much more difficult to execute a quick pass if not impossible.  Since we all cruise at about 5-7 knots it can take a mile or more to pass and when the channel narrows it gets tricky since we need to allow room for northbound boats!  I try to move right and cut my speed that way the pass happens more quickly.

IOLAR (Walt & Bob)

Overnight if we have winds constant at 12-15 plus knots then the two wind generators will supply all the boat's power needs.  However, if the wind is less than 12 kts then the draw on the batteries from the freezer, fridge and lights is more than the wind generators can keep up with.  Therefore, the batteries are drawn down and sometimes they get borderline.

Coronado Bridge

Flagger Beach

The anchor came up easily and it was a cool float with a NNW breeze at about 10-14kts.  We saw plenty of dolphins feeding in the Indian River where the ICW is located.  As we passed Melbourne I called Erik and left a message.  The winds kicked up and with the gusting winds and sharply winding river the sail came down near the Wabasso Beach fixed bridge.  Overall it was a great sunny day for traveling down the ICW.

Great sailing

We arrived at Vero Beach a little passed 2PM.  We will stay here for a least a month maybe I'll leave Fiu here through Christmas and come back to Vero Beach January 3!





Captain Sid

November 7, 2012 Coca, FL Anchorage

Fiu and Tempest traveled 67 miles together today.  We are at ICW mile marker 898!  Today's weather was windy and cold.  Even though we are in Florida the morning temps can be in the 40's.  That's okay, but being in the wind on the water, it can be very uncomfortable!

We quickly met up with Ken and Marie a short time later as they turned from their R44 anchorage and we followed Tempest  the rest of the day.  We were part of a 7 sailboat "congo line" of sailboats, sails up, keeping pace and passing through the Coronado Bridge (bascule) in New Smyrna Beach!

We are getting close to Vero Beach which is our first major milestone. Ken called ahead for reservations for tomorrow.  The plan is to share a mooring ball by rafting together.  What happens here is that Fiu puts a port and a starboard line through the ring at the top of the buoy and fastens them to the deck cleats.  Tempest then ties up to Fiu with docking fenders between the boats.  Then Tempest puts a port and a starboard line through the ring as well.  This way either boat can leave without disturbing the other boat's lines.  These buoys are constructed for as many as three boats to raft together!

Back to the day trip.  We had our sails up again today through Mosquito Lagoon.  The entire day we saw dolphins.  And as usual, there are no pics of the 'breathe-holding" creatures.  They are beautiful to watch and next to impossible to snap a pic of them (I have tons of pics of water with no dolphins to be seen)!  We made our cut through the Haulover Canal which takes us to the Indian River and away from Cape Canaveral.  The building used to house the space shuttle can be seen from miles and miles away!

Immediately after turning to port to stay in the channel we came up to the Jay Jay railroad bridge which has always been open every time we have passed by.  Today a railroad worker was sitting in his open-air rail car and waited for all of the sailboats to pass through then closed the bridge.  We watched him cross the bridge then reopen it once he moved to the other side.

We anchored just south of the Cocoa bridge in 10 feet of water!

Captain Sid

November 6, 2012 Daytona FL Halifax Marina

Our current location is mile marker 831 of the ICW.  The 54 miles traveled today was in cold AM winds and slightly warmer winds in the PM.We met IOLAR again today.  Walt and Bob are heading to Vero Beach where Walt and Lynn purchased a condo.  We first met in the Bahamas at Man of Cay where we were just two slips from them!  We met up again in Vero Beach last May and Walt kept IOLAR at Osprey Marina at the same dock as FIU.  We left Comachie Cove at about 6:30AM and made the 7 AM opening of the St Augustine Bridge of Lions, which has undergone recent improvements.  Since it connects the outer islands with the city of St Augustine it is restricted in the AM and PM rush hours and is closed to boat traffic for an extended time to assist workers getting to their jobs on time.

The trip past Matanzas inlet was better even with the recent shoaling!  The extra buoys made it clear where to go.  The other bridge to get clearance to pass was the Cresent Beach Bridge.  This bascule bridge opens at the center of the span with both sides lifting into the air to an almost vertical position.

Winds were steady at about10 knots with gusts up to 20kts.  We put up the jib, on roller reefing, to about one half.  This much extra sail gave us an additional  1/3 of a knot more speed!  It may not sound like much, but over 8 hours it adds up significantly.

