New Bern to Miami

Departure

October 2, 2002: It is hard to believe that we've been moored for five months! Along with a new baby, here was part of our to-do list:

Still, we manage to cast off early on October 2; our destination: South. We head to Beaufort and anchor in Taylor's Creek. We easily spend a week in Beaufort, enjoying ourselves, visiting the travelling Declaration of Independence exhibit, and finishing the Greek and Roman history books we borrowed from the library, before we venture on.

Hurricane Lily has passed us and is no longer a threat, and Tropical Depression Kyle has been milling about in the mid Atlantic for it seems like weeks. We start to move, and so does Kyle, albeit slowly. Adrian tells Angie (mostly in jest), "I bet it heads right for us." Our first stop, Mile's Hammock, is a hole in a piece of turf owned by the Marines. Boaters may anchor there, but the Marines reserve the right to close it. As we approach, Marines ask us to leave because they are conducting underwater diving operations. The only other anchorage is in the inlet, but close to the waterway, so we pull off there for the night. Many shrimpers pass us in the pre-dawn hours.

The next day, our bid for cheap fuel is thwarted by a big motor yacht which cuts right in front of us at the fuel dock. We wait a bit, but the boat is taking on hundreds of gallons - it will be a while - so we grumble and move on to Carolina Beach. We set our anchor in Carolina Beach and hit the sack. The next morning, we awaken to discover that we are now under a Tropical Storm Warning. Instead of moving on, we dig in with over 100' of chain and wait. Kyle passes directly over us, bringing with it 40+ knots of wind in our not-so-snug anchorage. The anchor we use, a CQR (which resembles a plow), plows through the soft mud when the winds climb over 25 knots. In the tense situation, Luke comments, "This is not a video game."

We try letting out more chain, but it doesn't help. We're still dragging the anchor, so we need to retrieve and reset it. It is at this precise moment that the brush Adrian manufactured in New Bern for the windlass chooses to stick, resulting in our having to crank 200 feet of chain MANUALLY in 40+ knots of wind. We have found nothing else gets the adrenaline going quite as well!

To our relief, Kyle passes quickly, and after 1/2 hour, it's only an unpleasant memory (and some sore muscles). Watch out for soft mud when using a CQR! Following some advice we read regarding soft mud bottoms, we shackled a Danforth to the crown of the CQR and that held us. We also decide to order OEM windlass motor brushes directly from Lewmar, despite the $87 price tag. We want that windlass to WORK when we need it!

Southport

Luke pointing to The Old Southport OakWe have a beautiful leisurely sail to Southport. Even against the current in the Cape Fear river, we make good time and tie up to Southport's municipal dock early in the day. We walk around town, visiting the historic Old Southport Oak and enjoying the small town hospitality. We also call the local Catholic Church to arrange transportation to Saturday night mass (thank you, Gene, who kindly ferried us to and fro). Afterwards, we have dinner at the wonderful "Thai Pepper" restaurant. We do not recommend using the water from the free dock spigot to fill boat tanks unless 1) treated with chlorine, and 2) run through a filter.

We consider going offshore from Southport to Charleston, but the NWS predicts a strong cold front, forecast to arrive on the east coast Sunday night. The trip from Southport would probably take us 24 hours, and so, leaving Sunday morning, we'd be "caught out." Instead, we head down on the ICW, and make our next stop Barefoot Landing, which also has a free dock. While at Barefoot, Adrian takes the opportunity to replace the ailing windlass motor with the spare windlass motor we have onboard. Ah - this motor picks up chain quite cheerfully!

Charleston, SC

We enjoyed Charleston again, and spent a weekend there, purposefully attending the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for Saturday vigil mass this time. (Last time, while there, we wanted to attend the 11am Sunday mass, but, after retrieving our second anchor, rowing against the swift current, missing the bus, and hitchhiking to church in a pickup truck, we looked pretty ratty. Of course, the bishop was saying mass and everyone else was dressed in their finest!) Whenever possible, we play it safe and go to the more relaxed Saturday masses.

Jekyll Island, GA

Kristina and Luke riding scooters on Jekyll IslandThe South Carolina and Georgia lowlands are absolutely beautiful, and Angie is determined that we will stop and finally explore some of these. We passed Jekyll Island by last spring, but now we stop to discover the "Millionaire's Retreat" for ourselves. The island was an exclusive getaway for the fabulously rich from the mid-1800's until about 1940. We walk around the historic area, and Kristina and Luke enjoy their scooters.

