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Connecticut to Nova Scotia

7/22/2015

This is to be the last episode of our voyage to the Bahamas and back. We decided a few months back to not try and get Moxie back to Nova Scotia by the end of June, as the weather and time factors would be against us. Our friends Tara and Brian Flanagan had kindly offered Brian's help in sailing the boat back to Nova Scotia, so we decided to take them up on the offer. So this trip happened without the Admiral on board, and without the benefit of a good camera. (All the pictures where taken with my iPhone 5).

Brian and Tara picked me up at Laguardia the evening of June 23, after a delayed flight from Halifax via Toronto. We drove back to the Marina at Bridgeport and the next day provisioned for our voyage home. Brian and I decided to stay in cruising mode and not push to hard and do day trips except for the crossing from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia. In fact we weren't sure from which port we might cross from, being open to sailing further up the coast and perhaps crossing from somewhere in Maine if conditions were not favorable for our planned crossing from Cape Cod.
The trip turned out to be 725 knotical miles, or 800 statute miles. Most of our day trips were between 60 and 80 miles and the Gulf of Maine crossing was 225 miles.

Special thanks to my good friend Brian Flanagan. His nautical knowledge and good common sense made the trip a pleasure. Besides being a great guy he is a superb cook and has thoughtful insights into just about any subject from politics to diesel mechanics. It was a privilege to have have him on board.

                                                        Moxie Log

May 18/15                     Worlds Fair Marina, Queens, NY City, NY

May 21/15                     Anchored Coast Guard Pond at Eatons Neck, NY

May 22/15                     Captains Cove Marina, Bridgeport CT.

June 25/15                     Anchored at Point Judith Pond, RI.

June 26/15                     Sandwich Mun. Marina, Sandwich, MA.

June 27/15                     Mooring ball at Provincetown, MA

June 30/15                     Anchored off Clarks Harbour, NS.

July   1/15                     Brooklyn Marina, Liverpool, NS.

July   2/15                     Bishops Landing, Halifax, NS

July   3/15                     Anchored behind Tuffin Island, Ecum Secum, NS

July   4/15                     Sand Point Fishing Harbour, Eddy Point, NS

July   5/15                     Cribbon’s Point, Antigonish Co. NS. Home.

Leaving Black Rock Harbor and the Fayerweather Yacht Club around 5:00 am. We got to Point Judith, RI that evening after a motor sail North East up Long Island Sound.

Brian checking out our course on his iPad. This picture must have been in Long Island Sound, as the next day was a rough motor sail up Buzzards Bay from Point Judith to the Cape Cod Canal. We had the Standard Horizon Chart Plotter as the main navigational tool, a couple of iPads with navigation apps as well as Brian's paper chart books to the Canadian Border.

Entering the Cape Cod Canal. We were lucky we got there in time to catch a favorable current and made it through averaging 8.5 knots. Got to Sandwich MA that evening and stayed at the municipal marina. Got groceries, fuel and showers.

Happy to be in the Cape Cod Canal, Buzzards Bay was pretty rough.

We made it to Provincetown MA the next day, only a short 25 mile sail from Sandwich. The place is very touristy and caters primarily to the gay community.

Ended up staying 2 nights in Provincetown, as the forecasted big blow made it's appearance early Sunday morning. The wind blew a steady 35 knots with the highest gust hitting 49 knots. When it was over, a few boats had broken loose and were up on the beach and a 45' sloop broke its mooring but was rescued by one of the tow boats.

This is the Monument dedicated to the Plymouth Settlers, who landed first in Cape Cod, before moving on to Plymouth MA on the mainland. The observation tower is 300' above sea level. The stone tower was finished around 1911.

The view of Provincetown from the observation deck of the tower. Moxie is moored off to the right of the pier.

The galley on Moxie. Brian Flanagan is a great one pot chef. He made delicious lunches and hot meals on our voyage, some well under pretty rough and challenging conditions.

We left Provincetown early Monday, June 29 to cross the Gulf of Main to Nova Scotia. We arrived at Clark's Harbour on Cape Sable Island, 36 hours after leaving Cape Cod. Besides the big 10' swells, we had a good voyage. We didn't get off the boat at Clark's Harbour and the next day, Canada Day, we proceeded up the foggy Nova Scotia coast to Liverpool, where we checked in with Canadian Border Services.

Tied up at Bishops Landing on the Downtown Halifax waterfront. The persistent fog lifted as we sailed into Halifax Harbour. It's the first time I have ever been on the water in Halifax. As it was late afternoon, the waterfront boardwalk was swarming with people, though it's hard to tell by looking at this picture.

Two of our boys, Kevin and Sean, met us in Halifax. They drove us to get groceries, and fuel as well as the NS liquor store, were Brian was slightly taken aback at the price of a bottle of Gin. We went out to one of the waterfront eateries and enjoyed a great meal together.

Behind Tuffin Island on the eastern Shore. This was a beautiful anchorage about midway between Halifax and Canso, not far from Ecum Secum and Liscomb. There were more than a few curious seals around the boat that evening.

Navigating the Andrew's Channel on our way into Canso Harbour. We were lucky to get up the Eastern Shore with no fog.

Canso Town. The Stan Rogers Folk Music festival was on that weekend but we didn't stop. We pressed on to Eddy Point in Chedabucto Bay and stayed at a small fishing harbour the night.

Transiting the Straight of Canso Locks. In the early 1950's, a causeway was built between mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of St. Lawrence at that point, necessitating the locks. We are entering our home waters, St. Georges Bay.

Tied up at Cribbon's Point Marina. Arrived mid afternoon on Sunday July 5th, 11 days after leaving Bridgeport CT. The next day, Debbie drove Brian to Halifax to catch a shuttle to Yarmouth, where he would catch the Ferry to Portland ME. Our Voyage has finally ended.

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On to New York, Connecticut and Home

6/3/2015

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As we neared New York Harbor on our way in from Sandy Hook, marine traffic picked up considerably. There were tugs, ferries, tour boats and container ships, not to mention a lot of NYPD police boats.

We are now safely back home in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Except for the morning trip to the airport, our flight back home was pretty routine. Debbie's job wanted her the first week of June and her father is not well. Gerry has a business that needs him at the helm but he will head back to Connecticut later in June to sail Moxie (with Brian Flanagan) back to Nova Scotia . Although the weather was warm and fine the week we got home, the last few days have been unseasonably cold and windy-weather that we would have run into if we had continued the voyage. There's lots of work to do now, but we are looking forward to enjoying the bays, lakes and coves with friends and family this summer.

We got pretty close to the old girl. Since 911, there are security markers around the island boats are required to honor, as well as the ever present harbor patrol watching diligently.

The new Trade and Convention Tower in downtown Manhattan. We putted around New York Harbor waiting for the tide to be right for our voyage up the East River.

Manhattan from New York Harbor. We are just beginning to head for the East River, which is really a passage between New York Harbor and Long Island Sound. About this time we got a VHF radio call from the US Coast Guard, checking us out.

Further up the East River looking back at the Brooklyn Bridge. We have just passed under the Manhattan Bridge. All these bridges connect Manhattan with Brooklyn, on Long Island.

Architectural detail on the Manhattan Bridge. There is an abundance of artistic detailing on buildings and infrastructure throughout New York, which contributes to making it such an interesting and enticing city.

I'm guessing the stacks are part of a mid town generating station. A 60' UK flagged "Gun Boat" Sailing Cat, powers up the East River.

Sightlines are preserved here as we pass by a green area along the river, across from Roosevelt Island. Almost at Hell Gate.

