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It is now December and Northeast Florida is dealing with an early cold spell. Our days peak at 15 degrees Celsius and our nights are dropping to a very chilly 0 degrees. Boats have no insulation and are not air tight so the chilly nights really cool down the hull and the deck. The cold air seeps in through any slight opening and whispers its way across our floorboards, giving them an icy feel. Without our little ceramic space heater and our down duvet, we would be freezing. Not good! I praise our space heater often!
Even though it is very cool (for Florida), we have several things to be thankful for. There has been very little rain and very little wind. This makes it so much easier to be cozy, whether we are in the boat or making those late evening walks to the yard bathroom. Also nice is that the sunny days really heat up everything so we are able to throw off our jackets and toques as we work on the boat. And there is lots of work to be done! Our main project, of course, is the boat engine. When the engine was disassembled by our mechanic, that was only the beginning of the real work to be done. Even though most of the parts were ordered over the summer, our engine repair has grown to include the transmission, the muffler and the rudder so a few new parts were required. We are also having existing parts tested, cleaned up and repainted. Other parts, like the prop shaft, are being milled back to true (it had small wear etchings from use over 22 years). There are a lot of phone calls, emails and google searches as we search for parts or services. The good news is that, so far, we have no show stoppers. The bad news is that it is a slooooooooow process.
In between the calls and the emails and the waiting, are we twiddling our thumbs? Hell no! This has been the perfect opportunity to break out our long “to do when we have a spare moment” list.
What else are we doing? Exploring the area and getting in lots of hikes. There are some great state parks and trails around us and it has been a real pleasure to take a break from our dirty dusty boatyard and breathe in the fresh air of the forests and the ocean.
And even in the boatyard, the days are not too bad. Of course, it is very satisfying getting lots of boat work done but it is made even better sharing the joys and sorrows of boat work and boat living with our newfound friends in the boat yard. Although we are not where we would have chosen to be in December, we are exactly where we are supposed to be. And that is pretty all right 😊.
On our way to getting our engine up to snuff, more and more of Wild Horses gets stripped off. It is unnerving but necessary! When our Westerbeke engine’s heat exchanger blew last spring, we knew it was going to be the start of something big. Our engine had failed a few times as we headed south to Grenada and it was the cause of much angst for Captain Mike. Every time our engine had to be fired up (arriving or leaving anchorages, no wind, or wind from the wrong direction), he held his breath. Inlets and narrow passages seemed to take years off his life. The stress was very real. On the contrary, Mike never worries when we are sailing. In fact, that is when he is having the most fun. Strategically playing with the sail trim to get Wild Horses in a strong run while also managing the balance of the boat so that his first mate (me!) is comfortable and happy. He loves it!! Unfortunately, sailing isn’t always possible and the motor needs to be fired up every now and again. Even before our heat exchanger blew, Captain Mike’s main objective for our off season was to feel as confident in Wild Horses when motoring as he does while sailing. From my vantage point, last Spring, it looked like a tall order. Mike wasn’t entirely sure that he didn’t want to just slap a “for sale” sign on Wild Horses. Yikes! Then we found Al from Al’s Mobile Marine Service. A straight-talking guy with a jersey coast accent who overflows with knowledge of marine mechanics and all things boat-related. He came well-recommended and, truly, every interaction we have had with him tells us why people love him and his work. He is doing a bang-up job. All parts of our red Westerbeke engine have been removed and inspected. Parts that test well are being cleaned, serviced and repainted. Parts that fail are being replaced. Every inch of the engine is getting some love.
While we are at it, we had him inspect our propellor and shaft, and also look at replacing our dripless shaft seal (stops water from entering the boat through the stern tube) that sits on the propellor shaft. Getting a new dripless shaft seal isn’t an issue but the propellor shaft was showing some signs of wear. We decided to remove it and get it milled back to perfection. Great! Except, removing the propellor shaft is only possible by first removing the rudder. This is a semi-big job that we could do ourselves (with the help of some awesome friends) and we were happy to do it as it gave us a chance to fully inspect the rudder and to replace the bearings that keep it gracefully steering our boat.