Adrian had noticed in Beaufort, SC, that oil was seeping along the crankshaft, between the pulley and the shaft. Since we're tied up to a dock, Adrian is going to try cleaning the mess and tightening the crankshaft pulley, but we need an impact wrench. The dockmaster searches for an impact wrench, and manages to procure a torque wrench. Adrian ends up manufacturing, out of scrap lumber, a tool that will keep the crankshaft from turning while torque is applied to the pulley bolt. It works, and before the lumber splinters, we get 120 foot-lbs on the bolt. Should be good enough.

We share an anchorage with two brothers on a Hunter 25, and watch a bull shark (we think) patrol the shallows. Angie happens to be on the phone with her mom when Kristina and Luke start shrieking about "the shark" so Angie promises her mom that no one will go swimming (or fall off the boat!)

St. Augustine, FL

Luke on deck sketchingAlways a nice place to stop. In the photo, Luke is on deck sketching some of the waterfront. The "Festival of Lights" hasn't started yet, but we storm the Castillo de San Marcos again. We finally meet the two brothers on the Hunter, Adolph and Coni. They are travelling from Pennsylvania to Ft. Lauderdale, FL on that 25' boat, and they look like they're having a great time. The seven of us, plus Sandy and Merrit from Boundless share a pitcher of beer in the Mill Top Tavern. Adolph and Coni brave the rain to come over to Canto for dinner, and we trade stories.

Kristina and Luke waiting for a pony ride dressed as spiesThere's a weather window to go offshore to Ft. Pierce, but we're just not ready to go. We need propane, provisions, etc, and we heard that Florida cab rates are quite reasonable here, plus there's Halloween, a major holiday for our kids. So we stay put and catch up on errands (take a cab to Barnes and Noble, then walk to Wal-Mart, and, loaded with bags, call a cab to go back.) On Halloween, we fashion some costumes (Kristina and Luke are spies with all sorts of gadgets fastened to their belts) and go to see the sights on St. George's Street. We heard that there are really good costumes here and the storekeepers give out treats. After that, we head over to a church festival, where they have games and food, a giant slide, and pony rides.

New Smyrna, FL

Going down the ICW, we notice that a line of clouds is coming our way -- it's a squall line. We pass by a park with docks, and, quickly checking our guidebooks, we read that we can stop here for a few hours for free, so we do a U-turn and pull up to the docks. Within a half hour, it is raining and blowing, and we're glad we're not on the water. After the rain passes, we explore the town.

Seeing a health center, we visit it after lunch. It's crowded, but Paul needs his 4-month immunizations. Well, after an hour wait, we are seen, only to be told that we're a week too early. We haven't waited the requisite two months between immunizations. "Come back next week", we're told. We try to explain that we won't be here next week, to no avail. Ah, bureaucracy. We do have Paul weighed and measured.

Back at the docks, Adrian and Luke go fishing to see if they can catch dinner. They land several enormous saltwater catfish. We're warned not to eat them, due to pollution, but another fisherman gladly takes the biggest catfish from us. Apparently he's not very picky; he keeps a stingray, too. We have a great evening on Boundless, eating dinner (not fish) and watching a movie.

Cocoa Beach, FL

Boundless and Canto crews ashore in Cocoa Beach, FLAdrian and Merrit meet the Blues BrothersThe next day, we're moving on to Cocoa Beach. We're back in Manatee Areas! Walking around town, we find a huge hardware store covering an entire city block, and many specialty shops selling sewing supplies, antiques, beads (uh oh), and designer clothing. Adrian buys a replacement "depth sounder" - a 12' long PVC pipe that is marked in 1' increments. Unwilling to leave it in the dinghy, he carries it around the downtown area. To Angie's immense amusement, when she goes into a coffee shop to buy two cups, the proprietor asks, "Oh - is he with you? I thought he might be a street person. They do strange things, like carry poles."

Walking on a bit further, we happen on the Blues Brothers hanging out outside another shop. Merrit and Adrian (still with the pole) sit with them for a bit. Cocoa Beach also has one of the most well-equipped public libraries we've seen. It's even waterfront, and has a room dedicated for computer usage.

Vero Beach, FL

visting the Vero Beach Museum of ArtDinner party on CariocaArriving in Vero Beach, we are happy to meet up with our friends, Jack and Julie on Carioca. They're on a mooring at the Vero Beach Municipal Marina, so we raft up. We have never been to Vero before, but we heard other cruisers sing its praises. We pack a picnic lunch to eat at the neighboring waterfront park, then visit the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Luke spots a Salvadore Dali painting "Lincoln in Dalivision" and is captivated. From a distance, the painting looks like one of Abraham Lincoln, but, when one walks closer, one can see the individual portraits that make up the whole. "Look!" he says excitedly. "There's a naked person in it!" Sigh. So much for art appreciation.

