Warm (70s)
BUT windy
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Flight "settled-in" at BrusnwickMonday 2-9-09
We got underway at 07:40 which was about a half hour before high tide. It was important to have as much water depth as possible because this section of Jekyll Creek has some notoriously shallow spots and the tidal range here is about 8.5 feet. We hit it just right with plenty of water beneath our keel and a slack current. We only had about 10-12 miles to travel since we were headed for Brunswick Landing and when we cleared the creek and entered St. Simon’s Sound, we turned to port and up the Brunswick River. Just upstream of the large highway suspension bridge we found the buoy that marks the entrance to the East River where Brunswick Landing Marina is located. We hailed the marina on channel 16 and almost immediately we heard Sherrie’s voice respond with “welcome home FLIGHT – switch to channel 68”. This is where we left the boat when we returned to PA for the holidays and Brunswick does have a “home” feel, for Polly and me. We will be here for a month while we wait for the weather up north to warm a bit before we start our homeward voyage back to the Chesapeake. We will take a break and drive to Orlando later in February to have a visit with our Son and his family, when they are vacationing there.
Saturday & Sunday 2-7 & 8-09 
We departed at 08:45 after a cold night, but no frost or ice. Conditions were very calm and nice and the bright sunshine quickly warmed us as we proceeded up Cumberland sound through the U.S. Navy’s Kings Bay Submarine Base. The only thing stirring around the massive facility was a couple of guard boats standing station near where the ICW gets real close to the degaussing structure. There happened to be a submarine within the very large open steel structure as we passed. We motored on up the waterway that separates Cumberland Island from the mainland and at this point we were getting a boost from the outgoing tide as the water rushed toward St. Andrew Sound to the north. We would later have to cross St. Andrew to enter Jekyll Creek.
We were tied up at the marina’s long face dock by 12:30 and a little later we set up the computer with our web cam so we could have a visit with our Son and Grandson. Cameron was more interested in seeing things that we have around the boat, than visiting. We had to hold the camera and pan it around the cabin so he could see the clock and other details that he remembers about the boat.
Later, just before dark, Tom, our slip neighbor from St. Augustine, came in and we helped him tie up his Mainship trawler right behind us. His wife is away for a while and he decided to take a solo cruise up the ICW to some indefinite destination. Later in the evening while Polly and I were having a bite of dinner at Sea Jay’s, the marinas little restaurant, Tom came in and joined us at our table.Sunday morning the beautiful weather and warming trend continued so we unloaded our bikes and set off to explore Jekyll Island taking advantage of the network of great bicycle paths that total about 25 miles. We didn’t cover all of the trails but did get to the north end of the island and back by way of the little shopping center, before returning to the boat. After a short rest, we gave the boat a quick wash job to remove some of the salt spray we had picked up since St. Augustine. We focused a lot of attention on the vinyl windows of the bridge enclosure. They had picked up a filmy coating from the salt air and condensation over the past week or so. Evening brought a beautiful sunset and we ended the day with a couple of burgers done on the grill. We have another fairly early departure planned for morning because we want to have a much tidal dept as possible when we transit the remainder of Jekyll Creek
.
We departed at 08:45 after a cold night, but no frost or ice. Conditions were very calm and nice and the bright sunshine quickly warmed us as we proceeded up Cumberland sound through the U.S. Navy’s Kings Bay Submarine Base. The only thing stirring around the massive facility was a couple of guard boats standing station near where the ICW gets real close to the degaussing structure. There happened to be a submarine within the very large open steel structure as we passed. We motored on up the waterway that separates Cumberland Island from the mainland and at this point we were getting a boost from the outgoing tide as the water rushed toward St. Andrew Sound to the north. We would later have to cross St. Andrew to enter Jekyll Creek.
We were tied up at the marina’s long face dock by 12:30 and a little later we set up the computer with our web cam so we could have a visit with our Son and Grandson. Cameron was more interested in seeing things that we have around the boat, than visiting. We had to hold the camera and pan it around the cabin so he could see the clock and other details that he remembers about the boat.
Later, just before dark, Tom, our slip neighbor from St. Augustine, came in and we helped him tie up his Mainship trawler right behind us. His wife is away for a while and he decided to take a solo cruise up the ICW to some indefinite destination. Later in the evening while Polly and I were having a bite of dinner at Sea Jay’s, the marinas little restaurant, Tom came in and joined us at our table.Sunday morning the beautiful weather and warming trend continued so we unloaded our bikes and set off to explore Jekyll Island taking advantage of the network of great bicycle paths that total about 25 miles. We didn’t cover all of the trails but did get to the north end of the island and back by way of the little shopping center, before returning to the boat. After a short rest, we gave the boat a quick wash job to remove some of the salt spray we had picked up since St. Augustine. We focused a lot of attention on the vinyl windows of the bridge enclosure. They had picked up a filmy coating from the salt air and condensation over the past week or so. Evening brought a beautiful sunset and we ended the day with a couple of burgers done on the grill. We have another fairly early departure planned for morning because we want to have a much tidal dept as possible when we transit the remainder of Jekyll Creek
.Sunset to port
Full Moon
to
starboard
starboard
BRRR!!
