Still plodding on south

Past the Carolinas

Monday 14th November 07:15
High tide so off to Georgia we go !
Passed under a couple of bridges and after 62 miles we found a great anchorage, Possum Point, large and deep only 2 sailing yachts and one trawler, so far.

Tuesday 15th November
This anchorage was pretty close to the area where we had to go "outside" when we were going north as we ran out of water, 'Hells Gate', the name alone tells a story!  We timed it right this time though, at high tide, going through the gate without incident.
Eventually anchored in Alligator Pass, happy to say we have 72 deg F yeah !
Another 45 ish miles done

This shrimp boat was right in the middle of the channel, naughty

Wednesday 16th November
Heading into Florida at last !
Passed by the marina in Fernandina Beach another one of Mathews victims, its closed down now. Fernandina is not the prettiest of places as the paper factory dominates the place complete with the stink, at least the wind isn't blowing our way. Had a great night and quite relieved to be in warmer weather now.
We had done 65 miles to be here.

Fernandina Marina was a Mathew victim, no docks to be had, fuel nor moorings.

The paper mill, not very pretty is it, I doubt you would like the smell either

Thursday 17th November

Set off at 07:00, just a little over 58 miles and by 15:00 we had the anchor set again Some of you wonder why we stop so early this should answer your question.   Our routine is always to be in an anchorage well before dark if the first one is full or not good, we normally find an alternative and its worked out great so far. We were at Matanzas Inlet which was pretty deep but with a very strong tidal current.

Strange B & B along the way south

Friday 18th November 

Our aim is to be close to Titusville, So another long day with a 06:35 start, 88 miles which meant us going into an anchorage almost at dusk, 17:15 thankfully we made it just in time. We were pretty tired so the noise from the local bar near the bridge didn't bother us too much. 

There are some folks that like to show off, maybe this guy is a Disney fan

Saturday 19th November

Passed by Coco Beach and then into the inlet to Cape Canaveral. Lots and lots of manatees but impossible to photograph as you only see them on the surface for a couple of seconds. We could see the huge building called the VAB which is the vehicle assembly building for NASA. Quote "The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is a building designed to assemble large space vehicles, such as the massive Saturn V and the Space Shuttle. The future Space Launch System will also be assembled there."

We entered Fort Pierce it was manic along the way in with boats speeding by us so we needed a rest, there was another north blow coming through so we tucked ourselves in behind some apartment blocks, not pretty but very useful. 

That day we had another 74 miles pass under our keel it was a long day.

We made a decision do we really need to go through all the hassle into the ICW on the east coast to Ford Lauderdale and Miami to get to the Florida Keys. Nope we will go cross country through Lake Okeechobee and through the waterway to the west coast of Florida. 

Sunday 20th November 

Day of rest at anchor

Monday 21st November 

Popped over the channel into the marina for fuel and they very kindly let us stay on a dock so that we could take a taxi to go and top up our groceries. That done we returned to the anchorage feeling pretty excited about our new plans.
Boat maintenance there is almost always something to fix, change, install or install. The shower pump in the aft cabin for example, it needs to be cleaned and ours was located underneath the shower, really place as it was a nightmare to get to with only enough room to get one hand in to take off the lid. So Don decided he would do something about it, in the process he accidentally removed the pipe from the shower, oops! Anyway not knowing that he had even started I went looking for him, this is what I found below.

I was in fits of giggles. 

Heading out

Looking quite relived to be out, the pump box is now located in a much better place, so is Don

Ever had the feeling you are being watched, very closely

Sorry the images maybe a little blurred but I'm trying to keep down the file size to load faster, I do have better ones elsewhere.

Tuesday 22nd November 

Another 07:20 start and the next stop was just before the first of the locks, Port Mayaka, there were piles to tie up to but the lines we chose were too short so we anchored again. No other traffic came through so we were fine. 

Wednesday 23rd November 

06:30 start and managed the first lock opening of the day at 07:00 Into the lock and crossed Lake Okeechobee which was calm, nothing much to see really then when we reached the other side turned into the Okeechobee waterway heading to Morehaven another lock.

In the pilot book we had read about an anchorage named Lollipop close to Coffee Mill Hammock  just off the ICW which had a shallow entrance but was pretty deep inside. As we entered there were snapping turtles which were way too fast to photograph and watch the depths at the same time an alligator passed just in front of us without a care. It must have been the deepest anchorage we have stayed in over 32 feet deep. There were cows drinking at the waters edge standing on a very narrow area and as we looked around we saw two alligators one of which was huge. This place was magical, the noises from the local resident birds, wild dogs, alligators and who know what else were incredible. At one point quite late there was gunfire and two enormous black wild boar raced across the land and took shelter down an embankment. This has to be a place to visit again and stay longer.

These were taken in "Lollipop" the alligators were pretty far away but close enough if you know what I mean 

Team fishing on the ICW not concerned at all when we passed by.  

Thursday 24th November Thanksgiving.

Not long after leaving Lollipop we were at the next lock Ortona. 

