Cruising the ICW from Philadelphia to New Orleans

Parting Words From the Three ERYC Captains

2009-11-24T22:41:00.000-08:00

Parting words from Captain John

After a few weeks of detailed, meticulous planning, our adventure began with much anticipation and excitement. This was not going to be a trip of leisure, as we needed to get the Golden Eagle III, a 340 Sea Ray Sundancer to its new marina home on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans in two weeks. The 2000-mile journey ahead of us seemed enormous, but day-by-day, as the miles grew longer from the departure point and shorter toward the destination, we settled into a routine that worked well for all of us. The 700-mile voyage for the first 5 days from Philadelphia to Charleston was familiar, as we had made this trip in the opposite direction four years earlier.

Today we stopped for a day in Charleston, SC for propeller repair, which provided a much-needed rest from our hectic dawn-to-dusk schedule. Rested and refreshed, the remainder of the journey would be in waterways that were new to us. The weather was balmy with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the 80’s. We were running ahead of hurricane Ida, however at times we felt a brush of her head winds and experienced bumpy waters with three-to-five foot seas. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway with its “outer banks” provided shelter from the open Atlantic Ocean and made for a rather pleasant passage to Stuart, FL. Leaving Stuart, we traversed 5 locks and several bridges of the St. Lucie-Lake Okeechobee-Calooseahatchee Waterway before exiting at Ft. Myers on the west coast of Florida. We then headed north along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, through the Tampa Bay area, and on to Tarpon Springs, FL.

Since the tail winds of hurricane Ida were kicking up heavy seas we decided to stay in port for a half-day at Tarpon Springs. This gave us an opportunity to experience the lifestyle of natural sponge harvesting, as Tarpon Springs (according to the local residents) is the “sponge capital” of the world. At dawn the following day we left Tarpon Springs and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and entered the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Using the “Big Bend” route, we made a fuel stop at Steinhatchee (“Stein” rhymes with “bean”) and after 12 hours of five-to-eight foot seas, arrived in Carrabelle, FL at dusk. What a relief! From Carrabelle, we re-entered the protected waters of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway where calm waters prevailed for the remainder of the trip. As we passed by Pensacola, FL we caught the ending of an air show by the Navy Blue Angels.

The Alabama and Mississippi coasts passed by quickly, and suddenly we realized that Lake Pontchartrain was coming into view on our chartplotter and radar screens. After passing under the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, we could see in the distance the red-green markers of the channel leading to the narrow, shallow entrance to the Tchefuncta River and Marina Del Ray, the new home of the Golden Eagle III. It was “high five” time for all three captains!

We hope you enjoyed following our voyage as we shared our view of the magnificent scenery, abundant wildlife, grand mansions, luxurious megayachts, memorable people, and other interests along the way. Would I do it again? Most definitely. Would I do it tomorrow, not likely. I need a couple days to recuperate!

Parting words from Captain Will

After a few days of rest and a mad dash back into the familiar world of work, friends and family I had a chance to reflect on the journey of late. Philly to New Orleans will remain in my memories as a great adventure with good friends.

I was afforded this opportunity not only from the owner and friend Shirl Gilbert but also from my friend John Cannon who did so much of the initial planning and plotting. I want to thank deeply; God, my family, contractors, employees, customers and other friends, for without all of them it would not have been possible. I also want to thank so many of the people we met and did not meet for all they did even though most will never read this blog but may they feel the warmth of my thoughts. Some of the people are the people who prayed for us, gave us shelter, a place to dock the boat, car rides to and from destinations, harbormasters, dock line handlers, repair yards, people who gave us directions to places, the weather channel, other boaters, gas station attendants, the restaurant servers and cooks, “GM” the engine builder for the boat, and YES SHIRL “SEA RAY”. I want to say a special thanks to a man who’s name I do not know but one who allowed us to vary from the norm and stay at a marina that was closed as we were lost in the dark and he provided a dim light, shelter, sleep and a place to eat our make-shift dinner on the boat.

Please let me also thank Albert Gallatin, the former United States Secretary of the Treasury, who in 1808 published a report to the United States Senate and also Secretary of War John C. Calhoun who in 1819 posed an urgent need for an improved internal transportation system including waterways “The ICW or Intracoastal Waterway” and of course the Army Corps of Engineers who built it, as without them we would have been in the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean.

I also want to take this time to say “I HATE YOU” to Davy Jones’ Locker and may his saucer eyes, three rows of teeth, horns, tail, and blue smoke coming from his nostrils stay at the bottom of the sea and not claim another cell phone, gas cap, screw, or bar-b-que cover.

Parting words from Captain Shirl

To all who have followed this final entry on the Philly to New Orleans Blog Report, I too want to THANK YOU for staying with us and helping us bring meaning to our effort beyond just the transportation of the Eagle and a FUN vacation with two of my best friends. To write the Blog Report everyday, knowing many of our friends and acquaintances would be reading it and following our adventure was something we looked forward to each evening. We took special pains to jot down on paper our memories of things which happened each day, and at the end of most days, the three of us talked about the day, looked at the pictures, and helped the day’s Blog Report author gather his thoughts as to what the Blog Report would report on that day. This activity each day was therapeutic for all of us as we wound down from the day.

John did a great job of summarizing the trip; I want to add a few more lines about the two guys who accompanied me on this journey. Though we don't see each other often, and only sometimes talk on the phone, we are clearly connected by the water and the "Love of Boating". They are my Brothers, and I love them as if they REALLY were.

This is the second time I called on them to assist me in moving the Eagle. Four years ago, I ended a stint in Charleston, SC, and was about to join the Philadelphia, PA School District as Superintendent of the West Region Schools, and I did not want to again truck the Eagle (I had allowed my employer to truck the Eagle from Tacoma, WA to Charleston. In order to do so they needed to remove all the electronics and the entire fiberglass arch from the top of the vessel, and while they reinstalled it all upon arrival, the electronics didn't work correctly for almost a year, after having the boatyard work on them seven times. I didn't want to do that again !!!). Both John and Will are competent and knowledgeable boaters (much better than I) and not only did they agree to join me on the trip, but from the beginning right up until the end of the trip, they were teachers, building my capacity as a boater and helping me to understand the why's and wherefore's of boat handling, navigation, radio usage and jargon, repair and upkeep, and protocols and courtesies appropriate to being on the water. Having them on the water with me for 16 days was better than any safety and/or boating course I could have taken, and they provided me with more information about the Eagle, and boating in general, than I had learned in five or six boating courses over the seven years I have owned the Eagle. Don't get me wrong, I have boated for more than twelve years, and have become reasonably competent at it, but they are sooooooooo much better!! Their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise finds me a much better boater now than when we started.