We got to the Worlds Fair Marina on Flushing Bay, in the Queens district of New York City on Long Island. Though it wasn't the greatest Marina we had been to, it was close to the price was right and it was close to the Subway and 30 minutes into Time Square.

One of two memorial sites dedicated to the victims of the 911 attack.

The new "One World Trade Center", is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the 4th tallest in the world. It's not easy to get a good picture of this, Debbie took 10 or so pictures, this ones the best. Not to bad...

Steve Flanders Square near New York City Hall.

The next day we took the train into Manhattan and visited the Museum of Modern Art. You would need week or so to really see everything there, or at least 2 or 3 days to really see what interests you. There are many displays, from a Yoko Ono to Impressionists to Big City Architecture.

Debbie enjoyed MoMa a lot.

The Horse and Buggy tours around Central Park. There were also bicycle rickshaws doing the same thing. We elected to walk the lower section of the park.

Many entertaining Busker acts in Central Park, from single musicians to seemingly professional acrobatic troops putting on a show.

The Marina we stayed at in Queens was next door to Laquardia Airport. There were planes taking off or landing every minute or two. Queens is now an area where lots of immigrants live, often two families to a house or apartment. It was interesting riding the train into Manhattan.

An old lighthouse in the lower part of Long Island Sound, not far from City Island and New Rochelle.

This cottage is what I would call a mansion. Pretty sure it was on or close to City Island, NY. (Mainland)

The US Coast Guard Station and Lighthouse on Eaton Neck Point, Long Island, NY. As we were in no big rush to get to Bridgeport CT in one day, we anchored behind the Coast Guard Station in a protected inlet.

Our final destination (for now) was Captains Cove Marina in Black Rock Harbor, Bridgeport CT. We arrived on Friday May 22, the beginning of the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. Flights were going to be expensive that weekend so we elected to stay there till Tuesday, May 26.

This is Sherri, a friend of Brian and Tara Flanagan on SV Scout. Sheri couldn't do enough for us, driving us around Bridgeport to do a bit of shopping and showing us the sights. Thanks Sheri.

Early Tuesday Morning, at the Island Dock where we are leaving our boat Moxie. The next 2 hours were the most stressful of our trip, as the taxi that was to pick us up to take us to the airport shuttle, couldn't get to the Marina. The owner of the Marina came through and somehow got us to the shuttle just in time, only to be slowed to a crawl by heavy traffic southbound on Interstate Highway 95. Somehow we got to Laguardia Airport in enough time to catch our flight back to Toronto and on to Halifax, NS.

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Spring on the waterway

5/18/2015

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We met up with our friends Sharlene and Gill on First Love in Top Sail Sound NC. We travelled with them on and off as far as Portsmouth VA. Their home Port is in North East MD, in the northern part of Chesapeake Bay.

Gus, one of the Rose Buddies in Elizabeth City NC. Gus is down at the town docks every day to help cruisers tie up at the free dock.

The Maritime Museum of the Abalmarle Sound, Elizabeth City, NC.

Heading towards the South Mills Lock and the Dismal Swamp Canal on the Pasquotank River.

Our Flotilla docking at the Dismal Swamp Welcoming Center. This was our last stop in North Carolina.

The next day and a few miles north of the Dismal Swamp Welcoming Center.

The Portsmouth/Norfolk area is a big military industrial center and naval base. There were 3 aircraft carriers along with several other naval ships, being overhauled and re-fitted.

Norfolk Virginia, picture taken close to mile 0 of the AICW. Our friend Morgan Drum, who calls Norfolk home, gave us a land tour of the area.

Jackie and Robin Hartley,-a British cruising couple and Morgan Drum, greet us at the Portsmouth Boating Club. We enjoyed their hospitality while we were in the area.

The "Wolf Trap" lighthouse is typical of some of the shallow water lights on the Chesapeake. They are all automated lights now.

An Osprey feeding its young. There are a lot of fishing birds on the Chesapeake and they all have different approaches to catching fish.

Two male mallards are vying for the attention of this female. Debbie took this picture in Solomons MD.

Solomons, MD. We took a mooring ball here at one of the many marinas. The community is a real boating center on the western shore of the Chesapeake.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, close to Annapolis MD. WE chose to bypass Annapolis and go to Rock Hall on the western Shore instead.

Old wooden fishing boat at Rock Hall, MD. WE stopped here at a marina for the night so we could do a little provisioning and just get off the boat.

The Northern Chesapeake bay is very rural with rolling hills. Reminded us a bit of our home in Nova Scotia.

We spent a night at anchor in a small lagoon in Chesapeake City on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. The ACL "Atlantic Conveyor" passed by early the next day. This sea level canal links the Chesapeake with Delaware Bay.

Blossoms in bloom in this front yard garden. I think this picture was taken in Rock Hall.

Along the C&D Canal, close to Delaware Bay.

We spent a couple of days here waiting for a strong cold front to blow itself out. The strong winds blowing against the fast currents of the Delaware River and Bay make for high standing waves.

The "Ship John Shoal" light in Delaware Bay.

Atlantic City, NJ. We did the the Jersey Shore in 3 hops. Cape May, NJ to Atlantic City where we anchored for the night, Atlantic City to Manasquan Inlet, where we stayed at a marina, and Manasquan to Sandy Hook. We found the entrances to be well marked, wide and deep, but they may have been troublesome in strong east winds. A lot of the cruisers will do this 120 mile stretch in one hop, which includes an overnight sail.

The end of the Sandy Hook Spit on Sunday Afternoon, May 17, 2015. We decided to anchor on the other side near old Fort Hancock. New York Harbor is another 10 miles.

Anchored on the west side of Sandy Hook. The area suffered a lot of damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. These houses are boarded up, maybe as a result of flood damage during the storm. In the background is the Sandy Hook light house. There has been a lighthouse here since the before the revolutionary war. The area is on the landing path for JFK airport, and at times there were jets lined up a minute apart to land.

                                                                    Moxie Log

May 2/15                       Anchored in Campbell’s Creek, NC (M154)

May 3/15                        Anchored in Alligator River (Cypress Swamp) NC (M92)

May 4/15                       Free Dock. Elizabeth City, NC (M 45)

May 5/15                       The Visitors Center, The Great Dismal Swamp Canal. (M28)

May 6/15                      Portsmouth VA, Morgans Slip at the Portsmouth Boating Center                                       VA. (M 0)

May 7/15                       Anchored in Indian Creek Harbour, W of                                                                                           Chesapeake Bay

May 8/15                       Mooring Ball at Zahniser’s Marina, Solomons Island, MD

May 9/15                       North Point Marina, Rock Hall, MD

May 10/15                     Anchored at Chesapeake City Basin, DL, C&D Canal

May 11/15                     Delaware City Marina (3 nights)

May 14/15                     Anchored at Cape May, NJ (by Coast Guard Sta.)

May 15/15                     Anchored at Atlantic City, NJ (Brigantine Lagoon)

May 16/15                     Hoffman’s Marina at Manasquan Inlet, NJ

May 17/15                     Anchored at Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ.

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Heading North, Latitude Adjustment.

5/1/2015

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Squidlips Restaurant and Bar in Melbourne Fl. We stopped here to visit our friends Steve And Pril who helped us with the lend of their car to do some shopping and go to a computer store to get our computer running again. Turns out the problem with the computer was a minor glitch that most 12 year old's today could have figured out in a minute. We were about a month without it.

The waterway in Central Florida, probably the Daytona Beach area. There were miles and miles of this, not to say that there weren't areas of park, and wilderness.

