Departure day came cold, dreary and overcast. Waiting a few hours for things to clear up proved to be fruitless, so the power cords were disconnected, the docks lines released, everything safely stowed and at 10:00 a.m. the next adventure began. Every hour and every mile northbound on the St. Johns River we hoped that the clouds would burn off. It's always nice to have a good start on the first day underway. At least Beach House was underway and we were still excited to begin a new cruise. There were a few details that needed to be tended to, but not right away. Our destination was only about 50 miles north so a delay of a few hours was not a concern. The river was a little choppy from the 10+ knots of north wind right on the nose. Still nothing of concern. We cruised past the Palatka town docks and said goodbye to the town for the last time. The rest of the day stayed pretty much the same so the inside helm station was the most comfortable spot for navigating. At the lower helm, the laptop is our primary navigation tool. There are several charting programs to choose from and the most current NOAA charts had been downloaded the day before. The presentation on the laptop is much better than the chartplotter on the flybridge, but the computer screen is not good in direct sunlight and the computer doesn't like moisture.


Just before 4:00 p.m., we turned off the river and into Six Mile Creek. The creek entrance can be shallow, 5 to 6 feet under normal conditions, but the river levels had been very high for days, giving us an extra couple of feet. Once inside Six Mile Creek, the depths drop to 18 feet or more. Just before the highway bridge is a restaurant called the Outback Crab Shack. Along the river is a 1/4-mile-long floating dock that is a free tie up for restaurant customers. As we pulled in, there was only one other small boat tied to the entire dock. With Beach House secure, it was time to sample the cuisine. Most of the reviews were very positive and the crew was pretty hungry. To add to the atmosphere, the sun came out, the temps were up and all was good with the world. The menu is primarily seafood, specializing in crab dishes. There is also beef and chicken offered. The portions were large, the food tasty, the beer cold, the service excellent and the prices fairly modest. What more could anyone ask for and free dockage, too. After dinner we enjoyed some time relaxing in the flybridge, walking the docks and checking out the wildlife, including a local gator.


This was a great experience and a very peaceful night. The next morning it was time to finish up that last minute chore that needed to be done - haul out the boat, have the bottom power washed, check out the bottom and the prop, and change any zincs that had deteriorated. Since the boat has been sitting at the dock for a long time and we have about another 3,000 or so miles to travel, it was a must to take care of this now. A clean bottom and prop means better speed and fuel economy. It took about an hour from the dock to the haul-out pit at Green Cove Springs Marina. The marina was not quite ready for us when we arrived and we waited about an hour to get hauled. When the time came, all went well, and once the bottom was power washed, it showed to be in good condition. There were only a few spots where the paint was missing, including the bottom of the keel where we grounded in Browns Inlet. The zincs were okay, but had some metal loss, so all were replaced. There is no better time to do that than when the boat is out of the water. We have had divers replace them for us in the past, but we never know if they are done properly. If we do them ourselves, we know it's done right. The boat hung in the slings while the yard crew went to lunch. As soon as they were back, we splashed and once again got underway.


The plan for the next evening was to stay at the city docks in downtown Jacksonville. Boating on the St. Johns River is really relaxing, and most of the time Beach House was the only boat on the water. As we got closer to Jacksonville, river traffic picked up and we started to see some commercial traffic. Just as we arrived at the FEC Railroad Bridge, the bridge closed and the bridge tender announced that a train was coming. We waited and waited until the train finally showed up and started across the bridge at a pace just a bit faster than most people can walk. It couldn't have moved much slower without going backwards. Also, it was very, very, long. We wasted time cruising around the basin checking out the local docks and sightseeing until the train finally cleared the bridge and it opened. This is the only bridge we needed to have open. The clearance when closed is 7 feet, and the city docks are between the railroad bridge and Main Street Bridge.


