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:
Who/what is the Haulover Canal named for?
What year was the Haulover Canal initial dug?
Who built Fort Matanzas?
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.
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!
Rock Shrimp at Dixie Crossroads
Summary of week:
The crew set out to cross over to the east side of Florida by crossing thru Lake Okeechobee, and then begin to head north along the coast. Monday, the crew anchored near Clewiston (1). Tuesday, the crew crossed the lake and anchored north of Stuart at Jensen Beach Bridge (2). Because of high winds, the crew left the anchorage on Wednesday in Stuart and pulled into Ft Pierce (3) to allow the weather to improve. The crew resumed the move north on Friday to anchor near Melbourne (4). Saturday, the crew pulled into Titusville (5) to relax for the weekend.
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 discover one of the best restaurants in Florida this week.
At the Box Office
This week’s video shows the crew of Still Waters II on their three day snowmobile tour in Yellowstone. 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, February 11, 2019
A special shout out and thank you to Dave and Barbara for their gracious hospitality while the crew stayed at Marina Doyle. But as the song says, “All good things have to come to an end…” And so it was time to say goodbye and head east towards Lake Okeechobee.
Pulling away from the dock
Last wave to Barbara in front of her home
The cruise went as well as could be expected with a couple of bridges to be opened and three locks to make. The last lock operation is at 1630 to allow the workers to end their day at 1700. We just made it under the wire at the last lock due to a delay at the RR Bridge, but we made it none the less.
On the way to that last lock we did pass many orange groves with the trees loaded with their luscious fruit.
Orange grove along the waterway
We also spotted an interesting piece of yard art that somebody crafted out of an old standing tree. Someone is crafty with the chainsaw.
Bald Eagle Tree
The bridge tender at the Ft Denaud Swing Bridge mentioned she was having a good day because her shift was about over and she was headed home to get in her PJ’s and relax.
Ft Denaud Swing Bridge Swinging open
The next bridge did not go as well. The RR Bridge is normally open, except when a train is coming of course. However, the bridge was in the down position when the crew arrived. After a five minute wait there was still no train in sight. The skipper began to look for a number to call to figure out what was going on. The cruising guides all say the bridge is now automated and no numbers are provided to talk with a human.
After a few more minutes, a train did slowly appear and move over the bridge at almost no speed. Then the train stopped right on the bridge and sat there for about 30 minutes. While waiting, the skipper called the Moore Haven Lock to request lockage after the train cleared the bridge. The lock operator said he would have the lock ready but could not guarantee the train would move any time soon.
Train taking a break smack on top of the bridge, notice another boat on other side also waiting for the train to move and bridge to open
Finally after 30 minutes the train started to move again and slowly cleared the bridge. The bridge swung open and the other boats started thru the opened bridge. The crew passed thru the bridge and headed towards the Moore Haven Lock where they arrived to open gates and the last lockage of the day. Oh the time you ask? 1625, a whole five minutes early, what was the skipper worried about?
After passing thru the Moore Haven Lock, the crew decided to cruise another two hours and make it to the edge of Lake Okeechobee where they could get an early morning start across the big lake before the winds picked up in the afternoon.
Dolphins, 60-70 feet apart
The crew tied up in between two sets of dolphins (a group of pilings sticking up out of the water). This was their first time to attempt this maneuver. First they pulled the bow up to a dolphin and secured a bow line. As the skipper backed the boat to the next dolphin, the Admiral played out line from the bow. The skipper then got a line around the aft dolphin and pulled forward to center the boat between the dolphins. The crew made the lines fast and had an relaxing evening.
Tuesday, February 12th
The crew woke at first light and slipped the lines off the dolphins and headed across Lake Okeechobee in almost calm conditions. The winds were predicted to climb during the day to over 15 mph which would make for a lumpy miserable ride.
Crossing Lake O
The crew arrived at the other side of the lake in about three hours with the winds just starting to build over ten mph. The wind blown lake waves were only one foot which made for a pleasant cruise across the lake for the crew.
The early morning crossing did bring out the birds as they trolled behind the boat wake looking for an easy breakfast meal.
When the crew arrived at the Port Mayaca Lock, both gates were open and the lock operator said to just idle thru the lock. After exiting the far end of the lock into the St Lucie River, the skipper spotted a gator swimming across the river.
Mr. Al Gator
Big fish must have also been out feeding as well because the crew kept seeing mullet jumping across the water to try to out run and out maneuver the predator looking for breakfast.
Airborne Mullet
The crew continued to cruise towards Stuart and arrived at the ‘crossroads’ with the Atlantic ICW about 1600. An hour later they had moved north up the ICW to Jensen Beach Bridge and dropped the anchor on the north side of the bridge to get out of the 15 mph south winds and waves.
Jensen Beach Bridge
Wednesday, February 13th
This turned out to be a bizarre day. The weather took a turn for the worse overnight. The skipper woke about five a.m. to find the wind had shifted out of the north as expected but the strength of the winds was a big surprise. The winds were blowing at 19 mph with gusts up near 30. The good news was that the anchor was set good and the boat was not dragging anchor. The bad news was that the boat was pitching in the 3-foot waves and it was not much fun. Oh, did I mention it was also pouring down rain.
