Aground! this is a boaters nightmare. What it means is you are on the bottom, no longer free to go, still floating, cannot maneuver and in the grasps of "Mother Ocean". This is not the end of the world because it is hard to sink while resting on the bottom, but is possible. We slipped into Tarpon Basin in Key Largo with an inch or less under the Keel. Just months ago we were in Maine with 15 foot tides and anchoring in 30 feet of water or so, today there is no tide and only a foot under the keel as Godspeed swings on the hook in Tarpon Basin, Key largo. We are not aground but only inches from it all the time. Boating has changed a lot! We are sailing all day with only a foot or so under us and can easily see the bottom all the time.
So, we made it to Charleston, SC and my sister Melanie and Husband Norm, came and spent a night on Godspeed as she lay at the "Meritime Center". What fun! Mel was our personal tour guide in Charleston
and we then rented a "super duper urban assault vehicle", a Chrysler mini van, drove it to Columbia SC and "Super Bowled" with big sis and fam. Highlights of the weekend include great food, football, teenagers, and cops!(yea I said teenagers and cops, also 1:00am phone calls, lectures, you know plain old teenager stuff!) Then on to Beaufort, SC where we met up with the sailing vessel "Blessed Spirit".
AT 1:PM we weighed anchor and sailed Through Port Royal inlet and into the Atlantic with our new buddy boat with crew of Corning, Tita, and pooch Demi. Really crappy sea conditions all night but at 5:30am Godspeed entered the Saint Mary's river Inlet and arrived in Florida. Sorry Georgia, "we took the Bypass". Entering the inlet at night was alot like landing a very slow airplane in LAX. Ships, red lights, green lights, yellow lights...no lights, radar, electronic navigation screens, begging, crying, praying. Anyway it was a "9.5 concentration level" and a "10 pucker factor". The not so fun seas did have an up side, we set our all time fastest speed record of 7.3 knots (8+mph)overall, they don't call her Godspeed for nothing!
We found it on on a Tuesday, in Saint Augustine...SUMMER!!! Shorts, bare feet, water temperature in the 70's. Oh yea!!!
South we went, Daytona,
Titusville,
(Manatee and her baby Boo Boo enjoying fresh water overflow from Godspeed)
On to Melboune Beach! From here we had a banner sailing day right down the Intracoastal waterway to Fort Pierce. Protected waters with no seas and moving fast! Yee Haa! Then on to North Palm Beach, and into the ocean again...
What would a cruise be without a little fishing!
Four Blackfin Tuna
Mahi Mahi, AKA Dolphin, Dorado
Pretty good day sailing only a mile or so off the coast, with clear blue water and into Miami's Government cut inlet at sunset,
"Hook down" in the marine stadium anchorage. Biscayne Bay is a beautiful place to sail. Miles and miles of 7 to 10 feet of water. As you leave Miami you notice the water turning a clear but greenish color and there it is...the bottom! My reaction is to dive to the depth sounders, reduce speed and brace for impact. Lorrie's reaction is to say "Hey sailor boy, what in the wide world of sports are you doing?" After checking everything and realizing we have arrived in the Keys, I tell lorrie " nothin just checking something... hey look you can see the bottom now!
So we have slowed down and are going fishing... Sailfish, Tarpon, Wahoo, maybe even a Goldfish? We will just have to see.
Mile Hammock, NC
Anchored at Mile Hammock, two men showed up at an island and we rowed over and asked: what are you doing? and they replied: oystering! Wow, will you sell us some? "NO! git yer own... here's how!" So we did, what fun and tasty for days!
Great oysters and many had little crabs inside. The crabs are pretty good on top of that oyster, cracker, couple drops of hot sauce, and sill wigglin...oooooweeee!
Check out this cool Mangrove tunnel we found. It went on for more than a mile, kinda Like the Amazon but there was not shrunken heads or natives with spears.
The entrance was a little scary to enter
Lions and tigers and bears...oh my!
Lorrie's Perfect Bread
The crew Of SeaVeyor, Dwayne, linda, felines! So good to see them again and have quality time together!