There are no words with which I can express the thanks and appreciation I feel for their saying yes to my request that they join me again for a second journey out in the waters of the Americas to move the Golden Eagle III, yet again, to a new home. I could go on-and-on sharing all the specific assistance they gave me before, during, and after the 2000-mile trip, but suffice it to say I love these men, and appreciate all they are and ever will be. I thank GOD for their friendship, and will treasure their association for as long as I live.

God Is Great, and Life Is Good !!! ALOHA !!

2009-11-22T19:54:00.001-08:00

The Three ERYC Captains are putting the finishing touches on their final post. Keep an eye out for their parting words.

2009-11-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

Day 17 – Captain John returns to the keyboard.

Hello ~~Houston~~ New Orleans, The Eagle has landed!

With such a beautiful day yesterday, what could possibly add to the adventure today? We got an early start from the Bear Point Marina at 6:15am before the sun rose. Waters were flat calm and the wind was nil. After negotiating our way out of the marina, we found the lighted red and green markers of the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) and brought the Eagle up to a slow cruise speed of 15 knots.

We had hardly gone 3 miles when we encountered a fog bank with visibility around 50 feet. Slowing to an idle, we followed the GPS and Radar to try and stay on course. But try as we did, it was too difficult to maneuver the boat slowly within the narrow waterway. After a few harrowing minutes of steering we found ourselves face-to-pole and on the wrong side of a red channel marker, and gradually came to a halt on a mud bar, stalling one engine. Easing the other engine into reverse we managed to nudge the boat off the mud and into deeper water with no damage to the underside of the boat.

Ahead of us was an extremely narrow dredged channel that Captain Will felt was unsafe to traverse under current conditions, so we eased the boat out of the main channel into a safe spot to wait for the fog to rise. Gradually, as the sun rose, the fog lifted and we were on our way.

A mile further down the narrow channel there was a tugboat and barge blocking most of the waterway – glad we decided to wait for the fog to lift!

We made a fuel stop at Fort Morgan and after talking to the local fishermen, continued on toward our final destination – New Orleans.

Along the way we saw numerous oil rigs, barges, trawlers, and other remarkable scenery.

The waters were extremely calm and most of the time the boat remained on course, seemingly steering itself, with minimum effort from the Captains. Upon entering Lake Pontchartrain, we could feel the relief and excitement of a safe journey and a job well done.

After crossing under the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge, we soon sighted the markers at the channel leading to the Tchefuncte (chuh-FUNK-tuh) River where the Marina Del Ray is located. Hailing the harbormaster, we were directed to the fuel dock where we took on 186 gallons of fuel, then gently glided the Eagle into her new berth.

WELCOME HOME GOLDEN EAGLE III !

Stay tuned - the Captains will post one final blog entry at a later date.

2009-11-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Day 16 Philly to New Orleans

Captain Shirl (SEGII) coming at you again tonight !!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES !!!

Rough and tumble yesterday to absolute smooth and calm today We left the marina at 6:15am, and unlike yesterday, we found the waters calm and the winds low and warming as the morning melted in to afternoon..

View from the Captain's seat at the helm

Here is a small cabin tucked away against the side of the river

We ran the morning running through picturesque small fishing communities which reminded us of greeting cards and pictures of muted colors with the sunlight shining through as painted by the likes of Thomas Kincade.

Unlike the Eastern ICW, the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) was not reflective of Express Cruisers, Sedan Bridges, Aft Cabins, Motor Yachts and other crafts, but rather we saw mostly Trawlers, Sport Fishers, Commercial Outriggers, Small Fishing Boats, Charter Fleets, and other working boats, and Cities, Towns, and Villages whose livelihood depends on the water, fishing, crabbing, shrimping, charter fishing cruises, diving, and other related industries which supply seafood and recreation for the East Coast and many inland Cities of America.

Again we saw hundreds of sea birds, beautiful water filled marshes, seemingly unending forest lands adjacent to the rivers, channels and canals which made up our route. We consistently ran a 25 or 30 miles and hour, and made great time across the lower panhandle of Florida.

This picture is not upside down. The water was

unbelievable calm and mirror smooth.

At one point in one of those channels, we came upon a couple of kids in a small fishing boat, with its engine cover off (a sure sign that they were having engine trouble), John was running the Eagle, and opened the window at the helm and asked the young men “are you having trouble”, one of the boys said “yes, our engine won’t start”. Shirl queried further and found that they would appreciate our towing them a mile or so down the channel to their Village, and that’s what we did !!

Will, who was busy cooking breakfast, felt our stop and heard our discussion with the young men, and leapt to their aid, throwing them a line, and then (as it was obvious they didn’t know how to tie-on the line) tied the line appropriately to the bow eye of their little boat. Slowly, John gradually sped up the Eagle and towed the young men to a small dock down the channel. As luck would have it, the channel was rather narrow at the dock, and faced another dock at our bow, making it difficult for John to maneuver out of the very tight and dangerous position (we didn’t want to ding the props again), but with Will’s assistance on the bow of the Eagle, and my pushing the vessel off the dock with the Eagle’s dock pole/hook, John was able to maneuver the Eagle off the two docks with no damage to the Eagle or the dock. The young men thanked us, and were on their way to get their engine repaired.

After that adventure, we returned to the serenity of our cruise, and found ourselves in a beautiful bay adjacent to Panama City, FL, and motored on to Fort Walton, FL, for a fuel stop for the Eagle and for the Captains. We fueled the Eagle, and then made a quick lunch stop a the marina restaurant, the Crab Shack, for hamburgers which reminded us of our lunch stop in Charleston, SC, at Five guys.

After getting out hamburgers in to-go bags, we ran back to the Eagle and got underway, heading for the Blue Angles Air Show at Pensacola, FL. About an hour and a half later, as we were approaching Pensacola, John woke me from a brief nod-off, to see the Blue Angles in their State-of-the-Art, Blue and Gold F/A-18 Hornets, streaking through the sky out in front of the Eagle, in maneuvers just inches apart, and then rearranging themselves into a single file line, and one by one landing right in front of us. What a sight !!!

As we ran past the Naval Air Station Pensacola, the home of the Blue Angles, we encountered hundreds of boats which had been anchored off the base to watch the air show, and had to work our way through them as we continue our route. Less than forty five minutes later, we arrived at the Bear Point Marina, at Orange Beach, Alabama, tied up the Eagle, ate dinner, and returned to the Eagle to watch a couple of collegiate football games, prep the final route for the trip, prepare this Blog Report, and readied for another and final great nights sleep.

