Sunday, cast off Delegal Creek Marina at 7:20. Full moon over the marsh. Oops, just dawned on us: full moon, unusual low and high tides! That is why we touched bottom yesterday where we never had an issue before……now, at near high tide, the green channel pilings look low in the water. The square green marker is only about 3 feet off the water!. Never seen it this high before and its not high tide until 10 am. Went by Hell Gate-no issue with this tide. Later, when the tide went down, we heard our wake “surf’ behind us. Not a good sign. We anchored in the Darien River (mm 651) at 2pm. Larry didn’t want to go through the Little Mud River at low tide.

Monday, anchor up at 7:15, again before sunrise.Beautiful morning, full moon behind us, sunrise coming. It’s one of those “pinch me” moments that can’t be real. Not quite high tide. 50 in pilothouse, 47 out, and 45 in back porch. Then dolphins playing with our bow wave. As we transited Jekyll Creek, there was a capsized tug, on its side. The Coast Guard has been announcing this for days. It was a small tug, we were concerned it was a full sizer and it’s a narrow channel. No problem. I hate seeing anything sunk-awful feeling. Ok, getting hot in the pilothouse today. Now in Southern Georgia. Went by Cumberland Island but didn’t stop-no time to hang out. Crossed into Florida at 3:10. Anchored in the Amelia River (mm720). New anchorage for us, nice one…..

Tuesday, Merry Christmas! Underway at 7:05. In the 40s. Florida? On the phone with family most of the morning and online with friends. Ospreys started to appear again-had not seen any this trip. Even they beat us south this year…. backed into a slip, at St. Augustine Municipal Marina at 2:10 (mm778). Yes, he backed in! With that current, just pulling into a slip is dicey, he decides to back in-will make leaving in the morning easier. My stomach was in a knot, I got a headache. He did it very nicely, but even he had an adrenaline rush. Went for a walk and closed out a bar, last call. At 730 pm. BTW, we were not the youngest folks there…. there were plenty of young folks….. it’s Christmas. Actually, the city was very crowded. I had booked online a holiday lights trolley tour, and the only time available was 8:45 or 9:00. Glad I booked online-the lines to buy tickets and get on trolleys were blocks long. We just walked around until about 8:40. It was fun. They placed Christmas music and handed out glasses that made all the lights look like snowmen. I passed on wearing the glasses…. Larry wore them. It was a good time and something festive to do since we were “in transit” this year. Only year in my 61 that we did not even get to see mom. We will celebrate when we get there…..

Wednesday, departed St. Augustine at 7:05. Larry aced it again! I love the location of that marina but the currents make accessing the docks unpleasant. I would have stayed there an extra day but we need to move on. Warm-later Larry went below and put shorts on for the first time! Anchored out in New Smyrna (mm 846), at 3:40. It would be a long haul to the next anchorage and we would have to travel at night, generally a no-no on the ICW.

Thursday, anchor up at 7:15. Warm, 66. Great cloud formations. Tons of dolphins and birds. Then, Haulover Cut, a favorite, I always sit forward and take my camera with me. Not much to photograph today. Not many birds or manatees….Then, SE 15-25, in a wide open area, near Titusville. Water splashing everywhere and Larry opened forward ports this morning…. a little clean up was required. Anchor down in Melbourne (mm914), at 4:30. Uncovered my garden today. We had covered it with a tarp-most look dead. Now it feels like we are making progress on this trip.

Friday, anchor up at 7:05. “Larry the windlass” had to work hard. I thought perhaps a hair dryer would come up this time. We picked up a curling iron here on a prior trip….blew hard last night, I was concerned we might need a second anchor. Anchor dug in. Wind calmed down for the morning but was expected to pick up again. Dolphins swimming alongside several times, always a treat. Good pictures and a short video. Wind did pick up, SSE 20 plus. Glad we are inside, not outside on Atlantic. We were butting our head into it at 6 mph. There was a squadron of pelicans hunting and diving around us for quite a awhile-amazing they don’t break something when they hit the water. Counted 18 dives within just seconds. Fueled at Fort Pierce (easy approach, in/out )and continued on. Water splashing over the windshield again….still small craft warnings…..Anchored at Jensen Beach (mm981). Listening to some good music from a joint ashore. Lots of yellowish orange lights around the bridge. Quiet night…..

Saturday, anchor up 7:10. Wind quieted down. Two manatees by Peck Lake, our first sighting this trip. Then more, more circles in the water too. Then, Saturday on Lake Worth, nasty wakes everywhere. Normally we wouldn’t travel the Florida ICW on weekends. Anchor down at Lake Santa Barbara at 5:30 (mm1046).

