Home Port

From Sea Bright to Sarasota, 1,700 miles, 31 days on the water, and countless "special" moments, we have finally reached our home port at the Sarasota Yacht Club!

After two relaxing days at the South Seas Yacht Harbor on Captiva Island, we departed this morning around 930 am for our 75 mile trip up the Gulf coast to Sarasota. The winds were light, the seas were calm, the sky was clear, the sun was bright..... basically, it was a perfect day to be on the water. We decided to stay "inside" the ICW only so we could unwind from what had been (at times) a hectic journey. With appropriate "boat music" playing from the stereo, we simply enjoyed the serenity of the water and the occasional dolphin dancing in our wake. 

Almost home. Sarasota on the horizon

Here is a recap and some data from our trip.

Total Distance: 1,736 miles

Days on the Water: 31

Fuel consumed: 1,469 gallons of diesel

Average GPH: 18.7

Sea Bright, NJ - Cape May, NJ: 145 miles 5 hours

Cape May, NJ - St. Michael's, MD: 148 miles 6 hours

St. Michaels, MD - Annapolis, MD: 30 miles, 1.5 hours

Annapolis, MD - Norfolk, VA: 166 miles, 6 hours

Norfolk, VA - Coinjock, NC: 55 miles, 5 hours

Coinjock, NC - Beaufort, NC: 152 miles, 7 hours

Beaufort, NC -  Wrightsville Beach, NC: 82 miles 6 hours

Wrightsville Beach, NC - Georgetown, SC: 119 miles, 8.5 hours

Georgetown, SC - Hilton Head, SC: 162 miles, 7.5 hours

Hilton Head, SC - Jacksonville Beach, FL: 182 miles, 8 hours

Jacksonville Beach, FL - Cocoa Beach, FL: 151 miles, 8 hours

Cocoa Beach, FL - Stuart, FL: 108 miles, 4.5 hours

Stuart, FL - Captiva Island: 160 miles, 10.5 hours

Captiva, FL - Sarasota, FL: 75 miles, 4.5 hours

Okeechobee Waterway - Finally!

October 10^th:  There are 5 locks on the Okeechobee Waterway with the #1 lock (St. Lucie) and the #5 lock (WP Franklin) operating on a restricted schedule of 7am - 1pm - 7pm daily. In order to "make it" from one end to the other, you have to do it in six hours (or wait for a total of 12 hours)

So this morning, we left Stuart, FL at 5:45 am in the dark, slowly and carefully working our way up the St. Lucie River, navigation lights on, spot light over the bow targeting the next marker.

Pre-dawn approach to the first lock

 We made the #1 Lock with about 10 minutes to spare. The best way to understand what the locks do is "lift" you about 8 feet up toward Lake Okeechobee (which is Indian for "Big Water") -- in fact it is the second largest fresh water lake in the USA next to Lake Michigan! There are a total of total of 5 locks to get from the east to west coast (2 "lifts" and 3 "lowers"). The timing was critical -- had there been just ONE hiccup along the route and as little as 15 minutes delay, we would be spending the night among the Bubba's and alligators.

The Admiral handling lines and fenders

Flooding the lock

Some 6 hours after we entered the 1st lock at 7 am, we had reached the final lock on the waterway that would grant us freedom to the Gulf of Mexico and me redemption for waking the Admiral at 530 this morning. It was actually a very beautiful and relaxing day, as we saw scores of Osprey, Eagles, Dolphins, Manatees and even the occasional alligator along the waters edge. 

Crossing Lake Okeechobee

Locking out of Lake Okeechobee

We decided to press on past Ft. Myers (our original planned stop for the day) and headed another 45 miles to Captiva Island and one of our very favorite places anywhere, the South Seas Yacht Harbor. We basically have the place to ourselves and are docked at a location where the bow of the boat faces the Gulf of Mexico and the stern faces the Intracoastal Waterway. We are going to stay here a couple of days to relax and unwind before heading to our final destination in Sarasota.

Tucked in for the night at South Seas, Captiva

You Can't Mess with Mother Nature

It seems Mother Nature has put a slight alteration in our plans this weekend. 

After a rocking and rolling night at the dock in windy Stuart last night, I wasn't quite sure what the morning would bring. With a close eye on the weather I had hopes we might get in front of the high pressure system that was impacting the entire eastern coast of Florida. Winds were about 15 knots early this morning which isn't all that bad considering we would be in the Okeechobee Waterway canals for much of the trip west. The main concern was running the actual lake, which is about 35 miles across the middle and an expansive and exposed body of water. But to do that, we had to get through two locks on the east side first, and then three more locks on the west side. 

About 8am there appeared to be a small but good weather window for us to cross Okeechobee. So we left Sunset Bay and headed west. As we approached the St. Lucie lock and requested lockage we were informed that they had just put the locks on restricted openings and would only open three times during the day at 7am, 1pm, 7pm. Unfortunately, I didn't know that until we arrived at the lock at 830am. Since the weather still seemed cooperative, we decided to wait.  We dropped the anchor (yes, right in the middle of the canal), shut down the engines and just sat there.  

