The Adventures of Francesca
Part 1
October
29, 1999
Finally, after the summer
from hell, Francesca was ready, we were ready, the hurricane god took a coffee
break, and we started down the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW or ditch) from North
Myrtle Beach on Monday, Oct. 18. Joan
has stocked the boat such that we don’t have to emerge for a very long time,
e.g. 200 rolls of paper towel, 200 rolls of TP, a 7 cu ft freezer full, refrig.
full, V-berth loaded with boxed and bagged food, and several hundred pounds of
canned food in the aft pantry. Poor
Francesca is riding a little low in the water.
After only about 45 miles,
the starboard engine fuel pump developed a crack and a tiny fuel leak. We had to anchor early in the day to affect
repairs and clean up the spill in the engine room. We were prepared with a spare fuel pump, purple stuff and, of
course, lots of paper towels. It is
normal to expect minor failures early in a trip, especially after laying up for
a few months.
At the end of the second
day, we stayed at the Charleston City Marina and had a nice visit with Andrea
and Ray (daughter and son-in-law).
The third day, we were
making good time until, in mid afternoon,
a nasty group of squalls crossed our path and the visibility went below
that which we felt safe to continue.
After ducking into the next available spot that resembled a secure
anchorage, we spent the night buffeted by wind and occasional rain.
Thursday, Oct. 21, the sun
was shining, the wind was calm and it was generally beautiful in the waterway.
Passing Hilton Head, SC and
Savannah, we met up with “Tropic Explorer” a custom steel schooner out of Ft.
Meyers, Fl. Buz and Jennifer were
gracious and invited us to see their boat.
They had done a great job building a go-anywhere type boat. During the next several days, we would keep
in touch by radio giving each other advisories about weather, obstacles,
shoaled areas, etc. Coincidentally, a
few years ago, “Heide” on a cruise north during a very bad (40-50 kt winds)
stormy night, had dragged anchor and during subsequent maneuvers accidentally
cut “Tropic Explorers” anchor line.
Everyone managed to pull this one out of the fire without further damage
and later the losses were settled very amicably. It’s a small world.
Saturday, Francesca was down
to ½ tank of fuel. We usually stop at
the Florida Petroleum fuel dock in Fernandino Beach, Fl (inexpensive fuel) to
top off. Fully aware that the current
at the dock can be fierce, and that the wind would put us heavily against the
dock, this captain with great confidence decided it would be a piece of
cake. We put out every fender
available. The dock is fixed (not
floating) and it is difficult to keep the boat fended off of the pilings. Well, Francesca and the dock had some kind
of disagreement. We were able to get
fuel, but the dock was a clear winner after scuffing up our rub rails. Next time, I’ll skip the cheap fuel and go
where it is less likely that I will smear our dear boats’ makeup.
Before starting out this
time, I had a good talk with myself and decided that I would do my best not to
be yelled at, nor yell at anyone. You
have to understand that with the variety of watercraft capabilities and wide
ranging levels of operator experience / sanity there are frequent cases where
boaters (me?) are characterized as unsafe at any speed. Well, somewhere south of Cape Canaveral, a
yeahoo sport fishing boat repeatedly passed cruisers close in while throwing a
very large and potentially damaging wake.
All of the boats concerned, warned, pleaded, YELLED and hooted at this
guy. Me too. Well, one out of two isn’t too bad. Actually, with the exception of that guy, all of the boaters have
been great.
We were doing our best to
adjust each day’s end point so as to avoid Daytona Beach and a usually bad
anchorage. In so doing, during the next
two days, we found the two worst anchoring spots on the east coast. Poor holding (anchor easily pulls free), a
long fetch (open water to windward where waves can build) were the only notable
features of our anchorage choices.
Both nights were windy, but we rode them out fine without dragging the
anchor. We avoided Daytona Beach.
Arriving at our first
layover spot south of Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday the 27th,
Francesca checked into the Waterways Marina.
It is very nice with small shops (Joan loves it), grassy paths (Maggie
loves it) and several restaurants.
Plans are to stay for 4 days, visit some boat equipment suppliers and
the MEGA boat show. The Heides and
Harrells (“Knot too Shabby” also from Ft. Meyers) are driving over separately
to do the same and will arrive on Friday.
The weather is grrrreat.
At this point, we’re only
two days away from Boot Key Harbor. The
trip has been as uneventful as usual, but always (even with the dumb stuff)
enjoyable. The real trip will begin in
a few weeks. In the mean time, we will
gain new and renew acquaintances, do a little more boat preparation, and hang
out in the keys. The next update will
be in about a week.