Since our arrival in Marathon on the 23rd of December the weather hasn’t been the best. A really beautiful day will be followed with about a week of really crappy weather before another nice day comes along. Needless to say we’ve spent a lot of time on the boat.

We have been very fortunate to have friends here who have cars! Now, I know all you folks are getting pretty excited about that but wait till you hear what we get to do. One day we drove with Gary and Marcia to Walmart in Florida City about 2 hours away. We got to stop at World Wide Sportsman (saltwater Bass Pro Shop) in Islamorada on the way. My favorite store!!! Harv and Anne took us to No Name Pub on No Name Key on the other side of the Seven Mile Bridge. They ain’t lying when they say they have great pizza. It was awesome. Very cool decor.

We’ve gotten rides to Specialty Hardware, Walgreen’s, Publix, K-Mart, West Marine, Daffy Doug’s Dollar Store and the list goes on and on. We know how to have a good time. When you live on land all these things are just a routine part of your day. For us though this kind of mobility is really special and we certainly appreciate our facilitators.

I celebrated my 61st birthday last Friday and it was the last nice day we’ve had since. It got really cold and windy. On the water that’s a miserable combination. That dinghy ride becomes almost unbearable. Sunday was the worst so far. This screen shot says it all.

This kind of weather is very hard on the wildlife. We’ve seen many dead fish and reportedly there has been hundreds of sea turtles admitted to the Turtle Hospital here in Marathon.

On the bright side, the sunsets have been quite nice.

(Apologies for the mediocre photography lately. My good camera got wet in one of the torrential downpours we’ve experienced. Yes, it rains in the boat.)

The above is a dedication made through our good friend Charmaine aboard September Sea here in Marathon.

We met on a cruising forum perhaps five or six years ago. A friendly voice with loads of advice and a bubbling personality.

I saw from her signature line that she was in Marathon, anchored in Boot Key Harbor. I checked out the website of September Sea. Charmaine and Bill lived on their sailboat in what would be our destination in our first year of cruising. I also noticed that we shared a common bond. We both had lost a child. Her son had just died recently, mine about 13 years ago.

At Christmas dinner this year, Charmaine asked if I would like to have her dedicate one of her “sunsets” to my son, John. Of course, I responded that I would.

OK, you got to ask yourself, “What does an alligator biting an elf on the ass have to do with Christmas?” Good question, I have no answers other than, this is the Keys! Christmas in the Keys is pretty different. The decorations, which were plentiful, were mostly aquatic or tropical variations of Santa, elves, etc. Lots of boats and of course the above pictured alligator.

We went to a Christmas Eve candlelight service with several of our cruising friends. Pretty easy to pick out the cruisers with their shorts, tee shirts and Crocs. This would be our second year to enjoy the music at this service and it was great as usual. Christmas Eve dinner was wings at Hurricane, a local cruiser hangout and then back to the boat to wait for Santa.

Mary had decorated the mast with garlands and our ornaments and we awoke to presents under the “tree”. Goliath even got into the spirit as he tore into his gifts and later enjoyed the fruits of his labor.

Christmas day we had dinner at the City Marina. Harbormaster Richard Tanner and his wife cooked the turkeys and hams and organized the entire dinner. It was quite an undertaking. No one went away hungry.

A week later, New Years Eve was celebrated aboard Camelot the catamaran with delicious food and good company. We retired early but did ring in the new year as fireworks exploded all over and boat horns sounded throughout the harbor.

Soon we will have to get done to the business of making preparations to go to the Bahamas.

With Thanksgiving behind us, we stopped for a short visit to Cumberland Island with Jim and Cathy aboard Charm and were later joined by Dave and Joanne on Tropical Breeze. Goliath got a chance to run on the beach with his new buddy, Murphy from Charm. We all had great fun walking the beach and especially watching the dolphins play and fish right off the beach.

The stretch of the ICW from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine was very shallow last year and reports were not good for this year. We chose to go outside to St. Augustine. Entering the inlet at St. Augustine was uneventful but interesting. Shoaling has continued and the depths would range from 10 to 8 to 50 feet and back rather quickly showing that the inlet was indeed filling up. It is marked well so the trip in was pretty straight forward.

After a brief stay we headed south through the dreaded Matanzas Inlet. Even at high tide this stretch showed some very shallow spots but we made it through all right. That evening we pulled into Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach for a few days of visits with friends.

The weather on this trip has been really dreadful and it wasn’t going to get better anytime soon. Not as cold as 2008 but very gray and wet. As we left Daytona it started to get worse. The rain started as a steady drizzle and then as we passed New Smyrna it started to pour down. For hours the rain never let up. Looking back I could see that the dinghy, which we were towing for this stretch was filling with water and starting to settle deeply into the water. Mary slowed the boat as I hauled it close to the swim platform. I jumped aboard and opened the drain plug. Mary brought the boat back to cruising speed as I hung on a watched the water slowly drain out. By the time we got to Titusville it needed to be pumped out again.

