April 12 - 30 -- Getting ready to leave Brunswick Marina

Is April 15 really this week?

With no guests on the immediate horizon, there are no more distractions to interrupt finishing our tax returns via Turbo Tax.  Even though we maxed out our retirement withholdings last year at Mayo, our bottom line totally sucks because of all the deductions we lost when we gave up our homeowner status in May .... lost mortgage interest deductions, lost property tax deductions, making too much money to quality for a renter's credit, no deductions for our new home on the water... things don't look good.  I needed all week to get over the sticker shock before mailing in our contribution to the federal government.  On the plus side, we still don't regret maintaining our MN residency, even though we had to send a check to Pawlenty too.

Without a car, our new best friends are Ed and Connie (below) and Bob and Sue (below #2) because they've got a rental until they return to Annapolis on April 22!  Ed and Connie took us golfing on Jekyll Island and on a much-needed grocery shopping trip (just as we were planning scrambed eggs for dinner!).  Dan has been able to catch rides with Bob to West Marine as both men prep boats for departure. 

Ed and Connie on "Surprise", Catalina 4000

Bob and Sue on "Seahorse III", DeFever 44

Both couples are our neighbors on Dock 10, and we have really enjoyed their company (they both have been 'commuting' between Brunswick and their homes in Annapolis). We learn something new during every cocktail hour -- about anchorages, marinas along the east coast, tasty hors'devours and rum/juice drinks. We are setting our sites on their home cruising ground this summer.

It's hard not to listen to other people's cruising plans and not get itchy to move on.  We've proven we can get comfortable on a boat in a marina, but our list of places we thought we would have seen by now is in the trash can! So our current goal is to be ready to leave Brunswich by the end of the month, so boat projects either need to be finished or delayed.  There are two major repairs we want to complete before leaving the comforts of "home" -- our hot water heater is leaking and needs to be replaced, and the sensor in our water tank needs to be repaired or replaced (the meter for the water tank reads FULL until the tank runs dry, and then it reads 7/8th Full!).  As with every new part we've ordered for the boat, it takes tons of research to consider all the options and lots of discussion with other experienced boaters to collect their opinions. Once we've made our decision, our luck usually runs that the part is back-ordered, no longer available or the customer service totally sucks ... which starts the whole process all over again!

The new hot water heater is on order, and the sensor we had to send back to the company where they will either repair or replace. The weather has been good for sanding and varnishing the onboard teak -- something most people ultimately remove from their boats, but we think it's beautiful (we'll see how we feel in 5 years!).

We also have been looking into getting a motor lift for the dinghy motor, since it weights about 110 lbs and must be removed from the dinghy every time we lift the dinghy onto the davits at the back of the boat -- which we are supposed to do EVERY NITE!  Just like with a car, for both security and safety, you like to put it in the garage at nite.  Well, just in case the anchor drags or a storm pipes up overnight, it is best to have your dinghy safely in the davits in case you have to do an emergency move (not to mention the high theft rate for dinghys).  Both the dinghy and the motor are damn heavy, so a motor lift would definitely make that step in the process a whole lot easier (and less nerve wracking as I cannot get the image out of my head of the motor dropping into the water each time we do this!).  We've looked at a lot of options in the marina as everyone seems to have one, but I think we are going to delay this project for now so we can get underway. 

The plan:  We are leaving tomorrow (4/22) for a return sail to Cumberland Island, where we will stay for about a week and explore St Marys and Fernandina Beach.  We should return to BLM about the same time as our new hot water heater and water tank sensor arrive, and if all goes well, those final projects will be done by the first of May. 

I think we have settled on Titusville, Florida as our first big excursion, so Dan can see a shuttle launch from the boat, scheduled for May 14.  There are just a limited number of launches left (July 29 and Sept 16) and we plan to be far away from hot Florida summer weather and hurricane season for those final dates ... so May 14 looks like the one.

