Dubhe III - Great Loop Adventure

We have crossed our Wake!

2008-05-07T15:36:00.002-05:00

Tonight we are in Liberty Landing, Jersey City. If I look to our stern, I can see Lady Liberty and to our starboard is the Manhattan Skyline. This evening should be beautiful with all the lights and excitement. Ron, Gilligan and I would like to thank you for being a part of our journey and for all the support we've received along the way. It has been a trip of a lifetime and we are glad we did it and glad it's ended. Now to plant a flower and watch it grow! There was a ceramic plaque in our pilot house area. It reads: "Lord, keep your arm around my shouldner and your hand over my mouth." We give thanks and praise to our loving Father for his guidance and protection along the way. We look forward to where He will lead us next!

Dubhe III Crosses her wake!

2008-05-07T15:12:00.002-05:00

THIS was a bonus believe us! At Cape May we met a wonderful couple from Ottowa, Canada aboard the Janbarre III. There were about five boats land locked due to inclement weather. We had gone out to dinner a few times together and we traveled to the next two marina's with Janbarre. As it worked out, we were both going to Liberty Landing Marina in Manhattan at the end of this days journey and we crossed our wake (completed the Loop) at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Because they were traveling along side, they were gracious enough to take these shots. We will treasure the gift!

WE'RE ALMOST THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-07T14:59:00.001-05:00

Morning Star

2008-05-05T14:14:00.003-05:00

Another bed and breakfast. As you can see we are still in Cape May. This morning we were completely disconnected, lines singled back, and good to go when fog began to settle in. On the ocean, 1/4 mile visibility which wasn't the problem. The real problem is the wind took a turn and was now NE to become East this afternoon. That's over the water folks, and not a nice ride. We rode to the ocean on our bikes this afternoon and thankfully it was every bit as nasty as we all thought it would be. This way we weren't kicking ourselves for not going "anyway!" Tomorrow morning is supposed to be SW and all of the boats who have been stuck here for five days, plan on leaving around 6 and hopefully making it to the Manasquan Inlet tomorrow evening. Keep your fingers crossed! This is a very nice place, but we are tired of being here at this point and want to get on and done with the trip! It's time to go home folks!!!!

Angel of the Sea

2008-05-05T14:09:00.002-05:00

Just had to go back and get a picture of this beautiful bed and breakfast. The second half was undergoing renovations as you can see, but it was such a pretty place, I had to get a picture.

Hummmmmmmer

2008-05-05T14:02:00.002-05:00

Yes, they say it's a hummer and is used for brush fires. Not very effective we are told as the unit was not really designed to carry the amount of water they carry. I thought this would be great fun for our guys back home, but the people we spoke to said it's not at all what they would have chosen. I just thought it was a great looking apparatus and thought you firefighters back home would enjoy it too.

Cape May, New Jersey

2008-05-04T08:32:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we walked along the beach. We are still held by weather at Utsch Marina -- a great place if you have to be stuck anywhere. Three of the boats held here for the past three days left this morning and radioed back their impression of sea conditions. Four of us decided to give it another day to lay down and the sea conditions for tomorrow (Monday) are far more favorable. This was a little sand shark we saw one of the anglers bring in. It gave quite a nice fight and he showed it to his children and gentle released it back into the ocean. Gilligan's take on the sand shark -- don't ask!

Cape May Canal

2008-05-01T13:51:00.002-05:00

We were grateful to see this part of the journey today. The Delaware Bay had a 3-4 foot chop. It was unpleasant but not a bad transit. We hope to have two more days along the New Jersey ICW. Then out the Manasquan Inlet to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge where our loop officially closes! We had planned on going up the East River AGAIN and through Hell's Gate to head out to Connecticut but that has changed at this point due to our former marina not having any room at this point in the beginning of the boating season. Therefore, we plan to reverse course once we've closed the loop and head back home where a berth awaits us. We will then drive back to CT to gather all the "stuff" and bring it home! Our daughter and son-in-law are helping in the moving process. We are grateful for the helping hands. Neither of us can believe it is almost completed. Some days it felt like an eternity and other days it felt like we'd just begun. I'll be posting a few entries along the way and you can bet you'll see the Verrazano!!!!

Ship John Shoel Light and Frost Ledge Light

2008-05-01T13:48:00.001-05:00

St. Georges East and West Bridges

2008-05-01T13:45:00.001-05:00

We entered the Delaware Bay today and headed south to Cape May! South again?? Come on Ronald! Go North, Go North! We're so close now! But of course you must go south on the Delaware Bay where we pick up the intercoastal again in Cape May, NJ

Behold, a car carried Ron tells me.

2008-05-01T13:43:00.001-05:00

Rock Hall Landing

2008-05-01T13:39:00.001-05:00

We were in Rock Hall Landing for what we'd hoped would be a two day stay. We came in last Saturday and was to see our son and his family on Sunday, which we did. However, the weather picture did not look good for departure on Monday or Tuesday so we remained at Rock Hall and enjoyed every bit of the town, the friendly people and the great restaurants.

It's a visiting bird!

2008-05-01T13:32:00.002-05:00

Ahh, no no no no no I'm not going to risk getting in trouble with you Audubon folks! It's a bird. What kind of bird? Well, you can tell us. It came "a visitin" and I took it's picture for you! Enjoy!