The skipper went to sit in the helm and stand watch to make sure the anchor continued to hold and make sure no other boats in the anchorage pulled up and slammed into them. By nine in the morning there was a break in the rain, so the crew decided to try and pull anchor and move over to the south side of the bridge for a calmer ride.
Two sailboats broke free and were up against the shore
Raising the anchor was much harder than expected because the high winds were shoving the boat all over the place. However, the crew persevered and raised the anchor. They then motored to the south side of the bridge and set the anchor again. Well after two tries. About the time they got the anchor set the rains started up again, but at least it was much calmer since the wave action had no time to build up.
Around 1530, the Admiral noticed that the rain had stopped again, and the winds seemed to have died down a bit. The skipper checked the weather apps and confirmed that the winds were down to 15 mph. The crew decided to try and make a short two hour run up to Ft Pierce and take a marina slip for the night. The weather forecast calls for 20 + mph winds thru the night and tomorrow.
After ensuring they could get a slip at a marina, doing engine checks and weighing the anchor, it was 1630 before the crew got underway. The rain started again after they got the anchor up and the rain stayed with the crew until they arrived at the marina. About the time the crew arrived to dock, the rain stopped. That was fortunate. The crew got the boat secured just as the sun set and dusk fell for the night.
The crew was exhausted physically and mentally after the long day rocking and rolling, wresting the weather, and trying to figure out the best moves to make during the day. They were sure glad to be in a marina protected from those pesky north winds.
Thursday, February 14th
With the winds still north of the 15 mph scale, the crew decided to sit the day out and enjoy the sunshine aboard the boat without cruising. However, as the day unwound the crew made an interesting discovery.
They saw a boat in the marina, not all that unusual, but this boat was Glorious Dei. The last time the crew saw this boat they were in Canada back in 2016. They wondered if Thad and Cindy were still the owners. The skipper went into the office and asked, and sure enough, Thad and Cindy are on board.
The crew went to visit, but nobody was onboard. Later in the day the skipper saw Cindy. After a few minutes of talk a dinner was set up for 1830 at 2nd Street Bistro’s in Ft Pierce.
And what a dinner it was. Thad and Cindy told a story how they were leaving the Bahamas in July 2018 and went aground, on a rock, that ripped 10 foot long hole in the bottom of their boat. Luckily they were only in 3 feet of water so the boat did not sink far.
The insurance totaled the boat and paid off the hull value. Thad and Cindy bought the boat back for $2,000 and have been busy getting her back ship shape. They had only recently re-launched her in the water about 2 weeks ago. They have a few more projects to complete and they will take her on a good shake down cruise.
What a Looper story that was. Amazing, they both have great attitudes about what happened and are eager to get back to cruising America’s waterways. Thanks for sharing your Valentine’s dinner with the crew. May God continue to richly bless you.
Friday, February 15th
The crew shoved off from Ft Pierce and headed north on the Indian River towards Melbourne. Along the way they met, passed, and were overtaken by many boats taking advantage of the nice weather today.
The crew did see some things that they do not normally observe along the route. First was the Goodyear Blimp that overtook them around Sebastian. The Blimp was headed north. The Daytona 500 is scheduled to run this weekend, so maybe it was headed there for the race.
Goodyear Blimp
Then there was a plane flying low over the water and buzzing by the boaters. In some instances he was getting awful close to the boaters.
Right on top of Still Waters II
The day ended on a strange note. The Coast Guard was working with a boat in distress. The boat had no GPS and was having a hard time explaining their location. Finally, the Coast Guard was able to triangulate their position based off their radio transmissions. The boat was 10-15 miles offshore of Cape Canaveral. To make matters worse, the boat was a 20 foot center counsel fishing boat. The Coast Guard was sending out a rescue crew to try and locate the boat as Still Waters II was dropping the anchor for the day.
Will be interesting to find out how the search & rescue goes.
Saturday, February 16th
The crew got off to a good start and headed towards Titusville. They once again saw a bunch of boats on the water enjoying the good weather. The only troubling thing about the day would be where to stay. The Titusville Marina could not confirm a reservation for Saturday and Sunday night. The dock master directed them to call back this morning after 9 to see if they could get the crew a slip.
The skipper called at 0930 and the marina was still not sure if they had a place for Still Waters II. The skipper told the dock master they would at least come in for fuel and a pump out and find a place nearby to anchor.
Passing thru Cocoa
Once the crew arrived at the fuel dock, they were informed that the marina had found them a slip. After taking on fuel and pumping out the holding tanks, the crew moved to their assigned slip. Docking turned out to be more exciting than it should have been.
When the skipper went to toss a line to the dockhand out the back of the boat, the skipper leaned a little to hard on the door. The latch popped open and the skipper began to fall out the back of the boat.
The failed door
Somehow he managed to push off with his left foot and clear the swim platform and dinghy. He also was able to grab his glasses before splashing in the water. A bit embarrassed but not hurt, he climbed back up the swim ladder and finished securing the boat.
Splash scene
After a fresh set of dry clothes, the Admiral and skipper headed out to try a new restaurant recommended by Dave and Barbara. Barbara said it was her favorite restaurant in Florida.
After a 30 minute wait the crew was seated for a great meal. They start you out with a tray of corn fritters covered with powdered sugar. Boy, were they good. The Admiral ordered rock shrimp and the skipper took an order of cod. Both dishes were very good.
So good, the crew thinks they will go back again tomorrow.
