Ever since we checked in with customs and immigration, and raised our Bahamas flag, the winds have been blowing, relentless and strong. We pride ourselves on being frugal cruisers by anchoring out most of the time, but these winds forced us into the Bimini marinas for an unprecedented 7 straight nights.

We took advantage of being dockside and enjoyed taking walks, doing laundry and restocking our provisions at the local grocery stores, and popping into a couple of local bars.We’re actually pretty easily entertained, especially when there’s rum involved.

 

This blog is made possible by ability to  communicate by WIFI/cellular calling,  and we have put our phones on airplane mode. The most highly recommended cellular -WIFI provider, for cost and reliability, is “My Island WIFI”.    We called to sign up for this service about 6 weeks prior to leaving the states.  We were told we were 50+ on the waiting list to receive our hotspot unit, and the only way to move up would be when someone else turned their unit back in. Each week I would call to check the status and each week, we slowly inched up the line # 42, # 35, #27…

Finally, the day before crossing over from Florida, we got the exciting news that we had reached the top of the list & a unit was available for us.  Unfortunately we would not be able to delay leaving any longer to have the unit overnighted to us, because the wind and waves wait for no one! No problem. The company addressed a package to
“Robin Bessent : Bimini “
and said they’d get it to us…

They sent me a picture of the package, a flight number and arrival time, and said to go to the airport to pick it up on Thursday ( the day after our arrival)  They also told me, don’t be too early because there might not be anyone there to give me the package, and don’t be too late because someone might steal it. Simple right? No man, you is in the Bahamas man !

On Thursday morning, the boys stayed boat side to try to put things right after our tempestuous crossing. I walked about a mile down the main road to the end of the island. Next I boarded the ferry ($3/pp) with the locals going to work.  Once across the canal, I climbed into a van with 8 other folks and Bahamian gospel music playing on the radio ($5/pp) for the drive to Bimini Airport. I had arrived a bit early, so I passed the time talking with a precious family from the UK, who were heading home on the next incoming flight. Once their flight arrived, we all lined up to speak with the agent. When it was my turn, I told the agent my name and showed her the picture I had of the package I was expecting. She said due to the Freeport origination of my package, I was in the wrong line. She said this incoming plane was coming from Nassau. I asked her where the Freeport line was, and she said there wasn’t a Freeport line because it was delayed and no one was there to talk to me. She said it would all be there at some point. About 45 minutes later, a young man opened up another counter across the room. Immediately a que formed. I got in it, and was 4th in line. When I got to the front I told the young man my name, and that I was there to pick up a package. He reached over and grabbed a package that had obviously been sitting on the counter all night long. No ID or signature required. He just said “Here you go.“
I then retraced my steps in reverse to the van, ferry and walk home. Mission accomplished all on Bahama time !

Bimini is a little group of islands, North and South. The people are very friendly and welcoming.  I’d describe the area as a bit worn out,  and I wouldn’t really consider it a vacation destination, but merely a convenient stopover to further islands. On the far north part of the north island, there is a “supposed” 5 Star Hilton, complete with cruise ship dock, casino, restaurants, bars , swimming pools, and hot tubs.  From all the recent reviews, and local word on the street, the area is pretty much a ghost town.The pools and restaurants are mostly closed, and basic maintenance is not being carried out.  So often we’ve seen similar situations happen throughout the Bahamas. A developer comes along, invests lots of money expecting huge numbers of clients to come pay exorbitant prices, but it is just not sustainable, and the places fall into ruin.  I can only imagine the current Corona Virus scare will not help them much.

 

On Tuesday, we decided to leave the marina and anchor just a few miles away, so that Wednesday we’d be ready to head out early for our long trek to our anchorage across the banks, near the Berry Islands.  We dropped anchor before 11:00 AM, so I set back planning to have a day of relaxation.
Very soon after that we looked through the binoculars and spotted a small boat in the shallows with one man at the tiller and another in the water. We immediately switched from relaxation mode to exciting adventure gear! We put RE inside Southern Trawl (happy with his peanut butter bone) dropped  the dinghy, and headed off to pay a visit to these local fishermen.