Grandeur of the Seas

2008-04-28T08:35:00.002-05:00

This passenger ship was piloted by a very strong will woman. We particularly enjoyed her radio coms all the way out of the Chesapeake. Reminded me a little of Chief Smith in her approach and I had a great deal of respect for her and her abilities. Ron was impressed with the way in which she maneuvered among those fishing boats and a few times she had to request larger vessels to share a bit more of the channel.

Other interesting challenges

2008-04-28T08:27:00.002-05:00

Sailboats in the area were too many to count! And the fisherman??? These little floats for trolling were on every boat. They might span 50 feet from the stern or span out 500 feet AND they will cut right across the bow and then remove their hats and begin a fisherman's dance as they wave you away from their precious lines! Well, ahh, why put them in front of us in the first place! And of course we were avoided all lines but not without a great deal of maneuverability! Is the world not big enough for all peoples to coexist? Hummm.

LNG Docks

2008-04-28T08:20:00.002-05:00

This one is for Steve! Leaving Solomon Islands this morning we passed by the LNG docks (Liquid Natural Gas ) at Cove Point by Camp Conoy. Quite an interesting process Ron was telling me and Steve used to captain these vessels. Steve, we were thinking about you.

O yea, this was interesting!

2008-04-28T08:13:00.002-05:00

Coming through Norfolk was an adventure! People must maintain a 500 yard security zone around any government vessel. Ahh, not Ron! He and a warship which was exiting its berth ran parallel into the same channel. Ron hailed the warship and stated he did not wish to breach the security limit. The warship said he saw us and all was well. The helicopter went into immediate action as we got closer to that ship and Jean did not think any of this was amusing. Ron? He laughed! Ahhh, we're on a small boat and this has been a long trip and neither of us has gone overboard YET -- we should write a book!

The Savanah

2008-04-28T08:10:00.001-05:00

Ron tells me this is the first nuclear powered merchant ship. Notice the symbol on the starboard side of the ship?

We blended in with the snowbirders

2008-04-28T08:04:00.002-05:00

This, we were told, was the beginning phases of the snow bird migration! We finally caught up to all the boats who do this coastal run twice a year and felt like a group of newborn chicks as we all negotiated around very large tankers, cargo ships, and warships. Together we were a small speck among these giants!

Exiting the Dismal Swamp into ... WHAT?

2008-04-28T07:53:00.002-05:00

From miles and miles of quiet, peaceful wooded swamp areas, we came out into Norfolk. Entering the Elizabeth River, VA cut this is a 65 foot bascule bridge. Remember when you were a kid and saw a very large footprint along a wooded area and wondered: What must THAT footprint belong to and how big is it? Well, this is a 65 foot bascule bridge. And that opens for WHAT?

Interesting Information

2008-04-28T07:43:00.002-05:00

Exiting the Dismal Swamp, this informational board we found amusing. Key West 1239 miles! Realizing we'd been there a few months back and that this was only a small part of the 5000 miles of the Loop. It has been a little less than a year and if all goes well, we hope to cross our wake next week at Hell's Gate, Manhattan. We not longer plan on returning to Milford however. Once we cross our wake, we'll head for home.

Our Chaperones

2008-04-24T20:41:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not, these two geese stayed with us for about half of the Dismal Swamp. They would fly a short distance in front of the boat, land and wait for us to catch up. No sooner did we near their area and they would take to flight again, but never once did they swim to the side, or take off completely. It got to be funny actually. Especially when transiting this LONG LONG 22 Miles!!

Cleaning up the Swamp

2008-04-24T20:34:00.002-05:00

We did see signs of caring along the way. This is some of the debris taken from the canal. We are grateful to the Army Corp of Engineers.

Do ya' wonder what THIS is?

2008-04-24T20:17:00.003-05:00

The picture on the left is the prop wash while going through the Dismal Swamp and the picture to the right is foam that accumulates by the lock by-pass. We asked the lock master about these things expecting him to say it was so utterly polluted they would never have an opportunity to correct it. To the contrary, this is what he told us (and I haven't looked it up on the Internet to validate this information yet so we pass along just what he said). The water supply, he said, comes from Artisian wells which emanate from the Virginia Mts. and takes somewhere between 4 to 5 years before it gets to the Dismal Swamp. It's the cleanest water on earth, potable and almost made it to the moon by NASA. The foam is tanic acid from the peat moss bogs which are thousands of acres. It cannot grow bacteria and you could leave it in a barrel for years and what hadn't evaporated could still be usable for drinking. He'd been operating the lock for 14 years and is soon to begin a barge business where people can experience the Dismal Swamp without risk to their personal boats. Anyone want to venture a guess as to whether or not we attempted to grab a glass and test out his theory? I think NOT!

Two locks on the Dismal Swamp

2008-04-24T20:10:00.003-05:00

Two locks stand sentry on the Dismal Swamp. First the South Mills Lock brings you up 8' and then the Deep Creek Lock brings you back down again. After, that long long trek of straight path!! Where you've chosen to risk your prop at every turn! And just as I was sure this was a crazy waste of time ... we spoke to the Deep Creek Lock Master. See the next picture.