However, within the next 2 hours, the winds started to pick up, and the forecast was revised from 15-20 knot winds to 20-30 knots and gusts approaching gale force (40+ mph) with LOTS of rain. That changed everything. So, as much as we tried to beat it, Mother Nature won out and we returned to Stuart for another rocking night (or two) before we try again. It looks like now, Sunday is going to be even worse, so Monday may be our next chance to attempt the crossing.

Winds at 40mph moving west

Out Running the Weather

Thursday morning we left Jacksonville Beach bright and early and headed south, not really sure where we would end the day. The winds were continuing to build and while we remained "inside" the ICW, there are large and long open sections of water that allow it to fetch-up into a real nasty chop. Since the wind was coming mostly from the east, we had to endure the waves abeam the entire way. Between the salt water splashing and the occasional rainstorm squall, the windshield wipers were a welcome (and needed) piece of equipment.

It seems the longer we traveled, the further we wanted to go just to try and get out of the worst of the incoming weather. So we went past St. Augustine, Daytona, New Smyrna, and Titusville, finally arriving at Cocoa Beach at 400 that afternoon. Being able to travel at 30 mph cruise and not have to wait for most bridges (since we only need 15 feet of clearance), allowed us to travel over 160 miles yesterday. We arrived and docked in 18 mph winds without even a "bump" as we worked our way into the slip. I am starting to get the hang of the new Zeus drives and joystick control... and I like it! We had dinner at a surprisingly excellent restaurant in Cocoa Village (Ulysses Prime Steakhouse) and along with a bottle of really good red wine, we were ready to call it a early night.

This morning (Friday) we awoke to a violent thunderstorm, winds at 30 knots, and rain going sideways. It lasted about an hour (along with the power going out) before moving past us. I thought for sure that meant we would be spending another day and night in Cocoa and perhaps another visit to Ulysses'. I was also concerned that since we were just and hour drive from our home in Orlando, that a mutiny could be in the making. But within the hour, things calmed down, the sun came out (sort of) and the seas appeared reasonable. We fired up ENCORE's engines and headed out, hoping that we could make it to Stuart, FL and the start of the Okeechobee Waterway. Once again, we had those "choppy" conditions but both the boat and the crew seemed to be tolerating it well. :)

We arrived at Sunset Bay Marina about 130pm in just under 5 hours. While the wind continues to build (forecasts call for 25-30 from the east with gust to gale force) we are safely tucked in the St. Lucie River and the start of the Okeechobee Waterway headed west. Given the current forecast, I'm not sure if we will attempt to cross tomorrow or not. Then again, this is Florida, and that could all look different in the morning.

Sunset Bay Marina

South Carolina to Florida in a Day

We had an absolutely delightful evening at Harbortown Yacht Basin in Hilton Head watching a beautiful sunset over the harbor as the last of the golfers making their approach shots to the 18th green.

We departed Hilton Head at 715am and under bright sunny skies headed south down the ICW. Today's journey took us through the "low country" of South Carolina and the ever-meandering rivers, creeks and canals of Georgia. In fact we went south, and east, and west, and even north as we traversed the convoluted waters and sounds. As I told you in my last log, we planned to get to Fernandina Beach, FL today as the forecast winds are expected to become rather strong and out of the E-NE. That means ENCORE would be exposed to the open inlets and sounds with head seas forecast at 5-8 feet. Not a good way to spend the day.

We finally reached Fernandina Beach about 230pm only to discover that BOTH the nearby petroleum plant and paper mill were working full bore and with the strong NE winds and were blowing a rather unattractive scent right over the marina. The Admiral gave me one of "those looks" with a slightly turned up nose. It seemed that Fernandina would NOT be our next port of call. In all fairness, the other driving force in continuing on was we could get through all the open sounds and cross the St. John's River today and it would minimize any wind we might have to deal with the next few days.

So we continued down the ICW and reached Jacksonville Beach around 430 this afternoon. After 9 hours on the water and 175 miles (our longest distance yet), we are looking forward to celebrating our arrival into the Sunshine State with a margarita (or two) and a good nights rest. We will probably start out again early tomorrow and finish the day somewhere around Daytona Beach.

Entering the St. John's River

Jacksonville Beach, FL

A Great Day on the Water

What a wonderful day on the Intracoastal Waterway!

This morning we left Georgetown, SC at "first light" for what was to be a long day on the water to Beaufort, SC. We basically had the ICW to ourselves except for the occasional fishing boat, marina or dock that we needed to slow down for. The sun was out bright, the winds were calm, and we had all the windows and hatches open for fresh air and the sound of water passing under the hull. A truly delightful day. 