The city docks are long, floating docks that run the length of the waterfront. Along the waterfront are several large restaurants and a promenade that stretches for over a mile. There were only a few small boats tied up at a section reserved for the water taxi. We chose a spot in front of Chicago Pizza. The other restaurants included Hooters, The American Grill, Cinco De Mayo, Fionn MacCool's Irish Restaurant and Pub, and Benny's Steak and Seafood. The docks are a great place to people watch, and the people had fun watching us, too. It was quite a culture shock to go from the peace and solitude of Six Mile Creek the night before to the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown location. The boat traffic can make the docks bouncy, and the coming and going of the water taxis also adds to the mix. It can get really bad when some boaters ignore the "no-wake" sign. But those signs are only for those that can read, anyway. There's also a very strong current in the river that can make docking exciting. Fortunately, the current wasn't very strong when we arrived. Even with all of the restaurants just outside the boat, we had dinner aboard. A long walk on the promenade and sundowners on the flybridge topped off an enjoyable day. We expected a lot of traffic that evening, but it was quiet. Perhaps the fact that this was a weekday made a difference. 



The night went well and the journey continued early the next morning. The current was light as we left the dock and transited under the Main Street Bridge. Soon it picked up and gave us a nice boost on the way back to the ICW once again. We passed the shipyards and container ports, loading and offloading cargo. There is no doubt that this section of the river is almost all commercial. In a little more than an hour, we exited the St. Johns River and entered the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway heading south. It was at this point some 4.5 months ago that we left the ICW and headed upriver. How time flies when you're having fun (or working on boat projects and books). We still had one more stop to make and that was for fuel. The tanks had not been filled since our stop at Osprey Marina in South Carolina. The fuel gauge showed about an eighth of a tank, still plenty to get us to the next fuel dock. At noon we turned off the ICW into the channel for Palm Cove Marina. After making some phone calls we determined that Palm Cove's price for diesel was the best around. At the time we stopped it was $3.89 a gallon including tax. The entrance channel to the marina is a bit shallow and we arrived at dead low tide. One spot in the channel dropped to 5.5 feet just before entering the marina basin. After we filled the tanks and came back out the channel, our depth sounder showed 5.1 feet with the tanks full.



Just a little before 4:00 p.m., our anchor was down behind Pine Island just off the ICW. This is one of our regular spots if we don't plan to stop in St. Augustine. It positions us to get to Palm Coast the next day as a short run. We also like it here because the oxbow allows the boat to get far enough off the ICW to avoid boat wakes, and the scenery is beautiful. There is a strong current throughout the entire area and anchoring requires both a good set and an anchor that is capable of resetting in reversing currents. Another perfect day was logged into the log book and we shared the anchorage with two other trawlers and a sailboat. They anchored near the ICW and we anchored farther back in the oxbow. The water depths at the entrance can be as shallow as 6-7 feet, but inside the oxbow it can range from 10 to 15 feet. We chose a spot wide enough for us to swing completely around and still be in deep water. These spectacular sunsets and peaceful evenings are why we do what we do.



The next morning the current was running out toward the St. Augustine Inlet. This meant that from our location to St. Augustine we would have a fast trip. Running the engine at lower RPMs and taking advantage of the currents made for speeds of close to 10 MPH while burning very little fuel. Passing through Vilano Beach and heading toward the Inlet in St. Augustine requires some careful navigation. Besides the strong currents, there are several very shallow bars to negotiate around just at the inlet. There is red buoy "60" that must be rounded when heading south. It appears that you are going out the inlet until you make the turn to starboard. Cutting the corner puts the boat on a sandbar with very little water over it. Sea Tow and TowboatUS both do a good business on this bar. Many times they can be seen just hanging out. After making this transit about 20 times, we pretty much have it figured out. With a big boost from the current getting to the inlet, the counter current once you make the turn at red "60" can be a shock. The speed drops almost immediately from 10 to 7 to 5 to 4, and you get the feeling that you are running uphill.



