New Smyrna Beach - What a nice surprise

We were really pleasantly surprised by New Smyrna Beach, we had choosen to stop here primarily because it was a good distance from our previous stop and also because it was cheaper than Daytona which was our other real marina option in this area.  We never like using marinas but we were really desperate to do some washing and also to get some more food shopping and this was a good option.  There was a few blowy days ahead so it seemed like a good idea.

Our first evening at we were just leaving the shower block and bumped into Mike, he was sailing on a boat which turned out to be called ? and we had immediately noticed the boat along the pontoon from us as we had seen her in Port Washington (New York) and again in Sandy Hook (New Jersey) and just a few days ago passing us by in St Augustine.  ? is quite a unique looking schooner which is why she was so noticeable.  Mike invited us over for a few drinks and to meet with Dan the owner.  We had a lovely few hours chatting about the trip south bound along the east coast and how we had followed the same path. Mike and Dan are both great characters and have many a story to tell but we were pretty tired so didn't stop for too long.

Next day we walked across the ICW onto the island which runs on the ocean side, just 30 minute walk and you are at the Atlantic coast.

The resort here is small and surfing is popular, the high street is lined with small gift shops and a few bars, we also found a great little coffee shop which was mainly filled with locals but we sat and relaxed for most all morning making the most of the internet.

We had originally planned to leave the next day but with headwinds forecasted we decided to wait one more day.  We made the most of the location and had a run to the beach in the morning, followed by the best shower we had found in the last year – when you are living on the boat this is one of the things you miss the most and this marina had just the best showers!  We explored the local high street but there were only a few shops so decided to head back over the beach which was actually twice as busy as the previous day as it was running into the holiday season.  There were a few surfers on the beach and one of them had the most amazing VW.

ICW, Florida Day 3 - Mantanzas Inlet to New Smyrna Beach

We left as the sun came up and thankfully the wind had abated.  Kenlanu with her shallower keel lead the way and kept us informed on depths.  Looking back on the anchorage a daybreak it looked like a different place from when we had arrived the previous afternoon!

Sunrise as we leave Mantanzas Inlet

The wildlife in such a remote area at this time in the morning was amazing, there were birds everywhere.  Pelicans came in from every direction, some skimming the water but others in larger groups heading south.  We also had huge volumes of what looked like some type of gull, they were also following the ICW south.

Pelicans in the distance

More Pelicans

As the wind started to build from the north we were able to actually get the sail out but only enough to motor sail, with Kenlanu pulling away in the distance.

Soon the pretty marshland started to peter out and first there were a few houses, then some not so pretty apartment block and then we reached Daytona, there were lots of higher rise hotels in the distance and many bridges to contend with.

Here we waved goodbye to Jay and continued our trip onto New Smyrna Beach, we had called the previous day to book a berth as we knew we needed to get a shore for shopping and washing! Lucky we called in as this time of year is busy and they had people waiting for any empty berth.  We had a fantastic welcome at the marina, Dolphins in the entrance, they are always a slight concern in the river as they seem to move much slower than at sea but they still seem to keep clear of the boat.

ICW, Florida, Day 2 - St Augustine to Mantanzas Inlet - Wow it is windy

In the morning we were still unsure where we would head back to St Augustine as is seemed a shame to miss which it supposed to be a lovely place but the wind was up to 20 knots from a northerly direction and supposed to build.  Any trip back would be north into the wind and if we could get a mooring which the marina advised was unlikely we would have been exposed to the wind. So reluctantly we up anchored and headed off south.

It was a windy one it was a constant 25+ knots gusting up to 38 knots, it was from behind so it was not too uncomfortable but there were not many boats moving about.  We only travelled just over 10 miles to a small inlet where we would anchor for the night, as we approached we could see Kenlanu with Jay onboard were the only boat sat in the anchorage, our paths cross again! 

The inlet looked very pretty with a small fort on one side and lots of pelicans along the shore try to shelter from the wind.

Shore full of Pelicans

We crept in as we knew it was shallow, as soon as we were inside and still in deep water we made ready to drop the anchor in over 30 knots of wind, as Mark dropped and began to let out the chain the very swift current whipped Magnum around almost ripping the wheel from Amanda’s hand and throwing Mark overboard but thankfully our brilliant anchor held.  We spent the afternoon tucked up under a blanket on the sofa whilst the wind howled outside.  It was a shame that we could not get off to visit Jay but at least we had a chat on the radio.

Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), Florida Day 1 - Jacksonville to St Augustine

We were so pleased to finally be able to leave Jacksonville and make some more miles south but we were still unable to rush off very early because we were waiting for the tide and the water to rise slightly.  Our major concern on leaving to journey down the ICW is will there be enough water for our 7ft depth, there is supposed to be enough depth but there is often shoaling so we have to be very cautious, what we are thankful of it that other cruisers are able to add obstructions and changes to what is charted to Active Captain which is a website up set up by cruisers for cruisers.