Friday 2-6-09
We stayed at Fernandina for 2 nights so that we would have a full day to explore. It is certainly a larger town than we expected and there is a nice restored section adjacent to the waterfront. We rode our bicycles to the ocean side of town and then on to Fort Clinch State Park. There is a 3 mile long road within the park that leads to the historical fort on the north point of the island where it overlooks the inlet to Cumberland Sound. We saw on the little park map that there was a service road that seemed to lead more directly back to the edge of town (Fernandina) and would save us the 3 mile pedal back to the main road, so we decided to give it a look. As we approached the end of the service road we saw that it was gated but as we were discussing our options, a park service vehicle drove up to the gate and it opened.
When we saw what was happening we sped off toward the gate and Polly kind of waved to the driver and he left the gate open long enough for us to pass. What a nice break – we pedaled on through the north end of town and back to the marina.
We decided that shrimp would be nice for dinner so we bought a pound of fresh, wild shrimp at the Atlantic Seafood store located right next to the marina and grilled them that evening. Tomorrow morning we sail for Jekyll Island.
We stayed at Fernandina for 2 nights so that we would have a full day to explore. It is certainly a larger town than we expected and there is a nice restored section adjacent to the waterfront. We rode our bicycles to the ocean side of town and then on to Fort Clinch State Park. There is a 3 mile long road within the park that leads to the historical fort on the north point of the island where it overlooks the inlet to Cumberland Sound. We saw on the little park map that there was a service road that seemed to lead more directly back to the edge of town (Fernandina) and would save us the 3 mile pedal back to the main road, so we decided to give it a look. As we approached the end of the service road we saw that it was gated but as we were discussing our options, a park service vehicle drove up to the gate and it opened.
When we saw what was happening we sped off toward the gate and Polly kind of waved to the driver and he left the gate open long enough for us to pass. What a nice break – we pedaled on through the north end of town and back to the marina.We decided that shrimp would be nice for dinner so we bought a pound of fresh, wild shrimp at the Atlantic Seafood store located right next to the marina and grilled them that evening. Tomorrow morning we sail for Jekyll Island.
Bridge
tender says, "Come on thru." ???
tender says, "Come on thru." ???Thursday 2-5-09
It was cold – the overnight low temperatures were in the mid 20s and there was ice on top of the fenders when Polly was taking them in. We began taking in the power cords as soon as we had enough light and by 07:00 we were on our way out of the San Sebastian River bound for Fernandina Beach, the northern most town in Florida. There was still some left over wind from the frontal passage and when we turned north on the ICW we felt the full effect of the 15 kts. with higher gusts. We had completely zipped up the bridge enclosure and were wearing wool socks, caps, jackets and gloves but even that didn’t prevent the cold air from seeping in to chill us. We kept reminding ourselves that NOAA was promising less wind and warmer temps by afternoon but we were still COLD. We moved down to the lower helm station in the pilot house and cranked up the generator so we could make use of the central heating system. Soon we were in shirt sleeves and sipping hot tea as the miles slipped by. We had two unexpected delays along the way – the first occurred as we approached the Jacksonville Beach area. The McCormick Bridge was undergoing some construction and the ICW was closed from early morning until 4:00 PM except for a one hour period between 12:00 and 1:00. We would have been at the bridge about 11:00 AM but when we heard the news on a Coast Guard broadcast we slowed down to adjust our arrival at the bridge for noon. The second unexpected delay happened as we approached a railroad swing bridge just south of Fernandina. All of the cruis
ing guides we have say that the bridge is unattended but always open except for the occasional train that must cross to handle freight to / from the paper mills in Fernandina. I (RCB) was at the helm just enjoying the shoreline sites as we were approaching the open bridge and about 100 yards from the bridge Polly says “is that bridge moving?” It sure was, so I stopped the boat and about 5 minutes later we heard a train whistle. Eventually, a slow moving engine with 4 or 5 cars came into view, and proceed across the bridge. About 5 minutes later the old bridge slowly swung open and off we went to dock about 4:00 PM at the Fernandina Beach town marina. We whipped up a batch of super nachos for dinner and opened the nice bottle of Pinot Noir that friends Jean and Carl Moser gave us as we left on this cruise.
