"Ditching" Florida..........

......Or Cruising the Atlantic  ICW

In planning our voyage north from the Keys, we reached two major conclusions:

1) Our days of high-speed open-water runs were over.  (I mean, only a fool gets burned by the same fire twice....well, OK....three times , right?)  We resolved to proceed up the east coast via the sheltered Intracoastal Waterway (aka The Ditch) and limit our engine speed to about 1600 rpm (12-ish knots).  The frequency of no-wake and/or shallow waters along this route actually force much lower speeds anyway.   No more running "outside" for us. 

2) We would "declare victory" and end our Great Loop in Little River, SC, rather than returning all the way to Virginia Beach VA.   While not "crossing our wake" in the purest sense, this is the location of our friend Doug Ford, the boat broker who assisted us in our boat search and ultimately in the purchase of Irish Lass.  We also want Doug to handle her sale.  And he has moorage available for us in the marina where his office is located. And it’s a 250 mile, 6-day, 250-gallon round trip from Little River to Virginia Beach (where exactly nobody is waiting to throw us a party) and back.  And we're weary from our "adventures" and their related expense.  And Admiral Maggie really wants to poop in her own yard.  And because we said so.  So, there! 

So,  northward we go..........

Passing under the Bay Bridge, we entered the congested waters of the Port of Miami.   Lots of boats, tugs, barges, and, because several cruise ships were in port, law enforcement.    (No sign of Crockett and/or Tubbs, however .)  And Bridges.  Lots and lots of bridges,   In fact, by the time we reached our destination in Ft Lauderdale via the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, 13 bridges.  Seven of which had to open in order for Irish Lass to pass.  Sheesh.    We were fortunate to only have one wait of longer than 5 minutes, thanks to the helpful cooperation of a couple of bridge tenders. 

Still, it was almost 5:00 PM by the time we settled into our slip at Bahia Mar Yachting Center.   It is truly a YACHTING marina, with some of our neighbors were large enough to carry Irish Lass as a tender.   Double Sheesh.  

The ICW in this area is lined with high rise condos (hence "the Ditch") and the beautiful (and overwrought)  homes favored by Tony "Say haalo to my leetle fren!!" Montana in "Scarface".  One does wonder how much cocaine one must sell, or how many migrants smuggle annually to afford to live here.  OMG. 

Living la vida Miami!

Our first stop north of Ft Lauderdale took us to Boynton Beach, where both the marina and shoreline architecture was much toned down.  Better yet, it led us to an invitation for a shoreside dinner at the home of Commadore Kathleen's cousin Don McLaughlin and his wife Jeri.  And BEST of all, fur-Admiral Maggie got to go along and be off-leash in the large, fenced backyard for the first time in months!  And she LOVED it, (once she decided Don's floating pool chemical dispenser was not chasing her.)  A delightful evening for all.   

Our next day was a long-ish past Palm Beach, Jupiter Sound, Hobe Sound, and the St Lucie River to Manatee Pocket and the Sailfish Marina.  A run of fewer than 45 miles but slow due to the prevalence of no-wake zones.  Our goal for this stop was to connect with Wade's former banking colleague, Charles Thayer.   A lifelong Florida boater,  Charles and his wife Molly make their home in nearby Palm City and have been asking us to stop by almost since e we started our Loop.   They graciously hosted us for dinner at their creek-side home. Another "win" for fur-Admiral Maggie, who got to meet her follow voyager fur-Admiral Scupper.   We enjoyed a wonderful meal and a tour of Molly's mixed-media art studio.   Fur-Admiral Maggie got yet another evening of off-leash yard time.  And who knew that Molly spent her pre-Charles years as an international sailboat delivery captain, moving boats all over the planet for their owners.  And does she have some sea stories to tell (that make things like blown exhaust elbows and transmissions seem like child’s play).  Sheesh!

Charles Thayer and the fur-Admirals

As an added treat, Charles, Molly, and Scupper accompanied us on our 35-mile run from  Manatee Pocket to Ft Pierce City Marina where we planned to spend a few days reconnecting with Looper friends.   It was a smooth voyage , but there is nothing like performing before an experienced audience  to keep and captain and crew on their toes.

The City of Ft Pierce's commitment to their waterfront economy is evident by the nice quality of their marina and the constantly changing array of shoreside activities.  Music, dining, shopping, craft fairs, and farmers markets are all within walking distance.  and if you want to venture further, free eclectic, on-demand shuttles throughout the city limits.  Many Loopers, like friends Jeff and Laurie on Water Witch make extended stays here.  We also reconnected with Gold Loopers Bill and Patti on Let Time Go Lightly (2022 Gold Loopers who had ventured over from the Sarasota area), Tom and Jane on Picnic Boat, John on Moon Shadow II.  And a joined with other Loopers for cocktails and dinner.  

