Chapter III - The Trip North (Part I)

April 28, 2003 - La Belle, FL

I left Ox Now at about 9:00 a.m. after had placed fenders on the starboard side of my boat and a fender boars amidships.  I then headed towards the Franklin Lock about three miles away.  When I arrived there were about a dozen other boats waiting to pass through, so I decided until wait for the next opening about 20 minutes later.  As I entered the lock I was now first in line so  moved up toward the front gate on the starboard side of the wall.  The lockmaster handed me two lines which I cleated to my bow and stern, then took a third cleated it amidships.

The gate open just a few inches as the water poured slowly into the lock.  Since I was the first boat in line closest to the gate, the water push my bow around a little and my starboard side anchor banged lightly on the lock wall but no damage was done to either anchor or wall.  A few minutes later the lockmaster came by and gave me a tip.  He said that you don't want to be the first boat in because you get tall of the turbulence from the incoming water.

After the lock I headed east towards La Belle where I would either find a free spot on the town dock with water and electricity a spot on a small dock on the other side of the river, a spot at a small marina for $.75 per foot, or I would have to anchor in a small cove past the Labelle  bridge.  Luckily I got  spot at the town dock.  When I got there I found 4four other boats that I had seen when I was at Ft Myers Beach, including the British boat from the pelican incident.  They were already moored and I pulled in next to them.  Paul and Liz (the British Couple) helped me with my stern lines as I dropped my anchor an backed in towards the dock.  You have to do a Med (Mediterranean) moor hear to make room for other boats.  There is good shopping hear and a library about 50 ft from the dock.  Very convenient, and a luxury to have 110v AC power and running water all for free (there is a three day limit to your stay).  I asked Paul if he still had the kite from Ft Myers Beach (after I rescued the pelican, Paul got in his dinghy and rescued the kite).  Paul said, "Yes, but I didn't know that they came with pelicans attached in the states".

April 29, 2003 - Moore Haven, FL

I left the city dock at La Belle at about 10:00 a.m. after waiting for the fog to clear up a bit.  I planned to make it to Moore Haven at the western edge of Lake Okeechobee by late afternoon.  The trip was fairly easy and I had to pass through two more locks.  The first lock was at Ortona, FL.  There was only one other boat passing through with me when I arrived at about 11:30 a.m., at beautiful 29 ft Lyle Hess designed cutter.  The water level in the Ortona lock rises about 8 feet and the lockmaster just open the gates a crack to let the water flow in slowly.  I was the first boat again, but the it went very smoothly.

After the Ortona lock the waterway becomes mainly just a ditch with small trees and bushes lining the shores and a few farms and houses every few miles.  I arrived at the Moore Haven lock at around 3:30 p.m. and locked through with no problems.  I was the only boat in the lock this time.  On exiting the lock, the lockmaster pointed out an alligator swimming right in the center of the gate.  I turn a little to port to avoid him, but he dove under before I got close to him.

Right after the lock I turned into a old canal t anchor for the night.  The canal was plenty deep but not to wide.  I dropped my anchor in the center between the two banks but when I let out the proper scope I was a little to close to shore.  I lifted anchor and when up the canal a ways to find a wider spot but it was pretty much the same.  I decided to drop two anchors in a Bahamian moor in line with the canal to limit my swing.  This seemed to work pretty well.

I barbecued some chicken for dinner then got down below and put up the screens before sunset since it would be pretty buggy here.  After the sun went down what seemed like hundreds of birds came to roost in the wooed area on the SW bank.  It got very noisy.  There were all sorts of grunts, quacks, chirps, etc., which went on for several hours.  It finally quieted down around 11:00 p.m. and I got a good nights sleep.

April 30, 2003 - South Bay, FL

In the morning I rowed over to the small marina down the canal and bought some ice and a few gallons of diesel to top off the tank.  When I got back to the boat and started unloading the ice from the cooler, I heard a roar which I thought was someone nearby starting a large outboard engine, but there were no boats nearby.  I looked across at the bank about 100 ft. away and there was a large alligator.  I was amazed at how loud they sound.

I was hoping that the sky would clear as I started off in the morning but it didn't and around 11:00 it started to rain lightly.  It rained continuously most of the day.  When I got to the city of Clewiston the water split into two separate routes.  To port (left) was Route 1, also called the 'lake route' went north then NE across the lake to Port Mayaca on the eastern shore.  Straight ahead was Route 2 called the 'rim route' which follows the shoreline to Port Mayaca, and to starboard (right) was the Clewiston Lock which lead to the city.  At that point I wasn't sure if the rim route, which I intended to take,  continue on the other side of the lock, so I went through it.   This lock was the easiest so far since it was left open.  After I went through I quickly realized that this wasn't the way I wanted to go so I turn around and came back through the lock again.  When I came through the lock I noticed the sign indicating Route 1 (lake route) which wasn't readable from the  direction I had come.  It was now obvious which way I needed to go.

