39. Georgia to Charleston

The route through Georgia meanders through serpentine rivers and across open sounds that can be choppy when the wind kicks up. It winds past the barrier islands of Georgia and is an entirely different ICW than in Florida. There has been no money for dredging for the past few years and it is important to stay in the channel even when crossing a wide open sound and to pay close attention to the tides. The tidal range here is 8 to 9 feet and to add to the mix, strong winds and the lunar cycle affect the tidal range. Thus it is critical to traverse the difficult area at mid to rising tide.
Someone had a sense of humour as some of the problematic spots have names such as Jekyll Island or Hell Gate while others have seemingly innocuous names such as Field Cut. Currents are incredibly swift and if the current is flowing in the direction you are heading, you can gain up to 3 knots of speed. If it is streaming against you, you must fight for every mile losing up to 3 knots/mile. Sometimes the current will change as you are entering a sound or river so you must be vigilant at all times. Planning is key and, even with planning, your trip it does not always work out the way you would like it to. On the day we went through Hell Gate, high tide was at 4:30 p.m. that day. We started out at 6:30 a.m. with first light to get to Hell Gate at mid to rising tide. We travelled for 12 hours straight anchoring at 6:30 p.m. in Turner’s Creek near Hogan’s Marina where we spent several days last fall getting our rudder fixed. We dinghied to Hogan’s Marina and who do we see but Stephen who had driven us all over Savannah. He had planned to go start out for the Bahamas shortly after we left but he never made it. His boat was hit by a large motorboat. Fortunately he is fine but he spent the winter repairing his boat and going to court.

Shoaling is an ongoing problem when the waterway is not dredged. We went through Field Cut in a rising tide but it was not high enough. We grounded. Viking Angel tried to pull us off . In the picture above you can see one side of the rope that is attached to the bow of Viking Angel. The other side is attached to our bow. Behind Viking Angel is a cruiser that we asked to make as large a wake as possible hoping that the waves would help us off the shoal. The cruiser said that it was the first time a sailboat asked for a wake. Usually sailboats just complain about the wakes. We tried and tried but to no avail. We told Viking Angel to continue without us and we waited several hours for the tide to rise. Then we just floated off. Other boats were not so lucky. Apparently the sailboat above went aground two weeks ago. There is hole in the hull and it cannot be towed.
We don't know the story behind this one.

Several days later we were in Charleston and it was wonderful to see Chad from Cambyration with whom we had travelled for several weeks in the fall. Chad and LeeAnn are very happy in Charleston. Both are working. LeeAnn is taking college course via internet and Chad is working on their boat. They are planning to go to the Virgin Islands and work in St. John’s for the winter.

We encountered many birds in our travels. Many watched us as we passed them by while others swam along side of us. The birds were not afraid of the boats or the porpoises which we still saw frequently in the inlets and sounds.This bird in Charleston calmly walked across the road and cars actually stopped for him, her?

38. On the ICW again

We set off after a day of rest and decided to stay in the ICW because of the weather forecast. It was a good thing that we did as powerful winds and steady rains arrived and it was nice to be snug in our pilot house. Even when the winds are fairly strong, the ICW seems calmer and more protected.At one point we passed a submarine. In front of it and following it were military boats with machine guns mounted on the rails. Several militia men stood on deck with rifles or maybe now the guns are laser or something. Several coast guard boats accompanied them. All we know for sure is that when we went out to take pictures, one of the boats veered away from the submarine and came closer to our boat indicating no pictures. You don't argue with those who have guns. This is the best picture I could get.
One of the places that we had not visited on the way down was Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. We stayed at a mooring ball at the Municipal Marina. $15.00 included a pump-out, showers, use of dinghy dock and garbage disposal. All six of quickly went ashore and walked around the historic part of the city. This is the second oldest city in Florida and has had eight different flags fly over it, even more than St. Augustine- French, Spanish(twice) British, Mexican, a Scottish Family flag, Confederate and American It even has the oldest saloon in Florida and they are very proud of that fact. Bed and breakfasts flourish in an older historical city and we saw many beautiful stately homes in Fernandina Beach who offer their hospitality to tourists....for a price, of course. Whenever we are in a new city we take a city tour either by bus or horse drawn carriage etc. In Fernandina Beach the tour was on Polly the Trolley and there she is in the background.
Although on the tour we saw much of what we had seen on our walk, we also learned about the town's history and visited the Old Town.Here the pirates kept their boats and their ladies. At one time there were 30 brothels side by side and the street was and is called Ladies St. The price of property is climbing and most of the homes need extensive renovations. Fishing used to be a major industry but now the number of commercial fishermen has dwindled due to lack of fish and the high price of fuel. Below is a picture taken about 100 years ago.

