Voyaging America's Great Loop Aboard Still Waters II

Author: Dave

Friends, New and Old
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

I would like to welcome Gideon A. aboard as our newest virtual crew member. As a dear friend, Big Dave S., used to say, “It is an SOS (scoot over some) kind of day.” It might be a little crowded on this 43 foot boat, but there is always room for more.

Summary of week:

The crew met an interesting host of people during the past week. These folks have definitely enriched the crews lives.

The first half of the week was spent making way from Cape May to New York City, with the following stops:
1. Anchored across from Atlantic City in Rum Point Basin
2. Anchored in cove by Tilton Point about 10 miles south of Manasquan
3. Lady Liberty Marina in NYC
The second half of the week was spent running up the Hudson River with the following stops:
1. Anchored in Haverstraw Cove just south of the town of Haverstraw
2. Stayed at Hyde Park Marina which is walking distance to the Culinary Institute of America where the crew will grab an evening meal
3. Shady Harbor Marina just north of New Baltimore because it was too hot to anchor
Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather report, sea conditions, captain’s log, a summary of the day’s experience, and a few pics of the route.

The voyage of discovery did answer the following questions this week:
1. Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?
2. Who made the above question famous?
3. Why isn’t General Grant buried at West Point or other military cemetery?
At the Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II leave Cape May and run up the New Jersey coast to Atlantic City. She then runs inside on the NJ ICW where she encounters a train at Manasquan. She then runs back outside in the Big Pond to NYC, and begins her voyage up the Hudson River. In Poughkeepsie, she listens to Bridge Music. She ends her week watching fireworks off her bow over the Hudson River. Happy Birthday America! Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Sunday, June 24th

The skipper noticed another Viking Motor Yacht had arrived at the Marina in the early afternoon. He also noticed that the Viking was flying a White Looper Flag, signaling that they are ‘In Progress” on the loop. The name of the boat, Gettin’ Looped. The crew of Gettin’ Looped , Mike and Jonell, invited our crew onboard for a tour. Then later, Mike and Jonell came down and toured Still Waters II.

The boats are still very similar, even after 30 plus years of additions and modifications to each boat.

Mike and Jonell aboard Still Waters II

Mike and Jonell stopped by the Viking Manufacturing Facility just north of Atlantic City. They sent a message that the tour was fabulous. Our crew will put this on the ever growing ‘Next Time’ list.

Monday, June 25th

The ever changing weather has opened a window to cruise three straight days to New York City. So this morning the crew set off on the first leg of the journey up the Jersey coast by heading towards Atlantic City.

Leaving Cape May Harbor

The crew ran about three miles off shore for much of the cruise and did not have much of a view of anything but miles and miles of water.

Atlantic City in the distance

The skipper out getting video for this week’s film

When the crew arrived at the anchor spot they had a bit of trouble. On the first try the anchor did not set. While pulling the anchor back in the chain got stuck in the windlass and tripped the breaker. After resetting the breaker, the skipper un-lodged the stuck chain and dropped the anchor a second time.

Again the anchor did not hold. This time when the anchor came up it had a big ball of grass stuck on it. The skipper cleaned the anchor off, then dropped the anchor a third time. This time the anchor held, but it seems the brake may have broke on the windlass because the chain was just free wheeling into the water. Just another thing to troubleshoot and fix.

The crew did make arrangements to stay at Liberty Landing Marina in NYC on Wednesday. They plan to meet Geof, the Captain that originally trained the crew three years ago.

Geof (far left) and the crew on the last day of training, three years ago

Then they made reservations at Hyde Park further up the Hudson River so the Admiral could make reservations at the Culinary Institute for Friday. The Dance Card is filling fast this week.

Tuesday, June 26th

The crew completed the second leg of the journey to NYC. They decided to run on the inside route via the NJ ICW. To get past the worst spots of shoaling, they needed to leave about 2 hours ahead of high tide. This just happened to be 0600 today.

New Jersey ICW

The skipper got up and completed his morning routine and had the engines started at 0545. The Admiral got up when the engines started and made her morning coffee. She then went to the helm and helped get the anchor up from the helm while the skipper was out on the bow pulpit. The windlass seemed to work fine and the anchor came up clean.

They made their way out the basin and headed north on the ICW at mile 66. The first two hours had several spots of shoaling and the water low level alarm went off frequently. The good news was that the skipper never saw less than two feet of water under the props. Other than a few tense moments in low water, all was well with the cruise.

As the crew approached Tilton Point to drop anchor, the tide was ebbing and they found themselves once again in some shallow water. They managed to keep five feet of water under the boat though. When they rounded Tilton Point, they pulled into the cove and dropped the anchor. The windlass performed as designed and the anchor was set on the first try. Strange after all the problems from yesterday.

View across the ICW from the anchor spot

The crew is set to make New York City tomorrow. Always a fun trip to take your own boat into New York Harbor past the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan. Only issue is the weather, looks as though a storm may build in the early afternoon and carry some 20 plus mph winds. The skipper will evaluate the conditions in the morning.

Wednesday, June 27th

Got away at the crack of dawn this morning. The conditions in the morning were marginal, but the afternoon conditions would be a no go.

The crew uses the following matrix for deciding to travel or not:

Wind    Waves Go-No Go
0-10    <2 ft    Go
11-15    <2 ft    Go
15-20    >2 ft    No-Go

The winds were predicted to be 20 + in the afternoon with 3-5 foot swells only 4 seconds apart. That would not be much fun. However, the window to get around Sandy Hook looked good if the crew left early. When they reached the Atlantic Ocean, the wind was 11 mph with 2 foot swells at 6 second period. The wind slowly picked up energy as the crew headed north. Conditions were 13 mph winds with 2-3 foot swells as the crew rounded Sandy Hook and made way to the Verrazano Bridge.

Abandoned Lighthouse in Lower Hudson Bay

As the crew neared the Verrazano Bridge, conditions seemed to weaken and the waters calmed down. After passing under the bridge and thru ‘The Narrows’ into the Upper Hudson Bay, the skipper checked conditions out at Sandy Hook and the winds were up to 20 mph..

Looking towards Manhattan from below the Verrazano Bridge

The crew swung by the Statue of Liberty for a few pics, and were surprised to find they were the only boat there. As they pulled away from the Statue, a tour boat loaded with tourists arrived..

The crew made way over to Lady Liberty Landing and got docked. As the skipper was checking in at the dock office, a 32 foot sail boat arrived on the fuel dock to check into customs. The boat and 4 crew were landing after a four day cruise from Bermuda. The skipper asked how the sail went and the Captain of the sailboat launched into a story of 26 foot waves and a hail storm. The skipper assumed it was not that good of a trip.

After that story, the skipper checked the wind conditions out at Sandy Hook and found that the wind was well over 20 mph. Sure glad they left early and missed that mess.

The view of Manhattan from the boat

As mentioned earlier, the goal for today was to make NYC and meet up with Geof. It has been too long since the crew has seen Geof, and they are eager to learn what he is doing working in NYC. Geof had a business associate with him, Shawn, so they both arrived at the boat around 1730. After introductions and some good story telling the group set off to find some food to eat.

New and old friends aboard Still Waters II, Shawn, the skipper, Geof (left to right)

The food was ok, but the price included a charge for the view.

Thursday, June 28th

The skipper looked at the tide and current charts for the Hudson River and determined that the best time to leave was 0800, so that they would get a 1.5 mph push from the current.

Unfortunately, there was a steady downpour while the crew shoved off the dock. The crew donned their rain gear, unhooked the water and electric, then slipped the lines, and finally left the dock in the rain.

After motoring out into the Hudson River, the rain abruptly stopped. This would happen two or three times throughout the day. All at the most inconvenient of times.

Goodbye NYC

The crew caught site of Grant’s Tomb overlooking the Hudson River. This begged the question, Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?

Well, that is a trick question, or maybe even a riddle. How can that be you ask? Well, for starters, technically no one is buried in Grant’s Tomb. However, both General Grant and his wife, Julia, are ‘entombed’ there above ground in matching sarcophagi.

The skipper wondered why the General was not buried in West Point, or some other military installation. The answer turned out to be because the General’s only request upon death was to be laid to rest beside his wife. Back when he died, wives were not permitted to be buried in military cemeteries.

His wife choice New York because the site of the memorial was only blocks from where she lived and she could go visit her deceased husband. When Julia died in 1902, she was placed next to the General, granting Grant’s last wish.

Some give credit for the old question, Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb? to Groucho Marx. He hosted a quiz show, ‘You Bet Your Life,” in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Marx did not like participants to go home empty handed, so if a contestant had not won anything, he would ask this question which would lead to a winning answer. Maybe Marx is also the inventor of the modern day participation trophy.