The rest of the day had the currents against us, making for a long, slow ride. The worst is before the Bridge of Lions, but even far from the inlet, a good 2 to 3 knots of current slows the boat all day. We hoped that things would change as we approached Matanzas Inlet, but that was not to be. Matanzas is one of those places where the channel is constantly changing and also constantly shoaling. The red and green buoys at the inlet are always being moved to show the best water. We have been through the inlet when it was only navigable at high tide. Fortunately, there has been recent dredging so this time was fairly easy. The only area we saw that was a bit shallow was near green "31" where we found depths to be about 7 feet. The rest of the inlet was 12 to 16 feet deep. 



By 2:30 in the afternoon, Beach House and crew reached the destination for the day. It was a little early for a marina stop, but we tied to the docks at Palm Coast Marina. We needed to ship out some books and give the boat a good bath. Palm Coast Marina is also one of our retail partners for The Great Book Of Anchorages and we wanted to restock their inventory. The weather has been absolutely fantastic and it feels really, really good to be on the water again. Even though it's only been a few days, we're back in cruising mode again. Look for some video on this section of the waterway soon and be sure to visit our Facebook page for lots of photos and cruising news.

A weeks worth of great weather was all the excuse we needed to get out of the slip and do some cruising on the St. Johns River, south of where we have spent the winter. What a spectacular trip it turned out to be. The weather was perfect and the river is beautiful. This was also a good opportunity to do a shakedown cruise before heading out again for some serious time on the water. We wanted to check out some of our anchorage information for the ICW book and just enjoy some time on the boat. It also allowed us to do some experimentation with our new video camera. We left Satsuma around noon, dropped the hook for the night at Lungren Island near Astor, and continued on the next day to Sanford. A couple of days at Monroe Harbor Marina gave us enough time to explore the town and enjoy the hospitality of the marina. Sanford is a very nice historic waterfront town with lots of shops, restaurants and art galleries. On Saturday, there's a small local farmers market with fresh veggies, crafts and food vendors. Here's a rough video of the cruise on the river.





Downtown Sanford...

Since our arrival at Acosta Creek Harbor on the St. Johns River in Satsuma, FL, we have had two priorities. Number one was to finish the Chesapeake Bay anchorage book and have it ready for distribution. Number one completed. Number two was actually several small projects to be completed before we headed out in the spring and begin the next phase of our cruise. With number one behind us, we started as soon as the winter weather would allow. It's been a cold wet winter here in northern Florida and many of the exterior projects just had to wait. But the break finally came; the clouds parted, the sun came out, the temperatures began to climb and the crew shouted "Hallelujah!"



During the wet season, engine maintenance could still be done, although it's amazing how much more motivated one can be if the sun is shining. Oil and filter changes, close inspection of the engine and generator, fuel filter changes and all of those normal maintenance items slowly came off the list. Although the maintenance on the engine and generator have been ongoing since we left Naples, based on our hourly usage, it's still kind of done on the fly. Since leaving Naples, Florida in December of 2012, we have put a total of 570 hours on the main engine and a whopping 1000 hours on the generator. A few months to catch up and give the boat a break was much needed.


One issue that has been at the top of the list for some time was the window leak on the starboard side next to the lower helm. Making the proper repair meant removing the entire window, doing some re-fiberglass, then re-bedding everything back in place. Not something we wanted to tackle while we were out cruising. And if you have been following our progress via our blog postings, you will know the weather has not been conducive to having a large window out leaving a very big hole in the cabin. Since the exterior trim has to be removed for a proper repair, a lot of care is need to protect the area around the window. It had all been redone in Awlgrip before we left the Naples area. A double row of easy to remove blue tape and another layer of duct tape over the blue tape makes a good barrier. Another protective covering using wide painter's paper keeps epoxy drips at bay. The repairs were the same as those we did on the aft cabin windows some time ago.


The seat covers for the flybridge had a lot of miles on them and constant exposure to weather and sun had worn them thin. Not only were they severely faded, but they were getting to the point where every time we removed them, a finger would go through the materials. The seats are not completely sealed from the rain, and often water puddled inside, creating mildew all over everything. The first step was to add vents in the side of each seat to allow for air circulation. Then new covers were made. There is a small fabric shop on the waterfront in Elizabeth City, NC that has great prices on vinyl material, so we bought some the last time we went through. The vinyl is a heavy grade and the cream color looked good on the flybridge. All of the sewing was done in the main salon using our Sailrite sewing machine. The end result was very pleasing, and the first rains the new covers saw showed that they would keep the seat storage compartments nice and dry.


