31 January - Day #58. Putting out of Ft. Lauderdale I couldn't help but wonder if we're well enough insured. With huge yachts lining the ICW, it feels like running a gauntlet lined with Ming vases and Fabergé eggs. Usually I only fret about Nellie's engine quitting during open water passages. Now I'm wondering if we can get the hook down before the rapid current pushes us into one of these Picassos. I'll bet Buba's Paint and Body wouldn't be the first place called for a quote. The yachts are beautiful but even if we had the money we've decided we're not big boat people. For one thing their owners insist on wearing uniforms while going about their daily boat chores. We're more the t-shirt and cutoffs crowd... The bridges get more plentiful, and oddly, lower and lower as we approach Miami. With her mast and antennas down Nellie only needs 14.5'--we think. On two bridges we hold our breath and reflexively duck, greatly relieved by what we don't hear--crunching sounds from Nellie's superstructure. Today's picture is of Miami with her necklace of bridges. At anchor behind Pumpkin Island and finally in the Keys! 51nm today and 1470nm total. DBH

30 January - Day #57. John drove over from Naples and we visited all our favorite chandleries. Bill and Heidi, S/V Act III, who we first met Christmas eve (Day #23), although it feels like we've been life-long friends, such is the way while cruising, are dock mates. This evening we dinghied with them to a sailors' haunt called the Raw Bar. Amoung other things we celebrated our parting as they're Bahamas bound. Today's picture shows the crew of Act III trying to rig dinghy running lights. At the dock in the Ft. Lauderdale Municipal Marina. 0nm today and 1419nm total. DBH

29 January - Day #57. Ft Lauderdale's waterfront is a lot like Disney World, but without the admission fee. Everything here is larger than life. Tour boats filled with wide-eyed tourists ply the waters. The major attractions are the myriad yachts and huge houses. To rise above the crowd a yacht must exceed 200'; there are lots of them. And, just about every house belongs in Architectural Digest. Today's picture sums it all up. At the dock in the Ft. Lauderdale Municipal Marina. 39nm today and 1419nm total. DBH

28 January - Day #56. We slip the mooring line just after dawn. It's nice to be underway again. Bernie Madhoff called Plam Beach home--at least when he wasn't in NY City managing his clients' money. I can't help but wonder, as I survey the many large yachts and estates here, what Bernie's impact has been and will be. Today's photo is of two tall tall ships visiting Peanut Island. On the hook in Palm Beach, FL. 61nm today and 1379nm today. DBH

27 January - Day #55. You have to love a town that has free bus service right in front of the marina. This morning we caught the bus into town and then walked a few miles to the mall--all in a futile search for a Chinese restaurant. We had to settle for our second favorite, the $1.70 hot dog and Coke at Sam's Club. Could the day get any better? Well, yes. Seems the bus stops at Walmart too. While on the bus fellow cruisers told us about a killer pub named Dockside. In the afternoon we dinked over as it's just across the ICW from the Marina. With four beers we went through their entire appetizer menu: crab dip; artichokes; ribs; mussels; and, calamari. Still on the mooring ball in Vero Beach. 0nm today and 1319 total.

26 January - Day #54. Ron Knaggs, N1GYX, is a twice former Commodore of the Waterway Radio and Cruising Club and has spent many hours facilitating ham radio nets--a job akin to aircraft controller. Done well it's like a ballet. I watched him simultaneously and seamlessly work the broadcast portion, an internet messaging program, which handles behind the scenes communications, and CQ100 which is an internet based HF radio. Saying good bye to Ron and Shelley we headed north to Vero Beach. Vero is known as Velcro Beach to cruisers and we wanted to find out why. On mooring ball #15 in the Vero Beach Municipal Marina. 10nm today 1319nm total.

