Author: Captain Ron

Ground Zero on the ICW

Norfolk, Virginia is the northern entry to the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW).  On the cruising guide it is listed as the 0 mile marker.  We had longed to reach the lower Chesapeake Bay where Norfolk and Portsmouth poured their combined river flow into the Chesapeake Bay.  For us, it would be a major milestone because our arrival would confirm our travel of 1,100 miles over the previous 3 months. And we could look forward to sailing in waters that were safely deeper than our 6 foot draft.  It was with  expressions of relief and excitement that we entered the deep channels of these major maritime and naval centers and realized just how far we had sojourned over the past several months! We sailed north on the bay first to Yorktown where we removed our tattered main sail cover and replaced it with the new cover and then on to Deltaville, VA, a major boating center. In one more day, we would enter the Potomac River.

The Squall

The Potomac River is 12 miles wide as it enters the Chesapeake Bay.  The river narrows and follows a winding route as we traveled north.  We observed dark clouds forming to the north and dropped the main sail just as the heavens burst forth in a deluge.  Winds clocked to 29 miles per hour and the river whipped into a frenzy.  Visibility was reduced to 200 yards.  We anchored off Pope’s Creek and managed to set the anchor securely and waited out the squall.  It may have lasted for an hour and, as the skies cleared, we took the ferry to Gilligan’s Pier where a live band was playing to an enthusiastic crowd despite the intermittent rain. 

Independence Day 2019

We reached Washington, DC about 6:30 PM on July 1 and moored in the Washington Channel off the Potomac River.  Here is the sight that greeted us and we were filled with an awe that continued over the next several days of touring our nation’s capital. 

The National Archives where the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are housed is a must see.  The genius with which the founding fathers crafted these enduring principles could have only been a gift from God.  As we examined these sacred documents that are the bedrock of our nation, we marveled at the wisdom and courage that caused these pioneers to undertake an experiment in democracy that was unheard of at the time and vehemently resisted by the entrenched monarchies.

Our good friends from California, Ian and Erica, joined us for the Independence Day festivities and tours of the Capitol and Smithsonian museums. The heat and humidity as well as the occasional rainstorm did not temper their enthusiasm and they were as amazed as we were at the majesty of these hallowed institutions.

After Ian and Erica departed, we connected with Rod and Dana whom we know from their years in California. Now living in Virginia just 30 miles from Washington, they are enjoying the area in which Rod grew up. They were our excellent tour guides at the National Cathedral as well as several Civil War battlefields. And we toured several wineries in the Virginia area to sample the varietals of a flourishing wine industry. It was a wonderful way to spend the few days before we returned to California for our bi-monthly furlough.

Pamlico Sound and Ocracoke Island

Ocracoke Island is a gem along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We had so looked forward to visiting the Silver Lake harbor and relaxing somewhere along its miles of pristine beaches.  The day started out with an absence of wind which required us to hoist the iron sail (nautical slang for starting the diesel engine) but the wind eventually climbed significantly into the low 20’s.  I reefed the main sail but was dismayed when one of the lazy jacks broke and the main sail plopped out of the sail cover and lay on the foredeck.  Donning my tether which would keep me from being washed overboard, I went forward and lashed the sail to the boom. We continued on and, as we neared the entrance to the harbor, we hailed the skipper of a commercial ferry and signaled that we intended to follow his vessel into the harbor along a twisting water way with threatening shoals.  The ferry skipper was pleased that we were using VHF radio to communicate and led the way past the floating markers. Once inside the harbor, it was calm so we relaxed and dropped the hook.  Another day of periods of some boredom punctuated by moments of terror as we sought to keep Fantasea under control in strong winds and shallow seas. 

The next day on Ocracoke we rented bicycles and rode for miles to reach a beach where we thought to enjoy a secluded afternoon.  Not so because the beach was closed because of nesting birds and turtles and the high winds made for a less than idyllic day that we had planned. 

The next day we weighed anchor and set out to reach the outer entrance to the channel before the commercial ferry would require us to give way and risk running aground outside the marked channel.  We made it just in time and proceeded northwest under power for another 30 minutes before we hoisted our sails and, for the next four hours, enjoyed the best sailing of our entire trip in the Pamlico Sound of North Carolina. 

Aloft at Belhaven

One of the consequences of the lazy jack line breaking, is that it required someone to be hoisted up the mast to retrieve the line that had receded into the upper spreader.  Cindy was not keen to tackle this project so it fell to me to be hoisted up via winch to the 47’ above the foredeck.  I had done this before though not aboard the Fantasea and it was with constant prayer that I ascended the mast.  The picture seen here was of me at the lower spreader because when I thought to have Cindy photograph the moment, I had descended to that level and opted not to go aloft again just for a cool pic. 

