The dream is still alive.
We spent the summer with our new boat at the New Bern Grand Marina in New Bern, NC. Gail and I really enjoyed our time there. We spent the Spring getting the boat into shape. Southern Style spent a solid 6 weeks in the boatyard at Jarrett Bay getting some work done. We also replaced both Water Chillers on board with brand new ones. That hurt the wallet a bit. However, we now have confidence that we will never be without a comfortable living environment.
We did lots of side trips to Oriental and Ocracoke over the summer. Then in July, we did a big 3 week trip up to the Chesapeake Bay. We really got to "live" on the boat and started to get use to the idea of being "full-time cruisers".
The fall saw Hurricane Matthew come through. Fortunately for us, it did very little damage to the New Bern area. We only saw winds of 40 mph at the marina. Gail and I stayed on the boat during the storm and only lost power for a few hours. To my knowledge there was no damage to any boats at our marina. Even the flooding that came after the storm on the Neuse River did not affect us or the marina. We were very fortunate.
In August, we listed our house for sale. It was time to continue to get our "ducks in a row" and this was the next logical step. It didn't take long before we had an offer from an absolutely crazy family from Washington State who relocated to NC. They clearly don't understand how things work in the south. Even the real estate agents were fed-up with them and there constant whining. We were all extremely glad to get the transaction closed. It made me realize there are two types of people in this world. There are those who are positive and work to achieve harmony and mutual understanding. Then there are those who are negative, self-serving and generally have no regard for anyone or anything other than themselves and their own self interest. You have to steer clear of negative people. They suck out all of your energy and they thrive on that. Always work with people who search for a win-win. Life is too short.
On a more positive note, as a result of putting our house under contract, we went ahead and had an estate sale. We literally sold everything we owned out of our house including Gail's long-arm quilting machine and my Harley. That was really hard, but as we all know, there is no room on a boat for those. It some ways, it was hard to sell all of your "stuff" that you have spent a lifetime accumulating. In other ways, it was cathartic. It was liberating to be free of the things that hold you in place.
We still have a few loose ends to tie up, but the big hurdle in now out of the way. The light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to get a bit brighter. Spring of 2018 is still off in the distance, but we are beginning to feel that the dream is now within reach.
As I write this post, our boat in now in Wilmington, NC where she is getting all of her bright work redone. We are stripping all the varnished teak rails down to the bare wood and will bring it all back to a perfect, mirror finish. We will also be sanding and oiling all the teak decks. We will be installing a second Stidd helm chair to the pilothouse and finishing up a little engine room work. By March 1st, Southern Style should be ready to make her way back to New Bern for the Spring.
We have already joined AGLCA (America Great Loop Cruiser's Association) and will be attending their Spring Rendezvous in April. We are looking forward to speaking with current and past "Looper's" and finalizing our plans to begin the Loop the following year.
Each small step brings us closer to living the dream.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
Home: New Bern
Southern Style finished her trip from Florida to NC on Saturday afternoon at 4:00pm. It was bitterly COLD!! We woke to a temperature of 26F and it did reach above 33F all day. It was difficult just getting off the dock in the morning due to the ice and frost.
The dock in Southport was completely covered in frost. It was actually pretty dangerous just trying to walk from the bow to the stern to remove the lines. Not to mention the power cords were frozen solid and had a mind of their own and did not want to cooperate going back into the Glendenning.
We did get off the dock just before 7:00am to catch the Wrightsville Beach draw bridge at 9:00. At least it was a sunny day, but windy as usual. After the bridge we went the 5 miles to the Figure 8 Island Bridge. It has a height of 23 feet. We thought we needed it to open, but the bridge tender said it would be another half hour before they would open.
So we decided to drop the antennas and see if we could make it since the "book" said our height was 22 feet 8 inches. The bridge tender was great and he came out of his building to look for us and let us know if we could make it under the span. We approached the bridge very slowly and stopped with half the boat under the bridge to see if the anchor light would clear. Gail was up top looking as well and both Gail and bridge tender yelled down that they "thought" we would make it. So under we went. The bridge tender said we cleared by about 4 inches. WOW! At least now we know the height requirement of the boat. :)
So we were now off to see if we could travel the 15 miles to the Surf City Bridge to make the 10:00 opening. If we couldn't make the 10 o'clock we were going to have to wait an hour for the next opening. This is exactly why I wanted to have a boat with big engines that would allow us to "get up and go" if we needed to.
