26 Nov-last update until Jan 2011.home for Christmas.

26 Nov 2010, woke up to rain and some wind, we will to check the boat, there is no tide here, a little current, and that’s about it.

We found out last night that the nearest Int airport is Fort Myers, some 11/2 hr away by car, that sucks, and I can’t get any wireless internet, which also sucks, can’t make flight arrangement, we will have to do it at Jim’s place.

24 and 25 Nov

24 Nov 2010, 0700 depart Moore Haven, went through the locks and now into the Caloosahatchee River, ya I know I can’t pronoun it either.

Travelled past Fort Myers, as it would have been 60 miles from Fort Myers to Jim’s place, and we would not have made it for Thanksgiving dinner, didn’t want to miss that.

We tossed the anchor near a Tarpon Point Marina/Resort. There was quite a large cove just past the marina, and it had great holding, now that puts us only 44 miles to Jims place.

25 Nov 2010, 0700 pulled anchor and heading for Punta Gorda, and into the Gulf Coast intercoastal. As previously  planned we arrived a marker R76, made a right 90 degree turn bearing 72 degrees to the green5, where Jim will meet us and take us to our final destination. Scott was talking with Jim via the phone so all is set.

1100 hrs arrived at G5, no Jim, another call he is on his way. So we wait in Charlotte Hbr, not knowing in which direction to take.

About ½ later Jim and his neighbour arrived in a very fast boat, does 40  MPH, and after some brief  conversation we head out. We are travelling almost N up Charlotte Hbr., which is 20 miles in length. We do not make for Punta Gorda, on the Peace River, but we bear left and head towards Grove City(Myakka River), we have to go through a small lock and its dead low tide, will we be able to enter the lock through a very narrow channel??

As  we arrived at the channel markers, Jims scouts ahead, verifying the depths, barley 4 ft but the tide is rising, we take a chance and at idle speed we enter the channel, and make it to the lock, which is very small, barley fit the boat(see pic).

According to Jim this lock gives access to the internal waterway of South Gulf Coast residential area, with all its side canals for all the boaters., the lock was remotely controlled by Jim, I guess all the residents have a remote to open and close the lock; it can also be done manually

After passing the lock, we traveled quite some distance along these small canals until we finally arrived at  the location where the boat will stay. Jim had made arrangements with a lady who had some “free” wall space, and he had driven 4  large angle iron pieces in to the ground so we could tie up the boat, this of course is much appreciated by us.

Its now about 330 pm, and after getting the boat secured, we jump into Jim’s very fast boat and he takes us to his place. The only reason we could not dock in front of his place is that there is a fixed bridge, only 14 ft high, along the canal where he lives, hence the other area, but what the heck, its very nice secluded spot.

Arrived at Jim’s place in no time flat, met his Lovely and gracious lady Joy, who was busy preparing dinner…oh what a smell, can hardly wait

5pm, supper time with other invited guests, very casual, walked away with “turkey gut”,

What a feast. About 10 pm, its time to get back to the boat, Jim and Joy take one car, while Scott and I follow in Jim’s Dodge Ram truck, which he has giving us to use while we are here…man some people are soooooooo nice.

Winding and weaving through all the streets, and finally at the boat location, we will never find our way around here unless we have a guide or a good map, this is a very large residential area, I saw the plot plan that Jim had, its huge.

23 Nov

Depart Salerno Harbor (Manatee Cove), at 0714 hrs,23 Nov 2010

trying to get a good run today.

Clear skies, sunny, and a light breeze, what more can a boater want.

Travelled down the St Lucie River, St Lucie Canal (much like the Dismal Swamp)

Except there are house along the way. Crossed the Okeechobee lake, very nice, no water 7-10 ft most of the way, Army Corp of Engineers told us 13 ft…..ya right that  must have been some time ago in the spring, well anyway no problems, follow the magic Magellan line, and pick up you marks, things will be ok. Near the end, there are two 90 degree turns in order to get around “spoiled grounds”, just a fancy term to say “if you go there you will be aground lol lol).

Arrived in Clewiston at 1500 hrs, to early to stop, moving on to Moore Haven, 19 miles further. Well to tried to set our anchor in the Old Canal, as suggested by Skipper Bob, but after 4 tries, we gave up, not a lot of room to play with, its only 100 ft wide, maybe.