I arrived at South Bay at around 3:30 and dropped anchor in a kidney shaped cove across from a boat ramp.  I was the only boat there except for a few small boats fishing along the shore.  After settling in I turned on the VHF to listen for the weather for the next day.  NOAA Weather Radio was forecasting 20 knot winds the next afternoon so I decide to stay at South Bay another day since I would have to cross another lock at Port Mayaca in the afternoon.  I was glad that I did wait a day because when I listened to the weather synopsis the next day they reported that at Port Mayaca the winds were 28 knots.  I didn't want to be in the lock in those winds and the forecast for Friday through Sunday was for 5-10 knot winds.

May 2, 2003 - Port Mayaca, FL

The morning started out with a dense fog which cleared around 9:00 a.m.  The rest of the day was sunny and hot with temperatures in the low 90s.  The days trip was pleasant and I got a chance to sail (well, motor-sail --the winds were very light) a bit when I got to the part of the 'rim route' that opened up into the lake.  Most of the way there is marsh land that lies between the waterway and the open lake waters.

I got to the Port Mayaca lock at around 3:00 and had and easy trip through.  After passing through the lock there were some dolphins (the type you moor to) just beyond.  It was nice not to have to drop the anchor then haul it up again in the morning.

I didn't mention before how buggy the lake is.  I've never seen so many different types of bugs in one place before.  At Moore Haven and South Bay there were literally hundreds of small dead flies lying on the cockpit floor each morning.  I expect Port Mayaca to be the same.

May 3, 2003 - Stuart, FL

Soon after I left Port Mayaca in the morning I had to pass under the Port Mayaca railroad lift bridge which is the lowest bridge on the waterway (49 feet above the water level).  Sailboats with masts over 49 feet either have to their masts un-stepped or have the boat tilted using barrels of water and other heavy objects tied out on the boom.  This service is offer by marinas such as Indiantown, or you can do it yourself.  Luckily my mast was 45' 4" above DWL.  With wind instruments and VHF antenna, I figure 47'.

I tried calling the bridge tender on channel 9 to make sure that the bridge was fully raised before I attempted to pass under it, but know one answered.  I then called the Port Mayaca lock master since the lock was only a quarter mile away and he could see the bridge from his station.  He said that the bridge looked as if it were at it's proper height and that I should have 48' 8" under the bridge at the current water level.  Anxiously I passed under and found enough height.  It's hard to judge the height above you as your passing under a bridge.  Even the 65' bridges look close from below.

I arrived a the St Lucie lock at around 1:30 and prepared to lock through.  I had been concerned about this lock because the water level drops about 15 feet to meet the canal on the other side.  If a line binds you could rip a cleat out of your boat or worse.  Since I am singlehanding I have to manage to control both the bow and stern lines alone.  This turned out to be fairly easy because I tied my own lines to the lines provided by the lock and snubbed then on the bow and stern cleats.  I then sat on deck at the center of the boat and let the line pay out as the water level dropped.

A few miles after the  St Lucie lock I passed under the Interstate 95 bridge, which to me marked my arrival on the east coast of Florida.  Shortly after I turn into the Southpoint Anchorage in Stuart and picked up a mooring.  The mooring coast $8 per night which includes showers, laundry, and an air-conditioned lounge with cable TV and phone jacks for Internet access.

May 8, 2003 - Stuart, FL

I had planned on leaving Stuart on Monday morning, but Sunday afternoon I noticed that the stuffing box was dripping a bit with the engine off.  It should only drip with the engine running and in gear, and at a rate of 2 to 3 drops per minute.  So, on Monday morning I walked 3 miles to West Marine to buy 2" stuffing box wrenches, but when I got to the store they told me that the item had been discontinued.  All they had was a cheaply made adjustable wrench that looked like it wouldn't work very well but I decided to try them.  I walked 3 miles back to the anchorage, but by now it was getting hot.  The wrenches as I suspected did not work well.  I just couldn't get a good grip with them.  Defender Marine in Connecticut had the proper wrenches but I figured that would delay me by a few days while I waited for them to arrive, so I decided to look around for something else locally.  I spent the next two days running all over town trying to find a wrench that would fit.  I must have walked at least 10 miles in 90 degree heat, from marine store to plumbing supply store to hardware store etc.

 On Tuesday night I called Frank from P.J. (he has the same boat as me) who was now back home.  He said he used two basin wrenches on the nuts.  So, the next day I walked to Home Depot and to Loews which were close to 3 miles away, but I couldn't find one large enough to fit the two inch locking nut and packing nut on the stuffing box.  I finally settled on a 10" pipe wrench which allowed me to tighten the nuts just enough to stop the dripping.

