UPDATE#11 05/01 thru 05/31/08

Howdy Everybody,

The adventures of 2008 from 1/1/08 through 4/30/08 have been published on the website.  We continue with the most current edition, UPDATE 2008 # 11.

 UPDATE 2008 #11   05/01/08 through 05/31/08.

At last update, AMARSE was berthed peacefully at Brunswick Landing Marina in Georgia. We were enjoying our last night in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

05/01/08     THURSDAY    PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO to SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

     Today, we must leave this tropical paradise to fly back to San Antonio.  Fortunately, our flight is not scheduled until later in the afternoon.  From our beachfront room at the NH Krystal hotel, the view is nothing less than spectacular and those tranquil sounds of the surf gently lapping are wonderfully delightful.

     In one of the many courtyards of the hotel, budding young artists gleefully brush bright colors onto large pieces of paper in mural fashion.

     The pool and swim-up bar areas are beautifully designed and maintained.

     The restaurant facilities are located in this huge thatched-roofed building.

     The man-made facilities are no match for the natural beauty of this lovely flower……

     ….. or this lovely lady.

       The NH Krystal hotel is hosting a weeklong series of seminars and conferences for surgeons from all over Central and South America.  There are hundreds of laparoscopic specialists attending the events.  Dr. Armando Joya, one of the principal educators and presenters, gave five live and simu-telecasted surgeries for the benefit of the conferees.  He came by for a visit to wish us farewell and a good trip.

     Nathalie Batilliot and Judy say their farewells at the entrance to the hotel.

     At 4:20pm, the US Airways airplane was taxiing out for departure.  A change of planes in Phoenix had us landing in San Antonio around 11pm.  A taxi whisked us from the airport to our patio home arriving at 11:30pm.

05/02 thru 05/05/08  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

     Much of this period of time was occupied with rest and relaxation.  Judy took the opportunity to visit her dear friend, Teresa, in Rockport, TX, for a few days.  They have been such good buddies for many, many years.  Judy really misses being with her when we are away.

     She visited our old marina at Key Allegro and, fortunately, got to spend a little time with Scott Kee (MOLLY BROWN) and Steamboat Willie, often confused with Bill Seward (TORTUGA).  Bill is getting ready to start his cruising lifestyle by heading east along the GIWW in the next few weeks. 

     When she left Rockport on Monday morning, she hadn’t gone more than 5 or 6 miles when the truck got rough and stalled.  Stash, the great guy that he is, quickly came to her rescue.  Within minutes, he had the problem alleviated and Judy was on her way for the 2 hour and 45 minute drive.

 05/06/08    TUESDAY   SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to SARAH LAW, Judy’s daughter-in-law and lovely wife of her youngest son, Scott.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to JOE FUGATE

     Of course, I would never reveal anyone’s actual age, especially such a good friend as Joe.  That being said, six freaking decades is a long, long time!   

05/07/08   WEDNESDAY     SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

     To commemorate his birthday, we invited Joe Fugate and his fiancée, Roxanne Cady, to join us for dinner. 

     Many years ago, Joe and I took a trip to the Tuscany region of Italy.  There, we enjoyed a meal of Tortellini en Brodo.  Remembering that good time, I recreated the Italian-style Chicken Soup, prepared with a rich broth made from scratch, shredded roasted chicken breast, and ricotta cheese stuffed pasta puffs called tortellini.  With a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and Italian bread, still warmed from the oven, we had a meal to celebrate.

     Careful observers will notice the “black ribbon” that proudly proclaims “OLDER THAN DIRT”.

     It wasn’t exactly birthday cake, and it wasn’t actually Italian, however, the éclairs looked and tasted delightful.  More importantly, Joe didn’t have to blow out any candles.

     Being a jewelry-making fan too, Roxanne enjoyed talking and comparing ideas with Judy.  Do you think that Joe looks bored in this picture? Or, could that just be the look of amazement and adoration of artistic creativity?

