Chapter two: Crossing the Gulf Stream to Marsh Harbour

Wednesday March 18^th 2015

Today is the day that the new autopilot was to be installed.  Darrell showed up at 9:30 ready to go.  Usually people say they will come at a certain time and they show up about two hours late.  Darrell was great.  He installed the unit in about two hours.  Then we took the boat out to spend it.  It was great. Our old autopilot had a little sway to it.  Not this one!  You set it on a heading and it was straight as an arrow.  However, George noticed that his tachometer was not working after we started back to the docks.  We can go without a tachometer. We had decided to cross on Friday morning because the inlet was closed on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Thursday March 19^th

Bill came back and fixed the tachometer.  He had bumped a wire when installing the oil sending unit.

So all is working on the boat.  However our friend Steve came by with his family to see us and to look at the refrigeration.  He was with his family and in his R.V. It was great to see him and meet his wife and son.  

Today we found out that the inlet was going to be closed all weekend. I had finished the wash when to George and Jack approached me with the possibility of leaving tonight at 6:00.  We were acting like a bunch of trapped mice.  Jack called Tow Boat US and asked if we could leave tonight. Tow Boat US told him they would let boats out the inlet between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 A.M.  Tow Boat US also said the had just come in and on the north side where we would be going was 7.5 feet depth.  Celebration draws 6 feet.  The guys did not want to leave the dock at 5:30 in the morning because it would be dark. So at 3:00 we decide to leave at 5:00.I was concerned about the seas because they were calling for 6 foot waves. I can take 6 feet but when  they predict 6 sometimes they change to 8 and 10 feet.  George assured me I had been in worse.  We could wait 24 hours and had 2 foot seas.  When I voiced my concern they called Charles Wilsdorf who is a close friend and the instructor of the weather course.  He said, ”it may be uncomfortable but it will be safe”.  With that being said I was good!  We left Ft. Pierce on Thursday at   5:00p.m. 

If you look at the left, you will see we got a police escort out of the inlet. 

We went south and then turned east letting the Gulf Stream carry us north.  The seas were fine.  We always order a pizza before we leave.  When we arrive at the first anchorage, tired, sleepy and a little squirrelly, pizza warmed in a pan is very quick, easy and good.  It has become a bit of a tradition.  Besides, we had no time to prepare dinner.  We threw down the pizza as we were preparing to shove off, more about the pizza later.

Leaving the Florida at sunset.

I took the helm about 7:00 pm until 11:00pm. The seas were fine. We were making pretty good time about 5-6 knots. We made the turn to 110 degrees about 9:00 pm. When George took the helm he said he had gotten some rest so I went down below to sleep.  The seas were on our beam.  I never can sleep the first time off my watch, I guess it is the adrenaline.  This night was especially hard.  I felt a little sick.  I have never ever been seasick.  I will always go and make sandwiches when no one else can.  So I blamed it on the pizza quickly eaten and on an adrenaline rush, aka nervous stomach. What ever it was, it was not good!  I was back in the cockpit about 12:00 midnight to lay down.  When I laid down that was not good.  Finally George gave me the helm because I was not getting any rest anyway and I felt better at the helm. When at the helm and at the stern I was in a much better position the get rid of the pizza.  After purging the pizza I felt much better.  I was concerned about Jack and would call him ever hour or so.  He sounded happy and seemed to be doing well. I was also sending a spot every 3 or 4 hours to the kids, Lavonne and Lynda, Jack’s wife.  George was not getting much sleep in spite of me being at the helm. The seas were about 4 feet but every 45 seconds or so a 6 footer would hit our beam and that was rolling George. I was hoping he was getting some rest. George asked me if I wanted him to take the helm but I was feeling do much better I did not want to chance laying down.  I was also getting in the rhythm of the seas. I am not sure how to explain it but once you get to know the seas and the timing of the waves it is like you are at piece with the movement. I was upset that I was not really enjoying the crossing but now I was.  It would be only a few hours until daybreak and I wanted to enjoy as much as I could.  I love to see the sun come up over the ocean. Nothing is more peaceful, beautiful and spiritual.  However, about 3:30 the sleep deprivation was getting the better of me.  George took the helm even though he had very little sleep as well, but he had rested a bit. I was upset I could not last until sunrise so I stayed in the cockpit and asked George to wake me just before sunrise.  No words can describe a sunrise over the ocean. I guess that is why I like to cross at night.  Sorry no sunrise picture.  I just did not think about it.

