Saturday January 24th

I will begin by saying that this is the first time we have had an internet connection for almost a week so we have some catching up to do. Fortunately Louie maintains a detailed daily journal, so I will be able to refer to it when my memory fails.

We woke up early, 6:30, and rushed off to the New Symerna Beach Farmers market which is held every Saturday on Canal street, just one short block away from the marina. The locals had informed us that this was a market that should not be missed and we were not disappointed. After purchasing fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice, pounds of fresh baked goods, bags of produce, and reluctantly refusing the delicious boiled peanuts, we rushed back to the boat in order to cast off by 8:00.

Cocoa is the destination for today and there is a secure anchorage mentioned in the boating books which we hope to reach by mid afternoon. But first there are a series of bridges for Argo to navigate through: 2 bascule, 1 swing, 1 train. Passing by Cape Canaveral, we can see the big shuttle buildings.

The day is fair and sunny, a perfect day for motoring. There are so many dolphin sightings, a pod of more than 30 at one time. After enjoying an idealic sunset, the crew retired early in anticipation of another early start.

New Smyrna Beach

Kaching$$$, Kaching$$, Kaching. That is the sound of money being poured into the bottomless pit that IS Argo's HOLD.

After receiving the final bill for repairs to Argo's transmission, the crew dulled the pain with a bit of wine and headed off to bed early.

Everyone was up before the sun this morning and eager to depart. We left Palm Coast Marina behind at around 7:30a.m. It was icy and cold but the forcast promised a sunny and warming day ahead.

The trip down the ICW was fast and pleasant. We travelled with a swift current and had speeds of 8 plus knots. The sun was wonderful and it was good to be on the move once again.

There were many dolphin sightings, with some of them swimming alongside the boat to keep us company. Signs indicated that this is also an area to cautiously watch out for Manatee as well, but not one was spotted. So the score is: Dolphins - plenty
Alligators - three
Manatee - zero

New Smyrna Beach Municipal Marina is our dockage for tonight and we are once again relying on the kindness of strangers and have imposed on the local real estate agency which has allowed us to do some quick blogging in their offices.

We plan to get an early start tomorrow after checking out the local farmer's market which takes place on the main street of downtown New Smyrna, starting at 7:00a.m.

Tomorrow's destination will be an anchorage somewhere beyond Titusville.

Thursday January 22rd

Diver arrives to work on boat from the bottom.


Diver disappears.


All heads down examining the inner workings of Argo.

The repaired transmission is loaded back on to the boat.


Crew celebrates with a huge meal of bacon and eggs, yummmmmm!!!

Saturday January 17th to Wednesday January 21st

While waiting for a vital part for the transmission, we rent a car and tour old, historic St. Augustine, the Kennedy Space Center, and of course, the Outlet Malls ......



WASTING


AWAY

AGAIN

IN

MARGURITAVILLE
(better known as Palm Coast Florida)

Friday January 16th

Another day in ´Venice´ sitting at the internet cafe hoping that Al, the mechanic, makes an appearance at the boat. His diagnosis yesterday was that there would be need for major surgery including a crack team of divers. We are hoping that today he will come up with a cheaper alternative. Either that, or we will just have the x-rays touched up.

Thursday January 15th

After reading through some of the boat manuals, we have decided to play it safe and spend one more day at Palm Coast Marina and have arranged for a mechanic to come this afternoon and give Argo a complete physical, checking for leaks in the transmission.
In the mean time, we have walked back to ´Little Italy´ and are sitting at an outdoor cafe in the piazza. It is sunny but brisk here today. We have been hearing weather reports from Canada and we all agree that we are much happier being in a climate where we can at least sit outside in comfort. It is also a perfect day for kayaking and some elderly but spry seniors paddle by on their way to explore the area.
Tomorrow we will head south once again with a destination of New Smyrna Marina.
Later the same day -
We are back at the cafe, as the mechanic has failed to materialize. We are becoming increasingly pessimistic about having Argo in shipshape, ready to depart on the morning tide. It is more likely that we will be landlocked here for a few days. It seems the trades are working on ´Island Time´ here. Emails from home are reporting record cold temperatures, so although it is far from balmy here, we can´t help but smile at our good fortune of being out of Canada and away from Winter´s cruel blasts.

