Returning to the untamed Georgia coast

The waters along the Georgia coast are blessed with dolphins, but infested with swamp flies. As we crossed Cumberland Sound after leaving Cumberland Island, the waterway became narrow and meandered like a sidewinder snake through the Georgia marshes -- making the waters calm enough for the dolphins to play but also stagnant enough for the flies to pester us.

There is no sane geometry to the course taken by the network of rivers that form this part of the waterway. Sometimes we could be hundreds of yards in front of a boat and see it heading towards us along the river bend we just passed. These rivers connect yet another network of wide sounds that were luckily relatively calm today.  As we zig zaged through these waters today, many dolphins played along our bow and in our wake -- often jumping high out of the water. We saw many dolphins in this area on the way down as well, but this time around they seemed more comfortable around us -- as if they remembered the last time we passed through and saw no need for caution.

I know we said we would anchor in the same places we anchored at on the way down, but after stopping in Cumberland Island we decided we could go further than Umbrella Creek off Jekyll Sound. So yesterday we stopped in New Teakettle Creek instead, about 50 miles further north. Subsequently, today, when we came to the place we anchored on the way down, Vernon View, we decided we can once again go much further and wound up another 25 miles north on the New River just past the Georgia-South Carolina line.

So we're back in the state we began. This actually didn't even occur to us until we had settled in for the day. After observing the guide and charts closely, we noticed that the Savannah River was the border between the states, something unbeknownst to us as we crossed the river.

On the way down, the area we traversed today was the most treacherous probably along the whole trip, with various wide and windy sounds, and the infamous Florida Passage and Hell Gate. Today the waters had no chop though, and we passed the narrow passages mentioned in high tide. We sort of subconsciously employed a different technique too. On the way down, since it was our first time passing through the area, we payed extra attention to Hell Gate and were consequently petrified when all the dangerous portents we heard about the place turned out to be true. This time around we approached the area with much more leisure, in fact we came to the passage a bit unexpectedly, and ironically passed through it with no trouble at all.

Perhaps a good lesson in life could be learned from these experiences on the waterway: Life takes no patterned course. It's full of twists and turns like the rivers along the Georgia coast. And there's no reason to worry about what's ahead because, as Tom Petty said "Most things I worry about never happen anyway."

Wild horses in the island forest

Yesterday we traveled from St. Augustine to Cumberland Island, about 68 miles. Cumberland Island is a 17-mile long nationally preserved barrier island in Georgia right on the Florida-Georgia line. I spoke of its historic significance in an earlier post, but didn't provide many pictures of the wild horses that roam the island. Today we wandered through the national park's north end, and got to see all of the wild horses we could ask for. Most of them were hanging out on the Dungeness mansion's grand lawn, because it's probably the best opportunity for grazing on the island.

Some were also hanging out by the water near the Dungeness dock, like this filly and her mother.

 Captain Ken photo

 Captain Ken photo

Captain Ken photo

We walked about a half-mile to the beach, and saw this surreal tree to our left from the wooden walkway.The only way it could have been more peculiar is if it extended its limbs out to the walkway to grab us. 

 Captain Ken photo

Dungeness mansion ruins

 The Dungeness mansion was the home to Andrew Carnegie's sister-in-law, Lucy Carnegie. She and her family left the island in 1925, and the mansion burnt down about 30 years later, alleged to be arson.

There were also turkeys, deer, and curious little fiddler crabs that we saw on the island. It is a very enjoyable place to explore. Trails guide the way to sand dunes and the beach, and there are a few dinghy docks providing easy access to the island for transient boaters like us.

We got to Cumberland Island early since we left St. Augustine at sunrise yesterday. It was a good thing we did arrive early because the tricky 8-foot tidal range had us looking all around the northwest side of the island for a good anchorage. Getting up early for its own sake also has its own perks though, like this sunrise over St. Augustine yesterday.

Captain Ken photo

So I'll end today's post with a picture from the beginning of yesterday. Seems appropriate in a backwards sort of way. Tomorrow we head for Umbrella Creek just off Jekyll Sound. It's only about 22 miles away, but we can use a short day of travel. 

Wandering but not lost in St. Augustine

Where does one begin when speaking of the city that began before any other European settlement in the United States? St. Augustine can’t be summed up in a blog post, and despite its relatively small size it’s still tough to see all of its landmarks in two days. Nevertheless, I tried.