But there was something haunting me because I knew the weather south of us was about to change in the next few days. In fact, the forecast calls for strong winds along the Georgia-Florida coast this weekend and into early next week. That would coincide with our travel through some of the open sounds to the Atlantic Ocean that no doubt would be rough and unpleasant. So, as we approached Beaufort today, we decided to keep going for another hour or two, which landed us at Harbortown (Hilton Head), SC. This is one of my favorite stops along the ICW anyway, so it's nice to be able to enjoy their southern hospitality one more time.

From here, we are going to run all the way to Florida tomorrow (Fernandina Beach) and try to get ahead of some of the forecast wind and ensuing rough seas.

Sunset over Hilton Head Yacht Harbor

Detour Day

Last night we actually had to turn the heat on the boat as the temperatures dropped to 43 degrees at Wrightsville Beach. When morning came, it was clear, sunny, windy and rather "brisk" as we departed for our daylong trip to Georgetown, SC. 

Since it was Monday (and cold), there were fewer boaters on the water, so we were able to move along quite nicely without many "no wake zones", fishermen or homes and docks with boats still in the water. As the sun rose and began to warm things up, we opened the sky-roof hatches on ENCORE and cracked the side windows to enjoy the beautiful Fall weather and salty air.

We were making great time when we reached the first of two bridges that we would need to have opened to continue south for the day. The Little River Swing Bridge is only 7 feet off the water, but normally opens "on demand" for boat traffic. Accordingly, we hailed the bridge tender and requested an opening -- it was 1145am. He said he would open it as soon as traffic cleared. About ten minutes later we saw him drop the traffic barriers and sound the alarm for the opening. We got ourselves ready to pass when all of a sudden, we see the barriers go back UP and traffic starts to cross the bridge again. What was that all about? So we patiently waited another 10 minutes when the bridge tender went through the exact same process. Stops traffic, barriers lowered, alarmed sounds...... and yep, once again he raises the barriers and traffic crosses the bridge yet again. I finally couldn't take it anymore and ask as politely as I am capable, "what the hell was going on?" (well, I didn't really say that, but I'm sure the tone of my voice sounded that way). He said he was having trouble getting the barriers lowered and locked which were required before he could open the bridge. He said he had called the "main office" but it would be at least two hours before they could have someone there to try and fix it and wasn't sure how long it would take to repair.

Not having many alternatives available to us, we decided to back track about 5 miles and go out the Little River Inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. I called Capt Keith to confirm this was doable, and he gave me the green light (and a few tips for both inlets) for the offshore run. While it was a longer distance, if we could get outside we could try to still reach our destination for the night by coming in the Winyaw Bay Inlet and head north to Georgetown. Because the wind was coming from the NW, we stayed reasonably close to the shore line (about 2 miles) to try and minimize the waves. It actually ended up being a  beautiful run down the Atlantic with 1 foot following seas, music on the radio, windows open and happy to have the "trouble" behind us.

We arrived in Georgetown around 5 o'clock, refueled ENCORE and after a quick wash-down, we walked into town for dinner at the River Cafe where we enjoyed some Carolina Shrimp n'Grits, Collard Greens with pepper sauce and a well deserved cocktail (or two) for the Captain and Admiral.

Tomorrow is one of our scheduled "long" days as we head to Beaufort (this one pronounced "BEW-fert") South Carolina. Hopefully, it was not be as eventful as today!

Offshore run from Little River Inlet to Winyaw Bay Inlet

Carolina "Shrimp 'n Grits"

Collard greens and pepper sauce!

Georgetown, SC

ROCK ON.... All night long!

Upon returning to the boat from a wonderful dinner in Beaufort, NC Friday night, we were just settling in to watch some TV and begin our preparations for the next morning departure when I heard those oh too familiar words coming from an loudspeaker on at Dock House Bar.... "Check 1,2,3.... Mic check 1,2,3."  Little did I know when we chose this marina, that Friday night at the Beaufort docks has a weekend tradition of highlighting local rock bands which draws an interesting crowd of "Bubbas and Bitches" (their words, not mine).  Only problem was they were less than 200 feet from our slip playing really LOUD and really BAD music until 1am!!!  What a night.

Saturday morning, the first of October, brought us a new day with a definitive change in the weather as a cold front came through overnight. The temperatures dropped into the 40s at night with daytime highs in the mid 60s. Brisk 15 knot winds out of the NW gave us our first hint of Fall weather and a reminder why we were headed to Florida! We left Beaufort under bright sunny skies dressed in sweatshirts instead of T-shirts.

After a beautiful, sun-filled cruise down the NC coast, we arrived in Wrightsville Beach late that afternoon. After getting the boat and ourselves cleaned up from a salt spray day on the water, we were greeted by Capt Keith and his lovely wife Gail. After all these years of communicating with Keith on the Meridian Yacht Owners Forum, emails and phone calls, it was great to finally put a face with the name. We spent two days there and enjoyed the surrounding area, beach and restaurants.

Tomorrow we head into South Carolina with a planned overnight stay in Georgetown about 125 miles south.

A beautiful sight!

Shrimp boats

Sunset at Wrightsville Beach, NC