June 3, 2017 Marco Polo Sets Sail on the Eastern Seaboard!


Hello everyone! After being land-lubbers for nearly a year we are back on S/V Marco Polo. One year ago, we left the boat at the beautiful Marina at Ortega Landing in Jacksonville, FL. Located 26-miles inland it is a terrific "hurricane hole" which was reassuring to us when Hurricane Matthew hit in October. Fortunately, no boats in this marina were damaged. However, during a September thunderstorm, a sailboat on another pier was struck by a massive lightening bolt, sending the charge to over 20 adjacent boats and across the water to our boat. To our dismay most of our electronics were fried. Thank goodness for our boat insurance which took care of all replacements.

With the boat sitting for so long, we had a long list of things to do to get it ready for cruising again. In March, we hauled the boat out for a bottom job and replacement of prop shaft bearings and seals and rudder bearings and other routine maintenance in preparation for our East Coast cruising adventure. A few days before our anticipated departure, we tried to replace an old topping lift line that ran through the mast, and in so doing the messenger line parted inside the mast. Yikes! Again we were lucky to be in Ortega because Jovan, an Ortega Marina employee who is also a rock climber, was able to climb our 62-foot mast and work above the mast head and fix the problem as well as get an accurate measurement of the height of our instruments on top of the mast which is important whenever we pass under fixed bridges in the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW).

Weather is critical to planning for safe sailing. If the weather is projected to be bad, we stay put! We are retired and don't have a schedule to keep. Pete constantly checks a variety of weather sources. On Memorial Day, we decided June 2nd looked like the most favorable weather window for the run to Brunswick, GA. At this time of the year, brief rain showers are the norm but nothing indicated storms. Getting an early start was key to arriving before dark and also for timing the opening of the Main Street bridge in Jacksonville. We would be traveling offshore for the 98-mile (85 nautical mile) trip and our average speed would be about seven knots (8 mph).

We left the marina at 5:45 a.m. and made it to the bridges with time to spare, but a train had stopped on the railroad bridge that just preceded the Main Street bridge. We talked to the bridge operator and the train operator, who were helpful and got us through just before the "mandatory" closing time, which would mean we would have to wait for two hours. Whew! We then had smooth motorsailing (running with the engine and with help from the sails) until about 25 miles before our destination. We went through a massive thunderstorm, which we tried to avoid but could not. Fortunately, Pete had taken the sail down and we had donned our "fashionable" foul weather gear before the rain and wind started. Fearful of lightning strikes, I stowed our cell phones, iPad, computers, hand-held GPS device and portable radio in static shield bags and placed them in the oven and microwave. Over the next hour or so we experienced six foot locally generated steep waves with wind over 50 mph. Definitely one of the worst storms we have been through. Captain Pete had to hand steer throughout the storm because the autopilot could not handle it. Admiral Barbara was hanging on and praying! Finally it was over! The storm slowed us down but we still managed to arrive at Brunswick Landing just before 6:30 p.m. It was quite a memorable trip! We enjoyed a hot meal and a glass of wine that evening.

On Saturday, we explored the Brunswick Old Town Historic District. We saw many quaint shops and old homes surrounded by beautiful gardens. There are six dedicated protected green spaces from the post Civil War days (album photo of Hanover Square). Brunswick was also a strategic military location during WW2. Blimps from the Brunswick Naval Air Station patrolled the coast protecting US ships from German U-boats. Business in Brunswick was booming during this period. The J.A. Jones Construction Company employed over 16,000 workers and produced 99 Liberty ships which were used to transport materiel to the European and Pacific theatres. (album picture of Pete in front of a steel model of the Liberty ship).

Our plan is to watch the weather forecast and possibly leave mid-week for Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Thanks for following us and keeping us in your thoughts for our safe travels.

Cheers,

Barbara and Pete

P.S. In case some of you did not get our message regarding our little three-legged furry crew, Cody, we lost him in October. The cancer that took his leg returned and despite the best efforts of his oncologist and ours, he did not respond to treatment. We miss him. He was our Ambassador of Friendship collecting two-legged as well as four-legged friends in every port of call. RIP Cody with your brother Sammie.