Friday March the 20th

I took back the helm after daybreak and the seas were a bit smoother.  Jack, George nor I got much sleep. On the banks there are not any ships because it is to shallow.  After you arrive on the banks you are pretty much by yourself.   We were thinking we would throw out the anchor when we got to the Matanilla Shoals.  However, the seas were still a little rough and we would be bouncing around and probably not get much rest on anchor.  We called Jack to see how he was doing. He said he was fine and would like to go on into Great Sale anchorage. This way we could get plenty of sleep. 

Martini under sail.

We arrived at great sale about 4:30.  We tried to launch our new dinghy to get Jack for dinner but the motor would not stay cranked. So we called Jack and he ate pizza on his boat.  I fixed pizza for George but for me it was leftover chicken sliders.  We took showers and went to bed. We all had a great night sleep at anchor.

Jack on his boat at anchor. 

Saturday March the 23rd

We did not leave at first light.  We were going to try to leave by 9:00.  The sleep in was well deserved.  We weighed anchor about 9:30.  We were on our way to Allen Pensacola, another anchorage with good holding.
The banks were glass smooth with beauty aqua waters.  You could see the bottom.

 The only problem with smooth seas, there is no wind for our sails. 

Looking at the bottom in about 30 feet of water.

This is a reflection of our boat in the water

Our quarantine flag, this is the flag you fly until you clear customs. 

Beautiful smooth seas.

Lobster fishing. The put things in the water like boards and then during lobster season lift the boards up the find Lobsters. Then they free dive for the lobsters.

This is what happens to the balloons that are let go.   

George is checking out the view.

This is about thirty feet of water.

Jack asked if we wanted to go to the docks at Spanish Cay instead of anchoring out.  We were making good time and so we agreed that would be better for our refrigeration.  George was surprised Jack wanted to go to Spanish Cay.  He has a history at the docks there.  George and Jack had been there before on Marini on their first trip. I have never been, so I really wanted to go. We also found out we could clear customs in Spanish Cay. We got to Spanish Cay about 5:00, after customs had left on the ferry.

Spanish Cay 

In spite of a good bit of wind the docking was perfect.  We were going to take a shower before dinner but decided to go to the bar for a quick drink. 

Two of these were swimming around the docks at Spanish Cay.

Spanish Cay is a private Island.  Debbie and Chris were managers of the island.  Debbie was also the bartender. She made me the island’s specialty drink, a Spanish flyer.  It was very good. Of course Jack and George had a Kalik.  

Jack and George doing what they do best.

Debbie taking care of us. 

Celebration at the docks

We met some other boater from New York, Ken and Merriam. They were anchored out just outside the marina.  We had dinner with Merriam and Ken.  Debbie was great. We learned a lot about the island.  We had a great stay at Spanish Cay thanks to Debbie and Chris for the great hospitality.  

Sunday March 24^th

We had to wait until 8:00 a.m. to clear customs.  We quickly left Spanish Cay because the next stop was Green Turtle Cay. 

Now that we have cleared Customs, we can fly our Bahamian flag.

Green Turtle is very shallow, so we had to make it by close to high tide.  We had our sails up all day.  We were a little nervous about going in because if we ran aground we were going to be there for a while.  George did great. We did see some very scary numbers.  It only took us 5 hours to get there.

Everybody be Sailing!!

                                           "Everybody be sailing"

Today is Sunday and not much was open in Green turtle.  



Someone on the dock told us about McIntosh café.  We walked around town and found the restaurant. This is a very pretty village.  We got back to the boat to take a shower before dinner. Ken and Merriam had followed us from Spanish Cay. They were anchored out outside of the marina.  Ken came over in his dingy and looked at our generator, he serviced generators.  Of course it worked perfectly and sounded great when he was there.  It had run a little rough on anchor at Great Sale. We invited he and Merriam to go with us to dinner.  McIntosh turned out to be great.  George and I had grilled lobster and of course Key Lime pie.

Pineapple's is another one of our favorite places.

The next day we had to leave again at or near high tide.  We were to leave about 10:00. We had an early breakfast where we could go into the town.  We went to Vern’s model shop.  This man was 82 years old and made the most beautiful models of boats.  I left my camera so no pictures.

 Monday March 21st

We left Green Turtle and the wind was up.  However, the undocking was great.  I write a lot about docking and undocking but that is when I get nervous.   It was a little rough going out but we said if it got to rough we could go back.  As it turned out it was great sailing.  Every day except the first we have had great winds.