We lucked out as they were very friendly and loaded with conch & lobster.  Our $20 bought us 6 conch & 3 lobster. They even cracked & cleaned them for us. This they can do in about 2 minutes what would have taken us an hour or more ! After returning to the boat, Chef Tom made us some “fresh from the ocean” conch salad for lunch.

For dinner he grilled the lobster, basting it in butter, garlic, lime & lemon juice. I threw together a key lime pie for desert. (Meringue ok but not quite up to standard since I had to hand whip the eggs whites )

When it comes to seafood, there’s nothing better than absolute same day fresh ! After dinner we sat out on the aft deck (back porch) to enjoy listening to soft lapping Of the waves on the boat, and a bit of star gazing. We went to bed that night with full bellies feeling  that we had experienced our first true island cruising day.  

We’re underway making our crossing from near the Berries toRose Island, just past Nassau. Hopefully tomorrow we can shout, “We done reach the Exumas!”

Just so you understand just how stressful cruising can be. Here’s a picture of me multitasking.  I’m insuring that the dog is calm and secure, activity fishing for Mahi, keeping an eye out for approaching vessels who may need to pass, all the while working on my cross stitch.  Notice the color difference of yesterday’s bright wintergreen water and today’s rich indigo of deep ocean depths .

Some times in our lives, we all have pain,

we all have sorrow, but if we are wise

we know that there’s always tomorrow… The words of this Bill Withers song come to mind, as I think of the many beautiful people in this world who so readily, and unselfishly offer their support to those around them.  These folks certainly deserve an Incredible Human Being Award.
Tom and I had the pleasure of meeting, such a true gentleman and his lovely wife this weekend.   I won’t give their names, since I did not ask their permission before they left to return to their Florida home.  Just after taking shelter in our marina, from the forecasted heavy winds, we tied up Southern Trawl, and said hello to our dock neighbor. This man, (Let’s call him John) and his cute little Jack Russell terrier, greeted us from their boat, a couple of slips down. It was immediately recognizable that John was outgoing, personable, had a large well maintained sports fishing boat, and enjoyed the soft country music that was coming from his beautiful boat’s speakers.  After chatting for a few minutes, we noticed John’s wife (we’ll call her Jane) sitting in a chair, just beyond the boat on the dock, enjoying the cool afternoon sun, and gentle breezes as the storm had not yet arrived.  Upon second glance we noticed that Jane’s chair was actually a wheel chair. She had a long soft strap wrapped around her upper body to hold her upright, her wide brimmed shaded her face, and her hands laid slightly bent and unmoving in her lap. She was obviously in the advanced stages of a debilitating medical condition.   We chatted for a while with John, commenting on his wonderful choice of music, and explaining where Robert Earl had gotten his name.
As we went about our business over the weekend, we had the opportunity to visit a bit more  with John, and would see him occasionally emerge from their boat to take his dog for a walk, or to take himself for a ride in a small outboard motor boat.