It was cold – the overnight low temperatures were in the mid 20s and there was ice on top of the fenders when Polly was taking them in. We began taking in the power cords as soon as we had enough light and by 07:00 we were on our way out of the San Sebastian River bound for Fernandina Beach, the northern most town in Florida. There was still some left over wind from the frontal passage and when we turned north on the ICW we felt the full effect of the 15 kts. with higher gusts. We had completely zipped up the bridge enclosure and were wearing wool socks, caps, jackets and gloves but even that didn’t prevent the cold air from seeping in to chill us. We kept reminding ourselves that NOAA was promising less wind and warmer temps by afternoon but we were still COLD. We moved down to the lower helm station in the pilot house and cranked up the generator so we could make use of the central heating system. Soon we were in shirt sleeves and sipping hot tea as the miles slipped by. We had two unexpected delays along the way – the first occurred as we approached the Jacksonville Beach area. The McCormick Bridge was undergoing some construction and the ICW was closed from early morning until 4:00 PM except for a one hour period between 12:00 and 1:00. We would have been at the bridge about 11:00 AM but when we heard the news on a Coast Guard broadcast we slowed down to adjust our arrival at the bridge for noon. The second unexpected delay happened as we approached a railroad swing bridge just south of Fernandina. All of the cruis
ing guides we have say that the bridge is unattended but always open except for the occasional train that must cross to handle freight to / from the paper mills in Fernandina. I (RCB) was at the helm just enjoying the shoreline sites as we were approaching the open bridge and about 100 yards from the bridge Polly says “is that bridge moving?” It sure was, so I stopped the boat and about 5 minutes later we heard a train whistle. Eventually, a slow moving engine with 4 or 5 cars came into view, and proceed across the bridge. About 5 minutes later the old bridge slowly swung open and off we went to dock about 4:00 PM at the Fernandina Beach town marina. We whipped up a batch of super nachos for dinner and opened the nice bottle of Pinot Noir that friends Jean and Carl Moser gave us as we left on this cruise.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
St. Augustine 1/29 thru 2/4/09
We took the slip for a week since the rate was a lot more economical, plus we just wanted to hang around St. Augustine for a while. We walked to the historic area (about a 20 minute hike) and got acquainted with things. We found a nice bagel / pastry shop and had coffee and bread pudding as our lunch that day. The remainder of the day was spent lounging around the boat and marina.
Friday we again walked to town and had breakfast at the pastry shop – the special was a croissant with fresh baby spinach and feta plus two eggs. We decided to try out the local bus system so we found a schedule and learned we could ride for 50 cents per person each way. We found the terminal stop for the Blue Line and rode out to the WalMart on Rt. 1. After picking up a few items we caught the bus right in front of the store and it dropped us off about 50 yards from the marina. Since the weekend was upon us we checked with the local Enterprise rental office and they had a week end special – half price rate for 3 days. So, for $66.00 we had the use
of a BRIGHT yellow V-W bug until Monday noon.
Saturday AM we picked up a local tourist map and headed south on scenic A1A to Fort Matanzas National Park.
What a gem it is – while small, the fort dates back to the 1500s and is actually located on a small island.
Visitors are ferried to the island by a park operated pontoon boat where costumed guides present a very entertaining history of the fort. We headed farther down A1A from the fort, to a state park called Washington Oaks Gardens which is a display of gardens, plantings and water features including ponds with large fish that you visit by way of groomed walking trails. 
The entire site is set amongst mature trees and is situated along the ICW. We remembered seeing folks strolling along the shore when we transited the waterway north to St. Augustine. 
On Sunday we bought a tool (a hole saw) and some trim hardware items at Home Depot and routed the wires to our TV set through the side of the cabinet it is mounted on. This allows the set to be connected to the cable box and power outlet all the time and eliminates the need to keep the cabinet door open when we want to have TV on. After all the heavy work was complete we drove to St. Augustine Beach and walked on the sand for an hour or so.
We also were entertained by several dozen surfers (in wet suits) floating around waiting for the big wave that never came that day. 
Since the WX was to become rainy we arranged to keep the car until Tuesday – we didn’t want to be confined to the boat for the 24 hours of bad weather that was forecasted. The rain held off until Monday afternoon so in the morning we drove north along A1A to Jacksonville Beach. It proved to be a dull and unremarkable trip, nothing at all like the 25 miles of coastal road south of St. Augustine. The rain began just minutes after we arrived at the boat and continued all afternoon. Polly bought the things needed to build a pot of Chili along and with baked potato, made a great dinner. Having the oven on to do the potato also made the cabin nice and comfy. During the evening the rain continued in bucket-filling amounts and we just hunkered down for the night.
After dropping off the car we did some chores around the boat and got ready for a visit with new friends Sue & Steve who were driving up from New Smyrna Beach. The four of us walked to the historic fort on the waterfront and after taking the self-guided tour, we went for pizza at a neat Italian place in the historic district. It was kind of special sharing the Morris’ wedding anniversary evening with them.
We originally planned to leave St. Augustine on Wednesday morning but the forecast was calling for very high winds with gale force gusts, so we extended our departure for a day. The weather forecast proved to be accurate, it was extremely windy and much colder all day. We bundled up and walked to a diner for a real diner-style breakfast which was really great. There is nothing better than pancakes, eggs and ham to fortify you for a cold walk to windward. That evening we dined on left over chili and got the boat ready for a very early departure the next morning.
We took the slip for a week since the rate was a lot more economical, plus we just wanted to hang around St. Augustine for a while. We walked to the historic area (about a 20 minute hike) and got acquainted with things. We found a nice bagel / pastry shop and had coffee and bread pudding as our lunch that day. The remainder of the day was spent lounging around the boat and marina.
