The Sun Shines For The Birthday Boy!

Another early start for the long ICW days

It’s not much fun on a boat in the bitter cold, sitting out all day in the icy elements, motoring down the endless ICW where everything is obscured by the gray, foggy sky.  But everything changes when graced with a little bit of sunshine and warmth. The sun is finally emerging and the tiring, never-ending days of motoring are no longer a chore.  We crossed the border from Georgia to Florida shedding layers of clothes the further south we got. And once again we are back in shorts and tees.  We continue to be awe struck by all the nature and wildlife the ICW has to offer; Wild ponies on barrier islands, more dolphins, pelicans, herons and egrets then you ever get to see in the Caribbean or Bahamas. What attracts them to this brown murky water? Amazing sunsets and sunrises with fiery skies constantly changing colour; eagles, butterflies and still so many dragonflies; majestic trees dripping in Spanish moss alongside lofty palms.  Not to mention the quirky and character filled towns that we pass by. Apart from the cost of motoring and the pressure to get as far south as possible in order to cross over to the Bahamas before our visa expires, we have thoroughly enjoyed the flat protected waters of the ICW.

Khaya Moya and Wandering Star rafted along side each other

We had a night on a free dock at Sisters Creek near to the St Johns River - already filled with other boats Sim skilfully squeezed us in.  Khaya Moya then rafted alongside for the night. We anchored off Cumberland Island where we could see the wild Ponies on the beach.  As we entered Florida we could feel the temperatures raise and the pace pick up – the waterways so busy with traffic.  The radio is constantly crackling away with coastguard warnings, navigational warnings and all the other chatter that channel 16 probably shouldn't be used for.  The huge properties that pass either side of us, the huge power boats that over take us – you wouldn't know there has been a recession. We have passed through many bridges, holding our breath as we do, only once have we seen our radio antenna ping. We have been carried by the fast currents travelling at over 9kts and battled them at 4kts.  We have hit bottom a couple more times easily backing off and are now happy that we have made it down to central Florida. 

Celebrating Sims birthday

In Titusville on the “Space Coast” we stayed for a couple of days, celebrating Sim’s birthday starting with sausage rolls  instead of birthday cake  and later with John and Shirley at the famous Dixie Crossroads seafood restaurant where Sim opted for ribs! The Municipal marina we had to anchor by isn’t too friendly if you are not one of their guests.  Mooring buoys are $20, use of the dinghy dock if you anchor is $5, and there is a surcharge of $5 for access to their laundry machines and $2 showers. I understand a fee for use of their property but it gets more and more frustrating as good anchorages get filled up with moorings you have to pay for. So our stay there was bittersweet.  We hired a car with John and Shirley for a day (Enterprise pick up from the marina) primarily to pick up last minute spares and a last big food shop for the Bahamas. We drove down to Cocoa’s sea front and spent a little too long in Walmart, not getting back until it was way past dark and almost sinking our dinghy with our goods in the process!

Thank goodness it was calm when we dinghied back with all our groceries.

We are now anchored off Cape Canaveral and had hoped to see a historical space launch of the Delta Orion this morning – an unmanned probe – a test run for future space exploration to Mars - the first in sometime by NASA. But after a couple of delays (including one for a boat straying into restricted waters – Not us by the way) it’s been postponed until tomorrow.  We will wait to see what happens tomorrow but regardless the outcome tomorrow we will continue south hopefully arriving West Palm Beach on Monday and crossing over to the Bahamas from there at the next weather window.

Another grey wet day

We have seen hundreds of these birds - not sure what they are.

Khaya Moya arriving to an anchorage.

Bombing it along at 9.2kts!

Wild ponies on Cumberland Island

Not another sunset

The ICW just north of Fernandina Beach

So Many Pelicans

It was still very cold until recently

Free dock by Sisters Creek room for 6 ish boats + rafting

Heading down south 

Pretty water way

St Augustine Lighthouse - one of my favourites

Dozens of dolphins everyday - and we still shout dolphin every time.

Lots of Eagles on the way south but we didn't see any on the way up.

Yep! Pelicans everywhere!

Ponce De Leon  Lighthouse

More birds

The famous Rock shrimp at Dixie Crossroads

Our new friend

The birthday boy

John and Shrimpy

Cocoa Beach

Another sunset

Lots of small dragonflies landing on the boat driving the kitty nuts

Wandering Up The ICW

Traveling up the Waccamaw River, South Carolina

We have travelled through three states via the ICW and an overnight sail on the outside (the ocean). Up through Georgia with its tall grassy marshland lining either side of the waterway; we spotted our first alligator; went hard aground and had to wait for the tide to lift us off and battled daily with the irksome, biting horseflies.  We anchored in rivers near trees and fields so green and golden and lush, with shrimp boats keeping us company for the night. Almost every day highlighted with storms and lightning.  