More of the Dismal Swamp

2008-04-24T20:00:00.003-05:00

This straigth path ran for apporx. 22 miles. Twenty Two LONG LONG Miles! I mean LONGGG Miles! At approximately 7 mph folks! (Their ruling, not ours) Long Miles :-)

The Dismal Swamp, NC

2008-04-24T19:49:00.003-05:00

This is some of the places we went through in the Dismal Swamp. The "dead heads" were prevalent and we felt a hefty "thud" twice. Never a pleasant sound or feeling. Yes, we've decided to have a short haul when we return to the Boat Works about May 3.

Floating on the water

2008-04-24T19:44:00.002-05:00

This beautiful creature was floating on the water and couldn't seem to fly out. So the boat hook helped a little, and he flew right back in! Again we got him out and placed him on the stairway leading to the docks. He sat for about 40 minutes and flew away:-))) Isn't it beautiful?

Our exercise track

2008-04-22T09:49:00.002-05:00

Lamb's marina is located on one of the major county highways. There are no sidewalks and these railroad tracks have become our main exercise track in between the cloudbursts. Still today, more thunderstorms and rain predicted. We are pretty well stuck in this location until the weather clears. We've found railroad spikes and s-hooks that attach the steel plate with each tie and I keep picking them up suggesting we send them to Tony but Ron says he has a ton of this stuff, he's sure.

Dr. Ron administers first aid

2008-04-22T08:43:00.003-05:00

Never underestimate the way in which you can use a bungee cord! It worked great, until I couldn't feel my toes anymore! Back in February, we did a 4 1/2 mile bike trip to a local Lowes hardware store to check out various appliance manufacturers. We had a very strong wind with us on the way down. Coming back it was brutal and it literally stopped forward progress twice. We thought of calling some friends who had cars at the marina, but then decided we could push through. Well, the ole' Achilles Tendon hasn't been the same since. I saw our doctor when we were home for Easter and he recommended an MRI. The scheduling did not work out and when we come ashore, that may have to be a priority. In the meantime, after a walk, ice helps (when it isn't being constricted with a bungee cord, that is) :-)))

Tigers working for tigers

2008-04-22T08:33:00.003-05:00

In a quiet little shopping area when we visited my cousin in Myrtle Beach, SC, we came across these playful little critters. I only had my cell phone with me, sorry about the pictures. They are on display to bring attention to the endangered species of tigers and they raise money by offering the pictures taken with the animal if one should desire to do so. My cousin made the mistake of telling me they were in the shopping area while we were waiting to get a table at one of the local restaurants. Ron tried to take it back ... quickly ... and how long do you think they sat at the acquired table before his wife returned?

A little scary, but we had a depth of 6 feet all the way

2008-04-22T08:29:00.001-05:00

Half a Bridge is better than none!

2008-04-22T08:20:00.002-05:00

We decided to move from the Pelican Marina to the Lambs Marina. Lambs was inside a very open waterway called the Pasquotank River subject to SW winds and we had plenty of SW winds which had us and all the other boats bobbing like corks all night. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Lambs was 2 1/2 miles up the river and in a very protected area. Matter of fact, we took pictures of just how "protected" it was. Check next picture.

To get to lambs, we needed to request a bridge opening. Here you see it. I guess half a bridge opening is far better than none at all! This was at Elizabeth City, NC. It is a passage to the Dismal Swamp which begins after the South Mills Lock. We will see that if we ever get to get underway again. More rain and thunder storms today! This is now three nights at Lambs. :-(

North Carolina's "Potato Gun"

2008-04-19T21:14:00.002-05:00

We are docked at the Pelican Marina tonight. It's in Elizabeth City, NC. When we move the boat again, we hope to enter the Dismal Swamp. (I say it that way because we are expecting two days of thunder showers and bad weather. We will of course, remain in the marina if indeed reports are consistant tomorrow and Monday.) From everything we've read, the Dismal Swamp is a section of NC you did not want to miss and it was closed due to low water levels until 2/22/o8. So we got lucky. The marina we are in tonight is filled with very nice and hospitable people. The young man in green works for the marina. He is holding a "potato gun." As yes, you load it with potatoes, inject hairspray and fire at will! Gilligan does NOT like this thing. You can imagine how loud it is. It's almost a muffled thud! But loud at the same time. Well, the young man ran out of potatoes. Here at Elizabeth City, a local Farm Fresh supermarket will actually pick you up at a marina and drive you back again when you have completed the shopping in their store. It's a wonderful and much needed service for boaters. We were grateful. We utilized the service. Now you KNOW I had to get another bag of potatoes for this fellow. He called us over this evening to watch it fire. And yes, fire does indeed come out the end of this thing. It can shoot with amazing accuracy as well. This guy hit a garbage can dead on. And no, for those of you wondering, I did not want to try it. It looked like it gave quite a kickback and memories of a shotgun I fired at age 12 when my brother told me to hold it snugged into the shoulder -- I didn't -- it hurt! We don't have any of our own doctors nearby right now, thank you! I'll watch.

Glad we used a trip line!

2008-04-19T21:08:00.002-05:00

Anchoring in any part of the ICW in this portion of NC, the use of a trip line is highly recommended. We used one last night even though we saw nothing on the bottom to merit it. Better safe than sorry. We were happy to have just a bit of extra insurance of getting out this morning. As it wound up, we had no problems. The mud was very thick and we were glad for a salt water wash down in the bow.