A few other small projects included catching up on the teak, which meant stripping the cap rails down to bare wood and re-applying the Cetol. We did some minor repairs during this last cruise, but for the most part, the teak had been neglected. The handrails just needed a maintenance coat, but other areas needed to be stripped down. Also, our poor outboard had looked like someone had dragged it 20 miles behind a truck. It ran great, but looked terrible. Our intention was to leave it that way to discourage any thieves that might consider removing it during the night. In the Bahamas, this is a common problem, and looking as bad as it did, we doubted anyone would want to try and take it. Now that we are back in the U.S., and we keep the outboard locked down at all times with a chain, the chance of theft is less, but still a chance. It looked so bad, we decided to spruce it up a bit anyway. A company in Crystal River, FL made exact duplicates of the original Johnson decals. Cleaning, sand and repainting, plus the decals, gave the old outboard a new lease on life. Now it looks good enough to steal.


Some other minor items have been checked off the to-do list and plans are in the works to begin the next phase of our cruise. Once a few commitments are finished in the next couple of weeks, Beach House and crew will once again be underway. In the mean time, a short cruise is planned on the St. Johns River to visit a bit farther south and do a shakedown before we shove off for distant shores. LOOK FOR ANOTHER BIG ADDITION TO OUR BLOG. Starting very soon, we will add video blogs to the mix. We are installing the new Garmin VIRB Elite HD Video camera and soon all of our followers will be able to ride along with Beach House and experience first hand what it's like to travel the waterways. We would very much like everyone's feedback on this new addition. We have set up a YouTube account for Beach House Publications and will be posting videos there also. The links will be posted here if we don't add the entire video to the blog. Remember, let us know what you think. Stay tuned.

Before the day was done, upon our arrival at Fernandina Harbor Marina, the winds began to pick up and continued to increase for almost a week. This was the weather system that we were trying to stay ahead of and the reason we planned a marina stop instead of finding an anchorage or picking up a mooring. Beach House was snug and sound at one of the inner slips of the marina, even with the 4-foot depths in the slip at low tide. The shallow depths are why the marina gives discounts for these slips. Even if we settled on the bottom at lower than low tides, the bottom is soft mud, so no harm done. The full keel on Beach House also makes this a non-issue. As the winds increased, the tides did indeed drop lower than normal. The time was well utilized to wash down the boat, clean the ICW "beard" off the hull and fill the water tanks. A few other small projects were done - changing the fuel filters, doing laundry and stocking up groceries. That's what marina stops are for.


Our friend that lives in Fernandina was kind enough to drop off a vehicle for us to use. This makes shopping and visiting much easier. It also made it possible for us to drive to the west coast of Florida and pick up our car from storage at Susan's sister's place. Our plans were to spend the winter on the St. Johns River while we finished our new Chesapeake Bay anchorage book. We still had not yet decided on a base of operations. Once we drove over and picked up the car, we cruised the marinas that might work to try and decide where we would like to stay. Our first choice turned out to be too exposed to the river with a long fetch when winds were from the north. On the day we visited, wind waves were breaking over some of the boats at the docks. The docks were also in pretty poor condition. Another 25 minutes away was a great little marina called Acosta Creek Harbor in Satsuma. As soon as we drove on to the property, we knew this would be the best choice for a base to finish the book and prepare the boat for the next part of our adventure. After 12 months and a few thousand miles of cruising, it was time to stop for a while and catch up on repairs and maintenance, and just rest. After talking with the owners, we left our car at the marina so it would be there when we arrived, and drove back to Fernandina in our friend's car.