St Augustine. The city is one of the oldest in North America and was first a Spanish Colony. It's celebrating its 450th birthday this year. The Tall Ship is on loan from Spain.

St Augustine is a neat well kept tourist attraction. This is one of the many parks in the down town area.

A sample of the small shops on George St., St. Augustine.

Another St Augustine Tourist attraction.

There are many varieties of Sea Birds in Northern Florida. A little get together at low tide on the waterway sand bars.

Brown Pelican looking for a meal.

A Shrimper going around Moxie at low tide. We had to wait for mid tide in a few places in Georgia during the new moon cycle, the low tides were 1.5' lower than the normal low tide and with 5.5' draft, we just couldn't get through some of the cuts. The channels haven't been dredged in years because of budget restraints.

We anchored a night in Kilkenny Creek, GA. We got to experience a severe thunder storm in the late afternoon with 40 mph winds, torrential rain, and of coarse, thunder and lightning. It only lasted about 40 minutes.

Not sure if this is deliberate, I don't think so. You have to be very mindful of the depths along the waterway, especially at high tide when the edges are maybe just a ft or two under water. We have touched a few times but have always managed to get off ourselves. We have seen a lot of boats that weren't so lucky and had to have a towing service help them get off.

Passing through Charleston Harbor. The Queen Victoria is at the Cruise Dock. We pushed on to Towler Cove Marina, just north of Charleston and got a drive to "Trader Joes" to stock up on supplies.

It's starting to cool down with temperatures in the low 70's and 50's at night. We try to average 35-40 miles a day on the waterway, some days more, and some less. We have been lucky to avoid stormy weather so far.

These boats travel along at 10 to 25 mph and thankfully slow down to pass us, as they leave a big wake when they are at their cruising speed. This boat has passed us on numerous occasions.

We stopped for an afternoon and a night at Georgetown SC. They have a nicely restored waterfront with shops, museums and restaurants.

Honeysuckles in bloom, Georgetown SC. Its full spring here with all the leaves out and flowers blooming.

Along the Waccamaw River in Northern South Carolina. This is a tidal fresh water river that's part of the ICW. We have left behind the low marshy creeks of Southern South Carolina and Georgia. Before the Civil War, the River was lined with rice plantations and was the biggest rice producing area in the United States. After Slavery was abolished, Rice production in this area became uneconomical and by the early 1900's, production withered out.

A "Rare Bird" in the world of cruising. Fritz is from Holland and is cruising the waterway on a 35' (+or-) rigid inflatable boat (RIB). There is a small cudy with living accommodations and 600 HP to get him wherever he wants to go fast.

A different architectural style of a fixed 4 lane bridge with 65' vertical clearance. We are passing by Myrtle Beach, SC.

Myrtel Beach area, there were what seemed to be miles and miles of high rises and very fancy houses along this stretch of the waterway.

We stayed a night with Art and Kate Hesse in Carolina Beach, NC. We met them going south in November. They spent the winter months exploring the Florida Keys and got as far South as Key West and the Dry Tortugas. It was the first time we slept in a real bed since visiting our friends, Moira and Ed, in Sarasota last December.

One of the beautiful sunsets, this one at an anchorage in Georgia.

TRIP NORTH : USA

April 7 – 8 / 15              Fort Pierce City Marina, FL ( Mile 966)

April 9/ 15                     Mooring, Vero Beach Municipal Marina, FL                                                                (Mile 972)

April 10-11 / 15              Anchorage, Aeu Gallie, (Melbourn) FL

April 12/15                    Free City Dock, New Smyrna, FL

April 13/15                    Palm Coast Marina, FL ( Mile 803)

April 14/15                    Mooring at St Augustine FL

April 15/15                    Jacksonville Beach, Palm Cove Marina, FL

April 16/15                    Anchored off Fernandina Beach, FL

April 17/15                    Morningstar Marina at St. Simon Island, GA

                                        M 677

April 18/15                    Anchored at Tea Kettle Creek, GA

April 19/15                    Anchored at Kilkenny Creek, GA (M 614)

April 20/15                    Marina at Turner Creek, near Savanna GA

April 21/15                    Took a Mooring Ball at Beaufort Downtown                                              Marina,                                         Beaufort SC (M 536)

April 22/15                    Anchored in Church Creek, SC

April 23/15                    Toler Cove Marina, North Charleston SC

                                       (M 462)

April 24/15                    Anchored South Santee River (M 420)

April 25/15                    Harborwalk Marina, Georgetown SC (M 402)

April 26/15                    Tied up to free dock at North Myrtle Beach, SC

                                       (M 355)

April 27/15                    Mooring Ball at Carolina Beach, NC. (M 295)

April 28/15                    Anchored in TopSail Sound, Virginia Creek, NC.

                                       (Mile 263)

April 29/15                    Marina at Spooners Creek, Moorhead City NC

                                       (M 210)

April 30/15                    Oriental Marina at Oriental, NC. (Mile 182)

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George Town to Ft. Pierce

4/15/2015

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Last day in George Town, Debbie took this picture from the top of Monument Hill. We sailed to Emerald Bay Marina, about 12 miles north of here. We had the 1st hot showers in over a month. Before that, it was go for a dunk in the ocean, soap up and rinse off under a small solar shower.

Near Black Point in the Central Exumas. We met some folks from Nova Scotia and spent a couple of nights at this beautiful beach. Note the house that looks like a Castle.

On the beach near Black Point (Little Harbour)

Staniel Cay. We stopped here for a few hours, the marina was out of diesel so we moved on to another place and anchored near Pipe Creek. We are still in the Exumas here. We also ran into Mystic, A NONSUCH 26, with Bert and Kim, cruisers we met in Miami, who had been delayed in getting to the Bahamas because of misc. mechanical problems.

An exclusive Resort near Staniel Cay.

A beach on Eleuthera. Moxie and Mystic crossed over Exuma Sound from the Exumas and landed at Rock Sound. We reunited with Scout and Sailaway who had visited Cat Island and Little San Salvador while we were at Long Island.

Probably Hatchet Bay (Alice Town) on Eleuthera.

Spanish Wells. We stayed here at a Marina for 2 nights before we crossed the NE Provedence Channel to the Abacos. Kind of Colonial but very colorful and clean. We rented a golf cart for a day to tour the area.

The north beach on Elbow Key in the Abacos. A front had just come through with strong NE to E winds. We stayed at a nice Marina about 3 miles south of Hope Town, as we couldn't get a mooring ball in Hope Town Harbour for love or money.

The Water Front in Hope Town.

The famous light house in Hoe Town. We made a visit and took some great pictures of the harbour and surrounding area.

The light is still lit with Kerosine. The mechanism is wound up by hand every 2 hours.

Georgetown Harbour fro the top of the lighthouse.

A neat well kept memorial garden in Hope Town, facing the Atlantic.

Another little Park in Hope Town.

Man O War Cay. Along the Water Front.

Green Turtle Cay, A tribute to the "Loyalists" who came to the Abacos after the war of Independence. The Abacos are called the "White" Bahamas, though some islands are mixed race more than others.

Great Guana Cay, This is the famous "Nippers" Bar and Grill. We spent an afternoon here with our cruising buddies.

Green Turtle Cay. We spent a couple of nights anchored here and really enjoyed it. This was the last populated island we stopped at in the Abacos before we set off for Great Sale Cay to cross the little Bahama Bank and the Gulf Stream back to Florida.

A small outside courtyard in Green Turtle Cay.

Sunset on the Little Bahama Bank. We are heading for the Gulf Stream crossing and Ft. Pierce, Florida.