We opened her up and ran hard to try and make the bridge. We knew it would be close. On one hand it helped that it was so cold because there was not another boat on the water that we needed to slow down for. However, there were a few spots that we did need to slow for since it was very shallow and it was near low tide. We did our best keeping safety in mind.
Thankfully, we did make the bridge, but without one second to spare. Now under the Surf City bridge, we had 20 miles to go to make the next bridge at Onslow Beach. Again, we got up and moved, but the timing was a little bit easier. We didn't have any problem making this bridge. Once we made the bridge at Onslow the rest of the day was a piece of cake. We ran up to the ICW to Beaufort and stopped at Jarrett Bay for some of the cheapest fuel on the waterway. We paid $1.58 per gallon. We really topped the tanks off at that price.
Then it was on to the last 40 miles to New Bern. The Neuse River was snotty with the wind out of the north with short choppy 3 foot seas. The boat performed well, but we took spray over the flybridge. By the time we got in, the boat was completely covered in ice. It was so bad that the lines Gail left in the cockpit were completely frozen solid. She had to go to the bow locker to get new lines to tie up the boat in New Bern.
We were met by our good friend Dave Hawley who helped us tie up. It was good to be finished with the trip, tied up and home. Dave and his girlfriend Paula got the nickel tour of the boat. After a short clean up we met them for dinner and celebrated our arrival with the new boat. We look forward to starting a new chapter in our boating careers.
We
The dock in Southport was completely covered in frost. It was actually pretty dangerous just trying to walk from the bow to the stern to remove the lines. Not to mention the power cords were frozen solid and had a mind of their own and did not want to cooperate going back into the Glendenning.
We did get off the dock just before 7:00am to catch the Wrightsville Beach draw bridge at 9:00. At least it was a sunny day, but windy as usual. After the bridge we went the 5 miles to the Figure 8 Island Bridge. It has a height of 23 feet. We thought we needed it to open, but the bridge tender said it would be another half hour before they would open.
So we decided to drop the antennas and see if we could make it since the "book" said our height was 22 feet 8 inches. The bridge tender was great and he came out of his building to look for us and let us know if we could make it under the span. We approached the bridge very slowly and stopped with half the boat under the bridge to see if the anchor light would clear. Gail was up top looking as well and both Gail and bridge tender yelled down that they "thought" we would make it. So under we went. The bridge tender said we cleared by about 4 inches. WOW! At least now we know the height requirement of the boat. :)
So we were now off to see if we could travel the 15 miles to the Surf City Bridge to make the 10:00 opening. If we couldn't make the 10 o'clock we were going to have to wait an hour for the next opening. This is exactly why I wanted to have a boat with big engines that would allow us to "get up and go" if we needed to.
We opened her up and ran hard to try and make the bridge. We knew it would be close. On one hand it helped that it was so cold because there was not another boat on the water that we needed to slow down for. However, there were a few spots that we did need to slow for since it was very shallow and it was near low tide. We did our best keeping safety in mind.
Thankfully, we did make the bridge, but without one second to spare. Now under the Surf City bridge, we had 20 miles to go to make the next bridge at Onslow Beach. Again, we got up and moved, but the timing was a little bit easier. We didn't have any problem making this bridge. Once we made the bridge at Onslow the rest of the day was a piece of cake. We ran up to the ICW to Beaufort and stopped at Jarrett Bay for some of the cheapest fuel on the waterway. We paid $1.58 per gallon. We really topped the tanks off at that price.
Then it was on to the last 40 miles to New Bern. The Neuse River was snotty with the wind out of the north with short choppy 3 foot seas. The boat performed well, but we took spray over the flybridge. By the time we got in, the boat was completely covered in ice. It was so bad that the lines Gail left in the cockpit were completely frozen solid. She had to go to the bow locker to get new lines to tie up the boat in New Bern.