Now heading for La Belle which was recommended as a good place to stop. A very short trip of just 11 miles. Well we managed to anchor in the river just past the town dock which was free but they were full of weeds and didn't fancy climbing over the bow to get off the boat. So we took the dinghy to the dock and walked into town. Our expectations were to find a pace to eat being thanksgiving, wrong, the only place open was an antique shop and McDonalds and Burger king and even they closed at 14:00 We ate at McDonalds, a grilled chicken sandwich oh well never mind.

The water along the way was so still and I just had to capture the reflections

Love to fly in that

So still so pretty

The decision to "cross country" was a great one, not only were we alone for most of the way the scenery is stunning. If we could only bottle this trip, so capturing some of these sights on the camera is pretty important. I have so many photographs, way to many to post, these are just a few so hope you are enjoying them. This trip so far has to be the most scenic ever, breathtaking, I could spend a whole season just doing this all over again.

Friday 25th November 

After five hour run and we had docked at the Fort Myers city Yacht basin Marina. Time for a rest and play.
I will end here as this post is big enough.
BFN
Glenys and Don
M/Y Pearl

Another step closer

Another step closer south and warmer weather

Its November and for those of you that know us well cold weather is not for us AT ALL !

I had so many layers on it was difficult to move

We left Virginia behind us now and into North Carolina, and the next stop planned was at Wrightsville Beach.

Friday November 4th

On our way to Wrightsville North Carolina there were some lovely sights a few bridges complete with a squall with 35 mph winds right next to Surf city bridge and a large collection of Nordic tugs. A pretty stressful time we were happy to see them go.

Wrightsville was a place we stayed on the way up, its a large anchorage but again like before we didn't leave the boat due to the weather yet again, windy and very choppy water. The place was pretty busy and very inconsiderate folks insisted on causing huge wakes, one of which was so bad the new TV was thrown off the cabinet and smashed and a big dent in the wood floor. Normally its tied down when we are moving but as we were at anchor this was not the case. At least we had the older small one to watch so that was tied firmly and put back in action.

Sunday 6th November

Refuelled at 07:26 and on our way to Southport by 08:05

The procession of southbound boats was getting larger now, its still pretty cold so they must be thinking the same thoughts.

Its sooooo cold!

We checked out somewhere to take a little rest and found that Southport  South Harbour Marina seemed like a good place to stop so thats where we headed to. 

Here's a few sights along the way.

I do wonder what folks are thinking when they put garden ornaments like this but they are entertaining

So many herons and this one didn't fly off for a change

Some sad sights along the way,  Hurricane Mathew aftermath

Its "fall"as its said here 

It was a last minute shot so I'm afraid not in focus

 Early mornings with mists

I wonder if it glows in the dark

As we neared the entrance to the river  (before Southport marina) a coast guard and county sheriff boat approached and asked us if they could board us. Of course we didn't object and on they came without us stopping (thats their rules). We were asked for all our boat paperwork and passports. We are a UK registered boat and didn't have to allow them to go through and check everything but in our interests we decided that we need to keep the boat up to the US specification for the future. They were very impressed with everything and mentioned we were better prepared than most, our PLB's inside the lifejackets were an added bonus. When we approached the marina I thought I would make use of them and ask them to help us tie up. They took it all in good fun and had quite a giggle with the local sheriff, he said if there was anything he could do for us let him know, I did mention that I needed to go grocery shopping and he laughed but did say he could return after he finished his shift. Later when we met him in the bar he was sat next to us, I mentioned that I still needed to shop and had given him a nickname "Omar" as in Omar Sharif, the other sherif next to him thought it was funny anyway.

We stayed a couple of days and I was able to take a taxi to Walmart where I bought a new TV to replace the smashed one and topped us up with fresh groceries again.

View from the sports bar at Southport

This is what we found when we went for a walk, I'm chicken and didn't go close to the shore

The sign says it all

Tuesday November 8th
Another 06:30 start and as we were checking out where to go next we noticed that Bucksport marina was offering very cheap fuel and dockage with out Tow boat US discount so it was an obvious place to stop. We stayed close to the fuel dock overnight and refuelled the next morning.

At Bucksport marina

Passing through this area on the Waccamaw river is stunning a total length of 140 miles which we took 2 days to pass through. Cypress trees line the river, the floods caused by hurricane Mathew have caused areas to flood in so many places, roads were closed, boat docks destroyed and so many boats too.
The river starts in North Carolina and ends in South Carolina.

Wednesday 9th of November another early start and plodded on south to another anchorage Minim creek pretty well known for alligators, we kept an eye open but saw nothing, they go pretty quiet when its cold. Only 39 miles today.

Thursday 10th November
9 hours 19 mins 68 miles.
Lets say an interesting trip with very very shallow water at times south of McClellanville South Carolina, active captains warnings weren't exactly correct and had the stress levels increased a little. Into Toms point Creek to anchor.

