Adventures of Dragon Lady

Well, we did it!  We completed our circumnavigation to Key West and back!  Well over 2500 miles- yay!  We have mixed feelings today- so pleased that we took one more thing off our bucket list, happy to get back to life on land in Cary, but also sad that we left Key West and friends we made down there.  There is always the possibility that we may do this again- who knows!? Now it is time to clean up the boat and take home so much stuff that is part of life- checkbooks, clothes, shoes, books, business files, meds, food, computers, etc.  Oh my…what a pile of boxes and bags!  Good thing my wonderful brother brought down the Suburban to cart it all home.  And “Happy Birthday” today, bro!  A girl couldn’t have a better brother!

We left at 6:00 because we had to go 70 miles today- the longest trek of the trip.  It was COLD but at least we had little wind to add to the grief.  We had long winding rivers and briefly came aground once because of the tide going out. A trio of dolphins rode our bow wave for several minutes. Near Wilmimgton we saw some plush mansions along the river. We had 3 bridges that had to open for us and they opened on a schedule, which meant that sometimes we had to kill time until the opening. At 3:00 we tied up at Casper’s Marina but our shore power wasn’t working.  At first we thought it was a bad cord or splitter, but after many permutations we realized that the marina’s power pedestal was bad.  We switched to another and all of our electric on the boat worked- Yay!  Now for a celebratory dinner in town- almost to our home marina in Oriental- tomorrow!

Yay!  We are back in the great north state!  We left Myrtle Beach at 6:15 under clear skies and little wind.  We were mainly in the “ditch” most of the day (narrow waterways) and it did not widen until we got near Wilmington.  At 2:00 we picked up a mooring ball in Carolina Beach.  This afternoon we have been lazy- napping, reading, and lying around.  It felt good… almost home!

We left the marina at 6:15 (yes, we are leaving earlier as the days get longer).  We transited the Waccamaw River for most of the day- it was windy, but we were in very protected waters with  a lot of trees on both sides.  We saw some unusual boats on our journey.   There were about 13 bridges today, but only 3 needed to open to let us pass.  At 1:30 we tied up at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club (after briefly coming aground in the entrance).  The rest of the day we napped, showered,  relaxed and ate dinner at the Officer’s Club.

We left the marina at 6:30 just as daylight was appearing.  There was very little wind and the day became bright with sunlight, but as the morning progressed clouds appeared.  We arrived in HarborWalk Marina at 1:30, tied up and walked to town to enjoy some tuna poke, eggrolls, and chips and queso blanco dip and chips at Rollin restaurant.  Then we walked around the town including their very picturesque harbor walk.   Around 6:30 this evening the skies turned black and the rain began- a nice bath for Dragon Lady!

We left our anchorage by 7:00 in calm seas and sunny skies. We passed through Charleston around 11:00 AM.   It was basically a ho-hum day on the water until 11:30 when we were just a mile from the marina when we suddenly came aground in about five feet of water.  Fortunately the tide was coming in and we floated off in about 15 minutes- whew!  We arrived at Isle of Palm marina at 12:30 and tied up.  We spent 4 nights here in November, so it almost felt like coming home!

Yes, you read that right- the Toogoodoo River!  What a name!  This part of the Intercoastal Waterway has significant tide changes daily and if you are not aware of them, you can come aground pretty easily.  This morning was low tide in the area where we planned to go, so we needed to wait until later in the day to transit this area.  Therefore the usual early birds had to cool their heels until 11:00 to leave the marina.  There were 2 places with “skinny water” but our timing was perfect and we had no problems getting through.  We arrived at this anchorage at 5:30 under sunny skies with a fair amount of wind.  It’s early to bed tonight and an early departure tomorrow morning.