Tomorrow night at this time we will have arrived in Madisonville, LA after a successful 2000 mile journey, moored the Eagle at Marina Del Ray, and be resting in the living-room of my home in Baton Rouge, shortly to ready John and Will for the night, and myself for a Great Nights Sleep in My Own Bed.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES !!!

WHAT A TRIP, WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE BLOG REPORTS, AND WATCH FOR OUR STORY IN SEVERAL NATIONAL AND REGIONAL BOATING MAGAZINES. SEE YOU FOR A FINAL BLOG REPORT TOMORROW NIGHT !!!

2009-11-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Day 15 Philly to New Orleans

This Blog Record is again brought to you by Captain Shirl (SEGII)

Remember when you were a kid, and you went to the amusement park and rode the roller coaster, or maybe the Wild Mouse coaster, you spent a few minutes going up and down, being jerked right and left, and coming to a sudden stop, well, everything but “a few minutes” and the “sudden stop” was what we went through today.

We arose at 5:00am, and by 6:30am we had washed-up, dressed, started the Eagle up, untied her, and were on our way, with fond memories of Tarpon Springs, FL. We spent approximately 15 minutes retracing our route back down the Anclote River from Tarpon Springs, and arrived at the mouth of the open water known as the Gulf of Mexico. From the very beginning we were in two to three foot sea swells, which quickly grew to five to six foot sea swells, with periodic waves which seemed to be more than ten feet, raising the Eagle above the surface of the Gulf, and slamming her back down with a bang.

Everything else that happened today was a repeat of the last sentence above. We saw no beautiful homes, no beautiful boats, no docks or marinas, no birds, or dolphins, or manatees, the only thing we saw for twelve hours (save a quick fuel stop at Steinhatchee, FL) was WATER, WATER, WATER as far as the eye could see. This was the most challenging day of the trip so far. The Eagle was tossed and turned by the sea, we were beat-up as we secured ourselves inside the Eagle against Mother Natures wrath. Things inside the Eagle which weren’t in locked cabinets or tied down with bungee cords or elastic nets, were thrown around the vessel, requiring our attention to re-secure and/or store them.

For many of the twelve hours there was dead silence while the Captains were focused on navigating though this soup, and trying to stay on course. Despite the treacherous conditions, the rocking and rolling of the surf and everything in it, we maintained our course and after twelve long and tough hours of cruising, we arrived in Carrabelle, FL, after dark (the only time we have allowed the daylight to leave us on the water since we began the trip), we just did catch the Harbor Master for the Moorings Marina, who was closing the office when we radioed, gassed up, docked, and tied down the Eagle for the night.

We ate a real meal on the Eagle tonight of Roncini (spiral spaghetti) and meat balls and spaghetti sauce, which Joyce and Jonn Morlin gave us as we left her beautiful home in Rockledge, FL last week. I did most of the cooking, after a quick trip to the grocery store across the street from the marina, but John and Will assisted. Will poured off the water (and half the Roncini) into the sink, John warmed the meatballs and sauce, and sliced and toasted the Italian Bread loaf and prepared, with Will’s help, drinks for the meal (Lemonade for Will, Pepsi for John, and Diet Coke for SEGII). We thanked theLlord for the safe traverse of the Gulf of Mexico and for the food we were about to devour, and chowed-down !!!!

We ended this most difficult day of the trip, planning for tomorrow (the entire remainder of the trip will be in calm inside protected waters, we never have to go back into open water), preparing this Blog Report, watching the Atlanta/Boston NBA game, and winding down in preparation for bed.

Even when the waters are rough and the wind is high, and the boat is rocking back and forth in the surf, a day on a boat is ten times better than a day anywhere else.

Tomorrow we head for Pensacola, FL and with good weather on our side, should make it to New Orleans Sunday - stay tuned.
LIFE IS GOOD !!!!

2009-11-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Day 14 Philly to New Orleans.

Today’s Blog Report is again brought to you by Captain Shirl (SEGII)

“Life is beautiful”, but this day was a bummer in terms for our making way to Madisonville, LA. We left St. Petersburg, FL this morning at 6:30am, and with the exception of a little misty rain, the day began fine. I fixed pancakes for the crew, and after throwing away three batches of experimentation, we finally had some decent pancakes which we enjoyed while underway (at least Will and I did, John decided to opt out). We saw more beautiful homes, boats, and many facets of nature. We saw signs of manatee (circles of bubbles where they very slightly surfaced to breath), blue herons, dolphins, pelicans, egrets, eagles, hawks, osprey, and many birds which we can’t name.

Where we cook and clean

Where we eat, work, and Captain John sleeps

We continued to run in protected waters from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs, FL, about ninety five miles across a fairly bumpy body of water in the Gulf ICW, gassed up and prepared to cross the Gulf of Mexico. Then we listened to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. (NOAA), and found out that the path across the Gulf of Mexico which we were taking had winds of 25 to 30 knots and waves (seas) of eight (8) to ten (10) feet for the day - that’s as high as the Eagle is measured from the water to the satellite dome. We would have disappeared between waves had we gone out, and been out of the water half the time as we slammed from wave to wave.

Where Captain Will sleeps

The Three Captains had no disagreement, we collectively decided to find a marina, and stay the day, as the forecast for tomorrow is fair winds of ten (10) to fifteen (15) knots, and relatively calm seas of two (2) to three (3) feet, much more manageable, and conditions which we have navigated several times during the trip.

Where Captain Shirl sleeps

We ended up five miles up-river in the downtown Municipal Marina of Tarpon Springs, FL, which is the natural sponge capital of the world. “Sponges everywhere”.

We docked and tied up the Eagle, and began to walk around the tourist city of Tarpon Springs for the remainder of the day, ducking in and out of stores, museums, the Sponge Factory (where we saw a very interesting documentary about sponging, and how sponge divers go down sometimes twenty of thirty feet to harvest sponges. We ate lunch, bought maple nut and caramel fudge, and I caught a local bus and made the trip to West Marine and CVS to replenish a few provisions for the Eagle.

Captains Shirl & John getting instructions from

the Tarpon Springs Harbormaster

The early evening found Will and John working to have a redundant set of route plans on John’s laptop computer and the Eagle’s Chartplotter/GPS in preparation for tomorrow’s run.