25 January - Day #53. Very heavy winds and rain this morning with a forecast for more of the same. Things looked bad all around us and we were pretty sure we'd be stuck at the dock for the day. But, amazingly, by 09:30 the winds clocked around and then literally seemed to go from a near gale to a light breeze. By 10:00 we were unplugging the power cord and releasing the dock lines. The day even improved as we headed south and by mid afternoon the sun broke through the clouds and light winds pushed us along. Yup, we're spending a lot more time at docks than we ever have before. But, it's especially hard to pass up offers to dock at fellow cruiser's homes. In the few days that we've been members of the "Waterway Radio and Cruising Club" we've already been graciously invited us to two docks for the evening. Tonight was one such invitation from Ron and Shelley Knaggs. They grabbed our dock lines and gave us a warm welcome when we pulled up to their home this afternoon. Our docking was promptly followed by a social hour aboard where we got an opportunity to chat and get to know each other a bit better. Today's picture is of the channel into Queens Bay--so Ron, where's your dock again ... At the Knaggs' dock in Queens Cove, FL. 43nm today 1309nm total

24 January - Day #52. Today was a real challenge to Nellie's new paint job--in a nutshell the problem was big winds combined with tight spaces: out of one marina and into another; and, in and out of a fuel dock too. Another cold front is blowing through. Winds are a solid 20kts with gusts into the 30s. It was from the south so we beat into it. While underway we were contacted on the 2-meter by KJ4ERJ (Lynn) who'd been following Nellie's trip south via APRS (advanced packet reporting system): http://lnvt.wikidot.com/nelliedlocation/. Lynn invited us to join him and his wife Marta for dinner. We'd orginally planned to anchor out, but with heavy winds, rough seas and a dinner invitation we had no trouble heading for a marina (this marina trend is getting a little worrying however ;-). Lynn and Marta joined us aboard Nellie and then their son Paul, who will graduate with a BS in electrical engineering degree this spring, and his friend Thomas also joined us. Everyone aboard had ham licenses so the conversation may have been a 'little' techie. Lynn's a partner in a company that writes automated warehousing software. As A hobby he's applying his considerable software talent to writing some cool, new APRS applications. His excitement in digital modes of communication was also apparent in Paul and Thomas. They each built and are using custom APRS rigs. Marta's parents are from Central America and she lived for awhile in the Canal Zone. All in all it was a delightful evening with new friends and all thanks to ham radio. Today's picture is of a little 'fixer-upper' just off the ICW. At the dock in Telemar Bay Marina, Eau Gallie, FL. 22nm today and 1265nm total.

23 January - Day #51. There are more boats along the waterway now may be indicating we're further south or that the weather has improved enough that everyone is moving around. There were lots of bridges today and having a mast that comes down means meant no waiting for bridge openings. When calling marinas to determine the best fuel prices, Dave also found a great deal on slip fees. We decided to come into the dock and I called via the cell phone to get directions for our slip assignment, but things didn't make any since at all. The description of where to turn looked nothing like what we were seeing. Finally we realized there were two marinas in two different counties with the same name! We eventually got it sorted out and found our way to our slip. Today's highlight was seeing good friends (and fellow LNVT owners) John and Sue Mackie who stopped by and joined us for dinner. Today's picture is of fresh buttermilk bread dough going into the oven. At "C" dock in Harbortown Marina, Merritt Island. 58nm today and 1243nm total. BJH

22 January - Day #50. It's usually not a good thing if you're taking apart a boat while it's underway. However, when you're underway all the time there's not an option. That's why, on a beautiful and calm day like this, I find myself in the lazarette removing the autopilot's drive arm. Our autopilot is almost in constant use. So, when it stops working that's something the crew notices. A very smart freind claims that "99% of all electrical problems are mechanical in origin." That was certainly the case here--a failed retaining clip inside the drive arm. After putting in a spare clip, reassembling and reinstalling the drive arm, the autopilot was back online. A happy crew on the hook in Daytona Beach, FL. 28nm today and 1185nm total. DBH

21 January - Day#49. Today was a bit more exciting than we really like. We left St. Augustine at 12:30 PM and promptly heard weather warnings. The HAM radio was a buzz with talk of the winds, hail and rain hitting Jacksonville. We've learned that we much prefer to be underway rather than at anchor and so continued south. The first two hours of the trip were beautiful with clear skies. Then the radar showed the storm was gaining on us. At 2:30 the winds hit 50 knots with sustained winds in the 30s. Coming from behind they simply pushed us along. When the rain hit it looked more like a sand storm. The ICW was a boil. We slowed to idle but still sped along at 5 knots. It was all we could do to see five feet in front of us. Then the thunder and lightening started. But hey, we lived, how bad could it have been? Anyway, it was nice tying up to Jeanie and Bill Schreiber's next door neighbor's dock--thank you Bob. We used every towel and rag aboard to mop up all the water that had blown in through Nellie's pores. A nice social evening with Bill and Jeanie was followed by an early 'lights out'. In Palm Coast, FL. 22nm today and 1157nm total. BJH

