Stuart, FL to DelRay Beach, FL

As you can notice from the title, we did not make Ft.Lauderdale. Once again, we were on the wrong side of the tides and currents. One week either way would greatly improve our speed. With current against you, you cannot make the alotted time between the bridges and thus keep missing the openings. One bridge was within one minute of opening and the lady bridgetender forced us to wait another half hour. Very frustrating.

However, near the end of the day, the winds reached over twenty knots making these narrow channels lumpy and with white caps. Our alternate marina in DelRay Beach has only jagged pilings on the canal side that we are tied up to and the tide range is over 6 feet. I will be up several times tonight to adjust lines as the tide falls again.

Tomorrow we stay in Miami before we begin the run for the Keys.

Melbourne to Stuart, FL

Left Melbourne at dawn to find the tides and currents against us for most of the day.
Arrived at St. Lucie Inlet to anchor out across from a marina hosting a SeaFood Festival. A very loud party. However, we were able to grill our salmon steaks for a delightful meal in 70 degree weather and a near full moon.

Off tomorrow for Ft. Lauderdale.

Smyrna to Melbourne FL

Another all motor day on the ICW. The weather was wonderful, 70's and for most of the day, no wind. Water was glass. We passed Cape Canaveral. No blast offs to note.

However, the dolphins and birds provided most of the entertainment. The photo above is of a dolphin who traveled with the Lady I by racing directly in front of her. We also had many birds watching our wake for little minnows. Lots of flying expertise demonstrated here.

Saturday is another ICW run with rain and wind predicted. We will end the day somewhere south of Hobe Sound. On Sunday we will open 24 bridges to arrive at Ft. Lauderdale.

St Augustine to Ponce de Leon Entrance/New Smyrna, FL

We departed St. Augustine at dawn and made the ocean jump to Ponce de Leon Inlet because the Bridge of Lions closed the ICW.

An absolutely beautiful day on the ocean. We made our run and arrived in Smyrna just an hour before sunset.

Tomorrow's plan is to make it to Melbourne, FL.

Crooked River Anchorage to St. Augustine

Departed anchorage fifteen minutes before sunrise. We then ran down the river into King's Bay. King's Bay is the home of the Atlantic Trident Submarine fleet. Once before I had seen a Trident going to sea. This time we saw one returning to port.

Just before sunset, we arrived at our destination, St. Augustine. This sets us up for the jump outside to the Atlantic. The Bridge of Lions has been under repair and the waterway is closed until Friday. So we will sail 68 miles out St. Augustine and re enter at Ponce de Leon entrance.

After our rocky crossings of four major sounds, a calm day on the ocean will be a joy.

Other news. We have a reservation for parking the boats in Cape Coral that will allow both crews to return home for the middle two weeks of February. We should return to the trip on the 18th and explore the keys more fully

Old Teakettle to Crooked River Anchorage

We departed Old Teakettle for a glorious day of sun. Back came the winds and we had to cross three sounds with opposed tides and wind. Another rough day of ocean exposure. Part of the idea of using the ICW is to keep you from using the ocean with its storms and foul weather and gaining the protection of a land passage. Well, so much for the philosophy. We have all the negatives and none of the advantages.

After a rolling run across Cumberland Sound, we arrived at the Crooked River Anchorage. Georgia does not do much in the way of dredging work. We both passed a tug and tow with only four or five feet of water. The Tug was actually dredging his way into the Brunswick River.

We arrived at Jekyll Marina for fuel and water. Winds were 30 knots onto the pier and the current was three knots against the landing. Jekyll Marina had four boats moored at the fuel pier with less than forty feet open to land with wind and current. Did I mention that this landing is under a bridge. The landing was aborted and the marina folks could not understand my irritation with their docking plan. Rob is using the word IDIOTs. So we are underway in the morning with a destination of St. Augustine. We will then go out to the ocean for a run to Ponce de Leon entrance. Phyllis is not excited about the run, but since the bridge is closed due to repair, we have no choice. Southbound we go!

Isle of Hope to Anchorage- Old Tea Kettle Creek - Monday

After the high winds of Isle of Hope, we thought it would be a peaceful run to our anchorage some 60 miles south. But that was not to be. We crossed every opening to the ocean with 30 knot winds. Most of the crossings were against the tide which makes the tempest in a teapot very interesting.