Later this evening we gathered in the salon of the Eagle, prepared a light dinner of brat and lunchmeat sandwiches, fudge, cookies, grapes, and sodas. We then popped in a DVD, “Righteous Kill” with DeNiro and Pacino, and we enjoyed the Golden Eagle Theater prime time showing.

At about 9:00pm we left the theater, made a few calls, and prepared the Blog Report, selected pictures to be inserted with the Blog, posted the Blog to the web, and prepared to turn in for the night. Life Is Good !!!!

2009-11-11T19:14:00.001-08:00

Day Thirteen (13)

Today’s Blog Record entry is being sent to you by Captain Shirl (SEGII)

We began the day in Fort Myers, FL after a great day of running across the State of Florida from the East Coast (Stuart, FL) to the West Coast, across the Okeechobee Water Way to Fort Myers. Leaving the Fort Myers Yacht Basin (probably the worse marina we have stayed in on the entire trip, save the broke down marina we spoke of earlier in the Blog record, with none of the anticipated bad water and weather.

Most of the day was uneventful (no pictures today!!), with continued great weather and good water. We continued to see beautiful Florida Coast houses and boats (lots of Sea Rays), and the Golden Eagle III was running like a top, but eating up lots of gasoline. We made four gas stops between last night and tonight, and the cost was nearly one thousand dollars, but hey, this once-in-a-lifetime trip is well worth the cost, and to do it with my two best boating buddies is priceless.

Surprisingly in the early afternoon we began to get rain as we left Sarasota, heading for Tampa/St. Petersburg. For more than an hour and a half, we endured a pretty heavy rain shower, and began to approach the infamous Tampa Bay, a large choppy and intimidating body of water. Having seen a peek of the Gulf of Mexico though a cut out of the inland route we were taking, for the first time during the trip, the Three Captains had a difference of opinion as to what we should do, go out into the Tampa Bay’s windy, choppy, rainy, waves and current, or turn back and wait a day for the effects of Ida to settle down. I was the scardy cat wanting to go only if both Will and John could assure we were not taking unnecessary chances. Will was the cowboy, feeling with the strength and performance of the Eagle; we should go and get on to St. Pete. John, the most level headed and most experienced, had us all to settle down and suggested we take a peek run to the mouth of the Tampa Bay, and see what it looked liked, and then make a decision.

That’s what we did, we got there, and though it looked treacherous we went out a few miles, and John turned to both me and Will, and said “well what do you think?”. Will, of course wanted to go, and after a few minutes of observation of the conditions and a feel for the rocking and rolling of the waves, I agreed we should go on. We all now agreed, and began the rough and tumble run to St. Petersburg, FL, and after about an hour of careful steerage by John, great navigation assistance by Will, and nervous banter by myself, we arrived at St. Petersburg, and The Harborage Marina, where we gassed up again (just a little needed), contacted the Harbor Master by VHF, got instruction for moorage, docked and tied down the Eagle, and began to query about a good restaurant, as we all were tired and very, very hungry.

As we left the Eagle, walking down the dock finger, I noticed another African American boater in the marina a couple of fingers away, and on, would you believe, a Sea Ray Sedan Bridge, the boat of my dreams. I called across to him, told him about our trip and shared with him that we had not seen many other African American boaters since we left Philly, and he was a sight for sore eyes. Will and John went over to his boat, while I worked with the Harbor Master to identify a restaurant and get us a cab. After the Harbor Master returned with the list of restaurants, and called a cab for us, I call John and told him to come on, that the cab was coming. By then they had befriended the boater (Mike), and he had agreed to take us to the restaurant. Turned out that while we told him we wanted to go to Outback Steakhouse, after a brief tour of the “hood” (very close to the marina) he recommended the Park Shore Grill. We accepted his recommendation and had a WONNNNNDERRRRFULLLL dinner, in a beautiful restaurant, with great service by all, the hostess, the waiter, and the manager.

After dinner, we walked (a considerable distance) back to the marina, planned the day tomorrow (when we will have to go straight across the corner of the Gulf of Mexico from St. Petersburg to just east of Pensacola, a full one hundred fifty miles), completed the Blog Report, and turned in for the night.

WHAT-A-Day !!!!!!

2009-11-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Day 12 Captain Will’s last scheduled day at the keyboard

The morning began with an opportunity to cross Florida on the Okeechobee Waterway. We left around 7am and turned towards the ominous clouds in the distance but as luck and prudent planning would have it, they would just be that “in the distance”.

Today was to be a day of teachable moments, interesting sites, waiting at locks and bridges, and getting back to basics.

Okeechobee Waterway boasts a large lake some 35 miles across, five locks to be traversed and numerous bridge swings, lifts or bascules, all of which we guessed would have taken more than just a day to complete.

Locks on the waterway ranged from a mere 1 foot drop to 12 feet, some with no wait, others with an hour. Some bridges opened on demand, some on the hour and half hour.

We were put in a holding pattern for about an hour while construction workers were repairing the Moore Haven Locks.

Let’s talk teachable moments!

-The wind changes in the locks just when you want to tie up

-The water in some locks are gravity fed while others are pumped in

-The water drops fast with gravity and you need to watch your lines

-People will anchor anywhere

-Boat owners want things where they can find them

-Electronics work and they can stop working when they want to

-Air conditioning is a good thing

-Some people are courteous on the water while others lack mutual respect

What we did not plan for was cows in the water cooling off, sailboats beached, and sailboats moored in the middle of the waterway.

Have you ever seen a turkey buzzard?

Ever seen a fish suck the scum off a lock wall?

What about a dead forest?

Did you know there are waterfront homes and homes on the water front?

Sailboat anchored in the middle of the waterway.

Another look at derelict boats that need TLC.

Tonight it is about 70 degrees outside but about 90 here in the boat - the air conditioning unit went on the blink just when we needed it! Oh well, tomorrow we head up the Gulf Coast of Florida and there is absolutely no trace of Hurricane Ida. Good planning on our part!

2009-11-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

Day 11 Captain Will Garner tapping the keys

WOW, what a night and what a breakfast at the home of Jonn and Joyce, great hosts they were, and well did they treat us (two thumbs up). Breakfast - well yes, eggs, two types of bacon, sausage, biscuits, coffee, orange juice, cranberry juice, and homemade jam. If it was not for Shirl we would have stayed until next summer but alas we had to go.

Now leaving was not that easy, not just because of the hospitality, but wow there is this girl down here called Hurricane Ida and man does she want us to do what she wants.

This morning she wanted us to tear up the dock before we left but the three of us, no wait - five of us, would not have any of that. Strategic placement of fenders, appropriate rigging of lines, and a lot of pushing, grunting and a firm hold on the stren line with a quick release from Jonn allowed us to get underway.

