Tag: AICW

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Summary of week:

The crew only made two short runs this past week to land at their destination at Hammock Beach Marina.  They travelled on Monday to anchor in Daytona Beach.  Then moved further north on Tuesday to Palm Coast.

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Click here 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/what is the Haulover Canal named for?
2. What year was the Haulover Canal initial dug?
3. Who built Fort Matanzas?
4. When was Fort Matanzas built?

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, February 18th, 2019

The crew thought about extending their stay in Titusville to watch a rocket launch from Space View Park next to the marina.  However, NASA rescheduled the launch to Thursday, so the crew slipped the lines off and headed towards Daytona Beach.

The crew would cruise thru Haulover Canal with anticipation of seeing some manatees in the canal.  The anticipation grew as they approached the canal that connects the Indian River with Mosquito Lagoon.

Looking down the canal to Mosquito Lagoon

The anticipation did not disappoint as the crew counted 13 manatees in the canal.  They saw signs of others swimming under the water as evidenced by the swirl caused by their tails as they swim just below the surface.

That dark hump is a manatee swimming nearby

A better picture taken in the canal back in 2018

The Haulover Canal got the skipper wondering how the canal became known as Haulover, so he began to search for the answer.  Rather than being named for some famous person, the canal was actually named for the act of early Native Americans hauling their canoes over the narrow piece of land.  The first canal was dug in 1852, and was 3 feet deep by 14 feet wide.  The Intracoastal Waterway incorporated the Haulover Canal as part of the ICW project in 1927.  The US Army Corps of Engineers maintains the canal that was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 1978.

Nine boats just around this bridge, what is going on here?

While nearing New Smyrna Beach, the boat traffic began to build up on the water.  Seemed to be way more traffic than expected for a Monday afternoon.  Well, until the skipper remembered it was President’s Day and these people were all off work today because of the holiday.

While not a president, the crew found it interesting that someone was flying this flag off their dock on President’s Day.

Tuesday, February 18th

After an uneventful night swinging on the hook in Daytona Beach, the crew weighed anchor and headed north towards Palm Coast.  The run was a short 25 miles that seemed as though it took for ever.  Between manatee slow speed areas and homeowners having Coast Guard approved no wake signs posted, it was a slow go.

One interesting thing about this area is that the homes are all built on the barrier island side of the ICW.  The back of the homes look out over the ICW and into swamp land.  They have good views of ‘Old Florida’ that probably will not be lost to development because of the swamp land.  Well, at least not anytime soon.

The view

Did note this one home that had some nice landscaping along the route

After what seemed to be all day, the skipper finally spotted the bridge that marked the entrance to the Hammock Beach Marina in Palm Coast.  The crew will hang out here and enjoy the area for the next month and resume travel north mid-March.

Home for the next month

Wednesday, February 19th

Beth and Art have left the cold weather of Colorado Springs to enjoy a few weeks in the mild winter of South West Florida.  Today, they drove over to the First Coast of Florida to spend a few days with the crew.

Thursday, February 20th

Last year when Beth and Art visited, the boat was in the boatyard getting some work complete so they did not get a chance to go out on a cruise.  Today, there were storm clouds brewing but the skipper thought it would still be a good day to go out for a short day cruise.

Beth and Art with a few storm clouds

Beth and Art with Fort Matanzas in the background

That might look like a little fort but she was very effective.  Built in 1742 by the Spanish to protect the backdoor entry to St Augustine just 25 miles north.  In 1740, James Oglethorpe used the Matanzas Inlet to block St Augustine and start a thirty-nine day siege.

The Spanish decided to build the fort to prevent another siege by the British.  Soldiers from St Augustine would come down to Fort Matanzas for regular duty.  Then return to the main garrison at St Augustine.  Upon completion, the Fort had one officer and four infantrymen to operate the five cannons strategically placed to pound the inlet a half mile away.

The British did try once again to enter the inlet with 12 ships, but the small Fort cannon fire drove the ships back into the Atlantic Ocean.  The Fort had done its job.  The cannons would never fire on an enemy ship again.