This morning (Thursday) Mike, the dock master at the anchorage loaned his car to me, Ray and Peggy so that we could run a few errands around town.  I thought that was really nice of him to that.  I drove us to West Marine, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart.  I'm now thinking of buying a folding bicycle that I can keep on board for when I need to travel a distance.

May 9, 2003 - Ft Pierce, FL

Thursday night I stopped by the marina office to talk to Mike the dock master.  There was a private party going on in the cafe outside his office.  Some local residents had rented the cafe for the evening to throw a birthday party.  The party was starting to wind down and people began leaving.  The hostess asked Mike and I if we wanted any of the  shrimp and chicken wings that were still left.  We said sure and grabbed a bunch and went back to Mike's boat and finished then off with a couple of beers.  Mike was leaving for the Abacos in the Bahamas on Saturday and showed me the route he was taking.  's Mike's boat is very well equipped.  He has AC, stereo, DVD, VCR, TV, 19" LCD color display for his computer, etc.  My boat is quite Spartan by comparison.

I left Stuart the next day at around 12:00 noon.  A 40 ft center-cockpit sloop from Delaware, "Moonshadow was leaving at the same time I was and was also headed north.  A few of his friends were blowing conch shells as he pulled away from the mooring field as a send off (a lot of boats here also were blowing conch shells every night at sunset).  I wanted to leave at half-tide rising because of the shoaling at the end of the St Lucie River where it meets the ICW.  Mike had told me to call TowBoat US and ask where the deep water was before I got there.

I called just before I arrived at markers Red "2" and Green "3" where the shoaling was reported.  The local TowBoat US operator told me to stay close to Green "3" then angle toward the center of the channel after I passed it.  When I arrived at the markers there was "Moonshadow" aground at near marker "2".  Apparently he hadn't called for advice on navigating the shoaling.  Since he also had left at half-tide rising he only had to wait a sort while for the rising tide to lift him off of the shoal.  I saw him again a few miles up the ICW.  At around 5:30 pm I dropped anchor for the night just south of the North Ft Pierce Bridge got in my dinghy and rowed in to the Harbortown Marina dock, then walked a couple of blocks to the supermarket. 

May 10, 2003 - Vero Beach, FL

The next morning I walked over to the West Marine which was in the same shopping center as the supermarket and bought another 5 gallon diesel jug and some nylon webbing for the new dinghy cover I had bought on Thursday.  I lifted anchor and was underway by 10:30 am.  There was a light wind off the starboard quarter and I motor-sailed with the Genoa up most of the way.

I got to Vero Beach at around 1:30 pm.  I had wanted to go further but the next anchorage after Vero Beach was another  35 miles away and that would make for a much longer day so I decided to pick-up a mooring at the Vero Beach Municipal Marina for $8 a night.  I called the marina on the VHF as I arrived and they assigned me mooring #33.  When I arrived at the mooring there was "Moonshadow" on the mooring right next to me.

Like Stuart, this marina included a laundry, and air-conditioned lounge with cable TV and Internet access, but showers were $1 extra.  They also have a nice park in the marina and there is a free shuttle bus that stops by every hour to take you to all the shopping centers and malls around town.  Unfortunately it stops running for the weekend just as I got there.

May 12, 2003 - Indian Harbor Beach, FL

Everywhere you go on the waterways of Florida you will see signs saying "Manatee Zone - Slow Speed".  In the 6 months that I have been down hear I have yet to see a single Manatee.  That is until this morning.  As I was getting ready to leave the mooring at Vero Beach, I saw some thing disturbing the surface of the water a few feet from the boat.  A few seconds later there it was a big Manatee.  It was swimming slowly as they do and as it came to the surface I could see a scar on it's back which was most likely made by a propeller.  Manatees a probably the best protected mammal in Florida and there has been recent legislation in Southwest Florida which proposed to eliminate the building of new docks in several counties as an attempt to reduce the number of manatee/boat incidents in the area.

I left Vero at around 8:45 a.m. and planned to anchor at Indian Harbor Beach for the night.  Indian Harbor Beach is about 2 miles north of Melbourne on the mouth of the Banana River.  'Skipper Bob's' anchorage guide had said that this was a very popular and crowded spot but when I arrived at around 3 I found that the anchorage was filled with private mooring balls and I saw only 2 or 3 boats anchored there.  I dropped anchor north of Mathers Bridge just past the last mooring ball in about 12' of water and I had plenty of room.  There was a lot of weekend boat traffic on the river but things settle down after sunset.

The trip up from Vero on the Indian River was pleasant with many expensive homes lining the shore.  Again I motor-sailed when the wind permitted and several groups of dolphins along the way.