Fernandina Beach is another of those waterfront towns that we love. It's very boater friendly and, except for groceries and supplies, the downtown area just outside the marina gives you lots to keep you fat and happy. The beautiful, tree-lined streets are full of gift shops, great restaurants, taverns for social activities and many historic homes to explore. I can't think of a transit on the ICW that we have made that didn't include a stop in Fernandina Beach. With access to a vehicle, we could drive over and walk on the miles of ocean beach, visit Fort Clinch, visit our friends and do lots of provisioning. Car rentals are easily available if you don't have friends that live nearby. And often, liveaboards at the marina will offer rides to the grocery or to find supplies or parts. Once again, the weather forecasters didn't get it right and the heavy winds that were expected for a few days lasted over a week. With all of the other errands we needed to do, our one-week stay turned into three weeks.


This was the longest stay we have had in one place since Bimini in the Bahamas. After three weeks, the crew starts to get antsy and the need to get underway is strong. On the day we departed, the weather was still not ideal by Florida standards. The winds had finally dropped, but the day was cool with a dense overcast. These are the kind of days best spent steering from the comfort of the lower helm in the main cabin. We had a couple of issues that had to be considered on this leg of the trip. The currents along the ICW in this area are quite strong and can affect transit times. The tides help with some of the shoal areas south of Fernandina. The transit up the St. Johns River would be considerably faster if the timing allowed for utilizing the incoming tide instead of fighting the outgoing flow. Our plan was to travel down to the free dock on the ICW just north of the Sisters Creek Bridge (page 61, TGBOA Hamptons Roads/Norfolk to Florida Keys). The plan was to wait until the tides changed on the St. Johns River. As with all of our plans, they're written in the sand at low tide. Another factor that needed to be considered was a limited schedule for the FEC Railroad Bridge at downtown Jacksonville that only opened three times a day.


As Beach House approached the Sisters Creek Bridge, the crew decided that if we waited, the only bridge opening that would work would be the opening after dark. Messing around on the river after dark was not something that excited us, so we decided to press on, try and make the afternoon opening and just deal with the currents. By 11:00 a.m., Beach House passed under Sisters Creek Bridge and made the turn to head up the St. Johns River. The outgoing tides put about a 2-knot current against us. Slow, but tolerable. As we arrived in the downtown Jacksonville area, a hail to the FEC Railroad Bridge confirmed that they would open at 1:00 p.m. We arrived about 20 minutes before 1:00 and the bridge surprisingly opened 10 minutes early. The timing couldn't have been better and our decision to press on turned out to be the right one. At 4:00 p.m., the anchor was down in Doctors Lake off of the St. Johns and the crew settled in for the first night at anchor in few weeks. It was a quiet, peaceful evening with very little boat traffic.


Surprise, surprise, heavy fog once again the next morning. I'm not sure what else I expected given the fog we encountered for the past week. It was after 10:00 a.m. before the visibility cleared enough to pull up the anchor and get underway. A two- to three-hour delay meant we would either get to our destination late or we would need to make an intermittent stop along the way. A cruise down the St. Johns River is a wonderful experience. There is very little boat traffic, the river is very wide in some places, and the scenery is spectacular. The experience gives a boater a good idea of what it was like cruising in Florida long before condo development and crowded waterways made the trip a bit more stressful. Tree-lined banks with pine and cypress, Spanish moss and creeks and canals around every corner provide a true "old Florida" experience. The farther down river we traveled, the more we realized this was a good choice of a place for us to spend the winter if we had to sit and work for a while. En route, we took some time to drive through some of the anchorages in our book to recheck depths, etc.


It was 5:30 in the evening by the time we arrived at Acosta Creek Harbor. The sun was already setting at this time of year. We were happy to see the Dockmaster and owner, Jay, on the dock ready to assist with lines. About a half dozen others from boats on the dock jumped in to give a hand. We mistakenly thought there would be little current in the river this far south. Trying to back into the slip quickly corrected our perception. After a couple of tries, Beach House finally settled into her new winter home. Everyone we met that first day, and each day after, proved to be warm and friendly. Once again, we knew we had made the right choice and would really enjoy our time at the marina. The fact that our car was sitting waiting for us took a lot of the pressure off, too. Now the hard work would begin.