Mile 1000

Well we made it to mile 1000. We stayed in Melbourne last night and got an early start this AM. We are anchored out  near the  Mile 1000. Have had a good run down the Indian River, seeing lots of porpoises. (see the pics). Still looking for a manatee though!

My boat partner Francisco will join us tomorrow for the last leg into Miami. We are all excited. Another 95 miles to go. It has been a great trip and the boat has run great. Here is a few shots of the last 2 days:

 

Waiting in Miami

Expectation and anticipation is rising in Miami!
Here is the map of yesterday's and today's trip.

Tuesday - St. Augustine!

Wednesday - New Smyrna

RE: In New Smyrna Beach

Another 70 miles down the ICW from St. Augustine is a town that is so dead, it makes Lopez look like a metropolis. The first picture is downtown in the middle of the afternoon.  Look closely and you will see 3 locals hanging out in front of the sailboat. We cruised by some mega mansions completely surrounded in mosquito netting. I call them mosquito mansions.

We are on the lookout for the elusive manatee. There are signs everywhere telling us to watch out for them, but we never see them! Here we are coming up to another bridge wondering if we are going to fit… We have measured the boat several times, but we always duck!

 

 

In New Smyrna Beach

 

 

in St. Augustine

Short hop today. We decided to be tourists and walk around this neat town. Weather has steadily improved to polar fleece in the morning and t-shirts and shorts by noon.  This place is a big draw for cruisers. There is a regular cruisers net and more dinghies at the dock than boats.

The town is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the US. The Spanish were here first in 1565 and some of the pictures show the fort they built in 1672.  There are some neat old houses and great cobble lined streets. And of course lots of tchotchkes to purchase.  We refrained.  @ Mile 778, only another 300 or so to go…

 

WELCOME TO FLORIDA!

As John mentioned yesterday - WE ARE NOW IN FLORIDA!
What a milestone!
Here is yesterday's track, and a couple more pics.

John's office.... tough!!

Industrial views on the ICW

In Florida

We crossed into Florida today and  are staying in Jacksonville. Big milestone for Glory Days. It has passed 13 states since the beginning of November. The previous owner brought it down from Massachusetts to Virginia and we then took over.

Boat is running great! We went past Jekyll Island, Georgia this morning, where the very rich used to come and play and plot.  Check out the “JP Morgan” in the picture next to “Millionaires Village” on Jekyll.  I think JP had a better yacht! The picture of the paper mill was taken at Fernandina Beach, the first Florida city we came across and the first time we have seen industrial uses adjacent to the ICW. Maybe there is some remediation in Fernandina?

 

near Brunswick GA

Note from Francisco:

I've been MIA for the past days (Had a trip to Bogotá)

John has been doing an amazing job with the blog: THANKS JOHN!

Update of map tracking for those following it: Here is the past 5 days:

... and back to John's post:

Another beautiful day, sunny & calm. The low country here is really terrific with lots of wildlife and porpoise sightings. We are at anchor near my friend Jim Oosterhoudt’s stomping grounds. I am on the back deck after putting the anchor down. Unfortunately for us, Jim is in Australia, but we are sending him a big “hey y’all” from Georgia. Down here there are big currents which can speed you on your way and slow you down, depending on which sound you are coming up to. We went by "Moon River” of song fame and also “Runaway Negro Creek”.  Attached are pictures of both. I hope they got away…

Tomorrow we cross into Florida.

in Savannah

Staying at the Isle of Hope Marina just a little bit outside of Savannah (mile 590), one more gorgeous southern city on the water. The many parks in the city are really a standout. A couple was getting married in one, when we walked by. Went by the marina in Thunderbird GA where I picked up Karen 12 years ago to head to the Bahamas on a similar adventure to the one we are on now. Pics of all are attached. They gave us a loaner car here, so we were able to do a little sightseeing.

 

 

In Georgia

We passed the half way point to Miami and just passed Hilton Head SC on our way to Savannah GA. Spent last night near beautiful Beaufort, SC; where my boss, Todd Schwendeman’s parents live (right near the swing bridge for Lady’s Island shown in the picture). Georgia and South Carolina are my favorite parts of the ICW. Beautiful scenery, great towns to visit; like Charleston, and Beaufort and Savannah and outstanding architecture. Wish we had more time, but we have a boat to deliver! Weather has turned sunny but cold. They expect freezing temperatures tonight.

 

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We spent the day cleaning ourselves, our clothes and the boat. Took a nice stroll down to the Battery which faces out to sea. The architecture here is incredible! Love this city, it’s a real joy to walk around. We give thanks for being on this great trip and hope everyone is having a  wonderful holiday

 

in Charleston

We came in to Charleston this morning after a short trip (12 miles) from the Isle of Palms. We are staying at the Charleston City Marina, which is close to the lovely downtown section of Charleston. This marina has a “mega dock” that is over 1500 feet long and has a number of impressive mega yachts docked here. We are a dinghy compared to these boats! Check out the pictures. It was exciting coming in, as there is 4 knot current at the marina. But we are safely tied up, and had a nice tour of downtown today. Plan to take tomorrow off and do some sightseeing.

 

 

Sunny Day - Smiling Faces

So we finally had an all around "good day".
The winds calmed down, the rain went away and the sun... the sun came out!!
83 miles (73nm), easy ride that took 8.5 hrs. NICE!!! Well deserved!
So with a warm, smiley face, here are today's pics!!

Today's trip:

And some more happy moments:

Enjoy guys!