Brooke Smith
04/15/2012, Osprey Marina near Myrtle Bech

WE ARE IN FRESH WATER OF THE ICW. Alligators live in fresh water. Guess what we saw yesterday. Yep a bald eagle. Oh yea the alligator too. Not getting in the water to check anything here. Lots of beautiful trees and stuff. But this brief addition to yesterdays blog is really about the alligator. We were here November 21, 2011 on the way south and saw no alligators. We never saw any along the ICW in GA, or Florida cause the water is salty.
So, the picture for this blog is the alligator.

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Brooke Smith
04/14/2012, Georgetown, SC

We are in Georgetown, SC. What a pretty town. And the wonderful southern accents of the people are just like something out of a movie. WE walked around with our friends Casey and Laurilea Gibbs, yesterday morning and had a great lunch at a new restaurant called Alfresca. Of course it was wonderful and very good prices. But it's the feel of this town that is really special. Very warm people. Everyone speaks to you and all seem very happy living here. Georgetown is a very historic place. Once it was the capital of rice. We missed the rice museum yesterday. Might take it in today before we shove off.

Fuel is the cheapest here of ANYWHERE ( $378/gal. ) we have been the entire trip. So, I will be topping off the tanks.
We are headed to Osprey Marina about half way to Myrtle Beach today; Myrtle tomorrow to meet my Mom and Brother; Southport, NC to meet a lady that Susan worked with for 16 years and then our focus is going to be the Outer banks of NC.
We are currently at statue mile 403 on the Intracoastal Waterway. Mile zero is Norfolk, VA. So we are that close. The Outer Banks diversion will add to this distance. But we are getting closer to home. We have traveled 2704 statue miles ( 2350 Nautical Miles ) since we got on the boat Halloween night 2011. We are getting excited about getting home. But, the trip between here and there is a bunch of fun. So, we will just be taking our time. Liquid Therapy has performed just wonderfully and reliably. Just a grand old boat.
Todays picture is a harbor view a few minutes ago here at Georgetown.

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Brooke Smith
04/09/2012, Port Royal Marina

Well we certainly are moving north. We left the 20ºs latitudes shortly after Marineland Florida. The bugs are increasing and so are my allergies that were non-existent in the Bahamas. Also gone over there and creeping back is the old peoples constant clearing of the throat. So, I've been wondering is Virginia a bad place to live with allergies etc? Anyhow, I've had allergies all my life in Virginia. But it is home. And we are most definitely headed that way.
Tomorrow we are going to have a hard run of 77 miles to Charleston. Leaving at the crack of sun tomorrow. We have friends that are in the Atlantic and are anticipating arriving in Charleston tomorrow night. So, we are hoping all to have dinner. We will have currents helping us in the morning. But as always happens as you get out of the influence of a helping tidal current you get hindered on the other side of an inlet. With 9 foot tides in this area there is lots of water moving around.
It really is funny all the people we have met and how we all try to coordinate meetings along the water. Very nice..
I checked Liquid Therapy over for all the usual pre-departure checks. This old boat has just been reliable and comfortable. It handles all sorts waves. it really felt great in it's element in the Atlantic. We are going to have her painted this summer to make her look good.
Not much else to say tonight. Nice trip from Isle of Hope to Port Royal.
Tonights picture is some parasail activity at Hilton Head

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Brooke Smith
04/08/2012, Isle Of Hope Marina

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE. We are at the Isle of Hope Marina and had guests aboard the last two days. Lindsey and Jim Perrow visited with us and drove us to Savannah to have a look around and eat at the 1790 Inn. Very much fun and too much to eat. It was still a bit chilly and we did not have a drink at the to of the Bohemian restaurant. NEXT TIME. It was too cold when we were here the first time in December too.
So, not too much to report from the boating scene. We met up with lots of new people on the dock having a DOCK PARTY. I finally fixed the wobbly legs on our diner table. It was not easy disassembling the support system with sound insulation and a boxed in cover over the bolts that needed tightening. But I got it all apart and discovered the bolt heads had no washers between the wood. Of course I only had three and needed six. A trip to Home Depot in the Marina loaner car was in order. However, one of the guys one at the dock party fixed me up with some spare washers he had and I got the table all back together. We didn't have to drive anywhere and joined the dock party. So now as I type this morning with my coffee near my computer, I don't have the jiggling of the coffee trying to spill. (The coffee cup is still some distance from the computer in case I spill it.) This MacBook has been a workhouse with all the navigation software and Internet weather lookups etc.
Check the photo gallery of Isle Of Hope to see a few pictures.
Todays picture is Lindsey and Jim Perrow, Susan and me.