May 13, 2003 - Titusville, FL

The wind was 10-12 knots most of the day but it was right on the nose, so I motored all the way to Titusville.  I sat under the dodger and let the autopilot steer most of the way.  For several miles before I reached Titusville NASA's Kennedy Space Center was visible to starboard.  The Coast Guard issued an alert regarding a security zone in effect from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. around the space center.  Another boater called the Coast Guard and asked about the alert and was told that NASA had a launch scheduled for that time.  All they would say about the launch was that it was an Atlas rocket - probably just a weather satellite.

As I was along side the space center I realized that I was going arrive at the Titusville swing bridge while it was closed between 3:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., so I decided to to head for the 'White Post' anchorage near the space center.  White Post is a popular spot for watching shuttle launches and the way into the anchorage is designated by a small white post in the water which marks the way in between shoals, thus the name.

I turned in to the anchorage and proceeded about a mile towards the space center.  I was the only boat there and there was nothing else around so I took some pictures and headed back towards the bridge for the next opening at 4:30 then pulled into the anchorage outside the Titusville Municipal Marina.  This is a popular spot and there were about 20 other boats already there when I arrived.

May 15, 2003 - Daytona Beach, FL

For some reason the NASA launch didn't go off as planned last night.  I would have like to see it though, even if it was just an Atlas rocket.

The leg to Daytona Beach had favorable winds and I was able to motor-sailed most of the way.  Motor-sailing gave me another 2 knots to my speed and saved some time which was nice because the days trip from Titusville to Daytona was around 49 miles.

The Indian River was coming to an end north Titusville and the ICW then joined the Mosquito Lagoon through the Haulover Canal.  The Mosquito Lagoon them becomes the Halifax river which runs past Daytona Beach.  I saw a few manatees along the way.  There were two large ones in the Haulover Canal.  They were lying on their backs at the surface with only their nose and bellies sticking out of the water.  As I got close they would flap their tail and dive below the surface, so I wasn't able to get any pictures.

At a around 5:30 I dropped anchor for the night south of the Memorial Bridge in Daytona Beach just south of the Memorial Bridge across from Caribbean Jack's Marina.

May 16, 2003 - St Augustine, FL

I was thinking of spending a day in Daytona Beach, but when I woke the next morning and listened to NOAA Weather Radio, they were predicting thunderstorms for the area, some possibly severe.  As I was cooking breakfast I saw that all of the boats that had been anchored here were leaving and heading north towards St Augustine and I decided to do the same.

The wind was right on the nose today so I motored almost all of the 51 miles to St Augustine.  I arrived around 6:00 pm and since I got a latter start than most of the other boats leaving Daytona, I found that the anchorage was packed and all of the best spots were taken.  I found a spot near the Castillo de San Marcos, but on the outside of the anchorage near the channel in close to 35' of water.  This meant that I would have to put out 200' of rode for a 5:1 scope.  I was hoping that I wouldn't swing into the channel when the wind and tide changed during the night.

Sure enough, in the morning I was slightly into the channel so I lifted anchor and moved to the anchorage field on the south side of the Bridge of Lions that had been very crowded the day before.  A few boats had left in the morning so I was able to find a spot in about 20' of water.  I put down two anchors to limit my swing.

When I got to shore I did some laundry and called Britt at Coneys Marine to find out that I had a buyer for my other sailboat (the S2) and we had settled on a price.  Britt later faxed me all of the paperwork.  Afterwards I walked over to the Post Office and picked up a package of mail that was waiting for me and then walked around town to see the some of the historic sites of the nations oldest city.

May 17, 2003 - St Augustine, FL

On Saturday I walked to the Post Office to Priority Mail the documents for the sale of my old boat to Britt over at Coneys.  After that I walked a over to the Sailor's Exchange surplus store.  They are supposed to have both new and used equipment at discount prices.  I looked around a while but I didn't find anything I needed.  On the way back I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things I was running low on.

I wanted to leave St Augustine on Sunday morning so I stopped at the fuel dock of the Municipal Marina to but some diesel fuel.  The dock attendant to me that that had run out and the fuel truck would be there by 6:30 the next morning.  I rowed back to the boat in time to catch the "Prairie Home Companion" on NPR and cooked dinner.

May 18, 2003 - St Augustine, FL

After breakfast on Sunday I rowed in to the marina fuel dock with two jerry cans for diesel fuel.  The fuel dock was packed, besides, I didn't want to haul up two anchors just to pull up to the dock.  There were two large motor-cruisers at the dock filling up at the two diesel pumps.  The largest of the two, a 48' Viking was refilling his two tanks after his trip up from Ft Lauderdale.  Each tank held 400 gallons and one tank was completely empty and the other was less than 1/4 full.  When he finally finished filling his tanks, his bill had come to $1,198.00  That amount would get me from Florida to NY and back again at least 5 times.  He had only come from Ft Lauderdale.

