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We decided to stay at the marina tonight but we saw off our traveling companions Steve and Linda at 7 am. We think we will catch up with them sometime in June. They have been a lot of fun and wonderful help. We seem to be blessed with meeting new friends that teach us a lot. We also think it is kind of interesting that we meet a lot of educators. Hey Bro. Murray, meet retired school superintendent Steve. Hey Carl meet Linda. She is retired from teaching at a junior college.
Sorry to have missed out seeing you today Pat and George! Look forward to seeing you when we get to your Brick, NJ home.
Spent yesterday seeing more of Tangier Island. Above is the county dock where Dave picked up his prescription antibiotic. Shipping charges were $2 ... for same day delivery? People here are waiting to get on the boat back to the mainland or picking up stuff they ordered. The picture below is another dock where deliveries are made. Look close at the boat below and you can see US post office ... Rob, you need to get a job like this:-)
We took a little dingy ride with Steve and Linda and Captain Dave went aground several time ... in a dingy no less. I guess the Keys are not the only places with shallow water.
We also attended the Tangiers Island museum. A very interesting museum. We found out the dialect spoken by the islanders is Cornish. We loved the sound of their dialect and most of the time had no difficulty understanding them. They are a friendly bunch of people who seem to be very happy. The children don't have hand held video games and they are entertain like some of us older folks were back in the 40's and 50's. You saw them on bicycles, swimming, fishing and just having fun. How wholesome! The sad thing about this island and culture is that the island is slowly "melting" away and the crab numbers are dropping. The islanders have beaten the odds before. Lets pray that they will do it again.
This morning we left for Solomons Island around 6pm and arrived at the Calvert Marina around 12:30 pm. We did a little grocery shopping and we are now ready to relax. We may stay another day here ... or head out to Lippincott Marina. We will be having the bottom of Joysea painted there.
We left Norfolk early yesterday 6 am after saying goodbye to our new friends that we met at the restaurant. Two delightful moms (sisters) and their cute children.
We had a long day traversing the Chesapeake Bay and arrived at Parks
Marina in Tangier Island around 3:00 pm.
Tangier Island retains its connection to the water as home port to a
large fishing fleet while its residents also cater to the tourist trade
as a source of new economic independence. In the background of the
above picture are fishing boat docks each with their own crab shacks.
The owner and dock master of the marina is Melton Parks who gave Joyce and Dave a golf cart tour of the island. Melton is 80 years old and he told us he has been married to the wrong woman for 59 years. :-) He is also a great ambassador for the island. We learned a lot from him.
The people of the island have a cute, unique accent/dialect. Dat is that and dare is there.
The people are very nice and friendly. Dave cut his ankle 5-6 days
ago and it seems to be infected. We went to the Riverside Tangier
Family Medicine clinic ... and met Melton's daughter, Inez, who is the
PA that runs the clinic. The health care on Tangier is fantastic.
Inez ordered antibiotics and Dave asked where he could get them.
They would be on the next boat at 6:15 pm. How neat is that!
We will be staying here for two or three days and then we will probably
head over to Solomons Island.
Did the tourist thing today and walked around Norfolk. Joyce found a large mall so that was were most of the walking took place. Above a large Carnival Cruising ship passed our marina.
We did walk over to see the USS Wisconsin a huge battleship.
Another battleship in dry dock was across the river. Note Joysea in the background upper right (green top).
Behind our dock are many restaurants and bar/grills. Pretty nice nightlife. We plan to go to the Crab Shack (background right) tonight for dinner. Then we are up early shooting for Tangier Island. It could be a long ride, but Bernie is up to it ... once again cruising the Chesapeake Bay.
Went thru the second lock today. We arrived to early (45 minutes) so we thru out our anchor to wait for the opening. This time it drop us down about 8 feet. Joycie holding Joysea's mid cleat during the ride.
It was a nice calm, hot but pretty day entering Norfolk. We took a slip at the Waterside Marina and Joyce immediately headed for the launder mat. Dave began updating the blog when our neighbor Steve said we better zip things up because a severe storm was heading our way. Thank God we were in the marina before this one hit! Dave took the left picture from the lower helm of Joysea. There is a 3 mast sailing/motor boat for tourist that went out but couldn't out run the storm. You can barely make out the three mast. The captain did a smart thing and didn't try to dock the boat. He just rode it out
We are probably going to stay here two nights ... neat area.
Left Elizabeth City this morning and headed for the Visitor's Center in the Dismal Swamp state park. It was a great ride ... no bugs and plenty of shade. It is idle only so it is a slow ride. We went thru the first lock with no problems. It elevated us about 7 - 8 feet. The picture at right is Joycie on Joysea's bow going thru the canal.
South Lake was a beautiful anchorage ... for awhile. The above sunset was beautiful ... but later on we were hit by a zillion bugs. We think they were May flies. What a mess! Joysea was mad about the paper mill dump ... but this was much worse. The picture below was last night when we noticed them. It got worse. We had bugs and green stuff all over Joysea ... and we are still trying to clean her up.