As we left Titusville we were chased by numerous squalls. The entire trip to Melbourne was miserable. Cold and wet! We tried to tuck in behind the southeast side of the causeway at the Melbourne bridge but could not get the anchor to set. The wind was blowing at least 25 knots and so it was difficult to back down slowly on the anchor. We chose to go to the west side where we got a nice set but spent a bumpy night.

As we settled in for dinner the Coast Guard announced a security zone had been established for a missile launch from Cape Canaveral. We located the launch info on the internet and watched live feeds from the Cape on the launch progress. After several delays it was launched at 2047. We watched from the cockpit as the sky burst into light as the launch began and then watched as the rocket soared overhead. It was very cool and we even got to see the separation of the boosters. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures.

After a surprisingly nice day we made it to Vero Beach by midday. We had a wonderful dinner at the Riverside Cafe with our friends on Charm and Tropical Breeze. It was our sixth wedding anniversary.

I had offered to help Ed and Dee on Sea Fox X, another Oday 40, get their new Link 2000 battery monitor installed. They were in Ft. Pierce and after several trips in their car they decided to join us in Vero. They rafted up to us and the remainder of the work was completed. We were all invited to the CLOD (Cruisers Living On Dirt) Christmas party. That was a great opportunity for us to visit with other friends we met in the Bahamas earlier. There is a huge cruiser population in the Vero Beach / Ft. Pierce area.

As we planned to leave Vero, our friends Dave and Ginger aboard Avalon called us. They were on the way in and would stay a day to visit. Of course we always love to see old friends so we waited and soon they joined our little raft.

We left the following morning and managed to make it to Peck Lake, north of Palm Beach before dark. It was very nice as we slipped off to sleep but the rain caught up and by the time we were ready to leave in the morning it was pea soup fog. We waited a bit and headed out as the fog lifted for the seven bridge run to North Lake Worth (North Palm Beach).

The anchor had not been set for more than an hour before the wind started to pick up and the weather again turned ugly. We stayed anchored for five nights as the winds whipped through the area and torrential rain fell. We were able to make several runs ashore during lulls in the storms.

Tiger Woods’ boat “Privacy” was getting anything but privacy as paparazzi bobbed around in boats waiting for someone to appear. His motor yacht is docked adjacent to the anchorage. We never saw anyone go aboard but all the lights were finally on the night before we left.

We chanced a run on the outside to Miami and got a very nice ride down the coast. We anchored at Marine Stadium south of Miami. The next morning we headed for Rodriquez Key near Key Largo. We actually got to sail halfway with speeds in the mid 7 knots. The wind died later but we arrived late afternoon to drop the hook for the night. The winds picked up again and we had quite the rough night at anchor. Up early again we headed off for our final travel day of 2009.

The trip to Marathon was really rough. We had a steady 20-30 knots on the stern and 3-5 foot seas rolling just to the port quarter. Very uncomfortable combined with a constant sharp lookout for lobster trap floats which are littered all over the channel from Islamorada to Marathon.

We pulled into Boot Key harbor at 1400 and picked up mooring P4, almost the same location that we have been in for the previous two seasons.

We will stay put for a month or more as we prepare for the trip to the Bahamas next year.

The friendly, welcoming atmosphere of St. Mary’s has drawn us back for the 3rd year in a row. The cruisers and towns people are like family and we look forward every year to our visit. In 2007 we had been invited by Sea Tramp (Lynn and Ann) to join them in St. Mary’s. This year they had been delayed by weather and may not make it. We offered assistance if we could make on time ourselves.

As we left the Georgia ICW behind and sailed into Kings Bay we heard a familiar voice on the vhf. Sea Tramp was just now pulling into a slip at Lang’s Marina. We had anticipated anchoring because we were so late but Ann was able to pull some strings and find us a place at the dock. It’s good to have friends in the right places. An hour later we were tied up and headed for the showers.

As usual Thanksgiving was great. We were joined by Dave and Joanne and his family. They were docked at Jekyll Island and drove over for the dinner. The people of St. Mary’s provided a great meal of turkeys and hams and the cruisers provided all the side dishes and desserts. Hats off to Lynn and Ann for their organization and a special thanks to the people of St. Mary’s for hosting this special event again this year.

It wasn’t going to be a good day. I awoke in the middle of the night. I felt terrible!!! Was it the raw oysters? The dreaded swine flu? I wasn’t sure but one thing was for sure, I WAS SICK!

Somewhere in the fog, dawn broke and it was time to shove off. The last thing in the world I wanted to do but if we didn’t keep moving we would lose the tide and quite possibly miss Thanksgiving in St. Mary’s. We cast off and as we waited for Euphoria to join us the fog settled in and we couldn’t see 50 yards. We went back and tied up to wait for the fog to lift. My prayers had been answered. I went back to bed. Several hours later the fog did lift and we were on the way. Mary took the helm and I supervised from the prone position. Here she was doing the dreaded ditch, in Georgia of all places, and I could care less. I felt like death warmed over.