When I finally got a free pump, rowed back to the boat, and filled my tanks it was 10:30, so I decided to just relax the rest of the day and plan to leave on Monday.  After lunch as I was rowing in to the dinghy dock at the marina, I heard someone calling me.  I turned and saw a guy in the water wearing his PFD and holding onto his dinghy, so I rowed over to see how I could help.  When I got close he told me that he had run over an anchor line and it had wrapped around the prop of his outboard.  He had been trying to unwind it, but couldn't.

I asked him to put his weight on the bow of the dinghy to lift the engine and prop out of the water so that I could see how the line was wrapped around (I wasn't about to dive in myself).  After a couple of minutes I had it unwound.  He thanked me and I continued towards the dinghy dock while watching to make sure he was okay.  I could see him struggling with the outboard now so I rowed back again.  I seemed that he couldn't get the motor back down into the water.  I looked at it and saw that the latch that olds the motor up when you tilt it back was badly rusted and wouldn't allow the motor to go back down all the way.  At this point I told him to just run it as it is until you get to the dock (the prop was in the water, just not at the proper angle) then get a wrench and remove the two bolts holding the latch.  This would allow the motor to drop down fully until he could get a new bracket or grind the rust off the old one.

When he got to the dock he thanked me again and asked if I wanted a ride anywhere.  Unfortunately I had no where to go at this time so I said "No, but thanks anyway".

May 19, 2003 - Amelia Island, FL

After several thunder storms passed though during the night, I awoke at about 6:00 to find that it was still raining but lightly.  I wanted to get moving, so I waited a little while and it stopped.  I had the anchors raised and was just ready for the 7:00 am opening of the Bridge of Lions (I didn't take a picture, but it's an impressive bridge).  It was still a little hazy and I couldn't see the markers well where the ICW crosses the St. Augustine Inlet so I circle around for about 15 minutes while the sky brightened a bit.

At around noon I crossed close to another thunder storm and it started to rain with lightning crashing close by.  The winds weren't to bad so I just put on my foul weather gear and covered my charts and chugged along.  It stopped after about 30 minutes and the sun came out.  There were a lot of clouds in the sky to the west and I was hoping that I would run into a another thunderstorm a I traveled north.

As I got close to the St Johns River I has a pleasant treat.  A dolphin began swimming along side the boat right next to the cockpit.  He stayed there for close to 10 minutes and ducked below to get may camera.  I tried to get a picture every time he surfaced but the digital camera was to slow.  The dolphin would surface, then be back under water before the camera would take the picture.  There's a delay between when you press the button, and picture is actually taken.  These digital cameras are great, except for action photos.  If I had a film camera I probably would have gotten some pictures.

Well, it didn't rain again and the sun was in and out all day.  I dropped anchor for the night just east of Amelia Island which is halfway between Jacksonville, FL and the Georgia border.

May 20, 2003 - Amelia Island, FL

I had a very productive day today, but I didn't go anywhere.  I spent the day doing maintenance and repair work.  I stitched a small tear that had developed in the mainsail cover and made straps with quick-release buckles to secure the new cover that I had bought for the dinghy.

 I had logged just over 100 engine hours since my last oil change way back at Ft Myers Beach, so it was time to change the oil and filter.  I had bought a 6 in 1 filter wrench to remove the Motorcraft oil filter which I had installed at the last oil change, but it would fit on the filter properly and kept slipping off the filter when I turned it.  Since I was in the middle of nowhere with no auto parts stores around, I had to leave the old filer in place and just change the oil.  I hated doing that but I had no choice. 

May 21, 2003 - St Simons Island, GA

I got an early start today and was on the ICW by 7:15 a.m.  I was only about 1 miles from the Georgia border and crossed the Cumberland Sound into Georgia waters at around 9:00 a.m.  A few miles up the sound I came to Kings Bay which housed a U.S. Coast Guard repair facility that was under tight security with vessels patrolling the entrance to make sure that no unauthorized craft entered.

To the east was Cumberland Island which was home to herds of wild horses.  I had my camera ready in case I saw any horses, and I did see several grazing near the northern end of the island, but they were too far away to get a picture.  I would have had to anchor my boat and row into shore to get close enough, but they probably would have bolted as soon as I got close.  I could only watch them for a short time through my binoculars.

At around 2:30 p.m. I came to Jekyll Island where I had thought of anchoring for the night, but when I came to the anchorage I found it very small and much too close to the channel, so I get on going.  I finally found a good spot off of St Simons Island north of the Golden Isles Marina.  There were a few boats anchored just south of the marina, but there was very little protection from winds off of St Simons Sound.  Showers and thunder storms were forecast for the following day and I wanted a better spot.

May 22, 2003 - St Simons Island, GA

NOAA was forecasting rain and thunderstorms all day Thursday so I stayed at St Simons Island.  I rowed into the Golden Isles Marina in the morning to buy some diesel and hopefully some coffee and sugar since I was just about out of both.  Unfortunately they had neither and the nearest grocery store was over 2 miles away, so I just bought 11 gallons of diesel.  Prices of diesel fuel have varied along the way from $1.27 per gallon in Ft Pierce and St Simons Island, to $1.79 per gallon in a small marina in Moore Haven on Lake Okeechobee.

