Meandering to Miami

It’s taken me quite a while to get into the mood for continuing our Peapod story. Something about my inspiration requiring sun and heat I guess. Our 2015 journey began with an pleasant non-stop flight from Toronto to Raleigh after a heart-wrenching farewell to family, especially darling Oscar.

The plan was to rent a car for a week to get us to Oriental, NC and to support provisioning. We expected to depart the following week. Nearly eight weeks later, we were finally underway!!! It’s a long story.

We were thrilled to arrive in Oriental on January 19^th, a warm sunny day. We spent the first two nights at the River Neuse Suites, which was perfect for our needs while we set up our galley and organized our living space.

The town, known as the sailing capital of North Carolina, was named after a Federal transport ship used in the Civil War, which was sunk in 1862. There are dragons everywhere. Lawn ornaments, sundials, pond features and t-shirts. They hold dragon boat races every summer and this year they held their first indoor race in a local swimming pool. This race, more like a tug of war than a speed event, was the first of its kind in the US and was modelled after one held annually in Winnipeg Canada.

We soon discovered the one and only coffee shop in town, The Bean. It was a delightful gathering place for locals and transients alike. The weekday barista was Jean, a charming woman who knew everyone by name and entertained her clients with her good-natured humour. We soon became “regulars” for breakfast and shared stories with the other nautical souls.

Many of the locals asked us how we ended up in Oriental. We responded with “engine trouble”. More than a few laughed and said that they too had landed in Oriental with boat problems. But they had never left, captured by the charm of the place. Some had been there for up to 30 years since their nautical calamity!

The other bonus of staying in Oriental was the availability of fresh fish, offloaded daily by their busy fleet. We fell in love with the locally caught flounder sautéed lightly in butter – delicious!

On our first morning, I began the process of cleaning the grime off the boat. It was black greasy soot carried east by the winds, likely from the coal plants in the Midwest. It was a sobering reminder that even in a tiny fishing town with no major industry other than yachting it is impossible to escape air pollution. I also tackled some stripping and refinishing of teak in areas where there was water damage. We found it warm enough for shorts but the yard staff thought we were crazy Canuks. They were hanging onto their winter duds. We soon discovered why.

David dove into repairs and upgrades, sometimes solo and sometimes alongside the experts at Deaton Yacht Services. During the fall, Deaton's had conducted an evaluation of our engine as well as a survey of other systems. They sent our fuel injector pump (which had been spraying fuel all over the place) away to be rebuilt. They replaced injector lines and took out all the old hoses, which were hardened with age. These improvements gave new life to our old Perkins 135 diesel, which is now in great shape to support our 10-year cruising plan.

We went out for a “river test” with a Deaton expert and the engine performed beautifully. However, our ancient instrument panels didn’t do so well, with readings that conflicted with actual values measured on the engine. So, in typical scope creep fashion, we agreed that it would be wise to take this opportunity to replace both upper and lower helm station instruments. BOAT - Break Out Another Thousand, as they say....argh.

We had also submitted a wish list of other upgrades prior to our arrival. These included a propane stove to replace the electric one that only worked when we were plugged into shore power or while running the noisy generator. We added a new energy-efficient fridge to reduce the drain on our batteries while on the hook (at anchor). David had ordered these appliances in advance to be delivered to the boatyard and they were there when we arrived. The fridge was swapped out quickly, but the stove was much more complicated.

Installation of propane is governed by safety regulations that specify the modes of storage and transmission of the gas. A special box for the propane tanks was required in an outdoor location. A new electronic panel was needed to control the flow of gas and automatically respond to “sniffers” for detection of gas leaks. The planning and installation processes took several days, in addition to the waiting time for delivery of the tank box. There was also waiting time while a new oven door was shipped from Vancouver to replace the original that was damaged while stored at the yard. Just another one of many "surprises" we encountered along the way.

Speaking of waiting, we had also ordered a new stern thruster to replace the pesky one that gave us so much trouble last year. 

It arrived from Ottawa, but the prop was damaged so we had to return it and wait for another one. Grrrr.

At this point, we began to realize that we might be in Oriental for more than just a couple of weeks! We decided to make the best of the situation and work our way through the rest of our wish list.