The crew continued north on the Hudson River to the Haverstraw Marina where the skipper planned to top off the fuel tanks. The skipper noticed that fuel at the Haverstraw Marina was only $2.92/gal, fuel in the surrounding area was priced 3.50-4.00. Yes, just as they were docking the rain began again. And yes after they pulled away from the dock, the sun came back out. It has been one of those days.

After the fuel stop, the crew dropped anchor in the Haverstraw Cove. The cove is well protected from winds in any direction and is out of the river current. While in the cove, a couple of swans swam by. The skipper also spotted two deer feeding along the shore.

Views from the cove.

Friday, June 29th

Today the crew weighed anchor and headed towards Hyde Park where they have reservations to eat at the Culinary Institute of America.

Along the way, they passed some of the best sights on the Hudson River, which make this leg of the journey one of the better cruising days. The weather also decided to cooperate and bring out the sunshine.

Cruised by Bear Mountain. You can actually see NYC from the three story overlook on top of Bear Mountain, on a clear day.

The Bear Mountain Overlook, from the water

Bear Mountain Bridge

Cruised by West Point

Cruised by Bannerman’s Castle

Cruised under Poughkeepsie Bridge while listening to Bridge Music. Only other place in the world you can get this experience is in France at the Eiffel Tower. A local resident, Joseph Bertolozzi, recorded sounds made from hitting the bridge with different objects, and then composed a dozen songs from the recordings.

Click here for the New York Times Video story.

The skipper also had several radio conversations with the crew from Almost There. They are on the Loop headed to the Erie Canal, and then into Canada.

After landing at the dock at Hyde Park, the dock master informed the crew that the CIA would conduct a fireworks show after dark. He pointed to some rocks and said the barge will be just past those rocks so you will have a front row seat.

Fireworks barge getting setup for the show.

Watch the video above for a little bit of the fireworks show.

Saturday, June 30th

The best time to leave the dock to catch the current north was around 1100 this morning. The crew shoved off and had a good day of lighthouse viewing.

The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, nicknamed ‘Maid of the Meadows’, was first lit in 1872.

The Roundout Lighthouse, first lit in 1917

The Saugerties Lighthouse, first lit in 1869

The Hudson City Lighthouse, first lit in 1874

Boat name of the week

Texas 2 Step, this boat was docked in front of Still Waters II at Shady Harbor Marina. The skipper talked with the Captain of the boat and learned that they are traveling with a couple of other Texas Looper boats.

Next Week –

The crew will arrive at Waterford on Sunday, and launch the beginning of the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal is made up of the Eastern, Western, and Finger Lakes sections. The crew has cruised the Eastern Erie to the Oswego Canal, so they will travel thru this area as quickly as possible and hope to arrive at the endo of the Eastern Erie Canal by the end of the week.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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July 1, 2018
Cap the Week in Cape May
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

We have had two new virtual crew members jump aboard in the past week by following the Blog. Welcome aboard Big Dave S. and Life at 5 mph!

Point Comfort Lighthouse

Summary of week:

The crew experienced good and favorable cruising weather which allowed them to put in 5 solid days of travel:
1. Crossed the Bay to Solomons at the Calvert Marina
2. Back to the Eastern Shore where they docked at the Jetty Restaurant
3. Continued up the Eastern side of the Bay to the Sassafras River where they stayed two nights to re-provision
4. Crossed thru the C&D Canal and anchored off Reedy Island
5. Cruised down the Delaware Bay and ended the week at Cape May in the Utch’s Marina
Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather report, sea conditions, captain’s log, and a summary of the day’s experience.
The voyage of discovery did answer the following questions this week:
1. What is a Lucky Bone?
2. What day of the week did sailors never set sail?
At the Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II journey up the Chesapeake Bay, Cross the C&D Canal into the Delaware River, and then cruise down the Delaware Bay to arrive at Cape May, NJ. Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Monday, June 18th

The week did not get off to a very good start. The skipper moved the boat over to the fuel dock so he could pump out the holding tanks. Unfortunately, when he got done and was putting the hose and nozzle back up, he broke the valve handle. This has basically rendered the valve inoperable. He went in the office and told the dock master what happened and agreed to purchase a new handle.

The fuel dock at The Wharf

With a blunder like that, one needs some comfort food. So the skipper headed up the street to the Corner Bakery to get some of their melt in your mouth donuts and donut holes. He consumed the donut holes as he walked back to the boat. After boarding the boat, the crew shoved off and headed towards the Solomons.

The cruise was uneventful, which is a first for this area. Seems that in the past, these waters have been particularly unkind to the crew. With light winds and following seas, the day turned into an enjoyable day on the water.

A hard days work at the office

Well, except for the heat and humidity. By the time the crew arrived at the anchor spot, the temperature had climbed to 90, and the humidity was in the 90’s also. The skipper looked at the weather and the temperature was not going to fall below 80 until about 0400. And then it would only drop to 78. The crew talked it over and decided that a marina with air conditioning sounded like a good idea. The skipper called Calvert Marina and secured a slip for the night.

Pulling into Calvert Marina

Tuesday, June 19th

The winds continued to be favorable, so the crew made way to Kent Narrows today. Along the way they saw numerous Sting Rays. Some were feeding on top of the water, while others were swimming in groups of two, three, and even five.

Sting Rays are hard to catch on film

Keeping an eye out for Sting Rays helped make time go by as the crew continued north on the Chesapeake Bay. The winds continued to be under 10 mph which made for some calm conditions.

The crew did not see much as they were crossing the Bay again and land was far off. However, when they entered the Eastern Bay they began to encounter a steady stream of boaters headed out to the main Bay.

One boater ran into some trouble though. The engine of the vessel in distress just stopped working. Once they lost their engine, they also lost their electric power so the radio would not work. To top off the trifecta, nobody on-board had a cell phone so they had no means to call for help. They did manage to wave down a passing vessel and get some help.

The skipper laughed when he heard the name of the assisting vessel……. Surprise.
After Surprise got the Coast Guard involved, Tow Boat US was called to pull the boat in distress to St Michaels. Listening to the radio transmissions, the skipper would not be surprised that the vessel in distress only ran out of fuel.

After listening and confirming that the vessel in distress was going to be ok, the crew made way to the Jetty Restaurant where they docked and dined. The restaurant agreed to allow the crew to spend the night on the dock, so the skipper plugged in the power cord and the Admiral fired up the air conditioning units.

Wednesday, June 20th

Late last nite, a fishing boat pulled in with two small boys aboard, perhaps ages 4 and 5. The crew watched them play on the docks as their Dad worked on the days catch. It appeared that the boat sold their catch directly to the restaurant and then spent the night on the dock.

This morning the fishing boat was prepared to leave about 0630. Only one of the boys was up moving around. The skipper noticed the second boy had managed to crawl to the doorway from the cabin, but was still laying on the deck. The skipper waved and talked to the man a few minutes. He said he would stay out today and fish, then be headed back home with the boys. He had been out since Sunday, Fathers Day.

The skipper asked about the sleeping son. The man mentioned that the boy had a hard time getting going in the morning, but once he got started, he was full throttle all day. The scene reminded the skipper of many fishing trips he took with his dad and brother back in the day.

The skipper (dark hair) and his brother on a camping/fishing trip, Circa 1967

The cruise today took the crew thru the Kent Narrows, Chester River, Chesapeake Bay, and then up the Sassafras River. This was the fourth day in a row with favorable cruising conditions and calm seas on the Bay. These could just be a record for the crew. Usually they have had more than their fair share of rough days on the Bay.

The crew stayed in Georgetown Yacht Basin on Thursday to take advantage of the courtesy car. They drove to Middleton, Delaware to re-provision for the next leg of the adventure. Stopping here and shopping in Delaware has the added bonus of no sales tax.

Friday, June 22th

The crew woke to a dreary grey overcast morning with the winds blowing hard out of the east. The run of fair winds has come to a stop. Oh well, it was good while it lasted. Because they would be travelling north along the eastern shore, they decided that they would go ahead and cruise even though the winds were 15-20 mph out of the east.

Turns out the shore kept the waves from building up and the crew had an ok day cruising thru the C&D Canal. When the crew first entered the Delaware River though they found some 2-3 foot waves. They made way south down the river till they found the marked gap in the jetty leading to the Reedy Island anchorage. They safely passed thru the jetty and the waters calmed down. They then pulled up along the west bank of Reedy Island and anchored to use the Island to block the east winds.