Don't you think think this is taking the love of boating too far!

That night we had our last dinner with Just Imagine and Robin blew his last conch as we enjoyed the setting sun.
When we got to Georgia, we treated ourselves to a dock at Brunswick Landing Marina to say goodbye to Just Imagine because that is where Robin and Cheryl were going to leave their boat while they visited with family in Atlanta. The marina was $1.50/ft. and it had the nicest facilities of ANY marina we have been in-a fantastically furnished lounge at both ends of the docks with luxurious showers, laundry, free coffee, phone and many, many books & magazines. Everything was spotless and the staff was great. I think that it was so nice because a woman runs it! Ha Ha!

Laundry is free and I washed all the bedding and blankets etc. If I had known I would not have bothered to do any laundry at Harbour Town Marina. In the Bahamas laundry is very expensive averaging $3.00/wash and $3-6 for drying as the dryers are on propane which is costly and not always available.Roman and I went fishing and caught of all things, a shark! Now if you believe that, we have some swamp land to sell you in the Florida Everglades. It's a bargain!

We went out to a really enjoyable pizzeria for dinner where I lost my Lakeshore Yacht Club hat but didn’t realize it until we were under way. The next morning we walked to the weekly farmers’ market held on Saturdays. Great fresh produce! We stocked up and filled our little fridge to overflowing. Check-out at the marina was “whenever you want”. We left just after noon but could have left even later.

37. Crossing back

Hi there,

We finally made it back to the States. We braved 8-10 ft seas and crossed from Great Sail Cay, Abacos in Northern Bahamas to Cape Canaveral Florida. We prepared by making sure that everything was well secured and that there was nothing that could go flying when the boat was tossing to and fro, both inside and on deck. Roman added a tether line running down both sides of our deck to which we could attach the safety harnesses of our life jackets if we had to go on deck. He checked that we had enough fuel and topped up the oil. He made sure that all the jerry cans were lashed down, that all our flashlights had good batteries, that our safety flares were easily accessible and that everything that could move was lashed down. I put everything that could be tossed around away and put bungee cords (they are invaluable) on the cupboard doors, latched all the drawers, and made sure that drinks and snacks were handy. I made a chicken salad but it turned out too rocky to eat.

The Gulf Stream is 45 miles wide and more powerful that you can imagine. It flows northward at an average speed of 2.5 knots, day and night, sometimes going as fast as 5 knots. The most difficult time to cross the gulf stream is when the wind is from the north and that includes the northeast and the northwest. The forecast was winds from the south and southeast. We planned to hop on that moving escalator and get a free ride north. Although most boats were heading for Fort Pierce Florida, we planned to get to Cape Canaveral.

Our first glimpse of Cape Canaveral

The crossing took us about 30 hours and as our auto helm has worked only intermittently during our entire trip, of course it did not work on the crossing and Roman and I had to man the helm. We took shifts and it was exhausting to steer through the heavy seas and winds. Fortunately we picked a good time to go in spite of the high seas. We just heard yesterday that the boats that were waiting at Great Sail Cay for calmer seas and started out the day after us, were caught in the storm and heavy rains that we experienced in the ICW the day after we arrived. Apparently there were 6 boats that sustained damages. Four were demasted. One lost the dinghy and the last either lost or damaged the boom. We don’t have any more details but we feel very fortunate that all three of our boats made it safely across.

During the day at least you can see. But at night the ocean is pitch black and there are no reference points. You rely on your compass and chart plotter. When all of a sudden you spot bright lights, it is eeirie. Three cruise ships and one tanker passed us in the night. The tanker and two of the cruise ships had us on their radar but one did not. Thank goodness for VHF radio. We contacted each vessel as soon as we saw them. They were all very considerate. The ships were all going to Cape Canaveral and, as they were travelling much faster, soon passed us. The tanker was headed straight for us and altered his course to allow us to get out of his way. He was BIG!We were too busy staying afloat to take pictures in the night but these are the ships and tanker that passed us during the crossing. Imagine them with all their lights on, just like Christmas.

At Cape Canaveral, we ecountered a welcoming committee which looked us over as we passed by.
We stayed at Harbour Town Marina which was only $1.00/ft. with Boat U.S. membership. Water was included; what a luxury after watching every drop in the Bahamas! What a treat to hose down your boat and get rid of the salt. We had called the Customs Office and were told to go to Harbour Town Marina where we would be met by a Customs officer. The U.S. has integrated Customs and Immigration and you deal only with one person. The Customs Officer was very pleasant and informative. It was the supervisor who came to our boats as all the other officers were on a big cruise ship, one of the ones that has passed us in the night.