For an excursion, we Uber'd across the river to visit the The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum.  This is a do-not-miss destination if you ever find yourself in this stretch if Florida, offering wonderful displays and knowledgeable(i.e., ex-SEAL) docents to help trace this vital fighting force from its early days in WWII  thru its ever-evolving mission to today's battles against terrorist threats worldwide.   Included is the orange lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama, authentic and complete with the shattered 8 x 10 plexiglass window through which SEAL snipers placed the shots to trigger the take down of the Somali pirates holding Captain Phillips.  From the deck of a rolling ship into the right window on a bobbing lifeboat across open water.  Some shootin'! 

SEAL monumant donated by Ross Perot

Captain Phillips' life boat

Following our Ft Pierce respite, we proceeded north toward Florida's Space Coast, first to Eau Gallie Marina near Melbourne and then on to Titusville Marina. .  Reconnecting with Picnic Boat, we joined Tom and Jane on a tour of the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.  We first visited here some 25 years ago during the heyday of the Space shuttle.  Today its displays and information are full of the Artemis moon mission and plans for landing on Mars.    Also new is the substantial presence of private space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.   Pretty Amazing stuff!

This party of the Florida coast also offered a marked change in the prevailing architecture of waterfront homes.  Lots are bigger, seawalls and docks are stouter, and yards are dominated by "bug buildings".  These frameworks wrapped in netting are installed to make life tolerable during the "season".  They range in size from small patio enclosures to structures large enough to cover an entire pool, patio, and yard.  And even tall enough to enclose second story windows and allow one to practice one’s full-swing chip shot without insect interference.   At first glance, these seem ridiculous and expensive accommodation to make it possible to live in an inhospitable place.  But on second thought, probably no more so than our firewood piles, pellet stoves, snowblowers, and  down parkas.   To each his own, I guess........

BIG "bug house"

Our next days voyaging  took us to New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast for one-night stays.  We had hoped to witness a SpaceX launch while underway, but it was canceled due to weather conditions.   Instead, we got to see (well, hear mostly) the tail end of Daytona Bike Week as we cruised slowly through the more open country around Daytona Beach to a soundtrack of Harleys on waterfront roads .   

Our next big stop was St Augustine, the oldest city in the US.   From our base at the Rivers Edge Marina, we undertook (again with Tom and Jane on Picnic Boat)  a guided tour of old St Augustine.   Via Segway!  And despite our individual balance challenges, our guide had us all gliding along with gyroscopically enhanced ease after about 15 minutes of practice and took on a fascinating 3-hour tour through the historical sights and sites of the city.  Great fun.  (And maybe we can now supplement our retirement income by working in shopping mall security! ) 

Future mall cops?

Leaving St Augustine, we turned north toward Jacksonville.   Many Loopers take the opportunity to turn inland here and cruise the St Johns River.  But we found ourselves motivated by our desire to "be done" than to sightsee.  So we ticked into Sisters Creek and tied up for the night to what is probably the nicest FREE dock on the Great Loop.   Stable, deep, great cleats, protected from weather and wakes, such docks should be the envy of MANY marinas we paid as much a $3/foot to use.  (Then again, there was no power. no water, no garbage service and only prison-quality restrooms.   So, it all comes out in the wash, I guess....)  

Adios Florida!!!!

North of Jacksonville, two big things happened.  First  after an overnight stay at Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, we exited Florida  (Yay!).  Second, we entered the true "low country" coastal marshes made famous by Pat Conroy. (Double Yay!)   The Georgia marshes have an alure SO much different that the bayous of the Tenn-Tom and the Mobile River or the mangrove swamps of Florida.   Acres and acres of grasslands interrupted by occasional hummocks with a few trees and the odd home, all intercut with stems and rivers and canals.   And where substantial landmass is available, lined with MASSIVE live oak trees arching overhead.  Wow!   We could live here, (at least until the bugs come out or the next hurricane comes ashore.)

Live Oak in the Low Country

Low country sentinel

Entering the low country in George, the ICW begins a series of twists turns, sometimes taking us 25 miles inland and then turning to take us  so close to the Atlantic we could see the surf line.  As a result, depths changed radially and frequently between 4 and 40 feet.  And the tides were widely inconsistent  as water sought the easiest path to respond to lunar forces.  A 4-knot tide on the bow could become an equal force on the stern simply by passing the mouth of the next creek.   Our speed over the ground swings between 6 and 12 knots all day long, at the same throttle setting.   Note to self:  ICW passages entitled "Hell Gate" must be respected.  Sheesh. 

