Here is rundown of the last week. Evergreen is in travel mode.
May 1st- Vero Beach to Melbourne FL
Our last few days in Vero were characterized by unpredictable, stormy, weather blowing through. We’d have some sun then ominous black clouds on the horizon. We decided to stay in VB until this weather passed.
One day I woke to a weather warning on my phone. Sometimes the National Weather Service has one or two alerts posted. Today six.
Sunday was very windy then Monday the weather broke and we pointed north toward Melbourne. We had previously loaded up Evergreen with all the necessities to minimize our stops along the way.
Currently we are traveling with a small flotilla consisting of SV Rhiannon, SV Autumn Bourne, and us. We’ve been doing some rough planning together and generally have been staying within visual range of one another.
Evergreen anchored in Melbourne.
Melbourne Bridge at Sunrise.
May 2nd- Melbourne to Titusville FL
Tuesday we motored along to Titusville. Occasionally, we get some sail up but with the wind out of the northwest the diesel engine is doing most of the work. We took a mooring at the Titusville Marina to get Ollie to shore and grab a shower.
Evergreen moored at Titusville.
May 3rd- Titusville to Daytona FL
Wednesday. Up before sunrise. Ollie to shore. Dinghy hoisted on the fore deck. Engine on. Off the mooring by 7:30am. Coffee in hand.
The flotilla moved further north toward Daytona. We were able to sail for a bit in the morning but again the northwest wind was on the nose heading up Mosquito Bay. During that section of the passage we had some engine issues. Our RPMs were jumping up and down with the engine almost stalling. Autumn Bourne was behind us and stood by while I stared, angrily, at the engine. Eventually it started running normally. We are not sure if some air got in a fuel line or maybe the fuel filter is getting clogged. It ran well for the rest of the day. I’ll probably change the fuel filter when we are stopped for a while.
We ended the day in Daytona at the Bethune park anchorage. The park is big and Oliver got a lot of, off leash, exercise.
May 4th- Daytona Beach to St Augustine FL
Thursday. Up before sunrise, etc, etc…..
We are developing a travel routine. Normally we stop for a few days in St Augustine but we need to push north. The flotilla has agreed to keep moving along until Georgia.
We passed through the Bridge of Lions and anchored near the Vilano bridge. This anchorage was somewhat challenging due to current and giant wakes from passing motor boats. The boats would fly through the anchorage at full throttle to reach the near by boat ramp. On a positive note, dinner was grilled tuna steaks, fresh rolls (Thai) with peanut sauce, rice pilaf, and a bottle of Pino Grigio. We eat well!
May 5th- St Augustine to Sisters Creek/ Jacksonville FL
Friday. More motoring into the steady north wind. Will it ever come out of the south?
Today was mostly long, straight, canals. We ended the day at Sisters Creek and anchored for the night. It’s technically part of Jacksonville but is not near any populated area.
May 6th- Sisters Creek FL to Cumberland Island GA
Saturday. Today brought cloudy skies and rain. The captains of the flotilla had a discussion about what to do today. Rhiannon and Autumn Bourne both have full cockpit enclosures. Cockpit enclosures keep the helmsman out of inclement weather. Evergreen doesn’t have one. There was some concern about me being out in lousy weather all day. I assured everyone that I have decent foul weather gear and I’d be OK. We could push on. We also came to the conclusion that Evergreen needed more diesel fuel and water. During the day we’d stop at the Fernandina Beach fuel dock before pushing on to Georgia. Onward!
Somewhere on the Nassau River Rhiannon stopped and anchored. We found out their boat had lost all electrical charging under way and the batteries were almost dead. Big problem! Autumn Bourne and Evergreen stood by to see if this could be resolved. The captain was able to raise an electrician in Vero Beach. The electrician had previously done work on the boat and was familiar with the wiring. He was able to talk them through the problem and find the fault. We were all soon underway again. Next stop, Fernandina Beach. We loaded Evergreen up with fuel and water. Underway again, we crossed from Florida into Georgia and anchored at Cumberland Island.
May 7th- Cumberland Island GA
Sunday. A day off.
Cumberland Island is a national park. We all figured it would be a peaceful place to rest for a day. We enjoyed the Island on our 2019-2020 odyssey. Time for shore leave. Horses, Dungeness ruins, forest, and beaches were all on the agenda. After a breakfast of scrambled eggs and blueberry apple pancakes we dinghied in to the Island.
We spent a few hours wandering around the island. Ollie enjoys the extra exercise and is sleeping as I write this. We’ll be getting some extra sleep tonight also. Then, it’s up at dawn…. travel day.
Evergreen anchored at Cumberland Island.
Sunset.