20 January - Day #48. Maybe it's a sign of the times but even though we moored in front of Hooters and several other loud bars things quieted down early last night and the sleeping was good. The St. Johns is very narrow here in downtown Jacksonville and the current can get over 4kts so catching the ebb is important. Which is why we're up before dawn and shoving off. The bridges are lit colorfully, purple, red, and white, it almost feels surreal. Just east of town the river becomes very industrial. Huge barges, ocean going freighters and tugs litter the northern shoreline. We pass an incoming car carrier. It looks more like a floating sky scrapper than a ship. Shortly thereafter a thick fog rolls in and visibility drops to 20'. Big ships have deep drafts so like any minnow we head to the shallows for protection. Nellie's radar and chart plotters become our eyes and we continue undeterred down river. By 1000 we're back in the ICW and this marks the end of our 300nm cruise of the St Johns. Anchored in St. Augustine, FL. 49nm today and 1135nm total. DBH

19 January - Day #48. With the laundry done and the provisions stowed it was time to leave the Naval Air Station docks and head north along the St Johns river. It's a beautiful day with Spring like temperatures and hardly a puff of wind. Too bad we only had to cruise for less than 90 minutes before tying-up at Jacksonville Landing in downtown Jacksonville. We spent the afternoon walking around town, touring the maritime museum and then finding a fabulous Italian place for a late lunch. All in all a relaxing day docked at the free dock in downtown Jacksonville. 7.5nm today 1086nm total BJH

18 January - Day #47. We peek out of Six Mile Creek to find the river much calmer. It's a short day with the Jacksonville Naval Air (NAS) Station as our destination.
We need to do a bit of laundry and get a few provisions, not to mention our internet fix. We arrive before noon and our docklines are taken by our neighbor, Mike. He told us that a few days ago the marina experienced really high winds and some boats were practically thrown onto the docks. Glad we missed that adventure! It's a beautiful day for our routine walk to the Navy Exchange and the internet pub. The temperatures are warm enough today that we used the grill for the first time this trip for Dave's favorite, hamburgers. Surrounded by drying laundry at the NAS Jacksonville docks. Today's picture is of a fiery sunset in the Chesapeake--hey it's pretty who cares if it didn't happen today ;-) 20nm today and 1079nm total. BJH

17 January - Day #46. Yesterday's winds are predicted to really pickup today so we debate a bit but decide to cross Lake George. In the Chesapeake it seems that every channel marker has an osprey on it. Here it's eagles and they seem to be as prolific as in Sitka, Alaska. The winds don't pipe up until we're well clear of the lake but when they do it's with a vengeance. Constant 20kts with gusts well into the 30's make it bumpy and wet. We'd heard good things about the Outback Crab Shack (and it's 1000' long free dock) and decide to check it out for ourselves. As the picture shows their southern boil has plenty of food. At the dock in Six Mile Creek (24nm south of Jacksonville, FL). 65nm today and 1059nm total. DBH

16 January - Day #45. Our trip north and out of the St Johns begins in earnest today. After the cold spell it sure is spoiling to have morning temperatures in the 60's! It's a short trip to Deland where we slow enough to drop the dinghy and get John ashore--he's driving back to Naples today. This sure is a pretty area with all the lillies and hyacinths lining the riverbanks. The winds are up and rather than cross Lake George we call it a day at 1400 and drop the hook in Astor. Being in early means there's enough day light to install the new water pump and even bake some home made bread (which was pretty tasty). Today's picture shows John and Dave strategizing on how to install the next new toy on Nellie. Anchored in Astor. FL. 20nm today and 994nm total. BJH

