May 10, 2014

The tides will help/hurt us today. We start out riding the tide south to get back to the ICW and then fight it until it slacks and then ride it northward through Cumberland Dividings, etc.

It’s a partly sunny day with strong SSE wind. We motor on without sailing because of the twisting nature of the rivers and creeks. We venture out into St Andrews Sound heading for the turning mark that is fixed in all snowbirder’s memory. Things were lumpy, but not really bad and we picked up a current boost as we turned toward Jekyll Island. As we rounded the southern point of Jekyll, the waters calmed. From there it was a short cruise to Jekyll Harbor Marina where we plan to spend a couple of nights. Tomorrow we will go ashore and tour the island.

Start: 1015
Stop: 1500
Location: Jekyll Island, Ga
Distance Traveled: 32 miles

May 9, 2014

Today we went ashore where we sat on the ranger station porch and waited for the ferry to bring the rangers and other visitors. We watched “wilderness campers” magically appear from the woods to catch the ferry to take them home. It was amusing to watch them doing “tick checks” on each other.

When the ferry arrived, Donna cornered the ranger, asked about vacancies in the tour, and learned the tour was fully booked. That meant our travels would be either on foot or on bicycles.  If you follow this blog, you know Donna had a bad bike accident, so the walking tour was her choice despite her still aching and swelling ankle.

We took the trail to the beach about ½ mile away. It was a pleasant walk through a lush natural setting with undergrowth, huge trees laden with moss and wildlife such as birds, lizards, turkeys and armadillos. Arriving at the edge of the forest, we climbed ramps to cross over the dunes to a beautiful sight, miles and miles of the Atlantic Ocean’s natural beach.

We walked northward about ½ mile and beachcombed for shells, driftwood and other interesting objects. Turning southward, we continued past our entry point and headed for the next ramp 1 mile south. Beach finds were pretty scarce on the southern trek.

 

Arriving at the south ramp we headed for Dungeness ruins. Dungeness was the home of the Carnegies which was supposedly torched by a disgruntled local. We walked the grounds, took pictures and continued onward back to the Seadock. By this time Donna’s ankle is bothering her and we take several rest breaks.

 

 

When we reach the ranger station, we take a longer break and then jumped back in the dinghy and headed back to the boat where Donna once again propped her leg up and applied cold packs.

Location: Cumberland Island at anchor.

May 8, 2014

Today’s destination is Cumberland Island. We have been there before, but Donna is dying to stop and visit again. The nice thing is it will make for another short travel day and we can leave a little later to time the tide.
 
The journey is uneventful. We did a quick fuel stop at Fernandina and moved onward the remaining few miles to anchor off the Seadock at Cumberland Island National Park. If you remember, this place became a national news item when the late JFK Jr got married at the little church on the island. The only way to get here is by boat.

The anchorage was pretty full, with all the prime spots already taken. It took three tries before we found a location we were happy with. With the anchor down we took the rest of the day off. Tomorrow we will go ashore. Donna hopes we can get in with the motorized island tour and lessen the stress on her ankle.  

Start: 0830

Stop: 1430
Location: Cumberland Island National Park, Ga
Distance Traveled: 32 miles
Avg Speed: 5.5 mph

May 7, 2014

We departed St Augustine with a planned full day destination of Fernandina Beach, Fl or Cumberland Island, Ga. Tidal currents seemed to have other plans from the get-go. Temps were mid 80F to 90F and humidity Florida style.

It was close to 1500 hrs as we crossed the St Johns River and headed into Sisters Creek. We noticed that the Jim King Park Courtesy Dock was empty so we stopped short for the day. We have never stopped at this location and were pleasantly surprised. The dock has city water, bathrooms, trash/recycling and a long floating dock with room for several boats. By nightfall, we were still the only boat there. The best part is it's free.

Since we stopped early, I decided to tackle the alternator problem. It seems to be charging, but not a lot. I suspected maybe the brushes were worn down and needed replacing. I pulled it off and disassembled it and found one brush seemed shorter than the other one. The spring tension also seemed less on that brush. I cleaned the slip rings and did all the VOM tests I could remember from my old electrician days, but I could find no other problems. Reassembled, reinstalled, and tested. It seems OK, but I suspect the problem will be back. I’ll try for brushes at the next place where we are near a NAPA auto part store.
 

As we were celebrating Happy Hour, a gentleman came down the dock and introduced himself as the “self-appointed unofficial greeter” for the dock facility. He presented us with gifts, proceeded to tell us all about the facilities, and offered to assist us with transportation to stores, etc. No surprise to find out he was a sailboater just “paying it forward”. Our conversation with him was a real treat.

Start: 0730

Stop: 1500
Location: Jim King Park Courtesy Dock, Jacksonville, FL
Distance Traveled: 40 miles
Avg Speed: 5.5 mph

May 6, 2014

Up early and moving. First it was a quick fill and empty at the fuel dock, fill up on fuel and empty the holding tank. Then back to the ICW and more motoring northward. What little breeze there was, happened to be right on the nose, so no sailing again.

We fought tidal current most of the morning, got a little assist for a while and then fought more current as we passed another ocean inlet. Weather was bright, warm and sunny.

We arrived at St Augustine and had to wait about 20 minutes for a bridge opening. We passed through the bridge and picked up a mooring ball in the San Marcos (north) mooring field just in time for cocktail hour.

Start: 0740

Stop: 1640
Location: St. Augustine
Distance Traveled: 62 miles

This greeted us just before the Bridge of Lions.

May 5, 2014

We decided we like this place despite there being no “free” Wifi. I managed to get my phone to work as an Internet connection, so we will survive! I’ve got every electronic device, computer, phone, Kindle, and house batteries topping off. Civilization, good or bad, we are connected.

Bottom line, we’re going to stay another day/night. We plan to wash the boat, check the battery water levels and do other housekeeping chores. If we are still energetic enough this evening we may look for a Cinco de Mayo event to visit.

Turns out there was not much Cinco de May happening close by the marina. We walked to the post office to mail Mother’s Day cards and stopped for a pizza on the way back to boat. Then we tackled washing the boat and doing some laundry. After that it was showers and lights out. This boating life is so exhausting!

 

Location: Halifax Harbor, Daytona FL

May 4, 2014
Cold? Heck no I’m freezing. What a change. It was 58F at 0600. Forecast is for 80F today, but we start out in long pants and sweatshirts. Winds are cranking out of the North and right on our nose. No sailing today. Our destination now is New Smyrna or Daytona. As we passed the Titusville moorings, we spotted “El Lobo” and tried to call our friend Bill on the radio. He was either asleep or his radio was not on. Bet he had a rough night on that ball.

We buck the wind and tide at Ponce Inlet, but we trudge on to Halifax Harbor in Daytona. Being its Sunday, this is a hazardous boating section as all the locals decide to call it a day and head home at max speed and no courtesy whatsoever. It’s a relief to exit the ICW for the marina.

We take a slip and enjoy the first shore power we have had since last November. Donna used the microwave to make short work of dinner preparation. It was however, another “blanket” cool night.

Location: MM 830, Halifax Harbor Marina, Daytona, FL

Start: 0745
Stop: 1730