Loved this boat on the wat through.

2008-04-19T21:02:00.002-05:00

Beginning our journey again beyond the Neuse River (whew) and leaving Bear Creek, we entered what they call the pipeline. There were many shrimp boats up that way. I though this was so pretty -- and huge! compared to most of the fleet we've seen.

This kept me out of trouble for a while

2008-04-19T20:54:00.002-05:00

Stopping in Ft. Myers, Florida back in December, a friend loaned me her very old book filled with crochet patterns. I liked this one for our grandson's when they come to visit, and purchased the wool before leaving Ft. Myers. I needed my friends level of expertise to help me understand some of the directions. She walked me through some of the diagonal squares. I just completed the project and liked it so well that I'm attempting another pattern for our king sized bed at home. Thanks Bonnie!

Today was a bad mistake!

2008-04-16T13:24:00.003-05:00

This morning we left our anchorage and just put our nose out into the Neuse River in NC. Weather reports said 20 knots this afternoon and we discussed it and thought we could be across the open area and into the lee before it hit. Ah, no. By the time we'd reached a point of no return, we were both knowing this was a bad mistake. We had 6 foot all the way, pounding into one while the second and third washed over the boat. We found one other sailboat out with us and the captains began to discuss strategies on how to get into an anchorage with the least amount of difficulty. Part of the journey in had to be some beam sea. We were looking for as little as possible and we wound up tacking in, passing by the anchorage and coming about to take it on the quarter rather than much beam. It was a very nasty day. Two mishaps occurred while underway. Our secondary anchor broke loose and began paying out while we were underway making forward progress. Ron heard it (although how he heard it with the roar of the wind and the slap of the waves, is beyond me) and he went out to correct the problem while I kept her into the wind as best I could with little or no headway until the anchor was again secure. Then I heard a clunking sound from the bridge and the mast had pulled out of the two supporting brace sleeves. The mast was wavering back and forth on it's own hinge and one of us had to go up. Ron wanted to go but I was truly afraid to take the wheel in this and knew if I went overboard, there was a good possibility of him getting me back, whereas if he went overboard, we were both doomed! (A little joke there) Up I went and secured the mast to the f/b backrest railing. We are currently anchored in a little creek called Bear Creek and have about a one foot chop going. It looks like we'll be here for at least 48 hours according to reports. So we'll be using the generator for all our needs. Speaking of the generator, that decided to die on us three nights ago. Ron backwashed it and cleared the line and it worked yesterday and quit again that evening. Last night he changed the salt water impeller and all is well! We didn't find all the pieces to the old impeller however -- so keep a good thought out! O well, this is what makes an interesting read in a log!!

LIVE firing??!!

2008-04-16T13:14:00.002-05:00

And the sign reads: STOP DO NOT PROCEED Live Firing in process when flashing! And then they give you a radio station to tune to! Hummm. Tanks all over the place, and now this! A most unsettling area. And we though it was bad back in Mobile Alabama when we were anchored out and a hunter whizzed a bullet FROM our port side across the stern to the starboard side and all we heard was the bullet breaking through the reeds on the OPPOSITE side it was fired on! Don't think we want to play with these guys.

Farewell to the Sea Lion

2008-04-14T16:35:00.002-05:00

She left us this morning. It was a very exciting venture to witness a small part of this operation. As she pulled away I couldn't help but say a little prayer for her to be used for good and that God would watch over and protect the crew.

Docking and Undocking

2008-04-14T16:29:00.002-05:00

You will notice there is zero visibility in this unit. The joy stick is used for docking and undocking. Can you just see Ron wanting to get his hands on that control? And he wasn't alone. Every guy on the dock was totally intrigued with this vessel. More information can be found on the government web site.

The camera and the stern

2008-04-14T16:19:00.002-05:00

More Sea Lion

2008-04-14T16:14:00.002-05:00

Look what we found when we returned!

2008-04-14T16:10:00.002-05:00

Coming back from the beach, this is what we found. She's the Sea Lion II. A Navy vessel and that's all they'd tell us. An unexpected problem brought her to our marina and they also took on fuel while they were there. We were very grateful we had fueled upon arrival as they took every drop and would have taken more if it were available. What was every drop? 1300 gallons!

A walk away from the marina

2008-04-14T16:04:00.003-05:00

We thoroughly enjoyed the beach just a short walk from the marina. It felt great to see familiar places again (the ocean is one of our favorite).

Gilligan was able to run free a mile or two away from the main entrance. None of us really wanted to leave.

Being at the Beach felt GREAT!

2008-04-14T15:59:00.001-05:00

Carolina Beach, NC

2008-04-14T15:56:00.001-05:00

Oceana Marina, now called Joyner Marina, SC

2008-04-14T15:48:00.003-05:00

Check out these boulders. Now add a 5 knot current and a wind blowing about 20 mph. BOTH TOWARD THE BOULDERS! Yeah, Ron had this one, for sure! And the Nordic is intact. In a minute I'll show you the neighbors that rolled in while we were walking on the beach.

Shrimp Boats

2008-04-14T15:45:00.001-05:00

All along the waterway you see these shrimp boats. They are just so picturesque. I had to share it with you.

Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge

2008-04-14T15:39:00.002-05:00

The little "house" isn't a house! It's the mobile part of the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge at Mile Marker 337.9 in North Carolina. The bridge open only on the hour and will not open at all during extreme low tide because there's not enough water to operate it. There is an underwater cable is used to pull the pontoon out of the way and oncoming boaters must wait until they receive a signal from the bridge tender to proceed. Most interesting.

Nice to have a cousin around when you need one!

2008-04-14T15:24:00.002-05:00

We stopped at Myrtle Beach, SC to see a cousin we had not seen in years. Had a wonderful time, Gilligan found a new friend (a 15 month old Maltese puppy) and we were grateful for the helping hand which we found out we needed a day before we arrived.

While in Florida, Gilligan picked up fleas. We went to three vets for products to rid him of the little pests and found that all three were out of the products. The flea infestation in Florida this year was record breaking. Gilligan didn't have a chance. But we are in close quarters here on the boat and we acted very quickly to put that behind us. We were successful. However, it was so bad, he was re infested! Again we worked diligently to put it behind us and so far the boat was still alright. In other words we were running neck and neck. Dubhe III 2, fleas 0. A day before we arrived at my cousins, I noticed a small white parasite and called our vet. Tape Worm. It comes from a dog ingesting a flew with the parasite within. And Gilligan obviously did this. Tape worm is the only parasite in the worm family that does not harm the host, we learned. They can pretty well coexist for a long period of time. Our vet told us how to handle it. We made an appointment with a vet down here and got the proper treatment. Definitely NOT a part of the trip we enjoyed. Gilligan is doing fine now however, and we are smiling a lot more. Our cousin ran us all over Myrtle beach for many different things -- most important was the Vet which they sat in the car for about an hour while we waited to see the doctor. Thank you both again. We really appreciate all you did while we were there.

Love a person with a sense of humor

2008-04-11T22:45:00.002-05:00

The sign on this waterfront home read: New York 657 miles and an arrow pointing North and Miami 720 miles and an arrow pointing South. If this is at all accurate, we are closer to home than to Miami and right now -- that feels very Good!! To both of us!! Ron is as anxious to get settled in our new home as I am. Gilligan? He's ready to find another boat and go around the Loop once again! Great little traveler.

Any golfers out there?

2008-04-11T22:42:00.000-05:00

Now that's a sand trap! This was a golf course that ran along the ICW prior to Myrtle Beach, SC.

O, did you guys want to pass :-)

2008-04-11T22:35:00.002-05:00

We began our day in some heavy fog. I was out on the bow while Ron kept a close eye on the radar and picked up two trawlers northbound about a quarter of a mile behind us. By radio we all communicated and they were going slightly faster than we felt was prudent under the circumstances. They eventually caught up to us and requested a pass. (See me smiling here??) That's when I went off duty!! When the two of them took the lead, we just followed closely behind far more reassured that if there were any deadheads, they would certainly find them first.

The dolphins are still with us

2008-04-11T22:19:00.002-05:00

This was a mother and her calf. The baby is just beyond her and I tried but could not get a picture with both up at the same time. Cute!! I loved it. They stayed with us for about 4 miles. They don't seem to be as active on this coast. From Mobile, Alabama, all the way around Florida, the dolphin would do what this one is doing. They would play in the wake or ride the bow. Here, rarely do they come near the wake. We see them constantly in the distance but they don't seem to want to come near the boats. It's still every bit as exciting to see them!

A typical anchorage in Georgia

2008-04-11T22:09:00.003-05:00

We anchored out five consecutive night as we passed through Georgia and part of South Carolina. This is a typical anchorage. Only an occasional shrimp boat passes. That's one of the reasons we file a float plan every day and take down the lat/long of each location. This is a "creek off of another creek". Oysters line the shore. Or there is a thick black mud. Wouldn't want to be taking our little guy ashore in this mess. It's one of the reasons we had to work with him to have him "cockpit trained." That isn't easy to teach a dog as every instinct says no to this idea. But Gilligan does pretty well. He's always so glad to see land and grass once again however.

The shad nets

2008-04-11T21:59:00.002-05:00

About twenty miles south of Myrtle Beach, SC, while transiting the ICW, suddenly a small boat powered up and stopped directly in front of us in the channel. We attempted to take his stern, yet he repositioned himself again directly in front of our boat. We couldn't imagine what this guy was doing as he herded us, like cattle, out of the main channel, (still within deep water range of course) and as we neared his boat we saw the string of floating nets across the main channel. This area has many shad nets. The owners stand guard over the nets and redirect any traffic as it presents itself. From this point on, we knew to look for them and give them a wide berth.

Solitude

2008-04-11T21:52:00.003-05:00

Here was a home in the middle of nowhere off the ICW. Today, April 9, we heard the funniest communication. Ron and I were laughing so hard. I wished I were still teaching communications with the Auxiliary because this was a powerful example to be used in a class. Ready?

"Hello Bridge? I don't know your name. This is the sailboat going North."

That was it! Nothing more! Do You think the bridge responded? Aaaa, nope! But you can bet many from the surrounding sailing population did.

Here, let me hold this for you!

2008-04-11T21:45:00.001-05:00

Ron's trying to read but Gilligan has other ideas. I just thought it was a cute picture!

