Marineland, FL to Titusville, FL

Thursday, 19 November, 2015

Today we travelled over ten hours, most of which was down the "ditch" the dug channel of the ICW.  There were long, straight stretches, and it was cloudy and overcast, raining in the afternoon.

I've heard folks say the waterway is boring.  I don't understand that.  Every day is different.  There are eagles.

The ever present ospreys.

We passed through Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Ormond Beach, and Daytona Beach, with its interesting murals on the bridge.  

We passed Ponce Inlet, and a spot we'd anchored on the way up.

We passed New Smyrna Beach, and the pelican island.

To me, the two most interesting portions of the trip were due to wildlife!  From about mm 855 to mm 860, we saw over 20 manatees!  There is a minimum wake sign warning of the presence of manatee, but, like so much of Florida, I didn't figure on seeing many.  I don't know if the manatee normally congregate in the area this time of year, but, we idled for miles, watching, and pointing, enjoying seeing all the big sea cows!

The second really great spot was the top end of Mosquito Lagoon.  In two miles, within 200 feet on either side of the channel, I'd seen ten manatee, over a dozen atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and one HUGE alligator.  No, there are no photos.  I was looking through the binoculars trying to figure out what I was seeing, when I realized that it was an alligator.  I couldn't believe how close to the channel he was.  

I always enjoy passing through the Haulover Canal...

We pulled into Titusville Municipal Marina about 1740, rather than anchor with a warm front stalling and colliding with a cold front, that sure enough, produced lightning, wind, and rain for much of the evening.

Marineland, FL

Tues-Wed, 17-18 November, 2015

I sure have had fun playing tourist since I've been here!

We walked the River to the Sea Trail with the dogs in the early morning.  Then, we walked on the beach....

Then, I went with our guide Quinn, and three other boaters, on a kayak trip through the salt marshes to the west of the marina.  Quinn was easy going, and full information on the unique ecosystem this area creates, as the transition zone of northernmost fringe of mangrove trees, and the gradual loss the grasses that dominate the coastal areas to the north.

While I was kayaking, Ellen attended a lecture over at Marineland  by an attorney who is trying to have wildlife poachers in foreign countries prosecuted.  He works at White Oak, on the Florida/Georgia border, where they rehabilitate many of these maimed wild animals.

In the afternoon, Ellen made a trip to Publix with a couple of other boaters.

It was hot, and blew and rained during the night, which made being at the dock with air conditioning pretty nice.

On Wednesday, we went over to Marineland.  I enjoyed watching the dolphins playing together with a ball that the staff had tossed in.  The seven or eight dolphins in that tank were enjoying their game.  One brought the ball to me, through the glass.  I tried to get him to toss it over the high sided glass tank, which he tried eight or ten times, unsuccessfully.

I can not tell you how many balls I have tossed into the water with dolphins playing around the boat, and have yet to see the first one even investigate it.  I've always retrieved the balls to try again later, but, I have never seen that sort of play as an action you would see in the wild.

I did a little boat work, and we are ready to be heading south again on Thursday.

Pine Island, FL to Marineland, FL

Monday, 16 November 2015

Pine Island, FL to Marineland, FL

Monday, 16 November 2015

We made a 28.9nm trip today from our anchorage at Pine Island to the municipal marina at Marineland.

We passed through the beautiful old town of St. Augustine.

What a great town to explore, but a horrible place to be when the wind is blowing!

We passed under the Bridge of Lions.

We came past Fort Matanzas without stopping, but, enjoyed seeing the thousands of tree swallows swarming over the spoil island to the west.

Upon our arrival at Marineland, we were greeted by Eric, who gave us a warm welcome to Marineland.  If you stay here for three nights, they give free tickets to visit the famous Marineland across AIA.  They also give boaters discounts on their kayak eco-tours, and provide transport to Publix, about 3.5 mi away.

The floating docks are right beside a field, that on Sundays is the home of a local farmer's market.  On the far side of the field, is the River to the Sea Trail, where you can walk through the woods in a quiet setting, along the ICW, and eventually crossing AIA to the beach.  On the other side of the property, is research facilities for University of Florida, and University of Georgia.  Immediately behind our dock is a fenced in pond, full of fish you can see through the fence.  Immediately across the street is Marineland, the dolphin and turtle facility, and the beach! 

The dogs love it here.  The field, the trail, and the beach are dog friendly.  We like it here, too.  

If you are looking for a ritzy marina with all the amenities, and a bar, restaurant, pool, jacuzzi, and golf course on the grounds, keep going.  If you like friendly, quiet places, you might like this place! 

Cumberland Island, GA, to Pine Island, FL

Sunday, 15 November, 2015

We departed our anchorage at Cumberland Island, and continued our journey towards the south.

We crossed the St. Mary's inlet, and passed by Fernandina Beach, with its industry, its shrimping fleets, and its great marina, where we didn't stop this time.