John and Jane’s boat had been thoughtfully and professionally modified and enhanced to accommodate Jane’s condition. An additional boom had been installed to hoist her, and her specially adapted chair on and off the boat. A ramp had been installed to make it possible to wheel her in and out of the main cabin, and onto the cockpit. We did not go inside, but I feel sure there were many other adaptations to make their life workable.
While chatting with Tom, John told him that they had been flying in from Florida to this spot almost every weekend for the past 8 years. He said Jane  used to really enjoy coming, and the boating life.  He said he’s not really sure if she enjoys this anymore, but he refuses to leave her behind, and provides her with what he feels might offer some enjoyment, fresh air and beautiful surroundings.
I can’t help but think of the many many paths of least resistance that John could have taken along this journey of his life. He has shined the light for us, on what it means to maintain a positive outlook in the midst of challenges.
Another example of his capacity for concern for others came yesterday afternoon. I had decided to go ashore, but the wind was blowing the boat a bit too far from the dock for me to comfortably and safely step across. I called to Tom, in through our open windows, to please come help me pull the boat closer to the dock. Even before Tom could make it out of the boat, John heard my request, looked up, saw my hesitation, and came running over to lend me a hand by pulling me safely over the open space.
Tom and I have reflected on what an amazingly nice guy John is, and how he exemplifies courage, compassion, zeal and a zest for life. Later as I stepped into our tiny boat shower, instead of feeling frustrated  when I bumped my knee or elbow, or the water temperature regulator was mixing perfectly, I thanked the Good Lord for my health, and the fact that I am able to climb in and out of the shower. The few extra pounds I’m carrying are proof that I can cook, feed myself, and enjoy delicious foods.
I’d like to close with a couple of quotes from a most amazing book I have just completed. 

 

“When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanthi

“Science may provide the most useful way to organize empirical, reproducible data, but its power to do so is predicated on its inability to grasp the most central aspects of human life: hope, fear, love, hate, beauty, envy, honor, weakness, striving, suffering, virtue.” “No system of thought can contain the wholeness of the human experience”

“Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete. And Truth comes somewhere above them all.”

Excerpt From
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
https://books.apple.com/

 

us/book/when-breath-becomes-air/id1013562747
This material may be protected by copyright.

I’m happy to say our nerves have calmed down after our tumultuous crossing, but the winds have not. To summarize our crossing, and add a bit of detail, I’m turning this discussion over to Tom, then I’ll catch back up with you shortly.

Hi, this is Tom, occasional guest writer for the blog. To recap a bit, we were sort of stuck in South Florida for a few days, waiting on a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to Bimini. We kept ourselves occupied with many many boat chores, most of which we could have and should have done back at Mariners Cay Marina before we left.  I take weather seriously, and I look at three or more sources, and write down the wind and wave predictions from each source for, say, the next three days. In this case I used Passageweather.com and the apps Windy and Predict Wind. All three agreed that Wednesday March 3rd would be the day to go with 3’ seas predicted. Winds were to be fairly lively at 15-16+ kt, but from the south to southeast, which is good for crossing the north-flowing Gulf Stream. Not perfect but certainly doable. My research showed that the next few days after Wednesday would be worse, and we were ready to go. So we did.

The first few miles out of Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale were beautiful in the early morning light, a clear day, a warm gentle breeze and not a whitecap in sight.  A few miles out, though, it picked up a bit, and I’m not great at estimating wave heights but   it was more than the predicted 3’. Some cabinet doors flew open and some stuff bounced around, but that’s our fault. We should have taken more care to secure our ship for ocean conditions. But in summary it was fine, the boat did great and we made it into Bimini on schedule. I’m attaching brief videos, one as we are going out the inlet, and one an hour or two later.

So, as Robin titled this blog entry, we are now “stuck” again waiting on weather, but this time in the islands, enjoying the warm sun and awesome Bimini waters. I don’t expect any sympathy, just sayin.

 

Oh, and one more thing.  On our last Bahamas trip in 2015 we caught a few fish trolling artificials on the offshore passages. Our boat is designed for cruising comfort, not for fishing! The aft deck is pretty high up off the water and it’s awkward and challenging to land a good size fish.  So this time I wanted to have a nice long gaff onboard. I got a little creative and made one, painted the Bahamas flag colors of course. See pics. It’s 8’ long with nylon grips, all coated with two coats of epoxy followed by two coats of paint. Not field tested yet. Fingers crossed!

Now, here’s another project.  A very handy tool. Anybody know what this is used for? No Billy, it is not a finger mullet gaff.  See pics below.