Look closely :-(

2008-04-07T12:33:00.003-05:00

Never in a million years did I expect this picture to be clear enough to SEE these nasty little pests! THIS is Georgia! THIS is Before raising the anchor or even disturbing the chain! And they have no mercy, these pesty little bugs. Noseeums, the locals call them. They attack from all quarters, bite even in the eyelids, and fly up your nose! It was so brutal going through this state, we kept all lights off during the evening hours when we began noticing they WILL come right in through the screens! To avoid that you can spray the screen with Pam, or with insect repellent! Vicious little critters! That was the worst part of the state. The best part was the people! Hospitality? You couldn't ask for more. We had fellow boaters offer to take us into town for provisions, then gave us a wonderful tour of Brunswick, a beautiful city with down home warmth. They introduced us to "boiled peanuts" which we'd never had and Ron enjoyed. I thought they tasted like potatoes. We had dinner with this couple at one of their favorite restaurants and thoroughly enjoyed the stop at Two-Way Fish Camp Marina.

Ortega River

2008-04-07T12:26:00.003-05:00

We'd heard there was a nice little anchorage off the St. John's River entering the Ortega River. It was a nice little anchorage, although difficult to grab bottom. We were very grateful to have the second anchor available. For most stops a Bruce anchor did the job. Here we had lots of silt and used the fortress instead which grabbed the first time out. This was the smallest bascule bridge we've had on the loop.

Another huge Alligator!

2008-04-01T19:37:00.002-05:00

And speaking of predators, I would like to offer a word of caution to the many people who are viewing the blog. In the comment section, most upstanding visitors will do one of two things. Either they E-mail me directly, or they leave a message on the blog for all to enjoy. It has been brought to our attention that when you see no comment and you are being encouraged to click anything at all, to see what was intended, that some computers are being infected with undesirable installations. Therefore, I would encourage you NOT to click on anything you do not recognize.

This was our best Eagle shot

2008-04-01T19:30:00.002-05:00

Again, I took this through the binocular lens! The Eagles are so beautiful here. I get excited every time I see one. We sometimes confuse it with the stance of the osprey. We never realized what a proud bird the osprey is also. Without a doubt, the St. John's River has been my favorite part of the journey. Ron's favorite was the snorkeling.

Check out the neighbors!

2008-04-01T19:23:00.002-05:00

Coming up the river in a southward direction, we saw only two of these guys! Temperatures were in the 70's. Today, we began our journey home and temperatures were in the mid to high 80's. These guys lines the shore! We could not believe the size of some of them and we were very grateful to have a solid boat beneath us!

One more visit before heading north

2008-04-01T19:12:00.002-05:00

We felt very blessed to be able to spend one more day with our family in Florida. A good day was had by all. Even Gilligan!! The three "guys" got along very well. We hardly knew there were three dogs on board.

A Gold Flag!

2008-03-31T20:23:00.003-05:00

On the special Easter egg, Dubhe III was flying the gold flag! The firefighter who created the egg had been following the blog regularly. We'd told him about the gold flag. That's the flag you receive when you "cross your wake" or complete the Great Loop. It's sold by the AGLCA American Great Loop Cruisers Association and you must apply for this upon completion or shortly before completion to allow for shipping time. It's quite a celebration to those of us on the Loop. We've been fortunate enough to be in a marina with two other boats who have "Crossed their Wake" at that port. Always there is celebration and joy for the couple achieving what we have all set out to complete. There are many people out here doing this trip. It continues to surprise us and yet we are ever so grateful for the wealth of knowledge ahead of us and those who are willing to share pertinent information with those behind. We too have become one of those people to share our leg of the journey with those behind us. It has certainly be an adventure.

A special gift!

2008-03-31T20:17:00.002-05:00

We had Easter dinner at the firehouse with 15 firefighters. The retired Captain took the time and effort to make us a special Easter egg. We were so touched by the gesture, it was hard to crack this one open -- soooo, we took pictures and enjoyed the egg as well!

A live burn

2008-03-31T20:09:00.002-05:00

Also got to experience a live burn while we were home. This is an evolution designed to teach the cadets proper operation of the fire hose -- and other things. The firefighter in the center of this photo is our daughter. She and her husband are in charge of the cadet program. It is a challenge we could see. They are very proficient in their leadership roles with these young men and women. We were very proud of them.

Easter morning fun.

2008-03-31T20:07:00.000-05:00

Firefighters come to the mountain!

2008-03-31T19:55:00.002-05:00

This is one swell group of people. Saturday night, after riding the ambulance through all of Friday night into Saturday morning, going out again was more than this tired Mom could take. So we had a "quiet" dinner at home. We'd been invited down to the firehouse for dinner. If Mohammed won't come to the mountain??? Well, in caravan formation, in they all rolled! We had two Easter bunnies and one Santa Clause. Why the Santa Clause? Because they are firefighters and they could! We love these guys more than I can say. This was just so much fun and to see our granddaughter receiving all that love and concern made our night! What fun to say nothing of treasured memories. It's quite a family.

A special part of the trip!

2008-03-31T19:50:00.001-05:00

Dziadek (or Ja Gee) Americanized

2008-03-31T19:42:00.002-05:00

Two of our three children have adopted the polish word for grandpa. Ron is known as Ja Gee and this little one at 17 months old can say all that quite clearly. We so enjoyed being home.

Before and After

2008-03-31T19:35:00.003-05:00

We visited a park that day? What park? When did we leave? When did we get back?