We called Ed and Patty Ann, our Bahamas "buddy boat," at their Ormond Beach condo to let them know where we were.  Ed drove a short distance to the LB Knox bascule bridge near his home.  As we passed through the opening Ed was waving and talking to us from the shore!  We would later meet up with him and Patty Ann for dinner at DJ's for some seafood.

We made a reservation at the Halifax marina, Ed's home base for the Patty Ann sailboat he keeps there.  It was good to get together and be with sailing friends once again. Tempest would anchor a short distance south of Halifax Marina where we would meet up again in the AM.

Captain Sid

November 5, 2012 St Augustine, FL Comachie Cove Harbor

Eight hours and 60 miles later we arrived in St Augustine and spent two nights at the Comachie Cove Yacht Harbor.  We are currently at mile 717 of trip.  We were on the water for (8) hours.  The weather was windy and cool most of the day.

My Boat US membership expires next week and since this includes unlimited towing it is essential to renew.  I now am current with a Gold membership!  Sounds highbrow but the cost is moderate and like so many other insurance policies you hope to never need it.  I also added a maintenance dose of biocide to the diesel fuel.  Since it is organic there are some special things to consider when using diesel.

South Amelia River, Nassau Sound, Saw Pit Creek and then Amelia Island were interesting places.  Our problem is we are usually on somewhat of a time constraint when heading south on Fiu.  We need to slow down and stop to visit some of these fun places. We have decided to hike on Cumberland Island on the trip back north to Osprey.

Crossing the St John's River between the ocean and Jacksonville can be quite difficult.  I liken it to crossing a six lane highway with tidal currents that make it seem like you are floating in a washing machine!  The harbor traffic can be busy and the cut to the ICW is narrow especially at low tides.  The currents are very unsettling for the next (5) miles downstream.  Patience and concentration are good qualities to exhibit here. There were dozens of dolphins in this area of the ICW.  Again, those mammals torment me with their breathe holding abilities and therefore, a lack of good pics!

Comachie Cove has a loaner car and if you sign up for the last slot in the afternoon you get to keep the car all night instead of two hours!  We drove to town, parked and walked the streets on the pedestrian walkways with the many shops and eateries!

We have pics of a manatee at our dock.  It seemed extra slow and had some parallel healed cuts on its back.  I will include those pics on this page.

Captain Sid

November 4, 2012 Fernandina Beach, FL

Tempest and Fiu were rafted together in Wally's Leg anchorage.  We always enjoy Ken and Marie's company!  There were plenty of "no see ums!"  After a good night's sleep we Weighed anchor at 7:15AM and were on our way to Fernandina Beach, FL.  A pump out and some diesel at the Jekyll Harbor Marina and then we were on our way again!  We past Little Cumberland Island, beautiful by the way. We past the submarine base in Georgia with a guard speed boat right there to cut us off if we strayed too close.  The buoys here are very confusing.  This is partly true because larger ships come in from the sea, including the subs.  In this case the red bouys are on the left as we head south on the river toward the ocean.  However, the ICW has red on the right when heading south.  The change over can be confusing.

The last couple of miles past the sub base in Georgia is the entrance to St. Marys.  This river separates FL from GA.  Just past the inlet is Fernandina Beach, FL.  The town is quaint but the two factories run 24/7 with their smokestacks belching out a foul smelling smoke.  The anchorage is on the river and if the wind direction is just right it can be a long night trying to sleep!

The 51 miles traveled today were easy except for a little bit of work sorting out the channel markers near the sub base.  At this point we are at ICW  mile 717.  Osprey Marina, where we started is mile 373.  We are 344 miles into our trip of 579 miles to Vero Beach and 821 miles to Marathon and Boot Key Harbor.

Will attached pics later, come back to these postings without pics.

Captain Sid

November 3, 2012 Wally's Leg, Georgia

This was by far the longest day of our trip to the Keys.  The 83 miles however, allowed us to finally meet up with one of our "Buddy Boats!"  Ken and Marie on Tempest greeted us with smiles and we renewed our friendship with some wine and stories of our children.