Next Week –
The crew will travel north two more days and should arrive in Palm Coast on Tuesday. They plan to stay at the Hammock Bay Resort for a month entertaining family and friends before continuing north mid March.
Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!
John and Lou Ann J. have come aboard as our latest virtual crew members. They are family of Dan and Mary of the Gammel Dansk. Also, indianeskitchin has come aboard. Welcome Aboard!
Summary of week:
The weather window for a Tuesday/Wednesday Gulf crossing held. The crew left Carrabelle at noon on Tuesday and managed to make it across the Gulf. They docked at Marker 1 Marina in Dunedin at 1515 on Thursday.
This week’s video shows Still Waters II as she makes way across the Gulf of Mexico to the western shore of Florida. Enjoy!
Gulf Crossing from Still Waters II on Vimeo.
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, December 18th
The skipper checked his weather apps as soon as he woke up to determine if today would be the day to cross the Gulf. The weather apps were in agreement and looked favorable for a good crossing. The skipper was looking for winds under 10 mph and waves less than 2 feet. Tuesday looked really good with winds light (under 5 mph) most of the day. The wind was predicted to pick up after midnight, but with the direction out of the east, the waves should not build too quickly and the fetch would shorten the closer the crew came to shore.
The skipper then checked Eddy’s Weather Wag to see what he had to say about a Tuesday/Wednesday crossing:
It’s a great day for Go-Fast Loopers to burn some serious fossil fuel. Sea conditions should stay very favorable for your entire journey.
Those who are doing the overnight crossing will have very favorable sea conditions throughout most of the night. As winds pick up slightly in the pre-dawn hours, the seas may become a bit “confused”, but it shouldn’t make your ride uncomfortable.
With this info in his hip pocket, the skipper headed to breakfast to discuss the crossing with the other captains who would also be crossing today. It was determined that Still Waters II would cross with three other boats, Gammel Dansk, Chip Ahoy, and Aurora. It was agreed that the flotilla would slip off their lines and leave the marina at noon.
Just before shoving off, Mary managed to get a group shot of three of the four crews.
A fifth boat would leave with the four boat flotilla, but was headed to Clearwater so would be on a different heading once the boats entered the Gulf. Compass Rose did manage to get this shot as the flotilla approached East Pass.
Once the group entered the Gulf, they found the conditions very favorable. The winds were light as predicted which made for flat calm sea conditions. The calm conditions existed all the way to sunset.
As the sun began to set, the flotilla closed ranks and got closer together to ensure they would be able to see each other in the dark.
As the sun continued to set, a vibrant red orange sky greeted the flotilla. Chip Ahoy came over the radio and reminded everyone that: “red sky at night, sailors delight.”
As predicted, the winds started to pick up out of the east following mid night. The longer the wind blew the larger the waves began to form. Most of the waves were 1-footers initially, but by 0300-0400, the waves were building to two feet. The main problem was not the height though, but the direction. The waves were striking on the side of the boat causing a very rolly motion.
The boats had started on a heading of 138 degrees magnetic to reach the Red 4 entrance buoy at Tarpon Springs that was initially 150 miles from the East Pass back near Carrabelle. It was decided to alter course to see if that would help smooth out the ride. The course change was initially successful. However, just about sunrise the seas became very confused and seemed to be coming from every direction. This lasted for about 2 hours before things started to settle down.
As the boats continued to the Red 4 marker the seas fell back to consistent 1 footers and the last 30 miles to the Red 4 were much more manageable/
Aurora in the morning
But the 26 foot tugs were still having a tuff go of it in the wind and waves.
Within about ten miles of the Red 4 marker conditions had settled enough that the Admiral and skipper decided to try and pass some coffee over to Chip Ahoy. Bill was making the trip solo and could not leave the helm to brew any coffee. The Admiral went down and brewed some coffee and put the brew in a thermos. She also put a piece of cake in a sealed container. Then placed both items in a bag with straps that could be placed on the boat hook and handed over to Bill.
While Bill was trying to get up to Still Waters II, the skipper managed to drop the bag in the Big Pond and almost lost the bag with the Java Juice. He finally snagged the straps on the third try just before the bag was out of reach. With the bag back on the boat hook, Bill pulled along side Still Waters II and the skipper was able to get the goods to Bill. He removed the bag from the boat hook and moved away from Still Waters II.
The view from Gammel Dansk during the coffee transfer.
The coffee and cake seemed to rejuvenate Bill and help him make the last few miles to the red 4 marker. The skipper used two 20 oz bottles of Mountain Dew to help him thru the night. At 1304, the flotilla finally arrived at the Red 4 marker officially ending the Gulf crossing. The boats still had about two hours of cruising left before they were safely secured in a marina, but the worst was behind them now.
When they did finally arrive in the marina, the skipper calculated that they had travelled 175 miles at 6.5 mph which led to a long 27 hour crossing.
Next Week –
With the Gulf crossing behind them, the crew rented a car and headed to Texas to visit family for the holidays. They will return to the boat sometime after Christmas and resume the quest for the Platinum Flag in the new year. It appears that they could easily make Ft Myers in 5 travel days from Dunedin, so they should complete their second Loop before the end of January.
Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!
The crew spent the week cruising thru the damage done by Hurricane Michael. Notice that the tree tops have all disappeared.