We spent the morning grocery shopping.  We called Uber at 8:00 but apparently drivers in this town don’t start working for another hour.  So we got some coffee at a cute little coffee shop and waited… and waited.  We finally got a ride to Publix to replenish the fridge, freezer, and pantry, and returned by 11:00 in time for an early lunch.  The barbecue restaurant we tried did a good job with Bryce’s ribs and wings, but my pullled pork was greasy and full of skin, fat and other in edibles- yuk!  Suzy got more than I did! Speaking of Suzy, Bryce Googled Lyme disease in dogs and learned that we have about 3-4 weeks before tests will  tell if she has the disease.  So we can wait until we get back to Cary and go to our regular vet.  Whew!  Fingers crossed! This afternoon we heard some good tunes by a live “one man band” at a little restaurant on the waterfront.  He was exceptionally talented!  And we LOVE the waterfront par...

Making progress- We are now in South Carolina!  We pulled up anchor at 6:45 and went through 3 fixed bridges of 65’ and one that had to open on request- except he didn’t respond after I had hailed him 3 times on the VHF radio and the other 2 sailboats also called.  I finally got him on the phone- I think he was sleeping at 8:00 am!  We got to Safe Harbor Marina Beaufort at 2:00.  Bryce wanted a beer, so we went to a cute outdoor cafe on the waterfront to have drinks and some steamed clams, followed by a stop at Kilwins for double scoops of ice cream in a crunchy waffle cone. Yum! There is one fly in the ointment- or should I say “tick”.  Suzy got bit by a tick, probably on the nature trail at Jekyll Island on Monday.  On Wednesday I noticed something hanging on her face between her eyes.  Bryce said it was a tick and pulled it off, but apparently the head is still embedded in her flesh and now is swelling up and red.  We ha...

This morning was nice and calm, although a bit cool and cloudy.  We hauled up the anchor at 7:00 and proceeded through a number of rivers and sounds, but had only one 65’ bridge to go under.  The scenery was pretty boring- lots of trees, sand bars, and bare river banks.  We saw only a few pricey houses and a few more modest ones abutting the rivers.  At 3:00 we dropped the anchor in this creek in 13’ of water. Ho-hum!  Apparently we are in the outskirts of Savannah.

Sometimes it is better to stay put- today was one of those days!  Our “Wind Finder” app predicted heavy winds today and we needed to go through several sounds by the ocean.  Bryce didn’t sleep well last night weighing the choices- and at 5:00 this morning he announced that we would be staying here an extra day.  So we caught up on sleep, did cleaning chores, and watched Netflix.  Not a bad day after all.  It is now mid-afternoon and the wind is ROARING and there are whitecaps in the river where it was like glass last night.  I would say that Bryce made the right call!

Chilly morning but at least the sun is shining.  We left Jekyll at 9:00; in spite of the sunshine the wind was cold and there were whitecaps in the river.  As the morning progressed the wind died down and the temps warmed to 70 degrees.  At 3:00 we dropped an anchor in the river near Creighton Island.  It is very stark and no houses or buildings around- just QUIET!

We had a nasty thunderstorm about 9:30 last night- Suzy was not happy!  It brought cooler air and cloudy conditions today.  This morning we borrowed a golf cart and toured the historic section of the island, including “millionaires row”, a street of “cottages” once owned by the Rockefeller’s, Goodyear’s, Vanderbilt’s.   We were also amazed at the old, gnarled trees with Spanish moss everywhere in this area.  It is certainly beautiful!

Happy Easter!  I did laundry this morning -“ the better the day, the better the deed”.  Then we took our familiar nature walk across the island to have lunch at a little restaurant overlooking the beach- Juke Joint.  The bacon-wrapped shrimp was excellent but the seafood gumbo was not warm enough, although very tasty.  On the way back to the boat we stopped at Dairy Queen for dessert.  Maybe I can avoid cooking Easter dinner tonight!  So far the weather is sunny and warm but the weatherman predicts thunder storms later today and tomorrow.