We were met by our good friend Dave Hawley who helped us tie up. It was good to be finished with the trip, tied up and home. Dave and his girlfriend Paula got the nickel tour of the boat. After a short clean up we met them for dinner and celebrated our arrival with the new boat. We look forward to starting a new chapter in our boating careers.
We
Friday, February 12, 2016
Ouch! That Hurt
We knew it was too good to last...
Of course the weather couldn't possibly hold out for 2 consecutive days on this trip for us to get up to Beaufort. We pulled out of Charleston this morning at 6:45 trying to beat the weather. Forecast was for seas 2 to 3 feet all day up to Surf City, NC. Well they were 2 to 3 feet alright, but they were that big as we left Charleston Harbor and they did nothing but get bigger all day.
By about 9:00 this morning we rounded the Cape Romain Sea Buoy. We set our waypoint for the Cape Fear River as the seas were building and we knew there was no chance of getting to Beaufort, NC today. After all of 30 minutes, our off shore day was over. The seas went from solid 3 footers to 6 to 8 foot seas in a matter of minutes. It didn't take us long to realize we were not going to make Cape Fear and immediately turned to try and get in to Winyah Bay at Georgetown, SC.
Fortunately for us, we were only about 6 miles from entrance to the Georgetown inlet. Trust me when I say it was all we could do to make it to the inlet. We could barely see a thing with the windshield wipers going and the water and spray coming over the bow. We got in and were glad we only had a short time in the slop. Gail was very happy to finally see land and get in past the breakers. (Trust be told; so was I)
We then made the long slog up the ICW from Georgetown, SC to Southport, NC. We cover 182 miles today and about 1 million gallons of green water washed over the bow. We got in around 4:00pm and were glad to be tied up. Forecast for tonight is a low of 18F and high tomorrow of 30F. Boy isn't this fun.
We have 150 more miles to go tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that we make it.
Of course the weather couldn't possibly hold out for 2 consecutive days on this trip for us to get up to Beaufort. We pulled out of Charleston this morning at 6:45 trying to beat the weather. Forecast was for seas 2 to 3 feet all day up to Surf City, NC. Well they were 2 to 3 feet alright, but they were that big as we left Charleston Harbor and they did nothing but get bigger all day.
By about 9:00 this morning we rounded the Cape Romain Sea Buoy. We set our waypoint for the Cape Fear River as the seas were building and we knew there was no chance of getting to Beaufort, NC today. After all of 30 minutes, our off shore day was over. The seas went from solid 3 footers to 6 to 8 foot seas in a matter of minutes. It didn't take us long to realize we were not going to make Cape Fear and immediately turned to try and get in to Winyah Bay at Georgetown, SC.
Fortunately for us, we were only about 6 miles from entrance to the Georgetown inlet. Trust me when I say it was all we could do to make it to the inlet. We could barely see a thing with the windshield wipers going and the water and spray coming over the bow. We got in and were glad we only had a short time in the slop. Gail was very happy to finally see land and get in past the breakers. (Trust be told; so was I)
We then made the long slog up the ICW from Georgetown, SC to Southport, NC. We cover 182 miles today and about 1 million gallons of green water washed over the bow. We got in around 4:00pm and were glad to be tied up. Forecast for tonight is a low of 18F and high tomorrow of 30F. Boy isn't this fun.
We have 150 more miles to go tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that we make it.
Charelston
Finally a nice day off-shore. We woke to clear skies, but cold temperatures once again. We pulled out of St Augustine at 6:50 this morning. The near shore forecast was very good with seas 2 to 3 feet, but the further off shore we went, the seas were supposed to be up to 6 feet.
Once we pulled out of the inlet we were welcomed to flat calm seas. We hugged the coast; first up to the St John's River near Jacksonville, and then on to the St Mary's River at the GA/FL boarder. The seas were about 1 foot. At that point we made a direct line to Charleston.
We are very glad we did. The seas all day were 1 to 2 feet and the wind swung around from the northwest to the south which gave us a really comfortable ride.