The Skidaway Bridge opened for us with only a slight delay.  We waited only a couple of minutes for the sailboat behind us to catch up to us so we could all pass through with a single opening and thereby reducing the inconvenience on local traffic, you know, those late for day care, on their way to work and to school.

Moon River, Burnside, Vernon and Little Ogeechee Rivers took us round to the left then round to the right!  The Ogeechee River had many dolphins feeding.  Again, I have no pics of dolphins since the little creatures hold their breathe for what seems forever!

Up the Florida Passage to Kilkenney Creek and the Bear River led us to St Catherine's Sound.  Walburg Creek and Johnson Creek brought us to the South Newport River and the Sapelo Sound and Island.  Once across the Sound we entered the Altamara Sound and Little Mud River with low tide in progress and very little water under our keel.  Sometimes as little as (5) feet.  We draft 4' 9" but anything less than (7) feet is a problem.  We arrived in Wally's Leg just as the sun set and it started to get cool and buggy with "no see ums" that you could see!!

Captain Sid

Friday, November 2, 2012 Thunderbolt, Georgia

Leaving Beaufort we saw the weather bring us brilliant sunshine, lots of dew on the deck and canvas, and cool temps.  We decided to sleep in and get started an hour later than our usual 7-7:30AM start up.  We caught the 9AM Ladys Island Bridge opening after weighing anchor at 8:15AM.  Shortly, we managed to put up the jib sail and add to our motored speed.  We heard IOLAR on the radio and called Walt to let him know we were in the area.  Walt kept his ketch in front of us at Osprey Marina for the summer.  We met Walt and Lynn in Vero Beach last May.

We always enjoy Hilton Head and seeing the excessive beach homes and scenery.  For many of these beach-front dwellings no expense is spared! All are well done with unusually well thought out landscaping.  The trip from Hilton Head to the Savannah River and Thunderbolt is made up of winding rivers and shallow water at low tide.  Crossing the Savannah River both north and south channel can be dangerous at low tide.  We were fortunate to run through the tricky sections at almost high tide.

As we travel on Fiu it's amazing how the kinds of boats, size of boats and the names of the boats are so diverse!  I am sure when boaters hear our "Fiu" they wonder, "What the heck?"  Well, Fiu may be unusual but when you hear the story of what it means it makes sense.  There is one boat name that no matter what the story is it doesn"t make sense. As we moved from Beaufort, SC to Thunderbolt, GA we kept hearing the  boat named "Breaking Wind" over the radio.  I'm sorry, but don't be that guy!  All I could think about were other more ridiculous names associated with Breaking Wind.  Here are a few:  Stinky Feet, Bad Breath, and, well,you get the idea.  The long time tradition of naming your ship with a woman's name is somewhat limited these days.  The large luxury power cruisers and the sport fishing boats have been difficult to deal with on this trip.  Both of these boats are designed in such a way that a huge wake is delivered outward ready to swamp any small craft and roll the "ba jeepers" out of even larger sailboats!  Often you will hear some say that the faster they go the less wake they deliver!  Not true!  For many designs this is true.  However, there seem to be just as many designs where this is also not true.  The hard part of all of this is we all have a right to be on the water in the size of the boat, the design of the boat and of course, even the name of the boat we choose.  Getting sailboats to understand they need to slow down and move to the right when possible and more importantly, to get power boaters to pass on our port side at a reasonable speed that produces the smallest wake for that design is what really needs to happen.

Bon and I prepared the boat for the night and headed over to Tubby's for a draft beer and a fish dinner.  We usually stop there and see our niece, Dawn, who was out of town this trip.  I purchased diesel and filled the water tanks for the trip south.  The 47 mile day was tiring but fun.

Captain Sid

Thursday, November 1, 2012 Beaufort, SC

The 63 miles and (10 hours) we motor-sailed today was in mostly sunny weather with a cool breeze in the afternoon.  Actually it was downright cold at times, like when the sun went behind the clouds!  Early on in the AM we spotted (6) deer along the shore a few miles from St John's Marina. Most of the wildlife we see are birds, rarely deer.  As we passed Church Creek and the immediate area we were treated to a well-kept golf course with a tee box built out into the water.  I'm sure there a a hundred golf balls in the river.  Too bad they sink and not float!  Passing a tricky part of the Wadmalaw River we passed a navy ship being refitted with work being done on the bow. 