05/08/08    THURSDAY    SAN ANTONIO to FT. LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA

     Our wonderful friend and neighbor, Barb, took us to the airport to catch the Continental Airlines morning flight to Ft. Lauderdale.  Sharyn, my daughter, and her husband, Jeff, responded quickly to our cell phone call that we had arrived.  Back at their condo, we again enjoyed the gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the ICW to the west.  This is certainly a wonderful place.

     The girls kept busy with their jewelry making artistry.  I took a nap and, then, joined Jeff to watch some sports.

05/09/08    FRIDAY    HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA

     Our car has been in storage in the condo parking garage during our absence.  The battery that had successfully survived the winter storage period had given up for good.  The car started with a jumper cable assist and we headed to Sears to replace the aged Die-Hard Battery.

     Dave has been taking care of AMARSE down at Nettles Island Marina, Hutchinson Island, Jensen Beach, Florida during our trip.  He helped the fueler put only 200 gallons of diesel fuel aboard to the tune of $868.92 (that’s $4.345/gal).  The price of fuel is literally skyrocketing.  They say it’s only the beginning.

     While I napped and Jeff watched TV sports, the girls busied themselves with their jewelry art.  They photographed these lovely examples of their handiwork.

     The four of us decided to go to see a Jai-Alai match in the evening.  I really enjoy the game and love the sound of the pelota (ball) cracking loudly against the fronton wall.

05/10/08  SATURDAY   FT. LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD, FL to NETTLES ISLAND MARINA, JENSEN BEACH, FL

     Sharyn and Jeff were going to a weekend seminar so we all left at 7:45am for our separate agendas.  We headed back to our beloved AMARSE taking 2 hours and 15 minutes along almost traffic free roads.  Auto gas was $3.869/gal for mid-grade in W. Palm Beach.

     Our boat ice machine has been giving us difficulty for months.  We decided to replace it with a new one from Home Depot in Stuart.

     One of our new luggage bags that we bought for our trip was ripped to shreds when it arrived at Ft. Lauderdale airport.  Upon close examination, we decided that it wasn’t from rough handling, rather, it was faulty manufacturing and materials that caused the tearing.  We returned it to Wal-Mart in exchange for another.  Hopefully, this one came from a different batch and will stand up.

     The marina dockman noticed some diesel fuel in the water.  He immediately suspected our boat as the offender since it has just recently taken on fuel.  I carefully inspected the bilges and interior areas and could find no sign of any leak.  The dockman was not convinced so I called Dave to come and conduct a more thorough investigation.  Pleasantly, Dave confirmed that it was in no way coming from our boat.  The dockmaster had arrived and he was confident in Dave’s assessment.  The other dockman was still skeptical, however, I think he became convinced that this came from somewhere else and just blew into the area.  Within a short time, it was gone.  I am sure glad it wasn’t our problem.  Fuel spills can get mighty expensive in this day and age.

05/11/08    SUNDAY    NETTLES ISLAND to EAU GALLIE, FL

     At 7:15am, our good friend, Ivor Nathan, came to bid us farewell and a bon voyage for our departure this morning.  He was proudly riding his new Suzuki Bergman motorcycle.  All dressed in black astride his shiny black steed, he gave the air of a very happy man.  Ivor has been such a good friend to us.

     Dave arrived to finish up a few minor items and help us cast off for points north.  Thanks, Dave.

     It’s 9:20am, the engines are humming, the lines have been tossed aboard, we’re waving goodbye, and AMARSE is underway.  Within 15 minutes, we have rejoined the ICW at mile 979.3 (as measured from Norfolk, VA).  Heading north, we pass the cities of Ft. Pierce, Vero Beach, and a myriad of smaller towns along the way to our anchorage at Eau Gallie, FL.  We chose a spot just north of the high bridge.  With the anchor set at 5:42pm, the GPS indicated that we had traveled 64 miles today at a moving average speed of 7.9 mph.