So, that is where we are as of yesterday. We remain high and dry at Green Cove Springs Marina. Our engine is reduced to just its block. Our propellor shaft and rudder have been removed and are lying peacefully on the ground next to our boat. No engine, no rudder, no prop, no sails and no water beneath us. We are stripped bare of steering and propulsion. But, we are headed in the right direction and getting closer and closer to happier times on the water. I see a little bit of stress leave Captain Mike’s face every day. Awesome.
Sigh. I honestly do not know where to begin. Something akin to “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” is probably closest to the mark (sorry, Charles Dickens, I am sure boat yards were not on your mind when you penned those iconic words!). We have never “lived” in a boat yard before. We have worked on our boat in boat yards, sometimes for very long days. But we always had a home to go back to where we could have a long hot shower, enjoying all the comforts that let you relax. We also lived for a short time at this very marina, Green Cove Springs, last Spring but that was a whirlwind experience of just patching together some semblance of life on land while also working to exhaustion trying to get Wild Horses ready for her summer in Florida. That Spring, a shower of any temperature and even a tiny bit of air conditioning made us relax after each long day. And there were only 10 days of that before we headed north to ever-present air conditioning and comfort at my brother’s home in Belleville, Ontario. This go around will be much longer than 10 days. It will very likely be 6 weeks and, depending on how our engine rebuild goes, perhaps even longer. Yikes! Don’t get me wrong though. Our boat home is quite comfortable. We have unlimited power and water, and having Starlink means that we have unlimited data for streaming. We have our lights, fridge, freezer, and stove all working. And, Florida’s temperatures are far cooler in Autumn so we don’t crave air conditioning like we did in the Spring. We also have our car and the city of Green Cove Springs as well as Jacksonville and St. Augustine to explore. Each city is super close and well-stocked with everything you could ever need at your fingertips. Wondering how we get Ocean on and off the boat while we are on land? Check out this video to see how we do it.
But there are drawbacks. One drawback is that we have to walk to the bathroom when nature calls. Not a tragedy but definitely inconvenient when nature decides to call in the middle of the night. The other drawback is the boat yard itself. It is dirty and dusty. It is loud and there’s junk everywhere. Yes, we have mail delivery, garbage, showers and laundry. The amenities are there but well short of fancy. The garbages are old oil drums set about the yard. The showers and bathrooms are clean but very rough around the edges. Same thing for the laundry room. And life in the yard requires some acclimatization. There are a mix of boats and a mix of personalities and lifestyle choices. A pristine boat sits beside a semi-derelict boat that has been mostly taken over by stray cats (don't get excited. I mean actual stray cats and not the 80’s band). Discarded gear and work materials can be found around many long-term boats. It is not pretty.
A funny thing happens, though, as you settle into Green Cove Springs Marina. You stop looking at the place and you start enjoying the vibe. That vibe? Well, it is a little difficult to explain. It is a little Mad Max in a gated community feel. Green Cove Springs Marina is very special. Of course, “very special” is somewhat open to interpretation, and swings from positive to negative depending on the events of the day.
There is a real cadence and community in this no-rules DIY yard. Some people live on their boats full time in the yard, others are transients like us (working to launch) and a third group live and work close by and just arrive in the evenings or on weekends to continue work on their fixer upper boat. Everyone is hard working, especially the yard crew and marina staff who keep things moving along quite nicely. An aura of respect and gratefulness hangs in the air around here. People tidy communal areas (laundry, showers) when they leave them. There is always a “hello” or “good morning” being thrown about as people pass each other. Tools are readily borrowed and returned, as are extra hands and opinions. And although there is a constant buzz of sanders and work equipment starting as early as 8am, it is quiet as a mouse throughout the yard as soon as dusk sneaks around. Even on weekend evenings, people keep their “sitting around the campfire” chatter and music at a low volume. Yes, we will be here for a while but it will be time well spent. Wild Horses will have a rebuilt engine and many of our little to-do list items will be done. Even better, we will have spent some quality time getting to know some really fine people. Good days, for sure.
