West Marine

November 27
Finally, enjoyed a shower in Cape Canaveral. Went around to Cocoa, FL looking for some stainless steel hardware pieces, and then went to West Marine for some electronic charts of the Bahamas, a courtesy flag, and a new starting battery for the Volvo engine. Came back to the boat, Diane was finishing up some laundry and baking cookies. Geez, this is a good life! Headed back out for some more shopping to West Marine for a new fishing rod, and then headed to Walmart for some fresh food. It was a day spent on the road or inside a store. Arrived back... hung out at the laptop to update my blog... and in the process the convection microwave stopped working in the middle of our dinner time. It too needed a rest / cool down. Things are back in operation and we are sheduled to eat chicken wings, squash and green beans. Talk to you all soon.

Walk On The Moon

November 26
An early start in Cape Canaveral, we called enterprise rent-a-car, and got a Chevrolet impala for two days. Today we were determined to visit The Kennedy Space Center!!! With the help of the GPS we drove to Merritt Island and found our way to the NASA space center, where we toured around for the entire day. From 11am - 5pm! It was so big, that we needed to take tour buses to visit all the various locations. Most of the pictures depict our experience at NASA. The vehicle assembly building, launch pad(s), Apollo missions, the space garden, memorial park, and an IMAX of walking on the moon, narrated by Tom Hanks. After spending the entire day looking at space shuttles, it made me think of becoming an Astronaut. They say that the average astronaut is 32.5 years old, is married, has two children, one dog, and a corvette. Based on the facts I will have to find myself a husband, bear kids, buy a dog, own a corvette and wait another 9 and a half years. That is a little too "hardcore" for me. I'll pass on the astronaut career for now. We came back to the boat to a tuna cassarole and then watched The Good Wife. Natalie signing out from Cape Canaveral.

Cape Canaveral, FL

November 25
It was a damp and lonely night up at the helm, between midnight and 3 am. Nothing very eventful occurred. Winds were blowing 10-17 knots from the North East, completely behind us and making for some 30 hours of motor sailing. I give my respects to the inboard Volvo engine, it deserves a pat on the back and well deserved rest. Our speed over ground was consistently averaging 5 to 7 knots. Fresh water, also known as rain gave our decks a good salt-free rinse, before arriving into port. We had a couple shoals to by-pass before entering into the channel to Cape Canaveral. From the ocean we could see one of the many space shuttle launch pads. Tomorrow we might be going to the Kennedy Space Center for a tour. This port is very wide and filled with Cruise Ships and other large freighters. The marina we are docked at is called "Cape Marine", as we entered into our slip we noticed another sailing vessel named Joana from Quebec. They noticed our boat and we were both amazed that the vessel names were identical. Two girls, a welder from the maritimes purchased the boat with a friend and sailed from Canada to Cape Canaveral, they have been here for the past 15 months. Doing repairs and getting their steel hull ready for the warmer places. Dolphins have been following us... they are even found in the marina. P.S. It's the day before American Thanksgiving!

Jaws

November 24
It took a really long time for us to claim our spot at the fuel dock. The intentions were to depart the marina at 9am and that got prolonged until 10am. No big deal! We're in no rush, right? It's just nice when the winds are in our favour... that's all. Started off with strong 15 knot winds from the NE. The destination for today is Cape Canaveral, FL. For a great portion of the afternoon, I was at the helm and during my time on lookout I noticed a shark fin, right alongside the sailboat. I quickly got up and tried to see if the carnivore would surface again, and lucky for me it did. The fin was rather large, which means that it was probably a big shark on the hunt. Wade and Diane were both taking a nap, and it was too late. That was the biggest highlight of my day. When we passed near Jacksonville, FL we experienced a lot of freight traffic. At one point, the pilot boats decided to play chicken with us, and instead of altering to starboard he cut us off. That pissed me off! Hired pilot boats, not even respecting the collision regulations...? Later in the day we ate lunch and dinner in the cockpit, arranged our night watch schedules and then I went below to rest from 6pm-12pm.