Beth and Art enjoying the ride back to the marina 

Beth on the Sundeck

After returning to the marina, the group headed down the road to a local seafood restaurant to test the waters.  Turned out to be a good place to eat.  The service was quick and the food was good.  The band was pretty good also.

Friday, February 21st

After sitting around and chatting for most of the morning, Beth and Art needed to get back to the west coast to get ready for the weekend planned activities around Ft Myers.

It was a short but fun packed visit on the east coast.

Boat Name of the Week

Sunday Money

Scuttlebutt along the waterway says this 100 foot girl belongs to the estate of Dale Earnhardt SR.  The crew saw the vessel while in Daytona Beach on Monday following the big race.

Next Week –

The crew will hang in Hammock Beach Marina for about a month.  Then start moving again about mid-March to make way to Norfolk.

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

Eric the Red

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Summary of week:

As has become the norm for 2018, the crew did not make much way this week.  They did manage to move one day to North Palm Beach.  They are sitting in the north end of Lake Worth ready to hop across the Big Pond to the Bahamas, if the weather will ever calm down.

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 as she waits out the rain in Ft Pierce, then captures several clips as she makes way to Old Port Cove Marina in North Palm Beach. ……..  Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site.  The library now contains 49 videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

 Monday, January 29, 2018

The crew continues to meet the most interesting of people as they cruise America’s Great Loop.  Today would be another close encounter with some amazing people.

But let me back up a bit because I am getting ahead of myself.  This encounter actually has roots in a meeting that took place in Atlantic City in the spring of 2017.  You may recall the story of the crew meeting Michael and Jennifer.  After the meeting and a fun afternoon spent eating lunch and touring their boat, Mike and Jen became virtual crew members.  While enjoying the day in Atlantic City, they mentioned an “Uncle” who had shipped an RV over to Europe.  The “Uncle” and his wife had spent four years exploring Europe in the RV.

Last week, Jen noticed that the crew was in Ft Pierce.  Well guess what?  Where do you think “Uncle” Tom and Judy live?  If you said Ft Pierce, well then you would be right.  Jen contacted the crew, and before you know it the crew had exchanged information with Tom.  The next thing you know, the crew has a dinner date.

Tom and Judy came by the boat for a quick tour and then the four were off to a local restaurant for some fine dining.  The evening was spent swapping travel  stories.

The skipper especially likes Tom’s sense of humor.  At one point the skipper mentioned that he has the “Gift of Gab,” to which Tom swiftly and calmly said; “I hadn’t noticed.”

If you would like to see what an RV adventure looks like in Europe, check out the website, Travels With Papillon.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

With hopes that the weather may change for the better, the crew finally left Causeway Cove Marina and headed for parts further south.  The wind was still blowing near 20 mph, but with the wind to their backs, the crew made good time to North Palm Beach.

After crossing the St Lucie Inlet, the crew entered an area where the waterway was lined with mangroves.  They saw several Osprey nests as they moved south.

Then finally spotted a nest with an Osprey at home.  While the crew watched this nest, a second Osprey flew over the boat and landed in this nest.  They are a spectacular bird to watch in flight.

As the crew crossed the Jupiter Inlet, they observed these specimens of a different kind.  There were actually two boat loads of them having a good time.  A Tiki Bar nest on a pontoon boat.

A few more miles down the waterway and the crew landed at the Old Port Cove Marina.  This might just be the all time favorite marina for the skipper.  Besides the complimentary bottle of wine, this marina also provides free cokes for the boaters, all you can drink no less.  Ah yes, the simple pleasures of life, free cokes.

Friday, February 2, 2018

The official prediction of when winter will end and spring arrives happened today.  Unfortunately for the folks up north, the ground hog saw his shadow, got scared, and then ran back in its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter weather.  And as you know, it has been a cold winter thus far.

But for the crew, ………. pass the sun tan lotion, I need to rub it in.

Boat Name of the Week

Next Week –   

Looks as though the winds will begin to weaken Sunday afternoon.  If this holds to be true, the crew plans to shove off the dock early Monday morning (0400) and make the run over to the West End of the Grand Bahama Island.