Ambulance Duty

2008-03-31T19:18:00.002-05:00

After securing the necessary paper work (release, liability, etc) I was invited to ride the ambulance Friday night beginning at 1800 - ending 0600 Saturday, with our daughter. It was a most interesting experience. I'm still amazed how one comes out of a sound sleep, places the feet into the waiting boots at the end of the bed, dresses on the way down the hall to the rest rooms, and leaves the ambulance bay in less than 4 minutes! Another amusing fact is that while Ron and I were FREEZING up north after spending most of the winter in Florida, on the call, even the overcoat you are looking at, became more than needed. We went out at 0330. Transported a patient to the hospital and stopped at Dunkin Donuts for "breakfast" somewhere around 0530. I'm told the temperatures were in the 30's. It felt "comfortable." Guess all the adrenalin kicks in when you most need it. It was great to be a part of our daughters life in this way.

Correction

2008-03-29T13:59:00.002-05:00

Opps! Friends following the blog inform me I had woodpeckers confused. The woodpecker I showed you through the binoculars -- not a red-headed, they tell me, but a pileated woodpecker. I looked it up now that we are back from the Easter vacation -- right they are! PILEATED. Which means, of course, that all these years of watching "Woody the Woodpecker" in cartoon series, has warped my widdle mind and he's now up there with Santa and the Easter Bunny! Such trauma for my 60's! Who'd have thought ole Woody was not a red-headed woodpecker. Why don't they TELL us KIDS that in the series?????

Red Headed Woodpecker

2008-03-12T17:46:00.002-05:00

Just under the tree limb, you can see the red headed woodpecker. He was about 14" long and so pretty in the wild I can't even describe it. St. Johns River has been my favored spot on the Loop for sure.

We'll be leaving the boat here for a month and heading up north for Easter. We need to choose a few things for the building of our home to continue and then we're continuing to Connecticut for the holiday. Happy Easter to all. God bless.

A manatee says Hello.

2008-03-12T17:40:00.002-05:00

Last night we were anchored just off the St. John's River. While sitting on the bridge enjoying the cool breeze, we suddenly noticed that the water lily's began to move and you could follow the progression of this manatee as he/she worked it's way through dinner. It came up to the boat after it had eaten and while I was tempted to give it some water, I didn't (we have a fresh water wash down but it encourages the animal to come near the boats and is not supposed to be healthy for them). He/she swam on by and headed out just in front of the boat.

You should have seen this move!

2008-03-12T17:36:00.002-05:00

People all along the St. Johns River are very friendly. Here was a air boat and talk about moving! I was surprised how noisy they are.

Osprey with prey

2008-03-12T17:31:00.002-05:00

Click on the picture enlarge. The osprey has a fish in it's talons. You can't see it as well here but with the downloaded pictures on the computer you can see the entire fish. Very exciting picture.

What do you Mean??? Alligators????

2008-03-10T19:21:00.002-05:00

Aaaa Aaaa Alligators? In dem dar waters? Gilligan votes we stay at a Marina -- where there's grass -- and ability to take walks -- and no ahh ahh alligators in the waters!
Doesn't he look big from this angle? He's actually trying to look like a pit bull to the "things" in the water! O well.

An Anhinga

2008-03-10T19:12:00.003-05:00

We first thought this was a cormorant. But closer examination of the Audubon field guide to Florida revealed it was not a cormorant at all, but an Anhinga. There are long white patches of white on the wing span. It is an absolutely gorgeous bird and graceful doesn't even begin to describe it's flight. I think St. John's is fast becoming my favorite spot on the Great Loop.

This picture was taken through the lens of a pair of binoculars. I'll try to get a few alligators that way if we're not underway.

Osprey

2008-03-10T19:06:00.002-05:00

My son tells me you can click on the picture to magnify it. If you do that, you will see that this was an osprey building it's nest and the shot shows it coming back with a twig in it's claws. Sort of a neat picture actually. These birds are scattered all over St. John's River and most of the day markers host a nest in this fashion.

Nuclear Power Plants

2008-03-10T18:56:00.003-05:00

Lots of nuclear power plants along the St. John's River. We were surprised at that because we'd heard St. John's was a touch of the original Florida before "progress" squeezed the very life out of the state.

Besides that, we have not been disappointed. Much wild life. We have seen many alligators along the shore and so many diversified species of birds that I keep the Audubon book at the ready. Also included are turtles and snakes. I wish I could capture these on film. Frankly my camera is not that good and neither is the photographer which would be ... me :-) Truth is, they are very quick. Lot's quicker than I. Sorry!

Metropolitian Park, Jacksonville, Florida

2008-03-10T18:53:00.001-05:00

Superbowl in 2005 played here.

Jacksonville, Florida

2008-03-10T18:50:00.000-05:00

Mouth of St. John's River

2008-03-10T18:45:00.002-05:00

Isn't this beautiful? Lots of tankers from Jacksonville to the northern part of the St. John's River. I always get excited when I see one of these ships up close. Guess Ron and I were a pretty good match in life.

Snapping Turtle

2008-03-10T18:32:00.003-05:00

Having lived in Florida many years ago, I remember these guys well. We saw it when we walked to town between cloud bursts. I've seen these turtles snap a pencil in half with little or no trouble. I wish I could have gotten closer. The head is massive and his mouth is unique. Gilligan, oddly, did not want to play. We don't even think he realized this was not a rock. I don't think he's ever seen a turtle before. This one was almost his size!

