To Be Continued

We arrived in Brunswick Landing Marina after a short 10 mile cruise from our anchorage. This marina is well known for it’s hurricane protection and for it’s lively community that is heavily supported by management. They provide a Happy Hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with free beer and wine.

The small historic section of Brunswick had their First Friday where at 5:00 they block off the streets. All the shops stay open and some provide adult beverages. There was music, food trucks and even a small car show. We had a great evening that was shared with the crew from Unplugged. Late that night our nephew/house squatter showed up with our car.

Saturday we took him over to St Simons Island and visited Fort Fredricka and later climbed a light house. Dan is also a lover of the seafaring life so he was in seventh heaven. Sunday morning we put him on a plane and sent him packing with a stern warning to get the house and yard ship shape before our arrival!

Our last guest was one of Sue’s high school friends, Kelly. Kelly actually introduced Sue and I back in the day. So I guess she is the one responsible! 

 

So after 400 hundred days, 7959 miles, 3335 gallons of diesel fuel, 989 hours at the helm, 112 nights at anchored and more fun than any 10 life times deserve,  Sue and I marked our Great Loop accomplished when we pulled in to Brunswick Landing Marina. Next Chapter will get a well deserved rest for the next five months as we head back to Virginia Beach by car on Thursday June 8th. When we set out on this journey we were sure we would have fun along the way but what we greatly underestimated was the fun we would have every single day. A Odyssey like this can’t help but change you in some way and it certainly did with us. For me it restored my faith that humanity is still 99.9% good unlike what we are lead to believe from all the nonsense media outlets pump into our consciousness on a daily basis. It was the moments of need where total strangers stepped in without any expectation of renumeration and helped us continue our journey. The brother/sisterhood of the Looper community is unlike any other. We always felt comforted by the camaraderie generated by flying the white burgee. This journey has taught me that I am not defined by the personal trappings of “stuff” that filled our lives. It is the human connection that is the essence of what makes me feel fulfilled and whole. I feel as I have found my tribe being in community of other true cruisers. Finally, being able to experience our country, Canada and part of the Bahamas from the water was simply magical. The landscapes, geography and vistas that we devoured with our eyes has filled our memories to the brink. The personal connections we made have overflowed our hearts.

We would also like to send out a special thanks to all of you who took time out of your busy lives and met up with us along the way to share a small part of our adventure. It meant the world to us. We would also like those who travelled along us on the blog. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting words the experiences and emotions we encountered along the way. Also thanks for being kind on “typos” and grammatical errors. Rest assured my editorial staff has been put os sea rations and keel hauled for their transgressions. The biggest thanks goes to my Admiral/first mate/ galley chef/ wife Sue. This trip was so out of her lane but she not only did it but did her best at every turn. Without her none of this was possible. I am eternally grateful for the leap in faith she took in me to be able to pull this off. 

 We don’t yet know what our “Next Chapter” will be but I can say for certain it will at least in part involve cruising and the boating lifestyle. For now we are excited to reconnect with our family and friends back in Virginia Beach. We hope to see many of you soon and catch up on what has transpired in your lives over the past year. 

For now this is captain and first mate of Next Chapter signing off. See you at the Beach!

High School buddies. Where the heck has the time gone?

               Christ Church on St Simons. They have been holding services here since 1736. 

                         How about this iconic American gem!

Like a Bulldog in front of the Vets Office

 

If you noticed our daily travel distance has been getting progressively shorter. That is largely due to the fact that the captain really does not want this incredible odyssey to come to a halt. At this point I feel like a bulldog on a leash in front of the vet’s office at full four wheel stop. But in all reality when it comes to being on the water I don’t ever think I have ever been satiated.

So on Monday morning we headed 19 miles to Fernandina Beach which is where we would say goodbye to Florida. It was a nice sunny warm cruise continuing up the ICW, across Nassau Sound and then into the South Amelia river. Fernandina Beach is not actually a beach but is located at the north end of Amelia Island. Fernandina is another one of those old world Florida towns that seem to have a renaissance going on.