Mike, Ocean and I returned to Florida and our lovely Beneteau 473 “Wild Horses” on Wednesday October 23rd. Our summer in Canada had been incredible. My brother’s house is situated just north of Belleville, Ontario and it became our base camp for our summer land-life adventures (thank you Michael, for opening your home to us and being the most fabulous brother ever!!!). We were also lucky enough to find an affordable used Nissan Rogue that could get us around town and to visit family and friends. Perfect! For four months our heads and hearts were exactly where they needed to be whether we were in Belleville or Kingston or Toronto or Ottawa or even New Hampshire. We enjoyed every hug, every bit of news, all the fabulous experiences and so many smiles that really warmed our souls. Heck, we even learned that a couple of die-hard dog owners could fall in love with an African Grey parrot (shout out to our “pretty boy” Rafiki, my brother’s awesome pet bird).
In a nutshell, being able to reconnect with everyone this summer was inspiring. It was a heart wrenching and sad (and frosty!) day when we started our trip south to Florida. And, we were nervous. We had no idea how Wild Horses had fared through the extremely hot Florida summer. Even more worrisome, three hurricanes had crossed Florida this season. It started with Debby (category 1 in early August), then Helene (category 4 in late September) and, of course, Milton, a category 3 hurricane when it hit land. This last hurricane came as close to Wild Horses as I would have ever wanted a hurricane to get. The eye of Milton crossed less than 100 miles south of our boat (by that time it had downgraded to a category 1 hurricane).
Thankfully, our first leg of our trip south was first to go east to New Hampshire to visit our friends Dave and Lisa on Indigo Lady. We had met them and their all-electric catamaran in Luperon, Dominican Republic back in March 2023 and travelled with them extensively all the way to St. Bart’s. There, we said good bye as we continued our journey south to Grenada and they went to St. Kitts. We never would have guessed that, a year and a half later, we would be visiting them on land at their home in New Hampshire. It was a wonderful visit catching up and exactly what we needed to calm our anxiousness about Wild Horses. After a quick but fabulous two days in New Hampshire, we continued our trip south to Green Cove Springs Marina in Florida and to our beloved Wild Horses.
And, yes, Wild Horses was fine. Actually, she was almost perfect. Truly, she was exactly as we had left her, sitting on land in the long-term storage yard, hurricane-strapped to steel bolts below ground, stripped bare of gear and sails, and with our dinghy “Ocean Transport” sitting tarped up and strapped down on her bow. Whew. We climbed aboard and opened the companionway door. I fully expected a waft of mold to hit my nose and to see remnants of bugs or dried condensation on the floors. But no. Her interior was wonderfully mold-free. There was no water in the bilge and no “boat” smell. Just one dead bug carcass laid alongside the bug traps I had put on the floor. Take that bug! You can’t mess with Wild horses! Whew. Our boat was moved to the work yard on the same day. Although we were anxious to get to our system checks, we needed to take care of priority number one which was to get some stairs so Ocean could go up and down the 9 feet to the stern of the boat. Mike was 100% ready to build the stairs, but we got lucky. One of the yard crew wasn’t using their stairs and they were the perfect solution for us. Yes!!
Although all was going swimmingly (all system checks passed with flying colours), the boat needed a little tidying up and organizing before we could move aboard. We spent a few more days at our hotel near St. Augustine and then finally moved aboard exactly one week ago.
How long will it take to get Wild Horses ready for the water and a winter of sailing playtime in the Bahamas? Not sure. We have a list of projects and tasks but the big driver of our schedule is our engine rebuild. Last spring our mechanic had estimated that he would need 2 days to tear down our engine and another 7 days to put it back together. In between that time, our fuel injectors need to be sent out for servicing, which he guessed would take 4 weeks. Ugh, that equates to about 6 weeks in the work yard. To add to the pain, the hurricanes have played havoc with our mechanic’s schedule so he has been delayed in starting the work on our engine. He is currently set to arrive on Tuesday November 5th. So, the six-week clock starts ticking on Tuesday.