Friday we again walked to town and had breakfast at the pastry shop – the special was a croissant with fresh baby spinach and feta plus two eggs. We decided to try out the local bus system so we found a schedule and learned we could ride for 50 cents per person each way. We found the terminal stop for the Blue Line and rode out to the WalMart on Rt. 1. After picking up a few items we caught the bus right in front of the store and it dropped us off about 50 yards from the marina. Since the weekend was upon us we checked with the local Enterprise rental office and they had a week end special – half price rate for 3 days. So, for $66.00 we had the use
of a BRIGHT yellow V-W bug until Monday noon.Saturday AM we picked up a local tourist map and headed south on scenic A1A to Fort Matanzas National Park.
What a gem it is – while small, the fort dates back to the 1500s and is actually located on a small island.
Visitors are ferried to the island by a park operated pontoon boat where costumed guides present a very entertaining history of the fort. We headed farther down A1A from the fort, to a state park called Washington Oaks Gardens which is a display of gardens, plantings and water features including ponds with large fish that you visit by way of groomed walking trails. 
The entire site is set amongst mature trees and is situated along the ICW. We remembered seeing folks strolling along the shore when we transited the waterway north to St. Augustine. 
On Sunday we bought a tool (a hole saw) and some trim hardware items at Home Depot and routed the wires to our TV set through the side of the cabinet it is mounted on. This allows the set to be connected to the cable box and power outlet all the time and eliminates the need to keep the cabinet door open when we want to have TV on. After all the heavy work was complete we drove to St. Augustine Beach and walked on the sand for an hour or so.
We also were entertained by several dozen surfers (in wet suits) floating around waiting for the big wave that never came that day. 
Since the WX was to become rainy we arranged to keep the car until Tuesday – we didn’t want to be confined to the boat for the 24 hours of bad weather that was forecasted. The rain held off until Monday afternoon so in the morning we drove north along A1A to Jacksonville Beach. It proved to be a dull and unremarkable trip, nothing at all like the 25 miles of coastal road south of St. Augustine. The rain began just minutes after we arrived at the boat and continued all afternoon. Polly bought the things needed to build a pot of Chili along and with baked potato, made a great dinner. Having the oven on to do the potato also made the cabin nice and comfy. During the evening the rain continued in bucket-filling amounts and we just hunkered down for the night.
After dropping off the car we did some chores around the boat and got ready for a visit with new friends Sue & Steve who were driving up from New Smyrna Beach. The four of us walked to the historic fort on the waterfront and after taking the self-guided tour, we went for pizza at a neat Italian place in the historic district. It was kind of special sharing the Morris’ wedding anniversary evening with them.
We originally planned to leave St. Augustine on Wednesday morning but the forecast was calling for very high winds with gale force gusts, so we extended our departure for a day. The weather forecast proved to be accurate, it was extremely windy and much colder all day. We bundled up and walked to a diner for a real diner-style breakfast which was really great. There is nothing better than pancakes, eggs and ham to fortify you for a cold walk to windward. That evening we dined on left over chili and got the boat ready for a very early departure the next morning.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Flight was advised to keep to port while passing under this bridgeWednesday 1/28/09
We still had the two keys for the shower rooms as we left the slip at 07:30 so we made a close and slow pass going by the fuel dock where an attendant was waiting with a net on a long pole. As we approached his position he stuck the net out and Polly dropped the keys into it. As I said previously, this is a large marina and the slip we were in would have been a 20 minute walk (one way) around the basin to the office, so the “slow pass and drop” is the SOP for returning keys. The ride to St. Augustine was smooth and uneventful except the occasional A-H operating a fast powerboat and passing close enough at high speed to cause potentially damaging wake. Just south of St. Augustine we passed an Island Packet sailboat (like the one we used to own) named “SURPRISE” and we had a radio chat with the folks aboard. We recognized the boat because it has been at our home marina in Rock Hall from time to time in past summers. But that aside, we arrived at the entrance to the San Sebastian River about 1:30 PM, and idled up the small river to our destination, Oyster Creek Marina, where Paul Walsh, the dock master met us to help with our lines. The slip was marginally narrow but we managed to fit FLIGHT in without touching the Mainship 40’ trawler located in the slip to our left with about 18” clearance. After getting our power cords connected and the sign-in paper work completed, we decided to take advantage of the policy that gives all marina guests half-price beers (all the time) at Hurricane Patty’s, the marina’s restaurant.
During the first cold draft we decided to treat ourselves to a late lunch. My burger was great but Polly’s fish & chips, not so great. Later that evening the left-over shrimp from the Aquarium served to round out our day’s nourishment needs.