On the brighter side, we get to welcome some new virtual crew members aboard this week. You are just in time to cross the Gulf of Mexico with the crew. Welcome aboard chmyers2000 and Greg P. Hope you enjoy the adventure!
Summary of week:
It should be obvious by the map above that the crew did not make last Wednesday’s Gulf crossing. That was unfortunate because the weather was perfect for a glass smooth sail across the Gulf. However, because of high winds over the weekend the crew was unable to leave Ft Walton Beach and get staged for the crossing.
Waiting out the wind in Ft Walton Beach (notice that green flag on the green tug)
Instead, the crew hunkered down and let the high winds blow by. On Monday, it was finally safe enough to continue eastward so the crew made three moves to stage for the next weather window to allow safe passage across the Gulf.
They anchored out north of Panama City on Monday in Burnt Mill Creek (1). Then stayed at a free dock in White City (2) on Tuesday. They then made way to Carrabelle (3) where they will sit and wait for a weather window to open.
This week’s video is an intro to the Great Loop from America’s Great Loop Cruising Association. 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, December 10th
Ft Walton Beach to Carrabelle was a 150 mile journey through the devastation of Hurricane Michael. Because of the damage, the marinas along this route are still closed which necessitated finding docks or anchorages to stop along the way.
First signs of Hurricane Michael devastation
The first night, the crew planned to stop at a restaurant that has a dock but is closed on Mondays. However, upon arrival, the skipper could not find enough water under the keel to safely dock without going aground. When he finally abandoned the dock strategy it was time to head to Plan B, an anchorage about an hour away.
This was interesting to see, three trees blown over in one root ball
When the crew arrived at the anchorage they dropped the anchor but it did not set. On the second try, the anchor failed to set again. But this time when they brought the anchor up they noticed it had some grass hanging from the points. The skipper moved to some deeper water to get out of the grass and the anchor set on the third try.
The skipper then launched the dinghy to take Tori ashore. Under the category of ‘No job is as easy as it looks,’ the skipper could not get close to shore because of the shallow water. He finally gave up on finding a path to shore in the boat, got out of the dinghy, then waded and pulled the dinghy to shore.
After Tori did her business and loaded back in the dinghy, the skipper waded back out to deeper water and floated away. Luckily, Chip Ahoy was there to assist and get the dinghy, dog, and skipper back to their respective boats. This was especially good because it was getting dark and dark fast.
The temperature was also dropping fast so the skipper was glad to get back on board to fire up the generator to warm the boat and dry off.
Tuesday, December 11th
The crew woke with temperatures in the 30’s, so the skipper fired up the generator again to warm the boat before the Admiral crawled out of bed for her first cup of coffee. Mary also called and said it was too cold to be wading in the water to take Tori ashore. Tori would either hold it all day or use the green carpet. Obviously, Tori does not like artificial grass because she choose to hold it all day.
On the way to Panama City the crew saw a grand assortment of birds.
HeronRed Shouldered Hawk Bald Eagle
The Admiral came up with an idea to try and get Tori off the boat and on to shore at the Panama City Marina along the sea wall. However, when Gammel Dansk was approaching the wall to tie up, a police officer showed up and told them the area was off limits and they could not land.
Looking around at all the damage it was obvious why the area was off limits. It looked like a virtual war zone and liability nightmare.
Cleaning out the marina
Tori would have to wait until the flotilla landed in White City. The town free docks are normally closed to over night stays. But because the marina at Port St Joes was destroyed, White City has allowed transient boaters to stop for the night while passing through the area.
Big yacht aground
While making way to White City, the crew saw this large yacht aground. They later learned that the yacht is on order for someone in California. Supposedly it is a 100 Million dollar boat. The builders decided to move the boat to a mooring ball rather than take the chances in a marina during the hurricane. The winds broke the boat free of the mooring and the storm surge floated the boat away. After the waters receded, she was left aground. They are slowly trying to move her to deeper water and float her off.
Looks like a tornado may have ripped thru this narrow section of damage Docked in White City
Wednesday, December 12th
The skipper woke to literally freezing temperatures. The handrails and deck were covered in a thin layer of ice. A new experience on the Great Loop. Oh, did I forget to mention the fog that enveloped the boat also.
With the fog starting to break up a little bit, the flotilla set off. It would not take long though to experience a scary moment on the water in the fog. The skipper had the radar on to help detect approaching targets. He noticed an object come out from beyond a bend in the river. He sounded the horn to alert the boat to his presence. About the same time as the horn sounded he made visual contact with the fast approaching boat. Luckily the boats were not on the same line and the boat quickly passed to the starboard of Still Waters II. While all that was happening, he was trying to warn the two tugs behind him of the fast approaching boat over the radio.
Somehow, Mary managed to get a photo of the boat in the fog as it passed them.
The fog cleared not too very long after this near miss, so the skipper took the time to go below and change his underwear.
Gammel Dansk following Chip Ahoy and Still Waters IIFog Free in Saul CreekAnybody hear banjo music?
With the fog gone, the skipper thought it would be smooth sailing for the rest of the day. But that was not meant to be. As they came out into the Apalachicola Bay, they encountered a dredge dead center in the channel. The dredge told the skipper to pass on the 1, so the skipper moved to starboard to go around the dredge. He looked at the chart and noticed that there would be only 5 feet of water. Not good when your boat draft is nearly 4. The skipper slowed and eased his way around the dredge until he could get back into the marked channel.