After a full day of bouncing around and wandering thru Georgia's ocean marshes, we arrived at a very comfortable anchorage on the Tea Kettle Creek. Winds at Isle of Hope, sailing part of the way, evening sunset shot, a stranded sailboat south of Savannah, and and the rafting up at the anchorage are the photos.

Beaufort, SC to Isle of Hope, Savannah GA - Sunday - Day Ten

Departed Beaufort just before dawn and made a 50 mile run to Isle of Hope, Savannah, GA. Our arrival was a boat handlers challenge. 25 knots of wind onto the dock with a 4 knot offsetting current. Both boats moored without too much trouble. Boat handling skills are improving with practice.

Tomorrows departure is totally dependent on the winds. Forecast is for 35's. If true, we'll have to hold here one day.

Charleston to Beaufort SC - Saturday - Day Nine

Departed at 7 AM as the slack tide turned to flood. We made our way thru Elliot Cut where the currents are amazing in the middle of the falling or rising tides. Because we were at slack tides, we cruised thru with minimal speed affects.

During the afternoon we got out the sails and actually made some speed with sailpower (not easily done in the ICW channels as we wind our way south).

We arrived at Port Royal Marina, at the outskirts of Beaufort just as the tide began to fall. Our berth is on a floating dock in the middle of the river with three knots of current running under us. It is a rocking and rolling night.

Tomorrow we depart for Isle of Hope Marina on the outskirts of Savanah, GA. We hope to be tied up before the thunder storms arrive post 3 PM.

Friday - Charleston In Port Day Eight

Both Lady Itchenor and Great Escape spent the day doing chores and catching up on maintenance. Fuel, groceries, and a West Marine run were on the list of 'To Do's'.

We did find enough time to visit Old Town and Talbots, and make an evening showing of Avatar in 3D and IMAX.

We depart on the tide in the morning.

Georgetown to Charleston, SC Day Seven

A very interesting day. We left Georgetown with the start of rain. Then during the day the rain increased and the wind started. By the time we arrived in Charleston, the wind rose to over 40 knots. Crossing Charleston harbor with a falling tide was a most interesting event.

The several photos above show both boats with high winds in the harbor and the other photos are of Georgetown proper with the final photo of three turkey buzzards in a tree on the route to Georgetown.

Tomorrow, Day Eight, will be spent in Charleston doing repairs and shopping. We leave on Sarurday to head south through Elliot Cut (on a rising tide) should be exciting.

N. Myrtle Beach to Georgetown, SC - Wednesday - Day Six

Getting underway on the ICW is always interesting. There is always the question of which way is the current flowing and when you pop out are there any barges coming. Today the current was against us but there were no barges and no wind. A very quiet day running the land cut into the Waccamaw River. Once in the river, all the wildlife reappears. We came upon a group of trees with about twenty turkey buzzards.

We arrived in Georgetown and began to enjoy the smell of paper being made.

Tomorrow we depart for Charleston, SC.

Southport to North Myrtle Beach, SC - Tuesday - Day Five

We departed Southport at sunrise for a very beautiful and thankfully uneventful day of motoring down to Grand Dunes Marina in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Our only excitement was passing a barge in a very narrow stretch of the waterway called the Rock Pile. Aptly named, there are great rocks on both sides, so pulling way over to let a barge go by is a very exciting moment. Another highlight was missing the bridge opening at Sunset Pontoon Bridge by 10 minutes so we had to hold station for 50 minutes. Showing their differing approaches to this stoppage, Pete parked in the shallows, put his keel down to ground the boat and proceeded to wash and clean. Rob then scared the other waiting boat by backing around in figure eights, only to prove that he still can't back the boat without using the bow thruster!

We have started picking up fellow travelers heading south to Florida with many of the same destinations in their plan. Tonight we did dinner at a Ruth's Chris Steak House that was on the Marina premises, and the manager was a boater with lots of guidance for the Keys and marinas to the south. The boating community is small but very helpful.

Tomorrow we leave at 7 with Georgetown, SC as our destination. With only a concern for Thursday's weather, we should be docking at City Marina in Charleston on Thursday evening.

