Sombrero Resort Marina

Some pictures of our marina. (1) The DIXIE IV in slip #8 (2) The tiki bar by the pool (3) the pool (4) The resort lobby and office. Cheese fondue dinner planned for New Years Eve dinner. Happy New Year to all!



Chet

12/31

2:15 PM

Made it to Marathon

Arrived at Sombrero Resort at noon today. A busy afternoon getting the boat set up for a three month stay and its not finished yet.

The picture is of birds standing on a shoal about 50 feet away as we passed through one of the most hazardous channels in the Keys ICW. Less than 6 inches of water under the keel but we never touched bottom.

As has been written this was not the best trip south, but we are safely here.

Chet
12/30
4:24 PM

Anchored in Islamorada

We had a fast day to Islamorada where we anchored early (3PM). We are only 40 miles from Marathon from here but we just cannot make it in one day from Miami on the inside. The weather has been, as usual, lousy. Northerly winds last night that made us grateful for a good anchoring system. Some nature pictures, taken in the miles of mangroves we go through (1) a white heron standing around (2) a osprey that is not often seen this time of year (3) a egret looking around.

Marathon by noon tomorrow.

Chet

Tuesday 12/29

4:17 PM

Anchored in Miami

After a long day of bridges, 33 between West palm Beach and Miami only 5 of which we had to stop to open (mast enginering at work) we have anchored in the old abandoned marine

stadium. Leslie and Julie will remember going to the concerts and spending the night on the boat in No Name Harbor. Some pictures (1) from yesterday the Jupiter inlet lighthouse (2) going past Government Cut in Miami Harbor we saw a long stream of cruise ships waitng to get underway (3) and finally, a view of downtown Miami as we see it at anchor. The weather as usual is not good with a cold front going as far as Key West so we will go inside down the Keys expecting to get to our winter "home" in Marathon on Wednesday.

Chet

Monday, 12/28

6:43 PM

Palm Beach

We are anchored in Lake Worth next to the Inlet. We had hoped to go outside tomorrow but a cold front is going in tonight so inside and deal with the bridges, We expect to be in Miami tomorrow night and Marathon by Wednesday.

Chet
Sunday, 12/27
4:06 PM

A Quiet Christmas

We had a quiet Christmas, starting with our traditional fondue dinner on Christmas Eve. We had visits with boating friends. We meet a number of boaters we knew; Vero Beach is the place to find old friends. Another cold front is coming in but this far south it should be very mild. Off to Palm Beach tomorrow and then on to Miami and into the Keys. Should be in Marathon by Wednesday.

Chet
Saturday, 12/26
6:11 PM

Vero Beach for Christmas

Up early, as always, to get moving. A windy but otherwise beautiful day. At Vero Beach City Marina for next two days (three nights). A Christmas dinner fondue tonight in keeping with a long tradition. No pictures today. Merry Christmas to all.

Chet
Thursday, 12/24
4:55 PM

Five days in 34 hours

The last 34 hours have been intersting. We were incresingly frustrated by bad weather and constant delays. the weather turned favorable so we left Beaufort, SC, on Tuesday morning and went south with no specific plan other than to get as far south as possible. We set a new Marks record. 260 miles in 34 hours. We are now anchored just south of Titusville.
The net effect is a 5 day jump on the ICW and avoidance of miles of horrible ICW conditions in GA. We will be in Vero Beach tomorrow at least 5 days ahead of expectations. The weather was good but neither Dixie or I can sleep on an overnight; it is tiresome. But here we are; some pictures (1)please don't get tired of dolphins, we see hundreds a day and these followed us for quite a way (2) This is how a portion of Dayona Beach looks from 5 miles off shore (3) This sunset shot by Dixie was the end of a beautiful day.

A very successful overnight.

Chet

Wednesday, 12/23

5:26 PM

Arrived in Beaufort, SC

We are docked at Downtown Marina in Beaufort, SC (the correct pronunciation is aided by "beautiful Beaufort"). A beautiful day. The forecast is better for tomorrow. The current plan is to go outside, skip all of GA , and come into the St Johns River at Jacksonville Wednesday morning. Saves at least 3 days. Some pictures (1) This is Clemson Tiger territory as seen here with the flag (2) We had some traveling companions; here three dolphin moved alongside with us. We have seen literally hundreds of dolphins. Stay tuned, if there is no post tomorrow its because we are at sea.

