Friday, January 31^st.  We got underway from the mooring ball in at Naples City Docks right at 8am and proceeded to the fueling dock where we pumped out our waste tank and took on water.  We exited the Gordon Pass into the Gulf of Mexico and found the seas and wind calm.  It reminded us of the waters off of Pensacola Beach when we lived there in the early 80’s.  We had planned for a short day and expected to arrive at Ft Myers Beach City Mooring Field around noon.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, there were no moorings available (first come first serve).  We did some quick calculations and chose to proceed on to our next planned destination – a short transit to an anchorage off of Captiva Island.  We dropped the hook in the Roosevelt Channel on the bay side of Captiva Island around 4pm, setting the anchor well as blustery weather was predicted for Saturday.

Saturday, February 1^st.  The wind and rain arrived as predicted overnight and stayed well into the day.  We hunkered down on board with boat chores and reading.  That afternoon we were contacted through Facebook by another Ranger Tug owner (‘Katmat’) who was planning to attend the Ranger Tug rendezvous at the end of the week (as were we).  We made tentative plans to join up at our anchorage on Monday afternoon.

Sunday, February 2^nd.  With clear skies and gentle winds, we dinghied in to Jenson Brothers Marina with our bikes. For $20, Jenson Brothers will let you dock your dinghy for the day – not a bad deal – we are learning that dinghy dockage can be hard to find in parts of FL. We assembled our bikes and headed south to Sanibel Island for their weekly Farmers Market – a scenic 8 mile ride.  The market was great –   plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable vendors and a multitude of food trucks.  We quickly grabbed a bite to eat before buying a few goodies.  Biking back to Captiva, we passed an ‘open house’ and popped in for a peek. Unfortunately, our check book won’t quite cover the $3.9M.  So feeling rather ‘common’ and ‘middle class’ we stopped at the Mucky Duck – a somewhat funky bar/restaurant on the beach –  for a consolatory beverage.  Then it was back to Jenson’s to park the bikes and dinghy ourselves back to the boat for dinner.

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Monday, February 3^rd.  We went ashore in the late morning to meet some old sailing friends from Oriental, NC.  They were in FL visiting relatives and saw that we were close enough to meet for lunch.  What a treat to see them!  We lunched at the Mucky Duck and then all dinghied out to Sea Shanty so they could see the boat.  After dropping them back ashore, Lynn and I finished exploring the rest of Captiva Island, loaded up the bikes and returned to Sea Shanty.  It was after sunset and our new Ranger Tug friends hadn’t arrived yet which was a bit worrisome. We eventually made contact and learned that they had gotten a later start than expected and had had to anchor about half-way to us. Plans were made to join up in the morning on the way to Cabbage Key.

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Tuesday, February 4^th.  We contacted ‘Katmat’ to establish a rendezvous point and learned that they needed to swing by a marina to fill their water tank.  They were also without a depth sounder due to a communications problem between their transducer and chart plotter.  The closest marina was at our anchorage, so we got underway and met them in the main channel to guide them into the anchorage.  Sea Shanty anchored while they tied up at the marina.  By about 10am, both boats were underway again.  We anchored at Cabbage Key and dinghied in to the famous Cabbage Key Inn for lunch –  an old Florida resort where customers have literally papered  the walls and ceiling with $1 bills. After lunch we walked around the island – saw native tortoises, lush foliage and climbed the water tower to check out the view.  Back on board the boats, we weighed anchor and headed to Cayo Costa State Park (a short 30 minute transit) to anchor for the night.  Upon arrival we counted around 20 boats already in the large anchorage, but still plenty of room for us. We hosted ‘Katmat’ onboard Sea Shanty for sundowners.

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Wednesday, February 5^th. Due to a predicted front moving through the area, we had made plans earlier in the week to take a slip at Fisherman’s Village Marina in Punta Gorda for Wednesday and Thursday nights.   ‘Katmat’ planned accordingly and we were underway by 8am and arrived at the marina at noon.  The Fisherman’s Village complex is a popular tourist spot with a shopping plaza, several restaurants and tour boats on site.  The marina’s Captains Lounge, laundry and showers were top notch.  We docked Sea Shanty in between two mammoth tour boats and then spent some time during the afternoon checking out the surrounding area on our bikes – found a yoga studio and made a beer run to Publix. This area of Punta Gorda is the ‘historic’ district with multiple parks and a lovely bike trail system.   Back at the marina, we had much-appreciated showers before dining out with ‘Katmat’.