Back on the ICW heading North.

We are back in the USA heading North up the ICW towards Nova Scotia. We wished we'd had more time for the Abacos, as we just really skimmed the surface there. Well, next time we will put in more time into that area. We stayed a bit to long in George Town for various reasons like wind and rough seas as well as waiting for a part for the fridge.
We met a lot of Snowbird Cruisers who leave their boats in the Bahamas or Florida for the summer and come down to spend their 6 months here in the winter. That frees up about 3 months at least on the travel down and across.

Anyway, here is the Moxie log to Ft Pierce, FL.

Jan 18-24/15         Bimini Blue Water Resort, Alice Town, Bimini

Jan 25-26/15         Anchorage, Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas

Jan 27-28/15         Nassau Yacht Haven, Nassau, Bahamas

Jan 29/15             Anchorage, Allen’s Cay, The Exumas

Jan 30-Feb 1/15    Various Moorings, Warderick Wells Cay, (Exumas Sea Park)

Feb 2/15               Anchorage, Bell Island, The Exumas

Feb 3/15               Anchorage, Black Point, The Exumas

Feb 4/15               Anchorage, Little Farmer’s Cay, The Exumas

Feb 5/15               Safe Harbour Marine, Cave Cay, The Exumas

Feb 7-8/15            Anchorage, Rudder Cay, The Exumas

Feb 9/15               Anchorage at Red Shanks, Elizabeth Harbour,

                              Great Exuma Island. (Georgetown)

Feb 10/15             Anchorage at Sand Dollar Beach. (Georgetown)

Feb 18/15             Anchorage at Red Shanks or Sand Dollar Beach

Feb 26-28/15        Georgetown Regatta, 2 races, anchored at Sand Dollar Beach

Mar 6/15              Thompson Bay, Long Island

Mar 7/15              Long Island Race.

Mar 9-13/15         Anchorage at Monument Beach or Red Shanks                                                                                (GeorgeTown)

March 14/15         Emerald Bay Marina, Great Exuma Island

March 15 /15        Castle Beach Anchorage (near Black Point)

Mar 17/15            Anchorage at Compass Cay (Exumas)

Mar 18/15            Anchorage at Rock Sound (Eleuthera)

Mar 19/15            Mooring at Governors Harbour (Eleuthera)

Mar 20/15            Anchorage at Hatchet Bay, Alice Town (Eleuthera)

Mar 22/15            Anchorage at Royal Island

Mar 23/15            Marina at Spanish Wells

Mar 25/15            Anchored off Lynyard Island (Abacos)

Mar 26/15            Sea Spray Marina, Elbow Cay (Abacos)

Mar 29/15            Anchorage at Marsh Harbour (Abacos)

Mar 31/15            Mooring at Man O War Cay (Abacos)

April 1/15            Anchorage at Great Guana Cay (Abacos)

April 2/15            Mooring at Treasure Cay (Abacos)

April 3/15            Anchorage off New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay (Abacos)

April 5/15            Anchored off Great Sale Cay

April 7–8 /15     Fort Pierce City Marina, FL ( Mile 966)

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Doing the George town shuffle

3/8/2015

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Coming into George Town, Monument Hill and the start of the George Town Harbour anchorage

View from hiking trail on Stocking Island, Exuma Sound.

Moxie is here at the anchorage at Sand Dollar Beach. If the weather was fair, this was our favorite anchorage, close to town and Volley Ball Beach.

Us at the Chat and Chill Bar and Grill, Volley Ball Beach.

You see a lot of these types of signs in the Bahamas. This ones on Volley Ball Beach.

We suppose this is where the name came from...

Some of our cruiser friends on Volley Ball Beach. This is during the George Town Regatta.

The George Town Regatta opening concert. "Too Drunk to Fish", a cruiser's jam band, got the concert off to a good start.

Us with our friends at the regatta concert. Gill and Sharlene to the left of Debbie and Ken to her right. It was a cool evening, with the temperature in the mid 60's.

A dingy raft up in George Town Harbour. Over sixty where there at one point.

Pizza and Sundownwer's on Moxie. L to R. Jeanne, (Sail Away), Theresa, (It Will Be All Right) Tarra, (Scout), Gerry, Brian, (Scout) Richard, (It Will Be All Right) and Ken, (Sail Away)

Sting Rays, off Volleyball Beach, Waiting for Conch guts from the Chat and Chill Salad Bar. There was supposedly a hammer head shark, waiting for the Ray's.

Our cruising friend Tara, with Phinneus and Pickles.

Sea Turtle off Sand Dollar Beach, swimming beside Moxie.

1st Place, Class C, In Harbour Race, 2015 George Town Regatta. Gerry and Crew Brian Flanagan. Missing is crew George Evans.

Gerry getting ready for the "Round Stocking Island" Race.

Gerry, Debbie, (behind the camera) Tara and Brian at the start of the "round Stocking Island Race.

Our friends Theresa and Richard crewing on "Grand Crue", some of our competition in Class C in the Round Stocking Island Race. We got a second place finish, though arguably we won our class, but because it was a "friendly cruisers race", there was no way to protest. Anyway we were happy to get 2nd. Grand Cue finished 3rd. We were very happy with the way we did the race.

Long Island Cruiser's race. A Hylas 49, "It's Only Money" passes us down the home stretch. The crew, Christianne and Frank, a couple of Brits, donated a prize to the smallest boat to sail from George Town to Long Island. Guess who the smallest boat was?

Gill and Sharlene and crew on First Love leads the way to the finish line. There were just 33 seconds between the first place boat and third place boat!

Moxie cleaned up at the Long Island Rally Race: second in Class B (Sloop Class), a very generous donated prize from the biggest boat to the smallest boat (us) and a door prize. We also enjoyed a dinner and another dance after the awards.

George Town is the Mecca for cruisers in the Southern Exumas. Near-by, Red Shanks is a protected anchorage-comfortable for a few boats- our first choice due to a strong cold front. We came in there after S/V Scout, S/M Southern Grace and S/V Shinola- there were over 35 boats holed up there for the blow! Gerry dingied to town to get a few supplies and we stayed there for a couple of days . Later, we managed to get to town a couple of times and to go out for supper by dinging to the restaurant “Cheaters”. ( the first time for Cher’s B/D) After the wind settled, we were invited to join our friend on S/V Sail Away on Long Island, about 30 miles south east of George Town. We sailed into rough water with breaking waves at the south entrance to Elizabeth Harbour, but were warned off by a fellow boater who had turned around after hitting some very bad waves,-damaging the bimini and dodger as well as losing his dingy. S/V First Love turned around on that chop as well. The following days were spent socializing – we had a pizza party on S/V Moxie and enjoyed many sun downer evenings on friend’s boats . Of coarse, there are the usual chores of laundry, banking ,shopping, and water top –ups - which Georgetown provides as a cruiser friendly town. For this week the boat count in the harbour went up to 375! We ventured out to the Sand Dollar Beach anchorage for a few days and found out what all the buzz was about- an awesome metropolis of boats and lots of fun at Volleyball near–by!

Another front with winds gusting in the 30 knot range was forecast to come through, which necessitated another move to the shelter of the Red Shanks Anchorage. We had friend there and made a few more-esp. Diane and Warren ( an old salt) from S/V Sunset Dreaming from NS, and Theresa and Richard from S/V It will Be All Right from Kentucky. Our spot, though safe, was a bit uncomfortable. Our friends on S/V Shinola and S/M Southern Grace helped us move to a better location further in at the same anchorage. In the meantime, Gerry celebrated his 70th birthday twice, once with a gathering of friends on a beautiful center cockpit Morgan Classic, S/V Persistence , owned by Tom and Chris ( a couple of ‘Hurt’n Albertans’ –far from it-actually! ). The next evening we had a celebratory dinner on S/ M Southern Grace, with George, Cher and Morgan who ‘dug deep ‘ and provided a BBQ of lamb ,VA steaks and chicken-love those freezers -which we do not have!