They are doing a great job keeping the old world feel about the place maintaining the architectural style even in some of the new construction. Large live oaks provide a shaded canopy over many of the side streets. There is even one street where they left the oak and put the street around it on both sides. We did a great self guided tour of about 25 post Antebellum homes all built in the late 1800’s. They were all nicely maintained. Not a headache I would undertake. There are two pulp mills that flank the town along with a deep water port for smaller container ships which likely provide many jobs for the area’s population. It’s another one of those places that just has a good feel to it. 

The next morning I was doing my early jog when I ran into a Looper, Chuck and his new wife Leah whom we had met on the Trent Severn Waterway. What a small world. We hauled the anchor and went over to Consolidated Fuels and scored diesel at $2.85 a gallon. They typically only server commercial vessels but in the spring and fall they will sell to the recreational crowd.

The fellow there told us that in the winter when the dredge is in the area that they will board 100,000 gallons and it takes 10 hours to do it. How would you like that fuel bill? We filled Next Chapters belly and we were off to Cumberland Island which was a whole six miles to the north. Bark, Bark! We have been to Cumberland Island on our first trip up the ICW but loved it so much we had to stop again.

The Island was owned by the Carnegies where they built one of their many mansions called Dungeness. It is where Lucy Carnegie raised her children. The mansion is now preserved ruins being destroyed by fire decades ago. The Island is now managed by the National Park Service and is truly a historic and landscape treasure. We rode many miles of the island on our bikes under the shade of giant marine live oaks.

Their branches so contorted and bent it would make any Chiropractor salivate. Along our trek we saw turkey, wild horses, armadillo, deer and even a rare sighting of a bob cat. He crossed our path and we were able to get a good look at him. Pretty rare to see them as they are very shy and typically only come out at night. When we got back to the boat we cruised 10 miles to a remote anchorage in a small creek off the ICW. It was in the middle of nowhere where the green marsh grass extended for as far as you could see. We had a pod of dolphin swimming around the boat most of the evening. 

On Wednesday morning we left our secluded anchorage and headed to St Simons situated in the middle of the Golden Isles. Our cruise took us up the Cumberland River, across St Andrews Sound and thru the notorious Jekyll Creek along none other than Jekyll Island. It is notorious because it is very narrow and very shallow.

They have a 7’ tide which we of course only had about a one foot of that as we passed thru it. We safely made it on pins and needles and a lot of puckering. Just after that we ran into a rain shower which fortunately stopped just before we settled into our anchorage. I explored the village of St Simons by bike. It is a nice small town right on the St Simon’s inlet.

I spotted what looked like a nice spot for dinner called Georgia Sea Grill. Turns out it is the second rated restaurant in Georgia. It took a bit wrangling to get a reservation for two at the bar but persistence paid off. We had a fabulous meal and probably the best crab soup that has ever passed by my lips. Although again cloudy all day we had a great time at St Simons Island. 

                                                                                          I think I like St Simons!

Side street in St Simons

                          Dungeness Ruins and the landscape crew at work

If you click on the pic and zoom in you will see the Bob Cat staring back at us. 

Land of the Majestic Live Oaks

 

Once again we had a weather system moving in on us that was going to make things rough at the City Marina in St Augustine. The forecast was for gale force winds out of the north beginning on Friday. Safe to know that a gale is a lot of wind and something you don’t want to be in either at anchor or at a dock if you can help it. So we decided to go into the St John’s river to Jacksonville where there is a first class marina called Port 32.

So on Thursday morning we rolled out at 7 am for the 54 mile cruise to Jacksonville. Our route took us through the Tolomato River and on into a long dug section of the ICW. We passed by many beautiful waterfront homes especially in Palm Valley and Ponte Vedra. This is waterfront living at its finest. We then turned into the St John’s river and headed 20 miles to the mouth of the Ortega River where Port 32 is located.

The St John’s river to Jacksonville is mostly large scale industrial with numerous shipping ports of all types. As you pass Jacksonville it turns largely residential and then remote.  Port 32 Marina is full service providing free laundry, beautiful pool, gas grills and a wonderful boaters lounge. Not to mention everything a boater would need was almost within walking distance. We saw La Vida was moored just across from us.

We Looped a couple of different sections with them and enjoyed their company. So we connected and had a wonderful dinner at a great local Indian restaurant. The Canadian crew from Grand Vue also joined us. On Saturday we jumped on the bikes and rode five miles to downtown. The ride took us along the river front where stately old homes adorned with majestic live oaks some of which were around at the time of the civil war.