Chet

Monday, 12/21

4:17 PM

Charleston, SC

Finally underway from Georgetown. An uneventful trip to Ashley Marina in Charleston. Some pictures: (1) Finally a beautiful sunrise not hidden by clouds (2) The flags flying in Fort Sumpter in Charlston (3) the new beautiful new bridge over the Cooper River in Charleston (4) a shot of the Charleston Battery and its overpriced homes (but beautiful). We hurry to get south to warm weather but winter storms keep coming. Beaufort, SC tomorrow.

Chet

Sunday, 12/20

4:50 PM

One More Day in Georgetown

The winds continued at gale force today, but tomorrow should be OK for travel. We hope to get to Charleston tomorrow. High winds and cold temperatures have so far made this a less than satisfactory trip so far. Will be better further south (hopefully).

Chet
Saturday, 12/19
2:48 PM

Gale from Georgetown to south of Charleston

It was immediately obvious this morning that this was not a day to be moving on the water. The National Weather Service labeled this a "major winter coastal storm" and it is. There is some small chance that this will blow out tonight but it may continue on through tomorrow also. All we can do is wait and see.

Chet
Friday, 12/18
11:30 AM

Georgetown, SC (serious question for how long)

We are at Georgetown, SC tonight and maybe for several more nights. A major storm is moving up from FL with heavy rain and gale force winds; we will probably have to stay right here. Some pictures: (1) Waccamaw River has many Osprey nests, all empty as its not spring breeding season yet. By April they will be full of families with babies (2) The transiant dock at Georgetown Landing Marina. We are the only boat here. In the last two days we have only seen one sailboat, and no power cruisers. The VHF radio is very quiet.

The Waccamaw River (about 25 miles long) is the most beautiful part of the ICW.

Stay tuned for the next report of weather effect on travel.

Chet

Thursday, 12/17

4:40PM

Barfoot Landing, Myrtle Beach tonight

We are at Barefoot Landing in N Myrtle Beach. No picture today. A long but routine day on the ICW. Down to freezing tonight. We are 200 miles south of where we started but the weather follows us. The only certainly is that the Florida border is magical; no more cold weather on the ICW. A number of days before we prove that again. Off to Georgetown tomorrow.

Chet
Wednesday, 12/16
5:07 PM

Wrightsville Beach Tonight

This "Pink House" is really ugly. Located 5 miles or so south of New River, when we see it we think the cruise has started. A overcast cloudy, foggy day but uneventful day. The forecast is for high winds tonight and tomorrow. If the wind dies down tomorrow we will try to get down the Cape Fear River to Southport. We'll see.

Chet
Tuesday 12/15
4:16 PM

FINALLY UNDERWAY!

After 10 days of delays we are finally underway. Staying at Caspers Marina in Swansboro and took on the least expensive diesel on the ICW (not cheap, least expensive). The nature shot of the day is a deer swimming across the ICW. Off to Wrightsville Beach tomorrow.

Chet

Monday, 12/14

6:10 PM

One problem fixed, now for the weather

This is what a burned out voltage regulator looks like. Looks "normal" but doesn't work. We replaced it yesterday. Now if the gales would stop we could move on. Looks like Saturday now.

Chet

Thursday, 12/10

3:55 PM

Have been trying to get underway

This is the first posting for what we hope will be the 2009/2010 winter cruise. With all the food and clothes loaded on the boat we are living on the boat behind the house.These are shots from the end of the dock behind our house. (1) Our house, which we left two days ago for the boat (2) A view of the swamp across the creek (3) and a view down the creek toward Northwest Creek Marina.

We tried to get underway Monday and discovered the latest delay, a failed alternator regulator. We are awaiting an overnight shipment of a new regulator.