Hold on Bahamas! We will get there!! In the meantime, how are we managing life in a dirty, dusty and noisy work yard in hot old Florida? Check out the next post from Sailing Wild Horses to find out! We finally arrived at Green Cove Springs Marina last Wednesday May 22. This will be the last stop for Wild Horses for several months. We will have the boat hauled out on June 1, prepare her for a hot Florida summer and then leave her be as we drive back to Canada for a much-needed visit with family. I know what you are thinking – Wild Horses arrived at Green Cove Springs almost a week ago and I am only posting about it now? Yes, yes, yes. It has been a very busy few weeks for us. Since arriving, we have:
But, let’s back up a bit. I am skipping over the last half of our trip to Green Cove Springs and some of the best parts of the ICW! Just over a week ago, we left Titusville and continued our way north. On this part of the ICW (Titusville to St. Augustine), there are very few bridges and even fewer that need to open for us. Not having to call bridge after bridge means that we have more time to look around and soak up the beautiful landscapes that border the ICW. It is a twisty snake-like route that takes us through quiet mangroves (along the Indian River) and in the heart of busy cities (Daytona). And the dolphins. They appear everywhere and all the time, and thankfully so. They offer a wonderful distraction from the constant motoring.
One of our last stops on the ICW before we headed west to Jacksonville was the lovely town-like city of St. Augustine. This is easily our favourite stop on the ICW. Why? It mixes old world charm and a fun downtown vibe. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States and it does a great job creating a historic downtown area that embraces tourists. Cobblestone streets, boutiques, distilleries, cafes and tours. There is something for everyone and the best part is that all of it is just a stone’s throw from our boat.
Oh, wait, did I mention dog-friendly? Ocean was welcomed everywhere in St. Augustine. The three of us shopped together, walked everywhere together, did a rum tasting together (um, well, Ocean was there but not actually doing the rum tasting. She is underage!). And, of course, we dined together. The best was the Barley Republic Restaurant where we could actually order a meal for her off the menu. Plus, she was offered the best seat in the house, right beside the Hostess Table so that everyone could greet her as they arrived at the restaurant. So much fun! We stayed four glorious days at St. Augustine and, truly, it was tough to leave. Our only solace was knowing that we would be able to visit again next fall on our way south to the Bahamas. Now, however, we had to keep moving.
Our last night on the ICW was spent at Sisters Creek, which is just a little northeast of Jacksonville. In the morning, we started down the St. Johns River. This is a busy waterway for cargo ships and we did see a few as we made our way, first, to Jacksonville, and then onward to Green Cove Springs. The weather was lovely, making the trip an easy one for us. Until we got to Green Cove Springs. Yeesh. The wind picked up just as we tried to grab one of the mooring balls in front of the marina. Big wind coupled with a mooring ball attachment that just wouldn’t budge, well, we lost a boat hook, one of our headphones that we use for anchoring and I have a lovely collection of bruises on my arm. 100% yeesh. Anchoring Wild Horses went much, much better 😊. So, there we are. Anchored and preparing Wild Horses for our haul out. It is a super busy time for us, made even more challenging with the high heat and having to use the dinghy to shuttle our gear off the boat. After we haul the boat out on June 1, we will have another week of cleaning up the boat and having it ready for a long summer of Florida heat. We have several busy, hot, and challenging days ahead but we are buoyed by the reward of seeing all our family and friends back in Canada in just a few weeks. Bliss 😊!
Want to know where we are anchored today? Click the button below.
I will admit that when we decided to make the return trip to the US, I said “whew”. In terms of travel, all I could think about was how we would get some great sailing in the Bahamas and then we would plan a comfortable Gulf Stream Crossing, followed by a few weeks of easy motoring in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW). I felt we had earned a bit of an easy run, motoring along and enjoying the inner coastal sights, including the bottlenose dolphins that frequent the ICW in Florida.