Dredge blocking channel
Not long after this, the crew was overtaken by a boat named SunSpot Baby. She is crewed by Dave and Nancy from up north on Lake Michigan. They had planned to cross the Gulf today in that great weather window but had some issues getting out into the Gulf. They are now headed to Carrabelle to wait for the next window to cross.
SunSpot Baby
Thursday, December 13th
SunSpot Baby hosted dock tales on their boat. The Admiral got the Grand Tour. The skipper learned that the boat is named for a Bob Seger tune by the same name.
She packed up her bags and she took off down the road
Left me here stranded with the bills she owed
She gave me a false address
Took off with my American Express
Sunspot Baby
She sure had me way outguessed
Thanks for a great evening aboard SunSpot Baby.
Friday, December 14th
There have been several groups of boaters who have ventured out into the Gulf over the last few weeks in marginal and deteriorating weather conditions. Then when things did not work out well for them they blamed the forecast for their bad decision. This fits perfectly with the skipper’s quote of the day, “To err is human, to blame the other guy is more human.”
For example, back on December 6th, a group of 13 captain’s got together to discuss their Gulf crossing plan. Two of these captain’s decided the weather window was not good for them and choose not to go. The other 11 left and encountered 3 foot seas at East Pass, just after entering the Gulf. Two more decided that this was not their cup of tea and returned to Carrabelle.
The other 9 continued on for twenty more hours getting kicked around by the seas. Rather than own their decision to cross based on what they saw with their own two eyes, they blamed the forecast for their choice.
One of the survivors had this to say after making it across the Gulf:
In my humble opinion, and recent personal experience, this crossing IS a big deal. We have no auto pilot and no stabilizer. We traveled in a very stable albeit small boat and it was the most frightening 22 hours of fighting the elements in total blackness I have encountered in 25+ years of boating. Despite all monitored apps, NOAA, consensus at the captains meeting (involving 13 other boats) the projected weather was not as expected. I am not ashamed to say I was very frightened.
It was obvious to the skipper that some people do not understand the basics of wave height, so he shared this little simple thought experiment with the AGLCA membership in hopes that others will not follow out into the Gulf in three foot waves, especially in a small boat.
As we now sit in Carrabelle waiting our turn to cross the Gulf, my thoughts have begun to ponder why many before me use the thumb rule of:
– Less than 10 mph winds
– Less than 2-foot waves
as their go-no-go decision tool.
I have also begun to ponder if I would go if the waves were just three foot just past Dog Island after entering the Gulf at East Pass.
To answer these and other questions, I ran this thought experiment and determined not only no, but heck no, I’m not going in three-foot seas. Read the thought experiment and you can make your own decision if you would go or not.
Thought experiment:
If the average wave height was predicted to be three foot, what could I actually expect to see while crossing the Gulf at 8 mph?
First, I found the following definition for wave height on the NOAA, National Weather Service page.
Significant Wave Height – is an average measurement of the largest 33% of waves.
IMHO- that is not very useful on the surface
Second, I also found this info following the above definition:
Significant wave height measured by a wave buoy corresponds well to visual estimates of wave height. Most human observers tend to over estimate the real height of waves.
As the significant wave height is an average of the largest waves over a recording period it should be noted that some waves might be much LARGER than the average.
Third, that begged the question, ‘How many are some?’
Answer – on average, about 15% of waves will equal or exceed the significant wave height. The highest 10% of waves could be 25-30% higher than the significant wave height.
And on occasion (about one per hour) one can expect to see a wave nearly twice the significant wave height.
So, in layman terms what does that mean to me as I spend 21 hours to cross 170 miles at 8 mph across the Gulf?
Assuming 3-foot waves in the Gulf with a 6 second period the entire route across.
And ignoring the fact that the boat is actually moving across the Gulf.
I could expect to see at least 7,560 waves (6 sec period, so 6 waves per minute, so 360 waves per hour)
The highest 10% of waves could be 25-30% higher. So, 30% of 3-foot wave would be 1 more foot or a bunch of 4-foot waves. How many is a bunch? 10% of 7,560 = 756 four-foot waves
And on occasion (about one per hour) one can expect to see a wave nearly twice the significant wave height. Therefore, we should expect to see some waves twice as high as the three footers which means we get to surf some 6-foot waves 21 times as we go across the Gulf.
Summary:
# of waves – 7,650 (which most look like three footers to the untrained eye)
# of 4-foot waves – 756
# of 6-foot waves – 21
As a reminder this was assuming the boat is not moving which we know it is. So, in reality you will see even more waves than this simple thought process.
However, for me and my wife, these numbers are proof enough that we do not want to go out in 3-foot seas, meet a bunch of 4 footers, and get kissed hourly by a 6-footer.
So, when I stick my nose out in the Gulf and see 3-foot seas, we are making a game-day-decision to return to Carrabelle, and wait for the next window. Four to six-foot waves take the pleasure out of pleasure boating for us.
But every body is different. On our boat we have two people on board and two types of peanut butter (creamy and crunchy). Different is neither right or wrong. It is just different.
So maybe you would go, if you do, I hope you make it safely. I am sure you will. It might not be pleasurable but it would probably be safe.
One clever response to the skipper’s post was as follows:
A wave is wave of course, of course
But the height of the wave is of course, a force?
