Tabitha’s Tales

In preparation for my Atlantic crossing in Spring next year our =
(hopefully) final big purchase arrived today. It wasn’t easy to find =
an address to receive it for us and the the marina unhelpfully =
insisted that we be there to sign for it when it was delivered. This =
involved our longest ever refueling stop, in which we took as long as =
possible over every move while Elspeth was posted to look out for the =
arrival of the UPS.

All worked well except that during the visit we were targeted by =
Customs and Boarder protection who were idling around the marina in =
their launch looking for someone to harass. No less than four heavily =
armed and booted Customs officers inspected our papers before =
declaring, much to our relief, that all was in order. I suppose we are =
fortunate that this is our first surprise inspection.

The package was a powerful white LED light of the type fitted to =
navigation marks. Especially shipped from Australia it is tremendously =
bright but uses only 300 mAmps. I am hoping that, fitted at the top of =
the mast, it will provide a beacon for me to display at night when =
well offshore when I might otherwise be tempted to sail with no =
navigation lights in order to conserve electricity.

Through email and radio calls we were able to arrange to meet up again =
with the American catamaran ‘Dream Catcher’ with one girl of Elspeth’s =
age and a 13yr old boy. The children are fast friends so spent the =
entire day swimming and playing together. The boy DJ was pleased to =
swop the 6ft throwing net (which he persuaded me to buy in Beaufort, =
North Carolina and which I found impossible to cast properly) for his =
3′ net which well within my capability. By this evening he had already =
caught three fish - sad to be outdone by a 13 yr old!

The water is at last clear and warm so I was able to dive for a look =
at the hull which I found to be relatively free of weed. We have two =
sacrificial zinc anodes fitted to the outside of the hull which are =
designed to out-corrode the bronze on the hull (propeller and sea =
cocks) thus saving the bronze. I found ours to be in a shocking state. =
I had one spare aboard and fitted it but will have to source a =
replacement for the other before we sail for the Bahamas.

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After some time in the protected waters of the ICW we put to sea again =
today making 70 miles from Lake Worth to Miami and Key Biscayne- our =
terminus on the US East Coast. We navigated 1000 miles of the =
sometimes ‘thin’ waters of the Intercoastal Waterway running aground =
only once and only for a few minutes.

It wasn’t really the motoring ordeal that I had envisaged. We probably =
sailed a good third of the distance and the motoring was not too bad. =
Our only regret is that we never saw an Alligator. Maybe it was the =
time of year. We did, towards the end, see plenty of Manatees which =
was quite a treat and dolphins were common.

Today’s sail was brisk in 15 to 20 knots from the east and seas of 2 =
to 4′. It is a while since we were last on the ocean and were =
delighted to find it transformed to a deep blue and abundant with =
flying fish. We sailed within sight of shore for the entire day. A =
strip of sky scraper apartment blocks which was continuous from Palm =
Beach south for 60 miles).

This evening find us anchored under Key Biscayne with the brightly lit =
nighttime profile of Miami looking very urban and impressive on the =
horizon to the north.

Our weather window for crossing to the Bahamas has migrated to Sunday =
or Monday. Cruisers in Lake Worth told me about a weather net on =
4045kHz at 0630 (EST). We listened this morning and it sounds just the =
ticket. I’ll listen over the next few days and together with info from =
a few other sources, we will decide when to move.

We are all keen to move on to the Bahamas. It seems that we have spent =
the entire six months so far running away from the sunshine or =
struggling to keep the cold at bay. On our previous trip, swimming =
from the boat played a huge part for the girls (and the boy). This =
trip I should think we have swim no more than a half dozen times. The =
girls have been fantastic and fully deserve what awaits us in the =
Bahamas - daily swimming, fabulous sandy beaches and some of the best =
snorkeling in the world.

Today we heard that our tenants have moved out leaving our home =
unoccupied and our budget at its lowest ebb. If you know of anyone =
looking for a four month let in the Woodbridge area please let us know!

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When we told people we were coming down the ICW in a boat drawing 6ft =
many people sucked their teeth - “Well you should get through but =
you’ll touch the bottom at times”. Of course, Tabitha has already been =
through twice but I know she has grounded once or twice. The nominal =
depth is 12ft but funds to maintain the depths often runs short and we =
have had many anxious moments.

I should have known that, once I had noted aloud that we had done 1000 =
miles of ICW without touching the bottom, it would only be a matter of =
time though I didn’t expect it to be within thirty minutes. It wasn’t =
a hard grounding and we were off very soon - it will be quickly =
forgotten. I think we can be forgiven as we were nosing our way into =
last night’s anchorage (Peck Lake) with 5m underneath us when suddenly =
we had 0.5m and then nothing. Feeling around for a suitable place to =
anchor we found the most uneven bottom we have ever come across with =
depths ranging suddenly from 7m to 2m and then up again.

Tonight finds us in Palm Beach. Surely this is deep Florida but the =
weather has been most unFloridian, wet and windy. Temperatures are =
around 70 deg F.

