Recap

Over a month ago, I said that I was going to recap month one. I never did. So, here is some of the data from my first month cruising:
Cruised - 505.4 nautical miles (according to my GPS)
Burned - 82.5 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $206.40 (avg 2.50 per gal)
Marina Nights - 21
Anchor Out - 7
Free Docks - 2
Too many nights in marinas and not enough on anchor. But, I was forced to stay in marinas longer than anticipated because of foul weather.

Second month cruising:
Cruised - 730.5 nautical miles
Burned - 85.95 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $223.32 (avg 2.60 per gal)
Marina Nights - 18
Anchor Out - 10
Free Docks - 3
An improvement in the anchor out vs. marina ratio. This month's excuse is that I had to wait for engine parts for some overdue routine maintenance.

All in all, not too bad. I wanted to make Norfolk, VA by June 1. I didn't make that, but I'm not going to miss by too much. It's about 220 miles from here to Norfolk.
I met a couple from Annapolis here in Morehead City. They are on their way home and plan on being in Annapolis in about 2 weeks. They cruise at about the same speed that I do. It'll be exciting to get to Maryland. I hope to stop by St. Mary's College of Maryland. I haven't even looked at the Chesapeake, yet. I guess I'll have to get some planning done.

Kilkenny Marina

My last stop in Georgia was at Kilkenny Marina. I had read about the marina on ActiveCaptain (web site for cruisers). They said that is was a little run down, but the people were really nice and it did provide basic services. ActiveCaptain was correct. I pulled in, got tied up, and fueled up. Real easy.
When I checked in, the dock master mentioned that there was a restaurant just down the road, easily walkable.
To be honest, I didn't expect too much. But, I was very pleasantly surprised by Marker 107. The restaurant is really popular with the local crowd, and with good reason, the food is amazing.
Now, I base this on one visit and on one dish, but the restaurant is great. The seafood jambalaya was one of the specials of the day. I had that and a side of coleslaw. It was absolutely delicious. Lots of fish and shellfish and really good sausage. It was all served over rice.
I also have to say that the wait staff were really nice and I saw the owner making his rounds to the tables.
After dinner, I had a glass of Drambuie. Life is good.

USCG Rule 34

Harken back to the days of steamboats and steam engines . In those days there were few methods of ship-to-ship communication. One method was to use of their steam whistles, and so whistle signals became common.
Although, today, we use horns (electric, electronic, and compressed air), the term whistle signal is still used. If you intend to pass another vessel on your starboard side (their port side), you should give two blasts of your horn. If you intend to pass them on your port side, one blast is sounded. If the vessel being passed agrees they return the same signal.
I had read about whistle signals a long time ago. Just salted away in my memory. I've been cruising for over two months now and I've been passed by, perhaps, thousands of boats. Remember that I cruise at about 5 knots. Some boats have contacted me on the radio. Most just speed by and leave me in their wake.
So, it was with great surprise the other day that I heard one blast. I turned around and saw a 40' cruiser right behind me. I returned the blast and they proceeded to pass me on my starboard side.
As they passed, they waved and gave me a thumbs up. I suspect that they were as surprised to get the correct signal back as I was to get their signal in the first place.
USCG Rule 34 specifies the whistle signals and how to use them.
So endeth today's lesson in nautical knowledge.

Month 3 Begins

I've been trying to stack up lots of miles so that I can be north of Norfolk. I was aiming to be there by June 1, but clearly, I didn't make it. The weather worked against me, some technical needs worked against me, and only making about 5 knots is working against me.
But, I've been having a good time. After visiting Stan and Connie, I anchored out and then made a long run to Fort George Marina in Jacksonville, FL. I stayed over a second night because, 1.) it was pretty windy and 2.) I was having a really hard time finding a route north with my limited resources. So, I took a ferry over to the mainland and an Uber to West Marine. I had them hold a MapTech book of charts for me. It was a big investment, but it made clear the way I needed to go.

First day in Georgia

I anchored out again on the 21st. Not much has been happening during the cruises. They've been pretty, most of them pretty smooth. I did cross some big water and got knocked around a bit (nothing like crossing the Gulf). I got to Morningstar Marina on St. Simon's Island, GA. After more than a month and a half, I'm finally beyond Florida. Uneventful there. I Ubered over to Publix for some much needed supplies. It was a bouncy night tied up to the dock, but I had fresh water, food, and a full fuel tank. Life is good!
I headed out for an anchorage a little more than 25 miles north. I was a narrow, but protected creek. I anchored about half a mile north of a ferry landing and thought I was safe. Then the thunderstorms rolled in. I was listening to the weather radio, watching online radar, and looking at WeatherUnderground. Tornadoes had been reported, water spouts and been reported, and the thunderstorms were crashing over my head. I was pretty scared. Scared enough to put on my life vest and hook my portable VHF to my belt. I had a pretty miserable night's sleep and got up the next morning to more storms, rain, and wind. The tide had gone out, which effectively made my anchor line longer. I watched as my boat swung ever closer to shore. Finally, I heard the skeg crunch onto the bottom. I started the engine and jumped to the bow of the boat. I hauled in the anchor and moved another 2 miles upstream. It was a little wider there, so I rode out the rest of the storm and collapsed into bed around 9p. Worst 2 days, so far. Hoping to not have to repeat any of that. But, I survived and I guess it just goes with the territory.