We pulled into the Mega Docks at the Charleston City Marina today around 4:30pm after 9 and half hours and 231 miles. Believe it or not, it was the most relaxing day we have had on the trip so far.
We didn't have time to do much of anything once we got in. We fueled up and I gave the boat a quick rinse before it got dark. They we ran out to dinner. We expect another early day as we try to run to Beaufort, NC tomorrow.
Once we pulled out of the inlet we were welcomed to flat calm seas. We hugged the coast; first up to the St John's River near Jacksonville, and then on to the St Mary's River at the GA/FL boarder. The seas were about 1 foot. At that point we made a direct line to Charleston.
We are very glad we did. The seas all day were 1 to 2 feet and the wind swung around from the northwest to the south which gave us a really comfortable ride.
We pulled into the Mega Docks at the Charleston City Marina today around 4:30pm after 9 and half hours and 231 miles. Believe it or not, it was the most relaxing day we have had on the trip so far.
We didn't have time to do much of anything once we got in. We fueled up and I gave the boat a quick rinse before it got dark. They we ran out to dinner. We expect another early day as we try to run to Beaufort, NC tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Hardware & Donuts
The dockmaster at Coco Village Marina had given us a map of the area when we checked in yesterday. Unfortunately, it was cold and windy and we needed to clean up for our visitors (Pete & Rachael), so we never had a chance to walk into town. The dockmaster told me that there is a “must see” hardware store across the street from the marina and a donut shop right next to that we should not miss.
At 7:00am we walked over to the hardware store. The dockmaster was right. This store had more “stuff” than I have ever seen before. It took us over an hour just to walk through the three buildings that made up the store. It was great. Of course we bought a couple of things that I didn’t realize I couldn’t live without. Then we walked across the street to the donut shop. We got a half dozen mixed variety donuts and some coffee to go.
It was then back to the boat to enjoy donuts and coffee as well as prepare for departure. Today we ran the boat about 120 miles up to St Augustine. We got fuel at Inlet Marina for $2.00 a gallon. We were going to move the boat across the water to Camachee Cove Marina for the night, but the dockmaster at Inlet Marina told us since we purchase more than 500 gallons of fuel the dockage would be free for us tonight if we wanted to stay. Well, you can't beat free.
Gail make spaghetti on the boat tonight for dinner along with some steamed broccoli. We both saved one of our donuts from this morning to have with coffee as our dessert tonight. Good planning on my wife's part.
If the weather holds out tomorrow we might try and run off-shore up to Charleston, SC. Keep your fingers crossed for some nice weather for us. We deserve it!
Coco Village
Tuesday February 9th started out a little rough. The wind was howling again around 25kts and it was overcast to start the day. We pulled out of our slip at the marina at 8:00am just as the Roosevelt Railroad Bridge came down. So we had to wait about 15 minutes before we could really get going.
Of course my Mom came down to the waterway again to see us off as we crossed under the highway bridge near there condo in Stuart. After a toot of the horn and wave to my Mom, we continued north on the ICW making our way to Coco Village.
It was pretty bumpy on the ICW as the wind was out of the north at 20 to 25kts most of the day. It was darn cold too. We ran all day from the pilothouse so at least we were toasty warm. I had texted my good friend Pete Ferarra, who lives in Orlando, that we were headed to Coca Village for the night. Pete was my sounding board as I worked on the deal to purchase the boat. Since Pete and his wife Rachael were only an hour from the marina, they wanted to come by and see the boat and get together for dinner.
Those plans worked out perfectly. We arrive in Coco around 1:30 in the afternoon. The early arrival gave me some time to wash the boat and get it presentable for visitors. Pete and Rachael arrived at 5:00 with a celebratory bottle of Champaign. They had the “nickel” tour of the boat and we visited for an hour and caught up before we headed off to Bonefish Grill for dinner.
We had a great meal accompanied by great conversation. Pete and Rachael are wonderful friends and we look forward to seeing them again in April as they bring their new 48-foot Sabre north in the spring.