Another beautiful day!  Bryce spent some time this morning replacing the engine zincs on the main engine and generator.  Mid-morning we walked the nature trail again and went into the little village for lunch.   After careful consideration of about 5 different cafes we settled on the Sunrise Grille where I had tasty crab cakes and Bryce ate the wings.  We stopped into the General Store for a few groceries items and back to boat.  On the way back we caught a glimpse of another resident close to the marina. Over 12,000 steps today!  Lazy afternoon and evening- watched a Netflix after supper.

Alligators, oh my…We woke to a beautiful morning with sunny skies and no wind.  After breakfast we went on a nature trail across the island.  There was lovely Spanish moss hanging from trees and we saw deer tracks.   Along a tidal stream we spied 2 alligators dozing in the sunshine on a rock…oh my!   We borrowed a marina golf cart and went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant, Tortuga Jack’s, where Helen sampled the fish tacos- yum! After 14,000 steps we took a 2 hour nap this afternoon!

We left our anchorage about 7:00 and motored through the St. Mary’s and Amelia rivers.  It was sunny and 70 degrees.  A ho-hum day.  We saw very few boats until our approach to Jekyll Island about 11:00;  by 11:30 we were docked up and ready for lunch.  This afternoon we took the free golf cart into town to buy groceries.  We plan to have dinner tonight at the Riverhouse restaurant on the property. While having dinner out on the porch of the Riverhouse we were entertained by a local resident who lives in one of the large trees.  He came down to have a cool drink from the swimming pool.

We left St.Augustine’s at 7:00 under sunny and cool skies.  The rivers today were fairly narrow but at times we dealt with swift current that could either impede or accelerate our speed.  Tides are several feet in this area due to numerous inlets to the ocean.  At 1:00 the tide in the Amelia River was low- we saw lots of sandbars and exposed oyster beds- and then that nasty feeling as we grounded out.  It took Bryce about a half hour to get us free by turning the boat around and using the power of the engine to get us off the bottom.  Whew! At 3:00 we anchored near the town of Fernandina- and celebrated the days progress with a glass of wine!  We are at the northermost part of Florida and tomorrow morning we will be in Georgia.  Two weeks to leave Florida- a sad goodbye!

We left our mooring ball about 9:00 and we were tucked into our slip at the Municipal Marina by 9:15.  They had no space for us yesterday but were able to accommodate us today.   By 10:00 we were walking around the historical area of the city and at 11:00 were seated at Harry’s New Orleans restaurant for a lunch of etouffe and shrimp and scallops over crispy fried grits.  Yum!   To top that off we had sinful ice cream sandwiches made with chocolate cookies!  For some reason I am still not hungry at 5:00! On tthe sad side, Suzy's favorite store "FiFi's Secret" was not open today. Tomorrow we are off to Fernandina Beach…

We left Halifax Harbor Marina about 6:45 in cool, sunny weather with no breeze at all.  Most of the day we motored in skinny water along with other sail and motor vessels.  Lovely houses with docks were on both sides of the water.  We had very few bridges to contend with- whew!  The wind picked up over time and by 1:00 it was gusty.  At 1:45 we picked up a mooring ball at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina- it was only the 2nd time we did this and not easy with the wind and current- but Bryce prevailed! Yay!  Tomorrow they will have a slip for us so we can easily go into town.

What a difference a day makes!  We woke up to calm, sunny and downright COLD!  It was 45 degrees this morning- I didn’t think it ever got that cold in Florida!  We pulled up the anchor at 7:45 and proceeded north. There were only about 8 bridges today and the majority were high rise (65 feet clearance).  It was so nice to motor and not be buffeted by waves and wind gusts.  We arrived at Halifax Harbor Marina at 2:30, filled up diesel, and were in our slip by 3:00. Whew!