Hi, this is Robin again to finish things up! Doing laundry while cruising, is always an adventure. Here are the boys helping me get ready to stroll to the laundromat, and then a shot of a very calm and mature Robert Earl, while he waits patiently for me to finish this necessary task.

Yesterday morning we decided to venture out to find breakfast. We asked a local for directions and he said “Take de Hill Roy-Ad, and go up to de place way you ohdah up front and go round to de bak for de view”. Translated as: Go up the hill and find C. J’s Deli. What a delight! Who needs linen table cloths and sterling flatware, when you have a view like this !

We had a nice little rain storm, just in time to make for cozy onboard nap conditions. After nap & a tea, Tom put on his contractor’s hat and installed our TV, while Robert Earl looked on, awaiting a new season of Animal Planet.

The late afternoon skies cleared, so we took another walk-about, and read some of the “Hemingway” legacy and history that is steeped in the ruins of these islands.

Thirst and a very well behaved dog, prompted us to return to the beach area to let Robert Earl romp. Tom and I bought rum runners from his new friend, “Coconut Brain” .

It looks like we’ll be here at least until Tuesday, when the winds are predicted to be safe for moving on. No worries, or Irie Mon. This is the way they tell time around here. Look always to the cross, and consult the clock that has no hands ! As Buffett says, “The time is always now”.

Here’s a quick post to let you know that we made it !

To give you an idea of how the day went…

This crossing reminded me of our 2016 Great American Horse Drive out in Craig, Colorado. The difference here is, instead of bringing me a sweet old mare, who was happy to return to her trail riding career; the rangers went out into the Wash area, lassoed a wild Mustang Stallion,  threw a saddle on his back, but forgot to tighten the girth, put me on him , and then slapped him hard on the ass.
Off we went headed across the ocean galloping, rearing, bucking , spitting, twisting, farting, (the horse of course), for hours on end. Just when I thought he was tiring out, I loosened up my grip on the horn , and slipped one foot out of a stirrup, and just then a yellow jacket flew up his tail and off we went again!!!

Robert Earl was not happy, but he tolerated the rocking and rolling like a champ ! 

Captain Tom was thrilled with his new navigation software and the fact that he could literally pilot from anywhere on the boat. 

Ahhhh Bahama Waters at last !

Time for a Rum drink !

Yesterday was a long necessary day. Not my favorite part of the cruising  life, but we made it ! it was a day for bridges, and , bazillionaires !

After topping off our diesel, water & gas (for the dinghy tanks ( fortunately all in their correct respective receptacles)  we pushed away from Riviera Beach and headed for Ft Lauderdale.  It was a crazy tour of huge concrete mansions, enormous mega yachts & high tech high speed cruisers, and the paved concrete walls of the ICW.

NO WONDER THE MANATEES & WILDLIFE HAVE DISAPPEARED!  Our friends, Rosie & Bruce , left Charleston on their boat, Summer Breeze, a couple of weeks ahead of us. They are headed for the Keys &  and have kept us informed of what they’ve encountered on their journey down the ICW.  Rosie is an artist, but also a terrific technical writer. Below are the notes she took on all the many bridges we had to go through from Palm Beach to Ft Lauderdale:

Here is my list of bridges we did today with my notes.

BRIDGES 23
Need to open: 9
(Heights are center w/+4)
ICW: Lake Worth to Port Everglades