· The George Town Cruising Regatta was in full swing from Feb 16th-28th. We attended the opening event- a variety concert-on a windy, cool- for the Bahamas (65 F.) ,evening. It was a great turn out-we were able to put faces to many names on the cruisers net-channel 68( the radio channel for up-dates on events here). Because of the windy weather, boats anchored in Red Shanks got the local water taxi (Elvis)- saving us from a long, wet dingy ride at night. There were all kinds of events going on all week in the vicinity of “Chat and Chill” ( a bar and grill on the beach)-including beach volleyball, beach golf, treasure hunts, the coconut challenge, bochue ball, children’s events, small boat races and the sailboat races. To be closer to the action we moved S/V Moxie back into the main harbour- in the lee of Stocking Island- ‘Sand Dollar Beach’-a short dingy ride to ‘Volleyball Beach’ ,”Chat and Chill’ and St Francis Marina. It is just a 5 minutes ride to the dingy dock in Victoria Lake ie. George Town. We are meeting many friends made along the way here , especially NS and other CAN boats. Gerry entered the sailboat races with Brian from S/V Scout and George from S/V Southern Grace for crew – with great results - first in class! The Next was the round Stocking Island race with Tara and Brian from S/V Scout crewing with Debbie and Gerry (got a 2nd place). We also entered The Long Island Race as part of a rally with over 35 other boats . Long Island put out the 'welcome mat' for us cruisers and we appreciate the effort that the locals and the more seasoned cruisers put in to organizing this visit. It was lots of fun-although a few boats did not make it due to boat complications ,wind on the nose and choppy waters on the way. ( S/V Scout-seasick doggies? )
We will go back to Georgetown to have a 'Good-bye" with friends , then we plan to start slowly heading northward, visiting islands we missed in The Exuma Chain and on to Eleuathera and a visit to The Abaco’s before returning to the mainland early in April.

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The Exumas to Georgetown

2/10/2015

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Nassau town, close to the cruise ship docks. This policeman was very obliging.

The cruise ship terminal was overflowing with tourists. There were 5 ships in that day so it was a pretty crazy place.

I think they only sold the one brand, Kelick. This picture was taken at Potter's Cay, there must have been a dozen little bars and eateries there serving the locals and the more adventurist tourists.

An Iguana on Leaf Cay, Part of the Allen Key group of islands, our 1st stop in the Exuma chain.

Happy hour and 'sundowners" on Warderick Wells Cay. This area is part of the Exuma National Sea Park. Note it must have been a relatively cool evening. George on the left captains "Southern Grace" and Morgan on the right is captain of "Shinola"

Boaters leave a momento on top of Boo Boo hill, with their boat name and date they were at Warderick Wells Cay.

There were a network of hiking trails in the Exuma Sea Park. We used them both days we were there.

On Cambridge Cay, again part of the Exuma Sea Park. Deb enjoys looking at all the different shells and rock formations along the shore.

Gerry relaxing in a hammock chair, made out of old plastic fishing nets that have drifted ashore. There is a lot of plastic garbage that washes up on all the beaches of the world, even in pristine places like this.

Little Halls Pond Cay, or "Johny Depp" Island. There was some kind of an event happening that week with tents set up and Mega Yachts moored off the island.

Little Farmers Cay. A very tidy clean little Island that the inhabitants took pride in. We anchored off the west side of the island one night.

What more can you say? Island time rules in the Bahamas.

Tied up at Cave Cay Marina waiting for some windy weather to calm down. "Fronts" seem to come through every 2 or 3 days the last couple of weeks and its pretty uncomfortable to be traveling if the wind is over 25 mph.

The Exuma Sound side of Cave Cay. Seas were running 8-10 feet high out there.

Musha Cay is a private island. A lot of they Islands (Cays) in this particular area are private and unwelcoming to cruisers, with no-trespassing signs, surveylance cameras and even armed guards patrolling on atv's. Johny Depp, David Copperfield, Tim McGraw and Saudi Princes are reportedly owners of some of these islands.

The "looky bucket" for those who don't like the water. It's a bucket with a plexi-glass bottom.

M/V "Southern Grace", a beautifully restored wooden Mississippi Shrimp boat. George and Cher are from Elsborro Island, Maine.

S/V "Shinola" is a well maintained 1974 Columbia 36. Her captain is 35 year old retired police officer, Morgan Drum from Portsmouth, Virginia

Early morning, boats leaving anchorages around Rudder Key. Now that the winds have laid down, a mass exodus heading for Georgetown. There were as many behind us as in front of us. I counted over 30 boats that morning.

It's reported that there are 275 cruising boats in Georgetown today. This is Georgetown harbour, Monday February 9, 2015

Because we got together with friends and did a lot of walking and exploring, Nassau was actually enjoyable. There is a great deal of diversity, from the carnival atmosphere of the cruising ship docks to the ‘shantys’ under the harbour bridges but , like all cities, it gets a bit expensive. We met a large group of cruisers for sun downers at a marina just down the street from ours. Our 'buddy boats'were tied up there and the next evening they joined us for dinner at The “Poop Deck”- at our marina.

The Exuma Island chain, which starts about 30 miles SE of Nassau, is made up of hundreds of really small to some large Cays or Islands. The chain runs south about 100 miles to Great Exuma and Little Exuma Islands. They separate the Great Bahama Bank on the west side from the deep Exuma Sound on the east side. Another “crossing” (The Yellow Banks) accomplished on Thursday, Jan 29th for us and S/V Shinola. S/V Scout wasn’t so lucky, as they had to turn back due to a problem with their centerboard. S/V Sail Away headed out to Shroud Cay. S/V Moxie was anchored at Allen’s Cay early enough in the day to enjoy an dingy excursion to Leaf Cay to see the iguanas and to socialize with new friends whom Morgan met in Nassua, George and Cher, they are travelling from Maine on a restored wooden Mississippi schrimper, M/V Southern Grace. The next day we had the advantage of Morgan’s knowledge of the area when we picked up a ‘reserved’ mooring at The Exuma Sea Park (Warderick Wells Cay). S/V Sail Away was there too, and Ken and Jean shared some their knowledge with us. This was a delightful place with lots of socializing, we made the Sat night ‘cocktail’ party on the beach and joined the Super Bowl party at the home of one of the staff at the park. S/V Scout and crew were able to catch up with us there. We hiked up BooBoo Hill and left our boat’s name on a piece of driftwood in one of the piles. We saw the one Gil and Sharleen (S/V First Love) left, top notch!

We wanted to stay in this area, so the next day we lagged behind to have a beach day, anchored beside Bell’s Island, dingied over to The Sea Park’s dingy mooring, and then to a beach where we walked to Bell Rock. We met our neighbors , Joyce and Mike on an Irwin 38 ( S/V Elida Jo). Close by, Johny Depp’s Island was getting ready for a gathering-we got some pics of the tents put up the day before and noticed all the boats bringing in provisions and guests. The next day we motor sailed to Black Point, walked up to the village and got jugs of water, dropped off garbage and bought some BBQ meat ,fried fish, and fresh bread at Lorraine’s restaurant. Next day we sailed to Farmer’s Cay, a thriving and quite picturesque town. We visited the well known Ocean Cabin Restaurant and Bar for some beers and tried unsuccessfully to get some more data and minutes added to our phone card.