POSITION  N28 08.203 W080 37.510    Mile 914.2

05/12/08  MONDAY    EAU GALLIE to NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL

     That pesky alarm sounded at 6am.  The crew was feeling lazy and didn’t get out of bed until 6:45am.  By 7:05, we had a pretty clean anchor up and stowed.  There had been excellent holding in a black mud ground with small shells.   Here, there is virtually no tidal range and the winds had been quite calm.  We passed Cocoa Beach and Titusville, home of NASA and the fabulous Space Shuttle.  Haulover canal is a narrow channel that cuts through from just north of Titusville to Mosquito Lagoon.  The tidal current flows back and forth through this canal making it a favorite spot for small boat fishermen.

     Upon exiting Haulover Canal, the waters open up into a large body called Mosquito Lagoon.  The huge Space Shuttle can easily be seen sitting on its launch pad awaiting liftoff in a couple of weeks.  If I were in the area, this is where I think I would position myself to watch the blastoff.

     AMARSE’s flying bridge gives a great view and is comfortable with the isinglass enclosure.  The large windows unzip to regulate the amount and direction of the desired airflow.

     Just north of Haulover Canal, in the channel of Mosquito Lagoon, the starboard engine began to run rough with occasional drops in power.  I checked the vacuum gauges that indicated a high vacuum condition indicative of filter clogging.  Since it was intermittent, I decided to continue on to our anchorage before working on the problem.  Within an hour or so, the starboard engine quit and we continued on with the port engine running smoothly.

     We reached our anchorage just south of the New Smyrna Beach high bridge at 3:45pm.  It is good holding ground in this place and we expected a peaceful night.  The GPS indicated that we had traveled 67.1 miles today at a moving average speed of 7.6 mph.

    After the engines had cooled down to a comfortable level, I went below into the engine room and replaced both the port and starboard Racor filters.  I use 2-micron elements.  Some folks disagree with my choice.  Here is my logic.  The fuel is filtered through 3 elements before it reaches the injection system.  The first is the Racor, then two filter stage elements at the engine that are reportedly about 10 micron grade.  These engine elements are time consuming to change and are oriented in an inconvenient location.  My thinking is to capture any particulate matter greater than 2 microns in the first stage of Racor filter.  With the bulk of matter already filtered, the remedy is to change that 2-micron filter more frequently than the 2-stages of engine filter.  I can change a Racor filter in 15 minutes and could do it readily underway if necessary.  Perhaps I’m right in my thinking; perhaps others are right in their thinking.

     After the filter change, the engines purred like contented kitty-cats.

POSITION  N29 00.922 W080 54.708    MILE

05/13/08  TUESDAY  NEW SMYRNA BEACH to ST. AUGUSTINE, FL

     At 6:24am, Judy was raising the anchor up from good holding ground.  It was pretty clean and didn’t require too much hosing off.  The sun was just rising at 6:33 as we passed the New Smyrna city dock that looked pretty nice since its recent renovation.  There are signs proclaiming “no overnight docking” that, reportedly, may, or may not, be enforced.  The waterway just north of New Smyrna Beach town should be navigated with extra caution.  The buoyage can be confusing and we have friends that have mistakenly gone aground in this area where the two channels merge.

     I love the sight of stately white heron stealthfully skulking through the shallows in the early morning light.

     As we turned into the Ponce Inlet cutoff, we came upon a small dredge clearing the channel.  I contacted the WILCO on their working frequency and received concise passing instructions.

     By 8:40am, we were in the Daytona section of the ICW.  Just south of this high bridge, a mangrove island provides home for hundreds of shore birds.  The mangroves are literally covered with a thick coating of white crust as evidence of their habitat.

     Daytona has numerous drawbridges and many high bridges.  The vertical supports of this high bridge are beautifully decorated with inlay mosaics of area sea-life.