Now Ida has been kicking waves, wind, and salt spray in our face all day, but we are three determined captains and we have experience on our side so we are out there surfing the high waves, spitting in the wind, and beating on docks when possible. Really, it has been fun and while there are wind and waves it is not all that bad but we are heading toward the south and we are using all of our experience and being safe as possible. If you listen to the news about Ida, well everything south of Alaska and east of the Mississippi is getting devastated. Even at the marina where we are, boats are strapped to the ground in the event of inclement weather.

In Ft. Pierce, Florida we made a lunch stop for fuel and food with a short trip to Publix (grocery store). You should have been here to see three guys rolling a grocery cart down the street about one-half mile to the marina (wonder what the neighbors thought). Well anyway we returned it as soon as we unloaded.

Next stop Lake Okeechobee and its many locks and bridges. More wind and rain forecasted for tomorrow but at least it will be warm and in the presence of good friends. Dang this is what adventures are made of.

We are now in Stuart, Florida at Pirates Cove Marina at the entrance to the St.Lucie River. The temperature is in the high 80s at 9:00 at night. The wind is in the 25-knot range but the boat is handling it as are the captains. Tomorrow we will be heading west across Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway and are planning on sneaking around the back side of Ida arriving as planned in New Orleans.

2009-11-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Day 10 brought to you by Captain Will

Ahhh the warmth of the south; 6:15am and 70 degrees. Goal and focus of the day - get to Daytona Beach to bring the boat owner back on board from his sabbatical leading a Development Session for the Principals and Assistant Principals in the RSD (Recovery School District) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with an end goal of getting to John’s cousin in Rockledge, Florida before dark. The morning was quite uneventful if you would call beautiful homes, wildlife and the occasional fisherman uneventful.

We arrived at Daytona Beach Florida at 11:15am, and made best of a great lunch at the Aquarium Restaurant in Daytona, wow if you have never been there they have lighted sinks flashing different colors in the restroom, I know, I know, TMI (to much information) right? Anyway the stars were aligned and just as we finished little did we know Shirl had landed and was enroute to the marina. When he showed up we got underway and Shirl having missed lunch prepared a small picnic for himself of mystery meat, Ritz Crackers, Planters Peanuts and Diet Rootbeer.

The day continued with more wildlife - hawks, pelicans, heron, manatee, fish eagles and some real different looking people, LOL. We were making great time and landed in Rockledge, Florida (10 miles south of Cape Canaveral formally Cape Kennedy) parking our boat graciously at the dock of the neighbor Terry and Rhonda Graham. We gathered our belongings and headed inside of their beautifully restored 100-year old home, right on the ICW, where we were blessed by John and Joyce Morlin with a Spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and apple pie dinner. We sit here now with our round belly’s, writing the blog, and preparing to spend the night.

2009-11-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

Day 9 brought to you by Captain Will

The day began at 6:45 with John and I leaving South Carolina for the trip south without our fearless boat owner Shirl. The morning sun peeked over the horizon with promise of beautiful weather and calm water.

Just after going under one of the bridges we noticed something that I know Bob would love to have seen; three tug boats pushing, pulling and steering a barge of pipe followed by another barge with just as many tug boats which went on for what seemed to be ½ a mile a piece.

Later in the morning as we rounded a corner we saw what seemed to be an enormous satellite dome that would only fit something of equal stature. As we drew closer we saw a yacht the size of small city with ten or more small cities yachts. Both John and I sat in awe of the sheer size and styles of the yachts, first thinking it was a builder but with so many different styles we assumed it was a repair yard or retrofitter i.e. Thunderbolt Marine Inc. in Savannah, GA.

One mega-yacht we both liked best was called “Maridome” rumored to be owned by Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.

Now I have heard things in Georgia are big but come on look at the size of this egg, could it be Humpty Dumpty on his way to get his egg fixed at Thunderbolt Marine Inc?

John and I must have been a little tired because we thought we saw a tug boat pushing a whole marina including the office and several boats, some were going backward, then we realized the tug was tied to a dock and the tide was running hard making it appear that the dock was moving. I do not know about John but that was one of those “how stupid could I be moments”.

John and I were given another reminder today to be safe and watch where you are going. You have seen in previous posts several boats that were sunk for reasons unknown to us, which serves to be a subtle reminder that Mother Nature is in charge and/or someone was "asleep" at the wheel. Carelessness can cost. Hopefully no one paid the ultimate price.

After drooling over the mega-yachts, we became unaware of our surroundings until we heard a "horn from Hell" that brought us back to reality, only to see a cargo laden container ship bearing down on our stern, less than a block away. Will's frantic words to John were "STOMP ON IT!"

We made great time today passing thru the south end of South Carolina thru all of Georgia and into Florida where we sit now in Jacksonville Beach Florida. Tomorrow we continue the journey to Daytona Beach and points south.

2009-11-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

Day 8

Today we have a new man at the keyboard i.e. Captain Will Garner. As you know the Eagle was on dry land for some minor prop tuning. Once we woke and got ourselves underway, we ate breakfast again at the Charleston café while suffering a little ribbing from some of the customers seeing Shirl’s bright red Philly’s shirt.

We got our clothes together and headed for the boat with anticipation seeing visions of the props on and the boat being lowered into the water. Alas at arrival there sat the Eagle awaiting the props and the hands of the master prop installer. We got our gear on board and got underway making minor repairs while forgetting to install the new stuff we acquired a few days prior i.e. bar-b-que cover, tank de-stinker, water tank pills and alike. We did make haste in installing the new Raymarine GPS data card, which showed a little more data than what had been there i.e. us driving across dry land.

John and I start a mutiny and over powered the owner and captain so he left quivering, and I feeling bad, took Shirl to the airport, returned the car and caught a cab back to the marina. John being the resourceful man he is, stayed at the boat and tidied up and gathered fresh pecans from the trees in front of where the boat was parked. Once the props arrived they were installed and we were ushered into the office to give the repair yard the right arm, left leg and first-born Shirl had left for us to give for the work (really it was not bad in price and the yard was extremely competent) (two thumbs up for Charleston City Boat Yard). We felt lucky as the man paying his bill before us maxed out a 50 thousand dollar credit card and paid the remaining 34 thousand dollars on another card (wow I guess it could always be worse). The boat was then hoisted back into the water for the post repair voyage.