We still had the two keys for the shower rooms as we left the slip at 07:30 so we made a close and slow pass going by the fuel dock where an attendant was waiting with a net on a long pole. As we approached his position he stuck the net out and Polly dropped the keys into it. As I said previously, this is a large marina and the slip we were in would have been a 20 minute walk (one way) around the basin to the office, so the “slow pass and drop” is the SOP for returning keys. The ride to St. Augustine was smooth and uneventful except the occasional A-H operating a fast powerboat and passing close enough at high speed to cause potentially damaging wake. Just south of St. Augustine we passed an Island Packet sailboat (like the one we used to own) named “SURPRISE” and we had a radio chat with the folks aboard. We recognized the boat because it has been at our home marina in Rock Hall from time to time in past summers. But that aside, we arrived at the entrance to the San Sebastian River about 1:30 PM, and idled up the small river to our destination, Oyster Creek Marina, where Paul Walsh, the dock master met us to help with our lines. The slip was marginally narrow but we managed to fit FLIGHT in without touching the Mainship 40’ trawler located in the slip to our left with about 18” clearance. After getting our power cords connected and the sign-in paper work completed, we decided to take advantage of the policy that gives all marina guests half-price beers (all the time) at Hurricane Patty’s, the marina’s restaurant.
During the first cold draft we decided to treat ourselves to a late lunch. My burger was great but Polly’s fish & chips, not so great. Later that evening the left-over shrimp from the Aquarium served to round out our day’s nourishment needs.
Fog along the way
Monday 1/26 & Tuesday 1/27 Halifax Harbor – Daytona Beach
We got underway at 09:30 after returning the car to Enterprise and saying a few goodbyes to some of the folks at the marina. As it turned out, we could not have left much earlier anyway due to some morning fog. Just south of the draw bridge we saw a bunch of Dolphins that seemed to be hunting for their breakfast and just north of the bridge we spotted a trawler leaving the anchorage. After a brief conference Polly and I agreed that it was another Monk 36 so we gave them a shout on VHF channel 16. The other Monk was a boat named Hullabaloo and we had met the owners last spring in Solomons Island, MD. We chatted on the radio for nearly 30 minutes and learned they were headed for the west coast of Florida and also that their home port is in the Coan River (VA) in a slip that is right next to another Monk36 owner that we have met at a rendezvous. Once again, it is a small world on the waterway.
It was an easy cruise up to Halifax Harbor where dock man Bill helped us at the free pump-out station and then into a nice floating dock slip (I-29) in the south basin. After we got things settled on the boat we took a walk along the main street that fronts the water and checked out a West Marine store and the Aquarium restaurant, where we plan to have dinner with the Morris’ the next evening. The fellows at West Marine were friendly and of course they were also boaters who gave us some inside tips on things around the waterfront at Daytona Beach. One of the tips was that the food in general (and shrimp in particular) was very good at the Aquarium which is located right next to the store. We were ready for a late lunch and found a patio table at the Aquarium where we had the lunch special of fish & chips and a couple of Yuengling drafts. The lunch was very good and even better when the check arrived – lunch for two - $19.00 including the beers and a tip!
We remained at Halifax Harbor Tuesday and in the morning we got our bikes onto the dock and took a ride across one of the bridges to the beach side of town. We quickly discovered that we were not i
n a great area for bicycles. We returned to the boat for a light lunch then Polly settled in for some reading and I (RCB) launched my kayak for a paddling tour of the large marina basin with a side trip out into the river and the ICW channel. That evening we walked to the Aquarium Restaurant to meet Sue and Steve Morris and found them just getting out of their truck as we crossed the parking lot. Based on the info we got from the guy at the West Marine store, Polly and I both ordered the fried shrimp and we were not disappointed. They were large, fresh, and cooked perfectly with a Panko crust. They were also served in generous portions, generous enough that our left-over’s served us again the next day. The Aquarium is definitely a must-do place in Daytona Beach.
We got underway at 09:30 after returning the car to Enterprise and saying a few goodbyes to some of the folks at the marina. As it turned out, we could not have left much earlier anyway due to some morning fog. Just south of the draw bridge we saw a bunch of Dolphins that seemed to be hunting for their breakfast and just north of the bridge we spotted a trawler leaving the anchorage. After a brief conference Polly and I agreed that it was another Monk 36 so we gave them a shout on VHF channel 16. The other Monk was a boat named Hullabaloo and we had met the owners last spring in Solomons Island, MD. We chatted on the radio for nearly 30 minutes and learned they were headed for the west coast of Florida and also that their home port is in the Coan River (VA) in a slip that is right next to another Monk36 owner that we have met at a rendezvous. Once again, it is a small world on the waterway.
It was an easy cruise up to Halifax Harbor where dock man Bill helped us at the free pump-out station and then into a nice floating dock slip (I-29) in the south basin. After we got things settled on the boat we took a walk along the main street that fronts the water and checked out a West Marine store and the Aquarium restaurant, where we plan to have dinner with the Morris’ the next evening. The fellows at West Marine were friendly and of course they were also boaters who gave us some inside tips on things around the waterfront at Daytona Beach. One of the tips was that the food in general (and shrimp in particular) was very good at the Aquarium which is located right next to the store. We were ready for a late lunch and found a patio table at the Aquarium where we had the lunch special of fish & chips and a couple of Yuengling drafts. The lunch was very good and even better when the check arrived – lunch for two - $19.00 including the beers and a tip!