Cross the Lake
Sorry for the delay. I will try and get everyone caught up on the last few days. We have been running pretty hard and have been slam worn out by the time we get in, so not really in the mood to write up the blog. But as we are traveling through the no wake zone south of New Smyrna Beach and Gail is at the wheel, I thought I would try and get caught up.
So on Monday, February 8th we ran from Ft Myers across Lake Okeechobee; a trip of about 130 miles. This was the first nice weather day we had since picking up the boat. It was sunny and the wind was not howling for a change. We got a early start around 7:30 and had no problem at all in any of the locks. My Mom and Dad decided to take a ride in the car from Stuart up to Clewiston to see us go by on the waterway. So we got to see them a few times along the way. After Clewiston, we ran across the Lake and they drove over to the Port Mayaca Lock and saw us again and we came out of the lock.
We tied up at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart that afternoon around 3:45pm. We took on some fuel and then settled into our slip. Mom & Dad came by to tour the boat and visit for a little bit before they took us to dinner. We had a really nice Italian meal with their friends Betty & Karl Hank. Karl is also my God Father. After another long day, we were ready to turn in after dinner.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
On to Ft Myers
We had a another long day in front of us to run the ICW from Clearwater to Ft Myers. We were off the dock this morning at 7:15 under cloudy skies and gale force winds. The Coast Guard was on the VHF all day warning of wind and rough sea conditions.
The good news was that the skies were gray, we had gale force winds and there was no reason to be on the water today. Add all that up and that means we pretty much had the ICW all to ourselves. I don't think we passed more than 6 boats all day long.
This was just the break we needed. We ran the 150 miles today to Ft Myers in 8 hours. That has got to be a record. Normally there are lot of small boats and other traffic on the water that cause delays and the need to slow down to no wake speed as we are passing boats. Not today. We kept the throttle down and had no problems running the ditch.
We arrive in Ft Myers today at 3:15pm. The wind was howling at 30kts, but we got into our slip without incident. Again, we did a quick rinse of the boat and then it was off to Ford's Garage for a burger and beer. We wanted to get back to the boat in time to watch the Super Bowl.
The good news was that the skies were gray, we had gale force winds and there was no reason to be on the water today. Add all that up and that means we pretty much had the ICW all to ourselves. I don't think we passed more than 6 boats all day long.
This was just the break we needed. We ran the 150 miles today to Ft Myers in 8 hours. That has got to be a record. Normally there are lot of small boats and other traffic on the water that cause delays and the need to slow down to no wake speed as we are passing boats. Not today. We kept the throttle down and had no problems running the ditch.
We arrive in Ft Myers today at 3:15pm. The wind was howling at 30kts, but we got into our slip without incident. Again, we did a quick rinse of the boat and then it was off to Ford's Garage for a burger and beer. We wanted to get back to the boat in time to watch the Super Bowl.
The Gulf Crossing that Almost Wasn't
We had a very rough start to our long over due crossing of the Gulf. The weather has been so bad all week. We were finally geared up and ready to get the crossing over. The forecast was very "iffy" all week, but it looked like Saturday was going to "doable" for us to cross. The forecast was for seas 3 to 4 feet.
We were up early and wanted to get going at first light. We had to wait to get enough light to see as it was extremely overcast on Saturday morning. Finally at 7:07am we untied the lines and headed off down the ICW. We were heading to East Pass since the locals all said that Government Cut was too shoaled in to take a boat with a 5 foot draft out.
We started down the ICW, but didn't get far. About two miles from Apalachicola, there was a red buoy off station. I slowed the boat down as I knew things didn't look right. We proceeded with caution. I always say to navigate with your eyes and not the chartplotter. I figured if Government Cut was shoaling that the ICW was likely to be shoaled in as well and that the marker was moved to indicate deep water. Unfortunately, that was not the case. We slowly ran up on a sand bar.
The good news was that we were at idle speed. The bad news was that both BoatUS and SeaTow were 2 hours away. Add to that the tide was going out and that high tide was not until 4:00pm. Now we weren't sure if we would even get to cross the Gulf.
