Kent Island, MD - Summer Home Port

Well, we did it! Our 1,300 mile boat trip is now complete!!

As you have probably figured out, we opted to stay two days in Portsmouth to allow some of this nasty weather to move around us. We spent yesterday just "puttering" around the boat, running a few errands and walking over to the Portsmouth Naval Museum -- which, while small, was done extremely well. I just love all that maritime stuff!

By waiting a day we had light winds out of the SE today for our 160 mile journey out of Norfolk up the Chesapeake Bay. Actually, it would have more accurate to call it Lake Chesapeake today as the seas were calm and most pleasant. It was indeed a final treat for our final day.

But that's not where the treat ended. It seems my younger brother and his wife (who live just over the Maryland line in Pennsylvania) had been following us in real time on our SPOT tracker, so when were just about 5 miles from our final destination, I got a text that said "Don't eat lunch, we are on our way to meet you -- bringing crab cakes and National Boh". And so, with great enjoyment we all ate on board ENCORE our first Maryland meal with G&M crab cakes (the best!), some champagne and some cold National Boh in the cooler. First class welcome!

I have to take just a moment to thank and acknowledge The Admiral for her very able assistance and companionship over the past two weeks. It's not many women who would put up with all this boating stuff, but fortunately for me, we share a common love of the water, a sense of adventure and genuinely enjoy this special time together. 

So now we have docked ENCORE for the final time (at least for this journey) and are looking forward to our "summer home" here on Kent Island visiting good friends and family. We do plan to travel back and forth from Maryland to Florida (by airplane!) and of course, to Connecticut over the next few months. 

Then….. well, who knows what we'll do next! 

Portsmouth / Norfolk, VA

Finally --a decent day on the water! (but it won't last long).

Today we traveled a mere 50 miles from Coinjock NC to Norfolk, VA. But it took us FIVE HOURS to cover the same distance we could normally do in 90 minutes. The reason is due to one of the most congested areas of the waterway with restricted bridge openings and a lock that only opens hourly on the half hour. So you have to be willing to pace yourself (in other words, slow down) so don't you get to the next bridge opening too early and have to sit around and wait. Then, there are a few places, where you need to make sure you're a little early, as the bridge tenders don't wait for you for even 30 seconds. So it's a bit of a game to navigate each section "just right". Oh yeah, and then there are the 300 foot commercial barges being pushed by 60 foot tugs down a narrow and shallow channel that you have to pass (coming and going).

Looking back on a beautiful day

The Admiral handling the lines at Great Bridge Lock

Even still, the wind inside the ICW today was relatively benign except for those moments when we had to wait our turn to pass under a bridge or enter the lock. And when stopped and waiting, it is easy to drift with the current and the wind requiring constant attention to maneuver the boat back into position. But that is where the coolest piece of technology on ENCORE pays for itself. It is called "Skyhook", which when activated, takes the boats exact GPS position and heading and then automatically "holds" that position without any oversight or manual intervention from the Captain. It makes the waiting a whole lot easier and less stressful, not to mention the "wow factor" by other boaters who see us basically hover in the water.

So now we are tied up at the Tidewater Yacht Basin on the Portsmouth side of the city. Based on the forecast for tomorrow however (strong winds and rain all day with 3 head foot seas), I think we may just stay and two nights here before our final long 160 mile run up the Chesapeake Bay. The forecast for Wednesday is for light and variable winds out of the south with waves 1 foot or less -- and that would be a really nice reward for our final day.

Looking toward Norfolk and the Elizabeth River from Portsmouth

Coinjock, NC

After a great dinner at the River Dunes Club, the Admiral thoroughly enjoyed her "land side" night in the marina cottage complete with king size bed, a big soaking tub, HDTV, and no wave action (or any other kind of action). It's a good thing too, because today she had to endure one of the worst days yet!

First of all. I want to assure all of you, that while we never in any danger today, we had one of the most unpleasant trips from Oriental NC to Coinjock NC. I am sure you are ALL getting rather weary of our "lousy weather" reports and conditions, but this is one for the record books and WILL NOT be repeated by this Captain again. 

Knowing that that the forecast winds and seas were to continue to be out of the NE at 20-25 knots with gusts to 35 knots, we decided to try and get out ahead of the worst of it early this morning. As we entered the open waters of the Neuse River we were greeted with 3-5 foot waves right on the nose. We were only out in it for about 7 miles (with seas splashing not only over the bow, but over the entire boat) when I seriously contemplated something I have never done before -- turning around. I asked the Admiral how she was doing and what she thought we should do -- maybe it was the nice bath and good night's rest the night before, but she said, "whatever you want to do, I am fine". 