We continued down through the shoaling sections to the west of Amelia Island without incident, under the Sister's Creek bridge.  We crossed the St. John's River, thinking fondly of our friends and their welcoming dock on Black Creek.  As much as we wanted to stop and visit... we kept going south.

It is interesting to see one side of the ICW, for about 6 miles, is solid houses, and the other side, woods and swamp.

We pulled into an old oxbow that passes behind Pine Island to anchor in the afternoon, enjoying the birds.  We entered from the south, as I've heard the entrance from the north is shoaled.  We anchored N30 03.469' W081 21.312'

Cumberland Island, GA

Thurs-Sat, 12-14 Nov, 2015

We always enjoy Cumberland Island, and this time was no exception.

The first afternoon there, the atmosphere was just right to see contrails lingering in the air from the jet traffic.  (much more than usual!)

Take your dinghy to the dock at Seacamp, or at the Icehouse.  If you have a fender to hold you off the dock, with its hazards, that may be a good idea, depending upon the current nail/bolt situation on the pier.

Things to do at Cumberland Island:

Enjoy the miles of almost deserted beaches.  Walk away from SeaCamp, and you don't have to go far to have a mile or more to yourself.

Walk the trails through the island's interior.  Get a trail map from the rangers, not just the Cumberland Island brochure.  Watch for horses, deer, and a variety of other creatures.

Rent a bicycle from the office at Seacamp, or take your own.  

Look for sharks' teeth in the dredge material at any of the fill sites, including some on the surface where the maintenance staff fills the pot holes in the road.

Take your dinghy (or kayaks!) to the north, and enjoy the Old House Creeks.  Or go south, and go all the way to the back of Dungeness in the Beach Creek.

Explore the old Icehouse, and the Dungeness grounds.

Or, to take a tour of Plum Orchard.  Anchor in the Brickhill River, take your dinghy to the dock, and check to see what time the tours are.

Take the Land and Legacy Tour, a trip by van up to Settlement Point, stopping at neat sites all the way up.  How do I sign up?  If you have dates months ahead of times, call the concessionaire that runs the ferry service to the island.  If they tell you that you have to use their ferry to take the tour, get the individual's name, and file a complaint wit the Cumberland Island Superintendent.  They'll probably just tell you they are full.  Keep reading.

Each morning you are there, call the Cumberland Island St. Mary's Visitor's Center, tell them you are currently on the island, and ask to be put on a standby list.  Do this between 0745-0800.  You won't know if you made it until the ferry leaves the mainland.  The tour is $15/adult, $12/senior and lasts for six hours.  Bring lunch and water (their instructions)

Brunswick Landing Marina, GA to Cumberland Island, GA

Wednesday, 11 November 2015

Thank you to all the Veterans who have served our Country!

We had an enjoyable slow start this morning.   We had to go for a walk, and then Mercy and Mocha had to go by to say "hi" to Dylan and Dee Dee, two yellow lab friends.  We tried to kidnap them to bring them with us to Cumberland Island to play, but, Jeff and Karen caught us!

We moved around to the main dock to fuel and pump out before we left at about 1025, headed for Cumberland Island.

The current pushed us hard down the sound, then we beat up into the current until we passed Jekyll Island.  It surprised me a little that there weren't more folks out and about.

The day was spectacular!  The sun finally came out in its glory, lifting my spirits from the last few dreary days.  The wind dropped off, the temperature was hot in the sun, and cool out of the sun.... I rate today a 10!

The tide was low enough to enjoy the spectacular beaches of Little Cumberland Island, and we saw horses grazing along the beach.

We passed all the government vessels at King's Bay, where the ICW turns southward into Cumberland Sound.

We pulled into our anchorage at Cumberland Island around 1500, grilling dinner and enjoying a beautiful evening.

Wahoo Island to Brunswick Landing Marina

Mon-Tues 9-10 November, 2015

I slept like a baby in the great anchorage in the lee of Wahoo Island.  The holding was great, and the anchor came up with hard mud/miry clay.

We continued down the ICW, and by the time we got to Doboy Sound, it was raining so hard, visibility was reduced, and there was a special weather warning being broadcast.  As much as I've wanted to look around the south end of Sapelo Island, I decided to save it for another time

We also didn't stop at Fort Frederica, another spot I like to wander around, due to the rain, and projected rain tomorrow.

Brunswick Landing Marina, here we come!  I like to stop in Brunswick for fuel, which is always cheaper than Florida, and usually the marina is only a couple pennies higher than Ocean Petroleum, and when I'm wanting to stop anyhow...

Brunswick Landing Marina is a great stop!  They always send someone to meet the boat, the docks are floating docks, in good shape.  There is wi-fi, a free laundry, and nice facilities.  Plus, they always seem to have some social thing going on here, where it is always fun to meet other boaters.  

The dogs like the huge grassy area!

We ate lunch with friends on Tuesday at Foxy's, which has good pizza!

We liked it so well, we looked at the weather, and stayed two nights!