Thursday, February 6^th.  This was a productive day ashore – Lynn hit an early yoga class and played around on a nearby fitness trail for a bit.   On our second bike ride to Publix (for actual groceries this time) we stopped by the Punta Gorda Historic Village Park – a colorfully landscaped park with a collection of 4 historic cottages.  Sadly, they are lacking in volunteers and the cottages are not always open for tours, but we lucked out and were able to see one – an early 1900’s cottage with some similarities to our little Southport cottage….with the exception of the probable ghost in the Punta Gorda cottage…groceries were purchased, laundry was done and we enjoyed dinner out with “Katmat’ again. We woke in the wee hours of the morning to the predicted extreme winds blowing through – watching the towering tour boats on either side of us bounce around and strain on their moorings was a bit daunting, but Sea Shanty held her own.

Let’s clarify a little something here for folks who might not be familiar with how cruising works …it seems that we are always making a run to go get groceries…and we are.  Our refrigerator and food storage areas are small.  Fresh fruits and veggies are the first things we run out of and we end up having to rely on canned veggies more than we ever do at home. Another limiting factor is transporting the groceries.  We have baskets on our bikes, a backpack and a bag for the handlebars – as we shop, we’re constantly keeping track of how we’ll be able to pack the items to get them back to the boat. As you might imagine, we are often quite the spectacle as we leave the store!

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Sunday, January 26^th.  We pushed off the dock at the Rod and Gun Club at 8am with clear skies and a chilly 47 degrees.  Once we cleared the channel, we were back in the Gulf with choppy beam seas for the offshore transit so we were glad it was going to be a short day.  We entered Big Marco Pass around lunch and were anchored in Smokehouse Bay (Marco Island) by 2:30pm.  We had a busy agenda for the afternoon and took full advantage of the free dinghy dock at the nearby Winn Dixie.  First was a stop at the Marco Island Brewery, then Bob biked to West Marine and Ace Hardware while Lynn loaded up on groceries at the Winn Dixie.  We made it back to Sea Shanty just as the sun went down – stowed the groceries, made dinner and hit the rack. 

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Monday, January 27^th.  We woke at 7am to gusty winds and thought that we might be dragging the anchor.  Bob quickly started the engine as we assessed the situation for a couple of minutes – fortunately not dragging, just oriented differently enough to make it look like we might have been.  We delayed our departure until the gusting winds subsided and got underway around 10:00am.   Our destination was Naples, another short day with an offshore transit and those pesky beam seas (again).  We entered Gordon Pass around 12:30pm and pulled up to the Naples City Docks around 1:00pm.  We took on fuel, water and pumped out our waste tank before taking a mooring ball.  We used the rest of the afternoon for maintenance – changed the engine oil, did a couple loads of laundry and had nice long showers. The dinghy ride in to the dock was only about 100 yards, which made all those trips back and forth quick and easy.

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Tuesday, January 28^th.  After a slow relaxed start to the day, we set out to explore Naples. The marina is conveniently located – easy biking distance to the ‘historic’ area of town. We walked out on the famous Naples pier which was originally used to provision the town with all of its goods and materials as there was no road system way back when the area was settled. Next up was a tour of Palm Cottage, the oldest house in Naples, circa 1895.  The house was built using poured tabby (sand and crushed sea shells) slabs.  The cottage is owned by the Naples Historical Society so we got a thorough tour with lots of Naples history.  After the tour, we biked around the town and all of the areas we covered were almost unrealistically clean, with immaculately beautiful landscaping, no trash, etc… surely there must be a scrappy section of town somewhere? After a well-deserved pit stop at the Old Naples Pub, it was time to head back to Sea Shanty.

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Wednesday, January 29^th. We joined our neighboring boater, John, bright and early on a bike ride to his favorite breakfast spot, Food & Thought…lots of yummy vegetarian options as well as some bacon for Bob.  Afterwards, we continued on to the Naples Botanical Garden – a pretty good bike ride to the other side of Naples where we finally found that scrappy section of town! The garden, however, was spectacular.  It was created just 10 years ago on the site of an old strip mall – it has grown in acreage since then and looks as if it has always been there. We enjoyed a tour and delicious lunch at the garden café before trekking back to the boat.  John dinghied over to join us for a sundowner –  he’s been cruising these southwestern FL waters for years and regaled us with tales of his favorite local anchorages and hangouts.  And, yes, we took notes of all the places we should not miss!