The Beach

November 23

Early this morning I made my way to the WiFi lounge and found an assortment of cruisers. A French family from Montreal with three kids aboard a mast-less catamaran. They are on route to the Bahamas, too! While they were in the lounge the mother was homeschooling them. Brought back some good memories!! While they were sailing from New Jersey the captain and a crew member hit a moving sand bar and the mast broke from the impact. They are on a mooring ball in Fernandina Harbor until the mast is repaired. The second family/couple was from Switzerland, aboard a 40 ft catamaran named "Micro-Megas", Chantal and Freddie have been living aboard for the past two and a half years. Crossed the Atlantic from the Canary Islands - Martinique. Looks like they are returning to the Bahamas and then pushing south towards Cuba. Enjoyed nachos for lunch and then headed straight for a walk to the beach. Stopped at a dive shop for some extra supplies, and then proceeded to walk towards the ocean. Found our first functioning payphone and placed a call to Canada. Attempted my Mom's office (no answer) and then Dad's office (a response.) Temperature was about 22C, unlike 6C in Timmins. On our walk back to the boat, we noticed the Christmas lights, trees and decorations all around the town. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. For dinner we indulged in a roast pork, yams, asparagus, coleslaw and pumpkin pie. Late that evening I had my last warm shower before hitting the salty sea again.

A Quiet and Relaxing Sunday

November 22
Greetings from Florida! When travelling offshore things get a little displaced around the boat, so I decided to tidy up my quarters. Update my blog, as you can tell, and added more rainwater into the H20 tanks. The weather didn't look very promising this morning, but that changed in mid-afternoon. The sun decided to warm the earth... We slipped on our running shoes, put on our shades and headed for a walk of downtown Fernandina Beach. I took some neat photos of pelicans, buildings and palm trees. We made our way to 10th or 11th street to a store called Freds and Diane found some XXL black yoga pants, that we will be transforming into fender covers. How creative? P.S. This island is incredible... if anyone is thinking of visiting Florida, come visit Amelia Island. A great golf destination, long sandy beaches and friendly folks. For dinner we purchased some fresh Atlantic Seafood: shrimp and salmon. Mark and Ruth joined us from Witchcraft for cocktails and a delicious dinner feast!!

Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach

November 21
My night watch was scheduled from 1am - 4am, and things were really nice until I noticed a large black and yellow buoy bouncing up and down just 10 feet to our starboard bow. I almost crapped my pants when we passed beside it. "Holy smokes" is what I yelled to myself. During the middle of the night, our destination plans changed from St-Augustine, to Amelia Island. At 6am, Wade turned the boat around, because we didn't want to enter St Marys Entrance, until we had first light. Once the sun started to rise, we proceeded to make our way between Georgia and the state of Florida. In the distance you could see the long sandy beaches of Fernandina. We wanted to anchor the boat at a mooring ball, but instead we noticed Wade and Diane's friends from Kingston aboard Witchcraft docked at the marina. That is what convinced us to stay for two nights at the marina. Diane docked Joana into our slip, for the very first time. She did an excellent job at bringing her in. The dock master gave us a tour of the facilities at Fernandina Harbor Marina, and I quickly bundled my shower bag and ran for a HOT shower! I took a Phil shower... which means it's longer than 45 minutes. T'was good. For breakfast, Diane made us some square pancakes... they were delicious! Did I mention that this island is wonderful... it reminds me of Tofino and parts of Victoria, BC. We took a taxi to the grocery store called "Publix", everything was organic and things were much more pricey than "Piggly Wiggly's" found in NC. For dinner we walked up the streets and found a mexican restaurant called Pablo's Mexican Restaurant, we had fajitas and sangria's. Went for a short walk around the tourist shops and made it back to the boat at 6:30pm. I was exhausted and by 7:30pm I hit the hay! Sailors deserve their rest.

Parasail Above My Head

November 20
Felt weird to sleep in the V-berth again, after two straight days at sea. We looked at the weather and decided that it would be best to leave first thing, rather than stay anchored in the small creek. The winds were scheduled to be 10-15 knots, but actually they were more like 6 knots! It all began with our attempt at trying to rig the whisker pole to the jib. It was too high, too low, rubbing on the life lines... things were all pointing to trouble. We stored the pole and rolled the jib away. Discussed the option of taking out the large parasailor to go downwind. First thing is first, the bag that holds the parasailor weighs 70 lbs, maybe more, the retail value is $10,000 and covers 20,000 square feet. Took it to the foredeck, rigged all the hardware and hoisted the sock that holds the sail. Things kept getting clustered and the sail wouldn't shoot out. So we kept bringing it back down and re-attempting, it was frustrating and some cursing took place. Finally had it all set up... and it was collapsing every now and then because of such light airs. Tonight my shift is from 1am-4am. Not much traffic out on the water... however I almost gave myself a shit attack. One of the yellow private buoys had no lights and zoomed by me. It scared the living hell out of me... I was keeping a good lookout and then out of no where a buoy pops up beside us. The stars are still everywhere and the moon is just perfect right now. Our destination changed in the middle of the night, from St-Augustine, FL to Fernandina Beach, FL. We should be hitting land near sunrise... Amelia Island.