If this weather window falls thru, then the next chance looks to be Thursday.  The crew waits.

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

Eric the Red

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!  We welcome two new virtual crew members aboard this week: Realray and deanmitch92.  Welcome aboard and thanks for following the adventure.

Summary of week:

The crew only travelled two days in the past week.  Mostly due to the howling winds and rough seas.  But also because the marinas south of Ft Pierce to Ft Lauderdale do not have any slips available.

The 2017 hurricane season did a number on the marinas and backyard docks in south Florida.  The boats that survived have moved further north causing real shortages for transient boaters.

The crew made the following moves during the week:

1 – cruised a short distance to Ft Pierce Municipal Marina.

2 – crossed the Indian River to dock at the brand new Causeway Cove Marina to wait out the weather.

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.

Explorations during the week did answer the following questions:

1. How did the crayon get its name?
2. Why is this section of Florida called the Treasure Coast?
3. What is the areas do not miss museum?

At the Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II  make the move from Vero Beach to Ft Pierce where the crew visited the Navy SEALs Museum.  Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site.  The library now contains 48 videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

 Sunday, January 21, 2018

The crew walked from the marina over to the Atlantic Ocean to see the other side of the barrier Island.

The crew then headed back to the river side of the island to find a place to eat.  On the way, they came across this guy cleaning Sheep Head and feeding Pelicans.

After watching the Pelicans feed, it was time to find the restaurant.

When the crew got back to the marina the dolphins were putting on a show.

Monday, January 22, 2018

The crew headed towards Ft. Pierce for a short 15 mile run.  The winds are forecasted to kick up and stay above 20 mph for the next week.  When the skipper contacted the City Marina he was quoted a price for one week of dockage.  After getting settled, the skipper went up to the office to check in.  The clerk only charged for a one night stay.  The skipper questioned the one day verse one week.  The clerk said the marina was full and they did not have any room for Still Waters II.

This sent the skipper scrambling to find another place to stay.  He called nearly ever marina all the way to Ft Lauderdale and not a single marina had an opening for the next week.

While the skipper was working the phone, the Admiral went back to the office.  She learned that there was a brand new marina just across the river.  The skipper called Causeway Cove Marina and they had a place for the crew for the next week.  The Dock Manager did make a comment about not arriving till after 1100 in the morning though.

Tuesday, January 23 , 2018

The crew prepared to leave the City Marina and cross the Indian River to the Causeway Cove Marina.  Because the marina requested the crew not show up till 1100, the crew walked around the marina neighborhood to kill some time.

The crew did not find any manatees at the Manatee Center.  A local guy rode up on a bike and explained that when the upstream power plant closed down, the warm water stopped flowing, and the manatees found other places to hang out.

The crew did find this one manatee.

Since the Manatee Center was a bust, the crew headed back to the marina and shoved off from the dock.  The crew crossed the river and hailed the Causeway Cove Marina to no avail.  The skipper called the marina on the phone and talked with the Dock Manager.  He commented that they were in the process of doing the ribbon cutting for the Grand Opening.  He said he would send a dockhand down to the dock.

Did I mention that this was a brand new marina.  Still Waters II was the fifth boat to land at the marina.  The first boat was allowed in the marina on Saturday.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Because high winds hampered many outside activities, the crew decided to spend a few days working in the boat.  With the crew making plans to go to the Bahamas, the skipper decided to see if he could remove the starboard 50 gallon water tank and repair the leak.  The tank has been isolated from the potable water system since the crew bought the boat.

The skipper wrestled the tank most of the day on Tuesday, but did finally succeed in removing the tank in one piece.  He moved the tank to the dock and performed a leak check.  He found a small six inch crack in a seam of the tank.

He used an epoxy putty to repair the aluminum tank. He allowed the putty to cure overnight, and performed a leak check on Thursday.  With the repair holding and the tank not leaking.  The skipper drained the tank and set about putting it back in the boat.

