12 Days Of Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:
twelve amps of solar
eleven manatee sightings
ten dinghy ferries
nine days of travel
eight nights at anchor
seven gigs of footage
six friends a meeting
five knots per hour
four showers taken
three meals per day
two souls a cruising
and a big voyage on a sailboat.

December 11 – 12 (156.1 nm)

After a couple of days back in Port Royal, SC, Jake and I were amped to get a move on. Weather looked good so we decided to push offshore from there to Jacksonville, Florida. If we opted to stay on the ICW, it would take us an extra 3 days, so we passed (all of Georgia in fact).

We left on Friday, at slack-tide, around 9AM. It was a beautiful, slightly chilly but sunny day. We were only a couple of hours from the inlet to the ocean. There were maybe 1-foot waves for most of the day, but by midday, the water was dead flat. A weird sight to see out on the ocean! Sunset was really pretty, since there were no clouds in the sky, the light on the horizon had a strange magical quality I’ve never really seen.

Just like our first passages offshore, Jake and I took turns at the helm. We swapped shifts from our last stint, to shake things up a bit. I definitely enjoyed my hours this round over the first. The weather was calm all through the night, and the sky was magnificent. Jake was determined to use our auto helm, which he thought was fixed. And yes, it did power up, but it wasn’t holding course. He spent a few hours trying to correct the issues, but had no luck. At least the conditions were so calm that Bosco held her course very well – so it wasn’t as much work as the last time.

We made excellent time. Somehow we had all currents in our favor and averaged speeds ~ 6.5 knots – which is REALLY good for us. We got to the Jacksonville inlet at dawn, and thats when things got nutty. First of all, both of us were totally groggy from not sleeping enough during the night (hence the need for an autohelm). But as soon as we neared the channel, it was a madhouse of powerboats, fishing boats, huge freighters and military vessels, 4-5-foot waves, wind and current – all going different directions. OH yeah and there were about a million seagulls and other assorted birdlife all over the place – in the air, on the water. It was craziness.

It was too much for us to handle. Every boat out there completely disregarded us (i.e. – huge wakes kicked up). Bosco was wagging her tail a lot (from waves and current forcing her side-to-side). Once we passed the breakers, current started to do some funky things – random eddies all over the place. At least it was flowing our way (rather than against us).

It took an hour to clear all that madness and get back on the swampy nothingness that generally consists of the ICW. But my god the powerboaters and fishing boaters in Florida could care less about anyone other than themselves. Both Jake and I were on the last straw with them. Next time they blow by, we’re going to be ready with the foghorn. (can you tell, we were just a teensy bit cranky).

It was still early in the day. We could easily get to St. Augustine by midday, so we pushed on; An easy motor through [what felt like] a jungle swamp, minus the carnivores.

We opted to anchor just north of the city-center to get a break from the crowds. We found an anchorage just off the ICW that boasted some great scenic views and little-to-no activity. We pulled in just before noon. Sure, we could have kept moving, but we were exhausted. We slept most of the day away, though we did find some time to slot in a movie (Star Wars I) and some popcorn. It felt good to make such great progress in a short time.

December 13 (11.1 nm)

We didn’t make a lot of southward progress today, but that was kind of the point. We wanted to stop in St. Augustine to visit the city. There is an inexpensive mooring field just south of the town bridge, giving access to real showers (Yay!), water, trash and dinghy dock “parking” for a mere $20.

We took our time making the 2-hour motor down the path. There were some really cool bird islands out there, one of which just packed with all sorts of birdlife. We got into town before noon, and once we passed the bridge (we had to wait for it to open), it was just a few more feet to our mooring ball. We’ve only ever moored Bosco twice before. Considering the crowds and the opposing current, we did really good! Thankfully we called ahead to make a reservation, because it was PACKED with other boats (probably from the weekend). But I can see why…St. Augustine is an ADORABLE city!