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Thursday, January 30^th .  We had rain during the night and woke to that sneaky leak coming from around the deck mounted compass again. @*#!! The morning was consumed with troubleshooting that ongoing problem, showers and another load of laundry. We spent a lazy afternoon biking around hitting random spots – the cheesy waterfront shopping tourist trap ‘Tin City’ – a vendor mall set up on an old fishery wharf; a couple of funky shops and a couple of brewery/taproom establishments.  We wrapped up the day by piling the folding bikes and a take-out pizza into the dinghy and wallowing back to the boat. We dismantled the dinghy motor and hoisted the dinghy up onto the back of the boat in preparation for the next day’s travels.

Saturday, January 18^th.  The NE winds arrived as advertised and we remained aboard for the day.  After reviewing the weather for the coming days, we decided to by-pass the botanical garden at Lignumvitae Key on Sunday and proceed directly to Marathon where we can fuel, pump out our waste tank and fill our water tank.  With the northerly winds predicted to kick up again Tuesday through Wednesday, Monday would be our only day to cross the Florida Bay to the Little Shark River on the SW coast. 

Sunday, January 19^th.  Weather was settled with easterly winds.  We got underway from our anchorage in Islamorada around 8am.  We proceeded to Marathon Marina at the entrance of Boot Key Harbor on the ocean side of Vaca Key (home to the city of Marathon).  Because it was the first nice boating day in several days, the marina was busy – we quickly pumped out, took on fuel and water. Lynn even managed the speediest trip on record to the marina’s ‘book swap/library’.  We moved on to anchor outside of Boot Key Harbor in the eastern lee of Vaca Key.  We were protected from the wind, but it was uncomfortably ‘rolley’ with swells from the ocean and boats coming and going from Boot Key.  But, the anchor was holding well and it was only for one night, so we decided to bite the bullet and stick it out.  While sitting in the cockpit, basking in the sun, Lynn finally took time to take the new online Everglades Boater Course, which is a new requirement for 2020 – needed for anyone driving a boat with the Everglades.  Bob had taken the test before leaving Southport. 

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Monday, January 20^th.  We were underway by 7:30am for our 40nm transit across the Florida Bay to Little Shark River, which is within the Everglades National Park.  We had 1-2 foot wind-driven chop for most of the trip with intermittent periods of 3 foot chop.  We slowed from our usual 6.5-7.0 kts transit speed to 5 kts which made the trip slightly more comfortable for captain and crew.  We arrived at Little Shark River around 2pm and gratefully dropped the anchor in the calm waters of this well protected cove. There was already one boat anchored in the river and another showed up later in the afternoon.  Little Shark River is well known for its wildlife and we saw manatees, dolphins, Egrets, Ibis, and Herons.  With no cities nearby, there is no light pollution, so the stargazing was also amazing. And, to go along with all this natural beauty, there is absolutely NO cell coverage in this area.

Tuesday, January 21^st.  We woke to a cold and windy morning as the weather predicted.  We communicated by radio with one of the boats in the anchorage that chose to get underway and not wait out the weather. They were heading for Marco Island (about 55 miles north) and gave us a weather report once they cleared the anchorage and entered the open water of the Gulf – decidedly worse than the day before.  After a hearty breakfast of grits and eggs, Bob listened to the weather via our VHF radio.  Heavy North winds would continue to worsen until Thursday when they would ease and shift to the east. Sea Shanty would wait it out along with a lone sailboat sharing the anchorage. It was a peaceful morning and we observed a couple of kayakers in the river along with the abundant wildlife. After lunch, Bob was playing with the VHF radio and heard the sailboat hail the Coast Guard.  Apparently the 2 kayakers we had seen earlier had gotten separated from their group and weren’t going to be able to rendezvous at their designated spot due to the worsening weather.  The other boat’s VHF radio wasn’t working well enough to communicate clearly with the Coast Guard, so the kayakers paddled over to Sea Shanty.  Once they were aboard, we contacted the Coast Guard, who contacted the National Park Service (NPS).  The NPS deployed two boats and the Coast Guard sent a helicopter to aid in the search. One of the NPS boats made it’s way to Little Shark River and tied up to Sea Shanty.  Shortly afterwards, the second NPS boat located the other 3 kayakers. The 3 kayakers and their kayaks were loaded onto the NPS boat and they headed towards Sea Shanty through the rough open water of the Gulf. Once everyone was all together, our kayaking ‘refugees’ loaded up on the first NPS boat, and they all headed back to Flamingo (southern tip of FL in the Everglades) via an inland water route. We could say a lot here about safety and checking the weather before going out in open water and having a hand-held radio for communicating and…. well, we could say that, but we’ll just leave it there….  The kayakers were lucky and they’ll have a great story to tell when they get home…and it was certainly an interesting way for us to spend an afternoon!