So we did not want to take a marina, after the locks, so we found these Dolphins and tied up to them (bow and stern), now its almost dark in Moore Haven.

In Skipper Bob book about anchorages, it talks about “it being buggy”, well whoever said that was completely WRONG…there are more bugs here than people, and just as big, note to other boaters, DO NOT STOP HERE!!!!!!!!!. We sprayed the heck out of them, now most are DEAD DEAD, and we will to clean them up in the am, see the pic.

I wonder if it was the smell of the deer meat cooking?

Today we saw our first two Alligators in their natural habitat, (note to self. stay out of the water” ) Also today like many other days in our journey the Dolphins  seemed to be enjoying the romp in our wake, except today 4 of them were so close to the boat that if my arm was another 2 ft longer, I could have touched the fins….. And they are fast, jumping out of the water and back under in a split second. Its was like they knew we were watching them, and it was a show they were putting on, swimming sideways, poping out of water, give that tail a flick, oh what a sight, Tina would have cried to see such a magnificent sight.

Today we covered 78 statue miles

St Lucie River

After leaving Daytona beach, we made it to Cocoa Beach, anchored, what a wonderful sound that new baby makes, and no straining of my back pulling that f...king 45 lb CQR from the bottom of the mud, and over the bow roller, do you know how tought that is, when the shakle binds at the roller. I think that I have new muscles and hurts...lucky that I am only 59 :)

The day after we went to Vero Beach Mun Marina, took a mooring ball($13.90 per night), nice spot. There is a yacht club there, much like RNSYS, one cheap spot and one expensive spot, right next to each other...talk about class separation, I would much rather be in the "blue collar" league.

21 Nov travelled to St. Lucie River, where we will begin our crossing to the other side(Gulf side). Anchored in Manatee pocket, will be here 2 days, then  moving on, the first set of 3 pics are at Cocoa Beach, where we tried the new windlass, the next set is of Vero Beach, pic of Esperanza in the background, power cat "for sale", have to check that out, :). The last series  are from Manatee Pocket, lots of rich homes and lots and lots of big boats, as you can see.. Big sports fishing area, they cross over to the Bahamas all the time.
Well enjoy, more updates later.Pic of "snubber" stops all that chain rattling at night, the strain is taken up by the snubber, so there is no strain on the windlass itself.

The pic of the blue boat is "Sheena II, he is originally from NFLD, now lives in Ont, him and his wife have been on that boat for 8 years, I think thats what he said. Every year he make the trip from Ont to Bahamas, and comes back, bundle of knowledge. He brought over 6-8 packs of frozen deer chops, maybe try them tonight on the BBQ.

New Lewmar Pro 1000,photo update/Hfx Hbr Marina

Scott went to West Marine and got the necessary items, while I removed the old windlass, and cleat from the deck. All my work had to be undone, well after two hours, the old was off and the deck ready to receive the new.80 ft of 5/16 chain, will be added from the anchor to the rope which was professionally spliced to the new chain.
What a time getting some of the old shackles off, lots of brute strength, and WD40
Several mounting issues came to light, the new one is a lot lower, so it has to be raised from the deck, so it will work properly. After much consultation and a friend of Mike(windlass installer), they have managed a plan to raise the windlass at the same level as the anchor pulpit, this will require, that a frame be built to accommodate the windlass, and a new deck hole for the chain to drop straight down, the old one is now obsolete.
I will take photo when the job is done. This will delay us further, what the heck, we are in Florida, and its warm and sunny..