In the meantime, the weather had deteriorated badly. The entire east coast was subjected to dreadful winter weather and Oriental was no exception. February was the coldest month in 30 years. The creek froze and we had two “major” snowfalls. Of course, they were nothing like the storms in New England and Eastern Canada, but were enough to shut down the town and the boatyard. I ordered long underwear from L.L. Bean, which was delivered in 2 days flat! 

We also rushed out to Walmart and purchased an electric mattress cover that was critical for sleeping comfort on cold nights.The downside of this warmth was condensation collecting under our bed and we discovered, to our dismay, that we had mould/mildew of various species and colours growing on our brand new mattress! This created another mini-crisis that had to be addressed. We lifted the mattress every morning and placed heaters and fans underneath to dry it out.

Meanwhile we researched and purchased a product called Dry Deck that would create an air space under the mattress to combat the problem. Once David installed it, we hauled the mattress outside on a sunny day and I treated it with rubbing alcohol and disinfectant, then let it dry in the sun. One more disaster averted!

I also began to experiment with baking healthy multigrain bread, which served as comfort food on cold mornings. David's only request was to discontinue the seeds on the surface as they scattered all over the cabin while cutting, toasting and eating (a make-work project) and added to the requirement for a second flossing after breakfast.

I continued my teak refinishing, but could only work on the covered fly bridge due to the weather so I tackled the wheel. I started with the easy flat bits using the heat gun and power sander. I then realized it would look terrible if I didn’t do the whole thing. I should have known before I started that it was all or nothing, but now there was no turning back.

Once I got to the spindles, I figured the job would be easier if the wheel could be taken off. Good idea but despite David’s best efforts and tools, it wouldn’t budge. After thirty years in place, it was well and truly stuck. It’s a good thing I have long skinny fingers as I had to reach around and do the entire backside and spindles by hand. Many bruises and nicks later, and a nasty case of tennis elbow, it was beautiful! Of course then I couldn’t resist spiffing up the two adjacent locker doors and the instrument box so they wouldn’t look too shabby next to the wheel.

David changed all the cabin light bulbs to LED, which made a huge difference to our energy consumption and battery life. He installed a new radio with Sirius satellite capacity, allowing us to listen to CBC instead of local commercial radio. What a relief! He also created a Peapod WiFi network, which was connected to a new mast antenna enhancing our ability to take advantage of free signals. He replaced the old rotting rubber hatch gaskets and installed a new bilge pump as the old one had an internal short causing a stray current problem.

Some improvements were simply for comfort and convenience. I did some research and found a very cool stand for the iPad that we have connected to the lower helm station chart plotter for navigation. This gadget is infinitely adjustable and keeps the screen within easy view of the helmsperson. I also found a footrest that turned the captain’s chair into something like a barstool. In past years, my feet have dangled freely resulting in back strain. Now I have somewhere to put them. A small thing, but so nice for long stretches at the helm!

When the replacement stern thruster propeller finally arrived, it was too cold to paint and the forecast was gloomy. So we decided to dive into the deep end and start the process of preparing to install solar power, the final wish list item.

Our new friend Elizabeth, canvas and stainless person extraordinaire with 30 years of experience had agreed, despite her busy schedule, to fix our front windshield that had wrinkled and warped in less than a year of use. She then took pity on us, being stranded travellers, and agreed to guide David through the process of designing and installing the frame above the fly bridge that would hold solar panels. She supplied the materials through her business “Down East Canvas and Gallery” once he had done the drawings and research on the parts requirements.

Delivery of the panels to Oriental would have been expensive and time consuming so we decided we would make another stop in Fort Lauderdale to get them installed and wired in.

By this time, in early March, the weather was improving. We were finally hauled out to paint and install the stern thruster and paint the bottom. I updated my weather spreadsheet, which I had started in late January to project temperatures and probability of precipitation. We began to hope and plan for our departure from Oriental.

Meanwhile, on our regular evening calls with my Mum, we realized that she had a respiratory infection. Given that she is 91 and has COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) this was a serious matter. Within a few days her physician ordered her to be transported to hospital and I began making plans to fly home. This required a drive from Oriental to Raleigh (3 hours). Thankfully, we were offered the use of the Deaton courtesy vehicle and David drove me to the airport. He then turned around and made the return trip in the dark and driving rain.