     We traversed the waters of Flagler Beach and passed by Fort Matanzas before reaching the south anchorage at St. Augustine, FL.  This city boasts the title of the oldest city in the US.  At 3:10 pm, Judy had the anchor spotted in good holding in the crowded anchorage.  It is evident that many of these boats are relatively permanent fixtures here rather than transients.  The wind was a brisk 15-20 out of the NE and the current was running strong.  The significant tide will change three times during our brief respite here.  The wind will constantly fight the tide for control of the boats’ position and AMARSE, and her anchored neighbors, will twist and turn in a somewhat harmonic response.  I will need to make frequent anchor checks overnight to ensure that all the tugging and twisting does not uproot our anchor and permit us to drag.  Additionally, the anchor alarm will be set for a first-alert to any problems.

     Although we would love to visit this beautiful city, the expense of municipal dockage is high and the problems associated with lowering the dinghy have dissuaded us this time.

     The famous Bridge of Lions is still undergoing its multi-year renovation project.  The temporary bridge that was constructed solely to exist while the renovation is ongoing will be destroyed around 2010 when the historical bridge is completed.  Is that “Nuts” or what?

     Today has been a wonderful day for traveling with beautiful, sunny skies and pleasant temperatures.  We even had the good fortune to see a bald eagle both in flight and at rest.  They are so graceful and so cool.

     An evening game of farkle was especially fun because I won.

     Our day’s travel added up to 68.8 miles at a moving average of 7.7 mph.

POSITION N29 53.297 W081 18.423      MILE 777.8

05/14/08   WEDNESDAY   ST. AUGUSTINE to CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GEORGIA

     Of course, with the numerous changes of wind and tide, my sleep was frequently interrupted to check our security and position. At one time, we were awakened to a banging sound on the hull.  With the wind and the current at odds, we found the boat at an unusual angle to both as they fought to control the boat position.  This had caused us to swing into an empty mooring ball that was not being adversely affected by the wind and solely by the current.  The large ball was rapping against our stern and swim platform.  Rather than exacerbate the problem with useless intervention, I decided to let the natural forces take care of the situation.  Fortunately, just left alone for a while, everything cleared itself up.

     At 6:14am, the windlass retrieved the Fortress anchor from great holding ground and the flukes were in relatively clean condition requiring a minimum of clean up effort.  At this time in the tide cycle, the current was almost slack.  The temporary bridge stands immediately north of the concrete towers of the Bridge of Lions.

     As the sun rose in the east, we approached the confluence of the ocean inlet and the continuation of the ICW.  It is an unusual situation here that requires very close attention to navigation.  The ICW would appear to turn northerly at an incorrect place.  Adherence to the charts and markers provide a path that carries further east than might be visually suspected.  The prudent mariner follows the markers and ensures that the numbers fall in sequence to avoid confusion with other markers that lead out the inlet to sea.  From our position here, it appears that we are going to sea, however, we are taking a more than 90 degree turn at this time to remain in the ICW channel.  The bigger problem for some is that they turn east too early where they mistakenly interpret the markers to line up visually.  This plants them firmly aground on a massive sandbar that is often lurking just below the surface.  Fortunately, I have known about this trap for many years and we try to pay close attention to our marks.

     The Intracoastal WaterWay is often lined with magnificent homes.  This estate, located just south of Jacksonville Beach area, is one of the most attractive that I have ever seen.  The land is gorgeous and the mansion is regal.

     As we twisted and turned through the meandering ICW just south of Fernandina, Florida, a boater caught our attention by waving his arms.  He was anchored and could not start his engine.  His battery was dead and, consequently, his radio was inoperative.  He had hoped that we could jump-start his engine, however, our batteries are deep in the hull and we didn’t have cable anywhere near long enough.  He had called via cell phone for a commercial tow but that would take hours to occur since they were busy on another run.  We agreed to tow him to the marina at Fernandina Beach.  Skillfully, Judy fashioned a towrope from our longest dock line and she passed him one end while making the other end fast to our stern cleat.  The current was running strong so it was a challenge to maintain position while he attached the towline and tried to retrieve his anchor.  To complicated matters, he was having a tough time getting his anchor up.  Strangely, he had managed to get the anchor entangled in a derelict crab trap.  It is a good thing he was a strong guy and was able to free the fouled flukes.  As we approached the marina docks, the previously alerted dockmaster was standing by to assist.  Judy masterfully handled the towline situation while I eased the boat alongside the dock.  The transition was smoothly and efficiently executed.  That’s our good deed for the day.  Who knows, we may be the next one’s to need help.