I always get interested in names of creeks, rivers and sounds in this region.  The Toogoodoo Creek is an actual place with its very own location on the charts!  That is its name.  As to origin, you got me!  As we approached the East Edisto River many dolphins appeared (not long enough for my camera to snap a "quick" foto)!  These mammals can hold their breathe longer than I have patience to wait for their eventual surfacing, again for a split second, just long enough to blow out and suck in some air! The next interesting body of water was Watts Cut.  This canal-like cut joins two rivers and is very shallow at low tide. It is just past the Dawho River.  All of this leads to the South Edisto River.  Following along we get to the Ashpoo River and the Ashpoo-Coosaw Cut-Off!  Yes, they are spelled correctly!  This is the fifth time I have traveled the Coosaw River and again it is wide open and very rough. We were saved by the fact that heading directly into the wind we get a little bit of pitch but no rolling!  Since the tide was going out we struggled with speed and only averaged 4.5 knots with while facing a 12 knot wind. So much for good fuel mileage today!  The next cut took us to the Combahee River past Bull River and Parrot Creek.

We finished our day by bearing a sharp left immediately before the Ladys Island Bridge ( no apostrophe) in Beaufort, SC and anchored on Factory Creek.  We used the heater in the evening while running our generator!

Captain Sid

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Charleston, SC

The hot soup and sandwich was a perfect break from the wind and constant attention to other vessels, gauges and charts.  Again, the engine performed well and was little or no worry.  

The 53 miles we traveled today seemed like twice that.  Winds at a steady 20kts with gusts up to 27kts made it tough going especially since most of the time we headed into the wind.  This however, isn't all bad because crossing Charleston harbor (near Ft. Sumter) we managed to head directly into the wind and therefore, less rolling just a little more pitch up and down.  We covered most of the harbor before we started taking the waves on our port quarter.  The waves were so much smaller since there was little fetch for them to build!

The Wapoo Creek bascule bridge just past Charleston Harbor closes from 3:30PM to 6:30PM weekdays for rush hour traffic to flow more smoothly!  We arrived and requested an opening at 3:22PM.  Otherwise our wait would be at anchor for the three hours of closure and would have kept us on the water after dark.  I don't like to be out in the dark because there are too many variables most importantly the inability to accurately see what's ahead of you.  Also, the St Johns Yacht Harbor is directly past the Wapoo Creek bridge and Elliott Cut.  There are certain times  one is able to pass through the cut and approaching low tide is not one of them. We made it through at about 4:30PM and registered at the marina shortly after.

A quick call to Karen, our life-long friend, and we were soon on our way to laundry, shopping and dinner! Our two nights stay at St Johns Marina was reasonable and they have the best showers I have used on all our trips. Also, they give a discount for being a Boat US member. It is a well-kept marina with friendly staff there to help. Interestingly,  it's amazing the amount of tide and current there on the Stono River.  We always cleat our lines with the intention of when we return Fiu will still be there!

Wednesday, our college friend, Gloria, of Gloria and Ralph,  invited us to her house and to lunch at their local marina. We drove over to the Isle of Palms and spent some time catching up on our children, their activities and families.  Gloria, Karen, Bon and I were all classmates at Cortland State from 1967-1971. That was when you entered college and then graduated four years later.


Captain Sid
 

Monday, October 29, 2012 Osprey Marina Myrtle Beach, SC

Saturday and Sunday we continued to prepare for our planned Monday departure.  We met several new boaters some who docked near us.  We had snacks on Sea Quill and snacks and drinks on Windkist.  The winds were continuing to gust up to over 30 knots on the ICW!  We actually had very little wind and it reinforced our feeling Osprey Marina would be a good hurricane hole!  Lots of rain all day Saturday, part of Sandy's effects!  Much of Sunday it rained lightly but stopped most outside activities.

While the weather forecasts called for high winds we felt much of the first day's travel we would be protected by the narrow river winding down to Winyah Bay!  Georgetown is just off the bay on the Sampit River.  We turned off the ICW at R42 headed into Georgetown Harbor to get some relief from the wind, it had gusts up to 32 kts on more than one occasion during the day.  A gale begins at 36 kts.  Arriving in the harbor we found several derelict boats and our anchor wasn't holding in the mud with the powerful wind!  We pulled up anchor and headed back out into Winyah Bay.  Just two miles south we turned into the Estherville Minim Creek Canal.  Nine miles further we arrived at the South Santee River and anchored there.  This is our usual anchorage but with the weather we weren't sure we would make it.  The holding is great even though it is an open anchorage and the wind kept  gusting all night long.  The holding is so good I had some difficulty in weighing anchor in the AM!