And so we persevered on, knowing that there were a number of places ahead where we would be in well protected waters and calm seas. But that didn't last long when we finally had to cross Albermarle Sound - a notorious nasty body of water. Today, it was very rough, very angry, and very unpleasant. Even the Captain got a little "green" but managed to keep it together.

But we finally made it to Coinjock, NC -- perhaps the most unusual, smallest, best equipped, great little restaurant, funky marina along the entire route of the ICW. The restaurant is known for their 32 oz prime rib, but I think tonight, given the days adventure calls for something a little more "moderate" -- like maybe 16 oz?

Oriental, NC

Good grief!

Another day of strong winds out of the NE, which meant rough seas on our nose all day long. Some of the protected waterway was quite tolerable, but much of the open rivers and sounds continued to beat us up. Even the local folks throughout the Carolinas can't believe how miserable (and how long) the wether has been,

We left Wrightsville Beach, NC this morning at 730am trying to plan our travel to hit the three bridges (with restricted times) that we needed to have opened "right on time". Between the distance between the points, the speed of the boat, the winds and the number of boats on the ICW (even on a lousy weather Saturday) that we had to slow down for, it was indeed a challenge. But make them we did, and with as much a 5 minutes to spare! 

One of the more interesting places we crossed today was the LIVE FIRING RANGE at Camp Lejune. This is where they fire real munitions over the ICW to hit practice targets on the outer reef islands. Large warning signs, flashing lights and well armed patrol boats always make this section of the waterway a bit surreal. Fortunately, today we went through without issue and without any "close calls"!!!!

One of the more "challenging" moments was after we passed Moorehead City, NC and had to traverse a narrow cut between Beaufort and Oriental. When we travel at "idle speed" ENCORE typicallly moves at about 6 mph. Today, the tide in that cut was coming in at max flood, which meant for us the current was running against us at about 4 knots. The wind was also blowing on the bow at 20 knots, which created an additional opposing force. So as we had to navigate much of the cut at "IDLE SPEED - NO WAKE ZONE" -- the boat was actually sitting still, if not going backwards!!! Needless to say, I quickly determined that today was a "screw the no wake zone" kind of day and increased the throttle enough to at least move through at 6 mph. 

As we entered the Neuse River, we were once again faced with head seas, rain and strong winds out of the NE that caused us to take the course at a much slower, but more tolerable pace. The boat was covered in salt spray and we were both exhausted from the days travel. 

But the reward is a wonderful first class marina called River Dunes in Oriental, NC, where we have tied up for the night. We plan to enjoy some cocktails in the club house watching the Kentucky Derby and dinner overlooking the river.

And as a little "thank you" to the Admiral for the past week of putting up with all this, I booked a "marina cottage" for the night  -- on dry land, with a nice bath tub, big comfy bed and no sounds from the waves or marina. Now, I just have to hope she let's me join her! 

Tomorrow we head for Coinjock NC. Yes, Coinjock :)

Wrightsville Beach, NC

We had a delightful dinner last night in Georgetown, SC at a local restaurant called the Rice Paddy. No, it wasn't asian, but was actaully very "southern" with wonderful local fresh seafood dishes complimented with homemade cornbread and creamy cheese grits. Yummy!

This morning we awoke to light rain and overcast grey skies, but the winds had diminished somewhat from yesterday. While the forecast called for continued strong winds (ENE at 15-20 knots with gust to 30 knots), the morning was calmer and gave us a window to head up Winyah Bay and into the Wacama River. While not as pleasant as it might have been with sunny skies, there was still something magical about the Wacama River, the sprawling cypress tree swamps and the peace and solitude of the meandering waterway. 

The beautiful Wacama River

We then worked our way through Myrtle Beach, Little River, past Southport and then finally up the Cape Fear River -- which fully lived up to its name today, as we faced 6 foot head seas and wind for about 15 unpleasant miles. Then, once we cut back east and onto the narrow ICW, life returned to "normal" finally arriving in Wrightsville Beach about 6 hours later.

As we have traveled north, it has gotten a little bit "cooler" each day. Tonight, we actually have the heat on as it is 58 degrees with NNE winds at 12 knots. This is MAY, right? 

Tomorrow we head for Oriental, NC some 135 miles north. 

Georgetown, SC

Do we stay or do we go? Will the winds be better or worse tomorrow? If we leave early in the morning, can we get ahead of the storms? If we wait, are we willing to wait until Sunday when the weather is supposed to clear? Do we have enough Jack Daniels and wine on board? These are just a few of the many questions we pondered last night before calling it a night. 

The answers were -- we go, about the same, most likely, no, of course.