This was the first and possibly the last time the crew anchors at this spot. They dropped the hook here so that they would save an hour off their travels tomorrow. However, it was a rolly night due to the winds, and waves coming over the jetty at high tide. Also, their is some risk entering into the anchor spot due to the narrow gap in the jetty. Local legend has it that at least two boats are lost here each year because they run aground on the rock jetty.

The Ghost Rider on the rocks after tide went out, 2016. This link explains how the Ghost Rider came to land on the jetty and become a total loss.

Saturday, June 23rd

The crew woke early and passed back thru the jetty and headed to Cape May. The winds had died off about 0500; however, there is another storm which is supposed to blow in late in the afternoon. The crew wants to be secure in the slip before the storm hits.

Conditions continued to be dreary. Cloud cover was low and a light fog and drizzle kept visibility under a mile for much of the day.

Low cloud cover at the Salem Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant

Was a bit hard to see the lighthouse, but the fog horn was working well.

After arrival in Cape May, the crew went over to the Lobster House to have a late lunch and celebrate three years living aboard Still Waters II. After lunch, the Admiral went walking around town. She found a restaurant with an interesting story on the menu. The following is from the Lucky Bone Restaurant in Cape May………

The Lucky Bone traces its name back to the days when Cape Island was a whaling village and when superstitious sailors never set sail on Friday. These brave watermen would stow away good luck charms to protect them from the perils of the mighty sea. The Lucky Bone refers to the odd hook-like claw found only on the male horseshoe crab. It was worn by these men to keep them safe between the wind and the frightening mighty water, so they might return safely to their loved ones at home.

Horseshoe Crab

Boat Name of the week

Happy summer solstice.

Next Week –

The weather will continue to be an issue until the crew gets up the Hudson River. Wednesday looks like a no travel day up the Jersey coast with winds greater than 20 mph. Normally the crew takes three days to travel from Cape May to New York City.

The skipper is planning to make a 100 mile day on Monday and then complete the run to New York City on Tuesday so they can avoid the wind. They will then set their sites to at least make Hyde Park by the end of the week. If things work out well, they may even arrive at their summer cruising destination, the Erie Canal.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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June 24, 2018
Fabulous Fisherman Finale
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Norfolk is that-a-way

Summary of week:

The crew had six good travel days this past week: 1 – travelled to Belhaven and took a slip at River Forrest, 2- Anchored just north of the Alligator River Bridge to stage for an early morning crossing of the Albemarle Sound, 3- Stayed at the Dismal Swamp Visitor Center Free Dock, 4- took a marina slip at Top Rack, 5- anchored off the shore of Hampton, 6- took a slip on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay at Onancock Wharf.

Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather report, sea conditions, captain’s log, and a summary of the day’s experience.

The voyage of discovery did answer the following questions this week:
1. Who won the Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament?
2. How much was the purse for the first place finish?
3. Why did the third place finisher win the Fabulous Fisherman contest?
At the Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II meet a shrimp boat in Adams Creek, cross the calm Albemarle Sound, transit the Dismal Swamp, and get a few lessons on how to blow a conch shell. Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Sunday, June 10th

A follow up to the ‘Big Rock” Fishing Tournament: Interesting enough, the fisherman take a break on Sunday and do not wet a hook. The crews were all onboard their respective boats prepping for the big week ahead.

While the fisherman were busy rigging lines, the crew had Sunday Brunch with Satisfied Frog at The Spouter Inn. The food was exceptionally good.

The restaurant from the water.

Following Brunch, the crew took a tour boat to learn about some of the local history of Beaufort, North Carolina.

Much of the colorful history started with Blackbeard the Pirate. He had a home in Beaufort overlooking the inlet into town. His home also just happened to be next door to the county tax collector, interesting arrangement.

The Pirates Revenge tour boat

The governor of North Carolina once pardoned Blackbeard, but he did not stop his pirate ways. He just shifted his tactics to attack ships headed to Virginia rather than North Carolina. The Virginia government eventually killed Blackbeard after they petitioned the North Carolina governor for help with Blackbeard, and got no help at all.

New born colt spotted from tour boat

Monday, June 11th

The day got off to a good start as the crew made good time thru Adams Creek. While transiting the Creek, the crew met a shrimp boat who had their nets down. There must have been several hundred gulls following the shrimp boat looking for an easy meal.

After exiting Adams Creek, the crew ran north along the Neuse River and eventually came to Gale Creek. At the right angle, looking at the shore in the distance along the Neuse River, the trees and shore seem to form the looks of an alligator.

The tree alligator

After the Neuse River, the crew entered Gale Creek. The name of this creek would soon become an omen. The skies began to darken as storm clouds began to form. The temperature dropped about ten degrees in front of the pending storm.

The calm before the storm on Gale Creek.

Just after passing under the bridge in the above pic, the rain started with just a sprinkle. Within just a few minutes, the rain was falling so hard that visibility was down to less than a quarter of a mile. Then the winds hit. The skipper put the boat in neutral to allow the winds to push the boat backwards into both deeper and wider water. Once the boat was in a wider part of the channel, the skipper turned the boat to face the wind. Visibility had dropped to about 50 yards, and it was difficult to see the shore and Satisfied Frog. The skipper had turned the radar on when he noticed the heavy rain headed their way. The radar helped the skipper keep the boat in safe water.

The skipper also checked the weather radar and watched a red cell pass directly over them. The weather radar showed 40 plus mph winds (gale force winds) After about 5-10 minutes of these high winds and heavy down pour, the winds died back off and the rain slacked back to a sprinkle. The skipper looked over at the Admiral and said, “Well, that was exciting!”

The weather predicted more storms for the rest of the afternoon and thru the night. Rather than anchor, the crew decided to call it a day and pulled into the River Forrest Marina in Belhaven.

Tuesday, June 12th

The original cruising plan was to make Elizabeth City on Tuesday and the Dismal Swamp Visitor Center on Wednesday. But due to the high winds (20 mph/ plus or minus 5) coming from the east, the skipper did not believe crossing the Albemarle Sound on Tuesday was a good idea. Instead, they choose to anchor just north of the Alligator River Bridge along the eastern shore to get protection from the east winds.

The first half of the voyage was relatively calm as the crew passed thru the Alligator River-Pungo River canal. After coming out of the canal, the crew entered the Alligator River and ran north along the eastern shore.

Canal conditions were flat

Conditions in Alligator River were about one foot waves

As the crew navigated towards the bridge, they met a sailboat headed south. The skipper picked up the radio and hailed the sailboat. After a short conversation, the skipper’s decision to NOT cross the Albemarle Sound was confirmed. The sailboat captain reported that the waves were 3-5 foot and because of the wind direction, the waves were hitting the beam of the boat. He reported that the waves broke over the bow of his sailboat several times as he crossed. The skipper reminded the Admiral that this is supposed to be ‘recreational boating’, and fun. Three to five foot waves are not fun.

After passing thru the Alligator River Bridge, the crew followed a couple of other boats over to the eastern shore and dropped the anchor, along with Satisfied Frog. Another indication that this was not the day to cross came when the Coast Guard announced that a 16 foot sailboat had capsized in the Albemarle Sound and asked boaters to keep a look out for the boat.

Passing thru the Alligator River Bridge

Wednesday, June 13th

What a difference 12 hours made. The winds died off over night as predicted, and the Albemarle Sound calmed down also. In fact, this was the 6th time our crew has crossed the Sound, and this was the smoothest crossing to date. The light wind had shifted out of the south and caused less than one foot following seas across the Sound.

The crew made good time to Elizabeth City, but decided not to stop for lunch because it had started to rain. However, after passing thru the Elizabeth City Bridge, the weather abruptly changed again. The grey dreary clouds gave way to a beautiful sunshine afternoon.

Elizabeth City Bridge, dreary conditions

Entering the Dismal Swamp

An interesting tree ornament 30 feet above the water

After 18 miles at idle speed (6 mph) the crew arrived at the South Mills Lock. The lock raised the boat about 8 feet. After the lock is a bridge that must be opened, and then only a couple of miles to the Visitor Center.

The Dismal Swamp Canal is not very wide so when you have a situation with boats meeting, it gets a little tight.

Meeting a boat in the swamp

When Satisfied Frog arrived at the Visitor Center Dock there was only room for one more boat. Once Satisfied Frog was safely landed, the skipper pulled up and rafted off Satisfied Frog. Then another boat arrived, a 32 foot PDQ catamaran. The skipper got two other boats to adjust their position on the dock which opened a 36 foot spot on the dock. The PDQ managed to slip in the tight spot. Eventually, a 32 foot Nordic Tug also showed up. The tug rafted off the PDQ motor cat, so there were 6 boats along the dock for the night.