Wednesday January 14th

Leave Camachee Cove Marina on a high tide and are pleased to see the sun shining down to warm the day. The tidal currents are with us once again and we are making good progress and are looking forward to an uneventful, pleasant cruise down the Intracoastal.Pass the historic fort at St. Augustine which reminds us of the Spanish influence in Florida and displays a rich architectural past. We reach speeds in excess of 8 knots and are making exceptional time. More than once we comment on how beautiful the day is and how wonderful it is to have the sun shining down on us once again. Everything is running along smoothly until suddenly we change from a speed of over seven knots to less than four. Chas realizes that something is wrong and shuts down the engine. Argo has lost all power and we suspect that there is a problem with the transmission fluids. We immediately throw out the anchor in the middle of the Intracoastal. Fortunately it is a calm spot and there is no boat traffic. After inspecting the transmission fluid levels we find no fluid in the system. It looks like a job for Tow Boat USA. We call and they arrive from Palm Coast in an hour. After adding the transmission fluid that they provided, Argo was under way again. Tow Boat USA remained with us and guided us for the next mile to ensure all systems were functioning properly.
Tonight we are docked at Palm Cove Marina and although we could not obtain internet access at the Marina, Louie and I have walked into the European Village nearby and are sitting at a little Italian/French cafe called La Bella Pasticceria. Looking out the window of the cafe one might think they are in San Marco Square in Venice. It is an architectural reproduction with shops, cafes and restaurants all with a European facade.

Phase Two - Florida to Bahamas

Today is the first day that we have had internet access to the Blog. So from memory, we will record our journey thus far.

Monday January 12th - Arrived at Amelia Island early in the morning to join up with Captain Chas and First Mate Louie.
An unsuccessful attempt to depart yesterday resulted in repairs to the steering hydraulic system. After casting off on Sunday morning, Chas had to return to the dock without any steering. Mechanics made special arrangements to work on the boat on Sunday. Haven't seen the bill for that yet, but it should be a doozie with Sunday overtime hours!! Giant low tides, caused by the full moon and other factors are also making navigation difficult.
We rushed off to Public´s to pick up provisions, filling four shopping carts and leaving over $800. behind to help stimulate the American economy.
Upon returning to Argo, the captain was anxious to depart before low tide, so we piled the provisions on the galley floor in preparation for stowing them at our leisure.
Dock hands came to assist us with casting off, thank goodness, as the steering gear lever had been repositioned incorrectly and as a result we had to tie up again, unscrew the console and reinstall it. Luckily this was accomplished quickly and we were still able to catch the tide.
Although the previous week had been sunny and warm, a cold front moved in today and we motored under conditions that were less than favourable: cloudy, drizzly, foggy and cold.
We arrange to dock at Beach Marina near Jacksonville and arrive there on a low tide around 3:30. As soon as we turn into the marina we go aground right in the middle of the channel. We are only about 3 yards from the dock but are unable to budge. We resigned ourselves to an hour wait for the rising tide so that Argo could float off. As the sun went down, we proceeded to our dockage.

Tuesday January 13th - We awake to a rainy, cold day and prepare to depart on a high tide at 9:30, only to encounter steering failure for a second time. Chas & Al take apart the steering console and are able to bleed the air out of the hydraulic lines and add more fluid, finally getting the steering functioning. We quickly head out of the marina while the tide is still high, only to get to the McCormack Bridge which is under construction and has a barge blocking our passageway. After speaking to the bridge crew we are informed that they will let us pass at 12:00. So it is back to the marina once again to wait for the construction crew to take a lunch break. Al makes use of the time to run over the bridge to WestMarine to purchase foul weather gear and boots, which will be essential today. He cheats and returns by taxi however.
Finally we are allowed under the bridge and on our way shortly after 12:00.
This is by far the wettest and coldest day we have experienced. By the time we get to our evening dockage at Camachee Cove Marina in St. Agustine, the crew is thoroughly soaked and the galley resembles an old fashion laundry with clothing hanging from every available space.
Coming into Camachee Cove Marina we have difficulty with the swift tidal currents which push us off course, but Chas steers Argo safely into harbor.