That night, the dinner party is on Carioca, who hosts the Boundless, Sea Otter, and Canto crews.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

We travel down to Ft. Pierce on the ICW, but then run out the inlet and go down on to Ft. Lauderdale on the "outside." We have a bit of a boisterous sail. The wind is behind us, and we make great time, but it is a little rolly. The conditions don't bother anyone, except Paul. We thought babies weren't supposed to get seasick!

Ft. Lauderdale is known for giving cruisers a cold reception, and we don't escape. Finding an anchorage is very difficult, because there are only two or three small areas where one can anchor a boat, and one is limited to a 24 hour stay. Staying in a marina is very expensive. We aren't going to stay long, but we want to see our friends, Anderson and Darlene. After dinner out, we're back on the boat. It's a rainy night, but the harbor police come by and tell us to move. Adrian says that we just got our kids to bed, could we move in the morning, and the police agree.

Miami, FL

Leaving Ft. Lauderdale, our buddy boat, Carioca has engine trouble, so they stay behind, but urge us to take this weather window. Since anchoring in Ft. Lauderdale is so problematic, we regretfully leave them, and have an uneventful motorsail to Miami. Luckily, their problem is easily repaired and they make the trip the next day.

Since we're travelling only about a mile off the coast, we see the hundreds of high-rise condominiums, hotels and office towers all the way down, and it's no different when we enter the shipping channel to Miami. (see photo) It is incredible how built-up this area is. Nearing the Miami inlet, we see freighters moored just outside, and entering the Miami channel, known as "Government Cut," we pass a row of Carnival Cruise ships. They are huge, multi-story affairs that dwarf our boat. One is laden with tourists, and we see the camera flashes as they take our photo. We smile and wave.

Miami skyline by dayTo get to our anchorage, we pass the Venetian islands. These spoil islands are connected by causeways and are completely built-up with very expensive houses. We anchor off Miami Beach, adjacent to the avant garde Art Deco area, and a quick walk from trendy SoBe (South Beach), where the rich and famous come to see and be-seen. Cuban restaurants, espresso, art galleries, gyms, and body piercing and revealing clothing are IN. The photo background is downtown Miami, across some of the Venetian islands. In the foreground on the right is Monument Island, with a tribute to the railroad man who extended the rail lines down the Eastern coast of Florida, and who, some say, started Miami on the road to greatness. The Miami skyline is spectacular at night.

The night beauty of the artificial lights thrills us. In Miami buildings are lit up, one in green and yellow colors, others just blazing white, and others with Christmas decorations. In Miami Beach the Art Deco buildings, with their unusual shapes and colors, is also beautiful. But, this is not a place to be out at night off the main pedestrian thoroughfare lined with restaurants and shops. Among the beautiful people and places are the homeless and hopeless ones. While on the beach thronged with people playing in the sun, Angie witnesses a man digging through a trash can, eating leftover food. While walking down the streets, we see evidence of people sleeping in doorways, with their tattered possessions clutched closely. Trash and liquor bottles are strewn about in these derelict areas.

visiting the Miami Seaquarium's parrotsWe spend a delightful Thanksgiving here. A well-stocked Publix, with a kosher food section, is a dinghy ride up Collins Canal. Turkey, cranberry, all the fixin's for a delicious dinner are bought and we enjoy a feast on Carioca. As a treat, we also go see "Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets" at the local movie theater, and visit the Miami Seaquarium. The Miami Seaquarium has dolphin shows, a large round aquarium, parrots, manatees, and alligators. We would not go again. It is like Marineland, somewhat run-down and surprisingly expensive. (The Baltimore and the Monterey Bay Aquariums are first-class, and we'd always be ready to visit those.) We much prefer to see dolphins in the wild; it rather depresses us to see "dolphin shows."

Alas, we still need Paul's immunizations before we leave. We spend hours on the cell-phone trying to find a doctor who will see us and who is not an hour drive away. We finally decide to just show up at the Miami Beach Community Health Center, even though it doesn't sound promising over the phone. Once there, we register Paul, then are told that we must come back the next day. The next day, we check in, wait, have Paul weighed, wait, eat some lunch, wait, see a family practice doctor who gives him a checkup, wait, then, finally, immunizations. We spent five hours at the clinic. Most of the clientele speak very little English. Their native tongue is Spanish, and quite a few of the clinic workers are bilingual. We gain a new insight into those who don't have medical insurance, and into the psyche of South Florida.

We still need diaper covers for those loads of cloth diapers on board. Calling the local Babies'R'Us stores, Angie realizes that she probably should learn how to say "diaper cover" in Spanish. Finally, we track down a store that has the sizes we need in stock. A drive of 40 minutes takes us through suburb after suburb, but we find the store and diaper covers, and can check that off our list. We close by driving through downtown Miami to glimpse the Christmas decorations. We can take the next weather window over to the Bahamas.