By this time the current was running somthin’ fierce so we made ready many fenders, drove it into the dock with restraint of one line then John threw it into reverse and floored it looking like he did it everyday but little the spectators know we were both sweating. Wow, no vibration, (I guess we were right). We headed down the river watching the sun set slowly as we sped to Beaufort, South Carolina. We arrived in time to get fuel and a choice spot on the dock. John and I ate dinner at a typical bar with typical bar food i.e. not great but edible.

Be sure to look at the pictures on the blog below, as we have added more from previous days.

Paris Island gunship

House on ICW

ICW house and boats

Trawler heading south for winter on ICW

Large contemporary cruiser heading south for winter on ICW

Classic Wooden boat

Sunrise outside Southport, NC marina

How many Captains does it take to pump out the head?

Calm water off the bow of the Golden Eagle

Living large on the ICW

Nice house on ICW

Pontoon style bridge

Flybridge sportfish gone astray

Sport cruiser living the low life

Captain Shirl out for the count

Swing style bridge

Myrtle Beach, SC condos and Sea Ray boats

Bayliner heaven (Bob and John?)

Monster mansion with monster water feature

Monster mansion with purple stairway

Leaving a wake behind the Golden Eagle

In support of breast cancer awareness?

Typical ICW navigation marker

2009-11-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

Day 7

Captains’ Note - Today we are inserting two days to the Blog Reports, Wednesday and Thursday. Don’t forget to go back to Wednesday’s report after reading this report for Thursday.

This final report from the first series of Blog Reports (we are doing three a piece) is being made by Captain Shirl (SEGII).

On Thursday night we finally got a GREAT nights sleep, and all Three Captains slept in until 8:00am (man that’s better than 5:00am), and we needed the rest after completing one third, and probably the most difficult part of the trip, given the weather, the cold, and the wind and very choppy waves. We walked a coupled of blocks and ate breakfast at a wonderful mom and pop eatery, and began the day.

After visiting the boat yard to make sure the repairs were underway, we spent most of Thursday, going to Verizon to replace John’s phone, and then moving around Charleston going to West Marine to pick-up a few nautical supplies, visiting Wal-Mart, and going by the Charleston City Marina to pick up electronic GPS chart chips for the remainder of the trip. We ate lunch at Five Guys (an unbelievably delicious hamburger and French fry restaurant), and ended the day at Best Buy, as Will picked up a computer camera card reader cord. So tonight we will be able to a share with you many pictures which Will has taken with his very expensive telescopic camera.

The remainder of the Blog Report tonight will be our sharing several captioned pictures:

There's a dolphin in there somewhere

House along the ICW

Passing slow traffic in the ICW

Dinner aboard the Golden Eagle

Abandoned marina and Golden Eagle

Chesapeake Bay lighthouse in the fog

Golden Eagle in Philadelphia Marina

Bascule Bridge over the ICW

Classic "Pirates of the Caribbean" ship

House along the ICW

Sea Ray on typical boat lift on ICW

Local outrigger fishing boat

House along the ICW

2009-11-05T18:56:00.000-08:00

Day 6

Again, today’s Blog Report is being made by Captain Shirl (SEGII):

We arose at 5:00am, and after doing the usual early morning chores, we cast off at 6:15, cruising into the bright sunshine, and calm, unclouded waters.

I cooked breakfast for the crew (yes, Shirl cooked breakfast), of a delicious egg and bacon sandwich for all, as John cruised the Eagle down the route with Will navigating by following the charts and locating the markers along the route.

The day unfolded without any drama, as we made good time down the ICW, encountering brief delays as we periodically approached various bridges, some high enough for uninterrupted cruising, and others for which we had to wait until they opened (swing bridges, pontoon bridges, bascule bridges [dual and single platform], and lift bridges) you name the type of bridge, and we passed under it on this trip.

Shortly after 7:30am we crossed into South Carolina, shortly entering the Myrtle Beach area with its state of the art marinas, large expensive boats, cement and steel docks, with boat lifts and “furnished” decks, in front of some of the most dramatically beautiful and landscaped homes you have ever seen. We got pictures of many of them and will share them with in you in today’s and tomorrow’s Blog Reports.

By 1:00pm we were well down the ICW, though moving at much slower speeds, as this part of the channel is consistently narrow, and those marinas, boats, and dock platforms I spoke of above required many No Wake periods in the part of our run. We were, at this time approximately 90 miles from Charleston, where we have a scheduled stop for propeller repair, which will take much of the day tomorrow, Thursday, and maybe the early morning of Friday.

We arrived in Charleston SC at about 4:00pm and continued on to The Charleston City Boat Yard, arriving at approximately 4:20pm, completed arrangements for the work, and were picked up by a friend who took us to lunch and provided housing for the night.

2009-11-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

Day 5

Today’s blog is brought to you by Captain Shirl.

We've included pictures from several days in this blog becuase we couldn't get a good internet connection on the two previous days. But the biggest reason for no pictures being posted is that John sent his brand new Blackberry Storm cell phone that he was using as a modem to Davy Jones' locker (at the bottom of the Morehead City Marina, by accident of course). Today, he paid a handsome ransom to Will to use his Blackberry phone as a modem so now we are back on the internet.

The three captains awoke at 5am and began to work together to ready the ship, eat a light breakfast (toast and coffee for John and Will, toast and juice for Shirl), stow the power cords, water hose, and lines, and were underway about 6am. As we cruised, we watched from the helm for about an hour and marveled at the beautiful sunrise (this was the first day we started the trip with calm seas and THE SUN).

This was just a beautiful day (no rain, calm water, and sun) on the Pungo River which was as smooth as glass, and we ran at 23 knots for more than an hour, when we came to the ICW channel again in Hobucken, NC where we had to slow down to no wake speed because of the narrow channel and marinas and boat slips in the area. We sometimes run faster than we should in these channels but this time in the mouth of the channel was a Coast Guard Station and three chase boats moored, but at the ready if we did. The Golden Eagle was running smooth and when we came out of the channel we immediately went back up to 25mph.

Reflecting back to this time (7am) yesterday, we were leaving Hampton, VA and Shirl stayed on the dock to take pictures of the Eagle. In this beautiful setting, he took several pictures and then waved to John to come and pick him up and then the adventure began. The wind was very high and John was catching heck maneuvering the boat back into the dock. I saw Will smiling and immediately thought that he was thinking he would leave me on the dock for a while. After several wind blown minutes and having to restart the effort several times John finally maneuvered the Eagle close enough to the dock to allow Shirl, with the assistance of Will, step from the dock to the ship. AND THEN, the wind blew the ship in between finger piers with million dollar ships on both sides. John began to spin the Eagle around against the wind, trying not hit these boats. With Will and Shirl both spotting for him he carefully spun the Eagle around and we were on our way with no damage to the Eagle or the million dollar yachts.