The St. Augustine Cathedral Basilica is in the northwest corner of the city’s main plaza and the first parish established in the United States. Spanish missionaries began missions in Florida 100 years before those in the West. St. Augustine Cathedral could be considered the archetype of Spanish Mission architecture, with its adobe walls, surrounding plazas and smooth arching shapes. It’s remarkable to see an architectural style common in the West within an East Coast city.  

Unlike many basilicas that are awe-inspiring with their celestial domes and elaborate grounds, the authenticity of St. Augustine Basilica is in its intimacy. As soon as you enter, the low ceilings remind you that you're in a church that was built in an outpost of the Spanish Empire, not some booming capital city. The dim lighting makes you feel like you've been transported to a time when the only interior light came from windows, candles and oil lamps. 

Just down the road from the basilica is Flagler College, with spires rising up more distinctly than any other building in the city. The great entrepreneur and philanthropist, Henry Flagler, built the structure, which was originally the Ponce de Leon Hotel. Flagler, the founder of Standard Oil and the Florida railroad made many other large contributions to the city, but when it came to sharing his business success in the city, he wasn't as generous. Rumor has it that Frank Smith, a Boston millionaire, had ambitions to build a hotel right by Flagler's, but Smith couldn't get all the materials he needed down to St. Augustine without using Flagler's railroad, and Flagler would have none of that. He closed the railway to the train bringing down Smith's furnishings for the hotel. Naturally Smith's establishment didn't succeed. 

Flagler College, formerly the Ponce de Leon Hotel

Castillo de San Marcos volunteers fired a canon for visitors on Memorial Day.

Captain Ken video

The fort was built by the Spanish in 1696 as a stronghold to guard their ships, which traveled up the Florida coast from the Caribbean and used the Gulf Stream to get back to Spain. The strategic location of St. Augustine was coveted by the French and English, but Castillo de Marcos successfully defended every attack from these enemies, even after the city burned down in 1702. But as long as the fort stood the Spanish were able to maintain control of the settlement. 

Captain Ken photo

St. George Street is a pedestrian only street lined with stores and restaurants, and it was packed with tourists passing through the historic city or locals enjoying a day trip on Memorial Day.

As I continued to intentionally wander and take in as much of the city as possible, a majestic dome peered out above the palm trees in the corner of my eye. It was the dome of the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church. Built by Henry Flagner in memory of his daughter who died tragically, the church is the only Presbyterian church I’ve seen built in the Venetian Renaissance revival architecture style. As I passed and took pictures, I heard someone say that this was the city's basilica, basing their comment on the fact that they heard the city had a basilica. Err, wrong. The basilica is right in the middle of the city, just north of the main plaza. They wouldn't tuck a basilica behind the campus library, for goodness sake!

Although, I was a bit jealous in noticing that the Presbyterians might just have a more beautiful church than Catholics in one of the most historically Catholic cities in the U.S. But they had a millionaire philanthropist build theirs, so that's not fair. No hard feelings though. I celebrate all beautiful churches simply because they glorify God. Going back to our ignorant tourists, as they passed by the church they said nothing more about it except "It's very old". 

One of my favorite sites in my St. Augustine wanderings was a locale that wouldn't be worth much at all to anyone else, but I must include it anyway in my snapshot of the city. As I was looking for a place to buy milk, I wandered off the beaten path a little and found myself strolling down this side street that most accurately depicts the humble Americana culture of the south.

This street was maybe two blocks from the city's renowned historic section. Here's to intentionally wandering and coming across things you didn't expect.

Some unexpected sights

On this trip down and up the coast, I didn't see many of the things I expected to see, but I'm also seeing many things I didn't expect to see. I didn't see little remote cays in the Bahamas with sandy beaches, but so what. I did see a Titan submarine near the Florida-Georgia line, I saw the sun rise over the Atlantic and set over the Gulf of Mexico in the same day, and today, to add to the list of unexpected sights, we saw a Delta 4 rocket take off at Cape Canaveral.

I apologize if that seemed to come a little out of the blue. I failed to mention in my post yesterday that Titusville is just across the Indian River from Cape Canaveral. Many of you might have known that already, but to me the many cities along Florida's east coast just form one major urban conglomeration, so I only knew of Cape Canaveral, and was oblivious to what cities were nearby.