He told us that, as Canadians, we could go to Cuba from the U.S. and more importantly, come directly back to the States from Cuba. We had heard stories of boats being confiscated etc. when you returned to the States. U.S. citizens and boats with a U.S. registry are not allowed to go to Cuba and their boats can be confiscated. He also clarified that we did not need the Customs decal which is bought for a calendar year but only a cruising permit that is issued for a certain time period. You must be out of the country for at least 15 days before you can get another cruising permit, so the timing is very important. We had purchased a decal on line for $26.50 each for the 2007 year and again for 2008. He did not have a cruising permit with him and we had no way to get to his office so he said that the decal would be fine for now and to get one the next time.

Oh the difference in water colour! Above is a picture of Little Sale Cay just before we made the crossing. Next is one of the first markers we encountered in the States. Even the birds sit on the post and don't want to go in the water.

Once a year Harbour Town Marina hosts a Marine Flea Market. This was quite a bonus to our stay and Roman feels that he got some good deals. He purchased two 12” brand new hatches (aluminum) for $85.00. He was particularly thrilled by this purchase. We plan to add a hatch to the galley and the head, both of which are without one. It will make life more pleasant. We also bought LED lights which take only .2 of an AMP to operate and give enough light to do a puzzle or read. Having enough power is always an issue. With our 2 solar panels and the wind generator we have had very little difficulty with power and have used our gas generator only twice the entire trip. Both times were to power up the computer when we were at anchor for several days and there was little wind and lots of clouds. It does happen! Roman promptly installed the new lights and everyone who has come aboard is very impressed by the amount of lighting we have.

We made plans to start out up the ICW instead of going back on the ocean because the forecast was for wind and rain.

Our last Bahamian sunset

36. To the Abacos

We had some great sails on our way to Spanish Wells. First we headed to the northern part of Eleuthera. We had thought to rent a car in Rock Sound but were told that the bridge over the Glass Window bridge was out. What we didn't realize at the time that it was only part of the bridge and it has been like that for quite some time and people just drive through the water in spots. The Glass Window is a striking rock formation where the land, high on either side, falls away abruptly to nearly sea level dividing Eleuterea into two. We had heard that the view is quite spectacular with the dark blue Atlantic on one side and the aquamarine water of the Bight of Eleuthera on the other. Above is a picture of the Glass Window bridge when we passed it on the way to Annies Bight where we anchored in a little bay. This part of the Eleuthera has some stunning rock formations and a beauty all its own. The inhabitants have cut pathways into the rocks and we saw some specatcular footpaths.

Current Cut is a narrow passage which is only about 4-5 feet at low water with a strong tidal current which can run to four knots. We heeded all the warnings in our guide books and timed to go through Current Cut at high tide and we had no difficulty at all with myself at the helm.

We sailed on to Spanish Wells which was a delightful place and the most urbanized area that we have seen in the Bahamas except for Nassau. Everywhere you looked, the homes are beautifully maintained and there are signs of prosperity. Unfortunately we did not spend enough time in Spanish Wells. We seemed to be plagued with one weather front after another, one a week. The forecast was calling for another front with strong winds. The choice was either to stay in Spanish Wells or take advantage that several boats had hired a guide to take them through Riley’s Cut which has many coral reefs just below the water. If we joined them early the next morning, it would make a convoy of 10 boats. Several of the boats we had met in George Town. Each boat would pay the guide $30, a bargain to get through safely. Over dinner, eating the Cero Mackerel that Morris caught, we decided to push on to the Abacos.

We left at first light and followed the boat in front closely as Ole Pot, our guide, led us safely through the Cut. Soon it became light and once through the Cut we had a good sail for most of the two days it took us to get to Marsh Harbour. We motor-sailed only for the last little bit. Marsh Harbour is on the Sea of Abacos which is a protected body of water. Even when it is gusty it is an easy sail to various points of interest - Hopetown which has one of the three remaining hand operated lighthouses in the world - Great Iguana Cay, and Treasure Cay which has one of the 10 best beaches in the world. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit everywhere we wanted. We did manage to buy some rake and scrape music to take home. We spent several days in Marsh Harbour visiting with friends such as Jan and Iain from Jocklodge. We also saw Phil from Falcon’s Nest whom we had not seen since Waterford in the New York Canal System and we made new friends.

Keeping in touch with family is always difficult. We went to a restaurant that had internet and after we ordered, their internet crashed. That was typical in the Bahamas! Time was going by too quickly and we had to start home. We would have liked to stay much longer in the Bahamas. Unfortunately, June is the start of the hurricane season and although, it is unlikely that there would be hurricanes that early, the water is much warmer than usual and hurricanes form on warm water. Better be safe than sorry has been our motto the entire trip.