The grassy banks of Walberg Creek by St Catherine's Inlet

With a good forecast in hand we took to the ocean via the slightly nail biting and shallow St Catherine’s Inlet.  Not one drop of rain, nor one lightning strike did we see for the entire trip. We battled with no wind, cursing the forecast, ghosting us along at under 4kts, then too much wind kicking up big seas and hurtling us forward at over 8kts at times.  We hunkered down and settled into a pace for the night, a red disc of a sun setting on a hazy horizon.  It’s always so difficult to sleep that first night at sea – we were up and down and kept busy with traffic – big ships coming out of Savannah and Charleston.  By morning with another red disc rising in the sky and on a long tack into Winyah Bay in South Carolina we were completely worn out. We passed Georgetown lighthouse and anchored two miles up the channel that afternoon, grateful for a peaceful, settled evening.

The sun setting on Walberg Creek

It feels like a life time ago but it was only yesterday we travelled 70 miles up through South Carolinas’  ICW, a roaring current carrying us most of the way. The Waccamaw River is truly stunning, tall trees twist and turn with the serpentine river and I think this is the America I want to see.  Osprey, vultures and eagles make nests in the lofty trees or ICW markers.  It is all so green and refreshing. Then it all changes as we pass big houses,  and  the channel narrows and we have 20 miles to pass through an area known as ‘’The Rockpile” – where as you may have guessed rocky outcrops line the narrow sides of the channel. We don’t drop anchor until 7pm that night – and just in time for an impressive lightning show that lasts most of the night.

The Waccamaw River

Today we have travelled 50 miles crossing the border from South Carolina into North Carolina, we have both battled and been carried by the fast currents.  We poked our nose into Southport to see if there was room to anchor but the small basin was already full of local boats.  These legs of the journey have been hard as the distances between good anchorages grow further apart, our budget not allowing for the well placed marinas.  In Carolina Beach we compromised and picked up a $20 mooring for a night of peaceful sleep.

Sim checking the depth with a lead line after we went hard aground

The troublesome *biting* horsefly

See ya later *alligator*

Our neighbours for the night

Georgetown lighthouse at Winyah Bay Inlet, South Carolina

ICW markers in the Waccamaw river with Osprey nests

 

More Osprey nests

And still plenty of dragonflies

And birds of prey

Holding our breath as we have less then a foot of clearance

Going through a swing bridge where we must request an opening

Big houses on the ICW

Sim and the kitty

 

Egret wading in the shallow water just meters from our boat.

 

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island - The Golden Isles, Georgia

Works of art? on Driftwood Beach

It looks like a graveyard for trees; in fact it almost is a graveyard for trees.  Driftwood Beach on the north east coast of Jekyll Island had been one of those beaches I had wanted to go to for quite some time. It is an unusual beach without sun umbrellas and people lavishing lotion on, without beach games or sun towels.  Its wild looking and windswept – there is no-denying which way the predominate wind blows here as trees and branches all lean to the west like a well honed ballet troupe.  Scattered along the coast dozens and dozens of silvery trees and stumps lie tumbled on the sand. It almost looks eerie, and yet there is a kind of peaceful solitude about the place. It is beauty in an unconventional way.  I’ve read that the trees are deposited there but it seems to me that the beach is getting washed away and the trees are falling to their peril.  We both really enjoyed this place even though it was another five mile cycle each way.  We left early before 8am to avoid the heat which was fortuitous as it meant we caught the low tide.  We cycled back mostly on the cycle paths that run alongside the beach and sand dunes on Jekyll Islands east coast. We spotted raccoons feeding with wild cats and woodpeckers tapping at trees.  It amazes me all the wildlife that we see.  I could most definitely spend more time here at Jykell Island – part of Georgia’s infamous Golden Isles– we didn’t step foot on Sand Dunes beaches and there is the historic town on the west side that we haven’t explored but Sim and I both agreed that we weren’t ready for another five mile cycle and that we really should press ourselves a few miles further north readying ourselves for a jump on the outside......if we ever make it.

The raccoons and the kitty.

By midday we were back from our Driftwood beach excursion and lifting anchor to move northwards.  And it seems it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention the horrid afternoon thunderstorm that blackened our skies only to light them again with umpteen lightning strikes....Will I ever get used to it?

Sim pontificating again

 

Driftwood Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woodpecker pecking

 

Raccoon eating the food left out

 

All the trees lean to the west

 

Taking a break

 

Approach of another horrid thunderstorm

 

Which left us with a beautiful sunset

 

And all was calm and peaceful again