Friday is a work day with the Seldon Mast folks coming aboard Pete's boat for some work and then Saturday we depart.

Topsail to Southport - The Cape Fear River - Monday

We left Topsail at 7 AM catching the first bridge opening on a cloudless and breezy day. The scenery was wonderful and the weather got better all day. After the coastal run passing many inlets where the tide either drove us faster or slowed us down, we turned into SNOW'S CUT.

This is a man-made ditch connecting the ICW with the Cape Fear River. Tide was against us as we slogged across this two mile ditch. However, once we cleared the cut, the falling tide of the Cape Fear took over. With the speed boost both boats reached over ten knots - speed over ground.

In the photos, you will see the tide run and our speed record.

We ended the day at the Southport Marina cleaning our boats in Tee Shirts. The first Tee shirt day and ice has been forgotten. We had a wonderful dinner at a Southport Gem, Fishy Fishy Restaurant. We are not the only ones who believe this is a place not to be missed. The pelican above came to the door and would not be put off until he got a bucket of shrimp and several photo flashes which he seemed to enjoy.

Today we leave for South Carolina with hopes to be tied up in North Myrtle Beach and a new marina with cleaner bathrooms......???/

Swan Point to Topsail - Day Four - Sunday

After a very strong frontal passage (winds to 40 knots and rain like all get-out) we left Swan Point Marina for the short hop to Topsail. Beach House Marina was written up as a very nice addition to the boating experience. Well the boat enjoyed the new slip. The passengers thought that the facilities needed some serious cleaning. However, we are finding that cleaning is not a winter sport. Anyway, we re-tune the TV and settled in for the games.

Topsail does not have a sports bar - nor internet available to the public.

The Caldwells are now in mourning but have been recruited to support Bret in the next big game. So sorry Tony and Jerry Jones.

Plan to leave Topsail at dawn for the run to Southport.

Oriental to Swan Point - Day Three on the ICW

We departed Oriental Marina at 7:25 and arrived at Swan Point Marina, Sneads Ferry, NC at just before dark. Thanks to a fellow resident of the marina, we figured out the slip arrangement and negotiated the 5 plus knot current.

Tomorrow we leave for Topsail Island and the Cowboys vs the Vikings. While my fellow travellers are from TX, I have to support Bret, Go Vikings!!!!!

Manteo to Oriental Friday - Day Two

At Two PM on Thursday, we tried using the Lady I as an Ice Breaker and made an opening to the Sound. Upon our return to the dock we rapidly assembled everyone and got underway in less than one hour.

We then motored to Manteo just before dark.

After arriving in Manteo from the frozen canals of Kitty Hawk Landing, we spent a quiet night dockside and departed on schedule; 6:15. With over an hour in the dark, we achieved daylight at the Pirate's Cove bridge and traversed the Sound in relative quiet. We traveled over 83 miles in one day, a record. We approached Oriental at 7 PM over one hour past twilight.

During the approach, the Lady I ran radar and Nobeltec to ascertain her position. At 7:10 PM, the Lady I encountered a radar blib dead on the the nose 1/4 mile away. With an emergency course change both boats avoided an unlit yellow navigational can that only had some refective tape on it. With out radar, we would have struck the can.

With Lady I directing the course maneuvers, we landed at the Oriental Marina/Motel and raced off to dinner at the M&M cafe. All ended well.

Plan of the day tomorrow is to pass the original stop over at Swansboro and reach for Topsail Island. Once there, we will spend the rainy Sunday and catch Sunday Football.

The end of day Two.....

Background- Thursday - DAY ONE

In 2004 Pete and Jan Collins commissioned their Southerly 115, Lady Itchenor, and made their first trip to Florida to participate in the Miami Boat show. At the Boat Show, Rob and Phyllis Caldwell wrote a contract for their Southerly 115, Great Escape.

January 2010, the Caldwells and the Collins' have assembled in Kitty Hawk, NC to begin the Southerly Sail South to play in the keys and find the warmth of the winter sun. However, as this winter progresses, we are having doubts if that will ever happen.

We are currently locked in Kitty Hawk behind almost a mile of 2 inch pack ice. We need more warm wind and stronger sunlight. Maybe tomorrow we will get underway to being the run.