The rest of the trip I was concerned whether or not my engine troubles were truly over or just a temporary lull in more issues!  The engine performed with all important gauges and warnings working as expected!  It's late and I need some sleep.

Captain Sid



 

Friday, October 26, 2012 Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

Well, finally it is settled!  The diesel techies, Glenn and James were able to identify the problem and fix it!  This morning after three days of "well, maybe it's this or that" Fiu is fixed and ready for action!  It was in the end more like a vapor lock!  Here's the run-down:  my original starter works just fine; when removing the fuel injectors water came streaming out of the supply lines instead of diesel fuel.  After several attempts to drain all the water they realized it must be syphoning in from the raw water cooling system. A valve in the vent line was plugged (this happens sometimes) so instead of the pressure being released and the water stopped from building up and entering the engine, it was allowed to enter and since water doesn't compress the engine wouldn't turn over.  This would be a symptom of a bad starter motor.  They really should have checked it out before ordering a new one.  Once the vent line was clear the water completely drained from the engine and diesel fuel replaced the water in the lines. It fired right up and I let the engine run for almost an hour to help dry it out.  I thought at one point we would have to be towed, the engine removed and replaced with a new one!  That worst case scenario didn't happen.  We would have been unable to continue our trip!

The best part of all of this (besides a hard learned lesson) is that the yanmar dealer took back the new starter motor at no cost to me.  Second, he only charged 7 1/4 hours of labor for the three days they worked on the engine!  It seems to be running fine and they assured me it was good to go!  No bent rods or other potential damage from trying to compress water in a diesel engine!  We will see.  I was very depressed over this whole issue because there was no warning.  However, I will check this vent periodically.  I could only imagine this happening while anchored out in the SC grasses where a tow would be required!  Kind of like your car breaking down in the middle of the Adirondacks on a back road.

Our plan is to stay here until "Sandy" passes by.  We will check conditions Sunday morning and if high wind warnings are still in effect then we will leave Monday AM. The staff here Lynn, Miles, Richard and Sherry has been most gracious and flexible.  They have new boats coming in each day and yet they still manage to accommodate us with their limited open dock space. 

Time to retire!
Captain Sid

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Osprey Marina

To be or not to be!  I now have the answer.  The vapor lock theory evaporated this AM when the diesel techie informed me the starter was indeed in need of repair ( it only has three seasons of use)!  After several calls back and forth a new starter is supposed to be here tomorrow, Friday or Saturday.  He did promise to install it as soon as it is delivered.  Yes, they will charge us for the new one with a hefty freight charge added to the bill.  I guess it's better to be here in a marina than anchored out somewhere in the SC grasses (often beautiful in their way) and not be able to start the diesel!

Hurricane Sandy is now a real threat!  We will stay right here regardless of when the diesel is repaired!  It is scheduled to pass this Friday and be north of us by Saturday.  We have agreed that being safe here is more important than making planned connections with friends further south Thursday and Friday.  We will reschedule our plans with them and hopefully see them as we sail south to the Keys!

We have continued to work on getting Fiu ready to sail.  Most things to do involve cleaning of some kind.  The hull has had its brown "ICW mustache" removed. The fresh water in this part of the region has lots of tannins, which are chiefly complex glucosides of catechol and pyrogallol making the water truly the color of iced tea on the strong side!  We will be reviewing our charts and refreshing our memories about anchorages during the next three days.

We have been in contact with some of our boat buddies from previous trips and they are further south than we are.  We are hoping they can find adequate shelter from the off-shore effects of Hurricane Sandy over the next few days.  Higher tides, high winds (above 20kts) and probably lots of rain will all come together to make life on a boat just a little uncomfortable for a couple of days!

I think, all things considered, we are probably fortunate to have to wait for the new starter since Hurricane Sandy has the potential to reek havoc.  We are thinking of our families and friends and want you all to know we are safe here.  Osprey Marina is the absolute best marina for friendliness and helpfulness. Everyone here will go out of their way to make sure we are comfortable and have our needs met!

