Trawler seaDee Cruising Blog

Big Fun in Nantucket

2008-06-17T09:11:00.003-04:00

How big? 46 inches! Attending Espo's batch party, organized by John Madison, one day was devoted to a fishing excursion. Two boats, and boasting rights at stake, we set out into the cold misty morning in search of the big fish. The two boats caught a collective 122 fish, including 13 stripped bass (the rest Blue Fish). This fish fed 12 with plenty to spare.

Espo and Madison

Shuttle Launch

2008-06-01T22:33:00.004-04:00

One of the benefits of my new Merritt Island location is the proximity to the Kennedy Space Center. On May 31, at 5:02pm, NASA launched the shuttle Discovery. Viewing the launch from seaDee's dingy, I shot some video. The NASA web site has some great multimedia and you can follow this link for more info on this current mission.

Here's my video: Shuttle Launch

Mettitt Island FL

2008-05-22T14:33:00.003-04:00

Memorial weekend, Christina Sea (N47) and seaDee will cruise down the east coast of Florida. George and Christie will continue on to Marco, hopefully, through the canal, and seaDee will enter the Banana River and tie up at it's new home in Merritt Island FL. Our trip should take 3 days. Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona, Titusville and across the Cape Canaveral Canal to the Banana River.

Marina Village will be seaDee's new home. Photos to follow.

Green Cove Springs

2008-03-30T15:03:00.004-04:00

The Bahamas loop is complete. seaDee is now at rest in Green Cove Springs. The cruising will pause now while I take care of some business back in NJ/NYC.

I hit a pocket of cool, windy weather on the way up the east coast of FL. Rain and winds from the north kept me in the cabin and off the flybridge until the last day. The sun returned on the cruise from St. Augustine to GCS and the water was beautiful.

Early morning mist:

West Palm Beach

2008-03-15T18:28:00.002-04:00

12 Hours of 3-5 waves from the NW early, 6-8 swells from the NE late. The prediction was 2-4 waves and 10-15kt winds...oh well - so much for forecasts. Now in WPB with Geoff. Hanging at the beach, hitting some golf balls and spring training baseball. All good.

Geoff

We spent one afternoon at the Breakers. Nice joint.

Goodbye Marsh Harbour

2008-03-10T20:19:00.003-04:00

I'm preparing to leave Marsh Harbour early on Wed morning. The route is Marsh Harbour to Great Sail Cay on Wed. Great Sail to West Palm Beach Thurs. Two 12 hour days. The weather looks good and you can't miss a good weather window when it comes along. The next post should come Thurs night/Fri morning from West Palm Beach.

Walking the Eastern Shore

2008-02-29T10:41:00.004-05:00

Our little group of walkers will pick a course every morning for a 3-4mile hike. One of the routes takes us to the end of the Eastern Shore. Beautiful homes and vistas line both sides of the dirt road.

Pete's Pub - Little Harbour

2008-02-21T12:26:00.007-05:00

15 miles or so to the South of Boat Harbor, a 2hr cruise on seaDee, is a beautiful, small, fully protected anchorage called Little Harbour. Founded by Randolph Johnston in the 1950s as a art colony, as well as, his home. His son Pete now runs the place, and next to the foundry where artists still work in bronze, is Pete's Pub. It's an open air bar, the main road runs right thru it, that serves a fine grouper sandwich and cold beer.

A path leads you over the hill behind the bar and out to the Atlantic.

My buddy Jim tries his hand at the ring game. Notice the bra hanging on the wooden support on the left. I've been to bars that will cut off your tie if wear one. Pete's, apparently has different rules.

The beach on the other side is a mix of sand and rock carved over time by the Atlantic.

Superbowl in the Bahamas

2008-02-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

What a great game. Even more fun to have the Becces onboard for the game. A 3 mile walk in the morning, an afternoon at the pool, followed by burgers on the grill.

Rosalie and Denise (a guest on Wink and Wilma's boat) admire the sites along our walking route

Dressed in full battle gear, Mike watches the game from the lower helm.

Rosalie kept us in the game with pasta in clam sauce. A day in Hopetown was another highlight of their visit.

The weather this week has been outstanding. The day after the superbowl, Wink and Wilma had me out on the reef snorkeling. Crystal clear water and warm sunny days with light winds. Now, if we could just pull a lobster out of a hole.

A day at Great Guana Cay

2008-01-27T11:30:00.000-05:00

The settlement at Great Guana Cay is one of the smallest in the central part of Abaco, but is growing. Approx 200 people call this Cay home. The Great Guana reef protects a 5 mile beach. Nippers Bar and Grill overlooks the beach from high atop a dune. These photos are from Nippers. When visiting, be careful of "the Nipper". 4 or more may cause your eyes to permanently cross.