The sky was threatening all day but it didn't rain until later that evening and only for about an hour.  I loafed around much of the day, but did manage to figure out how to correct a small problem with the autopilot which caused it to overcorrect when the boat went a degree or two off course.  This problem had cause the boat to steer in  a sort of 'S' pattern at times which was annoying.  It seemed that the factory default setting for 'Rudder Gain' was too high for my boat.  I changed the setting from the factory default of '5' down to '4'.  I would have to wait until tomorrow to see if this improved the steering.  I also recalibrated the wheel center position reference point for the autopilot.

May 23, 2003 - Doboy Island, GA

In the morning after waiting for favorable tides (which meant favorable currents), I rowed over to the marina and make a few phone calls.  I wanted to check on the progress of the sale of my other boat and I needed call my auto insurance company, to reduce my coverage since the car is in storage.  I also called the bank to make a bill payment that was due in a few days.

I finally got moving at around 11:30.  There were lots of clouds around but the sun came out and it turned out to be a pleasant day with light winds from the north.  The waterway in this area twists through small rivers and marshland so sailing was difficult so I just motored.  The adjustment that I had made to the autopilot worked well and had virtually eliminated the over-steering or 'S' pattern.  I moved then setting down to '3' which was just right.

After about 4 hours I dropped anchor in the Back River south of Doboy Island.  I wanted to go a little further that day but I had gotten a late start and there were no anchorages further up that looked good to me.  They looked on the chart to be too narrow and too deep.  This spot was not to deep and gave me plenty of swing room.  Shrimp boats also use this river to raft-up for the night and a few past by late in the afternoon and headed further up river.   Doboy is a small island with not much on it except a small dock with a gate and sign that reads "Doboy Island".

May 24, 2003 - Kilkenny Creek, GA

I got a fairly early start this morning and was underway by 8:30.  The sun was in and out behind clouds most of the day, but overall it was pretty nice.  The waterway continued to wind along rivers and creeks with names like Little Mud River and Old Teakettle Creek.  The scenery was pleasant with the occasional dolphins and lots of seabirds to watch.

Much of the way I traveled with two other sailboats.  One was from Delaware and the other from Rhode Island.  I motored most of the way, but unfurled the genoa whenever I had a good opportunity, like when crossing the Sapelo and St Catherine Sounds.

I did around 37 miles by 2:30 and had wanted to go another 24 miles to Isle of Hope which was a very popular anchorage.  With this being Memorial Day weekend, it would probably be very crowded so I decided to stop at Kilkenny Creek which had good depths and plenty of room.  The only problem with this anchorage was all of the wakes from the weekend boat traffic.  I would be leaving early in the morning and the traffic would die down at night so it wouldn't be too bad.  There was a local law enforcement officer pulling over boats.  I'm not sure why.  I didn't notice any 'Slow Speed' or 'No Wake' signs nearby, but he must have pulled over about 5 or 6 boats in the two hours he was there.

May 25, 2003 - Daufuskie Island, SC

I got an early start this morning.  I left the anchorage around 7:30.  There was one other sailboat anchored nearby and he left just before 7:00.  The waterway continued to wind through many small rivers and creeks.  As I got close to the Savannah suburbs the boat traffic increase dramatically.  I wanted to stop at either one of the two anchorages close to Savannah but as I past them I found that they were very small and very crowded so I kept on going.

The weather was partly cloudy and I ran into a couple of showers that lasted only a few minutes.  I crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina at around 1:00 p.m. and continued up what is called the Field Cut.  As I got to the entrance about 6 or 7 jet skis shot out of the entrance into the river across my bow.  They didn't get too close but I was a little surprised to see them all of a sudden.

I dropped anchor in the New River about 5 miles north of the South Carolina border.  The anchorage here is plenty wide and had good depths and holding.  As I approached the anchorage I saw a sea turtle surface a few feet from my boat.  He was a yellowish white and his shell was about 3or 4 feet across.  He dove down again a few seconds later and I didn't see him again.  I would have liked to get a picture.

Tomorrow I want to head up the waterway about 34 miles to Beaufort, SC.  It's supposed to be a very nice city with lots to do.  I'm also running low on a lot of things, so I really need to do some shopping.  There haven't been many places to stop along the Georgia coast.  Most of the anchorages are in small rivers and creeks with little development nearby.  It will nice to get to a good sized city area again.