Making an afghan

2008-03-10T18:22:00.002-05:00

What does one DO with the rainy days? We were stuck in Palm Cove Marina for three days due to inclement weather. First thunder storms, then rain and heavy winds kept us not only in port, but on board! I've been making "granny squares" (600 of them) and this was a good time to begin assembly of the afghan.

Ron cleaned out filters, checked the generator, tracked down a replacement throttle control and plotted out six days of travel for the St. John's River. Rain is not always a bad thing!

To our fellow loopers :-)

2008-03-07T17:43:00.002-05:00

Anyone who is attempting to do the Great Loop knows by now that water is often a problem! There isn't enough of it. We left New Smyrna Beach yesterday morning fully aware of certain shoal areas that would probably be problematic. We planned the passage on an incoming tide, close to full. We had two trawlers ahead of us. One grounded, the other did not. We, being the third, indeed kissed the bottom but recovered without the need for any drastic measures. We saw this dredge, owned and operated by the Palm Cove Marina, near Jacksonville. We are trying to find a way to partner with this vessel and send it on ahead. So far, they don't seem too enthusiastic about our suggestion.

Prettiest bridge

2008-03-07T17:34:00.001-05:00

Palm Valley Bridge. Nearing Jacksonville Beach.

Yep we saw him on the ICW

2008-03-07T17:20:00.002-05:00

There he was ... peddling a stand up boat that looked like a surf board ... in the middle of the channel ... on the ICW

Hummmm!

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

2008-03-04T16:20:00.003-05:00

We were able to connect once again with my brother and sister-in-law in New Smyrna. It was 110 miles for them to come across the state and we enjoyed a few more days together before leaving Florida (and may see one another once more on the St. John's River). I like this picture because the guys and their dogs were in the cockpit while if you look through the door, June and I were crocheting and knitting in the salon. Nice relaxed visit. Peace filled time! Treasured memories for all.

More Dear friends along the Great Loop Trip

2008-03-04T15:59:00.002-05:00

This was a very special gathering. Kitty was my spiritual director in Connecticut and later moved to Florida. It was a great loss and the reunion was long anticipated and enjoyed by all. Two beautiful people. The following day, we left the area and had to pass by their place in the ICW. They waved with a large American flag from a balcony of their home! It was as emotional as the canon send off from our Auxiliary in Milford. Many treasured memories of this trip -- The Great Loop.

Reacquainted with old friends

2008-02-29T07:26:00.002-05:00

New York Transplants -- now living in Hobe Sound. We had dinner together in Port Salerno -- my old home town. Actually went past the old homestead. I would not have recognized any part of the town. After dinner they took us through Stuart. To say the area has grown is an understatement. I realized how blessed I had been to be a part of the untouched "wilderness" 40 years ago.

The reconnection of special friends has truly been the best part of the trip. We had a wonderful time catching up, exchanging stories and remembering the stories we'd created together many years ago.

Jupiter Lighthouse

2008-02-29T07:24:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite light houses. Jupiter Lighthouse for Jupiter Inlet. Very pretty. Nice setting!

George Bush Bascule Bridge

2008-02-29T07:12:00.002-05:00

This was sort of funny. Bridge after bridge after bridge on the Intercoasal going through the Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach areas and we see in the guide books, here is a bridge that opens on request! Great, we think, this is one where there will be no delay. No need for planning ahead and trying to align the travel with bridge schedules (which are every half hour on the hour for some, or a quarter to the hour and after the hour for others) But as we neared the hailing distance, Ron requests an opening but is told this day only, there was an electrician working on something on the bridge. "It should be a short wait, captain." The name of the bridge? George Bush. We just laughed. No wonder. Leave it to George Bush to do things his way regardless of what the rest of the world says or thinks or desires!

More Mansions for those of you interested

2008-02-29T06:57:00.002-05:00

These kinds of homes went on for miles and miles. Mansion after mansion after mansion. Then we were suddenly out of the wealthy area, had had a few stretches of what used to be the untouched waters edge, and suddenly we saw a steeple. Yes folks, a steeple on prime real estate, along the intercoastal, in Lake Worth. A little further on, we began to see signs of children, i.e. swing sets, trampolines, water slides. We even saw a dog relieving itself on a bed of deep green carpeted grass! Another thing that amused Ron and I was the fact that in the wealthy area, we saw no signs of life. Not one. No people sitting outside. No one (besides lawn employees) stirring in any way. It was as barren and cold as the concrete and stucco base of the homes!

West Palm Beach :-)

2008-02-29T06:42:00.001-05:00

Tonights anchorage

2008-02-26T17:11:00.003-05:00

Not all anchorages are preferred spots! In this area, for a marina, they want an arm and a leg and part of the dogs tail too or $300 a night just for the privilege of sleeping on your own boat! Plus many of them add an additional fee for electric! Thanks anyway, east coast of Florida, we'll drop the hook! Cost of fuel? You don't want to know that either! If there was a cut from the Gulf of Mexico to Georgia, most Loopers would opt for that route!

A beautiful sailboat

2008-02-26T17:07:00.000-05:00