Marsh Harbour, Bahamas

2008-01-18T09:49:00.000-05:00

We left Lake Worth, (West Palm Beach) at 5am Sunday Jan 13. Two hours before sunrise. Gentle swells greeted us at the inlet. Winds from the South were forecast, - good for a crossing of the Gulf Stream which is a strong current to the North East at about 3kts. We arrived at the Bahamas Bank about 12:30pm. Beautiful Blue/Green water, 12-15 ft deep signaled the arrival.

We pressed on to Mangrove Cay and anchored for the night. Spanish Cay was our next destination. Only two other boats were in the marina when we docked. Encountered my first problem. When I engauged the bow thruster, nothing happened. Thankfully, I tried it while Wink and Wilma were docking and I was standing off in open water. Even though the winds had picked up, docking was no problem. A night of fishing and drinking followed. We ate our catch and required another night in the marina to recover from the drinking, or, at least I did, and set off for Marsh Harbour.

At Marsh Harbour, we had plenty of help on the dock. Several Great Harbour boaters already here, were waiting for us to help with lines. seaDee and John Henry are secure, and it's nice to be in one place for a couple of days.

From the Bahamas Guide:

Abaco Island has naturally protected waters and dozens of offshore cays covering over 130 square miles of aquamarine water. The Abacos are a pleasure to yachtsmen and fishing enthusiasts. It is referred to as the sailing capital of the world. Here you will find excellent marinas, guides and boats for hire as well as a championship golf course, one of seven in The Bahamas, the others being in Nassau, Freeport, Abaco and Eleuthera.

Abaco is the third most populous island in The Bahamas and bears a resemblance to New England from which it attracts so many of its visitors and winter residents. Marsh Harbour is the commercial centre located on Great Abaco.

Home to the famous red and white striped lighthouse, Abaco with its numerous offshore cays and reef protected waters, once served as a safe harbor for British loyalists during the American Revolution. The first settlement on Abaco Was Carleton Point, located at the northern end of Treasure Cay a luxury resort development. Carleton was settled in 1783 by 600 Loyalists refugees from New York, fleeing the newly independent United States. Now it serves a more useful purpose as the one of the most favorite destinations among yachtsman the world over.

Filled with excellent marinas and boats for hire, not to mention a championship golf course, Abaco truly is a sailor's paradise.Its two major islands, Great Abaco and Little Abaco, have a myriad of small cays flanking the mainland. The sea channel between the islands allows for good cruising. Abaco, located in the northern Bahamas, typically boats pine forests and is frequented by hunters of wild boar and ducks. Its waters abound with fish, including the marlin and sailfish. It also has bonefishing flats.

Other settlements include its northern cays, such as Walker’s Cay and the Grand Cays; Crown Haven and Fox Town in Little Abaco, and Cooper’s Town on Great Abaco; Green Turtle Cay, Hope Town, Moore’s Island, the tourist resort of Castaways Cay, Great Guana Cay, Cherokee Sound, Little Harbour, Hole-in-the-Wall, Sandy Point, Crossing Rock, Spring City and Man-O-War Cay

Goodbye ICW

2008-01-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

Red Bank NJ to West Palm Beach FL. My trip on the ICW ends tonight. John Henry and seaDee will depart Lake Worth (West Palm) at 4:30am Sunday and begin our trip to the Bahamas. Our first landfall should be Memory Rock at 1pm Sunday afternoon. Then we'll move across the Bahamas Bank towards Marsh Harbour. We expect to be in Marsh Harbour Monday.

Mosquito Lagoon

2008-01-10T19:17:00.000-05:00

Back on the boat after a short trip back to NJ/NYC. Happy New Year! Green Cove Springs to St. Augustine yesterday. A 20 minute trip by car is a 7 hour trip by boat!! Today, we made it to Mosquito Lagoon. We? Traveling with Wink and Wilma on John Henry, a Great Harbour 47. Nice to have a buddy boat. Our plan is to move down the east coast of Florida to West Palm and cross to the Bahamas when we get the right weather.

The trip from Green Cove Springs to St. Augustine took us through downtown Jacksonville

The John Henry (Wink and Wilma's boat) enters St. Augustine harbor

This guy needs to get a better understanding of tides and depth charts

Another beautiful sunset on the water

I've never been successful in capturing a dolphin with the still camera. But, I did get some video!

seaDee rests in Green Cove Springs

2007-11-17T17:02:00.000-05:00

We woke to a clear, calm, cloudless sky. The water was like glass. We even had favorable currents all the way to Green Cove Springs where seaDee now rests. It was another amazing day cruising. Jim is now back in NYC/NJ. SeaDee is tied up in Reynolds Marina in Green Cove Springs and I’m completing several boat projects. Wink and Wilma are here, as are Joe and Neil. More Great Harbors’ are expected. A reunion of sorts. Looking forward to Thanksgiving at David Allen’s apt. Dee and Geoff are flying in. I’ll be back in NJ for awhile after TG.