EXTRA DAY:

Sunday, anchor up at 7:05. First bridge to open 7:30. First lizards on the bridge bulkheads in Fort Lauderdale. Then one really nasty, incompetent female bridge tender at Oakland Park Blvd. We were waiting there, Larry spoke to her. She claims we were not there and there will be no 7:45 opening. The sailboat behind us also asked for an opening and she she said no, not until 8:15. He commented to get glasses her vision is off. Then at 8:10 Larry asked to confirm she saw us, she wouldn’t reply. Finally Larry went channel 16, high power on the VHF, (Coast Guard monitors) and asked the same info. Then she answers on 9, the bridges’ working channel. The other boat was Wild Oats from Maine…two northern boats…. she is not worth our time or attention. Sometimes in life it’s best to ignore anal orifices….No more lizards on bulkheads-wonder what they did to get rid of them. Topped off fuel tanks and arrived at our marina at 11ish. Met by friends, always welcoming site. Now Panda Bear needs to be scrubbed down ( salt water everywhere), and all the vinyl needs our 5 step process….etc.etc….then we can settle in for the winter……we made it. This was a challenging trip. Unless something boat related pops up, I will not post until we begin our journey north in May. Have a great winter.

Sunday, departed Indigo Plantation at 8:05 (mm303). Sunny, breezy, but nice. Blowing from the west 10-15. Everything in the pilothouse was wet from the rains we have had. My seat cushion was soaked-had to improvise and sit on a blue flotation cushion. Improvisation on a boat is a requirement, whether boat maintenance, cooking, artwork, medicinal remedies, working out….you name it. Went by Lockwood’s Folly, saw 4 ft depths (actually 7 ft…..depth sounder reads 4 but add 3 for our draft.) Always a scary area for running aground. I do not miss this trip with a 5.5 ft draft on the sailboat. These inlets are always changing and you see additional channel markers added by the Coast Guard. Shallottes Inlet, another one to be aware of….not bad, we hit it at half tide and the markers lead you. But one must pay attention…..At 12:16, crossed into SC. We passed the Rockpile at high tide-nothing to see. It is fun at low tide, when you see all the interesting rock ledges and formations up close. Some appear as little miniature rock gardens. Arrived at Barefoot Marina at 2:15 (mm354). Larry watched a Patriots game-they lost….

Monday, cast off from Barefoot Marina at 7:45. Partly cloudy, 46 degrees. Current against us. Larry made friends with a tug driver. Nice man. Grew up in Duxbury, one town over from us at home. Stopped at Osprey Marina for fuel. We crossed an outbound boat going into the marina on a narrow alley. So narrow, I almost got hit in the face by a branch. I had to run and get behind the pilothouse then continue putting out the fenders. No turtles this time, usually lots of little ones. Fellow from the marina said no turtles since hurricane Florence. Then we were off again. Now the Waccamaw River, a favorite, especially of Larry’s. This time gray trees, really a different look. So this is what winter in the Waccamaw looks like…..cruising at 11 mph down the river with the current. Arrived in Georgetown, SC by 3pm (mm405). These short days also slow you down. Ate dinner and went for a walk around Georgetown for about an hour. Looking at Christmas lights and decorated store windows. Lots more restaurants than I remember from the summer trip north. Still, a nice town to visit.

Tuesday, cast off from Georgetown at 7:10. Pretty morning. We were up and ready earlier but had to wait for light. Ordered Christmas gifts online while I waited. Finally left as the sun rose. Tons of birds, including 2 eagles, not bald. Then we saw two bald eagles mating. Bird porn in the morning….Larry’s tug boat driver friend crossed paths with us again. He was on his way back from Charleston. Nice to talk to him again. Today, we also saw a couple of guys corner a red fox on a dock. Looked like a stand off-I wonder how it ended….Near McClennville, a shallow area, could feel the mud under us. Actually, slowed us down, as we plowed through it. Went by Charleston. Current and wind helping us so we kept going past our usual anchorage.Used up almost every second of daylight. We travelled 85 miles today. Grrreat for us. Chili was ready, waiting for us after we anchored. Love my crock pots.

Wednesday, anchor up at 7 am. 59 degrees in pilothouse. Not bad, I believe we are getting used to the cold starts in the morning. Great picture of sunrise. Secured at Lady’s Island Marina (mm543) by 1:10. Walked to downtown Beaufort to mail my Christmas cards and tourist around town. Dinner at the Fillin Station. Met a nice cruising couple. Dinner was a burger, a hotdog, beans, coleslaw, potato and (not “or”) salad. No options $4. Drinks additional. It is a must on any trip up/down the ICW.