-Flagler:21 (25 at low tide +0.45)
-Royal park:21. (25 at low tide +0.45)
-So Blvd:14. *(lift bridge is 14’, got there at 7:40. Next opening 7:45. No posted opening schedules)
-Lake Avenue:38
-Lantana:20 or 21? *( 23’ low steel +3, at +75 tide ht)
-Ocean ave:21 (23’ at +.50 low tide. Flat. No +)
-E Woolbright Rd:25 (with +3-4 at center at low tide *.50)
-George Bush Blvd:9. * (opens on demand)
-Atlantic Avenue: 12. *(1/4 and 3/4 hour openings)
-Linton Blvd:30 (28’ +3-4 at +.67 tide ht)
-Spanish River:25+3 (22’ +3 at +.67 tide ht)
-Palmetto Park:15+4=19. *(21’ +4 at+1.08 tide ht)
-Camino real:9. *(opens every 20 min.)we had a 5 min hover with a boat jam
-Hillsborough Blvd:21 (at +1.23 tide ht, we had 18 +4 , go by tide board + 4)
-NE 14th: 15’ incl +3. (we missed the opening by minutes. Had to wait 20 min. opens 1/4 and 3/4 hour)
-Atlantic Blvd:15. *(opens at the hour and half hour)
-Commercial Blvd:15. *(opens at the hour and half hour)
-Oakland Park: 22’ (he opened for us as it was time for one. Would’ve cleared by 1’)
-E Sunrise Blvd:25
-E Sunrise Blvd: 25’
-Sunrise Blvd: 25’
-Sunrise Blvd: 25’
-E Las olas: 24’

High Cotton … Naw This is “High Condos !”

Leaving it all behind shortly, as we are lashing down the wine bottles, and any other loose provisions, to cross over to Bimini. I’ll shout out a Hallelujah when we reach the other side ! This last photo sums up my opinion of South Florida.

Traveling the ICW, it had been  several days since we had actually pulled into a marina, and walked on dry land. Fabulously located a 2 minute stroll from Vero Beach Marina, was an excellent dog parks. Robert Earl was like a Sailor on Shore leave!

My hat is off to Captain Tom for bringing Southern Trawl safely into the extremely narrow slip. Winds had been gusting so hard for days, that our aft Bimini zipper had gotten strained, and pulled loose.  We had temporarily tied it off. As we left the ICW, and made our entrance into the marina, we had not only high winds, but also strong current. Tom held her steady and slow, as we entered the narrow fairway, and turned into our slip. Having twin screws helps ( forward on starboard, and reverse on port) will give you a nice turn to port, but without the benefit of bow or stern thrusters, he managed to avoid making contact (within inches) of the dingy hanging off the back of the catamaran, docked directly across from our slip.

NO ROOM TO SPARE !

Our 3 days at Vero Beach Marina were filled with busy chores, and seeing the charming city of Vero Beach. In our chaotic haste to leave Folly, we had left quite a few maintenance items undone, planning to take care of them downriver.  Now was our opportunity, like filling the water tanks…

SIMILAR BUT NOT THE SAME! CHECK AGAIN!

SOOOO EASY TO MAKE A DISASTROUS MISTAKE !

Fortunately we were able to make contact with a canvas repairman , who came to the marina, picked up our aft bimini canvas, and promised to get the repair done, and return it to us within “a day or so”.  We also had ordered a few Ford Lehman Diesel engine parts, and had them shipped ahead to this marina. They arrived the next day.

We were especially happy and proud to celebrate our 8th anniversary, 2 nights in a row, while eating and dancing the night away at The Riverside Restaurant,  made famous in Jake Owen’s “ Barefoot Blue Jean Night”.

Chores complete, ( for now), and the Bahamas calling, we left Vero Beach and continued down the ICW.

When you anchor out, pictures can not capture the magic of the night sky, and incredibly bright stars, as nightfall and peaceful solitude descend. Venus, always following the sun, was as bright as a flare on the charcoal canvas. Orion showed bright even at dusk. Pleiades, Cassiopeia and Taurus the Bull were vibrant along with a million of their brilliant counterparts. Only a bit of distance highway noise dared intrude on the tranquility.

Next morning we were Anchor up at 8:30 and headed to Jupiter, West Palm, and Old Port Cove Marina.  The staggering wealth that is found along this route seems to be never ending. Each palatial home is dwarfed by the next.