We remained at Halifax Harbor Tuesday and in the morning we got our bikes onto the dock and took a ride across one of the bridges to the beach side of town. We quickly discovered that we were not i
n a great area for bicycles. We returned to the boat for a light lunch then Polly settled in for some reading and I (RCB) launched my kayak for a paddling tour of the large marina basin with a side trip out into the river and the ICW channel. That evening we walked to the Aquarium Restaurant to meet Sue and Steve Morris and found them just getting out of their truck as we crossed the parking lot. Based on the info we got from the guy at the West Marine store, Polly and I both ordered the fried shrimp and we were not disappointed. They were large, fresh, and cooked perfectly with a Panko crust. They were also served in generous portions, generous enough that our left-over’s served us again the next day. The Aquarium is definitely a must-do place in Daytona Beach.
Wednesday 1/21 thru Sunday 1/25/09
After a quick breakfast we saddled up the KIA and headed out for the weekly Wednesday flea market at the fair grounds near Deland. We picked up a whole bunch of fresh vegetables for about 5 bucks and headed back to the boat. We decided it would be a good time to work on the various locker doors (cabinet doors to land lubbers) that were dragging when opened and closed. I used the block plane I bought at Home Depot to plane the door edges where they were making contact and Polly would re-hang them and check each one out – there were 8 of them. We had also bought varnish to touch them up but that will wait until a later date. Following the carpenter work Polly did a thorough vacuuming of the cabins and I called Enterprise to extend our car rental until Monday AM when we plan to leave this sweet spot.
Thursday we drove up to the Daytona area for a few provisions and to check out a marina (Halifax Harbor) where we plan to spend a few days. The marina is quite large – maybe 500 slips in all – but very nice facilities and organized management. They also have a great restaurant on the property call The Aquarium. The waterfront area of Daytona Beach seemed pretty nice, with a couple blocks of re-vamped buildings with shops and restaurants along the main street, and several parks connected by a bike path and walk ways.
Back at the boat PMB turned the groceries into some burger patties for the grill and also pre-cooked and seasoned some ground beef for tacos or nachos in the future. We often do some advanced food prep and store things in the freezer to minimize work when we dine aboard. I (RCB) used the time to drive to a local bike shop in hopes of finding a better (softer) seat for my bike. We had a date to meet the Morris’ for happy hour at a spot they knew about over on the beach side called, The Atlantis Bistro. We visited for about 2 hours over some very nice two-for-one red wine and made plans to have them aboard FLIGHT for a local day cruise on Saturday.
Friday was spent just hanging around and messing with some boat chores. Polly spent time preparing a few food items that will be our contribution to the marina’s monthly pot luck party scheduled for Saturday evening. The theme for the party was to be “Breakfast for Dinner” – all food was to be breakfast things, including drinks. I was surprised to learn that a lot of people drink rum & tonic and beer as well as mimosas and screw drivers with their breakfast. Loy, the man from the transient boat next to us asked me to drive him to a local camp ground for a propane re-fill. The trip gave me an opportunity to learn that Loy and his wife (retired teacher & social worker) were from Chicago and came down the river system to the Gulf of Mexico and that their sailboat spent the summer stored in Deltaville, VA on Chesapeake Bay. Small world again – we had stopped in Deltaville on our way down the Bay.
Early Saturday AM, Polly went to the weekly farmers market on Canal St. and returned with Pecan sticky buns for our breakfast – yum.
Sue & Steve Morris came aboard at 09:30 and we got underway for our trip south on the ICW to Haul-Over Canal and back, about 50 miles total. The canal is a short man made cut that connects Mosquito Lagoon with the Indian River. Many years ago, vessels traveling the ICW were actually hauled out and moved over land from the one body of water to the other. The WX was very nice and Steve was at the helm the entire day except for docking. 
We enjoyed several encounters with Dolphins following the wake of the boat and Sue actually got a few seconds of video.
We arrived back at the marina about 3:30 and proceeded to get ready to attend the party. It was a lot of fun and true to form with any pot luck meal, the food was exceptional. One fellow brought a waffle iron and had his secret waffle batter waiting to make you a waffle to order, served with fresh berry toppings and whipped cream, if you so desired. It was fun meeting some of the marina regulars and hearing their stories.
Sunday brought beautiful WX and temps that reached the mid 70s in the afternoon. We gave FLIGHT a thorough washing and then rode our bikes to the Dairy Queen for lunch. The Morris’ stopped by in the afternoon to share some pictures they had of their home in Idaho (complete with snow) and we made tentative plans for them to drive up to Daytona after we get settled there. Our evening meal consisted of burgers done on the grill and fresh green beans from the farmers market, after Polly had completed the laundry she had started earlier. Tomorrow we will be out of here.