With hundreds of miles to transit in the ICW it is a daunting task but everything was new for us again.  The wildlife is amazing; we saw dolphins within the first 30 minutes, they do not visit the boat like when you are at sea but just quietly pass on by.

There is a large number of seabirds along the ICW including the ever present pelican and cormorant.

Pelicans on the shore

It was the weekend so we were joined by lots of little fishing boats and everyone had a friendly wave as the passed.  The ICW is often through very remote areas and in Florida this is frequently marshland but this was also our first experience of the Florida shoreside properties, they differed from the wooden colonial style houses we had seen further north and often they have a more Mediterranean villa look about them and often are huge, all with there own dock usually with a small powerboat lifted out of the water, we did see some with multiple boats, jet skis and kayaks.

Shoreline property

The boat house lining the ICW

Great boat house 

The wilderness of the shoreline

But the very changing scenery and the sunshine was enough to make this less boring than expected, we never gain that much pleasure from having to motor rather than sail.

Our plan was to stop in St Augustine which is supposed to be a very pretty town, it was established by the Spanish in the 1600s.  We had hoped to turn up and get on a mooring buoy as anchoring in the strong running river is very limited, unfortunately even though there are around 100 buoys there were none free! This is how busy it gets at this time of year with boats heading south, primarily American but a good proportion of Canadian and a small splattering of other nationalities.

St Augustine

We were disappointed as we had to head south past St Augustine to fine ourselves somewhere to anchor for the night.  We did have some entertainment before we left, there was a Pirate pleasure boat taking tourists out in the harbour and the were attack by another ship, the kids were having great fun as the pirates fought on deck and we jumped every time the cannon blasted!

Great fun on the pirate ships

With strong winds forecast overnight we were a little concerned but we dropped anchor and a relatively peaceful night.

Jacksonsville, Florida - Paying it forward

On arrival at Jacksonville it was not long before other boats tied up where all introducing themselves and then along came Browne Altman.  Browne lives locally to the dock in Sisters Creek and comes along to the dock to see if there is anything he can do to help out the people that are staying there.  It was not long before Mark had shared our woes and Brown had offered to drive Mark into the town the next day to see if he could source a new alternator.

Magnum at the free dock

Bright and early Monday morning Mark called Browne and off they toddled into town, approx. 15 miles so without Browne's help we would have been snookered.  Mark returned a few hours later, he had found an alternator shop but the price was twice as much as he could get one on-line so Browne had offered to let us use his address as a postal address and Mark got on ordering online.

So whilst we were waiting we had yet another problem to fix, we had a leaking oil seal on the engine, Mark went to work on gaining access to this as he had already a new one which he bought in Norfolk. No luck yet again! He could not remove the bolt required to gain access, he needed different tools.  Other cruisers where as ever super helpful in offering tools we could use but Browne brought along various options we could use.  It was a battle that went on for another day.

That afternoon Jay on Kenlanu caught us up and stopped for dinner and a night on the dock, it was great to share stories on what we had been up to for the last few weeks.

Tuesday came and went fighting to remove the bolt and change the leaking seal, even with Mark borrowing (and breaking!) tools to do the job it was still stuck!

Wednesday started with a rainy run, the free dock is in such a remote location that all you are able to do is run down a main road and back again but it was nice to be off the boat, especially for Amanda who was stir crazy being stuck in one place.  The day continued with miserable weather and we just sat and watch a film whilst as there was nothing Mark could do to progress the alternator or the oil leak.

Thursday morning and Browne delivered the alternator to us, hurrah we thought but not for long, Mark took them (he had ordered a spare) out of the box to see they were not what was pictured on the internet and were not going to fit our engine! So again we called on Browne's help and he took Mark into town to get a new alternator ordered locally. There was also more battling with the bolt, which we eventually removed using a very ingenious compressed air tank and impact driver that Browne cobbled together from kit in his workshop.

Once the nut was removed, we then couldn't shift the pulley, back to the drawing board.

That evening we also had a chance to meet Browne's wife Nancy as we went out to dinner to thank Browne for all his help.

Mark, Amanda, Nancy and Browne

We tried relax in such beautiful surrounds and take in the wildlife but when there is a problem with the boat and you are under time pressure to keep on moving this is difficult but it was great to see dolphins in the river, vultures flying over head and a whole range of sea birds on the marshes surrounding the boat.

Beautiful view of the marshes from the boat

Vultures overhead

Pelican having a rest

Flyby from the Pelican

Friday arrived and with any luck the alternator.  Nancy was very kind and offered to take Amanda out for the morning to see some local sights, Gee-Gee the lovely little Chihuahua was also brought along for the day.  

 The Jacksonville coast is made from a string of small islands which are connected by road bridges.  One of these islands is Fort George Island and this was bought by the State Parks after there was a fight to preserve the island rather than being taken over with development.  In the 1920s the island had an up market golf/country club built for the rich to holiday, the Ribault Club was used for a number of years and passed through various hands but when the land was bought by the State Park it was in a state of disrepair and needed complete restoration.