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Wednesday, January 22^nd.  The wind was beginning to subside but still too strong for us to proceed north.  After lunch we went for a dinghy ride around the mangroves and met up with the other boater in the anchorage who was also out and about in his dinghy.  He was planning to head south for Marathon in the morning and we planned on leaving for Everglades City.

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Thursday, January 23th.  We woke to a completely calm morning with fog.  We weighed anchor at 7:30am and headed north toward Everglades City – about  a40 nm transit.  There was light chop in the Gulf with fog that burned away by 10:30am.  We entered the 10,000 Islands and the channel on a rising tide and rode the current up the Barron River to the quaint little town of Everglades City.  We docked at the historic Rod and Gun Club – a hotel that was built in the 1860s and has hosted many famous people including Presidents.  That afternoon at the dock we met other visitors who were going to drive to the Fatchahacce Nature Preserve Friday morning and invited us along.  Since it was too far to bike, we jumped the chance.

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Friday, January 24^th.  We had a great drive and hike through the preserve.  We saw birds, an alligator and a multitude of wild Bromeliads growing in the trees.  We got back to Everglades City in time for a tasty lunch at City Seafood of fried gator, conch and shrimp before taking an airboat tour.  Our guide, Javier, was great and the ride was fast, fun and informative. Javier stopped the boat to hand feed a racoon (who obviously knew the drill) and a gator (We didn’t know gators liked marshmallows).  After a long day, we settled in on the boat and ordered a pizza.

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Saturday, January 25^th. The first stop on our excursion for the day was the local museum which is free and run by Collier County.  We learned that a man named Baron Collier (from Kentucky) built the town to support his 1923 promise to the State of Florida to finish the Tamiami Trail (road from Tampa to Miami through the Everglades).  It was a model company town in it’s heyday. We biked on out the causeway to the neighboring island of Chokoloskee for lunch at Havana Café. Until the causeway was built in the late 1950’s, Chokoloskee was an isolated village. The original store dating bake to the late 1800’s has been converted into a museum – where Lynn spent a considerable amount of time.  She is fascinated with the history and lifestyle of the early FL settlers. After some google ‘sleuthing’ on her part, we also learned that Everglades City was the hub for marijuana smuggling in the 1980s.  Nearly everyone in the town was either driving boats back and forth to Columbia, bringing weed from the mother boat to shore or loaning boats and cars to the smugglers.  As such, if anyone got arrested, they never ratted out their friends.  ….just so you know……

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Friday & Saturday, January 10^th&11^th were spent ashore with our friends Pat and Tom.  First thing Friday morning, Bob made a quick trip back to the boat to check the docking lines. We had moored Thursday at low tide on a fixed dock, and he wanted to check how we were riding at high tide.  After some minor adjustments he was satisfied the lines would handle the tidal fluctuations until we returned to the boat on Sunday.  Other morning activities included laundry, lunch, and the ever-necessary run to West Marine. In the afternoon, we headed to our favorite brewery in Delray –  Due South Brewery – where we enjoyed their excellent Caramel Cream Ale and a couple games of corn hole and giant Jenga.  We moved on to dinner at the Paradise Sports Lounge – a somewhat unassuming place with a great happy hour and incredible boiled shrimp platters with corn, sausage and potatoes.  Saturday was a casual day with brunch (made with leftovers from Friday’s dinner), a trip to the grocery for a few provisions and Football playoffs.

Sunday, January 12^th.  We returned to the boat early and refueled before heading to Oleta State Park in North Miami.  It was a long day due to speed restricted zones, bridges and crazy Sunday boat traffic, but we enjoyed gawking at the impressive condos and mansions lining the waterway.  We arrived around 5pm and anchored behind Sandspur Island, also known as ‘beer can island’ because the locals boat in and party there on weekends.  Luckily, by the time we arrived, most of the partiers were gone and there was plenty of room for us in the lee of the island.  We had chosen this anchorage because our friends, Erin and Bill and their 2 daughters have been living here on their boat at anchor for the past 3 years.  We met them in Oriental, NC in 2015.   They took us over to Duffy’s Sports bar in their skiff for dinner and we had a nice time reconnecting and hearing about their tales of life on the hook.