From Beaufort to Beaufort

November 19
Out here on the Atlantic, the stars are very plentiful on the ocean. During my night watch, I can't help but look up at them. I saw a shooting star, it was very long and left a streak of green light. We had to do some motor sailing, because the winds died down to 10 knots. The freighters are everywhere and I had to alter course twice to avoid going on a collision course. Towards the end of my shift, Joana had a speed over ground of 7.2 knots and actually sailing for the first time, wind coming from a 90 degree angle. My shift ended at 3am... we began entering the channel to Beaufort, South Carolina (pronounced "Bew-fort", instead of "Beau-fort"). We went from Beaufort, North Carolina - Beaufort, South Carolina. How ironic? It took us three hours to enter into the Intra Coastal Waterway and begin our search for a good anchorage. We went up a creek and dropped the anchor in the middle, it's so odd to see a windlass to drop the chain. We all indulged in a warm shower, and hung our foul weather gear to dry. Put our feet up, enjoyed an alcoholic beverage and watched Grey's Anatomy!! Can you believe we watched the episode from an anchorage.

All Day, All Night, All Day, All Night

November 18
Finished my watch at 3am and went down below to catch some sleep. Woke up to dolphins chassing us and crossing our bow again, and some flying fish. Still no sea sickness for me. I've never been sick on the ocean, and don't think I ever will. However, that is not the same story for Diane, she hasn't been well the entire way. I was at the helm for most of the morning, early afternoon while the rest were catching up on sleep. The winds are still from the South East and blowing 20-25 knots. For dinner, we had pizza in the cockpit. My night watch shift is midnight to 3am again tonight. A full day of up and down in the waves.

First Day Sailing Away...

November 17
We waved goodbye to all the sailors at Bock Marine, at 9:15am. Diane was at the helm all the way down Core Creek, and took us under the lift-bridge. On our way towards the open ocean, we noticed an island with some wild horses roaming around. We adjusted the wind instruments and then hoisted the main sail! Finally the wind was going to take us where we wanted to go, wing on wing. On our way out of the marked channel we noticed the 47ft U.S. Coast Guard lifeboat. Identical to the ones on the West coast, except they aren't painted red. The winds were blowing 20-25 knots and sometimes gusting up to 35 knots, I could hardly feel the strength of the wind because it was coming from our stern. Met a few sailors along the way, S/V "Seahawk" on a Morgan 41, with six people on board, heading to Charleston, SC. & sailing vessel "Anastasia". Our main goal was to stay 20 miles offshore, and avoiding a large shoal called "Frying Pan Shoal". Just before the sun went down we saw 14 dolphins pacing the bow of the sailboat. They were very playful. At 6pm we began our night watch schedule. Everyone had a three hour watch, and my shift was between midnight to 3am. I headed straight to the sea berth after eating a banana for dinner, slept very well. During Diane's shift the winds increased and we had an accidental jibe which was caused from the auto pilot letting go. I woke up at midnight for my shift and rounded the shoals at approximately 1am. Things because less nerve wracking after passing the shallow depths and reefs.

24 Hours Before Departure

November 16
Small tasks all around the boat, to get it "offshore" ready. Some of which included: laundry, securing the anchors, sealing all the hatches, locks off the liferaft, secured the dinghy on deck, replaced the propane tanks, and provisioned with more fresh produce. While we were in town we went to a fast food restaurant called "Hardees", very similar to Harvey's back at home. The afternoon was basic familiarization with the electronics, radar, laptop with charts, and the autohelm. We finally called "South Bound II" VAX498 a daily weather forecasting service offered by Herb Hilgenberg from Burlington, Ontario. He was very helpful to tell us that we would be better off to head south along the coast, rather than offshore towards Bermuda/ down to the British Virgin Islands. At this point our destination tomorrow is Charleston, North Carolina. A potential 36 hour ETA. Things are looking good for an early departure in the morning.

Hillbillies Everywhere...