Boats docked at Visitor Center

Thursday, June 14th

Today would be another short day to cruise. It was about eighteen miles to the Deep Creek Lock and then just a few more miles to the Top Rack Marina where the crew would stay the night.

The Corps of Engineers reopened the Dismal Swamp in the fall of 2017 after dredging the canal. The controlling depth is now around 6 feet. With the draft of Still Waters II at 4 feet and only 2 feet of water below the keel, the skipper was a bit nervous. The depth alarm was sounding almost continuously, so the skipper finally just turned it off. Luckily the crew made it thru without hitting bottom or a deadhead log.

The water was glassy smooth on the way to the lock. The reflections on the water looked like a mirror.

The Deep Creek Lock experience turned out to be the best lock experience ever. Robert, the Lockmaster, gave a demo on how to play music on a conch shell, as well as gave a brief history of the Dismal Swamp. Watch the video to see Robert do his thing.

The Admiral was so impressed, she left one of her prized Bahama conch shells on the lock wall to add to Robert’s conch garden collection.

1100 o’clock opening of the Deep Creek Bridge

After the Deep Creek Lock, it was time to head towards the Top Rack Marina. Our crew will stay the night. However, the crew of Satisfied Frog is off to Hampton where they have work scheduled on the boat to start on Friday. It has been a blast cruising up the ICW with Berrlin and Debra.

Friday, June 15th

The skipper struck up a conversation with a couple that are on a sailboat. The skipper has passed this sailboat almost daily for the last week. The sailboat is crewed by Howard and Sue from England. In fact, they sailed the boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Their story was a bit surreal.

After leaving England and heading for the British Virgin Islands, they ran into a large storm that raged for a few days. Howard commented that the waves were in excess of 15 feet. After the storm passed, their engine failed, day 4 of their crossing. They raised the sails and soldiered on. Then they found the doldrums. For ten days they basically drifted in the Atlantic Ocean because they had no wind. The winds did eventually return and they completed their crossing in a total of 22 days.

Howard and Sue aboard Sundowner

Today the crew only traveled to the north side of Norfolk so they could stage to cross the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday. The weather, wind, and waves are much more favorable on Saturday to make way across the Bay to the Eastern Shore.

There were many more US Navy ships at the Naval Shipyard than in years past. Looks like the Navy is putting those new tax dollars to work.

A sub in for overhaul

Even saw the Ike in for maintenance

OK, only one more ship, but how about that dry dock

The Waterside Marina also had a new addition. They have added a Ferris Wheel to the waterfront.

After passing thru Norfolk, the crew completed the Atlantic ICW leg of the Loop. The crew anchored in Hampton Flats for the night, prepared to weigh anchor and cross the Bay early in the morning.

Mile Zero of the A-ICW

Saturday, June 16th

The crew woke to very calm conditions so they attempted to bring the anchor up and set out for Onancock. However, the anchor brought up some garbage off the sea floor that the skipper had to untangle before they could get started. It was only a short delay, and the crew still managed to get underway by 0630.

Never a dull moment

It was about 70 uneventful miles across the Bay. About the only excitement occurred when the crew passed thru the large ship anchorage near Cape Charles.

A helicopter came and landed on one of the ships to drop off a navigation pilot. Then a boat pulled alongside another large ship and the navigation pilot had to climb some stairs to get onboard.

Helicopter

The run up Onancock Creek was pretty with many nice homes which line the River.

Fabulous Fisherman Final update, from the Big Rock

In the Big Rock Fishing Tournament, the boats can enter as many as 9 different contests. Total cost to enter all 9 events was $23,000 this year. One of the events is called the Fabulous Fisherman. The cost to enter the event is $5,000, but the payout was $500,000 to the first boat to land a 500 pound fish. Well, sorta.

The first 500 pound fish was a blue marlin weighing in at 518.5 pounds caught by Honey Hush on Tuesday. Unfortunately for them, they did NOT enter the Fabulous Fisherman event so could not claim the prize.

In fact, the prize remained unclaimed until the last day of the contest when Carterican landed a 500.9 pounder and claimed the cash. The fish put them in second place for the overall contest, for the moment.

However, the final results would not be known until the last weigh-in of the day. Fender Bender landed a large fish and eventually won second place with a 514.3 pound Blue Marlin.

With only three 500 pound fish caught all week, and two of those on the last day, you might understand why Honey Hush did not enter the Fabulous Fisherman contest. However, since they ended up winning the overall tournament and the $753,875 purse, I think they are just fine with the outcome.

Next Week –

The skipper has looked at the weather forecast for next week, and the Bay looks to be calm all week with winds under 10 mph. If these conditions hold, the crew will attempt to cruise 8 hours each day. With fair winds, they hope to make Cape May next weekend.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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June 17, 2018
A Fishy Week
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

We picked up two more virtual crew members this week. Welcome aboard Debra and Picklesnan.

A ladies team first day catch in the fish tournament.

Summary of week:

The crew had their traveling clothes on this week as they made way from Beaufort, South Carolina to Beaufort, North Carolina. They anchored out all but one night, and spent the week travelling with a buddy boat, Satisfied Frog. They made the following stops along the journey:
1. Monday, just south of Charleston on Stono River
2. Tuesday, north of Georgetown off Butler Island in Waccamaw River
3. Wednesday, just inside the Bird Island Inlet on the Carolina state line
4. Thursday, took a mooring ball at Carolina Beach
5. Friday, in Mile Hammock Bay on Camp Lejeune
6. Saturday, At Town Creek Marina in Beaufort, North Carolina
Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather report, sea conditions, captain’s log, and a summary of the day’s experience.

The voyage of discovery did answer the following question this week:
1. Where is the largest fishing tournament in the United States?
At the Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II traveling with a bow escort of dolphins and following Satisfied Frog thru a swing bridge. Enjoy! (Watch for the dolphin to surface twice for a breathe of air.)

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Monday, June 4th

The crew set out for an eight hour cruise this morning. They were in the process of making time towards New York City as quickly as the weather will allow them, so they can spend the summer cruising the Erie Canal. They arrived at an area just south of Snows Cut which leads into Charleston.

Along the route, they were greeted by several dolphins which are always fun to watch.

The skipper also noticed this gator practicing his backstroke.

The crew travelled with Satisfied Frog this week. This is her passing thru Fenwick Cut.

The day ended with a beautiful sunset. Ahhh, the beauty of burnt orange.

Tuesday, June 5th

Today the crew met favorable tide and current conditions and were able to knock out almost eighty miles thru the last of the salt marsh that the ICW offers as scenery. The crew arrived at their pre-day anchor spot way ahead of the anticipated time, so they decided to push on to the north side of Georgetown.

Somewhere along the route, the two boat flotilla grew to three boats. The third boat transited some very skinny water by McClellanville. There are seven shoaling hazards in just under two miles of travel. The skipper was glad they came thru at high tide, but the low water level alarm still went off several times, making for a nervous skipper. After the safe passage, the third boat peeled off and docked at Georgetown.

Our two boats continued and dropped the anchor off the Waccamaw River near Butler Island.

However, the skipper found time to take only a few pics to document the days travel.

The Battery of Charleston in the background.

There were many Pelicans out flying today. The skipper enjoys watching them glide just above the water.

At the end of the day, the crew got to witness another beautiful sunset. Red sky at night, sailors delight. Should have good weather again tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 6th

The crew weighed anchor and headed into the Waccamaw River which winds its way thru a swamp just south of Myrtle Beach. The run thru the swamp and Cyprus trees was a welcome relief from the days of salt marsh.

A look at the swamp.

Saw these ladies out for a morning row.

Cruised by this Osprey nest to see a baby chick. Looks like mom was giving a speech about ‘failure to launch’ on the chicks first flight. What is the worst thing that can happen mom? Oh nothing to worry about darling, there are just alligators down there swimming in the water. They mean you no harm.

After cruising thru the swamp, the crew was greeted by the numerous boat docks that line the waterway heading into Myrtle Beach. Most of the docks have signs warning boaters that they are responsible for their wake and the damage the wake may cause. So it is a slow go thru the area.

This guy has a strange since of humor I suspect.

At the end of the day the crew anchored near Bird Island Inlet just on the North/South Carolina state line..

Thursday, June 7th

Today the goal was to make Carolina Beach and take a mooring ball for the night. The skipper was hoping the timing might work out to stop at Southport for a quick lunch at the Dead End Saloon. However, upon arrival at Southport, the best decision was to press on and take advantage of the current going up the Cape Fear River. Just have to put this stop on the ‘next year list’, and try to make it on Tuesday for half price burger day.