After the installation, he filled the tank and the repair seemed to be holding.  Unfortunately, later in the day, the skipper was checking the tank and noticed it had started leaking again.  It was a much smaller leak than before, but leaking non the less.

The skipper pulled the tank again on Friday, found the leak, and applied another round of epoxy putty.  He also went to a auto parts store and bought some JB Weld.  He painted the epoxy repairs with the JB Weld to give two layers of defense to the repairs.

After satisfied that the tank  was fixed, the skipper re-installed the tank late Friday night.

The crew did take off for a few hours and visited an Aquarium and local History Museum, while they waited for the epoxy to repair.  Both visits were interesting and educational.

The History Museum concluded with an area dedicated to the prominent families of the area.  One colorful family that all should recognize is the Binney Family.  Well, maybe you do not recognize the name of the family, but I am sure you will recognize the world famous product that Edwin invented in 1903.

The museum told the story of how the wife, Alice, actually came up with the idea of making multiple colored crayon sticks for her students.  Ed, with the help of another man named Smith, had developed a black marker from carbon and oil.  Alice basically requested that they make additional colors because she believed her students would enjoy the multiple colors to draw with at school.  So Ed went back to the drawing board, so to speak, and developed seven additional colored markers.

Alice also came up with the idea for the name for the colored markers.  She suggested combining the French word craie for ‘chalk,’ and ola from the Latin root for ‘oil.’  The new company marketed the package containing eight colorful oil sticks for five cents a box.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

All work and no play makes for a boring day, so the crew headed off to learn more about the local area of Ft Pierce.  The first stop was the McLarty Treasure Museum.  Each coastal area of Florida has a unique name.  The two hundred miles from the Ft Pierce inlet to the Sebastian inlet is nicknamed the Treasure Coast.  This museum answers the question of how it got its name.

Turns out, that the King of Spain, Phillip V, assumed the kingship of Spain when King Charles II of Spain died childless in 1700.  The 18 year old King Phillip V took a 13 year old bride to be the Queen.  In 1714, she died from tuberculosis without reproducing a son.

On December 24, 1714, the King took a second wife in hopes of producing a male heir.  However, after the marriage, the new Queen would not consummate the marriage until she received a proper dowry.  The King set about obtaining said dowry.

An eleven ship fleet left Havana  in July of 1715 loaded with gold, silver, and the Queen’s jewels.  They sailed north to catch the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida.  On July 31, 1715, the fleet was overcome by a hurricane.  All but one of the ships were smashed on the reefs off the coast of Florida between Ft Pierce and Sebastian. Gold coins, pieces of 8, and jewelry still wash ashore in these areas, giving rise to the term Treasure Coast.

The second stop was at the Navy Seal Museum.  Ft Pierce was the home of the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) training leading up to WWII.  The museum traces the history of the UDT teams accomplishments leading up to the transition to SEAL Teams during the Vietnam War.  The museum then chronicles the evolvement of the SEALs to the modern fighting force we know today.

The crew spent four hours taking in the museum, and easily could have spent double that time.  However, the museum closed at 1600 and the crew had to leave.  If you ever find yourself close to Ft Pierce, make a stop at the SEAL Museum, it is definitely worth a visit. This is definitely a do not miss museum with all the films, interactive displays, and equipment displayed outside.

Boat Name of the Week

Because of very little travel and movement of boats, the crew did knot find a worthy winner this week.

Next Week –   

Looking at the seven day forecast, the winds will continue to howl at over 20 mph with gusts near 30 mph.  This causes the waves to be much bigger (predicted 5-10 feet) than our crew wants to tackle crossing the Gulf Stream.  The other issue is marina availability.  With the high winds most boaters are hunkered down and not moving.  Therefore there is not any place to move south to without anchoring.  But anchoring in 20 mph winds is not much fun.

There is a small glimmer of hope showing up on Friday and Saturday.  A window may open then as the winds start to taper off.  If the winds fall near 10 mph and out of the south as predicted, a window may open to cross over to the Bahamas on Saturday.

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

Eric the Red