Spent the next couple of nights at the marina at Cave Cay with buddy boats, as there was a windy spell to wait out and we needed to get cleaned up and get off the boat for a bit. The wi-fi was not that good- so we will have to wait till we get to Georgetown to get this blog posted and do other internet chores. Was able to clean the inflatable dingy well there at the dock. We spent the next 2 nights at a small lagoon tucked into Rudder Key. We got ot to see the underwater Mermaid and Piano statue (off Rudder Cay) with our "lookie "bucket- which is a pail with a plexy- glass bottom. Will sail the 30 odd miles to Georgetown tomorrow, which will be a milestone for us. There should be well stocked stores, banks and a place to buy more phone time.

                            Moxie's Log

Jan 27-28/15         Nassau Yacht Haven, Nassau, Bahamas

Jan 29/15             Anchorage, Allen’s Cay, The Exumas

Jan 30-Feb 1/15    Various Moorings, Warderick Wells Cay, (Exumas Sea Park)

Feb 2/15               Anchorage, Bell Island, The Exumas

Feb 3/15               Anchorage, Black Point, The Exumas

Feb 4/15               Anchorage, Little Farmer’s Cay, The Exumas

Feb 5/15               Safe Harbour Marine, Cave Cay, The Exumas

Feb 7/15               Anchorage, Rudder Cay, The Exumas

Feb 9/15               Anchorage at Red Shanks, Elizabeth Harbour,

                           Great Exuma Island. (Georgetown)

5 Comments

Weather Windows

1/28/2015

1 Comment

Arriving in Bimini, Bahamas. It's the closest Island to the Florida coast, about 46 miles off Miami. You have to cross the Gulf Stream, which is no big deal unless you have 15 knots or more north winds against the current, creating rough conditions for small boats. We crossed in about 10 knots of south wind, ideal conditions that we had to wait for.

The Blue Water Marina in Alice Town, Bimini. It was almost empty as boaters had left that day to travel on to other parts of the Bahamas. It, along with other marinas, filled up fast in the next few days. The weather (wind) was not ideal to travel on.

An example of Ashley Saunder's art work. Ashley studied at Harvard, and is now concentrating on building an Inn-Museum full of folk art type objects. He re-cycles alot of material including sea shells and old ceramic tile and anything else he thinks might fit into his scheme. This guy has a knack and you can't help like and admire him.

More of Ashley Saunder's creative artistic construction talents. He has also written 2 very complete history volumes on Bimini.

The Queen's Hwy. It runs along the west shore of N Bimini lsland. The Kings Hwy is more the main street and commercial area and runs on the east side of N Bimini.

A "Covey Island" motor cruiser built on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The owner, a guy from Cape Coral FL, had it custom built is is very proud of her.

We stayed in Bimini for a week. Moxie resting at her birth at the Blue Water Marina a couple of days before our departure to Nassau.

A strong W wind made the entrance to Bimini very dicey. Maybe this small freighter made the mistake of trying to get in or go out of the channel. Anyway, this is why we were waiting for a good day to go to Nassau.

A part of our small 4 boat flotilla, SV Scout, a classic refurbished 38' Pearson Invicta, built in the mid 60's. Picture taken on the Great Bahama Bank where the depths average about 20 feet.

One of the high end resorts on Paradise Island, across the harbour from Nassau.

5 Cruise Ships in the harbour. Tourism is a big part of Nassau's economy.

Nassau town from where we were anchored. We went to a marina after enduring a couple bouncy nights on the "hook".

Our ‘crossing’ on Sunday Jan 19,’15 , from Miami to Binimi, ( our first Bahamian Island) was different than anticipated; the "weather window" was to be a brief one, some of the captains (and their admirals) thought it best to wait for the next opening on Tuesday. We were set to go and checked off our mooring ball at Dinner Key the same time S/V Scout did, we saw them go into No Name Harbour, but Moxie anchored just out from there for a shorter motor out of Baycayne Bay- however, that evening Gerry received an e-mail from Tara saying they reconsidered and we overheard S/V Mystic as they were picking up a mooring ball. We had Charlie and Jane (Isis) over for supper the evening before and we knew they were ‘out’. We did not see any of the rest of the group, and would not leave by ourselves. We admired 3 beautiful Island Packets anchored near us and it wasn’t until after dark that Debbie noticed that one of them was S/V Blue Sky-one of the boats that were included in the last meeting of ‘next crossers’, we all exchanged cards, so Gerry had their #, and sure enough they were planning on leaving in the morning. So we were off the hook at about 4 am , and with S/V Blue Sky and another Island Packet (Tamarack)-feeling very fortunate indeed! Thank you David and Cherie! WE were tied up at Blue Water Marina by 12:15 so the crossing took us 8 hours. Shortly after we came in a motor cruiser South Flight tied up on the dock behind us, the next day while trying to buy a SIM card we had a chat with it’s captain, who turned out to be Ian MacPherson from Shediac, NB. We thought about calling the Whitmee’s, as they would have enjoyed this meet -up-,but we had no phone service! Ian (who has done this trip 8 times) warned us about the service here-we will have to get used to it- we are now living ‘on island time’. The SIM cards came in a few days later, in the meantime we did a lot of walking and went to Ashley B. Saunder’s artistic museum and learned something about the history of Bimini. We watched one group of boaters leave and met another coming in: S/V Scout and S/V Shinola , they were in the mood for a celebration after a somewhat stressful crossing so we went out with them to Bimini Big John’s . The next day we dingied to find a beach to have lunch on, saw an up scale resort and residential development and the remains of an abandoned one ( about a decade old) on a man-made canal. When we got back the marina it was hopping with new activity from the days crossing. Met the other sailors for sun downers on the beach. The provisioning here was better than expected, and the visit to ‘The End of the World’ bar was worth it, where we had a send-off for Charlie (Shinola’s crew mate)-maybe we will visit him in Portsmouth, VA on the way back home.

We awoke on Jan 22th, to learn that our dear friends, the Mainvilles, along with Andrew Heighton and family have had to part with Fleur, who lost her battle with cancer. We will always treasure Fleur, and are at a loss not to be home to share our sorrow and memories with family and friends. Life goes on, but it is hard to let go of good things, Gerry was one of Fleur’s favorites, so she would want us to enjoy this special adventure…Sending sympathy to all- and thanks to our sons-Sean, Kyle and Kevin for being so sympathetic and to Bill Fraser for e-mailing us- we know this is hard for you and Gloria, and the Ormonds .Thinking about all of you and wishing Bill a Happy 65th B/D and a great retirement from his career.

We will likely be in Bimini for a few more days waiting for a crossing to The Berry Islands.

We crossed over the Great Bahama Bank straight to Nassau on Sunday January 24th. Scout, Shinola and “Sailing Away” were part of our 4 boat fleet. Took us about 20 hours to get into Nassau Harbour. We anchored inside at about 2:30 am. Monday morning we woke up to increasing westerly winds that were forecast to increase to 30 knots in the afternoon. The high winds were associated with the big North-Easter that was affecting New York and New England as well as the Maritimes. We missed an opportunity to get a slip at one of the local marinas so spent the day and night anchored in the harbour. It was rocking and rolling by times, hopefully we will get a slip today and get sorted out before we head out to explore the Exumas when the next “Weather Window” appears, hopefully this Thursday.