After a quick breakfast we saddled up the KIA and headed out for the weekly Wednesday flea market at the fair grounds near Deland. We picked up a whole bunch of fresh vegetables for about 5 bucks and headed back to the boat. We decided it would be a good time to work on the various locker doors (cabinet doors to land lubbers) that were dragging when opened and closed. I used the block plane I bought at Home Depot to plane the door edges where they were making contact and Polly would re-hang them and check each one out – there were 8 of them. We had also bought varnish to touch them up but that will wait until a later date. Following the carpenter work Polly did a thorough vacuuming of the cabins and I called Enterprise to extend our car rental until Monday AM when we plan to leave this sweet spot.
Thursday we drove up to the Daytona area for a few provisions and to check out a marina (Halifax Harbor) where we plan to spend a few days. The marina is quite large – maybe 500 slips in all – but very nice facilities and organized management. They also have a great restaurant on the property call The Aquarium. The waterfront area of Daytona Beach seemed pretty nice, with a couple blocks of re-vamped buildings with shops and restaurants along the main street, and several parks connected by a bike path and walk ways.
Back at the boat PMB turned the groceries into some burger patties for the grill and also pre-cooked and seasoned some ground beef for tacos or nachos in the future. We often do some advanced food prep and store things in the freezer to minimize work when we dine aboard. I (RCB) used the time to drive to a local bike shop in hopes of finding a better (softer) seat for my bike. We had a date to meet the Morris’ for happy hour at a spot they knew about over on the beach side called, The Atlantis Bistro. We visited for about 2 hours over some very nice two-for-one red wine and made plans to have them aboard FLIGHT for a local day cruise on Saturday.
Friday was spent just hanging around and messing with some boat chores. Polly spent time preparing a few food items that will be our contribution to the marina’s monthly pot luck party scheduled for Saturday evening. The theme for the party was to be “Breakfast for Dinner” – all food was to be breakfast things, including drinks. I was surprised to learn that a lot of people drink rum & tonic and beer as well as mimosas and screw drivers with their breakfast. Loy, the man from the transient boat next to us asked me to drive him to a local camp ground for a propane re-fill. The trip gave me an opportunity to learn that Loy and his wife (retired teacher & social worker) were from Chicago and came down the river system to the Gulf of Mexico and that their sailboat spent the summer stored in Deltaville, VA on Chesapeake Bay. Small world again – we had stopped in Deltaville on our way down the Bay.
Early Saturday AM, Polly went to the weekly farmers market on Canal St. and returned with Pecan sticky buns for our breakfast – yum.
Sue & Steve Morris came aboard at 09:30 and we got underway for our trip south on the ICW to Haul-Over Canal and back, about 50 miles total. The canal is a short man made cut that connects Mosquito Lagoon with the Indian River. Many years ago, vessels traveling the ICW were actually hauled out and moved over land from the one body of water to the other. The WX was very nice and Steve was at the helm the entire day except for docking. 
We enjoyed several encounters with Dolphins following the wake of the boat and Sue actually got a few seconds of video.We arrived back at the marina about 3:30 and proceeded to get ready to attend the party. It was a lot of fun and true to form with any pot luck meal, the food was exceptional. One fellow brought a waffle iron and had his secret waffle batter waiting to make you a waffle to order, served with fresh berry toppings and whipped cream, if you so desired. It was fun meeting some of the marina regulars and hearing their stories.
Sunday brought beautiful WX and temps that reached the mid 70s in the afternoon. We gave FLIGHT a thorough washing and then rode our bikes to the Dairy Queen for lunch. The Morris’ stopped by in the afternoon to share some pictures they had of their home in Idaho (complete with snow) and we made tentative plans for them to drive up to Daytona after we get settled there. Our evening meal consisted of burgers done on the grill and fresh green beans from the farmers market, after Polly had completed the laundry she had started earlier. Tomorrow we will be out of here.
Fishermen
Marathon 1/15 thru 1/20/09
On the road at 05:30 in the dark for the 6 hour drive to Marathon. The Bahoric kids had arrived there the day before and would be exploring the area until we met for dinner that evening. The Sea Dell motel was dated but everything seemed to work and the people running things were friendly and accommodating. We had a mix of weather during the period we were in Marathon, but nothing terrible –the first couple of days were windy and cool, but we still had a few hours of sunny warmth in the afternoon for wading at Sombrero Beach. Libby had some bea
ch and/or pool time every day. We did a lot of walking and biking, and we ate great seafood most every day. Our favorite for seafood was the “Keys Fisheries”, a water front place that is a land mark in Marathon. You place your order at a window and they call you when it is ready for your pick up. Dining is at any one of the many picnic tables arranged around the three sides of the concrete dock that the place is located on. After dark they turn on some lights and you can see large fish swimming right off the dock – they will also give you some raw fish scraps to feed to the fish. It’s great entertainment for kids. One of the interesting menu items at the Fisheries is there famous “Lobster Rueben” – a Rueben sandwich made with chunks of lobster in place of the usual corn beef. Polly and I agreed that it was “interesting” – not bad but not good enough to have a second time. However, the large variety of fresh fish and shrimp that is always available (cooked any way you like) at the Fisheries, is good enough to have every day.