The photo above, was taken in the Frederica River. Click on it for a larger image.

Seadee Threatened!

2007-11-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

Amelia Island, Florida

Heavily armed forces of the United States Coast Guard threatened the Trawler Seadee yesterday forcing her to "stand down" for the passage of a United States Navy nuclear submarine.

While discussing options for lunch, the Captain and crew were surprised by the rapid approach of an armed Coast Guard patrol boat. Most disturbing was the presence of a manned 50 Caliber machine gun on the bow of the Coast Guard vessel. Serious dudes with serious weapons

Seadee was forced out of the channel and lunch was delayed.

As the submarine approached, Seadee was again approached by yet another heavily armed Coast Guard vessel and forced to bring engines to "all stop" and turn her bow away from the submarine.

Fearing for their safety, the crew was unable to document much of the incident but did get these photos of the sub.

The United States government has refused to issue an apology for this inexcusable delay of lunch.

Buenas Noches...

2007-11-12T16:36:00.000-05:00

...might have been the title of this edition had the British not

repelled the Spaniards in the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742. A pivotal battle in the War of Jenkis Ear (I don't make this stuff up).

We're anchored in the Frederica River just outside the site of the battle which took place on what is now St. Simon's Island.

Another gorgeous anchorage.

Left with the sun again this morning. I don't think I've seen as many sunrises in the past 20 years as I have on this trip. Or at least I didn't enjoy them as much...

Not a lot of boat traffic today - lots of dolphins again and a couple of shrimpers.

We're having big fun watching these guys try to get their dinghy out of the mud. They tied up to the dock in high tide and it's now low - 7 foot tide here. We're easily entertained.

Speaking of which...cold beer, Monday Night Football and finally I got Andy to fire up the grill for the much anticipated Bubba Burgers!!!

Hasta la vista Amigos y Amigas.

Every Man a Captain!

2007-11-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize I would get a new title when I got on the boat. But at every marina I'm addressed as "Captain", even though I'm not THE Captain. The marina dockhands never know initially who's in charge of the boat, so they call every man on board "Captain". I've gotten used to it, so next time you see me, you know what to do...

I'm told all women are "Admirals" but have yet to witness that for myself.

Blog or be flogged was the message I got today and I have a lot of water to cover.

Andy and I have been on the boat by ourselves since Tuesday and as yet no mutinies and no plank walking.

We arrived in Charleston late on Wednesday afternoon. Had a great dinner at Cru Cafe after a long cruising day. We've had a great run of weather since Noel ran up the east coast but it has been a little cooler than we had hoped.

A layover day in Charleston on Thursday. I promised my friend Rich that Thursday would be "talk like a pirate day" Aaaaarrrrgggg!!!, but that only lasted about 30 seconds. Don't tell him.

We spent a pleasant day in Charleston which for us turned out to be way more about great food than history or architecture although we did watch the 35 minute film "Forever Charleston" at the visitors' center. Not total slackers... Dinner by the way was at Magnolia - outstanding!

We rose before the sun on Friday to a very cold morning - actually encountered some frost on the deck as I was bringing in the lines. But is was again another beautiful sunrise and a great cruise to Beaufort, SC. Dolphins swimming with us quite often throughout the day and we have yet to get a picture of them.

Beaufort was another pleasant stop (although almost every place was closed when we got there). where THE Captain finally embrace "low country" cuisine and had Shrimp and Grits at Emily's. Great sunset, great laundromat at the City Marina and early to bed.

"Welcome to Paris Island!!!" Words I never wanted to hear, but if you do, just dial 1-800Marines (see the water tower) and they'll fix you right up.

The armed forces love the Carolinas. Every time we pass a military installation Andy sends me out on the bow with a camera to test the security guards.

Passed Savannah earlier than we thought, so we pressed on to Buckhead Creek, the most beautiful anchorage I've ever seen. Completely isolated, no other boats, great sunset coming up. Speaking of Savannah, some nice cottages along the water:

Next up, the big decision - Bubba Burgers on the grill or Chicken stir fry. Cast your votes soon, it's happy hour!!!

Anchored in Buckhead Creek

2007-11-11T15:50:00.001-05:00

Buckhead Creek GA.

Beaufort SC

2007-11-10T15:40:00.001-05:00

It's sunny and warm in Beaufort SC. We're in the Downtown Marina.

updates and photos coming soon.

Charleston

2007-11-08T18:18:00.001-05:00

We arrived at 4:15. Charleston.

Rockpile!

2007-11-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

No, not Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe, although we are now in "low country" (sorry), but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We spent Monday night in an anchorage in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Thank God the satellite dish was working and Espo was able to watch the Steelers game or there would most certainly been mutiny.