There were several inlets that had to be passed by on the journey today. These inlets present hazards due to shifting sands and shoaling. The skipper slows down and honors the markers because the Coast Guard seems to be moving them all the time to mark the safe passage. Sometimes the charts and the actual marker placement are not the same. In these cases the skipper always honors the actual marker placement in the water. So far, this strategy has always met with success.

The Lockwood Folly Inlet

The Carolina Beach Inlet

After both boats were moored, they decided to dinghy ashore and walk around town. They learned that Thursday is summer concert and fireworks night, what a deal.

Headed to shore.

There was a small donut shop in town, supposedly known for great donuts. The skipper said they were pretty good for an afternoon snack. He did not let the snack get in his way for the fried flounder and shrimp he shared with the Admiral for dinner. After eating they headed back to the dinghy dock and witnessed a few boats pull in with their catch-of-the-day.

Looks like this boat had a good day fishing.

They all played a couple of games of Joker on Satisfied Frog, and then ended the day with a short fireworks program.

Friday, June 8th

The challenge for the run today was to negotiate timing three bridges to minimize waiting. The skipper adjusted speed frequently to make the bridge openings, and at the end of the day they only had to wait about fifteen minutes for the bridges. Most of that time was wasted at the last bridge at Surf City. The crew was getting a little worried when the bridge finally opened eight minutes late with the bridge tender apologizing for the late opening. Seems he could not get the bridge to cooperate and open.

They passed thru a few more of those hazardous inlets again. But because the path was well marked the crew had no issues.

The New River Inlet

There was a bunch of shallow water to work thru today, also. This is a good example of why you want to stay in the channel. This boat was probably only 50 yards off the marked channel. If you did not know better, it looked safe to travel over there.

Some shallow water

After a successful journey, the crew dropped anchor at Mile Hammock Bay. The crew took the dinghy over to Satisfied Frog to play a couple of more games of Joker to round out the evening.

Saturday, June 9th

During the week, the crew was not sure if they would be able to stop in Beaufort, North Carolina or not. The Big Rock Fishing Tournament is in full swing. Who knew this was the largest tournament of its kind in the U.S. Along with the Big Rock, there is also the Keli Wagner Lady Angler tournament running. There are 130 boats in the Big Rock and 38 entered in the Ladies tournament.

With a little help from our friends, we were able to secure Saturday and Sunday night dockage.

On the way to Beaufort though, the crew took an unscheduled stop in Swansboro. After weighing anchor and clearing the Onslow Beach Bridge, the crew was about an hour ahead of schedule for their arrival in Beaufort. To kill a little time, the crew docked at the Swansboro Free Dock and walked to Yana’s for some fruit fritters. To their surprise, the annual arts festival was gearing up. Berrlin and the skipper had fruit fritters while the ladies shopped the art festival.

Debra and the mermaid

After getting back on the boat, it was off to Beaufort, for a hopeful no current dockage experience near 1300. As it worked out, the crew arrived just in time to experience slack current and the easiest dockage in these waters ever. The current can really rip thru here and the skipper wanted no part of that after last years bad experience.

All in all a good day and a good week of cruising.

The Admiral did witness some ladies bringing in their catch for the day. A 16.5 pounder.

Boat name of the week:

Next Week –

At this point, the weather looks good for Monday and Tuesday to cruise some of the large open waters such as the Neuse River, Pamlico Sound, Pungo River, Alligator River, and Albemarle Sound. Therefore the crew will make two long days to travel to Elizabeth City and get that open water behind them while the weather window is open. Then they will cruise the Dismal Swamp Route to Norfolk. They hope to cross the Chesapeake Bay on Friday, and end the week in Onancock on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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June 10, 2018
On The Water Again
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

We have had several folks jump aboard as virtual crew members in the last few weeks by following the Blog. The Admiral states that with so many virtual crew members, surely she can upgrade to First Class Passenger. Welcome aboard to the newest crew members:
- Michael O.
- Sue F.
- Germanky
- Eva N.
However, it was a bit hard to get aboard while the boat was swinging in the slings to repair the prop.

Summary of week:

After getting the starboard prop replaced in Brunswick, the crew set out to make it to Port Royal on Saturday. To reach that goal, they made two anchor stops. The first was at the Wahoo River and the second at Bull River.

Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather report, sea conditions, captain’s log, and a summary of the day’s experience.

At the Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II being hauled out of the water to repair the prop. Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Tuesday, May 29th

The skipper hired a diver to check out the props. The diver conformed that the damage was to one blade on the starboard prop. The boat was scheduled for a haul out for Wednesday afternoon.

Bobby the diver, after he completed his dive.

In addition to the diver, the crew also entertained Debra and Berrlin from the Satisfied Frog. The Admiral did her usual best at hospitality and cooked dinner for them after they arrived from a long day of cruising. It was great getting time to break bread and to talk with them. They recently crossed their wake in Fort Lauderdale. Debra and Berrlin plan to cruise the Chesapeake Bay this summer. Our crew will Leap Frog up the A-ICW with them until they get to the Bay.

Congrats Debra and Berrlin on going Gold!

Wednesday, May 30th

The skipper got a call late morning that the haul out would happen at 1300. So after lunch, the crew moved the boat down to the maintenance yard to be picked up in the slings. The crew was a bit nervous watching the boat come up out of the water, but the yard did a nice job.

Still Waters II on her way up and out of the water.

The fouled prop.

The one blade was barely bent, but it was bad enough to shake the whole boat at 1200 rpms.

The bad bent blade, the far left one.

It took the maintenance crew about an hour to change the prop. After the prop swap, the skipper had to go pay for the services rendered. Most marinas will not put your boat back in the water until you pay them. The skipper jokes that this is “No Cash, No Splash.”

After the money changed hands, the boat was placed back in the water. The crew did a quick sea trial to verify every thing was ok, and then parked her back in their slip.

Thursday, May 31st

The crew shoved off the dock earlier than normal to try and get some extra miles under the keel.

A look back at Brunswick.

It was an uneventful 8 hour cruise. The crew dropped anchor in the Wahoo River. For those who have been onboard since 2015, you might recognize the spot. This was the very first spot that the crew ever tried their hand at anchoring.

The view while at anchor in the Wahoo River.

Friday, June 1st

Another uneventful day on the water. However, the wildlife was out today.

Brown Pelicans hanging out on top of solar panel charges preventing the batteries from recharging.

Watched an Osprey feed her young chick in this nest.

Then saw these interesting white birds, not sure what they are though. There were at least a dozen of them in the surrounding trees.

Lastly, the skipper noticed Mr. Al Gator.

Unfortunately, the best sighting of the day took place just after the skipper had eaten lunch. If they would have spotted this boat just a few minutes early, they could have had a burger on the water. Oh, and the aroma of grilled burgers filled the air. Deep breath, I love that smell.

The Burger Boat

At the end of the day, the crew dropped the anchor in the Bull River just across the sound from Hilton Head Island. This turned out to be an exceptionally good anchor spot.

Also, the 300 watts of additional solar power has worked as designed. When the crew left in the morning, the batteries were showing 12 volts. With the solar panels working in the cloudy day, they still were able to recharge the batteries back to a float value of 13.4 volts before stopping for the evening.

Saturday, June 2nd

The crew weighed anchor and headed towards Port Royal Landing just south of Beaufort, South Carolina. One of the nice things about this marina is that they offer a free night if you stay for two nights. The crew will stay for Saturday and Sunday night. But do to their late start north, they will not take advantage of the free night. Just an observation, it looks like it is literally killing the skipper to give up a free night of dockage. But I think he will get over it.

Cruising up the Beaufort River.

When the crew arrived at Port Royal Landing, the crew of Satisfied Frog was on the pier to welcome Still Waters II. The two couples had a wonderful dinner and great conversation.

Just before the crew headed over to the Satisfied Frog, the weather turned particularly bad. Storm clouds formed and lightning was all around. The crew got a bit wet by the rain on the way down the dock. After getting aboard Satisfied Frog though the full strength of the storm hit. Some of the strongest winds that the crew has been in, the radar and weather apps said 40 plus. Luckily the storm passed quickly and things calmed back down.

Some how during the evening the skipper shared his thoughts on launching kids from the home. This led to some interesting talk, and eventually a movie titled ‘Failure to Launch’. The movie was well done and made for a great way to cap off the week of cruising.

And in the news, the ‘Failure to Launch” freeloader in NY finally moved out of his parents home. The news article said he was moving to just a few doors down to a cousins house. Cousin beware!