I stayed in a motel and awoke at 4:45 AM to get to the airport for a 6AM flight. When I arrived at the kiosk to print my boarding pass I got an error message. Bad sign. When I lined up to see an agent, I learned that my flight had been cancelled and I had been rebooked for the following morning! I was gobsmacked and pleaded with the woman to find me an alternative. I played my “if it’s not one thing it’s your mother” card and she managed to get me on a United flight to Newark and then on to Toronto 5 hours later.

Well, there was no way I was going to spend 5 hours in Newark, so when we landed I went straight to the United desk and again pleaded for mercy. For a fee, I could be placed on a stand-by list for an earlier flight. I happily paid up and went to the gate. Thankfully I got on and arrived at the hospital by 4PM. My brother Bob and my daughter Rachel had provided seamless presence until just before I arrived.

It was perfect timing, except that she was still in the Emergency Room well into her second day. The noise and chaos were overwhelming. Not what a senior in respiratory distress needs or deserves. However, she was finally transferred to a nursing floor where she was assessed and treated more appropriately. She was discharged on Day 4 and I stayed with her through the transition to care by the nurses in her retirement home. One of the many benefits of my visit was a special evening with Oscar the night before I left.

I flew back to Raleigh and rather than having David come all the way to meet me, I rented a car to drop off at the nearest airport to Oriental, which is in New Bern, NC. Because I wouldn’t have a smart phone with me, I had printed out the directions from Google maps before I left Toronto.

All was well until just outside New Bern where there was a serious accident that closed the highway. I was waved off by police and promptly got lost! I called David from my “stupid” phone that had no GPS and couldn’t even describe where I was. After wandering aimlessly for several miles and going over some very scary high bridges (my personal phobia) I pulled into a hotel and asked for directions. Eventually, a few tears later, I arrived at New Bern airport and found dear David waiting patiently to take me home to Peapod. Just another adventure!

The following day I developed the same bug that had struck down my Mum. I coughed and blew for more than a week. My ambitious plans for more teak refinishing were set aside and I read a novel a day for days on end while David soldiered on.

Of course, there was one more fly in the ointment. There always is. 

I noticed a small stream of water traversing the teak and holly floor of our sleeping cabin. David immediately assumed that my stash of wine bags, stored in a nearby locker, was leaking. Of course it couldn’t have been his stash of beer cans!! I was skeptical and we investigated further. Turns out we had a leak in the starboard water tank under our bunk. We drained it and when David took it out, he discovered a tiny rusty nail that had likely been there since the boat was built 30 years ago. It had been reacting with the stainless steel tank over all these years and had finally created a pinhole. Good thing it happened in the boatyard and not in the out islands islands of the Bahamas. There's always a silver lining!

Out it went onto the dock. Given that we were getting close to leaving Oriental and that we had planned a stop in Fort Lauderdale for our solar, David ordered a new plastic tank that we would pick up there.

Finally, on March 12th after two months in lovely Oriental NC, we were away. We bid a fond farewell to some wonderful people we had met there. Fellow boaters and Deaton staff alike had made us feel so welcome. I felt some trepidation as we departed the safe haven of dockside. We had experienced so many problems in the past that it was hard to believe we could actually get to our destination without some unexpected calamity befalling us!

As it turned out, we cast off and the stern thruster wasn’t working. Panic! Fortunately, John Deaton, the yard owner was at the dock to see us off and calmly instructed us to turn around and come back. He and David investigated and it turned out to be a blown fuse caused by David’s wrench touching a wire the day before. Easily fixed with a new fuse. We bought a spare just in case! So, after what we called our “Falls” start, we were off.

We travelled 68 miles that day, with an hour’s delay due to live firing at a military base along the ICW. We saw some lovely properties along the way including this pink estate with its own lighthouse.

We arrived at Swan Point Marina in Snead’s Ferry, NC and had a wonderful dinner at an old institution – the Riverside Inn. Andrew, the grandson of the founder, a young and charming new dad, provided free transportation to and from the restaurant.

The next day, Friday March 13^th, we clocked another 67 miles and arrived at the St. James Plantation Marina. It was still too cold to be on the hook. What a gorgeous place. Home to 4 golf courses, it exuded the spirit of the old south but made me slight uncomfortable given the history of these old plantations.