Great sailing in the Bahamas? Check. A comfortable Gulf Stream Crossing? Check. Easy motoring in the ICW? Yes but… Then we went aground. Ugh. No, we didn’t exactly go aground in the ICW but turning off the ICW (and the “Bob423” navigation tracks we follow religiously). We went aground trying out a new anchorage in Jensen Beach, which was the first anchorage for us after leaving Lake Worth. Reviews of the anchorage in Navionics were split between “This is a lovely anchorage” and “Don’t anchor here. Charts are wrong!”. So why try an anchorage with this kind of review? It was a good staging anchorage for us and had easy shore access for Ocean. We rationalized that we would approach the anchorage slowly, while carefully watching our depths and we would bail out if anything looked to “skinny” for our 1.7 metre draft. Well, it didn’t quite work out like that. The depths went from 2.5 metres to 1 metre in mere seconds. And the charts were extremely wrong. We went aground right on a sounding showing that the depth should be 2.4 metres. For those new to charts, “soundings” are actual depth measurements taken at low tide. Soundings are generally pretty accurate except for two reasons: The first is at low-low tide (when the tide might go lower than normal due to a full moon or a new moon). The second? Shoaling. Ah, we have a winner. Jensen Beach is adjacent to the St. Lucie inlet which moves the sandy bottom around with each tidal change coming and going from the Atlantic Ocean. Shoaling. Oops. Okay, now we are aground. Out come the tactics. We first try to rev the engine (64 horsepower Westerbeke) in order to maneuver our way out. Nope. Next, knowing that we have a strong westerly wind, out come both sails. The hope is to have Wild Horses leaned enough to one side to release her keel and float off. Nope. Okay, could we perhaps wait for high tide and let the flooding waters lift her keel? Well, that would be several more hours. The only answer was to call for a tow. Thankfully, we bought insurance for this. We have a membership to Tow Boat US. We went aground at 3:45pm, tried our own tactics until 4:15pm, then I made the call to Tow Boat US. The Tow Boat operator was at our boat in 20 minutes and had us unstuck 10 minutes after that. But that’s not all! He then escorted us through the shallow waters to a nearby mooring field. He only left the scene once we were attached to the mooring ball. By 5:15pm, we were enjoying cocktails in our cockpit. So how much did all of this cost us? The annual insurance to Tow Boat US is $250 CAD. That’s it. No additional cost for the on-site towing or escort to the mooring ball. There are no exclusions, excessive questions or delays. Just awesome service from an awesome company. Best money we ever spent on insurance. For me, I would never do the ICW without Tow Boat US. Ever.
The next morning, we moved along to Vero Beach and spent 6 wonderful days at anchor, enjoying great food, shopping, the nearby dog park, and chatting with our fellow cruisers. It was a great stop to rest and relax.
By last Monday (May 13), we were on the move again. First to Eau Gallie for a night and then to Titusville. But what is the fun of motoring along in good weather? No, about half an hour from our planned anchorage in Titusville (beside the Max Brewer bridge), the weather alerts sounded off on our phones. A squall was making its way across central Florida and we were right in its track. Within 15 minutes, the sky darkened to a menacing grey and the winds started to amp up. Mike immediately made the call that Wild Horses needed to turn around and go south. We were minutes from our anchorage but also minutes from the bridge. If the wind increased any more, we could be in danger of hitting the bridge. Turning around was the right call. We motored back on our tracks, into a part of the ICW where there was no traffic, no bridges and enough space to allow us to maneuver without going aground. The wind hit 45 knots. We were leaned over hard, with salty waves slamming our starboard side. Heavy rain meant that we had to rely entirely on our instruments. Wild Horses and Mike are a well-oiled machine and they handled the conditions beautifully. Our only concern was the lightning. One wayward bolt hitting Wild Horses would not just mean that our electronics would be disabled but our engine as well. I believe a few prayers may have been uttered during the ordeal. A half hour later, it was all over. The lightning tracked east, away from us. The rain stopped and the wind died. We motored to our anchorage with calm seas. The only sign of our harrowing time fighting the squall were our frayed nerves and shaky legs. That was just a few hours ago. Tonight, we will have a nice dinner, sleep well and then be up, bright and early, ready to move along to Daytona Beach. Hmmmm, I wonder what adventure the ICW will hand to us tomorrow….? 😉.