Connie and Stan

I had been in touch with Connie and Stan since the trip's inception. Stan said that he wouldn't let me continue up the Florida coast unless I stopped in to visit. So, after my night in Coquina Marina, I set course for Palm Coast (where Stan and Connie live). I found a marina, aptly named Palm Coast Marina and made arrangements to tie-up for the night. I told Stan that I'd call when I arrived.
Palm Coast is a nice marina and the staff are very helpful. I got checked in and tied-up in no time. I gave Stan a call and he said they'd be on their way.
It was really great to see them, has it been 5 years? I showed them around the boat and talked about my adventure, so far. They took me over to their house and showed me around. Lots of FCC (inside joke). Except, I've got FCC, they brought back some really nice FCC. They let me shower, allowed me to do laundry, and insisted that I spend the night. First night not on the boat in two months. Luxury!
They took me out to dinner at a great seafood store and restaurant (the name escapes me). On the way to the restaurant, Connie and Stan showed the shoreline where Matthew had hit. The area is making a comeback, but you can see that the damage was severe. Stan explained that the road was there before Matthew, but was gone after Matthew. Extraordinary work was done to refill all the land that had been washed away. Once at the restaurant, we talked more about my adventure. We talked about the travel job and all the places we'd been to. We continued the conversation back at their place. Did I say they've got a really nice place?
Next morning, we were up and out early. The took me to a great breakfast place, redneck eggs benedict (poached eggs on a sausage on a biscuit smothered in sausage gravy). A quick stop at Publix for supplies and I was all set.
They dropped me off at the boat and we bid each other fond farewells. It was a great, too short, visit.

Continuing North on the East Coast of Florida

I had a string of really nice cruising days. After spending a quiet night in Mosquito Lagoon, I headed to Coquina Marina. It was inexpensive for the area and was recommended because it had recently changed hands.
On my way to Coquina Marina, I was cruising through a fairly narrow section of the intra-coastal. It was built up on both sides, nice houses with docks reaching out into the waterway. There was a restaurant on the east side of the waterway and I noticed that it was closed. Apparently they were doing some construction. There was a big excavator shovel working on removing earth and stone from the edge of the channel. All of a sudden, with a deep groan, the shovel started falling into the waterway. It seemed like it fell in slow motion. I grabbed my VHF radio and was about to call it in when I saw the operator scramble out of the machine. Several people on the shore went running to help.
I motored on to Coquina. I tied in with the help of a very nice harbor master. He gave me all the info on the marina's amenities, lock combinations, WiFi password, etc. He also told me that it was just a brief walk to Caribbean Jack's restaurant. How could I resist? After my shower and a quick change of clothes, I walked over and had a nice dinner and a couple of beers.
Next stop Palm Coast

Catching Up

This may take awhile. I've been cruising and anchoring out and staying at marinas and visiting friends. I couldn't tell you about it because for some reason my email account became disabled. And, when the email account is disabled so is the blog. I was pretty upset and after some phone calls and some emails, it finally got resolved. I hope that doesn't happen again.
One story I want to tell is about the passage through Haulover Canal. There is a bridge over the canal and it is a drawbridge (AKA a bascule bridge). The bridge raises on both sides but this bridge is undergoing repairs on the north draw, so it is down. The south side is up. As I'm approaching the bridge I hear a boat called Wind Spirit questioning his ability to pass safely. He is a catamaran and is about 25 feet wide. The canal is narrow and he has to hug the south side to get through the open side of the bridge. I called the bridge tender to inform him that I too was passing through. I also asked him to inform Wind Spirit that I would give him a starboard-to-starboard pass. I heard the bridge tender ask Wind Spirit if he copied my message. The captain of Wind Spirit came back with a bit of a diatribe about international law requiring port-to-port passage. I radioed back that since he had to be on the south side to pass the bridge and since the height of my boat was of no consequence in passing under the north side, he could just stay on course and not have to maneuver in the narrow channel. A moment later, he came back and said, "Oh, right. Right! Thank you."
So, that was the day that I was making for Mosquito Lagoon (fortunately just a name, not a condition). My friend Stan, whom I would later visit, sent me an email informing me that a Falcon 9 launch was on the schedule for that night.
I got on anchor in the lagoon just about half an hour before the launch. I grabbed my camera, a glass of wine, and my tablet and climbed onto the bow of the boat. I was a couple of miles north of the launch site. Oh, and I had passed the NASA Vehicle Assembly Buildings on my way to the lagoon. Here is a video of the launch.
Just before getting to the anchorage on Mosquito Lagoon, I spotted a large brush fire on the mainland side of the waterway. The southeast has been hit hard by the drought. There have been huge fires in Alabama, Florida, and elsewhere. Fortunately, the skies were clear, i.e. no smoke, the following morning.