Dinner awaits!

Captain Sid

Tuesday, October 23, 2012 Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

Well the trip down to Raleigh was quick but enjoyable. We took Route 29 from Staunton, VA to almost I 40 East near the VA and NC state borders.  What we found was several micro breweries in rural VA with full parking lots.  We decided we need to stop there on our next trip!

The Nyland wedding was small and intimate.  We feel both Brian and Anna make a good pair.  The service was at a city owned historical site, The Tucker House, in Raleigh.  What was unique was Len, Brian's dad was best man!  Congratulations to them and their families!

We left the Raleigh Hampton Inn Monday AM arrived after lunch at Osprey Marina, on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and found a more complicated set of circumstances than expected.  We thought we could go food shopping, turn in the rental car and then leave today, Tuesday.  Not to be!

First, we found some mildew in spots, very upsetting, especially if it's your first experience with such stuff.  After cleaning with a solution of bleach and water we were tired and disappointed that would be delayed unless we were able to food shop in the evening.  Second, after cleaning for a couple of hours I tried to start the diesel to make sure the engine was capable to performing it's expected duties!

This also was not to be!  It wouldn't crank over.  So, with my amazing ability with electrical meters I seemed to believe it was a dead engine battery (not one of the three house batteries).  This is because the voltage dropped to 10.25 volts when the key was turned to start.  However, this also was not to be!  A new battery didn't make a difference.  A call to a Yanmar dealer seemed to indicate a vapor lock.  This may be.  The diesel techie is supposed to help out tomorrow AM.  We hope to be on our way after lunch.

Tropical storm Sandy is forecast to become a hurricane overnight.  However, the spagehtti models all show her tripping out to sea with little effect on our sailing plans.  This one, especially, we will keep a watch out for her!

It's getting late and the memory foam sounds like a good idea at this point in time!  Speaking of memory, it's more fun and confidence-building for us when we know the route and our anchorages are all known.  We are looking forward to a slow but fun voyage!

Captain Sid

"Prepare to Come About...' Sunday, October 14, 2012

We are preparing to leave on Saturday to board Fiu in Myrtle Beach, SC.  The usual Fall tasks are being completed one at a time.  It sure seems endless some days!  Those darn leaves just keep falling and I guess living in the woods that's to be expected!  We were disappointed in the lack of colors this year.  This month's rain and the summer drought may have played a part.

Looking back however, we had the best "pool" summer in recent memory (Bonnie was happy) and of course, I was able to play golf a record number of times this summer as well!  I was fortunate to play several courses with my favorite being Conklin Players Club near Binghamton, NY.  By the way, I plan to take my driver and putter on board just in case I get a chance to play down south. The summer and fall have been good to us with visits out west to see our boys and their families.  Grandchildren are amazing!  How fast they grow!  Our  41st wedding anniversary was celebrated by a surprise trip for Bon to North River and a two- day stay at the Garnet Hill Lodge, which is steeped in history and traditions of the north country.  A neighborhood wedding brought many friends and family back home to celebrate and what fun!

Short of a major technical malfunction I will try to maintain my writing on a daily basis while at our destinations and a less frequent basis while sailing. Vero Beach, FL just south of Melbourne on the Atlantic coast is our first major destination.  We'll keep Fiu there during the holidays and return to Fiu after New Years!  Bon will return home before Thanksgiving and I will be back before Christmas.

So, I will try to keep up with current events while sailing.  We have already sent in our absentee ballots for the general election November 6!  Local news we get through the Times Union using their E-edition ( Bon is addicted to the JUMBLE).  I must say she is quite quick with the solution most days! She's quick with solutions for me too, everyday!  Seriously, she is my crew and for that I am grateful.

Sailing to a destination keeps us busy each day.  With the decreasing amount of daylight hours until December we are able to safely be on the water for just hours instead of having all day.  Having traveled this route more than once our favorite anchorages are known and it becomes easier to plan the day to cover a maximum number of  miles and still not feel rushed even taking foul weather into account.  Speaking of "fowl" weather, I've noticed Canada geese heading south and that's exactly what we will do on Saturday!

Captain Sid