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We spent a wonderful Christmas at Vero Beach. It was a very busy place, with lots of people taking advantage of the excellent shore access and cheap moorings. Several boats that we have met along our journey ended up hanging out there for Christmas so we had a great time catching up with old friends and spending time with new friends on Surprise and Zephyr.
It was an easy holiday, with two exceptions. First, it was cold! Not “Ottawa” cold but it did get down to 2 degrees celsius on Christmas eve and Christmas day. Now, this may not sound cold to our friends and family in Canada but keep in mind that we are in a three-season home on the water. The cold wind seems to find every little opportunity to find its way into the boat and getting to shore in the dinghy is facing the cold, damp wind head on. Brrrrr! Thankfully it only lasted a few days. By yesterday the temperatures in Florida were back to more normal temperatures in the mid-twenty degree range. Yes!  Mike in his sleeping toque...in Florida...wow The other event happened late at night, right before Christmas. Mike and I were just about to call it a night when… “bam”. There was a loud thud on the hull of Wild Horses. We both looked at each other and then scrambled up on deck. The wind had picked up quite a bit causing a catamaran that had anchored near us earlier that evening to drag anchor. And that catamaran had just slid into Wild Horses. Yikes! Yes, this is a “big deal” but we were lucky on several fronts:
Since the boats were already “alongside” each other and it was dark, we decided to just “raft” the other boat up to ours. This is a regular technique boaters use if they are sharing a mooring or if they are anchored with close friends. The two boats tie themselves together and share an anchor. The other nuance to this situation we found ourselves in with the catamaran is that the other boat, the catamaran, had a planned departure time of 4:30am the next day. They wanted to take advantage of low tide in order to get under their next fixed bridge only 1 nautical mile away. What did this mean for Wild Horses? Well, untying from a raft-up needs the crew of both boats to be on deck and participating. Yeesh. 4:30 in the morning. With our early morning in mind, the crew of both boats turned in for the night. Only, Mike couldn’t sleep. Although the boats were snugged down and not dragging, Mike was still concerned. He decided to stay on watch, in the cockpit, so that he could react quickly if the boats had any issues. That’s right, no sleep. Double yeesh. The next morning, at 0400, the crew of both boats woke up, untangled the tie-up lines from the boats and we waved good-bye to our very brief and sudden raft-up friends. We were a little tired and still shocked but also very relieved that the situation was actually pretty un-eventful. Whew.
Dragging boats aside, Vero Beach was a wonderful place to spend Christmas and several of our friends had decided to also spend New Years there. It was a lovely idea but a weather window for crossing the Gulf Stream is opening up over the next week and we want to be in Miami to take advantage of the good weather. The day after Christmas we continued our journey south.
We are now in West Palm Beach but will weigh anchor again tomorrow with the idea of getting to Fort Lauderdale on the weekend and Miami on New Years Day.
Oh my, we are thrilled to have Wild Horses back in the water. The work on the bow thruster tube seam was finished early last Friday morning. Rich at Daytona Marina & Boat Works did a stellar job of repairing the seam and sealing it to prevent any more water intrusion. We really appreciate all that Rich, David and the rest of the team in Daytona Beach did for us.
We were launched too late in the day on Friday to make our planned anchorage spot so we decided to spend the night at the Marina and to take off first thing on Saturday morning for Titusville. This is an easy anchorage right off the ICW - perfect for a quick one night stop over. Plus, it gave us a great view of the NASA rocket launch late afternoon on Saturday. It was too cloudy to see the launch clearly but we did get to hear the loud sonic boom! The other cool thing is that we were anchored beside a boat we knew from the Thousand Islands – “Parbleu”. Our sailing friends from Ottawa, Nick and Lynn, were the owners of Parbleu but sold it this past August to a couple from Trois Rivieres. It was great to chat with the new owners and to see Parbleu looking fabulous as she heads to the Bahamas. What a treat!  "Parbleu" in Titusville, Florida After Titusville, we continued south to Eau Gallie. This was another anchorage right off the ICW but it had easy access to shopping so we took the opportunity to not just stock up on groceries but we also decided to purchase a Honda 2200 portable generator. We haven’t been having power issues with the boat but we do like the idea of having a back up in case we are anchored for a long period of time with a serious string of cloudy days (where our solar can’t restore enough energy in our batteries). We found a Lowe’s that had the generator in stock but it was a good hour walk away. We love walking but carrying a 50 lb generator for an hour on our way back to the boat did not sound inviting. Enter Uber Pet! For just $14, we had an excellent drive back to our boat, with Ocean and our generator with us. Yes!