Then we are off to Savannah to see Michelle and Craig.  Michelle will be arriving mid-May with her new Masters degree and new puppy, Molly.  She plans to stay in Savannah through June, until Craig deploys to Afghanistan in July. There are two nice marinas there, Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope, so we will probably hang out for a few weeks.  Then, we plan to make tracks for the Chesapeake, along a course that will take us to Charleston SC, Georgetown SC, Southport NC, Wrightsville Beach NC, Beaufort NC.  We will take the Intercoastal Waterway from Beaufort NC to Norfolk VA to avoid the dangerous waters around Cape Hatteras.  Norfolk VA puts us a the mouth of the Chesapeake where the sailing adventures are endless!  Maybe there will be pictures of 4th of July fireworks on the Potomac in front of Washington DC in our blog! 

Our son said he would join us if we made it to Washington DC, so we keep that promise tucked in the back of our mind.  And we look forward to our favorite crew, Jim Garfunkel, returning to Maja over his summer break from teaching to help us continue moving the boat north (Jim was there for the maiden voyage from Ft Lauderdale to Brunswick last summer). 

Anyone else interested in visiting any of these spots along the way?  Just call and we'll see if we can work out a rendevous!

P.S.  News travels fast thru a marina ... at 1:30 we heard that the Nina and Pinta were docking at the Brunswick Marina!  So, naturally, we dropped everything and joined the rest of the boaters to watch.

The Pinta

The Nina is actually built to the original specifications - 65ft with 7ft draft.

There's Dano!

End of the journey with Robert

Thursday, April 8th. 
The plan was to leave Cumberland Island early and travel along the Intercoastal Waterway to Jacksonville, where Robert catches a plane tomorrow.  A storm is moving in this evening, so we needed to be safely anchored by late afternoon.  The wind was again forecast to be from the South, meaning we'd still be travelling straight into the wind and the choppy waterway.  It would have been a long day of motoring to reach Jacksonville, so Robert said he would rather enjoy a downwind sail back to Brunswick and take the 1-hr bus into JAX.  It was the perfect choice as we had a beautiful fast sail back to BLM, with the wind at our back!  With just a few tacks, we were able to sail the entire course back to the Brunswick River channel.  The trip down to Cumberland took 11 hours; we make it back to the channel in 5 hrs! It definitely pays to sail with the wind!

We learned from James and Ryan, that sailing with enough beer on board can be a potential problem.  And, when you have enough beer on board, you also have a huge supply of empty beer bottles to deal with.  The boys suggested getting Heinekin mini-kegs, so we decided to tried one out.  Even though Robert is not a big fan of mini-kegs (too much foam, too many trips to refill the small cups we have onboard), they got the job done.  However, the jury is still out on whether or not we'll try this again (even though these mini-kegs are sure easier to pack in the cabin than several twelve-packs of bottled beer!).

Friday, April 9th.
Time to say goodbye to Robert ... the week has gone by too quickly!  For those of you who know Robert, you should be suitably impressed with the one, very small, duffle bag that he brought!  He usually brings two big bags for a day sail on Lake Pepin!  But we told him that space was limited, and to travel light, and he did!

And for those of you who know Robert, but DON'T know why he is standing in front of a store called "Lori's" in a matching blue shirt, should ask him about it the next time your paths cross!

The Greyhound connection went smoothly. 

He had an express bus w/o few stops into Jacksonville, and then picked up a city bus to the airport. 

Easy and a lot cheaper than renting a car.

Hasta la Vista Good Buddy. 

Safe travels and come back soon.

Cumberland Island - A Day at the Beach

Many of Georgia's Golden Isles (barrier islands) were summer playgrounds for the rich and famous of yesteryear (aka. Rockerfeller, Marshall Field, Henry Hyde, J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, and William K. Vanderbilt). When we drove over to Jekyll Island, we toured the Jekyll Island Club which was the hunting club used by the prominent money-makers of the time. Each of them built their own home, and used the Club for meals and socializing ... and other important bits of business such as placing the first transcontinental telephone call on January 25, 1915, as well as creating the Federal Reserve Board!

Our son told us that Cumberland Island is in his book of "1000 Places to Visit", and we are so glad we got to check it off our "bucket list"!   http://www.nps.gov/cuis/index.htm. 
http://www.bansemer.com/georgia_lighthouses/cumberland_st_simons_map.jpg

You can fly into St Marys GA and then take the ferry to the island.  There is a fabulous campground, as well as historic inns.  http://www.greyfieldinn.com/

By sailboat, you can take the dinghy to shore where they have a small dinghy dock.

The forest area is quite beautiful.  It is completely shaded by large live oaks with a canopy of spanish moss.