Troubles

16 Nov 0800 hrs, woke up to a very stiff breeze from the sw, and a strong current(3-4)kts) running in the same direction, which will make pulling up the anchor a difficult task!!!.
Well sometime during the night our boat had swung around several times to another unattended boat, which
in this case was that the two achor rodes were not twisted.
Turn on the windlass, it did not work, so we tried to force the anchor up by riding over it, and musculing in the line( I had to muscle in the line), Scott was at the helm, things are now getting worst, we did pulled the anchor, but also pulled the other one as well, and now the other boats rope gets twisted in the prop, well s..t, now we are in a real pickle!!. We are drifting down the harbour, taking the other boat( a small 26-28 sail) with us, and the anchor will not grab!!!!.
Local law (water)enforcement to the rescue, as we got to some "dolphins poles", these are 3-4 large sunken poles tied together, and usually have range lights, caution yellow , etc. Anyway you know that large coil of rope we got, well it came in handy as the copper pulled the line out and around these dolphins, and back to the boat, and got us secured. Two or three more minutes and we wopuld have been on the sandbar.
Called Seatow, they are sending out a diver to cut the line of the prop...are they going to tow us, well they never did arrive....note, join "Boats US", they are much better, and there are more of them.
Ase waited for the diver, a samll skiff with two men, arrived, one owned the sail boat. After much apoligies on our part, the young lad dawned a mask and jumped into the water, cut his anchor line from the prop, but there is still about 8 ft warped around the prop, and only the diver will be able to cut the rest.
The young lad, got our anchor, etc etc, and managed to get everything back to the boat.
He then loaded his own anchor on his boat and we cut the line to his boat, and they towed  his boat back to its original position.
The diver came, and cut the rope off the prop shaft and prop, started the engines, in gear and things seemed ok,, and we release the roped from the dolphins, and back in business.. oh by the way did I tell you that the winds came up more fiersley and the current got stronger, when things go bad they got bad in a hurry.
We made the 1030 bridge and made our way towards Daytona Beach.
Here a new winless and accessories will be purchased, new chain, and a pro install recommed by West Marine. Arrangements made to stay at :Halifax Harbour Marine" in Daytona.
Arrived here about 5 pm, quite tired from the morning adventure, but all was well with Esperanza.

NOTE TO SELF: "GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH SWING ROOM", how could we be so stupid!!!  

new post by scott

Info on St. Augustine.

St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city, also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's most charming. Known as the "Ancient City," Saint Augustine is located between North East and Central East Florida and is convenient to Jacksonville, Orlando, and Daytona airports.

History buffs will adore the many museums in the area. The Lightner Museum is among the most unique, featuring an intriguing array of items, from shrunken heads and mummies to stunning collections of stained glass and crystal. When it opened its doors in 1889, Henry Flagler's Alcazar Hotel delighted guests with its gigantic indoor pool and retractable roof, casino, spa, and movie theater. O.C. Lightner jumped at the opportunity to live in the hotel when it became available for purchase and house his unique collections here.

• If you love to golf or play tennis, then this is the place for you! There are many golf courses and tennis resorts located in the area. Ponte Vedra, home of The Players Association (PGA) and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), is a 20 minute drive from the Down Town historic district.
• The many marinas dotted around the area make boating access ultra convenient by sea, river or Intracoastal waterway. Fishing, diving, surfing, parasailing and other water sports are abundantly accommodated.
• The town also boasts 43 pristine miles of beaches. There's the right type of beach for everyone: some permit vehicles and dogs while others allow only pedestrians. Some of the area beaches produce abundant shelling opportunities, while others are covered only in luxurious fine, golden sand.
• From single vantage points in town, you can experience both the joy of the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean horizon and the peacefulness of the sun setting beyond the salt marsh along the intracoastal waterway.

14-15 Nov

14 Nov, 0830 hrs, depart Two Way Fish camp Marina, beautiful

sunny day, lots of boats travelling south.

One "faux pas" in our passage today, turned left and not right

traversing through a sound put us in the Atlantic, but only for

a very brief period, we turned and retraced our steps,

and got on the "right track".

If you are not vigil in your navigation, you will foul up,

lucky for us it was very brief.  Check and double check!!!

We got to St. Mary’s River, note to Skipper Bob publication,

its not at mile marker 708 or MM 710, its more like 712,

and you make a right turn past Green Buoy,# 29 going S,  the

buoys have been renumbered, so watch the charts, and turn

up the river, everything after that is ok.

We got tied up to the "T dock, 1 space available, lots of

other boaters helping with the lines. 6 hrs tie up..ok, we will

have do set the anchor later after our supper.

The reason for coming here is for the "deep fried succulent,

fresh jumbo shrimp, all you can eat at "Lang’s restaurant". I could hardly

wait to dig in. Got to the rest., CLOSED on Sunday and Mon

open on Tue to Thur for lunch, and Fri & Sat supper only.

GRRR

So no shrimp from Lang’s, but found the "Riverside Rest" down the

block. Its not the one in Bedford NS.

I did have my fried shrimp, and Scott had his blackened shrimp

both were very good. Lemon meringue pie for Lane for dessert

yum yum  :) That eased the pain of "all you can eat shrimp"  :)

Orders to go for tomorrow lunch... why cook along the way

when it can be catered!!!!!.