We knew about the launch yesterday, which was when it was originally scheduled, but it was postponed to today due to stormy weather. Yesterday's storm was, by the way, quite a storm by my reckoning, quite a show in itself. But when we didn't know the launch would be rescheduled for today we were kind of disappointed to hear of the postponement, because we thought we would miss the launch altogether.  "How hard can it be", Captain Ken said, "to conduct a launch in a thunderstorm? It's not like it's rocket science."

After the storm, God's promise appeared in the sky and never do I think I saw such a strongly defined rainbow. If a pot of gold could be found at the end of rainbows, I might have been convinced to go journey to the end of this one since its bottom was so clear to see from where I stood.

Then, after a boisterous night with trains passing through Titusville every few hours, we spent some hours getting provisions at Publix, and then adjusting the lines on the boat to keep it from hitting the wooden sidings on the dock. Afterwards, we were ready to see the launch.


 We took a walk to the bridge where we could get the best view. There were people all around, even some people partying at a live concert at the foot of the bridge. A beautiful sunset on the side opposite of Cape Canaveral, and a full moon right above the base, added to the ethereal atmosphere of the whole celestial show tonight.

Sunset over Titusville with boats anchored on the Indian River

Cape Canaveral to the north and the full moon to the south

Video of launch:

So we cruised the waterway expecting to experience the adventures and thrills of life on the sea, and here we are watching rockets take off into the sky. So goes life. You expect one thing and it doesn't happen, but the things that do happen wind up being even more phenomenal, coincidental and serendipitous. What are the odds that we just happened to be in Titusville the night of a launch? The timing for us was very providential, but perhaps just as provident, and appropriate, was the fact that this Delta rocket kicked off, or I should say launched off, Memorial Day weekend. What better way to salute our veterans than by watching a massive piece of American ingenuity light up the sky? Not to mention, the rocket was bringing into space a military satellite, and one for Boeing.

So after another long day, we're hitting the sack and then getting up at "0 dark hundred" as Captain Ken said, to travel about 80 miles to Factory Creek. From there we'll go to St. Augustine, then Cumberland Island, then Jekyll Sound, Vernon View, Upper Rock Creek, Charleston, Minim Creek and finally North Myrtle Beach. Or at least that is what's planned, although as you can see what actually happens on this trip is often far from what was planned.

Hundreds of words about hundreds of miles

We've traveled so much the past few days that it's tough to remember many details. As we passed through the Golden Coast of Florida, with cities that have as many canals as streets, we saw many multi-million dollar mansions that didn't cease to impress us even when we remembered seeing the same ones on the way down.

One extra thing we did notice though was that many of the mansions seemed empty. They were well-kept with manicured lawns, well-maintained pools and all around pristine grounds; but not one mansion had a single person lounging in the backyard, or doing some yard work. The lack of life in these supreme edifices was perplexing, and I soon began to realize that the lifelessness kind of symbolized how lonely it must be to be rich.

Trolling along the waterway with these mansions on either side, we also continued to see many mega yachts with names like "Sexy" and "Cool Cat".  But all of this excessive wealth didn't make us blind to the fewer, and therefore more cherished, wonders of nature that came in sight. Near Ft. Lauderdale we saw a large creature swimming quickly past us. It was too fast to be a manatee, and it didn't come up for air so it couldn't have been a porpoise. We concluded that it thus must have been an alligator, and said nothing more about it. So that's how the story will remain. No one else saw what we saw. Not to say seeing an alligator is even that much of a novelty in this area, but it was the first time we "saw" one on this trip, so don't ruin the experience for us by saying it might not have been an alligator.

So we left Virginia Key Tuesday and  traveled to Boca Raton, which is really only about 45 miles, but after factoring in all of the no wake zones and bridges we needed opened, the trip wound up taking about 8 hours.  The next day we traveled much further, starting in Boca Raton and anchoring out near the bridge at Jensen Beach.

The first part of the day was slow going because there were still many low bridges that needed opening. We tried our best to time them just right, figuring if a bridge opens on the hour and half hour and is about 10 miles away, and it's now 10 a.m., we should slow our speed to about 5 knots to get there without having to sit in idle speed for the next opening. Then there was always the risk of getting there too late, and having to wait even longer for the next opening. At times I would have preferred the choppy Hawk Channel, with the seasickness and all, over lethargically moving through these tedious ICW passages of Southern Florida.

