Brunswick GA to Fort Lauderdale FL

Leaving Hidden Harbor Marina

It's been some time, eh?  Nearly a month home doing winterizations on boats and celebrating and so forth, all of which have nothing to do sailing but everything to do with life and fun.  So, eventually I returned to Pelican in Brunswick GA at the Hidden Harbor Marina.

I had a couple of days to get ready for a very special visitor, Lynn, who had volunteered to come with me to Fort Lauderdale - usually a very pleasant trip...

Before I continue, though, I have to thank David, the owner of Hidden Harbor Marina, who was kind enough to take Pelican in for a month.  Although you're not allowed to live aboard there, the docks are nice, it's well protected, and there are people who look after the boats.  It's a good in-water storage place.

Also, I have to thank Lee and Karen who provided much love and support and allowed me to borrow their extra car to drive to Connecticut and back, as well as to provision and generally carry on.  Great people!

Lynn and I left Saturday, December 9th, around 10 in the morning from Hidden Harbor Marina with
Lee and Karen doing dock crew service.  It was a cloudy and overcast day, around 45 degrees or so.  We decided to go inside based on the weather service's prediction of 30kts offshore.  The plan was to get to Fernandina Beach, FL.  We motored and motor-sailed when we could.

As we passed south of Jekyll Island we found the wind out of the east, but nowhere near 30kts.  Still, at that point, it's shorter inside.  Eventually we got to Fernandina Beach and found only one of the marinas actually in complete service - and that was full.  One was completely destroyed and the other partially so.  It was still early, around 4pm, so we continued on to Amelia Island Marina, just on the island side of the bridge.

Sunset at Amelia Island Marina

We met Steve, the Dockmaster, just before he left for the day - he showed us around and proudly pointed out the completely rebuilt heads.  They're beautiful!  We had been pretty cold for most of the day - and were ready for hot showers in those beautiful, warm facilities.  A lovely dinner on board and the heater running during the night made the stay pretty much alright.

The plan was to get going early in the morning so we could get to St. Augustine early enough to walk around town.  When we got up, there was ice on the docks!  Ice!  In Florida!  Arrrgh!

Hello from sunny Florida!

So we were all ready to go at 7:30, engine running, untied, on our way out.  Well, no.  We were aground.  Dead low tide, but there was supposed to be water enough.  Ok, wait until 8:30.  Off we go.  No, we don't.  There's a bar about six feet behind the slip.  We're not going anywhere.  Ok, let's go for a walk.  9:30 - off we go, still bumping behind the slip, but after that all good.

It's a beautiful day!  It got up to 48 degrees so we could remove one or two layers.  There's not a lot else to say, except we got into St. Augustine Municipal Marina around quarter to six as the sun was setting.  We're getting pretty good at coming into places nearly at dark...

Christmas in the Slave Market

The marina had lots of damage from Irma.  There's power at the fuel dock and a couple of slips at the end and there's power on the first finger and northern dock.  But most of the marina is without.  You'd think they'd give a break to people who take slips without power, but no.  I think I'll be using a different marina the next time I come through.

Lynn and I went to dinner at La Pentola - I had been there before and wanted to see if it was as good as before.  Also, fancy-ish.  It's good, a little pricy, and the sommelier is more inclined to push their wines than recommend good ones.   But otherwise, a very pleasant evening.

Lynn wanted to go out to breakfast (an activity I find extremely agreeable)

Bridge of Lions lion

in the morning so we went to the Athena Restaurant, right on the north side of the Market.  When we got up to go to the heads, I met and started talking with the owners of Venture Lady,  Andy and Allison who were also going there.  We all went together and had a terrific time!  They've brought Venture Lady from the U.K. and were off to the Bahamas.

We decided to cruise together until they left to go out from Cape Canaveral Canal.  Anyway, shortly after leaving St. Augustine, in an effort to avoid a TowBoat U.S. boat towing a sailboat very erratically.  It was way too close to the edge of the channel, and the towed boat was telling him the water was a bit thin.  It was because in no time at all  Pelican was stuck fast.

Our friends on Venture Lady passed us with a wave and a commiseration.  Finally, as I was getting ready to kedge us off, a couple of powerboats came by and their wake got me off far enough to be underway again.

A little while later, sadly, Venture Lady hit a sand bar and Allison got a little bit injured - not seriously but enough to raise a welt on her face.  Fortunately, we were still in radio contact and they gave us the way through the very narrow channel.

Sunset, Daytona Beach

We all anchored just north of Seabreeze Blvd bridge on the east side - A nice anchorage with a good seven to eight feet.  Andy and Allison came over for cocktails which turned into dinner and drinks.  Eventually we all needed some sleep and so they left and we didn't.

The next morning we got underway around 8.  We made it to the Coronado Beach Bridge around 10 in brilliantly clear and warmish weather.  Shortly after New Symrna Beach we had the wind to motor sail down to Haulover Cut.  It was beautiful!  Then it as we turned into the cut, the wind was on the nose and it was 20-25kts.  From that point on, the wind was on the nose or too close to sail.

Haulover Cut Bascule Bridge

We got down to the Addison Point Bridge early-ish, and decided to
anchor since the bridge wouldn't open until 5pm.  So rather than anchor, wait, and then re-anchor in the dark we just stayed.  Venture Lady caught up with us and decided to stay, too.  So, cocktails on Venture Lady!  Woohoo!  A good time was had by all.