We saw only a tiny portion of the Abacos. You could spend an entire winter cruising there and many boaters do just that. Originally I was not keen on going to the Bahamas but I would not have missed this experience for the world. It is easy to understand why so many boaters leave their boats anywhere from Florida to the Chesapeake, go home for the summer and next winter set sail again for the Bahamas. Some have been doing this for 15-20 years. Several sailors have changed to trawlers as they get older because it is easier. We met many sailors in their seventies and some even in their eighties. I would like to go back to the Bahamas and see all the things we never had time to see but first there is Cuba, the Virgin Islands and the entire Carribean to explore. But that is another story.

We listened to the weather reports and Chris Parker on the Ham radio and realized that there would a window to cross the following weekend on Friday. The seas would be high but there was another front on the heels of this one and then we would have to wait at least a week, if not more. The other two boats had to get back to the States and so we sailed to Great Sale Cay to wait for the weather window. Dolphins kept us company. On the way we passed the Center of the World Rock. We thought it was worth a picture. How else can you say you saw the centre of the world?

I record my impressions and experiences in a daily journal.

35. Eleuthera Island

We reached Rock Sound on Eleuthera Island just before a predicted front came in bringing high winds and waves. We could not get off the boat. We could plainly see the storm approaching and it was strangely beautiful to watch the storm descend upon us.

Not far from us were the remains of a boat that had sunk just two weeks ago. It had been anchored in the shipping channel and sunk when the supply ship came in the night into the harbour. Sometimes boats do not leave their anchor lights on at night when they are in a designated anchorage. Not a good move as witnessed by the picture below. We always have several lights on and we made sure that we were not anywhere near the channel.Our anchor held well and we were snug in our little hideaway. One of the hatches has a small steady leak that Roman cannot figure out where it is coming from and we just put a pail under it and don’t worry. Fortunately we had time before the storm to dry out the bedding that got wet when I had left a porthole open when we were travelling to Eleuthera Island. I will not do that again, that’s for sure! The day we were stuck on the boat I baked a brown sugar and walnut coffee cake that worked out very well as well as whole wheat beer bread from a recipe that I adapted.

It was Easter weekend when we arrived in Rock Sound. All over the islands, on Easter weekend an Annual Homecoming Festival is celebrated. Those who grew up on the island come back home to see family and friends. School children have Easter Break. The festival started Wednesday and finished on Sunday with a big island picnic on the ocean side of the island. Every night there was food, music and a variety of events from a junkanoo to a children’s fashion show. Everyone was very friendly and we spent many happy hours at the festival. We ate at one of the booths. The woman who ran it had 10 children, 27 grandchildren and too many great grandchildren to count, she said. She was very proud of the fact that she had two great-great grandchildren. Her husband must have been eating those conch pistons! Two of her daughters had come home from Nassau to help her run the booth. The food was plentiful, very tasty and inexpensive.

Good Friday was the day of the storm and the festival was rained out but Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day. The docks were very high and it was a long way up. I climbed very carefully as I was having trouble with my hip. It seems fine once I get walking and we hiked around the island visiting the grocery store and buying fresh tomatoes from Nat at his fresh produce stand.

Teamwork makes a task easier.

Junkanoo started with a parade and then evolved into a wonderful uninhibited dancing in the streets. Junkanoo is a tradition that dates from the French in the 1700’s in Haiti where people would don masks and then they could do things that they would normally not do, hidden by the masks. C is a form of music, unique to the Bahamas. From Robin I got the following definition: Musicians beating on the goombay drum and scraping a carpenters saw and playing melodious tunes on the concertina were not only recorded as having roots in Cat Island, but in other Family Islands (islands other than the city of Nassau) as well. On Cat Island we met Pompey who was one of the Rake'nScrape gurus. It is very catchy and it is hard to stay still when you hear it. As I mentioned, everyone dances in the street, young and old.

It was very interesting to see a circle formed with the men dancing one by one in the middle of it. What intricate steps they take! The oldest man we saw had to be in his eighties and there were many young ones in their late teens and early twenties dancing. The tradition remains strong. We remained well after midnight, which is very unusual for boaters.

Cheryl and Elizabeth really got into the spirit.

So did Roman!

On Sunday, Easter Sunday by the Gregorian calendar which most of the world follows, all six of us went to church. The nearest church was an Anglican church and the two hour service seemed very Roman Catholic. There were many boaters that went to church and we were all welcomed warmly. We had thought we would be home for Ukrainian Easter on the last Sunday of April but now, it does not seem possible. On Sunday night Gospel music reverberated at the Festival. It had a distinctive Bahamaian flavour.

On Monday we went to Dingle Motors where we paid $5.00/15 minutes of internet early in the morning and then we got ready for the next storm which hit hard with sustained winds of 30-35 knots with gust up to 40-45. By dawn, it was clearing and it looked like there would be good sailing, so onward we went.