After Eau Gallie, we headed for Vero Beach. Our boat buddies, Sensai and Brise, are still 2 days ahead of us in Fort Worth so our original plan was to stay just one night at the Vero Beach anchorage and then to catch up with our buddies. But, with heavy rain in the forecast, we decided to stay an extra night. This also gave us a chance to do some shopping. There is an amazing Dive shop in walking distance of our anchorage and we loved the opportunity to finally pick up some wetsuits. Deep Six Dive Shop had everything we were looking for and more. We were able to pick up our wetsuits, a lobster snare, a fish knife and even our spear gun. Once we are in the Bahamas, this gear (plus lots of practice) will mean lots of fish and lobster dinners. Yum!!  Our new wetsuits and spear fishing gear But before we can fish in the Bahamas, we must wait. The weather doesn’t look good to cross the Gulf Stream for at least the next week so we will spend Christmas stateside, likely in Vero Beach. Yes, Vero Beach, that anchorage we were only going to stay in for one night. Now we are contemplating spending a week here. I guess that is why they call it “Velcro Beach”. That’s okay! We are in a lovely anchorage with access to a marina that lets us use its facilities (laundry, showers, dinghy dock), close to shopping and the ocean, and with good sailing friends that we have met along our journey. And we have lots of phone data to connect with family and friends back home 😊. Happy Holidays!!
Huh? Yeah, it has been a challenging week for both boat and crew. We arrived in Marineland early last week with our heads swimming with stuff on our “must do” list. Miami and our crossing over to the Bahamas is imminent and our list of things to get done before we leave the affordability and accessibility of US shopping and repairs is long. Once we are in the Bahamas, grocery stores won’t be available at every anchorage and, where they are, the prices can be fairly steep. Repairs and getting spare parts will be even more challenging. We need to do our Bahamas 3 month provisioning ASAP. And, boat projects? Certainly, we have a few small boat projects to tackle but the biggest challenge is the water intrusion issue in the bilge under our V berth. This issue first popped up in Cape May and has plagued us ever since. First, the bow thruster was leaking. We shored that up and the leaking abated… for a hot minute. Then we assessed the anchor locker and sealed several areas where water could find its way into the inner boat. This slowed down the water but didn’t stop it. Finally, in Marineland, we figured it out. Not only did we definitely confirm that the water was salty (eliminating condensation or a leaky water tank as possible sources) but we actually got down and dirty in the bilge, visually and manually checking every square inch…and we found it. We couldn’t see the leak but we could feel it. A small dripping bit of water in the starboard bow thruster tube near the hull of the boat. Yay…but yikes! This is not a situation we want to have when we cross the Gulf Stream. Marineland is not near anything walkable so we decided to head to our next anchorage and hope for the best. We knew we needed the boat hauled out and to have the bow thruster tube properly assessed (it sits under the waterline). But we knew we had our work cut out for us. Finding an expert to work on your boat in a timely manner has been the biggest challenge of this journey. There are a lot of them but they are all fully busy, usually booking new clients weeks or months into the future. Sigh. Arriving in Daytona Beach, we were discouraged. We decided to shake off our worries with a dog walk along Beach Street towards the touristy area of Daytona Beach. Within minutes, we came across Daytona Marina and Boat Works. A quick discussion with the receptionist and we had a remote “maybe” that they could help. A phone call from the owner later that same day took it to a “sure, I think” but not until the following week. It was the best we could ever hope for. Long story short, we were hauled out today at 0900 hours and the bow thruster was immediately assessed. Yes, the bow thruster tube was failing at the seam where it meets the hull. Apparently, the seam was not correctly sealed at installation and it was just a matter of time before water found its way in.