The simple truth is, how much force do you want?
No force, little force or the boat doing stunts.
For me it is simple, while riding the seas
I only want a MINIMAL BREEZE!
If you want to brag that you survived the worst
Get out there and do it! You may be the first!
Saturday, December 15th
There are now 8 boats at the Moorings in Carrabelle waiting for the next weather window to cross the Gulf. To pass the time the group of 8 decided to have a potluck dinner that actually turned into hamburgers and hotdogs.
The ladies transformed the Boaters Lounge into a nice place for dinner, converting the pool table into a serving table with all the food.
It appeared that all had a good time, but before breaking up for Looper Midnight I managed to get this group shot. Notice I even got the skipper in the pic.
Gammel Dansk, SunSpot Baby, Still Waters II, Michigan Girl, Chip Ahoy, Aurora, Last Call, Compass Rose
Also, a shout out and big THANK YOU to the management of the Moorings of Carrabelle for the two bottles of complimentary wine. It was a nice surprise and much appreciated!
Boat Name of the Week
SunSpot Baby
Next Week –
The next weather window to cross the Gulf seems to be opening up on Monday. Because the winds have blown hard for the last several days, it will take a while for the waves to calm down. Based on the current forecast, a Tuesday night Wednesday crossing looks the best. If the forecast holds the crew should make the jump across the Gulf and be safely docked in Dunedin by Wednesday afternoon
Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!
The skipper saw the picture of this big target when he first entered the Navy Aviation Museum. For those who know that the skipper served aboard a submarine, he would remind you that the Navy only has two kinds of ships, targets and submarines. That is one big target.
Summary of the Week:
This past week the crew started their eastward journey along the Gulf Coast. As often happens on The Loop, they were thwarted by the weather. They did manage three travel days and a 0.3 mile jump to find safe haven from the storm scheduled to arrive Saturday afternoon. The Crew Left Dog River (1) and arrived on the Gulf Coast to dock at The Wharf (2) Monday. Stopped at Pensacola (3) to visit the Navy Aviation Museum on Thursday. Ended up at Ft Walton Beach (4) on Friday.
The voyage of discovery did answer the following questions this week:
Who was the Navy’s first Ace?
What war did he achieve Ace status?
Who commissioned the Blue Angels?
At the Box Office
This week’s video shows Still Waters II as she visits the Navy Aviation Museum. 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, December 3rd
The crew left with their flotila of Nordic Tugs and headed out into Mobile Bay. With the wind out of the north, it would be a rolly ride with beam seas as the crew traveled east on the Dog River Channel.
On the Dog River Channel headed to Mobile BayBald Eagle marking the entrance to Mobile Bay
After getting back to the Big Ship Channel, the crew made a left and headed toward the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway (GC ICW) with following seas. A much more comfortable ride with those waves on the stern.
Pelicans in flight above Mobile Bay
When the crew left the Bay, they set their sites on LuLu’s Restaurant where they planned to Dock & Dine. However, upon arrival the skipper noticed that there were no lights on. The Admiral noticed a guy on the fuel dock so she yelled across the water to inquire if LuLu’s was open. He responded, “No they are closed on Monday’s.” Now that was disappointing.
Not eating here this year
With that sad news, it was a short two miles down the ICW to The Wharf Marina where the crew would spend the next few days.
Tuesday and Wednesday
The Wharf is a shoppers haven. With so many stores to shop the Admiral had her work cut out. She rose to the challenge and shopped till she dropped. Unfortunately, she dropped a few George Washington’s along the way. After three years of searching, she finally found her perfect recliner that can fit thru the 23 inch door and is the right color.
After an exhausting day of shopping it was nice that KC and Scott set up a dinner for the Loopers at the Wharf.
The Wharf decorated for Christmas:
Thursday, December 6th
The crew made an early departure so that they could arrive in time at Pensacola to go visit the Navy Aviation Museum. The first interesting development in the morning though was watching an Osprey swoop down and catch a fish for morning breakfast just off the bow of the boat.
Fish Breakfast
The crew then entered Florida waters, so they know the quest for the Platinmum Flag is drawing near. A quick rough calc and it appears the crew has around 450 miles to go to complete their second Loop.
When the crew spotted the Pensacola Lighthouse they knew the day’s run was about over. They got docked, and then Bill arranged for an Uber ride to the Museum. Strangely enough, taxi’s are allowed on the Naval Base but Uber and Lyft are not. The Uber driver performed a bit of slight of hand and managed to deliver the group to the front door of the museum. The skipper does not think the driver fooled the gate guard at all, but what the heck, mission accomplished.
Pensacola Lighthouse
The museum was extremely interesting. The group arrived just in time to catch the 45 minute, 1300 tour. At 1530, the tour guide wrapped up his presentation. The tour guide did an excellent job of show and tell, and explaining the evolution of Naval Aircraft from the Navy’s first plane to the planes of WWII.
The Navy’s first ever airplane
The group only spent the afternoon at the museum, and the skipper could easily have spent two days taking in all the exhibits. He diffentily has this place on his ‘return and visit some more’ list.
With a 2.5 hour tour, the skipper has many interesting stories to share but will only share a few here.
For starters, the skipper is always looking for connections to home and family when he visits museums. He found both at the Aviation Museum.