Thursday, rain and wind. Stayed aboard all day.

Friday, very windy…..on the bow, nasty decided to stay another day. Food shopping and laundry day. Then we walked for Mexican food at Rancho Grande. Still very windy and occasional light showers.

Saturday, Mexican food kicked up all night for me. Cast off at 7:20. Cloudy and windy. Temps in the high 40’s. Winds, west 15ish-felt higher than that to me. Add our speed to it, making apparent wind 20-25, on the nose. Wind against ebb current. Rough crossing Port Royal Sound. 3+ foot waves and wind (small craft warnings). Waves washing over boat. Glad we didn’t go outside. I looked at it before we hit the sound and it did not look good. Then the sound was nasty….go Panda Bear. She handled it well and my new chair stays in place (not like the old director’s chair, where I flew around the pilothouse and Larry would have to grab me). Lizzie doesn’t like these conditions. After the worst was over I went below. Yep, she was green. As I went to leave to go back to pilothouse, she grabbed my leg tightly with both front paws as if to say

”Mom, don’t go!” I lingered for a while. It turns out it was colder here than at home in MA. Crossed over to Georgia. Arrived at Delegal Creek Marina (mm 600) around 4:00. Sat out back in porch-first time this trip. Finally warm enough, with the stern facing south. Always great sunsets at this marina. Didn’t see any wild boars on the island this trip…

Sunday, still stuck in Beaufort, thanks to winter storm Diego. Yes, we were in the lee of the building at Town Creek Marina and other boats, but still a little bouncy. Couple of serious gusts and hard rain, all day. We’re fortunate. Inland, they are getting snow. I decorated the saloon for Christmas and Larry watched a football game on his IPad. Wind picked up in the evening, including some nasty gusts.

Monday, still raining, cold, windy. Borrowed courtesy car and went to run errands. Then picked up barbecue to bring back. Still bouncy, makes working out on the boat a bit tricky, yoga even trickier. Winds picked up at night and shifted directions. Now rocky and bouncy.

Tuesday, still here! Clear and cool. However, still windy. It would have been on the nose, hence Lizzie would become seasick. Borrowed courtesy car and went to a restaurant in Morehead City. Cox’s, a family diner, local joint. Then drove around downtown Beaufort, too cold to walk it from boat. Tomorrow we are off…….

Wednesday, beautiful, cold morning. Larry was looking for a book he lost in the courtesy car, office, etc. I got to work out while I waited. Never found the book. Cast off at 8:20, from mm203. Wow, dolphins, loons, great blues, egrets, pelicans…..tons of birds today. Seen lots of loons this trip-perhaps because we are much later than usual? Started to see roof damage, hurricane Florence ? ….then dock damage, especially near inlets. Onslow Beach Bridge, the slowest moving bridge anywhere….almost sailed into it once…. Today, a tug was coming northbound so it opened for them and we got to go too-didn’t have to wait for scheduled opening. Went through Camp Lejeune. Artillary sounds in the background. Tons of dolphins, moms with babies. Anchor down, Mile Hammock Bay, mm 244, at 2:30. Decorated the pilot house for the holidays. Loons calling, a favorite of mine….happy surprise.

Thursday, anchor up at 7:30. Cold, sunny, quiet morning. Flat, no wind. Pleasant in the sun. Lots of bird life…..quite a selection. Used to be a swing bridge that opened only on the hour, now gone. How the ICW has changed since our first trip in year 2000. Then, a landmark, the house with the full size giraffe statue. Figure Eight Island Bridge, charted as 20 feet high, bridge tender said 22-that is what we need. My stomach was in knots! We scraped the antennas all along….sometimes, I’d rather wait for an opening. Three shrimpers opened up Wrightsville Beach bridge for us ahead of schedule. We were going to stop at Carolina Beach and wait out a good tide/wind combo to cross the Cape Fear River. But, it seemed like really good conditions and enough daylight. We had perfect conditions. Panda Bear was cooking at 10.9 knots, flying for Panda Bear standards. Flat as possible. We crossed a freighter from Turkey coming down from Wilmington. Larry changed the name of this river to Cape Roses, as he thinks the name is what is concerning to me. Arrived at Indigo Marina around 4:00. Southport,NC mm 305.

Friday, here we go again…. rain, wind. Stayed put. Designed my Christmas card, worked out, cooked dinner….normal activities that still have to take place, even while living on a boat.

