December 10-15

Vero Beach is euphemistically known as ‘Velcro Beach’, and we are beginning to understand why. In our last update, we said we would be here for a couple of days, and it is almost a week later. We are still planning to leave in a couple of days, but who knows.

This is a comfortable place to spend time, and interestingly, we are feeling for the first time that we do not need to be mindful about continuing on. We are only 100 miles from Fort Lauderdale.

Vero Beach is a protected harbour, and so a comfortable place to tackle some of the many tasks that we have been putting off. The bus system is convenient and connects us to all of the shopping options we could wish for. Not a day goes by that we don’t hop on the bus to one place or another. There is also a great bar only a short walk away, and we have been known to stop for ‘happy hour’ drink. Last but not least, it is a nice walk to the ocean, and apparently there is a great ice-cream store on the way home.

Another couple of days and it will time to continue on.

December 2-9

10…9…8…7…Kaput

We have spent the better part of the week waiting for the space shuttle launch, and it isn’t going to happen.

Last Sunday we departed St. Augustine for Daytona and then on to Titusville on Monday. Titusville is one of the best places to view the shuttle launch, and we were very excited about the opportunity to see it. It was scheduled for Thursday the 6th, so we had a couple of days for exploring and odd jobs. Unfortunately, not much to report on either front.

The launch was postponed on Thursday. We agonized about whether to stay another day, but opted to continue on to Cocoa Village, where we could still get a good view. Along the way we passed the Vehicle Assembly Building located at the Kennedy Space Center. Although it doesn’t look very big shrouded in the mist and compared to the sailboats, it was at one time the largest building in the world and still lays claims to having the largest doors. Apparently it takes 6 000 gallons of paint for each stripe of the flag emblazoned on one wall. Leads you to wonder how sloppy the painters were, though!

The launch was scrubbed again for Saturday (we anchored at Indian Harbor Beach at Dragon Point) and then postponed indefinitely on Sunday (we are tied to a mooring ball at Vero Beach with two toher sailboats). We will spend a day or two here as Corinne is anxious to do some Christmas shopping, and then make our way to Fort Lauderdale.

PS We have had a small computer malfunction – one of our keys is no longer working. Which key do you think might be very important? Did you say right arrow key? I didn’t think so.

While this key is important for editing and scrolling through pictures, it turns out the @$&% thing also controls the brightness of the screen, and when you turned it down as low as it will go because you couldn’t remember if the left arrow brightened or dimmed the screen, then you can only see the monitor at night or … in the darkened bathroom at the coffee shop with free wi-fi. How would that look?

November 29 - December 1


It took seven and one-quarter hours to cover the 46 miles from Fort George River to St Augustine. Although uneventful, we loved the trip simply because we were wearing shorts and a long-sleeved shirt for much of the time.

With roots dating back to 1565, St Augustine lays claim to being the oldest European settlement in the United States. We were reminded time and again of these historical roots during our visit here.

Friday was a shopping day – which means West Marine, Home Depot, and, I am embarrassed to say, that ‘W’ store. There are two interesting parts about this trip which typify the cruising experience. As we were walking down the street, unsure of where to turn, Corinne pulled out the map and instantly two guys stopped and asked if we needed directions. As we began chatting, another couple from Australia stopped as well. It was at least twenty minutes before we were on our way again, and we had a whole bunch more tips about where to stop along the way.

When we finished shopping at West Marine we asked for directions to Home Depot. It was a couple of miles further out, a long walk, but the clerk said, ‘I’m off work in ten minutes so if you want to wait I’d be happy to give you a lift.’ People are incredible!

The second, and not so fun part of the shopping experience is walking back to the boat, usually with a heavy pack and bags in either hand.

On Saturday morning, on the way in to do the laundry, we stopped to chat with a couple from Nova Scotia. As we were chatting, there was a huge explosion. Fort Augustine was re-enacting the defense of an attack from sea by firing its cannons. As the smoke cleared, Howard retorted, ‘Jeez, those Yankees are still firing at us!’

While we were waiting for clothes to dry, we went over to watch the Christmas parade. It certainly wasn’t the same bone-chilling experience we remembered as kids.

In the evening we visited the historical part of St Augustine for the candlelight parade. The tradition involves a re-enactment of the parade through town to ensure that all is safe. A large number of people were dressed in period costume, which lent a surreal atmosphere to the entire evening. The parade returned to the town square where the governor proclaimed all was safe, extended good tidings and led everyone in Christmas carols. Much to Corinne's disappointment, this included only the first verse of each carol.

November 27-28

One of the very best parts of ‘cruising’ is the conversations and great tips we get from fellow cruisers. Without the suggestion that we stop at Jekyll Island, we would have missed out on one of the highlights of the Georgia waterway.

‘Jekyll Island was the … winter club for the rich and famous. In the 1880s this group, including the Rockefellers, Goodyears, Morgans, Pulitzers … built what they called cottages.’ To help understand the exclusivity of this community, we were told that these families controlled one-sixth of the wealth of the world at this time.

'Each estate was huge, but to promote social interaction none included kitchens. Members were expected to dine together at the club, where a staff from Delmonico’s in New York prepared meals. The restaurant’s 100-page menu included 370 dishes’.

The club still looks pretty nice, but they have shortened the menu somewhat – especially the one they gave us.