Its now 1945hrs, and we are still at the dock, we hope not

to get kicked off, its dark out and I do not want to set in the dark,

oh we have engine troubles, and can't leave, that will work, I hope??

Anyway there are two other boats here, and I do not see them leaving.

I guess we won't either.

Oh by the way, our charts, "nobletec", "Navigator Light" and our Standard

Horizon, with latest updated charts, did not have the actual harbor,

so we ran in blind, so to speak, after the last mark, and

watch the depth sounder, well things worked out well,

lots of boats at anchor,  29 ft at the "T" dock.

For a minute there I thought that we would drop of the end of the earth.

I can't recall who had said that, but it does not matter now  :)

                                   

"HISTORY LESSON"

                        "taken from the St. Mary’s City Guide"

"St. Mary’s is the 2nd oldest continuously inhabited city in North America,

after St.Augustine, Florida. The city was first settled in the mid

1500s by the Spanish. The Town was established on Dec 5th, 1792,

by an act in the state legislature, and incorporated in Nov 1802.

Pleasure boaters from around the world are discovering what the

tall ships of the 1700 and 1800s knew long ago. St. Mary’s is an

exceptional harbor, intriguing history, and friendly people."

15 Nov 0800 depart St. Mary’s anchorage, making our way to

St. Augustine(MM 775), Florida. Oh by the way we entered Florida waters

at 0930 hrs.

At the mouth of the Amelia River, we saw yellow propylene rope floating,

as we went by it was a whole spool, so we picked it up, what

a find, must be at least 200 ft of 3/4 rope, now that what you

call scavenging :)...Wayne C eat your heart out  :) Nice twine

It was a gorgeous day today, and arrived at St. Augustine at 1630 hrs

through out he hook, and in for the night. Those odd buildings are Nuclear sub repairs sights.

The paper mills are in Ferdernia, FL. A group of white geese???

Stuff that floated down the river at two way fish camp, the current will take it away when it changes.

Blog update 7 to 13 Nov

8th Nov, travelled from Carolina Beach, via "Snows Cut" down the "Cape Fear river"
Made it to Myrtle Beach, had great rate($1.25 ft), water, and electricity.
Great day travelling, some very shallow areas!!, and some very ignorant power
boaters that go by and leave a very large wake!!!$$$####@@&&%%.
Well I guess there are ignorant persons all over.
9th Nov, left docks and headed towards George Town, had a great day,
sunny and almost warm, had to wear a jacket on the upper deck.
Today some guy in a high speed power boat named "Aqua man" gave quite
a wake to a lot of other boaters, not us, we never saw him. Man did
the others yell on the VHF, they even called the coast guard and DNR.
Anyway we went past George town, and made it the mile marker 415.5,
anchored on the east side of Minim Creek. We are the only boat here,
but there are several boats in the western part of the creek.
Several small boats coming and going checking the local crab traps.
It was a beautiful sunset. I hope that the night is warm
10 Nov, travelled to Beaufort SC, and stayed at "Down Town Marina.
Made some repairs to Windlass(4 new through deck bolts)
and the foredeck,injected epoxy in about 15 different area.
to beef up the foredeck.
11 Nov stayed put at Marina, finished off the foredeck work
had to go to West Marine for more epoxy.
12 Nov travelled from Beaufort to well pass Savannah GA(SM 573), at statue mile marker 611.
on the bear river. 1630 hrs, anchored in "Birthday Creek". Today we went 75 SM.
We re now 101 SM to Florida border.Beautiful day all around.

13 Nov 2010, 0830 hrs, depart anchorage, beautiful sunny day,
but the north wind(10kts) was chilly...damn Canadians winter winds!!!:)
Made for "Two Way Fish Camp" located on the South Altamaha River,
GA. As we got close we seen a boat with three Young men, and they
had broken down, so we towed them to the Marina.
See the pics attached to the blog.
Took on 123.8 gal of "cheap fuel"($2.96 gal), and
a dock for the night($1.50 per/ft). One of the best bargains in town.
Small marina, but they have a restaurant on site.
We are somewhere near Brunswick, GA., Marina is next to I95 overpass,
lots of traffic.
Tomorrow we make for St. Marys River(all you can eat shrimp at local Rest)
Free dock when you eat.