We found out the hard way that the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW) can be very unforgiving. As we were leaving Vero Beach on a Sunday afternoon heading north, I thought it would be fun to hoist the sails and cruise for a time. Bad choice. No sooner had we turned the boat into the wind to hoist the sails when we drifted out of the dredged channel and found ourselves lodged in the packed mud at the bottom of the ICW. We had this rather helpless feeling when after a number of attempts, we could not free Fantasea from the grips of the ICW bottom. We called on Boat US, the AAA of the seas, to tow us off the bar and waited. Then we prayed that an angel would come along and miraculously pull us out of the mire. It wasn’t two minutes later that a local power boat skipper offered to pull us out. I was skeptical at first, but after two tries, Fantasea was dislodged and free. We turned to thank the good Samaritan and noted the name of their boat was “Amazing Grace.” Thank you, Lord!

Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day at the Isle of Hope Marina (a spectacular sunrise photo) was very special. Our daughter Jessica and hubby, Phil, drove down from Atlanta to visit us. They brought our two grandsons, Finn, 5 and Wyatt,18 months. It was a fun time for all and they stayed overnight in our aft cabins.

Up the River Without an Anchor

We elected to take a side trip to St. Mary’s, Georgia. It’s a quaint town not much different than it was 50 years ago. A spectacular sunset!

As we began to pull up the anchor our ancient windlass malfunctioned and all 150 feet of chain and the 55 pound anchor dropped into the bottom of the river. Over the next two and a half hours, we tried different strategies to haul it out and, with much exasperation and not a few unholy words, we finally were able to bring up the chain and anchor. Two days later when we arrived at a marina in St Simons Island, the technician that we hired pronounced the windlass irreparable and so we invested in a new windlass. The windlass was shipped to the Isle of Hope Marina in Savannah and we hired a mechanic to install it. It took half a day to install the windlass with the appropriate electrical connections which needed to be replaced because of corrosion that occurred over the years.

The Wonderful Hospitality of our Southern Neighbors

I met a fellow while playing pickleball in Savannah who was kind enough to drive me back to the marina. He had retired in 2018 as the CEO of the local United Way. Greg and Mary came down to visit our boat and that night we had a marvelous salmon dinner at their beautiful home overlooking the Skidaway River.

Next we were on our way to Hilton Head Island and elected to go outside into the ocean rather than deal with challenges of the ICW shallowness. The winds were not in our favor making for a long day, but we finally did get to the Port Royal Sound entrance to the Hilton Head area and anchored at Skull Creek. Our friends, Van and Lauren, fellow sailors whom we had met at Sunbury Creek, Georgia the week before, live on Hilton head Island. We rendezvoused with them for dinner that night at Hudson’s on the Water. They gave us a tour of their lovely home, loaned us their truck for the next several days so we could tour Hilton Head Island and stock up on provisions, and invited us to join them for church on Sunday. We accepted all three invitations with gladness.

On Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

My MacGuiver Effort

Continuing north on the ICW we stopped at Beaufort, South Carolina. We toured the historic district on a horse drawn carriage and marveled at the beautiful antebellum homes. The next day we motored north on the ICW and about 830 in the morning the engine alarm sounded. I shut off the engine, dropped the anchor, and opened the engine compartment. The belt that powered the alternator was shredded and the overflow tube had a big hole in it. The tow boat arrived about 1020. Not by any means mechanical, I decided to see if I had a replacement belt and, using my recently acquired tools, replaced the belt and used duct tape on the hole in the overflow tube. We held our breath and another prayer and started up the engine. All looked well (as if I would know if it was not) and we cast off the tow rope and resumed our course. Never mind that two days later at the Beneteau dealer, the service manager observed that I had put the belt on the wrong track!

We cruised to the beautiful city of Charleston and met with the local Beneteau dealer’s service manager who came aboard and spent several hours with us explaining the various systems on our boat.  It was hot for those three days as we toured this historic town.  We visited the 1943 aircraft carrier, Yorktown anchored in the Charleston harbor and the Vietnam war pavilion.  On Sunday, we went to the French Huguenot church in Charleston, a church that was established in 1688, sang an emotional rendition of America the Beautiful (all four verses) and listened to the retired Chaplain to the Joint Chiefs of Staff deliver a powerful sermon.   After that it was on to the Rue de Jean for a classic brunch of Moule and Charleston Eggs accompanied by a superb Belini or two.

Boarding Fantasea

We arrived in Miami on 25 February and proceeded to the Dinner Key Marina to move to our new home afloat. Two rolling duffels each would suffice to transport our personal belongings.

The former owners had briefed us on the workings of this 1997 Beneteau 46. Nonetheless, we tried to grasp how to utilize the systems which, though we had sailed Beneteaus a number of times over the years, were different in some signficant ways than our Hunter 36 back in Caifornia.