So this morning we left Harbor Town Yacht Basin (Hilton Head) at 730am and started our journey toward Georgetown, SC. about 160 miles north The winds were not too bad early this morning but like yesterday, got progressively worse during the day. Steady NE winds at 15-20 knots with gust to 35 knots. We only had a few "open" sounds and rivers to navigate, so as long as we could manage them, the rest of the ICW was reasonably well protected. 

Open water run

Some rough seas

I must confess, the boat did very well in some pretty ugly conditions. Being built in Maine as an coastal "downeast" cruiser, ENCORE is well designed to handle some pretty rough seas. It is a matter of selecting the right speed, trim tabs and angle of wave attack to make it tolerable. Now don't get me wrong, it is still a rough ride but NOTHING compared to some other boats I have been on or owned over the years. Sabre makes a very seaworthy vessel and she has shown her worth the past few days. Oh yeah, did I mention that the Admiral has been beyond helpful, supportive and most encouraging? I am a fortunate Captain!

So now, after dinner, a few drinks and some time to let the day's travels mellow a bit it's that time once again to ask the question -- Do we stay or do we go……..?

Stay tuned… more to come.

Hilton Head, SC

Wow… what a day!

Last night while we were in Fernandina Beach, the talk on the docks was all about the forecast incoming "brisk" winds from the NE. As is often the case, NOAA doesn't always get it right, but this time they were spot on! This morning (at 630am) we awoke to strong winds coming offshore toward the land. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't be a big deal as the ICW is often well protected from the elements. But today, our route took us through four different open inlets and sounds fully exposed to the Atlantic Ocean -- and the "brisk" wind. Which for those of you so nautically inclined, it was blowing at 18-20 knots with gusts to 30 knots. 

That resulted in seas that ranged from a "light chop" in the protected ICW to 4 foot angry seas right on our nose. We adjusted our speed and angle of attack accordingly, but even then, we were taking seas and spry over the bow. Thank goodness for a well built boat capable of handling such conditions, not to mention a very supportive and helpful Admiral in the navigation seat! 

Needless to say, we were delighted to finally reach Hilton Head, SC some 7 hours laters -- come to think of it, we actually ran through the entire state of Georgia in just one day! It was a meandering day going north, west, east and even south at times. 

Upon arriving at the Hilton Head Yacht Basin, ENCORE drank up 180 gallons of diesel fuel followed by a thorough washing from stem to stern. Tonight we are looking forward to a relaxing evening at the Topside Restaurant overlooking Calabouge Sound. 

Oh yeah, we are docked about a 9 iron away from the 18th green of the Harbor Town Golf Club, home of the RBC Classic.

We haven't made a final decision about tomorrow quite yet. The forecast calls for the winds increasing, so unless we can stay inside the well protected ICW, we might opt for another day in Hilton Head.

More to come….

Fernandina Beach, FL

Last night In Daytona Beach we were treated to some fierce thunderstorms just as we were were going to bed. Rain, lightening, thunder and strong wind. While a bit "disturbing" on a boat, it eventually passed and we got a good nights rest.

We left this morning with overcast skies and a slight drizzle which gave way to sunshine and blue skies as we progressed north.

I was a bit concerned this morning that the Admiral might take advantage of being so close to "home", but I think by waking her at sunrise, she was in too much of a stupor to call her dear friend to come and get her! It wash't until we were well underway that she realized she missed her opportunity for mutiny! 

Our day on the water was simply delightful! We had light winds and very calm seas the entire route. It was one of the "picture perfect" days on the water. We arrived in Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island) about 3pm this afternoon, gave ENCORE a quick wash down, and then spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the charming historic town. We have never stopped here before but I think we have found a new "favorite" spot along the ICW.

The forecast is calling for strong east winds (15-20 knots) to build during the day tomorrow. Since our route takes is into a couple of open sounds / inlets on the Atlantic Ocean, we are going to get and early start in the morning to try and beat some of the incoming weather and sea conditions. Our planned stop for tomorrow is Harbor Town on Hilton Head Island, some 155 miles to the north.

Daytona Beach, FL

It's a sort of crazy and a little bit frustrating to think we left Orlando last Thursday, drove to Longboat Key, traveled on the boat for 3 days some 400 miles and tonight we are in Daytona Beach, less than 45 minutes from home?!?!  But the good news is, we ARE now officially on the east coast and headed north on the Intercoastal Waterway!

Knowing we had a long day ahead, we left Stuart this morning at 7:15am.  After a short 8 mile run down the St. Lucie River, we turned north on the ICW. The winds were quite strong today at 15-17 knots out of the the SE -- which meant the winds were "at our backs" and gave us delightful following seas the entire day. It was a great day on the water filled with dolphins, manatees, eagles and butterflies. There were lots of places where we had to go slow… really slow. No wake zones, manatee zones, marina safety zones… it was a zone filled day! 