The tow boat showed up at 9:30 but he was not optimistic he could get us off. He tied up the boat and gave it a tug and sure enough we got off the bar and back into deep water. After checking all the systems, we were back on our way. No vibration, no harm, no foul. We were very lucky.
At 10:30 we went out East Pass and set our waypoint for Clearwater. The seas were a bit lumpy. They were solid 3 to 4 feet. Gail got a little bit ill when she went down to make a sandwich for lunch. But she hung in there and did fine the rest of the trip.
We pulled into the marina at 5:30 pm. We were exhausted, but glad we had it over with. It took us a solid hour to top off the fuel and then get into our slip and tied up. All we did was run out quick to get a bit to eat and then headed back to the boat for bed. We knew we had another long day tomorrow.
We were up early and wanted to get going at first light. We had to wait to get enough light to see as it was extremely overcast on Saturday morning. Finally at 7:07am we untied the lines and headed off down the ICW. We were heading to East Pass since the locals all said that Government Cut was too shoaled in to take a boat with a 5 foot draft out.
We started down the ICW, but didn't get far. About two miles from Apalachicola, there was a red buoy off station. I slowed the boat down as I knew things didn't look right. We proceeded with caution. I always say to navigate with your eyes and not the chartplotter. I figured if Government Cut was shoaling that the ICW was likely to be shoaled in as well and that the marker was moved to indicate deep water. Unfortunately, that was not the case. We slowly ran up on a sand bar.
The good news was that we were at idle speed. The bad news was that both BoatUS and SeaTow were 2 hours away. Add to that the tide was going out and that high tide was not until 4:00pm. Now we weren't sure if we would even get to cross the Gulf.
The tow boat showed up at 9:30 but he was not optimistic he could get us off. He tied up the boat and gave it a tug and sure enough we got off the bar and back into deep water. After checking all the systems, we were back on our way. No vibration, no harm, no foul. We were very lucky.
At 10:30 we went out East Pass and set our waypoint for Clearwater. The seas were a bit lumpy. They were solid 3 to 4 feet. Gail got a little bit ill when she went down to make a sandwich for lunch. But she hung in there and did fine the rest of the trip.
We pulled into the marina at 5:30 pm. We were exhausted, but glad we had it over with. It took us a solid hour to top off the fuel and then get into our slip and tied up. All we did was run out quick to get a bit to eat and then headed back to the boat for bed. We knew we had another long day tomorrow.
Friday, February 5, 2016
Stupid Wind
Gail has repeated the phrase "Stupid Wind" about a hundred times today. The wind continues to plague our very existence. It has been blowing like a banshee since we arrived in Florida. It has been the vein of our existence. However, tomorrow finally looks like the day we can "blow this popsicle stand" and head across the Gulf of Mexico to Clearwater. The wind, according to the forecast should be calming down and we have our fingers crossed for a very early departure tomorrow morning for a 200 mile ride across the Gulf.
Now for some more bad news; Government Cut is the inlet that I have been out of numerous times when I make the crossing. Unfortunately, the dock master informed me that the inlet is pretty well shoaled in. He said with our draft of 5 feet that it would be unlikely that we would be able to get out without local knowledge. Oh well.
Therefore, we will have to take the boat over to East Pass which is about 25 miles to the east of Apalachicola. That will add well over an hour to our trip. We would have been better off to stay a Carrabelle, FL to go out East Pass, but hindsight is always 20/20.
The off-shore forecast is for seas 2 to 4 feet. If that holds true, we will be very lucky. Tonight there is a small craft advisory with winds to 20kts and seas 6 to 8 feet. How the seas will go from 8 feet to 2 feet overnight is beyond me, but I hope the weatherman knows what he is doing or it will be a very short day tomorrow.
So what is a happy couple to do in Apalachicola on a very sunny, cold and windy Friday? Well of course head into town and have lunch. We stopped at Riverside Café and had their special of Crawfish and Shrimp gumbo. It was terrific. We did some shopping and picked up a martini glass for me, a cute little dolphin ring for Gail and an Apalachicola T-shirt for our troubles.