Saturday, rain until 3:00. Then we walked to Southport for early dinner (or very late lunch). Went to the Blue Cow Grille. I had a margarita burger and Larry had a shrimp salad….good, nothing fancy. Saw a new part of town we had not seen in prior stops during our 4.3 mile walking round trip. So ends another week….these weekly storms are slowing us down.

Sunday, we stayed put in Hampton. We went to the VA Air and Space Museum. We have a membership. We watched 3 IMAX movies and went for a walk. Later, on the boat, Larry watched the Patriots on TV while I made dinner and finished a painting.

Monday, began with a glorious morning. One of those mornings that you are grateful to be on a boat. Departed Hampton at 7:35. It was actually warm in the pilothouse. Larry even took his shirt off. I kept my polar fleece on…..as I believe most normal folks would have done. Thermometer read 63 for the highest. First delay, railroad bridge undergoing repairs, opening twice during the work day. We were there for the 11:30-12:30 opening…..what a mess….tugs and barges, large powerboats, sailboats, in both directions. Finally, got by that mess. Arrived at Top Rack marina for fuel. I had called to confirm they were open…..it’s late in the season…. yes they were. We had to tie up ourselves, as no one answered when we hailed them on channel 16. I ran up to the main building and was told the computer was being worked on so…..can’t pump fuel. I asked when they would be up and running; sometime today…..we left. Next came the Great Bridge Lock and Bridge. Well, we caught up to all the sailboats and tugs….tugs and barges have priority, so they enter the lock first….takes awhile for them to secure. Finally, we made it by the lock and bridge then fueled at Atlantic Yacht Basin marina. Stayed for the night. Walked to a Mexican restaurant for late lunch/early dinner. Walked to local strip mall and yes! The FarmFresh supermarket that had closed last summer is now a great Kroger. This is always a good stocking stop. That was a very pleasant surprise. Quiet night at AYB. Tugs and barges do go by all night long.

Tuesday was gorgeous but chilly. Left AYB at 7:55. Made the scheduled 8:30 bridge. Then had to slow it down….about 5 miles in 1/2 hour not going to happen. No sense beating the engine, especially after the extensive work we just had completed. Crossed Currituck Sound with wind on the stern, giving us a nice boost. Lizzie ok with that point of wind. And, oh, by the way, we are in North Carolina now….Arrived at Coinjock Marina by 2 PM. Wow, it was warm in pilothouse but once we stepped off boat, it was cold and breezy. Went to lunch at the restaurant onsite. Good lunch. Larry had oysters and said it was very good. I had the country steak which was prime rib, their speciality. Decadent but very good. Good food and reasonable too. Service was also very good. Settled in with heaters on….I worked on my IPad art…..too late to set up actual paints. Early start tomorrow…. Albemarle Sound is supposed to kick up in the afternoon.

Wednesday, departed Coinjock at 7:00. I hate crossing Albemarle Sound. If it’s nice, it just boring….if it’s windy, can be nasty. Started out early to avoid nasty. Several boats left early too. There seems to be more of us out here than I had expected this late in the season. 42 degrees in pilothouse. Easy crossing. Cold, my hands and feet do not warm up….I wear gloves too. Stew was on below, in the crockpot. Today we saw 2 bald eagles. One landed on a marker right next to us, dinner in its claws. It happened so fast that all I could grab was my iPhone, not my camera, and I shot through plastic. Anchored at the south end of the Alligator River, ICW mile marker 105. No where else we could make today. Anchor down by 2:00. Ran the generator ( aka genset ) to run heaters. Several sailboats anchored out too. It’s a popular spot due to proximity to next anchorage or marina. Awesome sunset. This place always has great sunsets, sunrises…. it’s in the middle of nowhere….

Thursday, great sunrise! It was a cold 38 in the pilothouse. I have everything on, polar fleeces, coat, gloves, scarf….We were anchored in good mud; thought Larry was going to have to go swimming as he raised anchor. Anchor up 7:35. Last night was coldest night on this boat yet. Today, went through the Alligator-Pungo Rivers Canal, a favorite. Usually, lots of birds. Minimal birds and no bear sighting this time. Tied up at RE Mayo for the night. This time NO bow thrusters at all. Larry again did an awesome job. He had to work on it but figured out that the new battery had popped a breaker and was not charging. Fixed it, starting charging….my hero again….