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Monday, January 13^th.  We weighed anchor at 8am; made a quick detour to a nearby marina to pump out our waste tank and then pointed south. This was our first time in this part of the ICW and it was most interesting passing all the high-rise condos of Miami.  We were still experiencing a stiff easterly wind, so, once we entered Biscayne Bay we had a bouncy ride due to significant wind-blown chop on our port beam. We were happy to arrive at Boca Chita National Park in the ‘Ragged Islands’ which form the border between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.  The small island has a man-made lagoon designed with a docking wall for boats and we tied up right at 2pm.  Just as we finished with the lines, we met a fellow boater who invited Bob to join him and 2 other boaters to go spear fishing later in the afternoon.  Bob couldn’t resist the opportunity to try out his new Hawaiian Sling spear and had a great time spotting a nurse shark, sea urchins, and lots of juvenile Mangrove Snappers. Unfortunately, he didn’t spear any dinner, but neither did neither did anyone else, and they chalked it up to low tide. Lynn had opted out of the fishing expedition and chose to wade and explore the island instead.

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Tuesday, January 14^th.  We left Boca Chita around 8:30am with 10 kt winds and clear skies.  It was a decent transit south with the winds on the beam most of the time.  The choppy ride settled down once we left Biscayne Bay and entered the Florida Gulf and had the Keys as a lee against the wind.  We anchored in Key Largo just off of shore near the Sundowner restaurant. Our friends Bill and Nita winter in a Key Largo campground in their ‘5^th wheel’ camper and spend their summers doing the Great American Loop on their 40’ Mainship trawler.  We’ve known Bill and Nita since 1992, when we lived on Isle Of Palms, SC.  We met them at Sundowners for a great meal together and caught up with all our childrens’ comings and goings. 

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With calm weather and clear water on Wednesday, January 15^th, Bob decided it was a good day to put on the snorkel gear and inspect the bottom of the boat, check the condition of the sacrificial zinc anodes and then dive down to see how well the anchor was set.  The bottom was respectably clean and the anchor was perfect, but one of the zincs on the port trim tab needed to be replaced.  We brought replacement zincs with us on this trip, so with the proper supplies at hand it was an easy chore – made easier by having crew (Lynn) on deck to hand over parts, wrenches and underwater flashlight as needed.  Following lunch, we dinghied to shore for a walkabout, and on the way back enjoyed a happy hour beverage at Sundowners.  Back on the boat, we decided to run the generator before dinner to top off the batteries and charge up the laptop. After 15 minutes of run-time, the generator performed a controlled shutdown based on a high exhaust temp alarm.  As it was getting dark and dinner was ready, detailed troubleshooting would have to wait until Thursday. 

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Thursday, 16 January.  We left Key Largo around 8am in 10-15 kt winds.  Our destination was the mooring field at Lignumvitae Key (Islamorada) so we could tour the park’s Botanical Gardens on Friday.  However, with the weather building over the next couple of days to 25 kt winds out of the NE and E, we revised our plans once we reached the mooring field.  We needed to anchor somewhere with better protection, so we backtracked a couple of miles to an anchorage near our favorite Islamorada tiki bar, The Lorelei.  Once anchored, Bob began to troubleshoot the generator.  After talking with the Onan generator technical support folks, he suspected that we probably had an obstructed thru hull.  Bob put on the fins again and with underwater flashlight and screw driver in hand, dove down and cleaned a couple of barnacles out of the thru hull.  That done, we cleaned ourselves up a bit and went ashore to The Lorelei and had dinner.  After dinner we walked down A1A about a half a mile marker and meandered through the art district’s monthly ‘art walk’ event. We dinghied back to the boat in the dark, but with her extra bright LED anchor light, Sea Shanty was easy to find.

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Friday, 17 January.  Generator testing commenced right after breakfast… with a full load of laptop, dinghy battery and boat batteries charging simultaneously, we successfully ran the generator for 30 minutes with no alarms.  Generator fixed.  We got our gear together and dinghied to shore for a self-guided historic walking tour, lunch and groceries. For Lynn, the highlight of the tour was the lush variety of tropical plants in the neighborhoods.  Bob’s highlight was seeing the ‘Old Florida-style’ resort hotel and grounds where the Netflix show “Bloodlines” was filmed.  With take-out pizza in hand, it was off to The Florida Key’s Brewing Company to eat and drink, followed by a stop at the Trading Post Grocery Store.  Back on the boat we battened down the hatches in preparation for a rainy afternoon and windy evening.  The rain was welcome because Sea Shanty needed a nice fresh water rinse…the winds, not as welcome! 