We woke up to discover that due to current and wind, we were in a precarious position relative to a couple of sailboats and had to beat it out of there. Bade farewell to Espo and the contents of our holding tank (we were sorry to see Espo depart, but glad to unload the rest) and headed for the Cape Fear river.

Along the way a few Marine patrol boats came out to gawk at Seadee -

and later we were forced to repel a band of pirates.

We now know how Cape Fear got its name. Wind and current combined to give us quite a bumpy ride and scrambled the contents of all the cabinets not to mention my brain.

Spent the night at the Saint James Plantation Marina. Highlight was finding the same bottle of wine that I had paid $21 for in Portsmouth for $11.99 (sorry Larry, not the Reisling).

Got up long before the sun in order to get in a long day today so we can make Charleston tomorrow night. Cold down here at 5:30AM. Damn cold!

Which brings me back to the Rockpile - a very narrow channel in the Waterway blasted out of granite. Not much margin for error or passing, but as usual, the Captain did a masterful job.

We were rewarded at the end of the day with a beautiful cruise down the Waccama River with no one in sight for miles, moss on the trees, and the sun shining brightly.

Finally crossed the border today in to Sout Carolina. We're in the Wacca Wache Marina where we will have an early dinner at the Boondocks River Grill and another early departure tomorrow AM.

Now I gotta find out if Andy has any Rockpile on his I-Pod.

10-27/11-3-07 A Week's Adventure - Larry's Recap

2007-11-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

What a week it was. The Intercoastal Waterway, Coinjock, the World Series, "the life changer", XM on the flybridge, strong men and stronger coffee, the Weather Channel, Alligator River, maps, books & planning, the Milky Way, wine, vodka, and "lady Heineken", Honey Crisp apples, the Neuse River, New Bern, a glimpse into the boat community, a thousand laughs and so much more. It was a good journey made great by the company of Captain Andy and Jim.

On the Move Again

2007-11-05T18:34:00.000-05:00

The weather has been in our favor and we are on the move. Swansboro last night and in Wrightsville Beach today. Not much to say about Swansboro. The marina was fair. Tied up in the afternoon and watched football. Espo fixed a chicken stir fry for dinner (nice) and ended the evening with guitar in hand. Great fun.

We're now seeing Dolphin every day. The water has changed. Cleaner, greener. Now, when you drop the anchor, you see it on the way down.

Today was our most challenging in terms of route planning. The bridges in NC have restricted openings. We timed our departure in order to make the bridge opening and que us up for the next one. If you don't time it right, you can sit for as much as an hour. One of the bridges was closed from 1-4pm. We made the 1pm opening.

Espo is again in the galley - Shrimp Marinara, fresh green beans and whole wheat pasta. Speaking of shrimp: the shrimp boats have also been on the move.

What about NC attracted the military? There are bases everywhere. Today's route included this little gem.

Photofest on the flybridge: Jim and Espo

Andy and Espo. Who is not wearing underware?

New Bern NC

2007-11-01T22:43:00.000-04:00

Noel? A hurricane on Nov 2? We are tied up at a marina in New Bern NC waiting for Noel to move off shore and north. Expecting 30-45 mph winds Friday. We will be here until Sunday. Espo has joined us and Larry flew back to St. Louis. We'll try to get to Wilmington (Wrightsville Beach) by Nov 6th. Espo will jump off there and Jim and I will continue south.

We are ready to go. Hit the farmers market and stocked up on fruit and veggies - even picked up some home made bread. While filling the cabinets with goodies we came across the world's largest Slim Jim display. By the way, New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi. Now you know.

I've added some photos to the posts below. Here are a few that we snapped along the way:

Cruising the Neuse

2007-11-01T11:50:00.001-04:00

When you last heard from us, we were at the Alligator River Marina. Home of Miss Wanda and "World Acclaimed Hamburgers"

The burgers were indeed fabulous, and Miss Wanda, a force to be reckoned with entertained us with her own brand of Southern Hospitality during our dinner in the convenience store.

Yesterday we left early morning headed for Bellhaven. We had great weather and seas and decided to pass Bellhaven in favor of a secluded anchorage further south.

After cocktails aboard Pathfinder with Chris and Marianne, we dinghied back to Seadee for "Faux Chicken Parm" over linguine courtesy of the Captain. Quite good actually. Nobody's losing any weight on this cruise.

Beautiful star filled sky last night - water like glass when we arose. Campbell Creek was a great anchorage.

It should be noted that Larry has risen before the sun for the past 2 days. BIG problem this morning when the coffee maker failed to report for duty. Looks like we'll have to replace it in New Bern. Showing remarkable resilience, the Captain and crew settled for tea...

We're now cruising up the Neuse River on our way to New Bern, NC to hole up for a few days of what we anticipate will be bad weather. Aside from a couple of ferries and a handful of sailboats we've had the river to ourselves almost all morning.