We called Ray, he is the Dock master at Mangoes Marina where we always stay. We told him we would be at the docks about 2:45.  We were worried about coming in after high tide.  Because we changed heading we could sail in.  We got to the docks about 2:30.  It was a good thing because at 5:00 the boat was aground at the dock.  We were glad to see Rey.  He has become a friend over the years we have been coming over.  He is the best dock Master in the United States and the Bahamas.  He jumps on your boat and fixes the lines.  When there is a blow coming he will check every boat to see if it needs more lines. We are glad to be here!!!

Heading down the ICW on the way to the Bahamas

Still getting over the bronchitis stuff I was fighting, so this post is a little late.

 This year we are sailing with Martini.  The crew on Martini down the ICW is John Vann and Jack Sterrett. We have sailed with both of them before. We have buddy boated with Jack most every year.  John and his wife Carolyn were on Indulgence, our buddy boat in 2012 and 2013.  When we get to Ft Pierce, John is going home and Jack will single hand across the Gulf Stream.  

Jack and John on Martini.

March 8th Sunday,

We left Brunswick at 9:30.  We wanted to leave at 9:00 but had to wait until the fog lifted. We were to spend the compass to calibrate our autopilot.  However, it would not let us get into the menu.  So here again we are leaving Brunswick with no autopilot.  It is a good thing Instead of a girl in every port George has a mechanic in every port.  Poor George, I am still not feeling well and I only releave him at the helm when he needs a rest. I do still fix lunch and the meals.  I am not enjoying my time in the sick bay and not doing my part at the helm.

Wild horses on Cumberland Island 

We got to Fernandina about 5:30.  We were all tried and decided to eat on the boat.  This is unusual because our favorite restaurant  is 'Espana in Fernandina.  It was at my request that we eat on the boat. Still not feeling 100 percent.

Sunset at Fernandina

March 9th Monday

We left Fernandina about 7:30.  Today will be the longest day we have.  Should take us 10 hours, so I have to step up and take the helm more today. We “parked” our boat just south of Fernandina.  After having to circle for about 45 minutes for the bridge to open, we arrived in St. Augustine at about 5:30.  Of course we had to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, The Columbia House.

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I never get tired of having the bridge stop the cars for us to pass. 

Light house at St.Augustine

March 20th Tuesday

We left St. Augustine at first light.  The morning was beautiful, with a little ground fog on the land.  This made for beautiful pictures. 

Light house in the Morning ground fog.

 Then about an hour in we could see fog up ahead.  I told George I was driving blind.  I could not see anything. I gave him the helm. 

This was Martini leading the way until she ran aground, or as we like to say parked

The sun was pretty high in the sky but still heavy fog.

 It happened so fast it was eerie.  In fact to add to the mystique of the moment we saw what we referred to as a white rainbow.  I guess we should call it the fogbow. 

This was sererously eerie. 

We could not see the green marker 400 feet ahead of us.  We were trapped. Of course we had our radar but I still went to the bow to look for other boats and crab traps. George did not like me being there.  We did not have a track from the previous years but Martini did so they took the lead. We were literally inching along. Then Jack  'parked" his boat.   I thought staying put was a good thing.  George was circling between crab traps, which at least gave us a reference of our position.   After about an hour the fog lifted as quickly as it hit.  The rest of the trip was pretty much uneventful.  Thank goodness! We got to Halifax marina in Daytona about 6:30.

It always looks like we are going to hit.

Dolphins always like to play beside the boat in the wake.

March 11th Wednesday

We again wanted to leave at first light but we were a little concerned about the fog that seemed to be rolling in.  As we prepared to leave the fog got worse.  So we decided to wait until the fog had cleared. I made egg omelets because it looked like it was going to take an hour before the fog lifted. This was another long day and the next stop was going to be an anchorage just past the NASA Causeway Bridge. A few miles before the bridge John called back to us to tell us there was a rocket on the launch pad.  I got the binoculars and looked around to find the find the rocket.  It was to be launched the next night.  

The rocket on the launching pad.

The Coast Guard's warning came over the radio for all vessels to be a out if a certain range during that time, if not $250,000.00 fine and jail time.  They don’t play!!!!   We had to get the bridge to open around 6:00.  They will not open between 3:30 and 5:00 because of rush hour. We anchored just passed the NASA Cause Bridge. This would have been a perfect place to watch the launch but time did not allow another night on anchor.