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With a front moving through the Florida peninsula, we decided to stay put in Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach until Sunday. So, Saturday was a day to enjoy a few land-based activities – Lynn was off the boat bright and early for a local yoga class. Afterwards   we walked to a Farmer’s Market a few blocks north and came away with some delicious local raw honey and some ‘FF&V’ (fresh fruits and veggies). Walking back, we ducked into a local brewpub for lunch while it poured rain. In the afternoon Lynn did laundry and walked to the post office to send out some postcards.  Dinner was on the boat.

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By Sunday, January 5^th the front had moved on and the sun was shining; early morning temps in the 40’s soon climbed into the 60’s for the day. We had a strong North wind pushing us south so we made good time to our anchorage in Titusville, FL.  Our new German friends on S/V Salmon anchored nearby shortly after we did. Haagen and his wife Inga dinghied over to Sea Shanty for a couple of sundowners – we enjoyed hearing about their travels aboard with their three children.  Inga is from Stuttgart which is where we lived for 3 years back in the early 2000’s.

Monday, January 6^th we had an easy transit down the Indian River to our anchorage just south of Melbourne, FL.  Winds were from the north so we had following seas all day and made an easy 7+ knots.  We anchored behind a spoils island (an island formed where the dredges dump the sand when they maintain the ICW) which gave us a little protection from the wind.   The highlight of the day was going to be the SpaceX launch out of Cape Canaveral at 9:19pm. 

After dinner while waiting for the launch, Bob did some investigating into a wingnut and washer that we discovered in the bottom of one of the galley drawers under the sink.  It was one of 4 securing points for the sink, but while he was re-tightening that, he noticed that the shore water connection was dripping fresh water.  We had suspected that we had a small leak but hadn’t been able to track it down.  Luckily it looked to be just a lose connection; however, unfortunately, during the investigation, Bob made the leak worse.  We didn’t have the right fittings onboard to fix the problem but knew we could get them on Tuesday when we stopped in Vero Beach.  Until then we cut off the water pressure and turned it on only when we needed water. 

With that ‘crisis’ temporarily under control, it was about time for the rocket launch…  We weren’t close enough to hear the roar but the fact that it was a night launch made up for it.  The horizon blazed red as the rocket shot up and we could clearly see the first stage burn off and the second stage ignition.

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Tuesday, January 7th – we got underway around 8am, headed to an anchorage in Vero Beach where it would be convenient to go ashore for supplies to fix our freshwater leak.  It was a short transit, so we arrived in plenty of time to anchor, have lunch and get the dinghy into the water.  The anchorage was nice – only a few boats, one of which was a small tug named Dauntless. We dinghied by for a quick hello and met the owner, Nancy. We landed the dinghy at a park across the ICW and tied  her up to a ladder on the seawall.  As we walked to the stores, a friendly lady wobbled by on a bicycle and asked if we knew anything about bikes…  Bob showed her how to adjust her gear shifter and she was off and pedaling with a smile on her face.   We shopped successfully and upon returning to the dinghy, we were greeted by an older gentleman who asked if we were cruisers.  He proceeded to regal us with stories from his earlier cruising days.  You could tell he really enjoyed his time on the water and missed it.  As we dinghied away from the park, we saw our bicycling friend at the seawall and she waved us over so she could take our picture.  Back at the boat, we got busy working on the freshwater leak.  The fix was quick, but then Bob dropped a fitting into the bowels of the boat and we spent more time trying to recover that small piece than we did fixing the leak.  We eventually gave up.  We’ll need to get a flexible grabber tool and try again.

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Wednesday, January 8^th.  We departed the Vero Beach anchorage around 8am as usual.  We had an easy transit with sunny skies and a gentle northerly wind.  We motored past Ft Pierce and across the St Lucie inlet and arrived at our planned anchorage in the Hobe Sound mid-afternoon.  With winds expected to increase into the high teens through the night, we chose to be on eastern shore side for protection. We settled in and looked forward to our run on Thursday morning to Boyton Harbor Marina (Boyton Beach) where we plan to dock the boat while we visit friends in Delray Beach.