November 14
This morning I learnt a few life lessons about marriage(s) and money, the topics were interesting and hopefully I remember these stories for a long time to come. I may not be getting married for a little while. I did some reading on the new “Boom Break”: a device used for the main sail, to prevent the boom from breaking and swinging from one side to the other. We performed a short training session to test the apparatus, found a few items on the deck that have potential to be ripped out, but hopefully our set up will not allow for that to happen. Did one load of laundry and in the meanwhile a soap opera occurred just outside our port holes. It included a few hillbillies from Tennessee, a $500 sailboat, a common-law relationship gone wrong and a bunch of spectators. When I return to Canada… I will elaborate more on this story. It’s priceless! Wade and I took out the large scale charts of the Atlantic Ocean and attempted to make a small offshore sail plan for our estimated departure at 9am on Tuesday. Hopefully making landfall in Antigua, Dominican Republic, Charleston, S.C. or the Bahamas, the voyage is 100% dependant on the winds and the current. I am extremely happy to be heading to a southern place, but a little concerned about the unknown destination and location where we will clear customs. Ever since the weather has cleared, I noticed a dozen boats of all sizes starting to travel south on the Intracoastal Waterways. For dinner we had planned for steak, but they were still frozen, all of us were hungry, so we went to a restaurant. “No Name Pizza” some of you might be laughing at this, because of all our no name products over in Canada. However the name originates from an Italian man who came over to Beaufort to start up a pizza shop. The agents kept asking the man what he wanted to call the restaurant and the Italian replied by saying “no name, pizza!”, “no name, pizza!” they must have had a big language barrier and the man didn’t want his restaurant to have a name… he just wanted it to say “pizza!!” The gentlemen’s wrote on the papers “no name pizza” and that is how it remained for year and years. P.S. the pizza was tasty.

I Love Fish

November 13
The salt water pump was dismantled and taken to the mechanic’s house to be examined. Diane and I cleaned off the rust from the bolts and pieces below the pump, applied a rust remover and then painted over the nuts and bolts. The spare bump which was already aboard was replaced, and we did more trials to see if the salt water is flowing… and it is doing a fine job! Signed out the “Bock Mobile” again today, and went to a department store, where I got a $5 watch to tell time and we got some fresh fish: a dozen shrimp and two fillets of Grouper. Shortly after our arrival back at the boat, the mechanic had already finished repairing the old salt water pump. The only thing holding us back is the weather and a few spare parts from West Marine. Dinner was fantastic!!! Grouper fillets, broccoli salad, rice, shrimp and pumpkin pie. I am eating extremely well aboard “Joana”. Toodles

The Salt Water Pump

November 12
The rain has now turned into a light mist. I prefer this rather than the loud pouring rain. Today we tested the Volvo Penta inboard engine, during our daily inspection Wade noticed that the salt water pump was leaking. Quickly we stopped the engine and narrowed the part that we needed to replace, rushed to find a diesel mechanic and coordinated to get the piece fixed. This pump might delay our departure until further next week; it was the original pump of 1992 and needed replacing. Now that the rain has started to diminish, I went for a tour of Bock Marine to observe all the fishing boats, sailboats and power boats that are on the “hard”. After our tour, we decided to sign out the “Bock Mobile” which is a courtesy vehicle. We went with another couple from Ottawa, Canada: Jim and Laura who just purchased a 40ft sailboat. We drove to Morehead City and Beaufort to get groceries, parts from West Marine, and a fillet knife. I’m very excited to be able to catch big fish on the open ocean, I noticed a few big fish lures and maybe I will attempt at making my own from plastic bags. In the evening we had spaghetti and pumpkin pie for dessert… since the American thanksgiving is approaching next week. Watched Grey’s, Bones and the Mentalist, I am very spoiled on this large sailing yacht.

IDA Equals Rain

November 11
Today in the USA it's Veterans Day and over in Canada it's Remembrance Day, my thoughts are with ALL the soldiers. However, hurricane IDA is creating lots of rain for us here in Core Creek. With Joana's new hard Bimini we have been harvesting rain water into 6 gallon jugs and relocating the H20 inside the water tanks. We transferred a total of 200 gallons of rain water into the tanks. We filtered the rain water three times and it looked crystal clear. In the early morning we inventoried all the canned goods on board, which will most likely be our offshore food. I tested my foul weather gear, my built-in harness and PFD. It’s been a really slow day. They are predicting to have 9 inches of rain in the next two and a half days. Noticed a few boats going down the Intra Coastal Waterways (ICW) motoring down and heading south. Our sailing destination is still unknown. Wade and Diane are looking at various locations including the Bahamas, Cuba and if our offshore route goes bad we’ll be making land fall back to Florida. The options are all dependent on a five day weather window. of good weather.

Arrival in Beaufort, North Carolina

November 10
Flew from Toronto to Washington-Dulles International Airport, had a connection from Washington to Charlotte, NC where I had two hilarious flight attendants: Georgia and Vivi. They made for an enjoyable flight. When I arrived in Charlotte the airport was full of rocking chairs and it was so odd to see those inside a terminal. Finally, my flight to New Bern, North Carolina, a thirty minute flight and then I met Wade and Diane. We went to get a few provisions and then drove to Bock Marine, which is approximately 9 miles North of Beaufort. Sailing Vessel "Joana" is looking really good. This is the official website of the 53 ft sailboat. http://www.joana.ca/