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Brooke Smith
04/05/2012, Isle of Hope Marina

OK last blog was too long. This is going to be a little shorter.
We Left Marineland and traveled to St. Augustine on Saturday. Spent the night on a mooring ball were visited by more of our friends heading North that we met in the Bahamas. It's funny how you just seem to anchor, moor or pull in a Marina and see a boat that you met in the Bahama.
Sunday we left St. Augustine and pulled in Fernandina. Fernandina is on Amelia Island and spring break was in full swing here on Sunday night. We had quite a wait to get in ANY restaurant and the Mexican restaurant was slow but very good Margaritas and enchiladas.
The rest of the blog is about the dredge train being pulled by the Tug Royal Engineer. I was awakened early at the Fernndina Marina by something really straining. I looked out to see a tug, pulling a dredge housing barge, machinery and lots of long pipe. There were 2 other tugs assisting this long line of equipment. The entire thing crept by slowly and I was hoping that it would be going out to sea at the St. Marys inlet. Or, i was going to have to pass it later on the narrow ICW.
So, we left a couple hours later and sure enough as i got into Cumberland sound there was there entire train of the Royal Engineer ahead of me.
TO BE CONTINUED LATER.. DOCKMASTER WANTS TO MOVE US TO A SLIP..
Back to the story -
I passed the Royal Engineer and the 1/4 mlle long dredge pipe with plenty of room in the Cumberland Sound. Both of us had strong currents working against us. Me moving at 4.7 kts. The Royal Engineer was moving 1.8kts!!
Wow I was glad that was over. Or was it?? Later that day many miles further up the ICW we anchored in the South River. Small thunderstorm at anchor made the night interesting. Finally I'm asleep and during the night sometime, awakened to a familiar straining tug. And looking out at the ICW there goes the well lighted Royal Engineer pulling the 1/4 mile dredge pipe again!! That means that sometime in the day I will have to pass him again, somewhere with not as much passing room as I had in the Cumberland Sound. Sure enough around noon I come up behind the Royal Engineer again. I speak with him on the radio and decide for a tight close port side pass as soon as I can find a long straight stretch. There are none. So, I just follow the 9 foot shoreline and know that Royal Engineer drawing 8 1/2' ftt will not be occupying the same water as Liquid Therapy. I increase the speed and get on by in about 10 minutes of passing the entire length and then have to do something a little scary. CROSS THE BOW and let him be behind me. All is well and we proceed to Isle Of Hope Marina for the next 4 days. And guess what about 11:00 PM the Royal Enineer comes passing us at the Marina. What a sight at night. I watched the tug make the horseshoe bend turn at the marina fine. Royal Engineer has tw smaller tugs that pull the pipe sideways so it can make the turns too. Quite fascinating.

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Brooke & Susan Smith
03/31/2012, Marineland Marina , FL

Getting caught up on the blog....
We stayed in the Cocoa Village Marina Tuesday night and explored the Historic Village of Cocoa.  It is part of Cocoa Beach and City of  Cocoa, very nice marina.  The largest old hardware store I've ever seen is here in Cocoa. Travis Hardware has been in operation since 1885 when it was on a barge that took the store from town to town. Huge wrenches, and old wood stoves. I bought some brass hardware at very old prices!!
Wednesday, we traveled on and moored at Titusville Marina, very near the Space Center. We took on fuel ($3.89/gal 150.5 gallons ) for the first time since February 5 when we filled up at Lake Worth for the crossing to the Bahamas. That's correct! We went across to the Bahamas; stayed 5 weeks and came back without taking on any fuel. Good old boat sips fuel. We still had over 1/2 tank! We thought about going to tour Cape Canaveral but decided not and stayed on the mooring ball for the evening.
Thursday, we started traveling at 7:30 and ended up doing 66 miles.  We should start earlier more often because of all the nature we got to view before the midday sun.  Going down, we did not see any manatees until Miami when Jonathan was with us.  Now, on our way home, it is the birthing season and they are all over the place!  We need to be very watchful so we won't hit any.  At the end of the day, yesterday, we were at a LONG stretch of the intracoastal where we couldn't pull over and anchor for the night. Too many rocks, so we entered the Palm Coast Marina to stay Thursday night.  It was a very late stopping time for us, around 8 PM. The old guy, late dock-master, was telling about the marina and surrounding areas mentioned the bathrooms at the marina were bi-sexual. I think he meant Unisex. We cautiously checked the bathrooms out and they were labeled Men and Women. So that's what he meant by bi-sexual! Hey old guys rule!
We walked to an Italian restaurant called Mezzaluna, for dinner, Delicious! We ate bread with seasoned oil like there was no tomorrow and then an antipasta and split a sandwich. Long days make you extra hungary..
Friday morning we had a short run to a place Brooke was dying to see called, Marineland Marina!!  It is highly recommended by a trawler organization, MTOA (Motor Trawler Owners'Association) we joined. Has GREAT rates and FREE laundry (only place we have seen with free laundry!). This is where the original Marineland is, from 1937, where they used to film Tarzan, Sea Hunt, and Benji and other TV shows. It was closed for a long time and reopened in 2006, and is on the National Registry of Historic Places! Right across street from the marina! We will go there to tour tomorrow, after I go with two other cruiser women to the grocery  (in the marina's courtesy car). We got a free ticket to Marineland because we went on a kayak tour this evening, so we will see it tomorrow. The kayak leader said the population here in Marineland is 8 people! Sunset kayak trip was fun, but it was overcast and we didn't actually see it.  After grocery trip, it will be laundry and Marineland and a peek at the beach!  Tonight we are invited to join a bluegrass jam session, here at this small, totally rebuilt  marina. Actually, the University of Georgia has research facilities in several buildings here,too.  In the morning, we will continue our travels north.
I added another photo gallery of Titusville to Marineland. So check that out.
Today's picture is Susan in the front of the tandem kayak. Check that long hair out.

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