The highlight of our stay in Marathon was a kayak tour through the mangroves in Boot Key. Dave Caplan, our guide and owner of the outfitting business that supplied the boats, proved to be very knowledgeable and entertaining. The water path we took is only available during high tide and even at that, there were some passages where we had to duck our heads and pull the boats along by grabbing branches overhead. Kate and Libby shared a tandem kayak which was a few feet longer than the singles the rest of us had, and Kate had a bit of a challenge maneuvering through some of the tighter spots. It was Polly’s first time in a Kayak and she did a super job of handling and paddling her boat throughout the 2 + hour voyage. The tour group was made up of several other family sub-groups and all were pleasant and fun people to spend time with. Libby was the only child in the group and impressed some the others with her paddling skills gained during recent summers boating with her parents back in PA. The next morning when we stopped by at the kayak shop for a T-shirt, Libs was greeted by Dave and his partner by her first name as we walked through the door.
Certainly the highlight of the trip for Kate and Libby was their “Swim with the Dolphins” adventure. Kate has always had an interest in marine critters and even considered marine biology as a career field, so she pre-arranged with the Dolphin Research Center located on Grassy Key,
for she and Libby to have an in-water experience with trained Dolphins. The 
experience put her on a high for days – as she told us when they returned to Marathon, “she just couldn’t stop smiling for hours”, after being towed through the water and then commanding the Dolphins to do their tricks, with hand signals. 
Libby even got a kiss from a Dolphin.
Our last day in Marathon happened to be son-in-law Matt’s birthday so we treated him to dinner at his favorite pizza place in Marathon, which is owned and operated by a Mexican couple. After dinner he and I (RCB) walked to a funky Keys style bar for some guy time over a drink. All in all, I think he enjoyed his birthday. The next morning we were all on the road by 05:30 with the Bahoric’s heading to the airport and Polly and I for New Smyrna Beach and the boat.
On the road at 05:30 in the dark for the 6 hour drive to Marathon. The Bahoric kids had arrived there the day before and would be exploring the area until we met for dinner that evening. The Sea Dell motel was dated but everything seemed to work and the people running things were friendly and accommodating. We had a mix of weather during the period we were in Marathon, but nothing terrible –the first couple of days were windy and cool, but we still had a few hours of sunny warmth in the afternoon for wading at Sombrero Beach. Libby had some bea
ch and/or pool time every day. We did a lot of walking and biking, and we ate great seafood most every day. Our favorite for seafood was the “Keys Fisheries”, a water front place that is a land mark in Marathon. You place your order at a window and they call you when it is ready for your pick up. Dining is at any one of the many picnic tables arranged around the three sides of the concrete dock that the place is located on. After dark they turn on some lights and you can see large fish swimming right off the dock – they will also give you some raw fish scraps to feed to the fish. It’s great entertainment for kids. One of the interesting menu items at the Fisheries is there famous “Lobster Rueben” – a Rueben sandwich made with chunks of lobster in place of the usual corn beef. Polly and I agreed that it was “interesting” – not bad but not good enough to have a second time. However, the large variety of fresh fish and shrimp that is always available (cooked any way you like) at the Fisheries, is good enough to have every day.
The highlight of our stay in Marathon was a kayak tour through the mangroves in Boot Key. Dave Caplan, our guide and owner of the outfitting business that supplied the boats, proved to be very knowledgeable and entertaining. The water path we took is only available during high tide and even at that, there were some passages where we had to duck our heads and pull the boats along by grabbing branches overhead. Kate and Libby shared a tandem kayak which was a few feet longer than the singles the rest of us had, and Kate had a bit of a challenge maneuvering through some of the tighter spots. It was Polly’s first time in a Kayak and she did a super job of handling and paddling her boat throughout the 2 + hour voyage. The tour group was made up of several other family sub-groups and all were pleasant and fun people to spend time with. Libby was the only child in the group and impressed some the others with her paddling skills gained during recent summers boating with her parents back in PA. The next morning when we stopped by at the kayak shop for a T-shirt, Libs was greeted by Dave and his partner by her first name as we walked through the door.Certainly the highlight of the trip for Kate and Libby was their “Swim with the Dolphins” adventure. Kate has always had an interest in marine critters and even considered marine biology as a career field, so she pre-arranged with the Dolphin Research Center located on Grassy Key,
for she and Libby to have an in-water experience with trained Dolphins. The 
experience put her on a high for days – as she told us when they returned to Marathon, “she just couldn’t stop smiling for hours”, after being towed through the water and then commanding the Dolphins to do their tricks, with hand signals. 
Libby even got a kiss from a Dolphin.Our last day in Marathon happened to be son-in-law Matt’s birthday so we treated him to dinner at his favorite pizza place in Marathon, which is owned and operated by a Mexican couple. After dinner he and I (RCB) walked to a funky Keys style bar for some guy time over a drink. All in all, I think he enjoyed his birthday. The next morning we were all on the road by 05:30 with the Bahoric’s heading to the airport and Polly and I for New Smyrna Beach and the boat.
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