This is all very shocking and unexpected, of course, but the good news is that we have an amazing expert from Daytona Marina and Boat Works on the job (thank you Rich!!). Weather permitting, we will be back in business, heading south, by early next week. Whew.
In the interim, the crew of Wild Horses is nestled comfortably in a hotel. But we are not wasting our days! We have spent the last several days provisioning for the Bahamas (we have a rental car) and we still have access to the boat during the day so we will be washing, waxing, finishing small projects and otherwise making her feel like the awesome home that she is. It is not the adventure we were expecting but it is still part of our learning journey. And, guess what? If you were to run into us these days, you would still see big smiles on our faces. We are happy that our crew is all healthy and soon our lovely boat will be too. 😊
This has been quite the week. Our final few days on the ICW in Georgia were lovely. We left St. Simons Island on a high tide late last Friday afternoon and completed the 2-hour journey to Jekyll Creek. This creek is very shallow and very narrow so getting through it at high tide was critical. We also wanted to position ourselves for an early start the next day for crossing the St. Andrews Sound, which is notoriously rough if you pick the wrong weather. But Saturday was forecasted to be a low wind day and leaving at first light meant that we would also catch a favourable current. And, boy, were we rewarded! We had a beautifully calm journey across St. Andrews Sound (our wind instrument actually read “0”). So, yeah, peak calmness 😊.
It was a quiet journey for Wild Horses as we motored alone through the salt marshes. Our boat buddies (Sensai and Brise) were a day ahead of us, having left St. Simons at first light on Friday to take the outside ocean route to Fernandina Beach, Florida. For us, we are enjoying every last bit of the ICW so we stayed inside to take in the final stretch in Georgia. And then, we were in Florida! We arrived at Fernandina Beach last Saturday and have continued, almost every day, to make headway further south. We continue to play the wind, tides, and currents to make our journey smooth and enjoyable.
One of the other things we have learned to work around are crab pots. We have to avoid them while moving the boat (so as not to foul the prop) and when anchoring (so as not to foul the anchor). At Sisters Creek anchorage, just outside of Jacksonville, this was a challenge. The anchorage area is very shallow so it is a perfect place for crab fishermen but it is also very narrow so, well, you either anchor among the crab pots or you choose another anchorage. We decided to task the risk and within a few hours, we were happy we did. Crab fishermen that we had seen on our way to the anchorage came by to empty the crab pot right behind us. We started chatting about how we had seen each other earlier in the day (they recognized us because of our dear Ocean and we recognized them because of the pelican that hung out with them). They loved our story and we enjoyed hearing about crab fishery. Then they said the most amazing thing. That crab pot right beside our boat? They wanted us to have the spoils from it. Fresh blue crab for dinner? Yes please!!! We couldn’t have been more grateful. What a dinner!! Oh, and the pelican that was hanging out with the crab fishermen? They have named him Moley because of a distinct mole on his cheek. He is always with them and even hitches a ride home on their boat, waiting for the next work day to start. You can’t make this stuff up!
The next day we were off to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US and the birthplace of the Atlantic ICW. This was definitely a must-see destination with cool colonial Spanish architecture and a really great village vibe. Here we enjoyed walking amongst history, Christmas lights and a beautiful waterfront boardwalk. And St. Augustine got to enjoy Ocean. We have never encountered so many German Shepherd-loving people and Ocean leaned into all the attention. Of course.
So, what could top fresh blue crab or the beauty and friendliness of St. Augustine? Well, how about watching a sea turtle eat his dinner right beside your boat at Marineland City? Or, how about watching a rocket ship being launched from Cape Canaveral while anchored at Daytona Beach. Wow, just wow.
We will spend a couple of days in Daytona Beach trouble shooting the water issue in our V berth before continuing our journey south. That’s okay, it means we can take in the Santa Claus parade here in Daytona Beach tomorrow. Watching a Santa Claus parade in shorts and a T-shirt? Yup! These are very special days!
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AuthorVictoria is a hiker, dog-lover, blog writer and planner extraordinaire. Oh, yeah and she is kind of fond of living on a boat. Categories
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