Further down the ICW we ran upon a beautiful ship named Wan Fo, styled like a Pirates of the Caribbean ship from the movie of the same name. We talked to the captain who said he had just purchased the ship in Delaware and was on his way to Guatemala, and we marveled at such a trip. All along this part of the ICW (the Adams Creek Canal) are beautiful homes with private slips with boats on lifts. One of them was a beautiful 48-foot SeaRay Sundancer, which I would love to have!!!!

After about another hour (9:15) and a half tank of fuel, we pulled into Morehead, NC to fuel up. After we killed the motor we heard a quiet alarm, which turned out to be the float on the shower pumpout motor, which was full of gunk and stuck in the on position. We washed it down with water and bleach the alarm ceased, and we were on our way again (10:15 – one hour stop).

At about 11:15 running through Bogue Sound on the ICW, just north of Swanboro, we saw a pod of dolphins frolicking in the wake and along side the Eagle. What a sight.

At about 12 noon it occurred to Will that he was hungry and John and I agreed. Will and I appointed John to galley duty as the lunch chef and requested Dagwood sandwiches with double cheese, double ham, double turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, pickles, mustard, and sunchips on 12-grain whole wheat bread. John made excellent sandwiches and we all ate our lunch with much pleasure while on the move.

The remainder of the day was uneventful. We ran without problems past our designated stop of Wrightsville, NC and on another 50 miles to our destination for the night at the South Harbour Marina in Southport, NC. After gassing the boat, pumping out the holding tank and mooring the boat we proceeded to the Dead End Saloon Fish Factory Grill at the marina and had a leisurely and delicious dinner and jaw jacked with each other about life experiences over 50 (Will) 60 (Shirl) and 70 (John) years.

Tomorrow we will shoot to begin the next leg at 6am with a goal of arriving as early as possible but before 4pm in Charleston, SC where we have made arrangements with a boatyard to pull the Eagle out of the water and check the props, as we have been experiencing some vibration which John and Will thinks may be caused by a bent prop blade.

If all goes well, we will be on our way by midday Thursday and on to the next adventure.

2009-11-02T18:08:00.003-08:00

Day 4

Aiming for an earlier start that previous days, we got up at 5:30 and had a cereal/toast/juice/coffee breakfast. After a few minutes circling the boat for Shirl’s photo-op we finally cast of at 7:15 we were underway. Passing the Norfolk Navy Shipyard and Naval Station Norfolk, we entered the ICW at Mile Marker “0”. At this point Shirl finally was given permission to captain his own boat. However, after a few miles of heavy traffic, Shirl was getting anxious to power up to cruise speed and was getting too close several boats in the narrow waterway, so John and Will mutinied and sent Shirl to make sandwiches. We had PBJ sandwiches and Shirl had his concocted mystery meat spread (potted meat, mayo, and pickle relish juice) that he had chilled on ice overnight.

Ahead of us was an armada of boats that evidently had the same idea about “doing the ditch", because when we got to the Gilmerton Bridge there was a line of 14 boats and a tug pushing a gravel barge waiting for the first opening at 8:30. Everyone passed through politely and we made our way to the Great Bridge Locks. As the lock filled up, luck would have it, a catamaran was just a few feet too long to make the lock, so the lockmaster waved us in, much to the dismay of the catamaran. I’m sure he is still sending bad vibes our way. Exiting the lock was uneventful, however, our 25-knot boat sitting behind trawlers, sailboats, and catamarans, was cramping our need for speed! One by one we carefully made our way around the armada and found ourselves up front and back up to cruising speed. One more bridge to pass through and we would be clear of all traffic, except the 48-foot SeaRay that was waiting to pass also. We ran with him a few miles then decided to save our fuel and let him blaze the trail for us. As we passed through Coinjock, we waved and smiled at the 48 sitting at the fuel dock and never saw him again.

Our first drama happened as Captain Will was in command and we found ourselves in shallow water. How shallow? TOO SHALLOW, like 1.6 feet. With numerous twists and turns in the ICW it is often difficult to see where the next marker lies. And at our cruising speed it only takes a few seconds to be in trouble. Luckily we were able to power down, ease into reverse, and back out into 3 feet of water before making a slow 180-turn and back into the channel.

We soon reached open water and encountered another quartering/following sea with 2-3 foot waves, however, we maintained our speed. Now John’s concern was on the fuel gauges, which were getting near the big “E” and we still had 40 miles to go. Nothing else to do but keep going, as there was no fuel until Bellhaven, NC. (We should have made a quick pit stop in Coinjock to top off the tanks, but just couldn’t resist passing up that 48 SeaRay). We did make it to Bellhaven with fuel to spare, but too close for safety, so lesson learned: Make shorter fuel stops in the future. After fueling and cleaning the water tanks, we had dinner at the restaurant and called it a day.

Looking forward to tomorrow and better weather – warmer temps, sunshine and no rain.

2009-11-01T18:30:00.001-08:00

Day 3

Rising at 6:30am, we each had our turn sharing the washroom facilities. John prepared breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, juice and coffee. After clearing away the cooking utensils, we prepared to cast off and find fuel. Since we had struck out twice yesterday finding a marina with fuel, a couple phone calls netted us the information we needed. Just 5 miles south was a marina that was opening at 9am. Wonder why we didn’t find that one last night instead of the abandoned Navy training base?

We fueled up and by 10:45am we headed out on our route to Hampton, VA, about 75 miles south. When leaving the marina we followed the marked channel under the bridge and found ourselves in 2.6 feet of water – that’s about 31 inches and I think the boat draws 36 inches. Fortunately the current was going our way so we drifted about 100 yards until the depth reached 4 feet before putting the boat in gear and inching forward into deeper water.

It was raining and small craft warnings were still in effect, but the 4-5 foot seas were in our favor, either quartering or following, unlike yesterday when they were head-on. So we tossed and turned, but instead of pounding over every wave we were actually able to surf a lot of the waves. After 4 hours of up and down, side to side, and dodging hundreds of crab pots, we turned into the channel to Hampton and hailed Bluewater Marina on VHF 16. We were familiar with this marina since we needed repairs to the boat when we were here 4 years ago on our trip from Charleston to Philadelphia. After fueling, we “decide to have dinner at the Bluewater Restaurant. Good choice, as I wasn’t looking forward to another meal of bratwurst and PBJ sandwiches. When the waitress brings the check, Shirl hands her his card to pay for the meal. A few minutes later she returns and gives the card back and says to him, “This is your drivers license. I tried to swipe it but it didn’t work. I thought maybe Pennsylvania used drivers’ licenses for credit cards.”