Our route took us past such notable locations as Hilton Head Island, St Simons Island, Port Royal Sound, and Kilkenny.  Included was s a very odd situation where we were buzzed at low altitude by an (apparently) civilian, twin-engine Cessna while innocently cruising down the Sapelo River.   We’re taking a high-speed pass no more that 50 feet above our hardtop.   Unfortunately, the pilot did not respond to our radio call and sped away before we could read his tail number and report him.  Weird.  Sheesh 

Our next multi-day stop was at Isle of Hope. GA.  The colony of period homes and massive oak trees sits on the edge of Savanah. (Having done Savanah on a prior trip, we elected to forego the run upriver to the city center.)   Isle of Hope marina afforded us with  great dockage, an opportunity to refuel at non-Florida prices, and access to a courtesy car for reprovisioning.   It is heartening to see a young couple working so hard to make a small business grow and succeed.   Close by we discovered the Wormsloe Plantation. the site of one of the earliest European settlements in the region, now maintained as a park and education center.  

Isle of Hope

Wormsloe Plantation entry

While at Isle of Hope, Wade diagnosed a voltage anomaly on the starboard engine as broken wire on the back of the alternator.  Breaking out the tool bag once again, he removed the offending unit and discovered that a short had actually burned the positive terminal off the back of it.  He speculates that somewhere in the course of the transmission project, one of the techs snagged the wire while crawling along the outboard side of the engine.   Go figure.   Fortunately, we had a new alternator on board out of an abundance of caution  .  And, after Commadore Kathleen found a friendly shop (Lair's Auto Electric) that could help swap the pulley from old to new (and for Free!) , Wade installed and connected the new unit and, to no one's greater surprise than his, it worked, charging to 13.8v.   Yay! (And thank you God and Kathleen and Mr. Lair.)

Departing Isle of Hope with full voltage and full fuel tanks, we made as easy 46-mile cruise of the picturesque waterfront town of Beaufort, SC.   It is our habit as we pass towns on the ICW to train our binoculars on their water towers to confirm our location ( GPS is never wrong, right?)   Imagine our surprise when we spotted one particularly prominent tower imprinted with "WE MAKE MARINES".  Seemed an odd name for a community, until we realized we were passing the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot.  We resisted the urge to do pushups and instead offered a salute to the men and women of the USMC who "stand on the wall" for our country. 

Beaufort (BEW-fort), not to be confused with Beaufort  (BOW-fert) NC) is another ICW town we wish we could have spent more time exploring.   The time we spent walking the vibrant downtown and waterfront gave hints of layer upon layer of history and architecture to be explored.  But our schedule only allowed us one night.  Because our next stop was the charming city of Charleston, SC and a rendezvous with 2022 Gold Looper Jeff on Loafer

Long-time readers may recall that Jeff was a fellow prisoner with us at South Haven, MI in October of 2021, when a group of us spent an unscheduled week confined to port by extreme weather on Lake Michigan.   He took this picture of conditions there that reminds us today how crazy Lake Michigan can get:

He had invited us to visit him at his Charleston homeport at the Ashley River Marina.  A retired chef, Jeff lives aboard Loafer full time and fills his time as an Uber driver specializing in tours of historic Charleston.  He took us on a driving and walking trip through "old" Charleston . (South of Broad for you Pat Conroy fans)  His knowledge of the city's history and unique architecture and efforts to preserve both was fascinating.  And as a chef, he knows all the great restaurants, too.  Thanks, Jeff.  

But Irish Lass was like an old fire horse smelling the barn and was anxious to be on her way, so we pulled out of Ashley Marina after two nights for a 58-mile jaunt to Georgetown, SC and the Harbor Walk marina.   Georgetown is another nice ICW town that has invested heavily in its downtown waterfront.  While a stroll around town was pleasant , it was marred by the sad sight of derelict sail and powerboats crowded at anchor in its small harbor.   Shredded sales, half-submerged transoms, and debris laden decks do much to detract from the nice "harbor walk" promenade and tree-sheltered streets.  

But we didn't care!
Because ......
The next day was........
Our Last Day under way on the Great Loop!

It was a pleasant 52-mile run the next day past Myrtle Beach to Coquina Harbor at Little River, SC and the slip reserved for us by Doug at Intracoastal Yacht Sales.  

Thank you, dear God, for a safe voyage. 
Thanks for following.  Stay tuned for further adventures.
 

Wade and Kathleen Griffith and fur-Admiral Maggie