The Southern Coast has the Palm Beach cities, which I found to be architecturally authentic and pleasing to pass on the water. The downtown's buildings had a sort of neo-art deco look to them, but they also had the bright colors of the Florida landscape rather than the earth tone colors of older northern art deco buildings.

West Palm Beach

After another early start and long day, today we are staying at Titusville City Marina. It's the first time we've been hooked up to shore power since our stop in Jacksonville on the way down about five weeks ago. In case you were wondering why this post is unusually long, having shore power means we have all the electricity we can possibly need on a boat, and we don't have to run on the generator when we want Internet access. One of the best parts of this trip is having simple conveniences and pleasures become like luxuries. After checking into the Marina we walked down the road to get KFC for dinner. I'm not a big fan of fast food, but when you only have it after traveling on the sea all week, and then you have to walk a mile from the marina to get it, the fried food and free refills become less of an indulgence, and more like a reward for surviving so many days without the creature comforts so many Americans often take for granted. 

Homeward bound

Well, we left Marathon at 6:15 a.m. and arrived at Virginia Key just off the coast of Miami 12 hours later. The 112 mile trek shattered our former record of 90 miles in one day.

So farewell, Florida Keys. A month of good times with you will not be forgotten.

Sunrise over Marathon 5/20/13

Hawk Channel seemed to live up to its reputation with big waves for about half the ride up to Miami. We passed through a storm around Rodriguez Key, and thought about anchoring there for the night, but the weather soon after cleared up so we pushed on. 

So our journey home has officially begun. Many of the sites we saw on the way down will be revisited with more attention. 

Pentecost Sunday at San Pablo Church, Marathon

Pentecost Sunday I went to San Pablo Church and took some pictures. It was the pastor's last day, so the church was filled with jovial farewells and much gratitude for the priest's 19 years of service to the parish. The farewell was fitting since it was also my last day in the Florida Keys.

Entrance to the Pilgrim's Path on parish grounds.

Shrine to the Blessed Mother, where the May Crowning took place a few weeks earlier.

Angel and gazebo in parish prayer garden 

Shrine to Padre Pio.

Pond and meditation area dedicated to the Four Gospels. The ocean is just on the other side of the mangroves

San Pablo statue. 

San Pablo Church.

Entrance to Pilgrim's Path

Choir rehearsing before Pentecost Mass. 

Just cruisin' and chillin' in Marathon

So I skipped a few days of blogging to go along with how life has been lately; very laid back. Even the ride up from Key West was like a pleasant walk in the park -- a park with calm seas, light blue water and classical music playing in the background. Captain Ken got me liking Vivaldi, Mozart, Handel and Beethoven a whole lot more on this trip. I do have to say though, the great composers do have the wide open, serene ocean to enhance the whole experience of listening to their music. Not that it's not good music anyway. The ocean and classical music just go together.

Here in Marathon again, we've kind of made ourselves at home. Monday, the day of our arrival, was unusually humid, at least compared to what I've experienced down here. It was a pleasant change from the windy days we've had though, which actually started right back up the next day. The past three days we've seen wind up to 25 knots again. It's made many of the things we want to do, like diving and snorkeling out on the reefs, a little to risky to venture out.

After about six weeks cruising down the coast, we finally put our bare feet in some beach sand today. There really aren't many beaches in the Florida Keys, believe it or not, but there is one on Marathon just at the end of Sister Creek. After taking the dinghy down the creek we dragged it up onto the beach, worked on getting rid of all our strange tan lines, and then took a dip in the cool water. On the ride back we explored some of the quieter creeks off Sister Creek. The mangroves all around us made it easy to pretend we were deep in the Amazon or Congo.

We then spent the evening at the tiki hut in the Marathon marina. After having some pizza, we talked with some locals who are also living on their boats. Perpetual travelers, nomadic sailors, rambling spirits, they were the kind of people you felt like you knew your whole life. They gave us some fresh sweet corn, and homemade chocolate chip and pistachio cake, while we listened to Sublime, Pearl Jam and Bob Marley in the tiki hut. Then we rode back to the boat in the dinghy in the dark of night with boat anchor lights guiding the way and the wind at our backs.