Then it was back to the boat for a few boat chores. We went back to Papa Joe's for dinner and polished off some more oysters and a few beers. Tonight we are securing everything on board for an expected bumpy ride tomorrow.
This is a really cool, old marine supply store that has about anything you can imagine.
The fried soft shell crab dinner.
Gail went "healthier" with the Caesar salad with fried oysters.
Now for some more bad news; Government Cut is the inlet that I have been out of numerous times when I make the crossing. Unfortunately, the dock master informed me that the inlet is pretty well shoaled in. He said with our draft of 5 feet that it would be unlikely that we would be able to get out without local knowledge. Oh well.
Therefore, we will have to take the boat over to East Pass which is about 25 miles to the east of Apalachicola. That will add well over an hour to our trip. We would have been better off to stay a Carrabelle, FL to go out East Pass, but hindsight is always 20/20.
The off-shore forecast is for seas 2 to 4 feet. If that holds true, we will be very lucky. Tonight there is a small craft advisory with winds to 20kts and seas 6 to 8 feet. How the seas will go from 8 feet to 2 feet overnight is beyond me, but I hope the weatherman knows what he is doing or it will be a very short day tomorrow.
So what is a happy couple to do in Apalachicola on a very sunny, cold and windy Friday? Well of course head into town and have lunch. We stopped at Riverside Café and had their special of Crawfish and Shrimp gumbo. It was terrific. We did some shopping and picked up a martini glass for me, a cute little dolphin ring for Gail and an Apalachicola T-shirt for our troubles.
Then it was back to the boat for a few boat chores. We went back to Papa Joe's for dinner and polished off some more oysters and a few beers. Tonight we are securing everything on board for an expected bumpy ride tomorrow.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Hello Apalachicola
After 2 very overcast and rainy days in Panama City, we finally got a change to put some water under the keel of our new boat. We pulled out of the marina this morning and made our first real trip of 62 miles to Apalachicola, FL. We had a great day on the ICW complete with some very friendly dolphins. Gail was in complete amazement as she had three different pods of dolphins ride in our wake today. She said that the first group was almost touching the swim platform as we ran a leisurely 8kts down the canal.
We docked tonight at Scipio Creek Marina in Apalachicola. We were all set to have dinner at Papa Joe's Oyster Bar at the marina. However, when we got in tonight, the place was shut down and out of business. We were so disappointed. I checked online and found out that Papa Joe's simply moved into town. Lucky for us! We walked a few blocks and had a feast to remember. Our dinner was complete with 6 dozen raw oysters (however, a dozen oysters at Papa Joe's is either 14 or 16 oysters), then some scallop and crab bisque followed by soft shell crabs all washed down with a few ice cold beers. Now this is what we had in mind.
The weather is still really poor off-shore, so we will spend another day in Apalachicola and try to make the crossing to Clearwater on Saturday. We already have our sights set on some shopping for the boat and another oyster dinner out tomorrow. We are really enjoying the new boat so far.
We docked tonight at Scipio Creek Marina in Apalachicola. We were all set to have dinner at Papa Joe's Oyster Bar at the marina. However, when we got in tonight, the place was shut down and out of business. We were so disappointed. I checked online and found out that Papa Joe's simply moved into town. Lucky for us! We walked a few blocks and had a feast to remember. Our dinner was complete with 6 dozen raw oysters (however, a dozen oysters at Papa Joe's is either 14 or 16 oysters), then some scallop and crab bisque followed by soft shell crabs all washed down with a few ice cold beers. Now this is what we had in mind.
The weather is still really poor off-shore, so we will spend another day in Apalachicola and try to make the crossing to Clearwater on Saturday. We already have our sights set on some shopping for the boat and another oyster dinner out tomorrow. We are really enjoying the new boat so far.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Grey and Underway
Our trip from Raleigh to Panama City Beach, FL to pick up Southern Style went very well. We drove about half way on Sunday night and stayed on the Florida / Georgia boarder in Kingsland, GA. On Monday we finished the 11-hour drive and arrive in Panama City at 1:00pm. Gail and I made short work of unpacking the car. We then ran over to the grocery store to provision for the trip and then the previous owner was very kind to take us over to the rental car return so we could drop off the car.