Elizabeth city is a very boater friendly town. They have a free dock (no electricity) and they really cater to boaters. Joyce and Dave plan to walk around town after they get Joysea cleaned and settled down. She's complaining about going thru the Great Dismal Swamp. South lake treated her badly what do you think a swamp will do to her? Actually it is suppose to be a very pretty run and Dave and Joyce are looking forward to it. The 22 mile long Dismal swamp canal has two locks that open 4 times a day ... so timing is important.
For about an hour it was a noisy day ... different type of jet fighter planes kept buzzing by us.
The picture on left is a large tug and barge that we passed.
We also stopped for lunch at the Ruddy Duck tavern in Morehead City, NC. Food was great! Dave had an appetite even though it was a nervous docking/rafting up to Yesterday's Dream. I mean it's hard enough to do ... but with many restaurant patrons on the patio watching? Thanks to Captain Linda's advice all went well.
Above Joycie at our anchorage with Yesterday's Dream in the background.
Left Provision Company dock around 6:45 and arrived at our anchorage around 3 pm. Long day but a nice ride. Above picture taken this morning as we left.
It is hard to make the boats in the background but believe me they are there!
We had to wait out a storm before leaving for Southport, NC. We left around 9:30 am and had thoughts of bypassing Southport, but another storm forced us to stop at a restaurant that had free slips. The food was great and we decided that we would stay overnight before heading out again in the morning. Joyce and Dave walked around town while Steve and Linda rode their bikes.
Above Joyce stands next to the Indian Trail Tree. Cape Fear Indians are said to have bent the tree when it was a sapling as sign or trail marker. The tree is 400 - 800 years old.
After rafting up with Yesterdays Dream, Joyce and Linda tend to some chores. We left this remote anchorage around 7:45 am and arrived at the Osprey marina around 1:30 pm. Yesterdays Dream got into the fuel dock immediately but Joysea had to wait 1/2 hour in the narrow ICW for a spot to open up. Not a lot of fun with speed boats zipping by every minute or so.
After fueling up Joysea, the dock master told us how to get to the slip reserved for us. Well low and behold guess who they had us dock next to? Reflection was sooo happy to see Joysea. Reflection's owner's, Pat and George, left her alone while they drove home for 5 days. Joysea said that Reflection didn't want us to leave in the morning but Joysea told her that she would probably catch us before we got out of the Chesapeake Bay area. Joysea will be going into dry dock there to have her bottom painted.
This mornings travels took only 30 minutes to get from our anchorage to the Harborage at Ashely Marina. Dave washed down Joysea and Joycie did the laundry. In the afternoon we took advantage of the free marina shuttle service and visited downtown Charleston.
We are not sure of our anchorage tomorrow but would like to travel 50 miles or so.
To see our exact location do not forget to click on the "Follow us via Google Map" link at the top of the page.
Above Steve and Linda aboard Yesterdays Dream. We are anchored separately because of the swift current.
When out for breakfast this morning so started a little later around 9:05 am. We made pretty good progress and a little after 4 pm we anchored in Factory Creek which is in Beaufort, SC about 53 miles from the marina. Above picture is the ICW somewhere between here and there:-)
Above our anchorage in Factory Creek.
Left anchorage at 7:50 am and arrived at Isle of Hope Marina around 2:30 pm. It was a nice ride (except for the bloody biting insects) and we are ready for a shower and, of course, cocktail hour! Above Joycie returning from shower with Yesterday Dreams at her side.
ICW from upper deck of Joycie while in the marina.
Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers! Mothers love flowers so the above photo is kind of appropriate. We arrived at the Jekyll Harbor Marina Friday and plan to leave here Monday. After bragging about Cumberland Island we finally have something negative to report. The paper mill about 8 miles away from our anchorage dumped something all over Joysea ... and boy was she pis...'d! Saturday morning we spent several hours at the marina giving Joysea a bath. She is a happy girl once again.
The above picture is the front view of Crane Cottage. The flower garden is the back view. We forget who Crane was ... but "cottage" ... give me a break. We saw many "cottages" and it was hard to decide which to put on the blog.
Build for tycoons, the Jekyll Island Club now operates as a luxury resort. Croquette any body? A huge manicured croquette lawn in front ... and a small putting green in the back ... talk about having priorities all screwed up. In the early days the only way onto the island was by boat. It was a place for very rich and powerful business men.
We went into the chapel above which was built by the Jekyll Island Club (i.e. rich people). It has two outstand stain glass windows. One designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The other window is made of several layers of glass, giving the illusion of depth and perspective. It is one of the most outstanding pieces of stained glass art in the nation.
We dingy'd over to Cumberland Island this morning and oh my, is this a beautiful place! Many live oak trees with Spanish moss and lots of wild life. The island is famous for its wild horses. Below they look tame but dare not to approach them. Their population varies but the current count is 141 horses. The park ranger told us the horses are completely on their own. They don't get fed or medical treatment ... seems harsh, but they manage to survive.