15 January - Day #44. A short distance from the Hontoon State Park is the Blue Springs State Park with its large manatee viewing area. A natural spring pours 1.1M gallons of crystal clear, 73F water into the St. Johns River. Manatees come to bask in the warm waters by the hundreds. We'd been told the park gets busy on the weekends. It being Friday we were ill prepared for the number of people visiting. School children crowded the viewing areas to look at the lazy mermaids napping on the bottom. It was a beautiful day and we decided to continue south along the St Johns river to Sanford--we had no plans to stay there but we felt it important to make the journey all the way to the end of the navigable river. We did an unceremonious U turn and started to retrace our steps north. The RR bridge 6 miles north had closed and did didn't look like they were opening anytime soon. We were told 10-15 minutes three times and after the first hour Dave contacted them and learned the bridge was broken. We waited another 2 hours and decided we should re-anchor in a small cove for the night. As we began to get the anchor settled, a call came over the radio indicating the bridge was repaired. We were grateful not to be spending the night in front of the RR bridge and restarted out trip north in the dark. It was an easy 2 hour trip back to the Hotoon Island State Park Marina. 34nm today and 974nm total. BJH

14 January - Day #43. This morning, for the first time in what seems forever, Nellie wasn't covered in frost. It's a scenic three hour cruise to Deland, home of Stetson University. John is joining us for the next few days and we dingy ashore to pick him up. Robert and Kay, M/V Sea Life, told us that the Hontoon Island State Park, which is only 5 miles south of Deland is a great place to stop for the night. Right they are and at only $20.25/night it's a deal too. Docked at the Hontoon Island State Park. 20nm today and 940nm total. DBH

13 January - Day #42. Last night Murphy Island was quiet, the silence only being broken by the occasional train whistle. It was cold this morning as evidenced by Nellie's thick frost jacket. Without a cloud in the sky the sun warmed things quickly and we saw 60F by the afternoon. The scenery changed dramatically today. A wide open river gave way to a narrow, curvatious, stream protected by lush woods. we've reached the "mecca" of fishing grounds and what boats we do see are runabouts. Lots of little fishing villages spring up along the river making for a colorful backdrop. We idle back for posted manatee areas but have yet to see a manatee. We've heard they're farther down the river basking in the warm spring waters. We drop the hook just north of Astor, a small riverfront community, where just about everyone we met was talking about their day on the water and the fish they caught--or the big one that got away. Today's picture is of hyacinths floating past Nellie. 35nm today/920 total. BJH

12 January - day #41. Ice dancing. I don't know what else to call it. That's what I'm doing as I raise and clean our mud-encased anchor chain. The hoses' overspray is freezing the second it hits the deck. Thus my feet are doing a jig to a melody only they can hear. Because sleeping well at anchor means putting out a lot of chain, I'm now paying the price by having to clean each inch of it. The good news is we're on the way south once again--cold weather be damned. We drop the hook off the quaint little town of Palata about noon. Ashore we enjoy its pretty historic district and then marvel at all the shuttered downtown buildings. Back aboard and continuing south we settle for the night at the state park on the north end of Murphy Island. This marks the halfway point down the St. Johns River. Today's picture looks like a lot of laundry got away. In reality it's the extent that many folks are going to keep their plants warm in these very chilly nights. At a the free, state park dock on Murphy Island. 35nm today and 886nm total. DBH

11 January - day #40. Stephanie and Pete Peterson, S/V Brilliant are an interesting couple. After he retired as the XO of Rota Naval Base, Spain, they bought a Moody 425 in Greece and for the next five years cruised the Med. To say they loved it is an understatement. A highlight was the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally where some 70 boats cruised from Greece through Turkey, Syria and Israel. Three years ago they crossed the Atlantic in 21 days and have been cruising the US east coast ever since. Now, the grand-kids draw them to Maine in the summer while the promise of warm weather drives them south in the winter. Even with the Peterson's as a good excuse not to push away from the dock, we manage to cast off the lines at noon. Here, some 25nm 'up' river the St. Johns is very wide, mostly shallow and lined with moss covered live oaks. Going ashore in Green Cove Springs the effects of the recent cold snap are obvious. Brown plants are everywhere and even some that have been reduced to pools of cellular Jello. Warm, natural springs feed the St Johns and we finally got to see one close up. I was hoping for a warm bath. That bubble was burst by the prominent sign stating: beware of snakes. Just off the town of Green Cove Springs. 14nm today and 850nm total.