Next stop Florida - Friday November 14th

We leave our anchorage at Shellbine on a high tide, waving and wishing Captain Gord of the Lady Simcoe a 'pleasant voyage' as we manoeuvre past and head back onto the ICW. There are still more dolphin sitings and the camera is getting slightly better at catching them as they crest.
Suddenly the weather is much more humid and muggy; Florida must be closer than we think! Tiger Marina is unable to accommodate us today so we make alternate arrangements.
Fernandino has two prospering paper mills and many boats have chosen this area as their anchorage. A small yellow boat is pulling up to the fuel dock at a marina here, and after closer examination through the binoculars, it is discovered to be PIGGY BANK, 'The Little Yellow Sailboat That Could'.
We continue on to just before the fixed bridge and turn in at Amelia Island Yacht Basin. This is where Argo will rest for the next few months. The crew sets about making everything ship shape and preparing for tomorrow's haul-out. Argo is going for the Full Spa Treatment, bottom rub and all!
The crew spends the last night on board enjoying Nachos and playing a final game of Scrabble, none of which make us want to vomit(or is that puke?).

It's a Foggy Day in Georgia

Visibility is very poor this morning and we are sitting in the cockpit listening to the weather reports and hoping the fog will lift.
The Cruising Club is departing but most of them have radar and don't rely so heavily on visual markers. But wait, the two cruisers that had left are now returning, with the news that it is just too thick out there, even for them.
I make use of the time with a bike ride into the town of St. Simons. It has cute shops, a picturesque vantage point, and an historic lighthouse.
By eleven o'clock the fog has lifted and we are on our way out of the harbour. In the bay we join a large cluster of vessels all heading for Jeckle Creek. Jeckle Creek is known to us by reputation. The night before, the Cruising club had spoken of its narrowness and shallow waters. As we leave the bay and make the turn to enter the river, we all hold our collective breath, uncomfortable in the knowledge that low tide is on its way. For the next half hour the silence on the boat is deafening: all eyes are focused forward and I am certain we are all concentrating on thinking LIGHT & AIRY thoughts, in order to buoy up Argo. Because we are part of a convoy going through the Creek, it could create quite a domino effect if some poor unfortunate DID go aground. Once again, Chas steered faultlessly and Argo skidded along in the wake of the leading sailboat.
We reached our anchorage shortly before sundown and were soon joined by another sailboat, Lady Simcoe. The captain had had his boat trucked down to Savanna and is single-handing for a few days until his wife and brother come to join him.
One of the highlights of this trip has been the siting of many dolphins, and tonight we are even joined by a group of them right at our anchorage. They add to the wealth of sounds and impressions that Nature provides for our after dinner entertainment.

Wednesday November 12th

Because we stopped rather early yesterday, we want to get an early start this morning and are motoring down the Wahoo shortly after 7:00, but the four cruisers that had come in late last night are up even earlier and have headed off before we reach their spot. They were in a much more exposed area and probably had a bit of a rough night. They were likely awake anyway and decided to depart.
The tide is extremely high and the salt marshes are completely submerged as well as the landing spot on our little island.
The day starts out overcast but the sun manages to burn through and provide some warmth.
Again it is a day of big open Bays and gusty winds followed by serpentine rivers that twist and turn back on themselves. We use the Stay sail and are getting quite good at tacking back and forth with it.

Our marina of choice is full, so we continue under the fixed bridge and backtrack slightly to Golden Isles Marina. There are several boats anchored just outside the marina and out of the corner of an eye a spash of yellow catches my attention. I momentarily wonder if this could possibly be the small sailboat we had seen near Southport, but dismiss the idea because that boat was only about 2o feet, only had a small outboard motor, and didn't have a dingy or any means of getting to shore. No time to speculate further, all hands are required in docking, and a smooth landing is accomplished once again. I even manage, for the first time, to jump from the boat to the dock with a Spring line. It's so easy when the Captain eases the boat right up, inches from the dock like that, as if Argo had bow thrusters!
We are now docked at Golden Isles Marina which is near St. Simons Island Georgia. There is a Cruising Club of large, fuel guzzling, floating homes tied up all around us at the transient dock. They have been travelling down the Intracoastal together, stopping at different marinas and taking turns hosting the nightly get-together. Their number has dwindled from an original flotilla of 12 boats, down to the current 7. Some of these boats would spend $35,000. to make one trip from Baltimore to the Bahamas!! It is no wonder that some of them have opted for staying tied up at a dock rather than burning more fuel.