Stuart Update

We decided we would go out for lunch on Thanksgiving Day to the restaurant at the local municipal marina. The Sailor’s Return is a very good restaurant with a small menu, very good wait staff, and a decent wine list. We had quite a nice meal and dini…

Life’s2Short 2010-11-29 15:53:00

Okeechobee to St. PetersburgOn Tuesday, November 23rd, we left our anchorage at 4 Rivers Loop, west of Stuart, and traveled as far as Moore Haven, covering 67 miles and going through two locks. The first lock, St. Lucie, was 15 feet, but the Port Maya…

The Crossing

November 29, 2010After waiting for one week in Apalachicola for that good weather window, we got the sense that it was approaching soon.  We decided to move up one town to Carabelle to be in a better position to cross the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon …

Rick, Deb and Izzy Aboard M/V Broulee and other Wild Adventures 2010-11-29 14:00:00

WELL WE MADE IT BACK TO BROULEE –  1,742 miles and three long days of travel.  Weather cooperated, we left Minnesota on the 18th of November with an ice/sleet storm on our heals, thru Illinois with tornadoes on our butt and had clear dry weat…

November 24-29, 2010 Completed Crossing the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon Springs, Florida 28.1581,-082.7575

We left Carrabelle, Florida November 24 (Wednesday) for the Gulf Crossing at 1pm.  It may seem like a late start, but the rational is with a 22-hour crossing we wanted to arrive in Tarpon Springs mid-day.  This way we could see the crab pots without the sun blinding us.  And yes, indeed, it was a […]

aCappella

Life’s a (dog) beach…

We’re finally out of Seabrook and eastbound again.

Finally getting out of Seabrook was quite a relief. We had a good time there despite the circumstances and made several good friends whom we shall always remember.

The old girl left Seabrook Ship Yard with a new pair of shoes.  She runs great…

Georgetown to Isle of Palms

November 18-23, 2010
Georgetown is almost midway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, and was founded in 1729 after Spain unsuccessfully attempted to settle the area in the early 1500s. It is the third oldest city in South Carolina. The area flourished as a seaport because of the ease of navigation to the Atlantic. Rice and indigo were grown on the plantations and the area provided half the U.S. crop at the time. The Georgetown region became the largest rice exporting port in the world up until the Civil War – and the abolition of slavery.
Porter and I enjoyed walks to the park and playing with sticks. I know that you get to see many pictures of houses on this blog but I still had to include a picture of one of my favorite homes in Georgetown.

As we travel, Porter “assumes his position”. He typically stays at one end of the couch or the other. While the motor is running, he doesn’t eat or drink much.
We started later than originally intended because of fog and traveled to Isle of Palms (just north of Charleston) on the rising tide with flood tide being at 10:30. As we neared Isle of Palms, the tide was ebbing. This means the channels were narrower and the areas where shoaling occurs have greater impact on the channel. Captain Mark reads the waterways well and Grateful is powerful enough to not be pushed off course by currents and wind. We passed a sailboat that ran aground just out of the center of the channel. Sometimes captains will ask for a boat to go by giving a wake so that it might lift the boat and with power the boat may become unstuck. But as we passed we went slowly. This sailboat will wait for the tide to rise so that they can resume their trip.

We covered 55 miles and arrived at Isle of Palms in a little over 6 hours. Mark calls Isle of Palms “Grand Central Station” as there seems to be something coming and going all the time. The marina is at the junction of MorganCreek and the ICW. The Dewes Island Ferry runs hourly from here and there are ferries that carry trucks and cars. We are also by the boat ramp and it is a busy place! Certainly entertaining.
We met John and Paulette (m/v Seamantha) and visited about crossing Florida on the Okeechobee Waterway. They have done it twice and enjoy it very much. Their boat also has a draft of 5 feet. We had heard that the Okeechobee could be shallow, but John and Paulette assured us that there is 7-8 feet and that is plenty of water. We hope to see them along the way.

Georgetown to Isle of Palms

November 18-23, 2010Georgetown is almost midway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, and was founded in 1729 after Spain unsuccessfully attempted to settle the area in the early 1500s. It is the third oldest city in South Carolina. The area flourished …

Contrary to Rumors – We’re Still Alive and Kicking!!!

I guess I forgot over the past couple years how an office can turn into an all encompassing black hole and how work can become all consuming…the past six weeks have come as a rude reminder. Yes we are both back at work and that’s why we haven’t had …