8:51 pm

     No we haven't left this hemisphere or this world.  We arrived in Titusville, Florida last Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve) with the intention of staying here for quite some time.  We were expecting to see a space shuttle launch on December 3rd at 2:30 am - yes I said 2:30 am.  Shortly after arriving we did some internet research on the event only to learn they had canceled the December 3rd launch and rescheduled for December 17th.  Bummer.  As a distraction over the cancellation of the shuttle launch, Sharon and I got to work - boat work that is.  We decided to strip and refinish the teak wood on the interior of the transom.  So that was our highlight for Thanksgiving day - correction - the highlight was the Thanksgiving dinner Sharon made for us after she spent her day stripping  the wood finishes on the transom.   

      Today we went to a marina so that we could do some provisioning of the boat - more food, more water, do some laundry and fill one of our propane tanks.  There is something that we have noticed about Floridians in our travels on the mainland today.  We are running around in shorts and T-shirts and the Floridians are wearing coats and when I went to get propane today they had a propane heater on heating the office.  Hey people it's 78 degrees outside.  Oh I'm sorry, it was cold and raw today because it was raining.
     The anchorage we had been at for 5 days was our kind of hole - it may have been wide open but we had it to ourselves.  We also had a great view of Kennedy Space Center - the shuttle assembly building, the shuttle transporter and the launch pad with the shuttle at the ready for launch.  We have decided to hang around central Florida with the intention of returning for the new launch date of December 17th.   Hopefully the launch will go as scheduled and we will have photos to post.   This launch attempt will be at a time more suited for us - 8:51 pm.

This Life Is For Me

     Today was a big event on Big Run.  Sometime during the day we logged our 1000th mile since we left Rock Hall, MD.  Looking back, we were aground once in Norfolk, VA, nearly froze by the cold temps in North Carolina,  shot the rapids with Big Run at Elliot Cut in Charleston, SC, witnessed a nuclear submarine going to sea in Georgia and smoked out by wildfires in Florida.  Yea, this life is for me.

Pelican Bay

     Everybody that was anchored with us last night left early this morning for their next destination.  Sharon and I decided to stay to enjoy the surroundings.  Little did we know that we would be entertained all day by the pelicans.  The pelicans would fly overhead and when they spotted a fish in the water they would make a dive as pictured above.  After a couple of minutes, they would get up and fly until they spotted another fish, and the cycle would repeat.  We have been very amused with their kamakaze type dives and loud splash when they hit the water.  This is a very popular feeding ground for the pelican.  We have nicknamed this nameless body of water "Pelican Bay".

M/V Escort

This is M/V Escort of Royal Oak, MD, a 1983 Kadey Krogen 42', hull #43.  Shown anchored off of Cumberland Island, GA.  The owner, Clint, is taking the boat south.  Big Run has the same brown mustache on the bow from the waters of the ICW in Virginia and North Carolina.

Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA

     A pictorial essay of Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA.  Click on any photo to see an enlargement.

Top Secret

     I can not discuss what is in this photo because Big Brother may be listening.  Use your imagination.  What I can tell you is that it is top secret.

Leading the Blind

     On Sunday, Sharon and I anchored on Frederica River, just north of Brunswick, GA.  This was intentional so that we could stage ourselves to arrive early Monday morning at Brunswick Landing Marina.  Waiting at the marina was a new raw water pump I had ordered from American Diesel Corporation.  Also, we needed to get to that "marina" store to get some new battery cables and other things we had ordered on line and had dropped shipped to that store.  But that is another story we will not discuss at this time.  So on Monday morning we got a nice early start down the Mackay River towards St. Simons Sound.  As we entered the Sound, a sailboat and trawler joined us for the crossing.  As we were crossing the Sound, we could hear the sailboat and trawler conversing on the VHF radio.  At one point the gentleman on the trawler asked the lady on the sailboat for their location.  She replied she did not have an exact location and that he should follow the trawler (Big Run) in front of them.  As we approached the route for the ICW we turned northwest to go up the Brunswick River and onto the East River.  Again the gentleman on the trawler radioed the sailboat for a location and asked what bridge was that ahead.  The woman did not know their location but remarked the bridge was the Jekyll Island Bridge that had been under construction last year when they came through.  As we passed under the Sydney Lanier Bridge  at Brunswick the conversations continued as the boats followed us.  The gentleman on the trawler continued to ask for their present location but to no avail.  Shortly after passing under the bridge we turned to starboard to go up the East River and on to the marina.  The trawler and sailboat did not follow us. They continued up the Brunswick River.  About five minutes later Sharon heard a second male voice come on the radio to explain to the trawler that they were turning around.  I guess they were lost because they assumed we were transiting the ICW .  I guess you can say it was a case of the "not-so-blind" leading the blind.

Miscellaneous Photos

.....feeding time
   

.....another great sunset
 

.....Bond, James Bond
 

 .....every Captain's nightmare
 

.....this will keep most people out!

Dolphins or Porpoises

     Our first sighting of dolphins was on October 30th just outside of Oriental, NC.  The dolphins have been with us everyday day since then.  Sometimes they are very far away and other times they are right next to the boat.    Although the dolphins come very close to the boat it can be very difficult to capture a good photograph.  This photo is just one of about 100 photos of dolphins.  Actually, I don't  know if they are dolphins or porpoises. 