St. Mary Star of the Sea and other Key West pics

We stumbled upon this church, appropriately named St. Mary Star of the Sea.

 This is the view from the southernmost point of the continental U.S. looking back towards land at the crescent moon above the Southermost Guest House. We also walked past the Southernmost Hotel and crossed the souternmost intersection. Then we came to the southernmost beach, walked out onto the southernmost pier and for a few brief moments, as I looked out from the edge of the pier I stood as the southernmost man in the continental U.S. Who said I accomplished nothing on this trip? Captain Ken photos

 Going back to St. Mary's, this is the parish's perpetual adoration chapel.

 Inside the chapel

 Child statue at the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at St. Mary's, Key West. Built by Sister Louis Gabriel of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in 1922, locals say the grotto has protected Key West from the full brunt of a hurricane since then.

Admiring the parish's Stations of the Cross.

 Statue of Mary at the grotto.

 Crucifixion station

Our Lady of Lourdes grotto.

The convent on the parish grounds served as a hospital during the Spanish American War.

Bust of Sister Louis Gabriel in the Key West Town Square.

Now I'm seeing iguanas on the streets. 

Or maybe I was just "wasting away again in Margaritaville" cafe on Duval St.

A different lifestyle in Key West

Living in a mooring field is very different from common modern life. It's hard to underestimate the beauty of waking up to the sun gently rising over the water, and enjoying a Corona as you watch it set, while knowing that you're in your own remote spot accessible only to those who also have a boat handy.

As I found out the hard way though, electronics don't like salt water; and I think my cell phone bit the dust when a few salt water crystals got inside it. Riding to shore on our dinghy, which we dubbed Enterprise, could be a wet ride, so we have to keep everything covered every time we ride in and out . The ride to shore from our spot in the Garrison Bight Key West mooring field is about 20 minutes long by dinghy. Also, Wifi is no longer working out in the mooring field, so we came into Miami Subs today to get Internet, and that's where I am now.

 Avalon and Bayshack (our buddy boat) in Garrison Bight, Key West. Captain Ken photos

 Avalon at rest in Key West

Avalon at rest in Key West

But these little inconveniences can't dampen my spirit. When we first came to Key West, I noticed on a tourist map the prominent presence of St. Mary, Star of the Sea, a minor basilica that takes up a whole city block. It just goes to show, even if you are going to Key West to party on Duval Street, God is never too far away.

I promise to get photos of the basilica. Stay tuned.

Made it to Key West

From Marathon we traveled about fifty miles southwest to an island where iguanas and roosters roam the streets and cruise ships come to dock every day. Key West, the Southernmost City in the continental United States, with all its tourism and hoo rah, welcomed us with fair weather and good fortune. The five hour ride down from Marathon was smooth as can be. Also, after days of struggling with the dinghy motor off Boot Key, it started up right away this morning as if the motor simply liked Key West waters more than it liked Marathon’s.

Our buddy boater Michael also met up with us here, so the three of us wandered around the island for a few hours looking for a West Marine store, and kind of got our own pedestrian tour of the tourist section of town along the way. We saw some well-known bars and restaurants, like the official Margaritaville bar owned by Jimmy Buffet, and Sloppy Joe’s, which was one of Ernest Hemmingway’s favorite spots. The bars and restaurants on Duval Street, the main drag, are too many to count, and even on an early Tuesday afternoon the streets were crowded. 

Along our walk we passed an impressive basilica, Our Lady Star of the Sea. The parish grounds occupied an entire block with its convent, perpetual adoration chapel and school. After walking further through town, we came to a park that had a whole section with busts of all the historic figures that have connections to Key West. One of the busts was of Sister Louis Gabriel of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. She served the Key West community and is said to have known everyone on the island except transients. She served in a hospital during the Spanish American War and helped establish a school on the island. She also had a grotto depicting Our Lady of Lourdes built at the aforementioned church, which happens to be the oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Miami (1851), and has the first Catholic school in the archdiocese as well (1868). With all of the things I’m coming across on this trip, it’s comforting to know that there were faithful ones who came before me wherever I go. 

Here are some random photos of the day.

A rooster near the Key West cruise ship dock.

This ship, Carnival Conquest, woke me up this morning blasting its horns just outside Garrison Bight, which is where we're tied to a mooring.