Jan 17/15             No Name Harbor, Miami, FL

Jan 18-24/15         Bimini Blue Water Resort, Alice Town, Bimini

Jan 25/15             Anchorage, Nassua, New Providence Island, Bahamas

1 Comment

Hangin in Miami

1/16/2015

5 Comments

John Corbit and Gerry in Stuart. It's said the reliable warm winter weather starts here.

South of Suart on the ICW. This seemed to be where boating courtesy ended and Cowboy/Yahoo mentality took over. Being "waked" by an inconsiderate boater.

Shallows along the waterway. This was an extremely busy and active area just north of Palm Beach, during the Christmas break.

Close to an Inlet along the ICW, north of Palm Beach.

Traffic was heavy with lots of opening bridges. We had to try and time our bridge arrivals as they open only at certain times, usually every half hour. If you missed an opening, you waited until the next opening. Slow going to say the least.

We'd had enough of the bridges so decided to go "outside" between Lake Worth Palm Beach area and Ft Lauderdale. This is the Lake Worth Inlet.

Typical view of South Florida fro about a mile off the Atlantic coast.

Entering Miami through Government Cut. South Miami Beach on the right.

Miami is one of the biggest cruise ship ports in the world. We saw 6 in port one day.

Artistic horticulture along Washington Ave, Miami Beach.

Our cruising friends, Art and Kate, who we met in North Carolina. We met up with them at the anchorage off Belle Ilse, South side of Miami Beach. They were going to cruise the keys as far as the Dry Tortugas.

Miami Beach, It was a dangerous "rip current" day.

One of the hotels on the self-guided walking tour of the Art Deco district.

Vibrant colour in front of a busy hang-out with -art deco details.

Getting good at picking out Art Deco design.

Build in the 20s-still an attraction.

This one looks exclusive.

This is typical 'old Florida' design.

Cooling off, the weather in Miami has been sunny with afternoon temperatures in the 80's.

Gerry having a "cool one" at a sidewalk cafe, South Beach.

Miami down town, on our way from our anchorage off South Beach (Belle Ilse), to Dinner Key Marina, Coconut Grove.

Training for the next summer Olympic Games. There were over 50 Etchell class boats, some from Canada and other countries like Great Britain, Greece and France.

Note the caption.

We spent most of a day at the Miami History and Art Museum. This is a boat some Cuban refugees sailed over to Key West, some years ago. I wouldn't want to cross a ditch in it.

Smiling Hostess at the Museum. Spanish is the main language spoken in the Miami with 65% of the population speaking Spanish at home.

Gerry checking out the exhibits.

A good display of Beatles memorabilia.

A really good Salsa Band at the Museum.

We vistited some historic places of interest in Coconut Grove. This is part of the Barnacle State Park.

Entrance to the Barnacle State Park. This park is a small natural oasis in the heart of Coconut Grove and the home of the Commodore, Ralf Midleton Munroe, an early settler to the Biscayne Bay Area in the late 1800's.

John Duffy, a local rigger, replacing the inside shrouds on Moxie. A check of the rigging discovered the port inside shroud with 3 out of 19 wires broken, along with substantial corrosion at the base of the shroud. The starboard shroud was not much better. John checked the rest of the rigging and said it should be replaced in the next couple of years.

The City of Miami from our mooring at Dinner Key Marina.

Getting that new V-birth mattress topper fitted and cut and made up was a major chore and the dock at Moore Haven, on the west side of Lake Okeechobee, was a good spot do fitting and cutting. The trip back the Okeechobee waterway to Stuart was pleasant and uneventful, except that we met an interesting couple from the US great Lakes, (Fran and Mort) on a trimaran (S/V Alako). We met up with John Corbit again for lunch and he drove us to West Marine, also, Dennis from S/V Chances was around because he and his wife own a place in Stuart. He will be on his way to the Bahamas soon after New Years. The voyages from Palm Beach and to Fort Lauderdale stood out in that the homes and estates are really ‘out of this world’, Lake Silvia, in Ft Lauderdale, was were we spent New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks and the locals gathering on boats to party, we were a bit lonesome. Happily, Art and Kate (S/V Liberty)-(misidentified as S/V Patriot when I mentioned them last- sorry folks !) , waited for us, as we have been playing tag since North Carolina. We set a date to meet them in Miami Beach. This was a success, with them sharing info and a great supper with ice cream from the original- ie. before “Ben and Gerrys” ice cream place (and a few cocktails) together. They are off to the Keys and we hope to see them in NC on our way back.

On our way down the waterway to Miami, because the bridge situation in those parts is well known – many bascule bridges with on the hour and half hour openings, as well as the extra holiday traffic (think college kids out on dad’s boat plus lots of family outings), we decided to go ‘out-side’ and follow the beach on The Atlantic to Miami. We did 2 outside hops, one from Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale, and from Lauderdale to Miami. Getting in through Government Cut was exciting-and confusing, but it was fun being part of all the confusion. We headed south of The Venetian Causeway, close to Belle Isle with dingy access to South Beach.

Miami was crazy busy with tourists, there are always 3-5 Cruise ships docked, it is a real ‘melting pot’ of people, mostly Spanish speaking. We had a tasty ,inexpensive lunch at a Cuban restaurant. We visited The Art Deco Museum and on the way stopped at the Botanical Gardens. Bus service was convenient and there is a Publix grocery store close by at South Beach. The Art Deco Museum is next to South Miami Beach and this is a happening place! Our anchorage bordered a busy channel and we had some rough days and nights due to wind and wake. We got our name on a waiting list for a mooring ball at Dinner Key Marina and there were none available for a while so we took a berth for 2 days and then lucked out. Once moored, we had some lumpy days and nights, but with more peace of mind then at anchor, plus the marina facilities are very useful and convenient.

Dinner Key is part of Coconut Grove, which is part of Miami, (Biscayne Bay) is an over-developed tourist area that was once unique and has some remnants of it’s past left in such places as The Barnacle (a small Hammock State Park and the 19th century home of Ralph Middleton Munroe-the “Commodore”). While we were in Dinner Key , Debbie’s uncle and aunt, Arch and Anne kindly delivered our mail to us and we all had a leisurely lunch at Scotties by the dock here. On another day we visited The Miami History Museum, and had a good review of the area historical highlights, along with a Cuban Artist’s Photo exhibit and an exhibition of Beatle memorabilia. It was also Puerto Rico Family Day and so we took in the dancing, music and food of that culture.

One of the couples we meet at The Dismal Swamp Welcome Center happened to be here (Charlie and Jane from S/V IBIS) and we swapped some stories with them. They had a rental car and took Debbie to Walmart- for provisioning – going through the historic residential Coral Gables, which was a treat. The next highlight was getting together with the boats who plan to leave for Binimi the same time we do. This was a fun “pow-wow” at Scotties and the result was getting to know the captains and crew (some of these boats have admirals and they all happen to be female!) of S/Vs Kelly/Nicole, Scout, Blue Sky, Mystic, Odyssea, and possibly, Charlie and Jane from S/V IBIS.

We have had some minor mechanical problems with S/V Moxie. On the first day out of Stuart, our new autopilot just stopped working and we weren’t able to trouble shoot the problem till we got to Miami Beach. We had to send the control head back to Raymarine to be analyzed before they agreed to send us a new replacement. Also, we discovered the inner shrouds (wires that hold up the mast), were in doubtful shape, so had them replaced here at Dinner Key. So Moxie is ready to go again and the weather window seems to be opening up this weekend or early next week.