Martini on anchor at NASA bridge.

March 12th Thursday

Today was another 10 or 11 hour motor to our next destination, Vero Beach.  We were hesitating to leave due to another heavy fog but we made the decision to leave anyway.  The fog lifted as soon as we got our anchor up. It was an easy " weighing ", or pulling up the anchor.  Yes you guys, we did not have to do the anchor dance.  

Guess who we met on the way!! The Nina and Pinta!!!

This is not our favorite part of the trip.  There is a lot of open water and the markers are not that close together.  There is a train trestle or track that is open unless there is a train coming.  We also had made some notes two years ago about how to navigate the area just before Vero Marina.  We got to the docks around 7:00. Therefore, no docks hands were there to help us dock.   Not only did we have no one to help us, the T head where we were to be had no cleats, just post.  Having to lasso a high post took me by surprise but we did a pretty good job of docking.  

The railroad trestle bridge in the open position.

George had been looking forward to a black and blue hamburger he got at the Riverside Restaurant near the marina two years ago. 

We all wanted to stay up until the rocket launch at 10:44 in spite of being totally exhausted.  John, Jack and George took a shower.  I took a nap.  We all meet on our dock, which was going to be a great place to watch the rocket.   The only problem was the clouds. We watched the launch in real time on my phone but saw nothing in the sky that night.  Everyone slept well.

March 13^th Friday

We had to be in Ft. Pierce by 9:00 on Friday.  Remember those mechanics George has in every port.  He has three in Ft Pierce!!!

The first mechanic was to fix the oil sending unit. The next technician was to fix the autopilot.  The third is to fix the engine driven compressor for the  refrigeration.  If need be, we have a generator to keep our freezer going on anchor.

 The first two technicians came and both gave not so great news.  We are getting a new sending unit and a brand new state of the art autopilot.  The autopilot will not be here until Wednesday.  This means we missed our weather window Saturday.  We will have to wait for another one. John left today to go home.

This big boy had to blow his warning horn at us because he was hidden around a bend .

March 14^th Saturday

We had breakfast on Martini.  Jack fixed pancakes and eggs.  That's right Greg - no salmon in a bag!   Jack and George rode bikes all the way to the old cannery site.  He even took jack by the house where George called me during tomato season while we were dating.  They then rode to the city marina for a brew.

What did I do during that time? I slept!  All this, " at first light " has taken a toll!!

I had seen a Marine surplus store a few years back.  I looked it up on the map and it was only a mile and a half away.  We rode bikes to the store.  It was huge!  The guys were like kids in a candy store!

Ponce Inlet Light house in Daytona

March 15^th Sunday

Today is wash day so I will not bore you with those details, expect to say that I met this really nice lady in the laundry room.  As we were getting to know about each other she told me that she had lived in Milledgeville.  In fact she had gone to West End school. This is the school my children attended. She was a live aboard and was working in the public schools here as a psychologist.  When I told her I worked in the schools as a SLP,  well needless to say we talked, as my family calls it “psycho babble”,  during the washing and during cycles.

George called Stan, a good friend and our yacht broker. We invited he and his wife Sylvia for dinner on Celebration the next night.

March 16^th Monday

We went to Wal Mart to buy an antenna for the T.V.  We were expecting the oil spending unit to be installed today, so Jack waited for the mechanic.

A few months ago a barge sank at the entrance into the Ft. Pierce inlet.  We had heard they were going to close the inlet while raising the barge. We were concerned because we were trying to get out on Wednesday afternoon. While waiting, Jack talked to the people at the Marina and of course they were raising the barge on Wednesday and Thursday.  Now we need to go out the St. Lucia inlet which is shallow.  We are beginning to wonder if we will be able to meet the kids in Marsh Harbour.

The highlight of our day was of course Stan and Sylvia joining us for dinner.  They are so interesting!!! It would take a book not a blog to write just a few of their stories. Great people!  The only regret was not getting pictures of them for my blog.  I’ve got to do better.  Greg and John are usually our photographers. 

Wine and Cheese before dinner

Tuesday March 17^th

Breakfast again on Martini!!!  Jack is really becoming a good chief!  Egg omelets even! 

We got our oil sending unit installed.  After Bill the mechanic left the boat, we starting taking pictures of the boat to post on yacht world.  We are still looking for a weather window and hoping to leave on Wednesday or Thursday.