May 26, 2003 - Beaufort, SC

On my way by 7:30 again.  It was slightly foggy in the morning but I had fairly good visibility.  The wind was light and variable so I motored the whole way.  I passed Hilton Head Island with it's beautiful homes and condos, and I stopped at a small marina for fuel and water that was very convenient to the waterway.  Surprisingly the price of diesel as very good.  Only $1.33 per gallon.  This being Hilton Head, I thought the prices would be high.

I saw several sea turtles today.  They would pop their head out of the water for a second or two then dive back under.  The landscape has changed significantly since I left Florida.  When I saw a palm tree this morning sitting alone on an island of pine trees, I just then hit me that I hadn't seen any for a while.

At noon I crossed the Port Royal Sound and entered the Beaufort River.  To port was Parris Island and the famous Marine Corps training center.  A few miles up the river was the Beaufort City Marina.  There was a small anchorage just south of the marina, but when I got there it was crowded and all of the best spots were taken so I went under the Lady's Island bridge to a second anchorage along Factory Creek just past the Lady's Island Marina.  It's a nice quiet spot with some nice homes lining the shore.  It's convenient to Beaufort too, just a 1/4 mile walk over the bridge.  Tomorrow I plan to have breakfast in town, walk around a bit, then do some grocery shopping.

May 27, 2003 - Beaufort, SC

Took the dinghy over to Lady's Island Marina and walked across the bridge to downtown Beaufort.  Walked over to the City Marina and asked the woman there about a good place to have breakfast.  She told me to try Blackstone's on Scott Street.  Walked over to Blackstone's and had coffee and a homemade pecan sticky bun which was really good.

I walked around town for a while as I waited for the library to open at 9:00.  The downtown area was very small and a few block long.  I was expecting a much bigger city.  I signed up for a computer and had to fill-out a form which would be kept on file for one year.  The form` pretty much said that the library was not responsible and no control over the content viewed on the Internet.  I guess they're worried about being sued.  After updating my web page, reading my email, etc., I walked around town again for a while then walked back across the bridge towards the supermarket.

The bridge was opening for two sailboats which were passing through, so I had to wait for a few minutes.  Another boater walked to where I was standing and we talked for a while waiting for the bridge to close.  Harry told me that he was a retired economics professor from Miami who had been cruising and living on his 30ft Arpegge sailboat since 1996.  We were both headed to the supermarket so we talked about sailing as we walked.  As we crossed over the bridge I pointed out my boat and he said that he was thinking of moving over to that anchorage since it looked much nicer that the one in front of the City Marina were he was anchored.

After I finished grocery shopping I went back to the boat and had lunch then went back in to shore and did some laundry at the laundromat down the block.  Later on I stopped by Harry's boat and we talked for a while, then I went back to my boat cooked dinner then read for a while.  Around sunset a squadron F-16 fighter jets took off from the Naval Airbase nearby.

May 28, 2003 - Toodoogoo Creek, SC

I left Beaufort at around 9:00 a.m. and motored up the Beaufort River.  It was mostly sunny all day and the winds were calm, until about 1:30 when they increased to around 10 knots.  They were right on the nose again so I didn't bother putting up any sail.

I motored a little over 40 miles to Toodoogoo Creek off of the Edisto River and dropped anchor at around 3:00 p.m.  On the way I saw several dolphins which have now become almost as common as seagulls to me.  I still enjoy seeing them, but I just don't get too exited about it any more.  Maybe, if one of them would hold up a hoop while his buddies jumped through...  Yeah, that might do it!  I did however see a flock of White Pelicans and my first alligator since the Okeechobee Waterway.

May 29, 2003 - Dewees Island, SC

Anchors up and on my way by 7:30.  There were two other sailboats anchored nearby in an adjacent creek and they left the same time I did.  One boat was a 34 or so foot sloop and the other was a 38 foot yawl.  The yawl raised his jib and was motor-sailing just behind me.  I unfurled my genoa and quickly pull ahead of him.  After about and hour I furled the genoa because the waterway became narrow and twisting.

I got to the first bridge a good distance ahead of the two sailboats behind me and was able to get through at the 10:00 a.m. opening.  The other boats called as they neared the bridge and as I was passing through to see if the bridge tender would hold the bridge open for them.  She told them that they would have to wait for the next opening at 10:30.  I didn't see them again that day since they were probably a good ways behind me after the bridge.

At around 11:00 a.m. I entered the Ashley River at Charleston after passing through the Elliot Cut, which joins the Stono and Ashley Rivers.  I didn't plan on spending any time at Charleston, mainly because I had just spent a day Beaufort, and the anchorage guide has said about Charleston; "Wonderful city to visit.  Unfortunately no good anchorage exits nearby."  I thought that I would at least pass through the anchorage to see what it was like.  The guide was right,  It was very small and crowded and subject to big wakes from large boats and ferries traveling up and down the river.  I was thinking of stopping for and hour or two for lunch and a quick walk around town, but that would probably turn into a all day thing, and I had only done 25 miles since this morning.  I'm trying to do around 40 to 50 miles a day if I can.