Some large houses here

say no more

Spectators

Friday 11th November
We left Toms Point with a clean anchor and chain, it was a deep water anchorage so we had lots of chain out.

Now off to Beaufort South Carolina, we were looking to drop the anchor next to Lady's island close to our friends Andrew and Sarah, we last saw them in Deltaville and they had left before us. When we did arrive it was a very shallow entrance but we made it through. Tried to anchor 3 times but kept dragging through the mud, no luck and after persuading the guy in the marina to find us a dock we were grateful when he did. The marina was full and he found us a private dock, great ! It was so cold though during our stay, what a great stay, Steve the boss went out of his way to take us to Walmart to get my reading glasses fixed.
So good to see Andrew & Sarah again, they were "stuck " in Beaufort as they were re-registering their boat, they are Canadian and the authorities do like to take their time. The weather began to get much colder and their boat doesn't have any heating, being newlyweds I think they cope quite well.
Sarah very kindly cooked a chicken for us and we spent the evening in the captains lounge.

Love the new beard Andrew, that should help you to keep warm

Quite a well equipped kitchen and lounge

Quite enjoyed Beaufort, we had a lift into town and walked back, so sad to see so many boats destroyed from Mathew.

Time to leave, can't stand this cold any longer!

Enough for you to read now so BFN
Glenys and Don
M/Y Pearl

Time to leave

Heading South for the warmer weather

The days went by pretty fast when we arrived back from our UK and Spain trip, still a couple of larger projects to finish but yes, we managed enough to get us on our way. I provisioned us well, probably a little over the top, Don reminded me that we weren’t doing another Atlantic crossing.

So the departure from friends and Fishing Bay marina in Deltaville was a little sad. The engines were serviced, fuel tanks filled, fridge and freezer full and everything stowed. We were pretty excited so good to be using Pearl again how she is meant to be used back on the water.

The first stops planned were short hops so we could check out all the systems just in case. 

Day 1. Monday 24th October

011:00 Not too early a start when we waved bye bye to Rick and Martha from their boat and John and Dody too.  Off we set to Mobjack which is a well protected anchorage on the East river well off the passing traffic on the ICW. We chose a stunning location to drop the hook in 12 feet of water, thick sticky black mud, the wind picked up but we were going nowhere. 

Day 2. Tuesday 25th October 08:00 a very sunny but very chilly start following our last track on the ICW back down to Hospital point Portsmouth VA just 37 pleasant miles. Portsmouth - Norfolk is a huge naval base with the Atlantic US aircraft carrier fleet, many being worked on and a few getting ready to move. 

Day 3 Wednesday Oct 26th

I remember the last time we lifted the anchor from hospital point the anchor was weighed down with lots of heavy mud. Luckily we didn't have to wait for the Gilmerton lift bridge to open we had enough clearance so we didn't lose any time. The next hold up was the lock at Great bridge and the Great bridge, sounds weird but its the name. The lock was packed with boats, the last few sailing boats had to tie up just with lines on their bows, there were lots of boats traveling south now to escape the cold weather.

I reckon they could have been closer but some skippers are a little nervous of being so close.

Next stop somewhere close to Public creek which is where we had the bug invasion on the way North. This time we anchored a little way away and were fine.

Day 4. Thursday 27th October
After a very chilly start we moved into the south end of Alligator river

we found an anchorage in Cypress swamp after 43 miles and had dropped the anchor by 14:00.  The water was like glass but the wind was blowing, we were well protected by the trees.

We were treated to an amazing sunset that evening.

Day 5 October 28th.

This was the morning we found a huge tree trunk with roots on our anchor, oh well at least we didn't move anywhere.

The morning procession behind us just entering the Pungo Canal

 So then we entered the Pungo Canal, we did 71 miles this day to be in Oriental which was where we stopped a couple of days on the way north. Luckily we knew where the  Raymarine repair place was and as the radar had decided to fail we arranged to have it checked out. Don managed to take down the radar dome without taking down the mast which was quite a relief. 

When we arrived in Oriental we noticed our friends Jim and Annes boat Impressionist so we guessed we would meet up with them and have some fun. There were only a couple of other yachts within the breakwater but as the days went on more came in and it became pretty full. 

We went for lunch with Anne and Jim

Notice the number plate, it was almost time to vote for the next president 

 Halloween time 

November 2nd
The radar was fixed and Don went ashore at 13:15 and as the anchorage was very full we made the fastest preparations for departure. So we moved across the channel and down the ICW into another anchorage in Cedar creek and by 14:32 the anchor was down we were the only boat there. Another peaceful night.   

Thursday November 3rd
We moved again into an anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay just off the ICW, this was close to a military area, they were obviously practicing firing at something with pretty big guns, the noise continued well into the night but as we were having very early starts we kind of fell into bed early so we weren't too bothered by the noises.

 This fellow was practising something and made several passes, never saw him land though, maybe behind the trees

The colours gradually changing along the way

Ok, this page is getting way too large so BFN for now.

Glenys and Don

M/Y Pearl 

Heading for warmer climes fast !