Our sojourn in the United States is now in its end-game as we =
anxiously search every weather forecast for an opportunity to head =
across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. The Gulf Stream can be very =
rough in the wrong weather so we are looking for a very specific set =
of conditions. We though at first there may be an opportunity next =
Thursday but that seems to have disappeared but Friday may be a =
possibility or we could still be waiting this time next week.

The weather should be right for us to sail down to Miami on Tuesday so =
we can be in position to make a departure. Provisioning of the boat is =
virtually complete though we do have some mail-order items to receive =
before we can go. This is a waiting game which one person compared to =
a board game in which to make the next move you have to roll a six.

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The waterway was quiet today as the Americans are busy with =
Thanksgiving. In slowly warming temperatures we motored south, the =
rocket launch pads at Cape Canaveral clearly visible in the distance. =
With enough wind to sail we coasted along motoring when the wind died.

The high water temperature alarm sounded on the engine but luckily Sue =
was able to sail while I investigated the trouble which turned out to =
be a burst water pipe. I managed to bandage it up and refill the =
engine with fresh water. It is clearly time to replace all the water =
pipes. The engine is 14 years old so it can be no surprise. I am =
pleased that it happened here rather than in the Bahamas where we will =
have much less access to spare parts.

We are in a very shallow part of the Waterway today. A dredged channel =
is carved across a the wide India River and marked at intervals with =
green and red posts. Every now and again we loose touch with the =
channel and the echo sounder sounds its alarm. The water is a uniform =
dirty blue and it is impossible to see where the channel is. Luckily =
we have charts on a computer with GPS linked in which gives us a clue =
though as the charts are quite old they are not strictly accurate.

We wondered whether we would be able to find somewhere to anchor =
tonight as the depth outside the channel is prohibitive and anchoring =
in the channel is not allowed nor is it wise with the occasional tug =
and barge passing by in the night. Luckily, just as it got dark we =
were able to find a spot at the edge of the channel. With the locals =
busy with their Thanksgiving dinners we should be safe tonight of all =
nights.

We have reached mile 947 of the 1100 miles between Norfolk where we =
joined the Waterway and Miami where we will leave it. It is a great =
relief to have the end in sight though with several hops out onto the =
ocean, it hasn’t been quite the ordeal we had feared.

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Whilst I hope that Elspeth and Peta will have lasting memories of our =
trip to Disney World, Florida, I am hoping that memories of the cost =
will fade as soon as possible. Disney’s Magic Kingdom certainly =
conjured a number of stark contrasts with our cruising life beyond the =
shear expense of the day which sits uncomfortably with our normally =
frugal habits.

Of course this was not our first visit to a theme park. We visited =
Disney Land, Paris on our last visit. This time, the girls are three =
years older and were prepared for the more adventurous roller coaster =
rides though none of these achieved the levels of fear and thrill =
afforded by sailing in a force 7 or rounding Cape Sable in thick fog =
and 10 knots over the ground.

I wasn’t sorry to leave Daytona and press on despite the chill which =
bought rare flurries of snow to the town last night (or so the radio =
says). Tonight we are at anchor close to Cape Canaveral. It is the eve =
of Thanksgiving and we notice that the waters are unusually quiet. =
Thanksgiving is very much a family affair so many American cruisers =
have left their boats in marinas while they fly home to eat Turkey and =
Pumpkin pie.

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I think you need a car to make the most of Daytona, Florida. We =
arrived here yesterday and anchored in the wide river which separates =
Daytona Beech (famous for its 25 miles of sand and surf) and the main =
town of Daytona (famous for its race track). I think we agree that it =
certainly ranks among the worst places we have visited in America.

The decline started about 10 miles south of St Augustine as Florida =
became more and more like Florida. Very gaudy new houses with =
expensive toys parked outside and tied to the docks belonging to each =
house. I suspect that the development will continue along the coastal =
strip and last all the way to Miami several hundred miles to the =
south. It is noticeable that we have received rather less =
consideration from passing motorboats than we have in other parts of =
the country. There are notices around the harbor warning of boat =
thefts so we are locking the boat for the the first time this trip =
(except New York).

It is November 20 (we are in America after all!) and the sun, when it =
shines is HOT so we are not complaining about any of the above. I saw =
a Manatee yesterday and the solar panel seems to be working well.

We are in for some nasty weather for the next couple of days. It won’t =
bother us tomorrow though as we are renting a car and driving to =
Orlando. In Paris on our last trip we were also able to visit =
Disneyland so there is a certain symmetry to our visit. We thought =
long and hard about whether or not to go. It is an expensive visit but =
then we’ll only come this way once! Before we get there though we have =
a very wet ride in the dinghy with winds expected to be gusting to =
gale force. Temperatures should be back up in the mid-seventies by =
towards the end of the week.