5 years ago, we crossed over from Lake Worth Inlet to West End, on Grand Bahama Island, which is located at the western most end of the string of islands leading to the Abacos. We enjoyed waiting for the winds to lay down at Old Port Cove Marina in North Palm Beach.  Our experience had been so positive, we decided to stop in there again. Boy have things changed ! The ante has been elevated to cater exclusively to the upper, upper, upper crust. Somehow they let us slip in…

Southern Trawl, in all her humble accouterment, pulled in proudly, right beside the gleaming decks, polished stainless, of these multimillion dollar yachts.
The names of a few of the vessels, as you can see, gave hint to their possible owners. Professional Baseball players, NASCAR drivers perhaps?

Did I mention golfer ? When we disembarked, who should I see peeking at us from the end of the dock, but Tiger Wood’s magnificent $20 million dollar, 155 ‘ yacht, Privacy!

Previously, we were welcomed by very generous and friendly locals. Understanding our predicament, they offered us a greatly reduced “monthly rate” for the 10 days, while we were rendered dockside by the weather.  The marina has been bought out by a new group called “Safe Harbor Marina”.  When we inquired about a possible reduction in nightly charges, we were abruptly told, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, but our rates are our rates $$$!
Well… that settled that.  We walked to dinner and enjoyed wonderful fresh seafood at Cod & Capers. It is a fresh seafood market that also serves lunch and dinner.

$80/lb Colossal Stone Crab Claws.  No problem when you own a $20M yacht !

After dinner we walked back along the dock and headed to board Southern Trawl.

“ Hey Honey, don’t get confused, that’s not Southern Trawl, we’re docked a little further down the dock!” We bid our goodbyes to lovely Old Port Cove Marina and headed south.
Since all of the Abacos suffered considerable damage during Hurricane Dorian, we have decided to continue further down the ICW, and cross over from Ft Lauderdale to Bimini, then hop directly to the Exumas.  That means we need to move further south to Fort Lauderdale, before we crossover.  The ICW from Palm Beach to Lauderdale down, gets horribly crowded with pesky speed demons and 14+ bridges that we need to open. They open haphazardly, sometimes on the hour, or 1/2 or 1/4 hour, or upon request.  It is a huge dilemma, whether to try to sit here and wait for calm seas to hop slightly off shore to go to Lauderdale, or brave the annoyances of slow and frustrating ICW traffic.  We’ve decided to spend at least 1 night at Riviera Beach Marina while we decide what to do.
Ill leave you with a few shots from Peanut Island and Riviera Beach. We feel like we’ve left the ritzy country club, and are now hanging out at the corner bar!

This looks just like a day at Folly Right?…NOT!

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday cold and blowing a gale, and today sunshine and calm seas.

Yesterday, having passed Daytona’s many bridges, we dropped anchor late yesterday afternoon, just north of New Smyrna Beach. Today we are enjoying the beautiful Sunday scenery of folks out playing in the summer like conditions.

Onboard work is nonstop, so if anyone is interested in signing on as my personal assistant the job is multifaceted.
1) Early morning snuggles & belly scratches for the 4 legged 1st mate.

2) Overboard poopslinger (accuracy required)

3) Window washer

4) Gourmet Cook & Sommelier

5) Crab pot hazard spotter & Wildlife Photographer

 

6) Misc. additional duties  No pay, excellent fresh air, incredible scenery, low pressure slow paced. Please send applications and resume to General Delivery Southbound ICW via dolphin carrier, or pelican air  !

 

02/21

WILD NIGHT, WIND & RAIN AS PREDICTED. AND COLD! AFT DECK BIMINI CAME LOOSE, HAD TO WRESTLE WITH THAT THIS MORNING AND TEMPORARILY TIE IT DOWN. STILL N 20+, BUT HEADING SOUTH, SO HOPEFULLY NOT TOO BAD TODAY. ANCHOR UP 9:40. ANCHOR DOWN 5:20 @ FORT MATANZAS, SM (statute mile) 792= 61 M (miles) TODAY.  260 +15 THU = 336 TOTAL

STILL STRONG N 20+.  ST AUGUSTINE WAS WILD! BIG CHOP IN CHANNEL APPROACHING BRIDGE OF LIONS, VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER DOWNWIND.

EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO TURN AROUND WHEN WE GOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO READ 18’ ACTUAL BRIDGE CLEARANCE! WE NEED 21’, AND EVEN THO NEAR LOW TIDE, WATER WAS AT MHW ( mean high water) LEVEL BECAUSE OF WIND.
HAD TO TURN, GO BACK NORTH @ 1000 RPM TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF BOAT & WAIT 15 MIN TIL SCHEDULED BRIDGE OPENING. DID IT! TIMED IT PERFECTLY TO ARRIVE @ BRIDGE AGAIN WITH >22kt (forecast said 20-30) TAILWIND & FOLLOWING SEAS JUST AS BRIDGE OPENED. WHEW! STIFF WILD TURKEY PLEASE!

Last night we had a good nights sleep, but only after Tom had set our anchor alarm to alert us if our anchor dragged, or broke free.  The Amelia River anchorage is wide open and unprotected. It is also located in the less scenic, industrial area just off Fernandina Beach that includes a paper mill.

As the several weather sites that Tom checks frequently, were calling for wind gusts and rain to set in this afternoon, he found us a more protected anchorage down river where we’ll hunker down until the bad weather passes.

For reference sake, we typically try to anchor in less than 20 foot depths, and our boat only draws 4 feet.  This keeps us from having to let out excessive length of chain, but still allows for plenty of cushion for a 6-7’ tidal drop. 

Following protocol, we weighed anchor, and set out as I took the helm, and Tom left the saloon area.

I was distracted by, what looked like a couple of huge mooring balls that were moving. I stepped away from the helm for a few seconds to retrieve a pair of binoculars. I quickly realized that in that short period of time we had drifted off course out of the main channel into about 11’ of water. Just as I brought her back into the 37’ main channel, our starboard engine shut down, and would not restart.  We can continue on one engine, but steerage can get tricky, especially with strong current and gusting winds.
Tom went down into the engine room to troubleshoot the starboard engine, while I continued at the helm. A few seconds later, our port engine also shut off.  Tom popped out of the engine room, and quickly headed for the bow to drop anchor right in the middle of the now 37’ waterway channel.  The vessels we could see from our location did not give us much confidence about our situation.

Once anchored, my job was to watch the shoreline to make sure we were not getting any closer ( not exactly sure what I could do about that with no engine power),  and also try to alert any approaching vessels to the fact that we were disabled, and anchored in an emergency situation.

Tom returned to the engine room and discovered the culprit of our troubles. He had switched the engines to draw off of the aft tanks that morning.  Unfortunately he had failed to notice that either our recent mechanic, or one from earlier Rockville engine work, had turned the actual tank valves off, resulting in our running out of fuel. As any good captain will do, Tom accepted full responsibility , and promptly bled the engine lines, to get us back underway in about 20 minutes.

We are ever grateful that there were no incoming vessels at that time, and this close call lesson was relearned in a relatively safe area.

Just down river, we had the pleasure of crossing paths with this 85’ Broward Custom luxury Motor yacht “Johnathan III”.

Her bio reads that “she can accommodate 6 guests overnight in 3 cabins, and up to 4 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.  “

We listened in on the VHF when the Captain hailed the Fernandina Marina to request a slip. The deep baritone, melodic, slow, southern drawl, was exactly as we pictured the Captain of such a vessel should possess. He told the marina radio operator that “He would be arrivin shortly (show ot lee) in about 2 hours (our ahs) from the South (sow ah th) .  You could almost catch a whiff of mint, and fine cigar smoke, and hear the clink of ice cubes against heavy cut chrystal, as he swirled his dark Kentucky bourbon.
Such elegance and gentility was a balm to our southern souls after our earlier harrowing experience.