The background structure is part of the Dungeness Ruins ... you can google it for more information.
We walked many miles today. After visiting the ruins, we had lunch (you have to bring your own food and take trash back with you) then walked over to the ocean side where there is a sea camp and beach. The beach is full of dunes ... and like most dunes you cannot walk on them..
All in all the island is a gem ... we would visit it again in a heart
beat.
Yesterday was a short day made shorter because Dave used the auto-pilot and loved it. There are some minor problems with it, but we believe they are easy to fix. As a side note, Captain George says we have to give the auto-pilot a name ... and he suggested "Bernie". A long story behind this name so we won't go into that now. So today, Bernie will be taking us on a longer trip (54 miles) to Daytona Beach, where we have reservations at the Halifax River Yacht Club.
Tomorrow we leave for an anchorage by Titusville. This is very close to where the shuttle will be launched tomorrow afternoon. We have our fingers crossed that the launch takes place ... very excited to be there! Hopefully we will have some great pictures to but on the blog.
This morning many of the boats left.
The picture to the right is a puzzle. It looks like a new sail
boat without a mast but with a lot of wood structure ... a wanna-be
trawler perhaps?
Today we got a call from Reflection ... they have caught up with us ... Joysea was so happy! We arrived today at Vero Beach municipal marina and had happy hour with George, Pat , guest George and his son Andrew. Also joining us was friends from the area Linda, Gus and Nancy who after cocktails took us to the Dock Side Grill for dinner.
We fueled up today ... almost 200 gal of Diesel fuel at $4.209/gal ... ouch! Picture left is Joycie getting some of the salt off of Joysea.
Tomorrow we head for Dragon point anchorage ... or maybe a marina
near by.
We finally arrive at our anchorage in Lake Worth around 6:30 pm. Long day! After a hot shower Joycie relaxes with a well deserved gin and tonic ... oh the dingy rescue kit is going to need replenishing soon!
We then walked to an Irish pub for a beer, but decided not to because of the threat of rain.
We are not sure of the time we are leaving tomorrow but we will leave for an anchorage in Lake Worth sometime in the morning ... depending on the tide and large vessel traffic.
We passed the yacht behind Dave as it was backing into a large covered slip. Tomorrow our main objective is to avoid encountering something like this:
In the dingy, no problem, in Joysea she might freak out! Dave will be announcing our departure from Cooly's Landing on channel 9. They are suppose to monitor the channel and let you know if large ships are moving ... We hope so!
Update to 4-26 blog. This yacht is being towed by a toll boat in front and in back. The yacht was too big for my camera to catch all of it.
Yesterday we left our anchorage and headed for Ft. Lauderdale. Above we are in Biscayne Bay with the Miami skyline in the background.
Traveling down the ICW near Hallandale, Fl.
This morning, Joycie and Joysea after a good nights sleep. We decided we want to stay here 3 days. Nice place and good price. More pictures later.
Regressing a little back to the Thursday before we left banana bay. Our friend Jim sent us some pictures that we really like. Above Ed and Dave "cook" ribs on grill at the point. Actually the ribs are pre-cooked and only need to be warmed up. Talk about melt in your mouth tender ribs! Never again will we go back to doing ribs the old fashion way.
Above is the morning we left Banana Bay. Lots of help getting ready to cast off. Joyce on deck, Ed and Bob helping with lines.
Above we leave our winter shelter.
Left for Biscayne National State park around 7:05 am and arrived around 11:00 am. Biscayne bay's water is a beautiful emerald color. The photo above doesn't do it justice. We arrived at the park to find all slips taken so we found a nice (and popular) anchorage close buy. We dingy'd back to the park but guess who forgot the camera? It was a nice park but not much in facilities so we decided to stay at our anchorage site.
Last night was another beautiful sunset. You almost take it for granted ... but shouldn't. We left our anchorage this morning around 9:30 am and arrived at our anchorage in Black Water sound in Key Largo. It is the weekend and there is a lot of boating and jet ski activity. Probably best not to travel on the weekend.
Below, Dave (with Mary Tonic) work on today's blog. No rest for the weary!
A lot of our friends have already left the marina, but we still had a few around to send us on our way. The flowers in the water is suppose to be good luck and assures your return to the same slip ... hope it works!
Below at the deck are Jim and Betty, Captain Larry and Admiral Barbra (Bob and Sue are hiding). Captain Ed (i.e. belongs to Barbara) is in the stern helping Dave with a difficult stern line.
We plan to leave this anchorage tomorrow and anchor near Key Largo in Black Water sound. Below Joycie and her dog "Mary Tonic" rest at the anchorage. Our granddaughter Chelsie named her and gave her to us because a lot of other boaters in the marina have a dog. She knows her grandparents well. The dog's name is derived from Bloody Mary and Gin and Tonic.
I think our reputation is at stake here. Our boating friends Bob and Sue, Jim and Betty gave us an emergency dingy kit that contained a bottle of Absolute vodka and Tanqueray gin!