Thursday, January 9^th.  We are underway from our anchorage with the wind still blowing in the high teens from the east.  The Hobe Sound and ICW provided some protection from the winds as we passed Jupiter FL and into Lake Worth.  Once we entered the Lake Worth/Palm Beach area where the river opened up, we had some wind-driven waves on our beam which made for a choppy ride that the Ranger Tug handled easily.  The transit through Jupiter FL was especially scenic – the homes on the water are immaculate and their lush landscaping is both tidy and tropical.  The mega yachts moored in Palm Beach are fantastic… and then there’s  Mar-a-lago – an easy pass since the Security Zone was not in effect with the President being in DC.  We arrived at Boynton Harbor Marina and tied up at the first fixed docks we’ve encountered on the trip. The actual physical process, as well as the thought process, for securing a boat to a fixed dock is a good bit different from tying up to the floating docks that we’re accustomed to. We proceeded to wash the boat and get ready for our friends Tom and Pat to pick us up for couple of days of R&R ashore.

We left Beaufort on 12/29 on a cloudy morning heading to Savannah.  Our destination is Thunderbolt Marine, the same place where Sea Shanty was repaired earlier this year.  We spent most of the day following ‘Misty Pearl’, a sailboat that was flying the traditional Scottish flag on her mast.  Light rain, but an easy trip.  Luckily the rain continued to hold off so we could take on fuel once we arrived at Thunderbolt.  We took advantage of their showers and laundry and had dinner aboard.

We left Thunderbolt at 8am on 12/30 under cloudy skies.  Our destination was a peaceful anchorage off the Newport River.  The overcast skies cleared throughout the day and we arrived at the anchorage around 3:30pm.  As the sun went down, we could tell the temperature was dropping.

We weighed anchor at 8am on a 40ish degree New Year’s Eve morning and headed for Jekyll Island.  With clear skies and wind from the west, we took some water over the bow in several of the bays due to wind driven chop. We saw a little barge traffic.  And, when we crossed the harbor at Brunswick GA, we got a good look at the capsized RO-RO ship (roll-on roll-off) that capsized a few months ago.  Quite a site.  At 3:20 we anchored near the Jeckyll Island National Park docks.  There was one other boat in the anchorage and they dinghied by to say hello after resetting their anchor. We chatted with Haagen and his son who are from Germany.  They had sailed from the northern coast of Germany and were moving down the east coast.  Mom and a daughter were aboard their boat.  They are home- schooling their kids which is typical for cruising families. 

Tomorrow, Florida!

On New Year’s Day we weighed anchor at 8am headed to the Jim King Park just north of the St. Johns River near Jacksonville that has a free dock for about 5 boats.  We crossed into Florida at 11:45am under partly cloudy – or partly sunny! depending on your perspective!- skies.  Unfortunately, there was no room at the free dock so we anchored just across the ICW.  We could hear and see fireworks being set off sporadically during the early evening.

On Jan 2^nd we were underway a little earlier than usual because we were headed to St. Augustine with plans to re-fuel, pump out our waste tank and provision. We arrived at River’s Edge Marina at 2:15pm and took care of the waste tank.  Did not take on fuel because I misread the marina info…no fuel except by truck with 24 hours notice.  We took a slip, unfolded our folding bikes and made multiple trips to provision at Winn Dixie, Target and Autozone.  With our chores complete, it was off to Hurricane Patty’s for happy hour, some chow and live music.  The crew had a long day on and off the water.

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On Jan 3^rd we were underway around 8am bound for Daytona Beach.   We were positioned on a face dock and should have had an easy departure, but winds were brisk and Sea Shanty was being pushed hard against the dock. With no dock hands available, we had a tough time getting underway but managed to do so with persistence and luck.  We had planned to anchor in Daytona Beach and proceed south the next day but the forecast called for a front to move through, so we made a decision to hole up at Halifax Harbor Marina for 2 nights.  We docked around 4pm after taking on fuel.  Halifax Harbor is right downtown Daytona Beach so we expect to have places to see close by while we wait for the weather.

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Before describing our trip this winter, let’s bring everyone up to date with what’s been going on with Sea Shanty since she was hit in January. She was repaired very carefully by Thunderbolt Marine in the Savannah, GA area. Repairs were complete in June. While she was in the boatyard we also took the time to upgrade the solar system and installed a dinghy davit system. Bob brought her back from Savannah mid-June. The cover picture show’s Sea Shanty all nice and repaired with the new dinghy and davit system.