The live oaks are an ecosystem in and of themselves as they are home to beards of Spanish moss, ferns and many types of succulents. Birds, squirrels and lizards make these trees home. You can’t help but think Deep South when you are amongst these curly armed giants. These trees were highly prized by shipwrights as they utilized their curved branches to shape boats. Our ride also took us through the small area of Avondale which is about two blocks long and packed with eating and retail options. Down Jacksonville is a bit of an enigma. It has all the right bones to be a thriving Florida city but it just can’t seem to find its footing. There is a beautiful waterfront area but many of the commercial spaces are shuttered. However based on what I saw I believe it is currently a Florida bargain. There is signs that things are on the move. Only time will tell. 

On Sunday we rolled back out of the St John’s river to join back up to the ICW where we anchored just off to the side slightly north of Kingsley Creek which in total was about 25 miles. As we turned onto the ICW we noticed an unusual amount of small boat traffic. When I say unusual I mean like a steady stream of them miles long. When we went past Kingsley Creek all of them were turning into the creek.

We could see a mass of boats pulled up onto the shallows. Our objective was to go to the Kingsley Creek Plantation which is another national park. We dinghied to the park dock and did a self guided tour of buildings and slave quarters. The planter that owned this place was a bit different. First he married a slave and then gave her her freedom.

He then put her in charge of the whole operation as he traveled and conducted business around the country. He was also a believer that slaves were to be treated with dignity and respect at least to the level of that time. Eventually when Florida became a state and being married to a black man or woman became a crime he packed up his family and mover to Cuba. It was a real interesting stop.

After we hopped back into the dinghy and went to see where all the boats were. Well did we see them. There must have been no less than 3-400 boats of every shape and size hanging out enjoying Memorial Day. We anchored about a mile away in a beautiful spot over looking miles of marsh. It was so peaceful and serene. It was hard to leave the next morning. 

                                                         Slave quarters

     Note the cloud cover. This was a very rare cloudy day over the past year. 

God Must Love to keep me entertained

 

On Sunday May 21st we dropped lines and headed to St Augustine 54 miles north on the ICW, or so we thought. It was yet another beautiful day as we worked our way up the Halifax River and into the Mantanzas River where we saw a bunch of boats beached over by the inlet. Well it was warm, sunny and only half past one. We decided last minute to pull off the ICW and anchor right in the bend before the Matanzas Inlet.

It was a bee hive of activity and also a National Park site of Fort Mantanzas. Once settled we dinghyed over to the park and took the Ferry over to the Fort. We were given an excellent presentation on the Forts History by a very enthusiastic young park ranger. Fort Mantanzas was key fort for the Spanish to maintain a strong hold on St Augustine as it guards the back water entrance where they could get supplies in for fort Castillo de San Marcos.

Prior to the building the fort the Spanish had to overtake the French that had a small encampment there but were poorly outfitted. When the Spanish came in they killed all of the Frenchmen thus the name of the fort, Mantanzas which means Massacre. An interesting fact about the fort is that it is the only Spanish piece of architecture built by the Spanish in the United States.

After the tour we walked the nature trail and then took the dinghy over to the beach where all the action was. Our Canadian friends we met in Daytona also decided to follow our lead and met us in the anchorage. When we got back to the boat I had a few minutes so I decided to do my engine room check early. Well good thing. When I went in I saw dried salt crystals on the rubber mats. “Well that’s not good,” I thought to my self. As I looked around for the source I discovered the oil cooler that has sea water passing thru it sprung a leak.

S#%t! So I went to work and pulled the cooler off. I was fortunate to have a propane torch, some solder and flux. Now could I get it hot enough but not too hot to flow some solder over the hole? Too hot and the existing solder would let go and we would be down an engine. Well luck was on our side and I was able to seal up the hole and get the cooler re installed. Disaster averted once again. God so loves to challenge me. 

On Monday we had a short 14 mile cruise to get to the city marina at St Augustine. Staying at the marina is a real treat as it is literally at the foot of the main part of St Augustine. Besides we were flat out of clean clothes and in need of water. So the first day was about getting chores done. Sue had a mountain of clothes , towels and bed linens to scrub up. I had to give the boat a good bath. We actually had rain move in so it was a pretty low key day.