Boat Name Of the Week

Otter B Me

Next Week –

The crew will attempt to travel from Beaufort, South Carolina to Beaufort, North Carolina by the end of next week.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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June 3, 2018
Trouble in Paradise
Hello virtually crew members and fellow adventures! Yes, our crew finally left Lamb’s Yacht Center and started north on this year’s adventure.

Last sunrise from Lamb’s Yacht Center.

Summary of the Week

The work on the boat finished up just before closing time on Friday. Thanks-a-Million to James for herding those cats and getting the work complete while everyone else was thinking ‘three day weekend.’

1- The crew made way on Saturday and anchored off Cumberland Island.

2- On Sunday, the crew fought the weather most of the day and arrived at Brunswick Landing Marina.

Saturday

It is always interesting how streaks get started. Many times they just happen without any thought. As it is with this streak. The crew had breakfast at the Metro Diner to say goodbye to the Ortega River for the third year in a row.

In 2016, they decided to go over to the Metro to celebrate the launch of their Gold Loop Adventure.

In 2017, Glenda and Rob joined the crew at the Metro to see them off for their Maine Adventure.

In 2018, Lynn and Wayne joined the crew to see them off for their Platinum Adventure.

Wayne and Lynn at the Metro Diner

After breakfast, it was back to the boat to take on fuel and pump out the holding tanks. By 1030, all the tasks were done and the crew finally shoved off.

After 50 day’s at Lamb’s, glad to shove off the fuel dock and leave a hole under this awning.

The crew originally had planned to stop at the Jax Free Dock. However, because they made such good time, they decided to push on to Cumberland Island, another 25 miles.

The Marina Mile on the Ortega River, with Jacksonville in the background.

Unfortunatly, just minutes after the crew passed the Free Dock, the water under the boat disappeared. The skipper had adjusted the readout for depth to show actual depth from the bottom of the props. He also set the alarm at four feet. When the alarm sounded, the skipper reached over to silence the alarm and pull back the throttles to slow down. Just as he got the throttles in neutral, the depth had gone from 4, to less than one foot. Then the depth went to 0.0 and then blanked out. The boat continued to drift forward. The boat made slight contact with the mud bottom but drifted over the shoal and back into four feet of water under the prop.

When the skipper put the port engine back in gear, there was no problem. When he put the starboard engine in gear, there was an immediate vibration. This is not good. First day back on the water and now down to one engine.

On the brighter side, the crew saw many of these faint pink birds today, Roseate Spoonbills

The crew continued on to Cumberland Island and anchored for the night. The skipper did dive down to the prop, but could not detect any damage. He ran his hand around all the blades and felt nothing abnormal. Oh well, will have to go to a repair facility and get her checked out.

Looking port from the sundeck while anchored.

Sunday

The crew woke to the storms caused by Tropical Storm Alberto. After the first wave of rain stopped, the crew weighed anchor and limped forward on one engine towards Brunswick. With the rain and clouds, there was not much to see, including the markers that were hard to find in the reduced visibility.

When the crew arrived at Jekyll Creek, it was obvious it was low tide. Again, this is not good. Jekyll Creek is notorious for having shallow water. Luckily, a boat passed Still Waters II just as they entered the Creek. The skipper radioed the boat and asked the captain what his draft was. The captain claimed he was 3′ 9 ” just like Still Waters II.

Low tide at Jekyll Creek.

The skipper tucked in behind the boat and decided to keep a safe distance but close enough to see how he negotiated the Creek. For 3.4 miles, the Creek was carrying less than 1 foot of water between the bottom of the prop and the mud bottom. The skipper decided to run on the Starboard engine in this section. His thinking, if you are going to hit something here, might as well hit it with the bad prop.

Both boats managed to navigate the waters without hitting bottom. It was a slow and intense hour of boating though. Ain’t boatting fun!

After clearing the creek, it was not much further to Brunswick Landing. The good news for the Admiral though was just about the time they arrived to dock, the rains let up. It was a light sprinkle, but that sure beats the down pours that fell for most of the day.

Next Week

The crew hopes that the starboard vibration is an easy repair. Best case, the prop has damage. The crew has a spare prop, so if the repair yard has availability, they could swap the prop Tuesday. The crew would then continue north on Wednesday. If it is not the prop, then who knows how long the crew wouldbe here. Might start an early sabbatical to the just started adventure. Time will tell. Tune in next week to see how things turn out.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red

PS

Wayne and Lynn, thanks for the great times and memories during the last week, especially visiting Woodpeckers BBQ and Driftwood Beach.
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May 27, 2018
Eternal Rest
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Summary of week:

The crew remains in Jacksonville; however, work was started on the boat late on Friday. Maybe, just maybe, the rest stop in Jacksonville will finally come to a stop. In the mean time, the crew decided to take a quick road trip to visit grandkids in Bryan, Texas. While there, they went over to Texas A&M to visit Barbara Bush. And somehow two grandsons managed to stow away on the return to Florida.

Friday – Sunday

A mentioned, the crew made a road trip to Texas to watch some grandkid sporting events and attend the year end AWANA Awards Banquet.

Sunday after church, the crew went to Texas A&M University to visit the Bush Presidential Library. Behind the Library is a small lake that has a trail to the Bush Family Burial Plot.

After walking around the end of the lake, another trail breaks off towards the burial plot.

The burial plot is fenced off with a modest area for the graves.

A plaque is mounted on the entrance gate:

Barbara’s grave stone:

After paying their respects, the crew headed back to the lake and the Barbara Bush Rose Garden:

The skipper thought he would share the crews favorite Barbara Bush joke to end this week’s blog post.

The story goes that George and Barbara were driving in the presidential limo on the way to Houston. The limo driver pulled into a service station, and a gas attendant came to the car and began to fill the fuel tank. Barbara recognized the gas attendant as a man that she had dated back in her younger days before George. She got out of the car, went up to the guy and engaged him in conversation. After the limo was full of gas, Barbara wrapped up the conversation and gave the old flame a hug.

When Barbara got back in the limo, George asked Barbara who the gas attendant was. Barbara told George that she had dated the guy in the past. George gazed out the window and looked the guy over and then looked back at Barbara and said: “I guess you are glad you decided to marry me since I became the President of the United States.”

Barbara did not miss a beat, looked at George, and responded, “Oh George, if I had married him, he would be the President of the United States.”

Next Week –

The crew will be flying by the seat of their pants for the next week or so. The decisions on when to move north will depend on when the boat work completes. Since that is still an unknown, the crew will adjust on the fly as the details become more clear. Another factor to consider is how and when they will return two of the grandsons back to Texas.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.
Eric the Red
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April 29, 2018
Lives and Wives
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

We had four new people come aboard as virtual crew members in the past week:

Joe F., Peter S., cebuwomen, and catdigger

Welcome Aboard and hope you enjoy the adventure!

Whitehall, now the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach

Summary of week:

Well, the departure north has been put on hold because the work on the boat still has not started. So much for that, “We will have you out of here in less than two weeks.”

The crew did entertain Art and Beth (the Admiral’s cousins from Colorado) for a few days. They took a day trip down to St Augustine, and then north to Jekyll Island.

The voyage of discovery did unearth some interesting history and answer the following questions?
1. What is the Flagler divorce law, and how many times was it used?
2. How did the third wife meet her unfortunate demise?
3. What is the oldest restaurant in Florida?
4. What is the birthdate of the US navy submarine force?
At the Box Office

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Monday – Wednesday

The skipper has been passing the time by reading a book, Mr. Flagler’s St Augustine, to learn more about the man who was partners with John D. Rockefeller in starting Standard Oil (now Exxon-Mobile), created the hotel resorts along the east coast of Florida, and extended the railroad from Jacksonville to Key West.

The skipper was about two thirds thru the book when he decided to lay the book aside and do some investigating about Mr. Flagler’s wives. Turns out, the story about the wives makes a much more interesting read than Mr. Flagler.

Henry was married three times, and all three of these fascinating women met untimely and unfortunate deaths.

Mary Harkness was the first wife and the mother of the three Flagler children. She was beside him while he grew the Standard Oil Company, but died at the age of 47 from Tuberculosis.

The children’s nanny went on to become Mary’s nurse while she slowly succumbed to tuberculosis. After Mary died, the nanny became wife number two, Ida Alicia Flagler. She was beside him while he started his Florida hotel and railroad ventures. Somewhere along the way, she came across a Ouija Board, got a demon attached to her, and eventually went insane.

To pave the way for wife number three, Flagler would need to divorce Ida Alicia. Flagler sold his 5th Avenue home in New York City and transferred his residency to Florida. He then petitioned, some say bribed, the Florida legislature and governor to pass a law that would allow for divorce on grounds of incurable insanity. The state passed the law and a new building went up at the University of Florida, funded by Mr. Flagler.