Driving in the Snow

     Previously I had discussed some of the challenges of anchoring on the ICW and its tributaries.  To get to those anchorages you must navigate through waters of varying depths, but more importantly through the currents caused by the tide.  There have been times we were cruising at 1700 RPM's on the engine tachometer which  typically translates into a boat speed of 6 knots, however we were doing 9 knots.  The operative word is "typically", but these are not typical times.  There is no way this boat could do 9 knots on her own.  There have also been times we have been taching 1700 and only doing 4.5 knots, again thanks to the currents.

      There are 2 incidents that stand out in my mind very boldly - Snow's Cut and Elliott Cut.  We transited both of these narrow high banked cuts against the tide.  Both times we felt as though we were going uphill! Snow's Cut was our first and we were fortunate to have another boat to follow.  Elliot Cut was much different.  We had just cleared Charleston SC harbor and headed up Wappo Creek towards Wappo Creek Bridge.  We did not require a bridge opening due to our air draft being low enough.  The 2 sailboats one mile ahead did require a bridge opening.  After the bridge is a 1-2 mile section before you get to Elliott Cut.  We maintained our distance behind the sailboats.  That distance was quickly reduced to feet after the sailboats hit the ripping current coming through the cut.  Before we knew it we were 100 feet to stern of the sailboat who was having great difficulty with the 4 knots + (read "plus")  of current coming through the cut onto his bow.  We actually had to throttle back to prevent colliding with the sailboat.

     Perhaps the most fun you can have with the currents is when the tide is going in or out and a river is dumping water onto your body of water.  First, the current hits the bow and tries to push it over, and you counter steer a little to correct the boat's attitude.  The fun really starts when that same current hits the stern.  The effect of that current on the stern causes a reaction unlike that of the bow.  You really have to be prepared to counter that effect with a drastic turn of the wheel.   You know, like when you have to counter steer while you're sliding around the corner while driving in the snow. 

Engineering Marvel

     This blog entry is not so much about the picture above as it is the contents of the picture in the lower section that I will addressing.  In the above photo, you will notice what appears to be a 2-story shack on a barge or in this case a pontoon.  This is the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge in North Carolina just before you enter into South Carolina.  Yes, in 2010 this country, with all its progress, can boast that we have a  primative 19th century pontoon bridge to permit single lane traffic to transit over the ICW.  We took this photo on November 2nd.  November 11th was the last day of operation for this "bridge" to be replaced by the new span bridge in the upper section of the photo. Briefly, the pontoon bridge had a stationary center section on the pontoon.  At each end of the pontoon is a section of bridge that could be raised/lowered to match the corresponding roadway on each respective side of the ICW.   When boats need to pass through the pontoon bridge swings out of the way as pictured above.  The tides, if they are too low, can shut down this bridge for boat traffic because the bridge can''t swing.  I do not know if that would also affect motor vehicles.  This bridge is a real engineering marvel.

Still Waters

     This Wednesday it will be one month since we started our adventure on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) . Time has passed very quickly and lessons have also been learned very quickly.  There was a time when we were on "friendly" waters.  We would leave the sanctuary of our marina and cruise to one of our favorite gunkholes.  When we would get there we would know where to anchor, how much rode to lay out and then set the hook and forget about the anchor until it was time to go back to the marina.  Today, it is a very different scenario.  When selecting an anchorage for the night there are three main factors to consider - tide, current and wind.  Dealing with tides of 6-8 feet will present a challenge when calculating your anchor rode.  On the Cheasapeake  Bay we only dealt with tides that average 1-2 feet.    The next challenge to overcome was currents.  The currents are brought on by rising and falling tides, they can be very swift.  Bear in mind that when you go to bed there may be a incoming tide, however sometime through the night the tide will reverse.  And when the tide reverses, the boat will swing 180 degress if you are using just one anchor.  Tonight was our first opportunity to try a 2 anchor system - our bow anchor and 1 anchor off the stern.  Our present location on Turner Creek in Georgia is too narrow to allow for the boat to swing into the opposite direction.  And lastly is the wind.  On at least three occasions  a  stout wind on the stern has pushed the boat forward past the anchor while the tide was coming in on the bow on the boat.   Although the boat was bow to the current ,the wind pushed the boat forward.  The incoming tide prevented the boat from swinging around because of the wind blowing on the stern.  You had to experience it to believe it.  I lost many hours of sleep because I was on anchor watch in the pilothouse or because of the chain sliding over the bow.  At another time I will discuss the challenges of cruising the waterways of the ICW.  Oh, to be home again on still waters.       

Aren't they cool?

     With so many varieties of the pelican here in North Carolina, the pelican is quickly becoming one of our favorite birds to watch.  Quite often we will see 4 or 5 pelicans flying in formation.  Aren't they cool?

You Have A Brain!

     Just wanted to mention a few observations from the past weeks:

  When you stop for the day at a anchorage, don't just drop the anchor and your rode in one spot.  Drop the anchor, layout how much rode you will be using as you backdown from the anchor spot and then "set" the hook.  This will eliminate most cases of dragging the hook.

     Speaking of dropping the hook in an anchorage for the night, don't squeeze in next to me and another boat when there is open water all around us.

     If you are a delivery captain on a tight schedule or you have a power boat, please do not sacrifice the rest of us to Neptune with your large wakes that will rearrange our galley.

     If you have a sailboat, I don't care how many sails you have out if you are running under power from an internal combustion engine or another source you can no longer clam sailboat status - your are a motor vessel.

     Just because you have a boat does not mean you have a brain!