We took the dinghy [dubbed “pocket”] to shore to top off fuel and water (via jerry jugs) and hot showers. We spent the rest of the afternoon meandering the city. It had so many really cool, historic, spanish-style features that felt like a different country. We visited a fort (with a live cannon-fire demo), walked through some historic areas, gardens, a museum with a chapel, koi pond (obviously a great wedding spot!). The town was stunning. If we had more time to spend, we would spend it in St. Augustine!

After walking around all day, we grabbed a quick bite (fish and chips) before heading back to Bosco. The weather turned from sunny and pretty to cloudy and rainy. But we were content on the boat. And because we’re so exhausted (all the time), we were in bed before 7PM. [we’re just like old fogies I tell ya].

December 14 (47nm)

We planned to be in Daytona Beach by days’ end. So, we got an early start: 6:30AM. We figured about 10 hours to get down there, and we had to make the last bridge before 4:45PM. It seems like weather dictates most sailing, but on the ICW, bridges dictate all (especially in Florda!). We only had to cross one bridge with any time-restrictions but as the days go on, there will be a lot more.

It is starting to get a lot warmer (which is so nice) but also much more humid. There were a lot of other boats with us today too. We started to notice some familiar names; Seabas, Esmerelda, Seastar to name a few. Since we’re such a beast of a boat, they all passed us at one point or another.

Other than having to time a few bridges with some other boats, the day was very uneventful. We took turns at the helm. The day went by slow but we got to Daytona safely and without issue. Our anchorage was just passed a few bridges and what felt like the heart of the city – there were lights all around us, and it was so beautiful at night. Boats were anchored all over but very spread out. It was nice to feel some seclusion (we always love that wherever we are).

December 15 (40.3 nm)

Daytona to Titusville. Another fine day of motoring down the ICW. We meant to get to Titusville about 3 weeks ago..haha. Oh well better late than never. It was another warm and sunny, but very windy day. The water had a lot more chop than previously.

If I could say anything about this day, it would be dubbed “the day of dolphins”. I believe that we saw 100-150 dolphins out there today (and a couple of manatees). Of course, by the time we had cameras in hand, they were long gone. Figures. But it was pretty darn cool to see so many.

Jake steered for the bulk of the day, so yours-truly could update this much-belated blog that you have come to know and love 😉 Today we had 3 bridges to call and open; one of them on a schedule. The one on the schedule was late and forced us to do a few donuts just before the opening, slightly stressful since current was pushing us way off course. I took over during those times (The stressful bridge crossings) and then Jake would take the helm back. That was the only drama for the day. It was a beautiful haul down the ICW, through narrow windy “rivers” and pseudo open-lakes.

We pulled into our anchorage (which was already somewhat crowded) around 3PM. There were a lot of dilapidated or abandoned boats mixed with some gorgeous cruisers. We saw a few of our other boat “friends” (those that pass us everyday). Seabas, Seastar and Esmerelda were with us in spirit (though we didn’t actually know them).

Jake wasted no time and took the dinghy to shore to get fuel and water. I did my best to clean Bosco, which was slowly becoming more disastrous with each passing day. Its hard to keep things in order when you are constantly moving. After he came back, we made a late lunch/early dinner of vegan tacos. And again, we were in bed before 7PM. It was harder to sleep here with trains passing nearby (all night) and the heat/humidity. But such is life in Florida.

December 16 (17.9nm)

This morning was another gorgeous sunrise. We initially thought that we’d give ourselves a day-off and recoup some energy. But instead, we decided to take advantage of the good weather and keep on trucking. Just a few more days and we could be in West Palm Beach (where we plan to make the Bahamas jump). Some crappy and stronger weather was forecasted for the days ahead.

We left anchor (sort of last minute) at 9:30AM. Our goal was ~ 30 miles to a little anchorage boasting some wide open, peaceful and serene space. Maybe we’d stay for a day or two?

Today was one of the most lovely scenic expanses of the ICW and the weather was a perfect combination of breeze and sun but not too hot. It felt so good to wear shorts and t-shirts (finally)!

