SV Gallant Fox

Florida to Georgia Part IV - Finally, Brunswick!

The approach upriver from St. Simons Sound all the way to Brunswick Landing Marina is pleasantly deep and well marked. That's what comes from having a commercial port that in years past was also a hurricane hole for the US Navy. The one bridge span under which you must travel - the Sidney Lanier Bridge - is 125 feet high so pretty much anyone can shoehorn their cruising boat under it.

Sherrie and Cindy run the show at Brunswick Landing Marina and they are right on top of things. They are responsive to emails as well as VHF hails, and they will be there to talk you up the fairway and into their marina while their watch dogs, KIller and Danger,...watch. We arrived July 11, 2011, and Sherrie and Cindy took excellent care of us right from the start when they helped us dock. We were continuing our Great 10-Year Refit, and boy howdy did we have a succession of boat supplies shipped in to the marina during the 4 months The Fox stayed there. Sherrie and Cindy took it all in stride.

I won't bore you by listing all Brunswick Landing Marina's amenities; here's their website.

Some Words about ActiveCaptain

The US East Coast has a high boating population. You'll see them in power boats of all sizes; catamarans; bass boats, canoes - and even a few conventional sloops. There are numerous East Coast cruising guides - so many, that a 40-foot sailboat like ours cannot hold them all. Amongst the online cruising guides (convenient, storage-wise) is ActiveCaptain.  This is a free, interactive cruising guide that was recommended to us by several East Coast-based cruisers as an easy way to study various East Coast inlets, anchorages along the Intracoastal Waterway, and much more. It relates to other cruising areas across the globe, but its highest concentration of contribuitng boaters is on the East Coast, thus that's where much of its information is concentrated.

The ActiveCaptain website offers you a choice of formats to study a cruising area: NOAA charts; satellite; conventional map; or map with satellite overlay. There's a zoom feature that allows close scrutiny. You use your mouse to scroll in any direction; and your cursor is tagged with a lat/lon position. There are route-planning functions and a bunch more features I haven't figured out.

One of the handiest aspects of ActiveCaptain can unfortunately also be its least reliable: cruisers can post reviews and other information regarding marinas, anchorages and inlets they've visited. It's an excellent feature - especially for newcomers to the East Coast like us - with which to study inlet approaches and anchorages, and read the remarks of cruisers who have recently been in those places. Thus, for example, you can read boaters' reports on present conditions along the ICW, including spots that are shoaling or missing navigational aids. We've used the cruisers' reviews to determine which inlets might be best for us to use to get inshore and offshore. We've found some good anchorages for The Fox thanks to the skippers who post the details of where they've been on ActiveCaptain.

However, we've also discovered that some of the information posted by some boaters is inaccurate. But then, when has it not been the case, that the information a cruiser gives, is only as reliable as that particular person? It's certainly not a fatal flaw forActiveCaptain, simply something to keep in mind if you use it (like we have) to explore unfamiliar territory. Use ActiveCaptain to plan a strategy, then make a backout plan and maybe a second backout while you're at it.

ActiveCaptain: even if you don't have a boat it's a fun site to examine. And if you do have a boat it's a good resource. Gallant Fox says, check it out!

m

Florida to Georgia Part III - Getting Closer to Brunswick from Ft. Pierce but Still Not There

July 9, 2011: It was late afternoon as we reached the St. Simons sea buoy and the beginning of the deep, well-marked, five mile long approach in to St. Simons Sound. The breeze had picked up to the high teens/low 20s, a low chop developed, and small rain squalls appeared here and there in the distance. No lightning threatened, which was nice.

Suddenly we were hailed over the VHF by the very well-spoken captain of the car carrier that was anchored near the St. Simons sea buoy. It was the Otello, one of Wallenius Wilhelmsen's fleet, alerting us that the pilot they'd been waiting for was just about ready to take them in to St. Simons Sound to the commercial port, and would we be so kind as to wait for them to raise their anchor and go in ahead of us?

Florida to Georgia Part II - an Uninvited but Welcome Guest

July 8, 2011: We left Fort Pierce inlet at sunrise after a calm but drizzly night at anchor. Skies were overcast, wind was light, no nearby lightning cells. We sailed about 9 miles offshore to pick up a 2-3 knot current assist from the mighty Gulf Stream. We rode north on the Gulf Stream for as long as we could, enjoying the added speed, but mile by mile, the Gulf Stream bent further and further offshore as it headed NE toward Cape Hatteras. We were fine with this at first because we prefer staying 20-30 miles offshore when we travel overnight; but we ultimately needed to leave the Gulf Stream and change course to the NW to enter St. Simons Sound, Brunswick's nearest ocean inlet, about 30 miles north of the Florida/Georgia state line.

Florida to Georgia Part I - a Short Leg Along the ICW

As far as we can tell, during this era of climate change the best time of year to travel along the US East Coast is Memorial Day (last Monday in May, for you non-US readers) through Labor Day (first Monday of September). I'm not saying the East Coast weather is "lovely" during this time - because I do not do well at all with Central-American style high heat and humidity - but during the summer there are no significant weather events that prevent boat travel for prolonged periods. Except of course for hurricanes, but gosh, those are so well forecast, you have plenty of time to get yourself and your boat far enough inland to avoid them. So if you want to cruise the US East Coast, have at it from June to September.