There have been a series of delays. First Dixie developed an inflamed knee for no obvious reason. A trip to the doctor statrted the healing process but she still cannot stay on the knee for a protracted period. Then the weather turned, bringing a gale with it and another delay. Now the electrical problem which should be resolved by tomorrow night; but the current weather forecast calls for another gale starting tonight and lasting for the next two days. Looks like we will not get away before Friday. We still plan on getting to Marathon by the end of December, but boat plans are written in sand at low tide; we'll see how things go. Stay tuned.

Chet Marks

Home Again

The weather forecast for today would lead one to believe that the world was ending soon. Of course that was nonsense. We had a calm night at Cedar Creek and an uneventful passage to Fairfield Harbour to the dock behind our house. The wind did come up after we arrived but that was of no consequence and we are home from a 5 month winter cruise. A few closing pictures: The first is a shot of our house from the bow of the boat;The second and third are representative of the hundreds maybe thousands of the Osprey nests on the Intercoastal. If you look closely there are babies in the nest. No one bothers these nests, if they cover the marker the Coast Guard adds another marker. In the tradition, this is the last blog posting until the beginning of the next cruise which is planned to be back to Marathon. Remember the rule: " Boat plans are written in sand at low tide". Nothing happens until it happens.

Cedar Creek tonight, home tomorrow

A long day, 99 miles. We are 18 miles from home; should be home by 9:30 AM. Some final pictures of Osprey tomorrow.

Wrightsville Beach Tonight

We are anchored at Wrightsville Beach tonight. The achorage is shown in the picture. Its a large anchorage well protected from wind but not from the inconsiderate jerks who tear through an anchorage at high speed and wake. We have just about decided we will not move on weekends; the powerboat population is not worth dealing with. The percentage of the power boating population that is both ignorant and inconsiderate is amazing.

Barefoot Landing

We are at Barefoot Landing in N Myrtle Beach. Didn't go far today but we always stop at Barefoot landing. Tomorrow we plan to anchor in Wrigthsville Beach. If the weather goes not turn too bad we expect to be home monday afternoon.

One of the exhibits at Barefoot Landing is a tiger support organization The first picture is a kitten, the next two merely demonstrate that large cats are like house cats. They eat and sleep.

Wacca Wachee Marina

We got to Wacca Wachee Marina, about 30 miles south of Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. Its cold and windy. Its not supposed to be like this in April. On to Barefoot Landing tomorrow.

Isle of Palms Tonight

We are at Isle of Palms Marina about 15 miles north of Charleston Harbor. We will leave early and anchor someplace in Waccamaw River, moving on to Myrtle Beach the next day. The picture is Fort Sumter taken as we crossed Charleston Harbor.

Another two days in Beaufort

As it does with distressing frequency the weather turned bad again. This morning was a marginal call on whether we could leave but we decided to stay another day. Turned out to be a good thing since Dixie's ear was not improving and we needed to make another trip to urgent care where a much stronger antibiotic ear drop and a pill were ordered. If price is an indication of effectiveness then the six times more expensive ear drops should show some results. We plan on stopping at the Isle of Palms north of Charleston tomorrow. Note the word "plan".

A stop at Beaufort,SC

After a very involved departure from Isle of Hope Marina (we were inside the face dock with a boat behind us and wind and tide pushing us back; finally the very accomadating ower behind us got underway so we could get out) we moved on to Beaufort for the night at the Downtown Marina. Normally we would anchor here but the wind is higher than may be confortable. We are not sure what is happening this year; normally there is sure to be a continuous line of boats going north, We have not seen a half dozen moving north in 600 miles. All the sailboats are going south. We have not seen ONE large power cruiser moving north or south since leaving Marathon. There are a number of trawlers, which seems to be the current preferred style of boat. The boating world is not the same as it has been. On to Isle of Palms about 20 miles north of Charleston tomorrow.

Unplanned stop at Isle of Hope

Dixie woke up this morning with intense pain in her left ear. We obviously had to find a doctor today since we would never find one on Easter Sunday. The nearest marina near a city was The Isle of Hope Marina in Savannah. We got in early, found a Doc in a Box and treatment for an ear infection. Prescription ear drops for 7 days should solve the problem. The plan is Beaufort, SC tomorrow and since the weather forecast for Monday is terrible we will stay there two nights. Obviously this will slow our forward progress. Boat plans are written in sand at low tide.