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Our second day in St Augustine and we have made some progress in =
preparing the boat for the next stage of our journey. ‘Sailor’s =
Exchange’ a chandlery specializing in secondhand boat stuff agreed to =
accept delivery of our new solar panel which we ordered from a company =
in Arizona. It was with great excitement that we went along this =
afternoon to pick it up. It is 57 by 26 inches so no tiddler.

We wanted some stuff from the exchange so took along the hand cranked =
sewing machine which we exchanged for $50 of stuff including new =
charts for a part of the Bahamas for which we have only electronic =
charts. We were very satisfied with the deal as we can put the space =
freed-up by the removal of the sewing machine to good use storing the =
60Ib of rice and 20Ib of beans that I bought to supplement our =
supplies.

St Augustine is certainly a beautiful town and very reminiscent of the =
Mediterranean which is quite refreshing for us. The town was the first =
Roman Catholic settlement in the US and we payed a visit to the =
Catholic Basilica. A very enriching experience which made us realize =
how, although the sailing life affords us many beautiful natural =
visual experiences, it is possible to miss the extended pallet and =
more sophisticated visual language of the artist. It must have been =
the same for the common man working from dawn to dusk before the days =
of electric light when visual culture and music helped draw people =
into church. Perhaps surprisingly, this was the first American church =
to draw us in. Others seem to lack appeal - often located, like the =
supermarkets, out of town on the long drive-through shopping boulevards.

We are anchored under the Spanish castle which tomorrow has a =
reenactment of one of its many sieges and later there is the grand =
turning on of the Christmas lights! Weather permitting, we sail on =
Sunday.

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After all of our preparations we had a peaceful night with nothing =
more than a strong blow and a bit of rain. Of course it took ages to =
get the anchors back in this morning. Likely we had only swung around =
the once so it wasn’t too much a of a tangle.

Now we are safely at anchor in St Augustine which is to be our home =
for the next few days.

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Several visitors to Cumberland Island said they saw the wild turkeys =
but our exotic animal sightings were limited to the wild horses (they =
didn’t look that angry to me!) and lots of Armadillos. We were of =
course, particularly excited to see the Armadillos which we British =
normally only ever see in zoos. (Today we are on the look out for =
Manatees but have already past through one Manatee zone without seeing =
one).

We were also excited by the forest which was made up of old knurled =
Live Oaks with vines and moss hanging down and an under story of =
palmettos. We visited Dungeness which was the summer ‘cottage’ of the =
Carnegie family in the first half of the 20th century. It burnt down =
in 1949 so we could only visit the ruins. We also loved the beaches =
which have a
very fine white sand which is characteristic of the Georgia Bite and =
Florida.

We arrived in Florida, our final US State this morning. We have now =
visited all of the US States on the eastern seaboard. We plan to stop =
in St Augustine for a few days where we hope to do the almost final =
provisioning and equipping of the boat for the Bahamas and the =
Atlantic crossing. Waiting for us there should be a 130W solar panel =
which we hope will give us around 20 amps per day and tip the balance =
of our daily electrical deficit.

Because everything is very expensive in the Bahamas (beer is $50 US =
per case!) we need to take as much as we can with us. We have already =
filled most of our lockers keeping a log of all of our supplies and =
their locations on the computer. It is amazing how much a family of =
four need for four months. We are now thinking that I might sail home =
from the Bahamas so we also need to provision and prepare the boat =
for that. It won’t be cheap or easy to obtain things I need for the =
crossing when we have leave the US which could be in as little as 2 =
weeks time!

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Several visitors to Cumberland Island said they saw the wild turkeys =
but our exotic animal sightings were limited to the wild horses (they =
didn’t look that angry to me!) and lots of Armadillos. We were of =
course, particularly excited to see the Armadillos which we British =
normally only ever see in zoos. (Today we are on the look out for =
Manatees but have already past through one Manatee zone without seeing =
one).

We were also excited by the forest which was made up of old knurled =
Live Oaks with vines and moss hanging down and an under story of =
palmettos. We visited Dungeness which was the summer ‘cottage’ of the =
Carnegie family in the first half of the 20th century. It burnt down =
in 1949 so we could only visit the ruins. We also loved the beaches =
which have a
very fine white sand which is characteristic of the Georgia Bite and =
Florida.

We arrived in Florida, our final US State this morning. We have now =
visited all of the US States on the eastern seaboard. We plan to stop =
in St Augustine for a few days where we hope to do the almost final =
provisioning and equipping of the boat for the Bahamas and the =
Atlantic crossing. Waiting for us there should be a 130W solar panel =
which we hope will give us around 20 amps per day and tip the balance =
of our daily electrical deficit.

Because everything is very expensive in the Bahamas (beer is $50 US =
per case!) we need to take as much as we can with us. We have already =
filled most of our lockers keeping a log of all of our supplies and =
their locations on the computer. It is amazing how much a family of =
four need for four months. We are now thinking that I might sail home =
from the Bahamas so we also need to provision and prepare the boat =
for that. It won’t be cheap or easy to obtain things I need for the =
crossing when we have leave the US which could be in as little as 2 =
weeks time!

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