The next day, March 14^th, we pulled into the Osprey Marina (near Myrtle Beach) after business hours. We were assisted by friendly, helpful volunteers who were live-aboard snow birds from the northern US. The marina staff had left us an amazing welcome package of goodies from local jams to notepads, with a custom-made Peapod poster. Fabulous facilities, free morning coffee and breakfast, super-friendly staff and a well stocked ship’s store made this stop a welcome surprise on our journey.

We finally turned the corner with weather and the next day had a warm, trouble-free cruise down the “ditch” in South Carolina with dolphins and pelicans entertaining us along the way. We anchored near McLellanville on March 15^th  at L 33°04’N; Lo 079°28’W in a peaceful marsh, and celebrated the joys of being “on the hook” at last.

In the morning we set off on an 80-mile day, passing through Charleston, to anchor at Alligator Creek, where we saw no signs of the scary lizards. Although we would love to tour Charleston some day, we were on a mission to make up lost time. We had a rendezvous in Miami with our friend Sandra, who was to join us for the Bahamas segment and we knew we still had a stop to make in Fort Lauderdale for solar and water jobs. 

It was an idyllic anchorage at L 32° 34’N; Lo 080° 25’W. We finally broke the 80°F barrier and watched the water temperature rise from the 50’s to the high 60’s.

We pressed on through Beaufort, SC and were delighted to encounter two northbound Monk trawlers along the way. It’s amazing how Monk owners jump up and down when they see each other. There were only so many built so we compare hull numbers over the radio. Silly but fun!

We anchored in the Wright River on March 17^th at L 32°4”N; Lo 080°55’W in 30C temperatures and 30 km/h winds. Given a bit of rocking a rolling we decided to put up our “baby” sail, which acts as a steadying influence.

The next day we crossed the Savannah River into Georgia!! Savannah is another city we vowed to visit when we return by road next year. The St. Catherine’s Sound crossing on the ICW was very rough and the forecast was poor for going out on the ocean, which we had hoped to do to avoid some of the zigging and zagging of the Georgia ditch.

On March 19^th we finally made it out to sea through Jekyll Sound! There were rain showers, and in the afternoon 4 to 5 foot seas with an occasional 6 foot roller. Peapod performed beautifully although I was challenged to make lunch in the galley while braced against the rock ‘n roll! We came into the Fernandina Beach inlet, our first Florida destination. 

We anchored in the Amelia River at L 30° 41.8’N; Lo 081° 29.2’, tired but happy after an 87 mile day. We were in a peaceful, still creek within sight of some large industrial complexes including a paper mill and had a wonderful sleep despite the background sounds of 24 hour operations.

In the morning we awoke to a dense blanket of fog, with zero visibility as illustrated by this photo of the same vista as the night before. 

There was no possibility of movement until noon on March 20^th when we set out, with radar on, down the ICW. We didn’t dare venture out to the ocean. We still managed to make 50 miles that day and anchored just north of St. Augustine at L30° 3.85’ N; Lo 081° 21.6’W after passing an array of increasingly impressive McMansions.

On March 21^st, we ventured “outside” the ICW again though the St. Augustine inlet. There were waves breaking at the inlet, needless to say to be avoided, and there were lots of locals at the beach despite the early morning fog.

The fog cleared in the afternoon and we saw large pods of dolphins, two huge sea turtles and many jellyfish. We came in through Ponce de Leon inlet with an anchorage destination to the north, which was marked only with “private” buoys, best navigated with local knowledge. In the absence of this intelligence we managed to hang up on a sand bar. Fortunately, with radio assistance from local boaters we managed to motor off and head for the south channel anchorage, which had “official” channel markers.

On the morning of March 22^nd, we awoke early to a strange “bumping” sensation, which was Peapod’s keel resting on the sand as the tide went out. Oops! We quickly raised the anchor and moved a few feet away from the emerging sand bar, had breakfast and proceeded on our way down the ditch, none the worse for wear. Beats Georgian Bay where if you go aground you hit the unyielding rock of the Canadian Shield.

From Ponce de Leon, the air and water temperatures continued to rise to 90° F and 83° F respectively, signalling our arrival in the tropics. It was on this leg of the journey that we finally spotted Manatees, aka Sea Cows. Population and boat traffic endanger these enormous mammals. David was quite sure that one of them looked him straight in the eye before diving to safety under Peapod. We also saw lots of bird life perched on channel markers and bridge piers. See the fish in the talons of the bird on Green 31?