9 January - Day #38. It's spoiling being at a dock and how quickly we've come to enjoy the luxuries of a hot shower, the Base Exchange and Commissary within walking distance, a pub with wifi and even DVDs via a Red Box concession. We spent this morning doing chores and in the evening made our now routine walk to the Exchange, Commissary and then the pub for our internet fix. We never thought we'd still be wearing foul weather jackets, hats and gloves this far south. We went to bed glad for electric heaters and with the hope that some day soon we'd find warmer weather. Still in JAX Naval Air Station's Mulberry Cove. 0nm today and 835nm total. BJH

8 January - Day #37. Last night the winds piped up requiring fender checks from 0230 until 0400. No scratches on the hull--no way ;-) Today it is cold and raining. We decide to enjoy a lazy day aboard: met a few neighbors; played with the 2-meter ham radio; read our books; got some laundry done; and Bicki may have gotten a nap. A walk to the "Liberty Club" for cocktails and a light dinner was a nice way to cap off the day. Docked at Jacksonville Naval Station. 0nm today and 835nm total. DBH

7 January - Day #36. Having the winds die down last night made for a wonderful night's sleep at the Fernandina Beach, Florida anchorage. Before pulling up the hook this morning, we had a coffee hour with Heidi and Bill aboard S/V Act III. A subsequent walk revealed a nice, quaint little town. The mood of which was exemplified by a very charming "older" woman in her red hat. She approached us and with a sweet smile asked, "Which way is it to Florida? I could swear I was there, but the temperature seems to indicate otherwise." We chatted a bit, finished our walk, said our good-byes to Act III and dinghied back to the Nellie. We motored south without regard to time or tides . The St Johns river leading to Jacksonville is large and notorious for it's fast currents. For a while the temperature improved and actually reached 50 making it feel like we'd rounded the corner and maybe leaving winter behind at last. To our amazement, the complete lack of planning was rewarded with an average of 1.5 knot current pushing us along all the way to Jacksonville. The crowning achievement of the day was when Dave landed the mother-load of a marina--for a mere $8.15/day we got a slip (with water, electric and hot showers) at the Jacksonsville Naval Air Station. We arrived after a very relaxing cruising day and treated ourselves to a 2 mile walk to visit the Liberty Club. Typical Navy, the beers are cheap and the food is good. Enjoying the cruising life, docked at the Jacksonville Naval Station. 43nm miles today, 835nm total. BJH

6 January - Day #35. My brother John and I have a been ribbing each other. He'd very much like me put the first scratch in Nellie's new paint job while I intend to deliver her to Naples unscathed. John almost got his wish today, not once but twice. Leaving the dock in Brunswick, GA there was both wind and current to contend with. No sooner had I backed out and had Nellie heading down the fairway, when the current pushed close to the end of the dock we'd just left. Fortunately, Bicki's quick action with the boat hook kept us off enough to slink out slowly. Not my best display of seamanship--but hey, no scratches! Our second attempt at marring the hull came as we left the fuel dock here in Fernandina Beach. Naturally, a 10kt wind and wind driven waves, waves big enough to soak the deck through the freeing ports, pinned us to the dock. In situations like this there's a tried-and-proven technique called springing-off where the engine is used in conjunction with a single dock line to get either the bow or stern away from the dock. Problem is, this exposes the bow, or stern, to being scratched by the pilings. No way, not on my watch. Instead we manhandle Nellie 40' backwards, against the wind, waves and current, to the end of the dock. We thus escaped possible injury by backing clear. Dinner was a treat as we caught up with Bill and Heidi, pictured above, from S/V Act III, and enjoyed a good seafood restaurant ashore. At the nice, calm, and now windless achorage in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, FL. 36nm today and 792nm total. DBH