As we motored, I was in haze, dreaming of days gone by. Since we were running into (not literally of course) the same boats everyday, it got me thinking…I thought errantly about how funny it would be to run into someone from our past, like NC or MD.

There was a bridge a few miles ahead that we needed to hail on the radio. I noticed another sailboat just ahead of us (it was faster but not by much). I was hopeful that we wouldn’t lag too far behind, and be able to catch the bridge opening with them. Sometimes bridge tenders will wait for boat traffic to catch up and then they only have to open up a few times. But if you are too slow, sometimes you have to wait.

Jake hailed the bridge tender as we got close, in hopes they would make the first sailboat wait for us. The first sailboat got on the radio soon thereafter. She announced the boat name, Dreamtime. Something in my brain clicked, but I couldn’t figure out what. She said she would slow pace for us to catch up. Her voice sounded familiar. Then it hit me…(and apparently Jake at the same time). He responded to the bridge tender, and immediately hailed the other boat to talk on a different channel. Dreamtime is the name of Bob and Kristina’s boat. They were friends of ours (Actually dock neighbors) from our very first marina in MD. We haven’t heard from them in months. How crazy is that?!?!

So of course, our plans went completely out the window. They informed us that they were planning to stay in Cocoa Beach (just a few miles up the way) for the next month, at a marina. So we decided to find a nearby anchorage and link up for a reunion of sorts. A completely impromptu afternoon of fun!

We were SO excited after that. Even though we didn’t make as much progress, it was nice to have social plans (and to hang out with someone other than Jake) 😉 We made the anchorage before noon. It was a bit crowded (and VERY shallow here). We didn’t put out a ton of scope, since we didn’t want to crash into other boats. It was calm though so we didn’t worry too much about it. Instead, we cleaned up a bit and headed to town. There was a little hardware store nearby and we needed some miscellaneous electrical pieces that will [hopefully] fix the auto helm issue. We were going to hit up a grocery store, but it was so hot (and far away) we opted to wait until the next day. Instead we meandered town for a bit before heading back to the boat to relax before the night’s festivities.

That evening, we met up with Bob and Kristina at a pizza joint near the dinghy dock. It boasted some yummmy pizza (from reviews online). For some reason, Jake and I always crave pizza when we visit new towns. Its become our tradition. It was so nice to catch up with them and indulge in a meal that actually left us full (which doesn’t happen often). A few hours in, another couple stopped by the restaurant (they knew Bob & Kristina). And by the end of the evening, we had 2 new friends, who happen to be on Seastar (a trawler)! We knew that boat name – as they’ve passed us a lot over the last several days.

Getting back to Bosco in the dark was a bit of a challenge. The dinghy ride was fun though a bit choppy and wet. This was our first time moving to and fro in a dinghy at night. We made it back to the boat by 830PM (a late night for us!) and were quickly asleep.

December 17 (21.5 nm)

This morning was a little different than our normal routine of “leave the anchorage early”. Jake rode his bike to the grocery store while I finished a boat project that had been on my list for weeks (cleaning out the lazarette).

Jake’s adventure: He loaded the dinghy with his folding bike and gear (bags) and all the dinghy things (locks, gas, etc) and motored to the dock. Once at dock, he realized he forgot shoes DOH! So he had to come all the way back to grab some sandals. He had to ride 2 miles across the bridge to the Publix. Now the Cocoa beach side of the bridge was really nice and cute. But the other side, the Meritt Island side, was kind of seedy. He wasn’t fond of all the homeless people everywhere (Especially leaving his bike unattended). So he rushed through the store and got back across the bridge as fast as possible.

I, on the other hand, managed to get the lazarette completely emptied and put back together – spic and span – and just in time. Jake got back with a bunch of fresh food. As he put away all the odds and ends (bike, dinghy, gas), I put away all the new produce. At one point he yelled out that he thought we were getting close to an anchored boat…like really close. Like holy crap we’re dragging anchor and about to hit that boat..close.