We anchored in Melbourne where we saw a large group of stand-up paddle boarders at dusk. This seems to have become the sport of the decade down here, given the numbers we have seen along the way. Some even paddle by moonlight with tiny LEDs on their lifejackets. Beautiful but hard to photograph.

The Fort Pierce sunset was spectacular and we spent another peaceful night at anchor.

We went on the “outside” again for the run to Riviera Beach where we tied up at the Municipal Marina after 9 nights on the hook. We spent two nights at the Marina, cleaning the boat, stocking up on provisions and taking on water. We entertained Ottawa friends for dinner and enjoyed some of the silliness that is only possible when we’re safely tied to a dock.

On March 26^th we moved to a local anchorage. The next day set out for Fort Lauderdale. This stretch proved to be the most spectacular yet for big homes and yachts, some even sporting helicopters on their stern decks! The copters were wearing little warmup suits on their bodies and rotors! I suppose they keep thee precious toys clean. We also saw yachts with big rear doors that poop out other toys such as ski boats and SeaDos.

Near our planned anchorage at ICW mile 1063, the wind and waves blew up with increasing intensity. We tried three locations before we felt we were safely anchored. After the second anchoring attempt we made the decision to take down the fly bridge canvas. The wind gusts were approaching 50mph, posing a risk to their integrity and creating dangerous resistance causing Peapod to be excessively knocked about by the wind.

We could see the dark storm clouds moving toward us. It was a scary scenario, especially when surrounded by a number of other expensive yachts, all with concerned owners popping up out of their cockpits to check up on us as we attempted to anchor far enough away from them to reduce the risk of collisions. In the end, with encouragement from one grumpy captain who wanted us nowhere near him, we gave up and decided to go into another creek of the Middle River, now in the driving rain. We finally dropped anchor in a non-official anchorage in front of a gazillion dollar home where the anxious homeowner peered out of his window watching us through the gale.

Thankfully the storm was short-lived. We has a reasonably restful night and set off in the morning, sheepishly saluting the still watchful homeowner thankful that he didn't call the cops on us for illegal anchoring in his front "yard". On Saturday March 28^th, we made our way into the New River, north of Fort Lauderdale, past many grand homes and yachts, to tie up at Marina Mile Yacht Services where our solar panels would be installed on Monday.

On Sunday, we explored the city on our bikes and stocked up on provisions. It was warm and sunny and we saw many beautiful gardens along the way.

Monday morning the work began on the solar panels. David rented a truck to pick up the new water tank from Pompano Beach, which he installed with considerable effort in the blistering heat. We now have 165 gallons of fresh water on water on board, enough to last us several weeks (if we're careful) without refilling. This is a bonus, particularly in the Bahamas where it can cost 45 cents per gallon. After two days of work, we were finally ready to go. 

On April 1^st we cruised through the bright green waters off shore to the Port of Miami and anchored near Monument Island near Miami Beach at L 25 47°2’ N; Lo 080°9.2’ W. We launched the dinghy for the first time this year and went to the beach for a swim and a tour of the harbour. We watched the sun go down from the fly bridge and realized that we had finally arrived.

On April 2nd we moved over to Sunset Harbour Yacht club to prepare for the crossing. It's a luxury resort - a special treat before our more bohemian journey to the islands. It's close to groceries, hardware and pharmacy for stocking up on provisions, with power, laundry and fresh water on site. The pool and the view of the Miami skyline are bonuses.

What an incredible 2.5 year journey it has been from Lake St. Clair through Lake Huron, the Tent-Severn and Rideau lock systems in 2013, Lake Ontario and the Erie Canal, the Hudson River and the ICW last summer. Some day we will tally up the total, but it has been nearly 1100 miles since we left Norfolk Virginia last July.

If the weather holds, we will cross to Bimini on Saturday April 4th, our first stop in the Bahamas. Finally, the land of the turquoise water! This will be the fulfillment of our dream for us. Our dear friend Sandra, an expert on Bahamas cruising will join us on April 12^th for a 3-week trip to our favourite haunts – Nassau and the Exumas. Stay tuned!