Friday, cast off at 7:25 from RE Mayo, which is really a fish market and dockage for large fishing boats/shrimpers. Nice but chilly morning. Sun feels great. Crossed the Neuse River, very flat. On Adams Creek Canal, crossing paths with quite a few large shrimpers. I get a big kick out of names on these boats plus the outriggers….Larry spotted the first palm tree. We play a game to see who spots the first palm tree.. Saw a sunken large shrimper, very creepy. Started to see some roof damage on houses….hurricane Florence? Tied up at Town Creek Marina, Beaufort, ICW mile marker 205, by 2:20. Walked to town and had a good lunch at Clawson’s . Really good coffee- won’t sleep tonight-lost track of time and started drinking it at 3:30….walked back from town and decided to do laundry at the marina. Winter storm Diego coming so we expect to be here until Tuesday and its going to rain heavily so decided to get laundry done tonight. Actually, quite pleasant. The marina decorated the front porch with lights. I sat there on a rocker, in the Lee of the building, while I waited. Very quiet and pleasant. My new coat kept me warm.

Saturday, the rain began. Larry ran out with the courtesy car to get a few groceries and get take out Italian from No Name, always good. I stayed on the boat so heaters could stay on. We do not ever leave the boat with a heater running. I got to work out in peace and quiet…..food was good and so much, I will have it tomorrow too. Raining all days, winds have not picked up too much. Occasional guts.

So ends our first full week this trip…..

Finally departed Solomons, Md on Friday, 11/30/18. It has been a long process to get Panda Bear updated.

We had left her at Washburn’s the end of July. We arrived back in Maryland on 10/22/18. We stayed at La Quinta for a week until she was put back in the water, then moved aboard. Biggest hold up, new turbo not working…..fuel pump had to go out for servicing. We drove it to the Eastern shore and, a week later, picked it up, trying to speed things up. Finally, the settings on pump were wrong and the mechanic, Ricky, figured it out. This one was a challenge. Well, we left Washburn’s Boatyard with a fully functional Panda Bear. New batteries, engine overhaul, plus a few other things…..expensive but well done. We have never headed south this late. It is also a very cold fall. We bought a portable heater to augment the boat’s system and I bought a winter coat……

So, off we go…….8:15 on Friday morning….lovely morning but 42 degrees in the back porch and 47 in the pilothouse. Our new polar fleece throws for the pilothouse immediately went into use. By 9:30, drizzle…saw some loons. Wind/waves on the bow. Waves about a foot and a half, some two footers around the mouth of the Potomac River. Lizzie doesn’t like wind/waves on the bow…I went down to check on her and yes, Lizzie was seasick…..I had some clean up to do but mostly felt badly for her. She was wobbly, coat matted, face puckered and looked green all over. Nothing we can do, just get there. We have a two day weather window to make it to Norfolk area before the bay kicks up again.

Finally made it into Dozier’s in Deltaville, VA by 4:15. Don’t forget these are shorter running days, earlier sunsets. Whoops, starboard bow thruster not working. Larry still aced the docking. I was a little down-we are not turning around. Gentleman at Dozier’s said he could get a tech out to us the next day. I said Larry wanted to look at it himself first and thanked him for the offer. Larry fixed it, my hero! It was a loose wire. Heated up leftover for dinner. Lizzie started to make a comeback but looked like hell and was down and out, head hanging, sitting on Dad’s lap. This is the cat that had a major cut under her armpit due to a harness last year and didn’t say boo or complained as we cured it. Yet, a little seasickness and she looked bad. Next morning, she was fine.

Saturday, we left at 8:50. Cloudy, cold. 10 knots on the port quarter, from the NE. Rain, really damp and nippy. Under our blankets again. We were cooking along at 9 knots. Go Panda Bear! It did flatten out and we tied up at Hampton, Va by 3:00. I went to get a quick walk in and encountered a loose, unfriendly pit bull on a residential street. A woman wouldn’t even get out of her car…..thoughts of Bangkok, where an adolescent Doberman came at me. I was alone, in an alley, after a meditation session at a temple. I shoved my handbag in its mouth-it bit down on my compact, and looked at me like “that wasn’t supposed to happen”…..I backed my way out of the alley. This time, with the pit bull, I thought “darn, no handbag” and this is no adolescent…. I backed my way up the street and it focused its attention back on the woman trying to get out of the car. Lessons: 1. Avoid residential streets 2. Start carrying walking stick I keep on board. Went straight back to boat….good timing, rain started. At least I got my walk in….the little things in life to be thankful for….Dinner and ran two heaters. Not too bad, in the 50’s, but raw. So ends the first travel week of the trip south.