We started our trip to Florida via the Atlantic Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW) from Yorktown, VA. The map below outlines the first phase of our trip to Jacksonville, FL, or about 800 statute miles (sm). Since we travel at about 9 mph this is about 12-13 travel days. With stops to see friends, weather, etc, the entire trip should take about 3 weeks.
The trip got off to a literal bang when, driving away from a gas station, another driver ran into my left rear wheel. I was able to drive the car home and we took off for the marina with our neighbor Kevork.
We left Yorktown on October 16, at the unusual time of 2 PM due to approaching bad weather. It was a short day (37 sm) but we needed to cross the mouth of Chesapeake Bay and get into Norfolk ahead of the bad weather. Your first sight as you enter Norfolk are the Navy ships berthed on the east side of the Elizabeth River.
About 10 miles south of Norfolk we came to the only lock on Atlantic ICW from Norfolk to Miami in contrast to the summer phase where we transited 60 locks in 6 weeks. There were quite a few boats waiting to lock through at Great Bridge.
The locking was uneventful with no collisions, yelling or cursing. After hanging out in Chesapeake, VA, for two days, we then headed south for North Carolina to cross the last two large bodies of water on this trip: Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. Both went well.
After that we stopped near Beaufort (Bow-furt), NC, to get diesel. We paid $2.05 per gallon, a record low for us, but because we took 200 gallons the ticket was still healthy.
South of Beaufort we passed thru Camp LeJeune where this warning sign cautions you to stop when the Marines are firing across the ICW.
We could hear artillery & mortars that day but the waterway was open. We did see some AAV's (amphibious assault vehicles) loaded with troops.
After mooching off Bill & Lin for a few days we headed for Jacksonville. Shown below is Jacksonville Landing - a shopping and dining venue. The Landing is about 1/2 mile down the river from the Jags stadium so their fans don't need to go far to drown their sorrows after a game.
The trip got off to a literal bang when, driving away from a gas station, another driver ran into my left rear wheel. I was able to drive the car home and we took off for the marina with our neighbor Kevork.
We left Yorktown on October 16, at the unusual time of 2 PM due to approaching bad weather. It was a short day (37 sm) but we needed to cross the mouth of Chesapeake Bay and get into Norfolk ahead of the bad weather. Your first sight as you enter Norfolk are the Navy ships berthed on the east side of the Elizabeth River.
About 10 miles south of Norfolk we came to the only lock on Atlantic ICW from Norfolk to Miami in contrast to the summer phase where we transited 60 locks in 6 weeks. There were quite a few boats waiting to lock through at Great Bridge.
The locking was uneventful with no collisions, yelling or cursing. After hanging out in Chesapeake, VA, for two days, we then headed south for North Carolina to cross the last two large bodies of water on this trip: Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. Both went well.
After that we stopped near Beaufort (Bow-furt), NC, to get diesel. We paid $2.05 per gallon, a record low for us, but because we took 200 gallons the ticket was still healthy.
South of Beaufort we passed thru Camp LeJeune where this warning sign cautions you to stop when the Marines are firing across the ICW.
We could hear artillery & mortars that day but the waterway was open. We did see some AAV's (amphibious assault vehicles) loaded with troops.
Continuing south to Wilmington, we stopped to visit friends Jim & Susan and to have a diesel engine mechanic look at something that was puzzling me. The mechanic found nothing and only charged me $100 to tell me that.
We had several uneventful days (the best kind on a boat trip) before a stop in Charleston, SC. The Charleston stop was a disappointment because the marina assigned us a slip with faulty electricity. Our boat has a gizmo (Susan made me promise not to explain it further) that will not allow "bad" electricity onto the boat. We had planned to stay a few days in Charleston but the juice problem encouraged us to move on.
We cruised the South Carolina low country and stopped at Beaufort (Bee-yew-furt), SC, and enjoyed dinner at a nice waterfront restaurant. It's hard to see, but our boat is the 2nd one from the left on the dock in the background.
From Beaufort we quickly entered Georgia where we anchored every night - no marina stops. We did stop at fuel dock in Brunswick, GA, where we picked up 300 gallons of diesel at a new record low price: $1.96 per gallon. I've sent a note to some senior associates still working at Exxon suggesting they fire all of the people in charge of the conspiracy to keep oil prices high.
One day after the fuel dock, we got to Florida and stayed at some friends' dock in Fernandina Beach. Bill and Lin were great hosts and Lin even threw a birthday dinner for Susan with some other Florida friends.
After mooching off Bill & Lin for a few days we headed for Jacksonville. Shown below is Jacksonville Landing - a shopping and dining venue. The Landing is about 1/2 mile down the river from the Jags stadium so their fans don't need to go far to drown their sorrows after a game.
We'll be off the air until mid January. We plan to leave Temptation in Jacksonville until early January (while we visit the grandkids in California and do some stuff in Billy-burg). We'll then wander around Florida from January thru March/April. The 1Q16 phase is still...wait for it, wait for it...chiseled in sand.
Great update, Mike-- happy birthday to Susan. By the way are you in touch with Jack Buttine? His regular travels somewhat mirror yours.
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