On Saturday, December 21 we pulled away from the dock and began heading south for our second attempt at a cruise to western Florida. The plan is to be fairly diligent and not spend much time dawdling as we traverse South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida. We also plan to anchor for the night as often as possible. However, we immediately had to hole up a day at Barefoot Landing Marina in Myrtle Beach to wait out a bit of heavy weather. Not to worry, we have two boating friends who have friends in the same marina. So we had docktails one night and played trivia the next night with, yet another, new set of boating friends. The weather finally cleared and on Tuesday, Christmas Eve we left Myrtle Beach for Georgetown where we anchored for the night.

On Christmas we anchored behind Dewees Island (near Charleston) before taking at slip at Toler’s Cover Marina in Mount Pleasant on the morning of December 26th. Lynn’s parents had driven down from Raleigh to meet us in Charleston and we enjoyed the day with them. On the 27th we left for Church Creek, about 26 miles south of Charleston, stopping along the way to have lunch with old neighbors.

Weather has been mild and the waters have been calm. The traditional shallow trouble spots of Lockwood Folly, Shallotte Inlet, McClellanville and Isle of Palms have been recently dredged and we saw plenty of water. Boat traffic through the holidays has been very light with the exception of all of the duck hunters we saw Christmas morning. Today (Saturday, 12/28) we are at Lady’s Island Marina where we did some provisioning and treated ourselves to pizza. Tomorrow we press on to Savannah.

We’ve had a change in Bloggers. Lynn now is the chief writer of the blog with Bob providing editing and photos.

We left Charleston Tuesday, Jan 22 and headed south through Elliotts Cut. I was saddened to see that one of my favorite low-slung houses has been torn down. I fear it will be replaced with a’ McMansion’. I can only hope that it will be done in a tasteful Lowcountry style. Even so, Elliot’s Cut remains one of my favorite tiny bits of water to travel through. 

We anchored in steamboat Creek that night and woke up to temperatures in the 30’s.  Bob cranked up the generator for the first time to warm the boat before we while we ate breakfast. 

Our next stop was the Beaufort Marina’s mooring field. Happy to report that Sea Shanty will prove to handle well for mooring. We dinghied ashore and enjoyed a fabulous dinner with friends at the Breakwater.

Leaving Beaufort, we entered the Georgia portion of the ICW and, again, we are just about the only boat on the water. We’ve been passed by a couple of faster trawlers and wonder if we’ll see them in Florida.  

Our first GA stop was the Isle of Hope Marina. Isle of Hope is a lovely little Georgia Sea Island with large old mansions and enormous moss-draped oaks all along the bluff. It was a blustery night and we were glad to be securely tied to a dock!

On Thursday we headed out and found ourselves in beautiful water meandering through endless marsh grass alternating with wide open sounds.  We had rather choppy water through some of the large sounds – felt like bouncing along a rutted gravel road.  Coming through one of the sounds we were trailed closely by a flock of seagulls. I don’t know if they were hoping for a handout or were simply enjoying diving for marine tidbits that churned up in our wake. 

We drop the hook in a spacious, serene anchorage in the Crescent River – halfway between Savannah and Brunswick and enjoy a lovely sunset.  It feels like we are finally getting into our cruising groove now.

 And just when you least expect it, the unexpected will happen. 

After sunrise, about 7:30 Friday morning a commercial crabber careened his boat into Sea Shanty’s stern tearing a gaping hole in the port quarter, obliterating the bimini, dinghy and swim platform railings.  We are extremely fortunate that no one on either boat was injured and the hole was above the waterline so we did not take on water.  However, the damage is so extensive that we cannot continue our adventure at this time.

The GA DNR was contacted and came out to file an official report and then Boat US arrived to begin the arduous 9-hour task of towing us north to Thunderbolt Marine in Savannah. We arrived during a glorious sunset and tied up to the dock.  Sadly, our shore power outlets are damaged, so we once again spent the night without heat while the temperatures dipped down to the 30’s.

Since then, I was able to catch a ride back to Southport on Saturday with a friend who just happened to be returning home from FL.   I brought the truck back so we are mobile. The insurance surveyor has been to inspect the damage and all of the totaled items have been removed from the boat.

The boat was hauled out of the water today so the repair process can begin.  We feel we are in good hands with the very professional staff of Thunderbolt Marine. �˜�

Stay tuned for updates on our repairs!