Once back aboard, we get our things settled in and spent some time with the previous owner going over systems and generally getting acquainted with the boat. Tom and Donna have been so helpful and welcoming to us during the entire purchase process. They had the boat washed before our arrival and they also had a bottle of Champaign on ice to celebrate the new boat. Gail and I can't say enough good things about them. They certainly made the entire process a real pleasure. We know we will remain in contact with them for many years to come.
This morning (Tuesday 2/2/16) the weather Gods did not smile down upon us. The wind is blowing and the waves are up and it has generally been a grey and ugly day. There is no chance for us to make the crossing from the panhandle over to Clearwater, FL, a trip of approximately 180 or so miles. What is worse, the forecast for the next 5 days is just as bad. Seas are expected to be 4 to 6 feet with wave heights up to 8 feet until Saturday. It doesn't look like we will be going anywhere anytime soon.
On the bright side, we did move the boat from behind Tom's house and we stopped at Panama City Municipal Marina today to top off the fuel tanks. I paid $1.67 per gallon. That has got to be the best price I have ever paid in all of my years running boats. When you have a 1,300-gallon fuel tank, that really helps.
Stay tuned... I have a feeling you are going to see a lot of food pictures over the next few days.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Picking Up "Southern Style"
The day has finally arrived. After months of searching, countless hours on the internet, talking to anyone and everyone who knew anything about Marlow Yachts, today Gail and I will pick up a rental car and drive to Panama City Beach, FL to realize a dream that began 10 years ago. Today we begin a new chapter in our lives.
Today we head out to pick up our new yacht, "Southern Style". Southern Style is a 2008 Marlow Explorer 57 euro. Gail and I will be the third owners of the boat. She is powered with a pair of Caterpillar C-18 ACERT engines at 1,000 hp each. She also has a pair of 16kW Northern Lights generators. She measures 62 feet overall, a beam of 18'2" and weighs in at over 95,000lbs.
Excitement does not begin to express our emotions. We can't wait to load up the car and get going. The past week has been a process of unloading Coastal Comfort and trying to pack for our trip aboard Southern Style. I get on new boats all the time and take them thousands of miles. Yet this trip has caused me to pause. Why I don't know. However, I guess when it is your boat, the heart rate tends to spike a bit.
Gail has not been on the boat since our first visit to see her back on October 3rd of 2015. Needless to say, she can't wait to get aboard. She is also a bit anxious about the 5 locks we will be going through as we cross Lake Okeechobee. She has never been through a lock before. We had a good talk yesterday about the process, so hopefully, she is a bit more at ease now.
The weather is a bit "iffy" for Tuesday and Wednesday on the panhandle of Florida. However, we have our first day trip planned to run over to Apalachicola, FL where we will take care of more than just a few oysters. Let the adventures begin.
Today we head out to pick up our new yacht, "Southern Style". Southern Style is a 2008 Marlow Explorer 57 euro. Gail and I will be the third owners of the boat. She is powered with a pair of Caterpillar C-18 ACERT engines at 1,000 hp each. She also has a pair of 16kW Northern Lights generators. She measures 62 feet overall, a beam of 18'2" and weighs in at over 95,000lbs.
Excitement does not begin to express our emotions. We can't wait to load up the car and get going. The past week has been a process of unloading Coastal Comfort and trying to pack for our trip aboard Southern Style. I get on new boats all the time and take them thousands of miles. Yet this trip has caused me to pause. Why I don't know. However, I guess when it is your boat, the heart rate tends to spike a bit.
Gail has not been on the boat since our first visit to see her back on October 3rd of 2015. Needless to say, she can't wait to get aboard. She is also a bit anxious about the 5 locks we will be going through as we cross Lake Okeechobee. She has never been through a lock before. We had a good talk yesterday about the process, so hopefully, she is a bit more at ease now.
The weather is a bit "iffy" for Tuesday and Wednesday on the panhandle of Florida. However, we have our first day trip planned to run over to Apalachicola, FL where we will take care of more than just a few oysters. Let the adventures begin.
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