4/14/11 - 4/16/11  We anchored for the evening in Wapoo Creek.  I set two anchors because of the strong currents that occurred at the tide changes in this area.  On the positive side we did not drag anchor overnight. On the negative side, I left too much slack in the anchor ropes and we awoke with one of them wrapped around one of the props.  Nothing to do but go over the side and untangle.  We brought fins and snorkel and the water temperature was tolerable.  The only bothersome thing was the unseen alligator.  He didn't show up so with Lace's help on deck we got it straightened out and got back on board with all limbs intact.  The weather was turning sour so we headed for the city dock in Charleston, SC.  It was very windy and rough for a couple of days.  This front caused tornadoes in the southern states killing quite a few people. 

4/12/11 - 4/13/11  We anchored out for a two more nights in the South Carolina wetlands and were introduced to the local insects called  "no-see-ums" by some. These are little biting gnats and we discovered that they indeed can be seen but that what is observable must be all jaws.  On the way we came upon a guy paddling in what was little more than a canoe.  He claimed to be doing the "loop" having started in Illinois one year and nine months previous.  Lace gave him a cold cup of blueberry yogurt, a plastic spoon and a good luck and we left him paddling the Pathfinder.  I told Lace that this guy "has grit" or something to that effect.  We made our way to the city dock at Beaufort, South Carolina took the walking tour of historic buildings including a guided tour of the John Verdier House built in 1801.  One can't help but be struck by the tragedy of the civil war.  North or south, white or black, there were no winners .   Later we met Bill and Carol on the Trident, had pre-supper cocktails and hors dourves on the Confetti, upscale supper at a waterside restaurant, then post meal cocktails on the Trident.

4/11/11  Savannah is of course steeped in civil war history and is a deep water seaport.  There are beautiful old buildings framed with cobblestone streets.  We wanted to spend some time there so we arrived at the Savannah City Dock about noon expecting to spend the night.  To check in and pay for dockage we had to walk several blocks to the city offices.  They have a lengthy registration form which we filled out but when we were ready to pay, the clerk discovered that the docks had been reserved for a couple of ships that would arrive later and that we must vacate.  That left us in somewhat of a bind because there weren't any available places to tie up and the next available anchorage was some distance away. We decided maybe we had seen enough of old Savannah and shoved off to find a place to stay for the night.  On the way out, we spotted an eight foot alligator swimming across the Savannah river which of course may answer the age-old question " Why did the alligator cross the river?".

4/7/11 - 4/10/11   The Georgia "lowlands" is miles of almost treeless islands and waterways covered with two foot tall grass.  It would be easy to lose ones way if it weren't for the gps and navigational markers and buoys.  After a couple of nights anchored out we reach Savannah.  Steve and Beth Wingate who live in a suburb have offered to let us stay at the dock behind there home. They had only two days before started their own loop leaving the dock unoccupied.  This was much appreciated because income tax was due in about a week and the necessary paperwork had only recently caught up to us by forwarded mail.  Between Turbo Tax and the Wingate's wifi I got it finished in time.

4/4/11 - 4/6/11  We bid Jacksonville adieu and went to Fernandina Beach Marina.  We walked through the historical district, found some groceries and a fish market.  We are beginning to see the architecture of the civil war era.  There are even some structures left from the 1700's.  It seems that fire was the end of most buildings back then either by accident or intention. It was fortunate that we decided to stay another night because a storm brewed up in the night and made it uncomfortable sleeping at the dock.   It may have been worse at anchor.  We left Fernandina Beach and crossed over into Georgia.  We passed by Jekyll Island which was owned by world's richest families in the 1800's.  The tides are up to a nine foot range here which is a whole new ball game.  Along with tides come the strong currents which make anchoring a real challenge.

3/25/11 - 4/3/11  We needed to "haul out" the boat to change the "zincs" (corrosion prevention) and possibly bottom paint (marine growth prevention ie. barnacles) so we went up the St. Johns river to Sadler Point Marina near Jacksonville. Everything went well - the bottom paint only needed touching up and the zincs were no problem.  Still, all of this took a few days so we slept on the boat while it was out of the water entering and exiting via the ladder at the stern. We had a few other mechanical issues including a fairly severe fuel leak on the port injector pump, an engine that wouldn't start intermittently and an alternator that quit.  Under normal circumstances these problems would not have taken very long but the lack of ground transportation complicates everything.  I borrowed a car for the trip to the injector shop, took a taxi ride to the alternator shop and found out that seniors ride Jacksonville buses for free. Once you get a grasp of the bus routes everything gets easier.  Only one problem remained.  The aft head was acting up so I took it apart and found a half dollar size rubber valve was in need of cleaning.  I took it out on the dock and with a water hose nozzle in one hand and the valve in the other I was going to spray it clean.  The only problem was that the blast was more than expected and valve went flying into the St. Johns river forevermore in the company of fishes.  We were now down to one head (head = marine toilet) in the forward cabin.  The replacement valve was not available locally so, not wanting to wait for one to be shipped in, we were north bound again.