Pretty church on Fort St George Island

Club Ribault

The interior of Club Ribault

The entrance to the Ribault Club

We also visited Kinsley Plantation which is on the island; this is owned by the National Park Service.  During the 1800 this 1000 acre island was used primarily for crowing cotton.  The plantation was manned by slaves during this period and both the main plantation house and slaves houses are still standing.  The slaves houses are made from a material called tabby which is made up from the oyster shells which were available from the river, this is obviously pretty hard wearing as the houses are still standing. 

The slaves quarters around the perimeter of the plantation  

The house sits on the bank of the Fort George River which would have been used to transport the crops in the 1800s.

Beautiful riverside location

The plantation house date from 1798 and is the oldest plantation house still standing in Florida.

Kingsley Plantation house

The new alternator arrived, was fitted and WORKED !
The oil seal didn't get changed as we were unable to remove the pulley, Browne and Mark tried various car parts shops to buy a different pulley "puller" but they were all to small, eventually they made one in Browne's workshop. Trying it out would have to wait another day though as the weather was favourable for us to leave and we were both keen to make miles south.

A huge thanks to Browne and Nancy for their patience, time and endless miles in the car ! I hope paying it forward works for them and if they ever get stuck a good Samaritan is on hand to help them out.

Charleston - Beautiful

When we first started planning out trip to the States we bought a travel guide for the East coast and Charleston was one place that really jumped out as somewhere we would like to visit.  As time went on and we met people who had visited the area Charleston was always high on the list of recommendations.  When we were heading north back in May we were unable to stop as we were under time pressure to get north and now suddenly we are under pressure to move south but Charleston was still top of the list for places we would like to stop and we weren't to be disappointed.

Charleston has lots of history and was a major settlement in the 1800s with lots of trade including cotton and rice plantations which we based along the Ashley and the Copper rivers.  There was significant trade across the Atlantic reaching Charleston and from the Caribbean.  So there were rich and affluent people living in the area which lead to some beautiful town houses and due to a preservation order lots of these remain which are what make the city so lovely.

As the river runs quite swiftly and there was a howling northerly we planned to go into a marina for our stay which was even more needed after getting bit of a beating on the journey.  The marina was across the river from the main town but there was a free trolley bus from the hotel next to the marina, fantastic it was free and ran every hour.  After arriving mid morning both completely shattered we do what we normally do and rush around, we cleaned Magnum top to bottom, removed as much of the salt from the decks as possible and even had time to get a few loads of washing on before we headed off to the supermarket.  No idea where we suddenly find the energy from!

Yorktown naval ship our neighbour in Charleston

The northerly did come in that night and we had good shelter and sleep well, but in the morning it was freezing! It was funny going into town in our ski jackets, hat and gloves but what this also meant was it was very quiet and we had the place to ourselves. We had a great walk around just really admiring the surroundings and occasionally stopping for a hot drink and a warm up.  One place which was really nice was the Dock Street Theatre which is supposed to be the oldest theatre in the US.

Dock Street Theatre

Dockside Theatre - can you spot Amanda

Mark propping up the bar in the theatre

We explored by foot but a big tourist attraction is the horse and carriage rides, there were very very few on the cold day.

Many of the streets are cobbled, often with stone from England  (the trade ships carried the stone as ballast going east to west and then dumped it on the quayside when full of cargo going west to east) and and they are frequently lined with palm trees which probably don't seem odd on a sunny day but it was like a winters day in England!  Being a southern state before emancipation there were a large slave trade in Charleston, we did take time to pass the by the old slave market.

The old slave market

The street that looks out over the harbour has some beautiful properties of which most of them are still residential homes but they are huge. Many have a similar design with big verandas surrounding the house and court yard gardens, to produce as much shade as possible in the summer.

Shoreside property

Spot Mark

Lovely little garden in huge house

The ordinary residential streets are still really beautiful, you imagine it being a lovely place to live apart from all the tourists wandering around looking into your garden!

We spent the day just generally being nosey!

Amanda wrapped up warm on the seafront

Mark outside the  prison

Loving the US Fire Engine

The next day we headed into the town later in the day and were surprised how busy it was with the sun shining.  We spent the day looking around a few shops and there is an old market in the centre.  We then headed off to a slinky bar for happy hour, we don’t often find the energy to go out for the evening but it is nice, so Amanda had a few glasses of bubbly and Mark some local beer before heading off to Theatre 99, a comedy club which unfortunately was not very funny but was still enjoyable.

Amanda can't take a straight photo!

Amanda enjoying her night out

Next day was set aside for jobs on the boat, making a few phone calls whilst we had the internet and topping up the groceries, so we did get one final trip into the town but really only to day goodbye.  It was a lovely place, with nice people which we would visit again.