Today is Thursday, 02/19/2020 and we are almost a week into our journey. We’ve been blessed with many dolphin, who have been our ethereal running mates, and also brown & non typical white pelicans, since entering the Folly River.

 

 

A bit of stress has been added to our trip with Georgia’s passage of HB201 law. A couple of wealthy land owners were trying to eliminate derelict boat anchoring by getting this law passed. Unfortunately, the far reaching negative side effects have cause the boating community much distress. The rule basically says there’s NO anchoring with in 1000 feet of ANY structure, and ALL of Georgia’s waterways are now “no discharge “ zones. Tom has spent many resources of time and money installing the best Purasan system. This system safely treats all effluence, and renders it clean and acceptable to dump directly overboard. With the Purasan system , we do not have to use our holding tank, or check in frequently to marinas or pump out stations. Unfortunately this system is now illegal to use in the state of Georgia. You’d think they’d have enough to do in trying to remove the massive Golden Ray cargo ship that overturned just outside the Port of Brunswick, near St Simons Island beach, with 320000 gallons of fuel and 4000+ automobiles on board.

Since Valentines Day was a busy travel day, and our anniversary is coming up soon, we decided to spoil ourselves with reservations at the historic, Greyfield Inn located on pristine, largely undeveloped Cumberland Island.

Tuesday evening was the ONLY night they had available  with a pet friendly cottage.
Greyfield was built in 1900 as a wedding present from Thomas and Lucy Carnegie to their  daughter, Margaret Ricketson.  The home was converted to an Inn in 1926 by Margaret’s daughter, Lucy R Ferguson. The Carnegie family still oversees the inn, which exudes romance and luxury.
Southern Trawl had been running along great,  so Tom pushed ahead on Monday to make 70+ miles, in order to arrive at Cumberland early on Tuesday.

When we dropped anchor late Monday  afternoon, just in front of the Morningstar Marina, we were unpleasantly surprised to discover we had developed a fuel leak, which needed prompt attention.  The Morningstar Marina was already closed for the day, as were the rental car company offices, so we had to wait until Tuesday morning. Frantic that we might have to forfeit our beautiful plans, we both jumped into high gear. Tom made arrangements for  a slip in the marina, and  contacted a mechanic to diagnose the cause of  & repair our fuel leak. With no rental cars available due to the holiday weekend,  I was lucky to find an available private driver, who could pick us us by 10:00AM, and drive us the 1 1/2 hours, to catch the 12:15 ferry over to Cumberland .

CUMBERLAND OR BUST !

Well we made it, and it was so worth the effort!

 

Yesterday morning we took an incredibly long walk (21996 steps to be exact!) from the Inn down to “Dungeness ruins”,the original Carnegie Mansion which burned in 1959, and back! We had a delicious lunch, and then retreated to the capacious front porch for a much deserved nap.

We boarded the ferry at 3:30 and returned (by rental car this time) to St Simons and our boat, where Tom signaled happy hour and sunset with an amazingly protracted conch blow !

I’ll close here with a fun post script! During our very short, but marvelous visit to Greyfield Inn and Cumberland Island, we had the fabulous good fortune to meet a wonderful couple,  Jo Anne and Michael Browne. They were also celebrating their anniversary at this amazing place.
Just a few minutes ago, as Southern Trawl plowed down river toward Fernandina, we cruised  past Greyfield, pretty far from shore along the Cumberland Sound.
The Brownes happened to be taking a stroll,  and looked out across the water and sent me a message. “Hey is that y’all passing by?”. It was indeed!  We were too far to see them, so I got on the bow and waved our flag, hoping they could at least see that !

Good people who become instant friends, are some of life’s most precious gifts! Sincerely looking forward to crossing paths again one of these days !
PSS… We’ve just officially left Georgia and anchored in Florida, so stand back, we’re flushing 🚽 to our hearts content.