3/22/11 - 3/24/11  We had a delay leaving St. Augustine because the first draw bridge was on a schedule and couldn't open for almost an hour.  I think we could have made it under without an opening but it was too close to take a chance.  The draw bridges here have a tide gauge on the approach.  The lower the tide the more vertical clearance.  Then comes the iffy part.  The tide gauge supposedly shows the lowest structure in the opening under the bridge but the opening is an arch so there is suppose to be another 4 feet of clearance in the center.  If you know exactly how much clearance your boat needs and if you can stay exactly in the center when you go under you can cut it pretty close otherwise you risk a crew cut.  One night anchorage in Pablo Creek and we tied up at Jacksonville Landing.  This is a free tie up near 10 assorted stores and restaurants.  It is very exposed to wind and waves and was choppy and noisy well into the night.  About the only real benefit was being able to tap into the Hooters WiFi.  We did take the trolley into town and were able to get some groceries and Lace had her hair cut.  Jim and Gloria were docked nearby with their daughter and BooBoo the Pomeranian.  They are also "loopers" but they started in Minnesota. The next night we spent the night at a much quieter dock, again owned by the city.

3/18/11 - 3/21/11  Three anchor nights in a row starting at Mosquito Lagoon (Ominous name but saw no namesakes), Daytona Beach (We anchored close to shore and were serenaded by spring breakers until 2AM), and Matanzas River (Quieter and sleeping better after adding 20 feet of chain to the anchor line).  We arrived at St. Augustine Marina ready for long showers and a restaurant meal.  St. Augustine is an historical town and the architecture is interesting.  Almost more tourist trolleys than cars.  It's also a nice marina although it hangs out in the Intercoastal Waterway and so is exposed to fast tidal currents.

3/12/11  - 3/17/11  At one point we were going to put the cats in a kennel and stay at a hotel in Disney World but after some investigation of kennel rates and hotel rates we decided to stay on the boat and commute to Orlando which is about an hour one way.  The first day we went to Disney Epcot.  It was very entertaining after the initial sticker shock at the front gate.  $14 to park and $82 a head general admission.  "Oh well, it's a once in a life time" we uttered.  Disney World is what you might imagine: 3D movies, moving dinosaurs, 7-foot-tall cartoon characters, impeccably landscaped and everything is squeaky clean.  A single piece of pop corn will not remain on the ground more than a few minutes before a guy comes along to sweep it up. Also Epcot is geared a little more toward the adult crowd.  We both enjoyed it but 8 hours on our feet made us decide to take the next day off and catch up with the laundry.   Disney Hollywood was the next venue we tried.  It's a little more youth oriented with stunt shows and live stage entertainment.  We lucked out and acquired a couple of "Fast Passes" for the "Rock'n Roller Coaster with Aerosmith" ride.  That means we didn't have to stand in line and were able to come back several hours later and walk past a mass of people waiting to get on it.  The sign said the waiting time was over two hours.  The ride was thrilling (zero to sixty in three seconds), great visual effects, and the usual zig zags but it only lasted a little over a minute.  Lace missed the visuals because she had her eyes closed.  We enjoyed Hollywood too but not as much as Epcot so we decided that was enough Disney World.  The next day we had a very pleasant boat ride/lunch with Terry and Janice Peek.  Terry was a high school classmate of  Lace's in Fullerton, California and the afternoon was filled with nostalgia.  One more day to catch up on groceries and house chores and we're off again.

3/9/11 - 3/11/11  On the road again headed north.  It was getting rough and the weather report said a line of weather was coming in so we anchored for the night in the lee of a very small island covered with birds (we saw our first flock of ibis').  Bad idea!  During the night the wind changed 180 degrees and pulled the anchor out.  We were very close to drifting hard aground but were saved by a mysterious figure in his underwear pulling in the anchor and running to a new location.  In the morning the weather was still iffy so we ran 8 miles to another anchorage near a bridge.  We laid down for a nap and the same thing happened again except in daylight!  I vowed never to go to sleep again without setting the GPS anchor alarm.  The next day we docked at Harbortown Marina which would be our home base for the excursion to Disney World.  Right at dusk that evening there was a launch of a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral. We were only a few miles away.  Pretty awesome. Odometer now 1501 miles.