A very, very long and tiring day.  We left the Vero Beach Marina about 7:00 in 57 degree weather- I didn’t know it got this COLD in northern Florida!  I guess I just spent too much time in the sunny, warm Keys! The day started out blustery and just got progressively worse as the day progressed- it was probably blowing 15-20 by afternoon.  Fortunately all but one bridge was a fixed span of 65 feet (we squeak under that) so we just kept moving and rocking and rolling with the 2+ foot waves and white caps.  At 5:30 we tried to anchor but it just would not hold in the wind and waves; we moved off to a quieter corner but the catamaran there requested we move away; finally the third spot was a charm- the anchor held and we escaped the waves!  Hurray!  It was 6:30- 11 1/2 hours since we started!  We are exhausted!  So much for fun cruising!

After being on the move for a week, it felt good to spend a relaxing day off the boat.  I did 3 loads of laundry, then we took the free shuttle bus to Publix for some much needed produce (fruits, veggies, bread) and wine. We met a fellow cruiser on the shuttle and plan to have them over to our boat for wine at 4:00, then we will take them to Riverside cafe for an early dinner on the Indian River.  Very relaxing!

Happy Birthday, Bryce!  We loved Vero Beach in the fall, so it seemed like a good spot to celebrate a birthday and then stay an extra day.  We pulled up anchor at 7:30 this morning and motored through about seven fixed bridges and only one that we had to wait for an opening.  It was not quite as hot today- about 81- but we could see the clouds building and around noon the rain, thunder and lightening hit, but it was just a brief shower and around 1:00 we tied up at the Vero Beach Municipal Marina.  It has been cloudy all afternoon but no more rain.  Tonight we plan to visit a little restaurant that we discovered in the fall- for a nice birthday celebration! Soft shell crab and pork belly sandwich makes for one hell of a birthday dinner !

We pulled up anchor about 7:15 and left our anchorage under sunny, hot skies with a moderate breeze.  We could see that the weather forcast was for showers and thunder storms in the afternoon, so we wanted to be in a protected anchorage when they hit.  We had about 10 bridges to go through this morning but we were able to hit them without a long wait.  At noon we dropped anchor in a lovely anchorage with about ten other boats.  The storms held off until about 3:00- some heavy rains at times and some thunder/lightening, but nothing scary!  If all goes well we will be in Vero Beach tomorrow evening to celebrate Bryce’s 74th birthday!

I did laundry early morning, we picked up 42 gallons of diesel and then left the marina about 9:30.  It was hot (86 degrees), sunny and blustery.  We had to ask about 20 bridges to open, each on a different schedule ( some on the hour and half hour; others on the quarter hours).  It was often hurry, hurry— then wait, wait.  Very frustrating but we made it through to West Palm Beach where we dropped a hook in about 8-10 feet of water.  I am always amazed at the enormous houses on each side of the Intercoastal Waterway- I just can’t even imagine living in something that huge (“Honey, where are you?”).  

We pulled up anchor at 7:30- amazing that we were nearly alone in the anchorage considering how many party boats were around the night before!  I guess everyone had to go to work today! We left Biscayne Bay in cool breezes and seas were about two feet.  A large black cloud kept following us all morning but at 7 knots we were able to out-run the storms.  We came in Port Everglades channel about 12:30 and were docked up at Bahai Mar Marina at 12:45.  We cleaned up the boat and had a light lunch before the rain came.  Nice to just relax tonight at a local pub!

We pulled up our anchor about 7:30 and proceeded north in the ocean.  What little breeze we had was on the bow, so after a few hours we took down sails and just motored in one foot seas.  Ho-hum!  Very boring but better than being terrified!  We anchored in Biscayne Bay about 3:00.  Lots of boats of all sizes anchored around us and everyone in or on the water.  Hot and humid!

We left Burdine’s Marina at 7:30 and motor sailed through the ocean in light winds and 2 foot seas.  It was sunny and warm, temps in the low 80’s.  Nothing unusual or very exciting.  At 2:30 we dropped an anchor near Tavernier on Key Largo behind a large sandbar.  Lots of small powerboats anchored by the sandbar and folks in the water swimming.