     We had originally planned to take up a mooring ball at Fernandina, however, we learned that a number of our looper and Bahamas friends were planning to be anchoring behind Drum Island adjacent to Cumberland Island National Park.  We decided to join them in the anchorage.  At 3:15pm, we successfully set the anchor just north of the second Ranger Dock.  Our travel miles today came up to 68.9 at an average moving speed of 7.7 mph, which included the time we were towing the stranded boat.

    Already anchored were TIME OUT, SUE SEA Q IV, and SALTY DAWG.  George (TIME OUT) soon moved over to raft up with Sue Sea Q.

        Soon, SUNCAT and LAMB CHOP joined to make it a four-vessel raft.

     Since we were leaving very early the next morning, we opted to anchor by ourselves.  Larry likes to tow his dinghy behind Sue Sea Q, therefore, he quickly volunteered to provide a water taxi for the AMARSE crew to join the cocktail party on TIME OUT.  From his dinghy, I caught this great picture of our beautiful AMARSE.  As you know, AMARSE means “to love each other”.  We certainly love her and we know that she loves us too.

     Marian Grafer (TIME OUT) and Judy.

Larry Vhig (SUE SEA Q IV) and Fred.

     Steve Purdy (SUNCAT) and Tim (LAMB CHOP) seem altogether too serious in this picture.  Usually, the only thing they are real serious about is their boating skills and, then,  never missing the cocktail hour.

George Grafer (TIME OUT).  We hadn’t seen them since the winter of ’07 in the Bahamas.

     Sue Vhig (SUE SEA Q IV) and the Canadian gal from LAMB CHOP.

     After a while, Pat and Pat Dwyer (SALTY DAWG) arrived to join the festivities.  They have been touring the Cumberland Island Park.

     We got a ride back to AMARSE with Pat and Pat.  They were departing sometime tomorrow too and decided to remain anchored separately.  SALTY DAWG is this delightful Pilgrim 43 tug.

     Ain’t AMARSE real perty-like?

     The Dwyer’s dinghy is both fast and comfortable.  Nice ride!

     It sure was fun seeing everyone again.  We rested comfortably in this tranquil weather and light wind.

POSITION N30 46.206 W081 28.260     NEAR MILE 711.0

05/15/08  THURSDAY   CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GA to BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA

     At near sunrise, we had the anchor aweigh at 6:34am.  It had been good holding ground and the chain was pretty clean.  We had to backtrack a little south to clear a shoal on the south side of Drum Island before we could reconnect to the ICW at 6:53am.

     Our route carries us passed the Kings Island Submarine Base.  Fortunately, there were no subs operating in the area.  If there were, we would have been unable to pass or move in this area.

     The sub pens are huge and can be seen for many miles.

     We are on the final leg of our journey to Brunswick.  A relaxing Judy gently warms in the morning sun.

     By rolling up the isinglass windows, we can regulate just the right amount of airflow to be comfortable.  Today, the weather is pleasant with low humidity.

     In this area, you don’t see many other boats.  Even the shrimp boats seem to be few and far between these days of rising fuel costs.  These guys must be devastated economically.

     A couple of the larger shrimper vessels pass close aboard.  We couldn’t give any more room to starboard as we were pressed against the edge of the channel.  With no radio contact, we had no way of knowing that he wanted to turn sharply to the left toward the beach area.  These bigger boats generally ply the waters offshore.  In this case, his booms are extended, however, his nets are raised.

     After passing through the relatively shallow waters of Jekyll Island Cut at about half-tide, we emerged to turn up the Brunswick River.  The architecturally pleasing high bridge spanning the river highlights the familiar skyline.

     A northerly turn up the east river channel carries us past the gravel loading area for large ships.

