From Florida to the Chesapeake and Back: Rogue ICW Days 6 and 7

I have to write about two days in this entry since I never got a chance to do an entry for Day 6. Day 6 was a very busy day with lots getting done to continue our adventure.

We left our anchorage at the NASA Launch Viewing site around 7:30 a.m. The day was sunny, but pretty windy. We were dealing with chop and following seas most of the day, making for another rolly ride full of constant helm corrections. The ride was also slower than originally anticipated because the entire time we were within the limits, or close to the limits of New Smyrna Beach and Daytona were slow/no wake manatee zones. This made the trip seem much longer. It also seems that every bridge structure is a Manatee zone as well, and with all the water around and roads crossing these bodies of water, you are constantly changing speeds, not that ours changes all that much, but wake is an issue. I had called ahead and made sure there was room for us at our destination, Palm Coast Marina in Palm Coast Fla. They did have space so we were good. At close to 5:00 they called to know if we were still coming since they were ready to close the office. With all the no wake zones, we were slowed down and were later arriving than originally thought. We got there around 5:30 and one gentleman waited to give us a hand with our lines. By the time we got all tied up, electric and water hooked up it was close to 6:00. Still plenty to do before bed. We decided to take a shower and wash the day off our sweaty selves so we could get off the boat and eat dinner at a restaurant, which we did. After dinner we had to call a taxi to take us to the grocery store nearby so we could restock the pantry. By the time we got to the store, it was 9:00, and the store closed at 10:00. We arranged with the taxi driver to meet us back at the store at 10:00. Come 10:00, he was there promptly. We returned to the boat with our food, drink, and snack stash. We put all the provisions away and then it was time for laundry. We got our stuff all together, went to the laundry area, started the wash load and sat down outside with some water and realized it was 11:00, and here we were waiting for our clothes to finish washing. Where did the day go? By the time everything was dry and put away it was almost 12:30 a.m. And I still had some school work to finish while I had good WIFI. By the time I hit the sheets it was after 1:00a.m. and I was beat.

Statistics for Day 6 – 83.4 miles 9hrs 34mins. moving, 9mins. stopped, total time 9hrs 43mins. Total distance traveled 469 miles.

Day 7 started a little later than the other days. I just couldn’t get awake. By the time I got up it was 7:30. We made some tea, cooked up some sausage for breakfast and went to the office to check out. When we got back to the boat, we disconnected the electric and water, and topped off the water tank. By the time we shed the dock lines and got under way it was 9:30. Today was a little more overcast but the respite from the sun felt pretty good. It wasn’t quite as windy either. Not nearly the number or the duration of no wake zones as yesterday. Our goal for today was the southern tip of Amelia Island in an area just to the north of Nassau Sound. We traveled through St. Augustine, and Jacksonville. The area around St. Augustine is quite pretty, and it was quite busy with boat traffic. In fact there was a lot of boat traffic all day. There were many many people out on a nice Sunday afternoon. The ride through the Jacksonville area was a little difficult with currents from several inlets and intersecting rivers. It seemed we were fighting incoming or outgoing tides on either side of several intersections. This slowed us down a couple knots fighting the opposing tides. We continue to see many gorgeous homes along the ICW, too many to continue taking pictures. We were also passed by a very large ocean going yacht, that passed a little too close, cutting me off in the channel forcing to the fringe of the channel. His wake then started sucking me back toward his boat, not 15 yards away. Too close. I had to cut throttle and roll through the wake. After he was past, the captain got on the radio and apologized. At least he was not unaware of what he did. When we got to St. Augustine he headed out the inlet into open water. One can only guess where he is headed. We passed the USS Sullivans in dry dock in Jacksonville too. We finally reached the Nassau sound anchorage around 5:30 p.m. It was threathening to storm and the NWS was issuing severe storm warning. Wind was howling about 25 knots so I let out plenty of rode. So here we are, it appears the storm has passed us by, and we are getting ready for dinner. Might be leftover brats and some broccoli. A little B&B, or maybe B&B&B, throw in a beer or two?

Statistics for today – 74.1 miles, 8hrs 19mins moving, 1 min stopped, 8hrs 20min total. Total distance 543 miles.

Here are some pics for the last couple days.