The Intracoastal Waterway - Good? Or Bad? Yes, It Is.

After we got bounced around offshore going north from Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, Florida, we decided that our next leg would be on the dread Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).

For those not in the nautical know, today's ICW is a channel about 3000 miles long that extends from Norfolk, Virginia in the north to the Florida Keys in the south. It roughly parallels the Atlantic coastline. It's basically a sheltered waterway comprised of natural streams, rivers and estuaries as well as dredged channels, marked with buoys and daymarkers, that allows commercial and recreational traffic to travel in relative speed and safety from Point A to Point B without having to risk the treacherous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Because on the US East Coast, when the weather gets bad - it gets REALLY BAD. And the Atlantic waters get even worse.

Reentry in Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida

Our two days in Ft. Lauderdale went very pleasantly. As terrible as the Floridians' behavior was on the water, every single person we met on shore went out of their way to be pleasant and helpful. We officially checked in to the US in person at the US Customs/Border Patrol office down by the commercial piers and a gentleman who was also there doing Customs business - who turned out to be a former cruiser - very kindly drove us to our next destination. GB and I provisioned; we shopped; we ate sushi and pizza; we met even more nice people. Delightful.

Passage to Florida

Wow, has it been almost a year since we sailed from Puerto Morelos, Mexico, to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida?

That road trip we'd taken through the Yucatan Peninsula was one of our best road trips ever, anywhere. With that now behind us, on May 6, 2011, we checked out of Mexico* and started across the Yucatan Channel, making for the east coast of Florida.

* We had a few hours' delay, waiting for (1) the officials to show up at Marina El Cid with our exit papers; and (2) the fuel truck to show up with some diesel. But in the end, we got out before we'd lost very much time.

Much More Maya - Some Words on Personal Safety

I want to make clear to both readers of this blog (HIIIII!) that we made this trip I've been posting about around the northern half of the Yucatan Peninsula - a rental-car road trip loop that began and ended on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan in Puerto Morelos, Mexico - in 10 days during April, 2011. The distances are short, on good roads, through nice towns*, with no overnight driving.

*"Nice towns." I feel I always have to add this for anyone from the US who might read this. Stop buying the bill of goods your mass media is selling you: behave like a normal adult, and you have every chance of avoiding a beheading if you visit Mexico. As far as reality and our actual experience goes, here are the 6 rules for staying alive in Mexico (or the rest of Latin America, for that matter):

1. Do not sell drugs.

2, Do not try to steal someone else's drugs.

3. Do not try to pick up local women.

4. Do not insult local men - not even in English - the average Mexican is bilingual. You're not.

5. Do not pick fights in bars.

6. Do not wander around bad parts of town after dark.

(Saaayyy, don't you follow those same 6 rules at home?)

If you can somehow manage to follow these 6 rules, you will be happy touring Mexico. Keep your head, and you will keep your head.

I will also point out that the Yucatan has a large Mayan population, who are very proud of the fact that they maintain the lowest crime rate of all Mexico.  It could be because of the Mayan cultural history, their strong ethical principles, their family values...or because every pyramid in the region has numerous graphic representations of exactly what the average Maya can do to you if you cross them one little bit.

Great way to keep the kids in line.

m

About Yucateca Food

It's excellent.

Fresh food in bright colors that's good for you, in tasty combinations that are found nowhere else - not even in the rest of Mexico which as you know has terrific food in general. Yucateca food, specifically, is all about handmade Mayan corn tortillas made to order, table by table, that are so delicate you could call them pastry. Every restaurant and food cart has their own recipe for homemade habenero salsa and bless their hearts, they always warn gringos about the heat of it before they hand it over. It is luscious.

Poc-chuc comprises thin slices of pork loin perfectly grilled over a charcoal fire. It's one of the dishes that most every restaurant offers, and you just can't go wrong ordering it anywhere.

Then there's pollo pibil, chicken marinated in OJ and herbs/spices, steamed/baked in banana leaves inside a clay pot. Falls off the bone. Over there on the left is a pic of a lunch of pollo pibil I had in Izamal. Lordy was that good. There are vegetarian dishes too, all of them tasty and fresh. If for some reason you're not interested in antiquities, you could plan and execute a wonderful gastronomic tour of the Yucatan region and return home happy. Google "Yucatan cuisine," or start here for some basics.

Did you know that Mayans have kept bees for the past several centuries? Me neither, and I can't determine exactly which flowers in the Yucatan jungle the bees prefer, but their final product is the color of dark rum and has a rich, floral flavor you have not tasted before. This is not the thick, honey-flavored corn syrup product sold in the US. Lucky for souvenir- seeking turistas, Mayan honey is sold in a variety of jar sizes, all the way up to quart (liter) size. We started with a pint size jar, then after we tasted it bought the liter-size. The Propane Chef uses it in all kinds of dishes.

Stay hungry, my friends.

m