I dropped everything (in the fridge thankfully) and jumped in the cockpit to get the engine started. Jake ran up to the front of the boat to start hauling anchor chain, but I didn’t wait and just motored forward (We were probably only a foot away from the other boat by then). I only had to motor a little ways to clear the boat, but at that point we decided that we would just keep going, rather than drop the anchor again. The boat was still in disarray; I, in my PJ’s and Jake in his “shore” clothes.

Once he had the anchor squared away, Jake took over the helm so I could change and get the boat back in cruising mode (it was in liveaboard mode). Then we switched so he could get ready. The rest of our motor was easy. Today was really windy and choppy, but not as crowded on the ICW and no bridges. We made it to our next anchorage in Melbourne, FL by mid-afternoon. It was a huge open area with no other boats thank god! On the other hand it was very rolly and choppy in the current. We’re used to that now, so it doesn’t really affect us, but I could see other people getting sea sick from it. At least we were alone, so we put out a nice, conservative scope of 12-to-1. No dragging tonight!

In retrospect, we only had a scope of about 4 to 1 when we pulled in to Cocoa Beach. Thats not nearly enough. [Scope is the ratio of the length of deployed anchor rode to the height of the bow above the seabed. The greater the scope the more horizontal the pull on the anchor, and the better it will hold.] It was a very shallow and crowded area. We planned to let out more scope before bed, but completely forgot after our social activities. So its not a huge surprise that we dragged…our very first time. I guess nothing is foolproof. We learned our lesson.

That night Jake made us a feast – pork chops, stuffing and carmel apples…YUMMMMMM. We also decided to sleep in the salon tonight, since the v-berth was way too rolly to be comfortable.

December 18 (38.6 nm)

We left anchorage by 7AM to a gorgeous sunrise. I especially love it when there are thick clouds that light up with the morning rays. But it also meant we had some crummy weather to look forward to. The morning wasn’t bad, just overcast.

Around 1PM, big storm clouds were on top of us. We lost all visibility and wind and waves actually picked up a lot (especially for the ICW). I was invigorated, Jake was freaked out and wanted to stop. The squall passed in just a few minutes. I took over the helm as Jake guided me forward. That worked well for us, moving from marker to marker until the foggy clouds cleared. Luckily we didn’t have to contend with any other boats during that time.

I started to notice how the water is transforming color. No longer the dark blue / green of old, but a lighter, almost sage-green with hints of aqua. Once we neared the next inlet (and bridge) at Fort Pierce, the colors really struck – so gorgeous. I think that means we’re getting closer to Bahamas water!!!

Once we passed our bridge (no issue) the anchorage was just a mile ahead. We rounded a corner of land that had a ton of condos. It was a very deep-water anchorage (15-20 feet), and there were a few other boats when we rounded in. But we found a spot and dropped the hook. We didn’t have a ton of room, but still managed to get out 100-feet. And the condos provided some nice shelter from the northerly winds.

That night, we (I) cleaned Bosco and took boat showers before crashing. Sleep was harder to come due to the howling winds and rocking and rolling. Oh well.

December 19 (0 nm)

Today was the first day in a week that we gave ourselves the day off. No traveling. Just hanging out at anchorage while the wind rages (we clocked gusts in the 40’s-range). The sun made a few appearances, but we really couldn’t care less. Our day was spent listening to music, reminiscing about our days of old as a band, FB4K and catching up on some Star Wars (II, III, AND IV). Not a bad day!

December 20 (21.8 nm)

We weren’t completely sure we would go anywhere this morning. The weather was pretty crazy (windy). But with the wind shifting slightly south and east, we had lost all of our land protection, and the anchorage was super rolly. It was time to move.

We had to contend with some heavy duty current all day, so we opted to wait a bit in hopes that it would chill out. So we had a really yummy french toast / sausage breakfast (courtesy of leprechaun chef-challis extraordinair). Then it was off to battle. Seriously what a battle it was – difficult to hold the boat in the narrow ICW with the big winds and waves and current all blowing in different directions.