He then had friend and doctor, Mr. Anderson, file paperwork that claimed Ida Alicia was insane and incurable. Mr. Flagler divorced his second wife and married wife number three ten days later. Interesting enough, this would be the only time the new law was actually used. A few years later, Florida would overturn the law.

At age 34, Mary Lily Kenan, married 71 year old Flagler. All seemed to be well until Henry took a fall and broke his hip at age 83. He died from complications from the fall two months later, making Mary Lily the richest woman in America.

In December 1916, Mary Lily married an old flame from her youth named Robert Worth Bingham. This may have been the beginning of the end for Mary Lily, because by July 1917 she was dead.

The events leading up to and following her death are still cloaked in secrecy. One theory holds that her new husband drugged her slowly starting after the marriage. After her burial, her parents had her exhumed for a second autopsy. The results showed opiates in her liver. However, no charges were ever brought against Mr. Bingham.

When her will was presented to a judge, Mr. Bingham produced a codicil to the will leaving him a bequeath of 5 million dollars. Interesting since the will contained a prenuptial agreement where he was to receive nothing.

And what happened to the rest of the 100 million Flagler estate you ask? It went to trusts to continue to fund and run his vast business empire.

Thursday

Art and Beth arrived at the boat in the late afternoon. They were a bit worn out after the two day journey from Monument, Colorado. Their plane was delayed in Colorado due to high winds on Tuesday, so they arrived in Ft Myers around midnight. Wednesday they spent the day kayaking, and Thursday they drove up to Jacksonville to visit for a few days. This vacation thing tends to wear you out.

Friday

Art and Beth wanted to visit St Augustine, so the group of four drove down to spend the day and explore. The weather was unseasonably cool and windy, with winds 20-25 mph. Looks like they brought that cold and windy Colorado weather with them.

The group took the red train tour around town and then made it to the Fort to watch a canon fire demonstration. Because the winds were so strong, the four evacuated the Fort after the canon demo and headed into the narrow streets to walk around town.

After walking the town, the group decided to eat at Columbia Restaurant. The flagship restaurant was built in 1905 in Tampa’s Historic Ybor City. The flagship restaurant is the oldest restaurant in Florida. It is also the largest Spanish restaurant in the world.

If you have been in the restaurant business since 1905, you would expect the food to be good, and the Spanish cuisine did not disappoint.

Saturday

With the winds still blowing over 20 mph, cruising on the boat was not an option so the group decided to drive north and visit the historic Jekyll Island.

On the way, the group decided to stop on Amelia Island at Drift Wood Beach. This is a unique experience because you do not see what you expect to see on a beach. The beach might be better named drift tree beach because the beach is littered with drift trees.

After arrival at Jekyll Island, the group headed to the historic homes and walked around a bit. It looked like there were at least three weddings/receptions taking place around the grounds.

They also started noticing a bunch of men in navy dress uniforms escorting women in formal gowns. The skipper finally asked a party of four who were entering the convention center what was goin on tonight. One of the men answered they were celebrating the 118th birthday of the US submarine force. Turns out that the sailors from King’s Bay Sub Base have a big bash every year to celebrate the birth of the sub force back on April 11, 1900.

USS Holland, SS-1, birth of the US Submarine Force

The skipper shared with the four that he had served on subs back in the day. An older gentleman asked, “which one?” And when the skipper answered, “USS Permit, SSN-594.” The guy responded that he had served aboard the USS Haddock, SSN-621.

USS Permit

Turns out that the USS Haddock was the last Permit class submarine built. Interesting, interesting indeed. So what are the odds that two guys who served aboard the Permit and Haddock would cross paths years later on Jekyll Island on a night of the sub force birthday party?

USS Haddock

Sunday

After attending church, Art and Beth loaded up their belongings and shoved off towards Tallahassee. It was a fun visit.!

Next Week –

The last the skipper heard from the boatyard manager, the work should start later in the week and finish the following week. So it looks like the crew will be here for at least two more weeks. Oh, did I mention that the weather folks are predicting an early tropical storm to form the first week of May? It is time to get out of Florida.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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April 22, 2018
2018 Cruising Plan
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

We welcome Joe F. on board as our newest virtual crew member, just in time for the 2018 cruising season.

Summary of week:

The crew has spent the week in Jacksonville at the Lamb’s Yacht Center. The yard has looked at the boat, developed a conceptual estimate, and projected the work to start on Monday.

The skipper spent the week ordering material to arrive on Monday so he has time to install the projects in parallel with the yard work. The largest of these projects is to increase the solar bank 300 watts so the array will be a total of 500 watts when completed.

The skipper also worked on the 2018 Cruising Plan which will be unveiled below.

At the Box Office

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

2018 Cruising Plan

When work is completed on the boat the crew will head north to launch their Platinum Loop Quest. Americas Great loop Cruising Association awards a Platinum Burgee for Looper’s who complete the loop a second time.

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (A-ICW)

The crew will rejoin the A-ICW about mile 740 and head north to mile 0 in Norfolk, Virginia. Along the way, they will stop at some of their favorite places and visit a few new ones.

In Georgia, they will stop and explore Cumberland Island and revisit Jekyll Island.

In South Carolina, they will stop in Port Royal and Charleston where they will visit Fort Sumter.

In North Carolina, they will run up the Pamlico River to visit Bath before crossing the Albemarle Sound.

They have decided to take the Dismal Swamp Route rather than the Virginia Cut to enter the south side of Norfolk.

Chesapeake and Delaware Bay

After leaving Norfolk, the crew will cross the Chesapeake Bay over to the Eastern Shore where they will visit Onancock to acquire some more of those Best in Class sticky buns at the Corner Bakery. Then they will head back across the Bay to head up the Potomac River to visit Washington D.C. On the way down the Potomac River, the crew will stop and explore St Mary’s near the mouth of the river. Then it will be up to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal with a possible stop back in Annapolis.

The crew will then head south down to Cape May for a few days.

New Jersey

The three day run from Cape May to New York City is always dependent on the weather, wave, and wind conditions out in the Atlantic Ocean. The crew will decide if they will run inside or out in the Ocean the first two days based on the weather conditions after they arrive in Cape May.

The third day from Manasquan to New York City has to be run outside. The crew plans to anchor out behind the Statue of Liberty after arriving in NYC.

New York

The Hudson River is one of the hidden gems along The Loop. The crew will take their time up the Hudson and will probably spend a day eating at the Culinary Institute.

Further north the crew will arrive at Waterford and will start the Erie Canal. At Oneida Lake the crew will make a decision to continue west on the Erie Canal or branch north to Oswego. If the water level is agreeable and the skipper can get their air draft down less than 15.5 feet, they will head west to Lake Erie. Then cruise Lake Erie west, then north along Lake Huron to Mackinac Island.

If they are forced to go across Lake Ontario, they will head to Clayton to explore the Thousand Islands. Then they will cruise the Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay, and North Channel to arrive at Mackinac Island.

Michigan

The crew will head down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to explore areas they have yet to see as they head towards Chicago.

Inland Rivers

From Chicago, the crew will take the normal route down the Illinois River to the Northern Mississippi River. However, the crew will take a side trip up the Northern Mississippi River to Minneapolis/St Paul.

On the southern run, the crew will once again break from Looper tradition and turn south on the Mississippi River at Cairo and head all the way down to New Orleans, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn style.

Gulf Coast

After arrival on the Gulf Coast, the crew will head back east to rejoin other Loopers at Mobile Bay. Then back around the panhandle of Florida to Ft Myers to complete the Platinum Loop.

Hope you enjoy the adventure in 2018.

Next Week –

The crew will continue to sit in Jacksonville to complete repairs on the boat.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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April 15, 2018
The Old City
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

We have several new virtual crew members who came aboard while docked in St Augustine. Welcome aboard Gayla H., Bikephilosophy, Dave M. And Shan M.

Summary of week:

The crew took a day trip south to Marineland Adventure and back to Marker 8 in St Augustine so their guest could cruise aboard Still Waters II. The crew also traveled north two days this past week, spending one night on the Jacksonville Free Dock and then on to the Ortega River, just southwest of downtown Jacksonville.

Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather report, sea conditions, captain’s log, and a summary of the day’s experience.

The voyage of discovery did answer the following questions this week:

1- What was the nickname for the St Augustine Methodist Church when it was first built in 1883?

2- Where was the original Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum?

3- How many laps do you have to swim to equal one mile at the De Leon Springs?