It had been a very long time since we saw an measurable precipitation during the day. It was actually nice. We spent the next two days exploring the city. I don’t know what it is about the place but it has such a good energy about it. We went to a unique museum on King Street called Villa Zorayada which is done in the grand gilded style with a moorish style blended in from Spain.

Incredibly detailed furnishings and finishes. We highly recommend a visit if ever in the area. Our last night we went to a close by restaurant that someone recommended. We planned on only having an appetizer and drink as Sue had already prepared dinner. Well after the delicious appetizer we had to have dinner. We sat at the bar where there was another couple. Before it was over we were sharing samples from each others entrees. It was really fun. We have been to St Augustine a couple of time before but somehow it never grows old even though it is the oldest city in America. 

All the following pictures are Moorish Revival Museum

It may not be pretty but it sealed up and kept us moving up the ICW. 

Mosquitoes and Race Cars

After surviving our rough night on the dock we were treated to a beautiful sunny day on Thursday with a nice north east breeze which kept us nice and comfortable on the fly bridge. Our next planned stop was New Smyrna Beach about 50 miles to the north. We had been to the beach area by car with my sister a couple of years ago but never really spent time in the small downtown area on Canal street. 

We anchored just to the south of the south causeway bridge at about 2:30. It was pretty warm but we made the effort to launch the dinghy take the short ride to the town dock. Canal street really had a lot to offer along its live Oak trees lined road. There was a real artsy feel to the place. There was an artist enclave of sorts the had a quite a number of different booths. The art work was definitely upscale.

We ended up having a beer at the waterfront restaurant  and decided we needed another day to fully experience the town. That night somehow our stateroom was invaded by mosquitoes and noseeums which made for a very rough sleep. Now the minute my sister found that out she was pier side by 11am the next morning. She lives less than an hour away so it was great she could come. She sweetened the deal by bringing homemade Tamales.

Boy were they good!. We spent the day exploring by both foot and dinghy with an eventual goal of having dinner at the famed Garlic. Now let me tell you, if you go even close to New Smyrna DO NOT MISS the Garlic. It is a dining experience both gastronomicly and in atmosphere. We had a fantastic dinner filled with stories and laughter. We sat at the bar where the bar tenders took great care of us.  

In Daytona we had a conversation with a general manager of another establishment who knew all about the Garlic. He said there annual gross is over $17 million with a profit margin of 18%. Bottom line is don’t miss it. The next morning we went to the Farmers Market off Canal Street and picked up some fresh produce. After that we were off to Race Town, or so we thought. Daytona about 17 miles north. Our cruise took us past Merritt Island and then Cape Canaveral  followed by Mosquito Lagoon, one of my favorite sections of the ICW. It is one of the few remaining undeveloped sections that probably looks much like it did a hundred years ago. When we go by next time we will anchor out and explore the many little coves and islands along the eastern shore. From there we entered the Halifax River and then our destination, Daytona Beach.

We have been to Daytona on our last trip up the ICW and were not wowed. So this would be primarily an overnight stop. While I was checking out a place for dinner by dinghy I was flagged down by another Looper couple Glen and Janet from Toronto. Well before you know it they came over for Happy Hour. She was actually born in North Tonawanda in the same hospital as I but just 4 years later. Well we really hit it off and went to dinner together. A funny but typical scene occurred when it cam to where we were going to sit, in or out. The women wanted in, the folks from Mars, well wanted out. The waiter over heard and told us not to fret. He brought us to an area where he lifted a large garage door that allowed the girls to sit inside and we outside. Perfect! A good night was had by all.

So you think you might like to Loop? Well we met these folks in Daytona and they are on their 33rd Loop! 30 years ago the Loop would have been truly an incredible feat. They of course hold the record for most Loops. Nicest people you could ever meet. We were sorry we could not spen more time with them. 

Waterfront New Smyrna Beach

                                                          Unlike a car before every cruise I do an engine check if nothing else to just look around. Well I found this broken clamp on a hose that connects cooling water to the engine. I the hose had come off, bye bye engine.