The Texas connection
The tour took them to an interesting little plane named USS Texas. The plane was a Sopwith Camel and was used in WWI. In fact, a Lieutenant (junior grade) flew one of these planes to become the Navy’s first ever Ace. You may recognize that this is also the plane that Snoopy flies in the Peanuts cartoons.
The family connection was discovered by Mary. It was tucked a way in a corner of the museum where the curator had built a Hinoi Hilton display comemorating all the naval pilots shot down in Vietnam. One of these pilots was Captain Robert B. Fuller who was shot down July 14, 1967.
Clothing of the Hanoi Hilton
The last story to share was about a display of the Blue Angels flying in formation. The guide told a story about when the display was first finished, the curator brought in some past Blue Angel pilots to get their feedback. When they unveiled the display, it was obvious by the looks on the pilot’s faces that something was wrong. When questioned, the pilots asked why the planes were so far apart. They commented that while flying in formation the planes are never more than 18 inches apart.
The guide also pointed out another interesting little plane that was used by the Navy between the World Wars. This plane was used to do flight demonstrations while tied together with two other planes. After WWII, Admiral Nimitz commissioned the now famous Blue Angels to carry on the mission and keep the general public interested in Naval Aviation. The Blue Angels formed in 1946 and are the secondest oldest aviation aerobatic team.
Predecessor of the Blue Angels
Ok, you probably guessed there would be one more last story. In honor of Presiden Bush who passed away this past week, here is a picture of the plane he used to log 30 flight training hours in before earning his wings.
The group returned to the marina just in time to witness the sunset.
Friday, December 7th
The run to Ft Walton Beach was anti-climatic for the crew. However, they did begin to see the first signs of Hurricane Michael which tore thru the area earlier in the year. The first signs of damage were the number of new docks that had already been rebuilt along the waterway. The second sign was an abandoned sailboat still lying on the shore waiting for disposal.
The worst of the damage is still east of the crew. As they pass by Destin, reports are pretty bleak. The two marinas in Panama City have still not re-opened. The marina at Port St Joe was completly destroyed.
But those are challenges to deal with next week. Today, the Admiral spotted a Whataburger that was only a mile from the Ft Walton Beach free dock and she mentioned she wanted to partake of a Whataburger for the evening meal. After all the boats were safely docked, several of the group headed to the local supermarket on foot to reprovision.
View from the Ft Walton Beach free dock
Later, after returning to the boat and stowing the groceries, the group set off for the Whataburger. While crossing the streets with Dan and Tori, the skipper learned the finer points of those bumpy mats found at the end of a sidewalk near the road.
When Tori approaches a corner, she pulls Dan over to those bumps and positions Dan on the mat. He can feel the bumps thru his shoes and knows he is ready to cross when the traffic stops. But if a sighted person is standing on the bumpy mat, the seeing eye dog and blind person, who the bumpy mat was designed for, cannot get properly positioned to cross the road.
If you are like the skipper, yes you have stood on the bumpy mat waiting to cross the road. The skipper prides himself on trying to learn something new every day. Today he learned to stay off the bumpy mat. Maybe you learned something new today also.
And yes the Whataburger was most excellent!
Saturday, December 8th
The weather dictated that the flotilla stay put today. The winds were already blowing about about 10 miles per hour at 0700, and are predicted to climb to 20 by late afternoon. The gusts are forecast for the 30’s. With no good options for a marina in the next 150 miles due to the hurricane damage, the flotilla moved across the waterway to get in a small cove that is better protected from the wind and wave action to ride out the blow.
Moved along red line to protected coveIn a protective coveRiding out the blow
Boat Name of the Week
Notice the back of their boat has the following scripture reference: I Peter 5:7 (ESV)
……casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
The crew of No Worries. Had a wonderful evening with ya’ll.
Next Week
The crew will continue their east bound journey along the Gulf Coast and stage in Carrabelle for the Gulf Crossing to Tarpon Springs. At this point, the forecast shows a poential crossing for Wednesday/Thursday night. If that window does not materialize, the next opportunity to get across the Gulf and to the west coast of Florida may not appear until December 18th. The crew will watch and wait to see what happens.
Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.
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?
What is the Flagler divorce law, and how many times was it used?
How did the third wife meet her unfortunate demise?
What is the oldest restaurant in Florida?
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.
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.
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!
Summary of week:
The long-awaited Bahama crossing finally took place. The crew made three moves on their way to the Bahamas: 1- Left Lake Worth and proceeded to Boca Raton Lake where they anchored for the night. 2- Then repositioned to Ft Lauderdale where they finished provisioning for the six weeks in the Bahamas. 3 – An early morning start that ended with the crew safely thru customs at the West End on the Grand Bahama Island.
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 making the cross to the Bahamas. The skipper shot short clips hourly, so folks could see the difference in the ride and the water. 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, February 5, 2018
The plan was to leave for Boca Raton Lake, but Still Waters II was not ready to leave the fine marina at Old Port Cove. When the skipper went to start the starboard engine by turning the key, and then pushing the start button……. not a sound from the engine. This was not good.
The skipper tried a few tricks to start the engine, but each time there was total silence, well except for the engine oil low pressure alarm because the engine would not crank.
The skipper spent two hours troubleshooting and finally had to call for reinforcements. A marine electrician showed up after lunch and found a loose wire connected to the starter. The electrician showed the wire to the skipper and gave him instructions on how to clean the terminals and re-land the wire.