Sailing Northward

We departed the slip on Tuesday, 26 March, motored out to Biscayne Bay, hoisted the main and genoa sails, and carefully motor sailed our way through the Biscayne channel. Wind at 14 knots from the North made for a choppy ride. Electing to take the Government Cut in Port Miami, we sought a refuge in the dark in a totally unfamiliar marina. We tied up at the fuel dock of the Miami Beach Marina and, thanks to a very gracious dockmaster, secured the Fantasea for the evening. By 0730 the next morning, we were headed out the inlet into the Atlantic Ocean.

The next few days we continued our sail North, stopping at marinas in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Stuart, and finally reaching Fort Pierce where we spent a very pleasant weekend at the Fort Pierce City Marina. The water in several of the inlets was very shallow and made for some tense moments when the depth indicator showed insufficient water in which to navigate. The Coast Guard moves the channel markers because of the shifting shoals. The electronic chart plotter data conflicted with the channel markers and we were advised to follow the markers.

Fantasea on the Hard

We chose Fort Pierce, about 130 miles north of Miami, to have Fantasea hauled out for repairs, because it was reported to be lower cost than Miami. So, we were hauled out on Monday, 4 March at the Cracker Boy Boat Yard. A giant Travel Lift hoisted the boat out of the water and proceeded to convey it to a place in the yard. A boat that is on land is considered to be “on the hard” and this is not a happy place for boat or her new owners.

For the next 30 days, workers arrived to sandblast the boat’s bottom, make repairs, apply barrier coats, and finally 3 coats of bottom paint. In addition, a new anchor and chain was added, most of the through hulls were replaced, a lightning rod was installed and various electronic issues were diagnosed and remedied. A new dodger (windshield) was crafted and installed on Fantasea.

Fantasea’s Launch

The day arrived for Fantasea to splash, a nautical term for putting the boat back in the water. The crane arrived and carried Fantasea to the slip and lowered her to a level so that we could board her and inspect the through hulls for leaks. Dan, a thoroughly knowledgeable technician and an invaluable resource to us over the past 30 days, boarded the boat and discovered a minor and a major leak. Reporting that it could not be fixed while in the water, Fantasea was hauled out again and transported back to her slot in the yard and was re-blocked. You can imagine our disappointment but, of course, it was far better to discover these problems now rather than later.

After a full day of repair work, Fantasea was splashed again on Thursday, 4 April and, as we prayed that she would hold, Dan, Cindy, and I boarded her and found her water tight. Praise God! Then we were off to the fuel dock across the way and turning north on the Intra Coastal Water way (ICW), we proceeded north toward Vero Beach. A marvelous serendipity in the boatyard were our next door neighbors who took us under their wings to make helpful observations. Lawrence and Linda were highly experienced cruisers and live on the water in Vero Beach. They invited us to tie up at their dock for a few days and we gratefully accepted their invitation.

The Intracoastal Water (ICW)

The ICW is a narrow waterway that runs from Miami, Florida to Norfolk, VA. Power boats often prefer this route because there are no waves to contend with and there are many anchorages and marinas along the way. Sailors, however, prefer the ocean because that’s what sailors do. Unfortunately, there are times when navigating the ocean is not practical because the distances between coastal inlets may be so far that it would take 12 to 18 hours to cover the mileage. So, if one does not want to sail in the dark, the ICW is the only alternative.

From Vero Beach we proceeded north past Melbourne and on to Titusville where we moored for several evenings. This is an excellent place to rent a car and drive to Cape Canaveral to visit the Kennedy Space Center. We spent a good part of a day touring the various exhibits and were both awed and inspired by what has been accomplished by American ingenuity and sheer courage.

Continuing on to New Smyrna Beach and then Daytona Beach where we anchored and were helped by a fellow sailor without whose guidance we surely would have grounded our vessel. His knowledge of the mysteries of the local area was invaluable and the next day we retraced our path following his lead and made it to the safe water.

We then proceeded north to Marineland Marina and, once more with the help of Dockmaster Jay, were able to get to the marina and our assigned slip despite the anxious moments when I looked down at the depth meter and it read 4 feet. Our draft is closer to 6′. Surely the Lord lifted our heavy sailboat so that it would glide into the berth.

The Monsoon

Sunday afternoon is supposed to be a day of rest, is it not? Well, not this Sunday. At 4 PM, the storm arrived with a rush like a freight train. We escaped to the salon to wait out the sheets of rain that pelted our vessel and the high winds which, we have on good authority, reached as high as 60 knots. Our vessel was rocked back and forth but remained secure in her traces on the dock.

St Augustine

This city is the oldest continually settled community in the US. It is a source of great pride to the inhabitants and it is a beautiful city. We arrived at the Municipal Marina after a 3.5 hour trip north from Marineland Marina and were welcomed by the dockmaster to a comfortable slip.

It seemed like many of the good folks aboard their vessels were retired and from the northern United States and Canada. They were on their way home to their summer residences, having spent the winter out of the frigid north and basking in the Florida sunshine.

We left our Southern California home of 35 years on 20 February 2019 for Miami where we had purchased the 46′ Beneteau sailboat, Fantasea, the prior month.