We arrived in Daytona Beach 9 hours after we started the day this morning, washed the salt spray off ENCORE (and ourselves) and enjoyed a nice dinner at the Chart House. Now, it's time to review the next day's routing, watch a little TV and then early to bed.

Approaching St. Augustine

Okeechobee Waterway, FL

We left Fort Myers this morning at 730am (a tad bit early for the Admiral but she was none the less cooperative), and headed east across the Okeechobee Waterway. We had brisk winds our of the ESE but other than the actual lake crossing, it really wasn't all that bad. We navigated all five locks successfully, and except for a brief delay at Port St. Lucie, we timed our arrivals and lock openings perfectly. 

After almost 8 hours on the water, we arrived in Stuart for the night. After refueling ENCORE, a good dinner at Sailor's Return, along with a couple of Jack's for me and wine for the Admiral, it will be early to bed to night. Tomorrow, is one of our longest milage days as we head for Daytona Beach some 160 miles north. 

Inside the Lock

Flooding the lock - +8 feet

The Captain waiting on the next lock

Fort Myers, FL

We said farewell to Longboat Key this morning and started our journey north (well, actually we have to go south first, then east and THEN we go north). Anyway, winds were brisk at 10-12 knots but coming from the east so I expected the shoreline would protect us from unpleasant seas in the Gulf of Mexico. Well, I was partially right. As long as we stayed relatively close to the shore (less than half a mile), the ride was bumpy but not bad. Problem was, we had to go out pretty far to clear the Boca Grand sea buoy, so those 20-30 miles weren't so "grand". We had 2-3 foot head seas with a fair amount of spray over the bow. None the less, ENCORE handled it with grace and style -- and so did the Admiral!

Upon arriving at Fort Myers Yacht Basin, I discovered that their docks were permanent concrete and pretty high from the waterline. Realizing that we are dealing with an extreme lunar tide this week, it occurred to me that the only way the Admiral would be able to get off the boat at low tide was with a ladder. Fortunately, there was another marina just to the west that had floating docks (which rise and fall with the tide) and they were able to offer us dockage for the night. Phew… that was close!

Tomorrow we transit the Okeechobee Waterway. It is 130 miles from our current location to the other side in Stuart. We will go through five locks -- the first three locks "lift" us up a total of 16 feet before crossing Lake Okeechobee (about 35 miles across). We will then go through two more locks that "lower" us back down another 16 feet to join the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. Forecast is for winds out of the SE tomorrow at 12-15 knots. Other than the actual lake crossing we are basically riding in a manmade ditch that is well protected. Well protected may not be the best choice of words since it is full of alligators and Florida crackers (a.k.a. Rednecks). If we don't make it to the other side, be sure and look for us on the next episode of Swamp People.

If all goes to plan, we will be enjoying dinner at one of our favorite restaurants tomorrow night, appropriately named, "Sailors Return".

Leaving Longboat Key

After an unexpected delay in our original departure date, we are finally getting our journey to Maryland underway. It appears that the weather and seas will be in our favor at the start so we plan to make a few "long runs" over the next few days. 

In addition to our final provisioning and safety checks for the trip, I spent a good part of today doing a final check-out of all the systems. I was fortunate to have the able help of my "almost 90" year old Dad, who quite honestly, is responsible for my love of boating in the first place.  It was a fun few hours together … and the price was right too!

For those of you interested in the more technical kind of stuff, ENCORE is equipped with twin 380 hp Cummins diesel engines, that are designed to run at 2800 RPM -- which is 80% of power (load) at cruise speed. At that RPM, ENCORE burns 28 gallons / hour while moving through the water at 30 mph (which is considered pretty fast!). The engine drive shafts are attached to matching Mercury Marine Zeus pod drives with counter-rotating props. These are independent turning pods that allow for better running efficiency and more control when turning and docking. We have a 11.5 kw generator on board that powers all the AC electrical systems when not connected to shore power.  

Tomorrow we will depart Longboat Key and work our way to Fort Myers where we will stay one night before crossing the state through the Okeechobee Waterway. The forecast for tomorrow calls for winds out of the East at 8-10 knots so I expect to run outside in the Gulf of Mexico a good portion of the day before cutting back inside at Red Fish Pass (Captiva) and through Pine Island Sound. It will be about 100 mile run to Fort Myers.

If you are interested in following us on Google Earth, you can click the link on this page which will take you to the SPOT tracker page. While ENCORE is actually underway, it will leave a "trail" every 10 minutes as to our position. You can see our location in either a standard map or satellite view (select view in upper right hand corner of web page).

We are both really looking forward to being back on the water, enjoying the beauty and serenity of our surroundings, and appreciating the opportunity to spend this time together. 

Away we go!