We were passed by several other sailboats (along with some of our old friends like Seabas and Esmerelda). All the boats had their head sails flying, to help battle the current – so we followed suit. It made such a nice difference – we managed to raise our speed by almost 1 full knot and Bosco held course much better. Good call other sailboats!

Since we left so late today and such slow progress (less than 5 knots), we didn’t pull up to anchorage until after 4:30PM. We chose an area, Jansen Beach, off of the ICW completely. It was an extra 40 minutes out of the way, but totally worth it – the area was full of some gorgeous homes and had a huge empty anchorage completely surrounded by land (and wind protection). It was perfect! We were happy to find a better anchorage with more protection. We decided to indulge again and watch the next Star Wars V (starting to see a pattern here?)

December 21 (34.1nm)

Today would be our last day (hopefully) before making our anchorage in West Palm Beach. It was also going to be a very full one, with 10 bridges, 7 of which open at specific times. There were still big winds in the forecast, but at least we had some good land protection from the east (where the bulk of our winds were blowing from).

The first half of the day was easy. Bridges were spread out enough for us to easily make openings and not have to worry. The weather wasn’t difficult, even though it was windy. And our surroundings were some very gorgeous, ostentatious homes. I bet we passed more than one celebrity house along this part of the trip.

The second half of the day was dealing with all the timed bridges and boat traffic. There were a few bridges that had to be hailed and timed appropriately or you would have to sit and wait for 30 minutes (or even an hour in some cases) for the next opening. We timed the first few just terribly. We had to wait an extra 30 minutes for the first two in this series, which was tricky in a very tight area. Thankfully we didn’t have too much boat traffic to contend with, or it would have been a nightmare.

We lucked out and managed to make the last 4 bridges just in time (we did raise our jib sail to help us get some extra speed). At the time it felt stressful, but we really had an easy job of it by the last bridge. We rounded a corner and were in a huge open expanse of water – and city…welcome to west palm beach.

The fun wasn’t over yet – we still had about 6 miles until our anchorage on the other side of town (the less-crowded end). It was pretty cool to see the whole city – and what a HUGE city it is! And not just the city, but the boats – it was a like they formed their own city on the water! We chose to bypass the two main cruising city anchorages in hopes that it would be less crowded and closer to town.

A squall came through just as we neared our final bridge (which opens once an hour). We thought we may not be able to make it, but luckily it passed quickly and we made it through the bridge without issue. Plus there was a GORGEOUS rainbow on the other end. I love when that happens.

The other side of the bridge laid our anchorage. It took us a few passes to find a good spot because there were a few other boats in just the wrong places. So we couldn’t put out enough scope to feel comfortable. And we learned the area has some very strong current and tidal shifts, so its really important to have the scope to move (2 boats collided during one night while we were anchored because of lack of scope). But we found a spot and settled in.

Our trip down the ICW felt like a very long and arduous journey. Every day brought some new experiences – both good and bad. I still prefer offshore to the ICW, but am so glad that we made it this far this quickly. Port Royal, SC to West Palm Beach, FL. 388.4 total nautical miles traveled.

December 22-24

We have been in the same anchorage now for 3 days. Its right in the heart of the nice part of West Palm Beach (think Trump towers rich). Lots of mega mansions and mega yachts all over. But that comes with a lot of boat traffic and wakes, and its kind of loud since we are just a stones throw from the center of town. The shore access is really great.

We spent our first day trying to figure out all that needs to get done before we embark on the open ocean. First and most importantly, we had to see the new Star Wars movie – which was in this super cool, vintage grand theater. We also decided to rent a car to make one last haul for provisions.

It definitely doesn’t feel like Christmas, but we are excited that we will get to spend it with some family friends who live nearby. Then it will be just one day before we make our getaway attempt. Sunday, December 27th at 2AM will be our departure day to cross the Gulf Stream and hopefully make it to the other side, with beautiful blue oceans, reefs and tropical paradise known as the Bahamas. Wish us luck 😉