At the Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II exploring St Augustine and viewing a rocket launch. Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library contains videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Saturday, March 31st

With David and Shan safely aboard, the gang of four set off to tour St Augustine. They walked across the Bridge of Lions and bought tickets to the Red Train Tour that makes 22 stops in the Old City.

A few of the skippers favorite stops:

1- The Old Senator, is a Live Oak Tree that is believed to be around 600 years old. The Train Conductor reported that it is named the Old Senator because it is old, it is crooked, and it is shady. That seems a fitting analogy for some of our elected Senators for sure.

2- The original church was built in 1883 and was nicknamed the Methodist Mud Hut. The church was a small cabin built on stilts above the muddy marsh. In 1885, Henry Flagler bought the marsh the church sat on to build his Ponce de Leon Hotel. He built the Methodist a new church north of the marsh. The elders of the church were initially split about whether to sell or not. The elders sued each other and it took two years to work the purchase thru the court system.

3- Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, was originally the Hotel Warden. Robert Ripley stayed at the hotel while in town. He attempted to purchase the hotel in the 1940’s but the deal could not be sealed. His estate closed the deal in 1950, a year after his death, and opened the first Ripley’s Museum to house his collection of oddities he amassed during his world travels.

After making the grand tour around St Augustine, the gang hopped off the train at the Castillo de San Marcos, the old Spanish Fort that was completed in 1695. They arrived just in time to walk up to the top of the fort and watch a cannon firing demonstration. One interesting fact about the fort is that it never lost a battle in its history of defending the Old City.

After visiting the fort, the gang wandered the Old City streets and made their way back to the boat at Marker 8.

Sunday, April 1st

The gang woke early and headed to the sunrise service on Crescent Beach. The morning was initially foggy, so there was no watching the sun rise. The gang was about a hundred yards from the stage on the beach, so hearing over the waves crashing and people talking was a bit difficult. However, it was a neat experience to see that many people out packing the beach for Easter Sunday.

In the afternoon, the gang headed back over the Bridge of Lions to partake in the second oldest Easter Parade. The St Augustine event started back in 1956. The oldest Easter Parade you ask, well that would be in New York City. Their parade has been going strong since the 1870’s.

Monday, April 2nd

The gang headed out to tour some of the surrounding area today. The first stop was at the De Leon Springs State Park. There is a large underground spring that provides 19 million gallons of 72 degree water every day. The pool is about 500 yards in circumference. There were a few women swimming laps around the edge of the pool. Nine laps would be just about one mile.

The only thing our gang came to swim in though was the pancake syrup. There is a replica Sugar Mill on the edge of the pool. The specialty of the Sugar Mill is cook your own pancakes. There is a grill embedded in each table. You order up your ‘all you can eat’ pancake mix, pour and cook the pancakes at your table, and eat to your hearts desire. Very interesting business model, and unique experience.
The next stop was along the Haulover Cut to try and spy some manatees. The stop did not disappoint. The gang spotted a couple of manatees close to the overlook upon arrival. Then at one end of the overlook, they noticed two manatees just hanging out in some shallow water.

Then it was finally south to the ultimate destination for the day, Titusville to watch a rocket launch. There were several hundred of the gangs closest friends also with the same idea. The gang found a good spot to observe the launch and waited for the countdown to reach zero. It was a good thing that ice cream truck vendor rolled by to provide a late afternoon snack.

The clouds were moving in and rain was intermittent, but the launch did go off on schedule. This was the third launch the crew has observed. The crew was close enough this time to actually see the rocket on the launch pad, the big fire ball on the ground, and the rocket in the air. A few minutes after the launch, the crew heard the low rumble from the take off. Once again proving that the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound.

Tuesday, April 3rd

The weather has not been cooperating very well to get a cruise in due to high winds. However, today looked like the best day to go, so the gang headed south to visit Marineland Adventure by boat.
The gang arrived in time to catch the end of the dolphin interaction exhibition. After that, the gang headed back to the boat for lunch. Then it was back to Marineland for a few hours to round out the visit.

The skipper wanted to leave at 1500 so that they would arrive at low tide and slack current to make docking easier. The plan was working well until about 30 minutes before their arrival back at Marker 8 Marina. Without much warning, the calm 10 mile per hour winds kicked it up to 18 mph with gusts over 20. It took the skipper three tries to get lined up to enter the slip because of the strong side winds.

On the third try he finally got the stern of the boat into the slip and was backing in when a strong gust pushed the whole boat to starboard. The starboard side crashed into the pilling with enough force to break the handrail. Then the bow of the boat swung around and nearly hit the boat in the next slip.

The two boats would have hit if it were not for the owner of the other boat. He could see that this would be a difficult dockage, so he had retrieved a large ball fender and managed to get the fender between the boats just in the nick of time. The other boats anchor then snagged the handrail and it took a few minutes to get untangled.
With David, Shan, and the other boat owner holding the two boats apart, the skipper was finally able to finish backing into the slip. Two other people came off their boats to catch lines and get Still Waters II safely secured.
Yes, that will have to go down as the worst docking experience to date. The good news is that nobody got hurt, well except the skipper’s ego. The other boat suffered no damage, and Still Waters II handrail needed to be fixed anyway.

Lastly, this is why boaters have a long tradition of dock-tails following a cruise. Someone please get the skipper a whiskey, he sure looks like he could use one about now.

On the bright side, there was a beautiful sunset to end the day.

Wednesday, April 4th

Today, the gang decided to go over and visit the St Augustine Lighthouse. The view from the top, overlooking the bay at the historic town makes for a beautiful view and what motivates visitors to take the 219 steps to the top. The fudge in the Visitor Center gift shop is good motivation also.

Then it was time to relax and take in the view as the sun set on the Miller vacation.

Thursday, April 5th

David and Shan disembarked about 0830. So after saying goodbye, the crew shoved off the dock and headed towards Jacksonville. Getting out of St Augustine was a bit of an issue though. Race week started today and there were many sailboats in town to take part in the three days of racing.
The sailboats were all leaving the docks about the same time as our crew. There are three locations for the races: the youth races are just off the fort, there is a course just north of the Vilano Bridge in the ICW, and a course three miles off shore for the truly adventuresome racers. The skipper checked the off shore sea conditions and took notice that winds would be 18-20 mph with seas 5-6 feet. Sounds like fun doesn’t it?

After getting under the Bridge of Lions and past the inlet, the skipper found himself surrounded by thirty sailboats getting ready to start the race on the ICW. After a few more minutes he finally got north of the race course and things settled down for a nice cruise up to Jacksonville. The crew spent the night on Sisters Creek at the Jacksonville Free Dock.

Friday, April 6th

The crew has made arrangements to get the handrail repaired at Lambs Yacht Center which is just southwest of downtown Jacksonville. The skipper attempted a repair of the handrail and discovered that this is not the first time the rail has broken. The third stanchion has always been a weak point of the safety rail. After getting the rail apart it was obvious that somebody had southern engineered a past repair. That repair was not very good. In fact one piece of handrail is actually about an inch shorter than it should be. To compensate, somebody pushed a half inch pipe inside the hollow handrail and then riveted the pipe to the T on the stanchion. The Admiral is looking forward to getting the handrail fixed right since she spends the most time out on deck handling lines and is the most at risk of the rail failing.
The crew made it to downtown Jacksonville and thought that they would finally make it past the RR Bridge without having to wait for a train to pass. Unfortunately, as the crew passed under the Main Street Bridge the skipper heard the RR Bridge tender sound his horn. That is the warning that the bridge is about to be lowered. Sure enough, the bridge started down. A few minutes later a train came crawling down the track. Once the train passed, the bridge was re-opened and the crew passed thru. This was the seventh time the crew has passed thru this bridge and they are batting 100 percent. Yes, they have been stopped by a train each and every time. Go figure.

Boat Name of the Week

While the crew were in St Augustine at the Marker 8 Marina, they met a very interesting couple, Albert and sweet Sarah. They own and operate a couple of restaurants in Newport, Rhode Island along with some Inns.
They invited the crew over for dock tails one evening. They shared tales of raising their kids on a boat and once even owned a classic motor yacht that had been previously owned by Humphrey Bogart.
A special shout out goes to Albert and Sarah for helping dock Still Waters II in that nightmare cross-wind that damaged the handrail. You just will not find many folks better than Albert and Sarah. Hope to see you again on the water!

Next Week –

The crew will sit at the Lambs Yacht Center all week. While the repair center works on the handrail the skipper and Admiral will also tackle a few other projects around the boat.
The skipper will also spend some time planning the 2018 Platinum Quest. So next weeks blog will unveil the 2018 cruising plan.

Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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April 8, 2018