The next morning we wanted to get underway early enough to make it to Ft. Pierce anchorage and the 8 am opening of the Addison Point Bridge.  Weighed anchor and headed towards bridge.  Engine sucking air again.  What the hell?   Changed the filter element - sort of helped us get through the bridge at 9.  But engine still running badly.  Raised sails, left Lynn at the helm - bypassed everything again.  Engine runs fine.  Sails down in lightening breeze.  Headed to Telemar Marina for fuel.

While there, I changed the last thing - the fuel shutoff valve.  Started the engine, frightening amount of air.  But it slowed down, finally stopped. No more air.  Been running fine ever since.

Manatees in Telemar Marina

But the very cool thing was the manatee pair we saw near the fuel dock!  The water was clear and Lynn got some very good pictures!  I've never seen them so clearly.  It appeared to be a mother and calf.  Hard to tell, though.  They came to see if the splashing water from the exhaust was fresh (they love that).

With only 45 minutes lost to this fueling and repair, we were off again.  Because of our issues with the engine, we lost two hours and found a beautiful anchorage just north of Vero Beach - 7 feet of water and quiet and calm and dark with almost no light pollution, in good holding ground.  Oddly, we could hear Interstate 95.  When I anchor, I always have a look for points I'll see even at night to check we're not dragging.  One was a building on shore.  I commented to Lynn that it was odd no one was home even as dark fell.

It was a lovely evening.  Watched the stars, sunset, and more.  Saw satellites and shooting stars.  The water was like glass. And for the first time we weren't freezing!  It was a pleasant night.  The next morning as I was raising the anchor I saw the building.  There was a good reason for no one being home - it was completely wrecked.  A deteriorating hulk.  That explains Lynn's look when I mentioned no one was home...

We had a plan to stop at Manatee Pocket for the evening, but since we arrived there around 2 pm we decided to continue on to Lake Worth.  As we passed Vero into Ft. Pierce we saw three manatees who had been mentioned on the VHF.  They like the channel, apparently.

Jupiter Inlet Light and Museum

By 4 pm, we had gotten to Jupiter Inlet and spent the next hour and a half waiting for bridges - thankfully the Donald Ross Bridge tender helped us out by extending the opening for us - we got the 5 pm opening and made the other two bridges in fine fettle.   We arrived at Old Port Cove Marina at 6:20 - in the dark again.  But they gave us the easiest in and out slip possible - directly in front of the entrance, inside the T-head.

We went to dinner at the local restaurant which was really very good - a little pricey, but everything was done right and the waitstaff was attentive and friendly.  An easy place to go.  The marina was like new, good, sturdy, and wide docks.  Clean.  And very fairly priced for the area.  Recommended.

Friday arrived and we decided for the last day to take it easy - I mean, we only had like 40 miles to go and figured we'd have a walk, a little breakfast (at the express place across the hall from the restaurant - we should have made our own, frankly. Yuck.)

We got ourselves together and left the dock at 9.  I had to check in before that because we'd arrived after the staff went home.  Anyway, got a bottle of wine for our trouble and a good discount.  Nice people, and I'd definitely go there again.

Back to our trip.

The marina is only a few miles from the Lake Worth inlet.  And then, poof!  Into the Atlantic!  Sadly, there was no wind to speak of.  So off we motored under a brilliant blue sky and calm seas.   Other than the beauty of the trip, nothing to report.  Everything worked fine.

Entering Fort Lauderdale going under the 17th Ave Bridge

We entered Port Everglades around 4:30 but had to wait until 6 pm to go up the New River.  Hah.  We took our time and motored over to the entrance to Bahia Mar and waited for three quarters of an hour.  A police boat came alongside and asked if we were all right.  I said I was waiting to go up the New River when the bridges would open again.  He said he didn't see many sailboats where I was.  What do you say to that?  I said, "Merry Christmas!"

So now it was 6 and time to go up the New River as darkness was falling.  Truthfully, it was only 40 minutes and 4 bridges, but it was the longest 40 minutes of my life.  The New River is narrow, with very expensive vessels on either side and big boats coming and going, like Jungle Queen - a tourist party boat.  But apparently my inexperience showed because the bridge tenders were kind, held bridges, talked us through and generally showed extreme patience.  The commercial boats and professional captains were equally polite.

Entering the New River at Sunset

Up at Davie Blvd bridge I pulled off the river to let the big boats do their thing and they were thankful.  What a pleasure.  Nothing like the bridge tender in Old Saybrook who won't open the bridge if you don't call it the "Old Lyme Railroad Bascule Bridge" instead of the Amtrak bridge or Saybrook Bascule bridge even though it is the ONLY Amtrak bridge for miles and it's the ONLY bascule bridge in Old Saybrook.   But that's a different story.

So we made it!  Laura and Cory had dinner ready for us - good friends and great food.  Nice to be here.  Now work on Pelican begins.

Derelict boat recovery

We saw, during our travels, a couple of barges full of wrecked boats - and in Little Lake Worth (Old Port Cove Marina) the recovery crane and tugs.  Apparently a non-profit corporation has been set up to remove storm damaged boats and dispose of them.  This is truly great!  I hope the work can continue.  Sad to see so many wrecked boats, but good to see them removed.