                                Moxie Log

Dec 28-29/14        Mooring, Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, FL                                             (Mile 8 OWW)

Dec 30/1              Anchorage, North Palm Beach, FL                                                         (Mile 1014 ICW)

Dec 31/14            Anchorage, Silvia Lake, Lauderdale, FL                                                   ( Mile 1065 ICW)

Jan 1-3/15            Anchorage, Venetian Causeway, Miami Beach, FL.                                 (Mile 1089 ICW)

Jan 4-5/15           Dinner Key Marina, Miami, FL.                                                                   (Mile 1097)

Jan 6 /15              Mooring, Dinner Key Marina, FL

Jan 16/15            Still at the Mooring field in Dinner Key Marina, Coconut Grove.

5 Comments

On the Okeechobee Waterway (Christmas Detour)

12/26/2014

105 Comments

Heading up the St. Lucie River towards Stuart. This is the start of the Okeechobee Waterway.

A classic Alberg 37 from Jedor Harbour, NS. They set off for the Bahama's the next day. Taken at the Mooring field, Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart.

Sight-seeing in Stuart, our friend John Corbitt is wintering here and gave us the grand tour.

Inside the St. Lucie Locks, we raised 10 ft. into the waterway, all fresh water, the 1st Moxie has been in since we got her.

Along the St. Lucie canal. The interior of Florida is very agricultural. We saw a lot of cattle, orange groves, sugar cane and nurseries along the route.

The infamous Port Mayaca Railway bridge with a vertical clearance of 49. ft. We are 46 ft high so had 3' to clear, though when looking up, you would swear your mast is going to hit the bridge. Boats with 55' masts can get through with listing their boats with 55 gallon drums being strapped to their sides. There is a guy that does this for about $250.00.

Leaving the Port Mayaca Lock. We were now in Lake Okeechobbee, with about 25 miles to go to the other side.

There was a bit of marine traffic on the lake, including this small sailboat.

Tall grass growing along the western shore of Lake Okeechobee.

Locking through at Moorhaven, into the Calasoohatchie Canal.

Swing bridge on the Calasoohatchie canal/river.

Around LaBell, Calasoohatchie River.

Getting closer to Ft. Myers. Most of the shoreline is developed with cottages and homes.

The 37' Nordic Tug "Celebration" anchored off Ft Myers. We met Warren and Judy In Vero Beach.

Richard and Lisa Tamargo, Moira MacDonald and you know who in front of Richard and Lisa's house near Sarasota.

The Thomas Edison Museum in Ft Myers. We spent a good part of the day here with Deb's uncle and Aunt who are wintering at an RV park, not to far from Ft. Myers.

One of Thomas Edison's labs. Part of the Museum complex.

We had a hard time spotting alligators, but managed to get a shot of one in a wildlife park. They are suppose to be everywhere. I was not interested in going for an afternoon dip anywhere along the waterway.

Name this bird. I know we don't have them in Nova Scotia.

Pot Luck Christmas Dinner at the "Glades" RV park. Arch and Ann Chisholm, Debbie's Uncle and Aunt had invited us to spend Christmas with them.

Christmas time in Southern Florida. Not the same without the cold and snow...

Stuart is a sweet place for sailors and the scenery going by St Lucie Inlet is beautiful. We moored there and had excellent facilities at a top notch marina , with walk ways going to the riverfront and down town. Gerry’s good friend John Corbit is in the area for the winter, so we hooked up with him for a walk through the farmer’s market and old town, he treated us for lunch and then a drive in his cool BMW to the beach area and shopping. Great to catch up !

We moved on to the Ockeechobee Waterway and on the first day anchored at the Fort Mayaca Canal. The alligators, that the “Active Captian” folks expect you to see there, were hiding in the mud because of the cold water. The next day was sunny and warm and a perfect day to cross the lake (the second largest in the US). We were well welcomed at Moore Haven by seasoned boaters, Chuck and Clarica, along with Judy and Warren who we met in Vero Beach (from M/V Celebration- a snazzy Nordic Tug). The famous Mexican Restaurant closed early so we had a great pot luck on M/V Odyssee. (It was Judy and Warren’s anniversary and our first-borns 30th B/Ds). The next day we called Arch and Anne and they came to pick us up to take us the Glades R/V Park ( and Marina). Had another nice visit ,got laundry done and went for a drive to get the lay of the land around the waterway going to LaBelle (so had to do some provisioning– Thanks Anne!) Also had a great supper with them and Arch drove us back (it was a bit out of the way by car). S/V Moxie moved on to LaBelle the next day just behind 2 Nordic Tugs that left Moore Haven about the same time, and guess who got there first? Anyway we did not get a spot on the new town dock, but went across the river to the State Park and dingied back over to town. Lots of social boaters around and an interesting town, thought we would stay a few days and take advantage of free docking but after chatting to Eddy and Moira decided to move on to Fort Myers (after all, when will S/V Moxie be back this way again?) It was a lovely trip and a hot day! The excellent facilities at Ft Myers Yacht Basin are open to those on mooring balls for a small fee.

We rented a car and drove to Sarasota- one of the most beautiful places we have ever been and we visited friends there! Stopped at Trader Joe’s, West Marine and we both got hair cuts. Ed and Moira made us a very tasty supper and we had a great time- while having the benefit of showers, laundry and a comfy bed .The next day we visited Richard and Lisa’s wonderful home for lunch , stopped at Costco, bought a topper for the boat mattress at Macy’s (with Moira’s help) and then went out for dinner at The Lazy Lobster ( Ed’s treat). We were spoiled to say the least! Glad we stayed an extra night. Next morning, we had so much stuff we had to make 2 dingy trips to boat. And had lots of time to take the car back and meet Arch and Anne for our planned outing to the Ford-Edison Museum. There's something for every one here and we had a fine day to sit out and have lunch at a restaurant on site. Next day, we motored back to The Glades on a somewhat foggy morning, that turned nice and hot. Arch hopped on the boat at Labelle to see the terrain by water, Deb went back with Anne. Anne prepared another of her great meals. Took a drive the next day to see some alligators- there were not too many hanging out on the ditches by the road so we went to Billy’s Swamp and Safari park where there was lots of wildlife and later we visited a Seminole Indian Museum for a picnic lunch. Debbie was fortunate to be introduced to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas autobiography ( she is the nature conservation activist who wrote River of Grass) by Anne, so interesting- didn’t know it would be a Xmas gift!
Christmas day was all about calling family and friends, cocktails, eating and gift exchanging-Thanks to Arch and Anne for sharing their Xmas with us –not to mention their car! All the facilities we need are here, so after doing laundry and updating the blog we are back to our our goal of getting S/V Moxie to The Bahamas.

Dec 13-14/14        Mooring, Sunset Bay Marina, FL (Mile 8 Okeechobee Waterway )

Dec 15/14            Anchorage, Fort Mayaca Canal, FL ( Mile 36, Okeechobee Waterway

Dec 16-17 /14       Moore Haven City Dock, FL (Mile 78 Okeechobee Waterway)

Dec 18 /14           Port LaBelle, FL (Mile 103 Okeechobee Waterway)

Dec 19-22/14        Mooring, Fort Myers Basin Marina, FL (Mile 136                                                                                               Okeechobee    Waterway )

Dec 23-26/14        Anchorage, The Glades RV Park and Marina ( Mile 90                                                                                     Okeechobee     Waterway  )

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Connecticut to Nova Scotia

On to New York, Connecticut and Home

Spring on the waterway

Heading North, Latitude Adjustment.

George Town to Ft. Pierce

Doing the George town shuffle

The Exumas to Georgetown

Weather Windows

Hangin in Miami

On the Okeechobee Waterway (Christmas Detour)

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