Here we are at Walburg Creek

We went outside today from St Mary River. Covered about 80 outside miles instead of over a hundred inside on the ICW to Walburg Creek in St Catherines Sound. Doing this allows us to avoid the worst spots on the Georgia ICW ( I will not go into why the Corps of Engineers is always the most incompetent Federal Agency). Weather was good until the last few hours when a cold front came in early with gale force winds as we approached Walburg Creek. Under those circumstances this is the right anchorage; very protected. We had planned on going outside again to Beaufort, but that won't happen this trip. We will get to Beaufort tomorrow on the inside. The weather continues to be erratic at best. The weather forecaster "profession" is the only one in which failure is expected and the paycheck keeps coming. On we go.

Fernandina Beach

Another high milage day,86 miles. Went through Nassau Sound at low spring tide and bounced off the bottom three times. First time it has happened on this boat. Anchored for the night with the intention of going outside to St Catherines Sound. Stay tuned.

Position Report:Palm Coast Marina

Moved today after the blow. Good day. Spending the night at Palm Coast Marina. Off tomorrow with a long day planned. Hope to get to Fernandina Beach and then outside the next day. We'll see.

A Trip to the Space Center

Having been blown into Titusville we went to the Space Center for the first time in a least 12 years. This day was even better than the first one. Some pictures: (1) The NASA logo which thousands use as a photo op (2) The spacecraft assembly building. This is literally the largest building in the world but by optical illusion it does not appear that way. The flag is 300 feet high. 3) The space pad has Atlantis being prepared for the next shuttle firing. (4) An unsual sighting of the crawler that moves the rockets and shuttles; it usually moves at night. It weighs 6 million pounds and moves at .5 mph. There is even more to see here; everyone coming to FL should visit. The Center is only 31 miles from Orlando

Tittusville Today

We are in Titusville, maybe for several days as the latest cold front comes through with gale force winds. Tomorrow the plan is to revisit (after 12 years) the Space Center visitors center. If the forecast stays lousy we will not leave here until Wednesday. Cold fronts are not supposed to come this far south this time of year. So much for global warming.

Another Best Restaurant

Our other favorite restaurant is Bobby's on the beach. Best hamburgers in the city. Underway tomorrow.

Enroute to and at Vero Beach

We were concerned when we got underway that the cats would be disturbed. The last two pictures show no stress. The first picture is the entrance to the best pizza in Florida, and the second is a wildlife shot of an Osprey nest complete with chicks; look closely. We plan on moving on on Sunday.

Vero Beach Position report

After a relatively short day we are tied up at the Vero Beach City Marina. In three days we covered 25% of the distance home but we will stay here at least 2 days and if the weather forecast is correct maybe longer. This is one of our favorite stops so if weather keeps us here its not a problem. Some pictures soon.

Palm Beach, another 100 mile day

After 12 hours, 100 miles, and dozens of bridges we are anchored in Lake Worth in Palm Beach. On to Vero Beach tomorrow. A shorter day.

Underway

The internet connection in the middle of Biscayne Bay is not great. A short note. We are underway, anchored tonight within sight of smog ridden Miami. Still in doubt how far we will get tomorrow.

A Day's Delay

As noted in the plaque shown here, boat plans are transitory. The weather forecast for today was not quite what we wanted so we will leave tomorrow. Should be three or four good days. Stay tuned.

Sea horses too small to ride

Some litttle sea horses came around the other day. Apparently they found a good meal on the bottom of a nearby houseboat. On a more serious note we plan on getting underway tomorrow, assuming the weather is what the weatherman says it will be. Position reports will be posted on the blog as we move along. Time to go home.

John & Bonnie's Visit/Day trip to Key West

John and Bonnie visited for the last time before we leave in a week. The have graciously agreed to take our car back to Ft Lauderdale. I'll fly down to get it when we get home. Two pictures: John and Bonnie in front of the Half Shell Restaurant and a milage sign that gives as the crow flys milage to lots of places. A nice visit.