     The first set of shrimp docks finds the majority of the boats tied up.  Is this the result of high fuel cost?

     This three-masted schooner is a permanent fixture at this dock.  Although it looks old, it is not that old.  Rumor has it that it was brought out of South America after payment of a handsome price.  I’ve never seen it move.

     The second set of shrimp docks finds another large contingent of boats dormant and unproductive.  Is the wild shrimp industry doomed to extinction due to high fuel prices and more economical farm-raising methodology? 

     Brunswick is now a cruise ship port.  It is a smaller line called American Cruise Lines.  They schedule infrequent stopovers here at the municipal docks.

     Brunswick will seldom be called a glamour port, however, it is a sleepy little town with a nice historic district and several nice restaurants nearby.  Our marina lies just ahead to the north.

     Dock one locates the marina office.  The visiting Coast Guard Cutter is lying along the face dock.  The marina currently has 14 rows of docks with another 6 rows in the planning stages.  The dockmaster reports that there is a sizeable waiting list of nearly 60 boats desiring slip space.

     Judy may well be the most accomplished deck person and line handler that I’ve ever met.  She always has the right lines at the ready and fenders the boat well to prevent any damage.  I think she should be elevated to the position of “Deck Supervisor”.

     AMARSE will be at home on Dock 5 this year.  Although I usually back in to the docks, we have to bow in because our egress is on the starboard side and the dock pier is more conducive to safe on and off.  The docks are very nice, concrete, long, and floating.

     This is the view of Dock 5 from the rampway.  The floating docks will rise and fall nearly 6 feet with each tidal change.  The current remains relatively light during the entire cycle.

     This is the view looking north at docks 6 through 14.  All the docks stretch for almost half a mile.

05/16/08  FRIDAY   BRUNSWICK to JACKSONVILLE to STUART to BRUNSWICK

     We had the predicament that our car was parked at Nettles Island Marina more than 300 miles south of here.  No one-way rental cars were available in this town.  Although the Greyhound Bus was a viable option, a better solution arose with a suggestion from our dockmaster.  Sherry was driving another couple to Jacksonville airport at 8am.  If we would split the $100 trip with the other couple, we could ride along and pick up  a Hertz car at the airport.  At 9:45am, we pulled out of the airport area in a Kia Rio.  Perhaps the name Kia POS would have been more descriptive.  We arrived in Ft. Pierce at 2pm where we perused the stuff at the used boat parts place finding nothing of interest.  After crossing the bridge, we headed south on Hutchinson Island to the marina.  Judy drove her car and I drove the rental to the return spot in Stuart.  I filled up the rent car at Sam’s Club at $3.74/gal and turned in the Kia around 4pm.  The rental was an amazingly low price of $38.05 total for the rental.  Together, we headed off toward Brunswick.  It was about 9:10pm before we got back to the boat.

05/17/08  SATURDAY  BRUNSWICK LANDING MARINA, BRUNSWICK, GA

     We had hurried back to Brunswick because George and Miriam Grafer were staying the weekend in Brunswick before heading further north.  We were excited about spending some more quality time with them.

     With the car, we could take them on a tour of the area and, especially, St. Simons Island.  The weather was absolutely perfect and must have been ordered up by the Chamber of Commerce.

     As we’ve said so many times, “it’s the people that make this lifestyle so great”.  George and Miriam make this clearly evident.  We had a great time!

     At low tide, this sand bar dominates the view to the east, however, as the tide rises, that sand will be totally submerged.

     This lovely church is nestled among many magnificent trees.  It was on these grounds that Rev. Charles Wesley preached his early sermons.  His brother, John Wesley, founder of the Methodist faith, joined him here on occasion.

     Fort Frederica is famous for its role in maintaining British sovereignty at the southern most point of the empire.  The Spaniards controlled Florida and they sought expansion to the north.  General Oglethorpe resisted the overwhelming odds of their forces and kept Georgia intact.  Little remains at this historic site operated by the US National Parks Service.