5 January - Day #34. Cold! Very, very cold! How can it be this cold in southern Georgia? We woke to temperatures in the 20s yet again. But we smiled and started the day with nice, hot marina showers, did a load of laundry and took a short walk to a local cafe for a bit of breakfast. Our plans to cut the dock lines and head farther south faded as the winds built. The forecast was not very encouraging and indicated the winds would continue to increase throughout the day. Oh well, another day in the marina. For some strange reason we cruisers never seem to get enough of going to chandleries--even when we don't need anything. So a walk to West Marine was in order after lunch. We stopped by the marina office for directions. The gal behind the counter got out a map, but before handing it to us drew a yellow line between the marina and West Marine and then drew an "X" through half the town, saying, "You'll be tempted to take a short cut through this area, but don't. You need to stay on the main road. It's safe. Do not walk in this area (pointing to the "x"ed out half of town). It's not where you want to be." We dutifully walked along our map's highlighted road and arrived at West Marine. We spent a bit of time looking at various boat things but there was nothing we needed and so left the store empty handed. Heading back to the marina we decided not to heed the warning and began walking down one of the streets in the map's "X"ed out areas. There were beautiful trees and some small business--it seemed just fine, but within a few blocks the scenery started to change, the neighborhood looked more forlorn, dark and unkempt. In our imaginations we could hear the gal at the marina explaining to the missing-persons cops, "I told them not to go into the "X"ed out area but they just didn't listen." With that happy thought motivating our pace we quickly returned to the 'safe route'. So today's lesson is when a local puts an "X" on a map and says "don't go here", it's like being told about an unmarked shoal--don't go there. Still happily docked at the Brunswick Landing Marina, GA for the night. 0nm today and 757nm total. BJH & DBH

4 January - Day #33. After not getting a perfect night's sleep because of the current bubbling against the hull, we pulled up the anchor at daybreak and began heading south. There was frost on the boat and we knew we needed to continue searching for warmer weather. We made our plans for a nine hour cruising day but along the way we decided to take a detour and visit the town of Brunswick, Ga. The rule of being anchored before dark was replaced with being at the dock in time to find a place for lunch in town. We easily met our goal and found a very nice pizza place along main street. The city was laid out in 1771 by the Royal Province of Georgia in the same strong grid pattern General James Oglethorpe used in establishing the City of Savannah. This makes it an easy town to walk, with the added scenic benefit of historic buildings and beautiful live oaks everywhere. The picture is of a monument to the war dead from the Confederate States of America. We're happily docked at the Brunswick Landing Marina, GA for the night. 30nm today and 757nm total. BJH

3 January - Day #32. We managed to escape the dock this morning. The brisk temperatures, as low as 20F, are motivating us to get to warmer climes. As we head southeast the heavily treed river banks slowly give way to millions of acres of grasslands. This is shrimp country and the grasses are their nursery. Big shrimp boats become a very common sight. In this stretch of the ICW the number of ocean inlets goes up dramatically; there's practically one every five miles. This has several impacts: the currents are strong; the waters are shallow; the channels are constantly moving; and, there are lots of big bodies of water or sounds to cross. The area is also a maze of small islands and oh so easy to get lost in. The GPS keeps us on track while the currents vary our speed from 4.0kts to 10.2kts. At 5pm we anchor in the 200 yard wide mouth of the Darien River. In only 15' of water we use 125' of chain--the current is fast and we want to sleep well. However, at midnight we're both wide awake thanks to the hisses and gurgles of the flood tide's crescendo. The picture above is the sunset in the Darien where we're currently at anchor, 5 miles southeast of Darien, GA. 57nm today and 727nm total. DBH

2 January 2010 - Day #31. Finally this afternoon the winds calm down so we started the engine and laid the course in. A quick engine room check uncovers an engine hose leak--nothing more complicated than a loose hose clamp. A little more looking turns up yet another hose leak. This time it's a slit in the raw water hose. We shut down the engine, replace the hose and then restart. As we're pulling in the electrical line our neighbor Jim, who owns an Albin 36 trawler, M/V Southern Belle, stops by for a chat. Just the excuse we need not to leave the dock. Bicki and I look at each other, shrug, and turn off the engine to give Jim our full attention. Heck, there are only two hours of daylight left anyway and, more importantly, a Mexican restaurant which serves Negra Modelo beer is a short half-hour walk away. Satiated and happy, even though not making much headway south, and still at the dock in Sail Harbor Marina, Savannah, GA. 0nm today/670nm total. DBH

1 January 2010 - Day #30. Happy New Year! NOAA's still predicting a gale so we use the day to do some maintenance: vacuum the bottom of the fuel tanks and work on a leaking freshwater pump. A nice long walk caps the day off. Safely at the dock in Sail Harbor Marina, Savannah, GA. 0nm today/670nm total. DBH