We anchored that night in Vernon Creek and I sensed that maybe things were getting better but couldn’t be sure. Off again at first light Mary again took the helm. It was a lousy day and as we closed in our destination, the Wahoo River, the wind began to howl and the skies poured down. We were thoroughly soaked and cold. We couldn’t wait to get out of our foul weather gear and head for the warmth of our down comforter. It was time to think seriously about adding that full cockpit enclosure.

On the upside I was feeling better and so we were glad it wasn’t the swine flu which would have ruined our Thanksgiving. I live all year for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner and so I wasn’t looking forward to missing one.

The weather remained gray and cool but we continued on with a journey. A stop in the Fredericka River and then on to St. Mary’s. We had made it through the ICW without touching bottom once!

In 2005, after the purchase of our boat, my friend Mike and I sailed it to Thunderbolt where it was later shipped by land to Wisconsin. I had a chance to visit Savannah then but Mary had always wanted to visit. Since it isn’t exactly “on the way” when sailing on the outside, we had never had a chance to visit. Now that we were doing the inside route it seemed appropriate to stop.

We arrived fairly early after a short run from Bull Creek, north of Savannah. After securing the boat in its slip at the Thunderbolt Marina we set out with our friends on Charm and Euphoria to give historic Savannah a visit. Not liking to appear a “tourist” I was uncomfortable with the idea of a bus tour but I have to admit that it was the best and most informative way to get to know the city. Our guide on Oglethorpe Tours was great. A lifelong resident of Savannah, he was able to give us a lot of truly interesting information in the limited time of the tour. We then chose what we wanted to do by foot and would return the next day for a walking tour. A few of our favorites:

It was a great visit. Beautiful weather, wonderful sights and great food.

Catching up on the blog. More to come as we head down the home stretch to Marathon. Don’t miss our exciting visit to Savannah, more grey days and tons of rain and of course more harrowing tales of shallow water and high seas as we thread our way from Georgia to our final destination for this year, Marathon in the Florida Keys.

Gotta go, it’s almost cruiser’s midnight (8:00 pm) Need my beauty sleep. Long day tomorrow as we head for Miami.

Stories abound about the nasty nature of the Intercoastal Waterway (aka The Ditch) through Georgia and South Carolina. Sure there are trouble spots throughout the 1243 miles from Norfolk, Virginia to Key West but no concentration like there is in this stretch. Thus the reason we don’t go there and choose to travel in the ocean where it’s nice and deep. Weather wasn’t cooperating and we wanted to be in St. Mary’s, Georgia for Thanksgiving. No choice but to head south, inside.

Lucky for us we had the tides rising with us as we hit most of the bad parts. Recent dredging also helped but there were still plenty of spots that caused on to “pucker” a little.

Our first anchorage was in the South Edisto River. Weather was deteriorating quickly so we left the channel and anchored alongside. The anchor never felt like it really caught and as the wind picked up we began to slowly drag. Up came the anchor and off we went to look for a better spot. After finally switching to our “Fortress” we were able to stay in one place, well sort of. There is lots of current through this stretch and when opposed to the wind it causes the boat to “sail” around at anchor.

This photo of our chartplotter shows our track for several hours. We traveled 2.3 miles in that time. The waypoint 239 is where the anchor was dropped. We didn’t sleep too well that night.

The next morning dawned crisp but beautiful. As we motored through Watts Cut we discovered a beautifully protected anchorage a little over a mile further along from where we had been. Oh well, live and learn.

We motored along through the twisting and turning rivers that cut through the salt marshes. We passed small villages along the way. Really quite nice. Saw a few shallow spots, but no bumping so far. Midday we passed Beaufort and then the spot we anchored near Port Royal Sound on the way south in 2008.

As the day turned to twilight we anchored in Bull Creek, just passed the Hilton Head area. It was beautiful and we got much needed rest.

We awoke to grey skies and a light fog. We headed off for Thunderbolt and the Savannah area.

What a great time we had in Charleston. We stayed eight days at the Charleston Maritime Center on the Cooper River side of downtown. It is so convenient to everything.

Our friends from Madison (now living in Charleston) met us for dinner at one of our favorite spots, Fleet Landing.

Their hushpuppy appetizers are stuffed with shrimp, lobster and other yummy things and then topped with onion straws. VERY GOOD! We went back again another day for more.

Our friends, Dave and Joanne on the catamaran Tropical Breeze, were docked at the marina also. They were entertaining her parents but after the parents left we found time for a favorite cruiser pastime, grocery shopping.

On the way back to the marina we followed this homeless man, oh wait, that’s Dave!

Most of our stay was while Ida was blowing up the coast and we spent about three days cooped up in the boat. It sure rained a bunch both inside and outside the boat. The weather finally cleared, as it is prone to do from time to time, and we became tourists. We visited the USS Yorktown and walked all over the historic downtown area. It was really very nice and a pretty place to visit. With several days left in our stay, Rick and Carla on Euphoria pulled in with Jim and Cathy on Charm. We pushed the limit on happy hours and finally left along with our two new buddy boats for a trip down the ICW through southern South Carolina and Georgia. A first for us since we have always avoided this section of the ditch like the plague.

A sample of our visit to Charleston.