Thursday, December 29, 2016

MOW

All tuck in at Man-O-War cay.
No problems on crossing just bad radio propagation so no position updates.
Myron

{GMST}26°35.42'N|077°00.05'W|1:18 PM|{GEND}

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Content

Damaged roofs, broken windows and mangled docks have been a steady component of our scenery. Hurricane Matthew has certainly had a hand in the full employment of roofers and dock repairmen.

I realized how much I missed watching pelicans and terns at the hunt. They are some of my favorite seabirds. Pelicans, because they are quiet, and terns because they are so elegant and graceful. South of Smyrna Beach, we got into white pelicans and royal terns. Some dolphin played on our stern wake and we had a few glimpses of manatees. This afternoon I changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Sunshine warms more than the skin. The winds were up the last few hours of travel, accompanied by whitecaps. The jib was put to work to get us here before 5 pm.

For the curious, our new anchor did fabulously again last night. It is our first time anchoring in this spot. No current but winds are certainly up. A three-masted schooner (like Hamilton's) followed us most of the afternoon (pirates!) and anchored to the south of us.

There was much less boat traffic today. On Christmas Eve, most people are where they want to be. We are running behind given the challenges of this fall, so we have adopted the attitude of wanting to be where we are. I believe that meets the definition of content. We enjoy Christmas wherever we are - the exception of course being stuck in an airport.

We wish you all the best this Christmas and that you too are content. Merry Christmas!

Love to all,
Dena & Myron

{GMST}28°07.45'N|080°35.98'W|5:14 PM|{GEND}

Friday, December 23, 2016

Rockhouse Creek

It is official: we like our new anchor. Only one night is not enough to make a conclusion, but it is better than NOT liking our new anchor. At 65 pounds, it sets pretty quick and pulls the bow down when we tug on it. It also fits much differently in the bow roller, a little better than our Manson Supreme.

We had a small swell that wrapped into our anchorage last night and at least three tugs that went by. Neither were a nuisance, more of a pleasant rocking to sleep. We were anchor up before sunrise and through the Bridge of Lions (St. Augustine) at the 7:30 am opening. I am glad to get through that bridge as well. One year it broke a couple hours after we when through and no one that had a mast was going south on the ditch for more than a week.

Rockhouse was a bit full when we arrived at 5 pm. Today the tides were against us until 1 pm. We putted around looking for a spot. We almost gave up but decided to snuggle in between a cruiser and a derelict boat. Rockhouse has a good current running in and out. We consider it another good night for an anchor test.

Love to all,
Dena

{GMST}29°03.66'N|080°55.88'W|6:12 PM|Farm{GEND}

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Down The Ditch

Metro Park gave us a quiet night. No boat wakes after dark.

The weather does not currently support an ocean sail down to Fort Pierce. Therefore we are going down the ICW and hope to meet up with friends at Vero Beach. Other than our last two hours of today's travels, the tide was with us, helping us move over 7 knots, sometimes 8.6 knots. We arrived in plenty of time for showers and dinner before sunset. Sometimes the tides work with you.

Dinner was rice pilaf, corn and salmon cakes,topped off with a sip of eggnog. I am pondering eggnog French toast for breakfast...no syrup needed!

Love to all,
Dena


{GMST}29°55.46'N|081°18.23'W|6:05 PM|St Aug{GEND}

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Splash At Last

After almost three weeks of significant projects, Hold Fast was launched today. We appreciate Green Cove Springs boatyard, but we are very happy to leave any boatyard. They lowered us in but kept us in the straps while we checked for leaks. There was a little hiccup with a leaky strainer for the engine raw water. Once that was resolved, the crew lowered us the rest of the way and we headed for the Main Street Bridge. It was so cold I could not stay out on deck very long. As a result, it was not until we got to the first red marker that I found the yard's rub rail blocks still hanging over the sides. Back to the boatyard we went, like that place has some kind of vortex that would not let us leave. Beau saw us return, drove the golf cart out on the pier and let me toss the blocks to him. We did not even have to tie up.

We initially had to the tide with us, so we were off to the races, doing almost 7 knots. Even when we left Ortega River Marina, my motto was "just get us through the Main Street Bridge." That motto rang true today due to the time restrictions for openings: midnight, 4 am, 6:45 am, noon, 4:15 pm and 8 pm. Of course none of those times work with the tidal currents. We had to wait for the FEC RR Bridge and we were still an hour early for the 4:15 pm opening. Jacksonville Landing was abused by Hurricane Matthew, but good enough to tie up while we waited for the designated time. There was not much traffic, just two tugs inbound and us outbound. Paul and Shari followed with tradition, even in the chilling temperatures, and met up with us on Gretel after we cleared the Main Street Bridge. They pressed on to figure out where we should tie up at the Metro Marina. The Metro is adjacent to the Ever Bank Ball Park and it can get quite busy for the Jaguar home games. The next home game is this weekend, so we are good for the night. Only two other boats here. We had a nice visit with Paul and Shari, and they brought cookies they just made today! Yummy!

We just finished dinner. The wood burning stove was lit, and it is time for a shower. It is a relief to be finally underway.

Love to all,
Dena


{GMST}30°19.15'N|081°38.44'W|6:14 PM|Farm{GEND}