We decide to stay here for the night and head off on the ½ mile walk to the grocery store to replenish our staples. Shirl sets a grueling pace and leaves Will and I far behind. He walks regulars at home in addition to coaching by his personal fitness trainer. I’m impressed!

Tomorrow we start Mile 0 of the ICW.

2009-10-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

Day 2

We pulled out of the marina at 7:30am and just as we powered up an alarm sounded. Throttling back, we checking all the gauges and everything looked normal. Just to be safe, we shut down the engines, but the alarm didn’t stop. Checking all the switches and the bilge didn’t show anything out of order. Suddenly the alarm stopped. Will had an idea that maybe there was a water alarm from the bilge since there was some water trapped in there and the angle of the boat would have caused water to flow to the stern. Sounded plausible so we powered up and got going again with no more alarm. Two minutes later, Will noticed that the 50-foot line he stored at the center cleat was trailing behind the boat. We really don’t need that wrapped around the boat. After reeling it in we were off again and cruising at 28 knots.

After entering the Chesapeake Bay the water began to get bumpy, as the wind had been blowing from the south most of the day. Listening to the weather channel confirmed that small craft warning were in effect. We made it to Annapolis at 1pm and refueled with 175 gallons. Quite a bit more than we anticipated for the 90-mile run. Hmmm, better throttle back a bit. We left at 2pm, knowing we would not be able to make it all the way to Norfolk. We decided to aim for an intermediate stop about 5pm and gas up. John set a waypoint and off we went. The water was getting bumpier and we had to throttle back even further to 15 knots. Thinking it was about time for that intermediate gas stop to show up, it was evident that we had passed it about 40 miles back. After further checking, it was clear that John had set a bogus waypoint. Shirl was sure there would be fuel at St. Mary’s near the mouth of the Potomac River, so we headed there to no avail. It’s now getting dark, so we decided to head for what appeared to be another marina across the mouth of the Potomac. No luck again, as it turned out to be private moorage for a condominium. Our luck had not run out yet, because just around the point was what appeared to be an abandoned marina. It USED to be a Navy marina but it is now used by the maritime training academy. Nevertheless, we were docking there for the night: no power, no water, no cable TV. Sure glad we got that generator running! The security personnel showed up and after hearing our story agreed to let us tie up for the night.

First thing tomorrow – get fuel, then off we go again!

2009-10-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Day 1

Will and I started off October 29 by arriving at SeaTac airport 2 hours ahead of flight time to allow for check-in and screening for our 12:25pm departure to Philadelphia. At 11:30 am we were informed that the flight was delayed indefinitely due to weather in Minneapolis and that we were likely to not make the connection to Philly. After the agent searched for half an hour he finally came up with a flight to Phoenix leaving at 4:30pm. Our connecting flight to Philly from Phoenix was a red-eye leaving at 7:30pm, arriving Philly at 6am the next day. Not a problem. Now all we needed to do was cancel the hotel reservation in Philly. After several phone calls the Travelocity agent informed us that our reservation was non-refundable. Not wanting to lose $113.43, a plan was devised to allow Shirl to check into the room since he was arriving around midnight, and he would inform the clerk that we would arrive “later on”. This satisfied Travelocity and the Sheraton Hotel and saved us the $$$.

Since neither Will nor I had slept much, we checked in the hotel at 7am. But hey, the room is ours till checkout time, so we managed to get a few minutes rest while Shirl arranged for a rental car. Shirl picked us up at the hotel and we went grocery shopping, after which he dropped us off at the boat while he tidied up some business in Philly. After Will and I cleaned out Shirl’s “expired” food stuff, we stowed all the groceries and proceeded to check out the boat. The generator was inoperative, but we got it running (low battery and rusty choke) but we got it purring. Shirl got back to the boat about 2:30 and after we gassed up the boat we decided that it was too late to try to head out today. Besides, Will and I were beat and we both had headaches. We agreed to cast off in the morning at 7am, off to bed for us.

2009-10-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Route# Start – End
Route Miles - Total Miles

01 Philadelphia PA to Annapolis MD
91 - 91

02 Annapolis MD to Hampton VA
123 214

03 Hampton VA to Bellhaven NC via Virginia Cut
129 343

04 Bellhaven NC to Wrightsville NC
128 471

05 Wrightsville NC to McClellanville SC
127 598

06 McClellanville SC to Port Royal SC – pit stop in Charleston SC – Shirl’s friends?
96 694

07 Port Royal SC to Isle of Hope GA
79 773

08 Isle of Hope GA to Lanier Island GA
147 920

09 Lanier Island GA to Daytona Beach FL
126 1046

10 Daytona Beach FL to Fort Pierce FL
116 1162

11 Fort Pierce FL to Fort Myers FL – pit stop on ICW in Melbourne FL – John’s cousin:
Lat: 28o17’52.02” Lon: 80o41’56.87”
146 1308

12 Fort Myers FL to Tampa Bay FL
110 1418

13 Tampa Bay FL to Cedar Keys FL
106 1524

14 Cedar Keys FL to Apalachicola FL
115 1639

15 Apalachicola FL to Fort Walton Beach FL
112 1751

16 Fort Walton Beach FL to Biloxi MS
126 1877

17 Biloxi MS to New Orleans LA Lake Pontchartrain – Marina Del Ray, Madisonville, LA
- THE END???
95 1972

2009-10-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

On October 29, 2009 three Emerald Rose Yacht Club captains (Shirl, Will and John) will start the first leg of a 2000 mile journey from Philadelphia to New Orleans-Lake Pontchartrain aboard Shirl's SeaRay 340 Sundancer. Four years ago this same trio cruised the boat along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) from Charleston to Philadelphia, a journey of some 700 miles.

Like the previous 5-day trip, this will not be a leisurely one either, as we plan to be in New Orleans in two weeks. Our journey will take us south through the C&D Canal and Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk, VA. From there we will pass through the Virginia Cut, along the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida as far south as Stuart, FL. From there we will travel through the St. Lucie-Lake Okeechobee-Calooseahatchee waterways to Fort Myers. Leaving Fort Myers, we will exit to the Gulf of Mexico and make our way along the Gulf Coast of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and finally to Louisiana.

We will keep this blog updated as often as internet service is available. You are welcome to leave comments and messages.

Three C's