Small palmetto palms provide ground cover.

The campgrounds are incredible. Each as a private entrance and a huge camping area.

(protect your food from racoons!)

Ah! The Beach! It was a short 1/2mile walk thru the woods to the beach, and nothing beats a view of the ocean!  Cumberland Island is famous for its "crystaline sand" because it literally sparkles.

The water was warm enough for swimming, but the frequent jelly fish sightings kept us on the sand!  We were amazed at the range of sealife we found on the beach ... from jellyfish to conch to crabs to stingrays.

End of the day.  On the dinghy ride back to "Maja" we were able to take our first pictures of our lovely home at anchor.

And what would be a sailing journey without a dip in the ocean?! Robert earned his shot of Pussers Rum and place in history as the first person to jump into the ocean from our deck!  Not bad, he said about the water.  Lake Superior is definitely colder!

Trip to Cumberland Island - April 5-8 - 100 miles

Monday, April 5th.  We were up bright and early -- 6:12 a.m. to be exact -- to catch the shuttle launch.  We had a great view of the shuttle streaking across the sky, leaving one of its booster rockets to hang in the morning sky like a gigantic firework display. 

Since the sail down to Cumberland Island can take 10 hrs, we wanted to get underway at first light.  However, by that time, it became obvious that the bilge pump was not having a good morning.  Ordinarily, the bilge pump runs on infrequent occasions to pump accumulated water from the bottom of the boat (like after we fill the water tanks and some runs over into the boat).  Ordinarily, the pump goes on, runs a bit, and then there's a "swoosh" of water being pumped out the back.  Not today though. Today, the pump would go on and run and run and run and run w/o any comforting "swoosh" of water to reinforce why you have an automatic bildge pump on a boat.

Can't start a journey with a funky bilge pump, so the morning was spent with our heads hanging down through hatches under the back berths, investigating the inner workings of the bilge system. Captn Dan discovered the root of the problem (naturally) and was able to repair the broken part on the bilge strainer that was triggering the errorous signals that turned on the pump.  During that process, though, we discussed the need to have a replacement bilge pump on board since our current back-up pump is quite old and small.  This will be Dan's first shopping trip to West Marine by bike ... and he made it to the end of the parking lot where another boater volunteered the use of his car.  Thanks Lynn!  

It always seems there is "one more chore" that needs to get done before leaving the dock ... Here is Dan trying to replace a shackle (kinda like a removable bolt) on the front of the boat, part of the anchoring system.  He has made two trips to West Marine to get the right size shackle, but they never seem to quite fit when he is stetched out over the dock trying to get it assesmbled!

Always with a smile on his face!

Better late than never, we finally left the dock around 3pm.  It was too late to head towards Cumberland Island, so we motored the channel and found a place to anchor for the night.  It takes 3-4 hours to motor out the channel to the Atlantic Ocean, so this will help us get a head start on the sail to Cumberland on Tuesday.  The wind is from the South at 10-15 knots which means that we'll be heading into the wind the entire day; it could be a rocky/rolly voyage with seas expected at 3-4 ft.

Tuesday, April 6th. 

It was a beautiful morning for heading offshore.

It's not easy making headway when sailing into the wind, but we enjoyed the sail anyway!  A lot of cruisers always motor/sail so they can make the best time on the shortest course.  We prefer the sound of wind over the noise of the diesel, so we opted to sail as long as possible.  Robert got a chance to suntan on the bow of the boat, and I got a chance to see how our possessions in the cabin travelled while under sail and dealing with ocean swells.  And Dan got to relax a bit, courtsey of the autopilot!

After about 6 hours of sailing, we had to change course and turn the motor on so we could arrive at the anchorage at Cumberland Island in the daylight.  Now the boat was taking the rolling swells from the side, which meant about a 4-hr ride of long, slow rolling from side-to-side, until we turned into St Marys Inlet, where the swells were now behind us, giving us more of a rollar-coaster effect ... up and down, up and down!

Ft. Clinch on Amelia Island, as we approached Cumberland Island.

Motoring in a channel is all about watching your depth and green and red buoys ... signs that the boat is in the right place.

We motored down the St Mary's Inlet to Cumberland Island. Where we dropped anchor just as the sun was setting.  Whew!