The afternoon was pleasant and I passed many nice homes along the waterway.  As I sailed down the Ashley River, two Blackhawk helicopters passed close overhead, returning to the nearby airbase.  At around 2:30 the wind starting building to 20 to 25 knots as I arrived at the anchorage I had selected for the night.  I put down two anchors since the creek was a little narrow and I thought I might be swinging a little close to the shore.  About and hour after I arrived, another sailboat pulled into the anchorage, waved as he passed by and anchored a short ways downstream.

May 30, 2003 - Browns Island (South Santee River), SC

After breakfast I started on couple of maintenance tasks.  First I checked and topped off the electrolyte levels in the #1 battery bank.  The night before I had made 12 test strips to make the job easier, one for each cell of the two batteries in the bank.  The electrolyte level in each cell needs to be between 1/4" and 1/2" above the plates.  I cut twelve strips out of cardboard and marked them at 1/4" and 1/2".  All I need to do to check the level, is unscrew the cap on the cell then dip the test strip down until it touches the plate,  then pull it out read the level to see that it's between the two marks.  If it's low, I top it off with distilled water.  After I'm finished with the strips, I let them dry so I can use them again next time.

I also had to move the primary bilge pump power leads from battery bank #2, bank #1.  I haven't been using bank #2 because the two batteries in the bank are nearing the end of their usable life and need to be replaced.  This morning when I tested the bilge pump it didn't work because the batteries in bank #2 drained down to 2.9 volts.  The leads from the pump wouldn't reach across to the #1 bank which on the other side of the boat, so I had to crimp on an extension to the wires.  When I went to get some 16 gauge crimps from my tool box, I found that I had only one left.  I had to use wire nuts to make the connections, which are fine in most environments, but shouldn't be used on a boat.  I also did have the right sized spade lug to fit on the battery terminal so I had to make the connection using bare wire (also not recommended).  It's only a temporary fix and I plan to get the parts to do the job right as soon as I can get to a marine store.

So, I go a very late start this morning.  I wasn't underway until after 10:00 a.m.  I did however have fair winds mostly abeam, so I motor-sailed the whole day.  Along the way a large tug pushing a very long barge passed close by.  The ICW is fairly narrow along this section and is was concerned that their may not be enough room for him to pass when I first spotted him about 1/2 a mile away, but as he approached I saw that there would be plenty of room for us both.

A 40 ft. Catalina from Canada named Moon Shadow was motoring along in front of me for a while when all of a sudden she veer sharply to starboard and right up unto the bank.  I called on the VHF to see if they were alright.  They said they were okay, their autopilot had suddenly gone haywire and made a sharp turn to port.  As I passed by they started to drift off of the bank aided by the current.  I thought of taking a picture of them on the bank, but I didn't want to add to their embarrassment so I refrained.  They later told me that one of them was below sending email over their single sideband radio when it happened.  They figured that the transmitter on the SSB radio created interference which caused the problem with the autopilot.

I wanted to try and get to Georgetown, SC for the night, but because of the late start and the contrary current I hit as I got about 20 miles away, I realized that I wasn't going to make it until close to sundown.  I dropped anchor about 4:00 p.m. in the South Santee River near Browns Island.  There was a 34' trawler already on the opposite side of the ICW when I arrived.  Later three sailboats anchored downstream from two of them were flying a New Zealand flag

May 31, 2003 - Butler Island (Waccamaw River), SC

One of the three sailboats that anchored near me last night was underway before 6:00 a.m.  I made breakfast and was on my way before 7:00.  I decided to stop in Georgetown for diesel, ice, and to pick up crimps for the temporary bilge pump connections I had made yesterday.  By 9:30 I had dropped anchor near downtown Georgetown and rowed into the town dock.  I walked up and down the main street trying to find a hardware and marine store but there wasn't one so I walked back to the dock and took the dinghy over to the marina to but 10 gallons of diesel and some ice.  They had a small selection of marine parts in the marina office and I was able to pick up the crimps I needed.

By 11:00 a.m. I was on my way again and headed up the Waccamaw River towards the Butler Island anchorage where I would spend the night.  I arrived there at about 12:30 and dropped anchor.  There was another trawler already anchored downstream when I arrived.  I didn't want to go much further today because the National Weather Service was forecasting strong thunderstorms for this afternoon and evening which would precede a cold front.  I wanted to be in a good anchorage before the storms arrived and this seemed to be the best one in the area with good depths and plenty of swing room so that I could put out plenty of scope if I needed to.  As I arrived at the anchorage I saw a deer and her calf swimming across the river near my boat.  The mother would stop and turn every so often to make sure her calf was following.  After I anchored I got out my tools and finished the bilge pump wiring job with the proper crimps and connectors

The chapter continues in 'Part II'.