We were slow to get started on Thursday, as it had been a windy night and we were a little apprehensive about making our way through St. Andrews Sound. After watching a few other boats head out we decided to give it a shot.

It was a bumpy ride with the biggest waves we have seen, but a great learning experience. The most exciting part was hearing the Admiral yell, ‘Can’t we go any faster?’

Later in the day we passed by the Kings Bay Security Zone, where we had that ‘helicopter thing’ going again. Kings Bay is an active nuclear submarine base and a submarine was heading out to sea as we were in transit. Recreational boats in transit are required to stop and circle while maintaining a distance of 1 000 yards. The circling helicopter and gunboats reinforced the message.

We have passed into Florida and are anchored in the Fort George River. While it is not toasty warm, it certainly ain't snowing. I listened to the last half of the Grey Cup game the other night sitting in the cockpit in shorts and a fleece. I would never have thought of doing that in Winnipeg, at least not sober, I am sure.

November 25-26

People have said that one ought to think about going out to the ocean to bypass the Georgia section of the ICW, while others say it is not to be missed.

Georgia poses some challenges, but overall has been a fantastic part of our trip. We were up early Sunday morning in order to ensure that we could take advantage of the high tide for the passage through Hell Gate and the Florida Passage, which would have been impossible at low tide.

The tides in Georgia have averaged between eight and ten feet, which is by far the greatest range we have seen. While this can make for a comfortable passage through 'thin' water when you time it right, it also brings with it very strong currents which can make anchoring difficult and your progress either wonderfully quick or painfully slow.

We anchored in the Wahoo River and had a fun evening with folks from three other boats. It was good to see Steve, from LORCHA, who we have not seen since New York City.

On Monday morning the weather forecast said that with the approaching cold front there would be periods of fog until 9:00 am. While we pay close attention to the weather, we don’t always understand how it works, and sometimes wonder if the forecaster does either. It was rather hazy until 9:30 am, and then it really socked in. We actually anchored for an hour on the side of the waterway and sounded a horn whenever we heard a boat approaching.

When we convinced ourselves it was beginning to get better, we joined with a couple of boats that were carefully moving along, and ended up anchored out from Fort Frederica on the Frederica River.

November 22-24

We discovered that you don’t need to make many sightseeing plans for Thanksgiving Day, because you’re not going anywhere, and nothing is open even if you do get there. That actually worked out pretty well, though, since there are always lots of ‘chores’ to take care of on the boat. It was nice to have a day to just take care of some of these.

On Friday we caught the bus into Savannah and spent the entire day touring about. Downtown Savannah has been very thoughtfully restored to maintain its original architecture. The shops along the riverfront are quaint and interesting



After spending the morning wondering about, we were hungry and headed for the noted restaurant The Lady and Sons run by the apparently very well-known Paula Deen. Our timing was perfect, as we were able to get in without a wait, even at lunchtime. The buffet served, in part, fried chicken (unbelievably good), collard greens, black-eyed peas, sweet potato … the very best of southern home-style cooking.

After lunch we went on a 90 minute bus tour of the historic area of Savannah. This provided an overview and tease of all of the things we need to come back and see.

While waiting for the bus to get back to the boat, we walked through the cemetery alongside. The tour bus driver had told us about this gravestone dating back to the eighteen hundreds. Can you see why it is noteworthy?


Saturday has been cool and windy, a perfect day to get some provisions and blog postings completed in preparation for an early departure, with lots of high tide, for some 'thin' waters on Sunday.

November 19-21

We have decided that we know it is going to be a good day when we don’t see our breath when we get up in the morning. We have been on a wonderful string of good days, and are thoroughly enjoying it.

On Monday we traveled from Charleston to Bass Creek, a small creek off the Parrot River. The scenery is beautiful through this relatively undeveloped stretch of the waterway, and we had a leisurely trip.

We made the relatively short run to Factory Creek, just outside of Beaufort, on Tuesday. One should be sure to get the pronunciation right. In South Carolina it is pronounced ‘Bew-fort’, as opposed to ‘Bo-fort’ in North Carolina. The story goes that although both towns were named for the Duke of Beaufort, North Carolinians pronounce it with a proper French accent, while in South Carolina they say it however they want, thank-you very much.

Beaufort is a vibrant town with a rich history through the civil war era as well as in terms of pop culture. There are homes and buildings dating to the 1700s, as well as the Beaufort National Cemetery containing 12 000 graves of Confederate soldiers.

On the pop culture side, both of the movies The Big Chill and Forrest Gump were filmed in Beaufort.

Bay Street, the main street along the waterfront, has a number quaint shops and restaurants with decks overlooking the harbour. We had a nice lunch on one of these decks as we took a break from our search for the cooking classic Hoppin’ John’s Lowcountry Cooking. We are assured it contains recipes for shrimp and grits and the other famous Lowcountry classic, Frogmore stew.

On Wednesday we continued on to Turner Creek, a nice anchorage from which we will be able to gain bus access to Savannah, Georgia. Along the way we passed by the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot and, at the other end of the spectrum, Hilton Head Island. I have always associated Hilton Head with golf courses, of which there are twenty-five. Apparently it also has 250 restaurants.

Nearing the anchorage we passed by Bonaventure Cemetery, which sets the stage for the novel and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Without television, we are really enjoying reading the books with associated different parts of the trip.