Seemed simple enough. So how long does it take to re-land one wire? Well, once you realize the wire is connected on the bottom side of the starter which is mounted outboard side of the engine, you quickly realize this will be no quick and easy fix. About five hours later the skipper finally found a way to reach the screw, use a mirror to ‘see’ the screw, and finally have success in tightening the little bugger.
Another day of boat yoga. I am pretty sure I heard the skipper mumble something about the next boat will have a stand-up engine room.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
With the repair complete and the weather window appearing to hold for a Thursday crossing, the crew headed further south for Boca Raton Lake.
This was a short 34 mile run that consists of much time spent at idle speed due to the number of bridges and homes with enough money to influence the Coast Guard for posted No Wake Zones.
The run took five hours, but this five was much better than the five spent yesterday afternoon. At least the Iguana watching was fun. They seemed to be on every bridge fender the boat went under.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
The Ft Lauderdale Marina asked that Still Waters II not show up until after 1400. With that in mind, the crew did not weigh anchor until 1130. It is only a short 18 miles to Ft Lauderdale. But again, much of the 18 miles is at idle speed because of bridges and No Wake Zones.
However, one delivery captain did make the afternoon entertaining. In one section, there are three bridges that have their openings synchronized so that if you travel at a set slow speed, you will arrive just in time for the bridge to open. However, if you miss one of the bridge openings it will cost you a thirty-minute wait for the next opening.
The delivery captain arrived at the first bridge on time, but the bridge was 3.5 minutes late to open. The bridge tender was in the process of training a new employee. By the time the bridge opened, and the delivery captain passed thru, there was not enough time to make the next bridge.
He complained to the bridge tender, and even went as far to radio the next bridge and ask the bridge to delay the next opening until he arrived. The crew could hear the delivery captain for the next hour complaining to each bridge tender about the first fiasco.
The skipper could not take the belly aching anymore, so he picked up the radio and said: “Hey delivery captain, why don’t you build a bridge and get over it.”
I’m pretty sure the delivery captain did not like to hear that, but I am also equally sure that all the bridge tenders got a good laugh. Oh, and there was no more belly aching on the radio by the delivery captain.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
The crew shoved off the dock bright and early this morning at 0451, in the dark. When they arrived at the Port Everglades inlet there was a large container ship being pushed by a few tugs in the turning basin. Still Waters II barely squeezed by them but did manage to pass.
Then once in the inlet, they meet another container ship coming in. Meeting these big ships in the night is not much fun. Also, the swells were 3-4 feet coming smack dab on the bow as the crew was trying to leave. Makes for a rough ride, especially since you cannot see the waves and anticipate the roll of the boat.
At 0530, Still Waters II was in the Big Pond and the skipper set a heading of 79* magnetic on the autopilot. At 0702, the crew witnessed a blazing sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.
The further the crew travelled the smoother the ride became. The swells decreased down under two feet for most of the day.
At 1217 the crew spotted the water tower at the West End. They were about 11.7 miles offshore when the skipper yelled: “Land Ho!”
At 1333, Still Waters II entered the basin leading into the Marina at the West End. By 1341, the crew had landed at slip C-16 and was greeted by a nice young man who handed over a packet of papers, requested the crew to fill them out, and pointed the way to the Customs House.
The Check-in process went smoothly, and the crew is off to explore their new surroundings.
As the crew was getting settled, they noticed parachutes falling from the sky. There were about a dozen people who had jumped out of a perfectly good airplane to test to see if their parachute would open.
If the parachute does not open, you can count on gravity. It is the only thing known to work 100% of the time.
Friday-Saturday
The crew has gone beach coming twice. The first time they found several nice conch shells.
Then the neighbor in the slip next door told the crew about a beach down by the airport runway that has a long stretch of ‘sea glass.’ The crew headed that way and found a wide range of ‘treasures’ washed up on the beach.
A days spoils after a few hours on the beach.
On Saturday afternoon, a couple of folks went out in their dinghies to try their hand at spear fishing. When they returned, they had harvested seven lobsters and one conch. The crew went over to watch them field dress the conch.
Once they had the conch out of the shell, they ‘skinned’ the muscle so that only white flesh was exposed. Then they beat it with a tenderizer mallet and put lemon juice on it to help soften it up some more. That seems to be much effort for less than a handful of meat.
Our crew prefers to lay out by the pool and enjoy the view.
Next Week –
At this point the goal is to head towards Green Turtle Cay. The crew will Island hop, stop, and anchor a few nights on the way to the Cay. Also, the Admiral has her heart set on seeing some swimming pigs, so the skipper will be searching for a few talented pigs. Rumor has it that some pigs can be found at No Name Cay.
Loop On – Where the road ends, the water begins. The water goes on forever, and the adventure never ends.
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 Lake Worth from Still Waters II on Vimeo.
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.
at
We arrived in St. Augustine around 6 o’clock 
The following day the touring began
At Merritt Island we were excited to see
![Henry-M-Flagler-Museum[1].png](https://stillwaters2scuttlebutt.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/henry-m-flagler-museum1.png)
![henry flagler.2-web[1]](https://stillwaters2scuttlebutt.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/henry-flagler-2-web1.jpg)
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.
Voyaging America's Great Loop Aboard Still Waters II 