Wilbur goes AWOL

We motored into Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville, FL on Sunday, got cleaned up and headed out to dinner with our departing guests. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera and didn't get any pictures. Craig (who lives in Jacksonville) had already arranged to take Monday off from his job and came back to the marina in order to give Hans a hand with replacing a piece of brass plumbing that burst this winter due to freezing. We had paid to have the boat winterized and were a little concerned when upon getting back aboard we didn't see any 'pink' (anti freeze) in our lines. Long story short, a pipe burst and we were finally able to take time to repair it. Hans emailed the boat yard that performed the winterization, and they agreed to reimburse us for the materials and the extra day we had to spend at the marina in Jacksonville. They (and we!) are lucky that Craig is very handy and was able to help Hans replace things properly.


Wilbur loves to check his Facebook account whenever he can. Although after his shenanigans of this morning I think he's going to find that a lot of his privileges are going to be revoked.

"A little privacy please!"









We decided that in order to catch the right tides for our trek to St. Augustine, we should get out bright and early this morning.



Easier said than done when you wake up to pea soup!
This is the marina as I observed it from our stern.

The boat next to us finally decided to venture out at around 10:30 AM.

Here he is crossing our stern.

And just a little way past us. You can see how foggy it still was.

He was back in about 15 minutes and said that it was like a curtain of white in the ICW. I told him that in the 15 minutes he was gone that he'd missed some huge drama at our dock.

So this is what happened.

Hans and I had started the engines and were trying to remove our cooking grill on the port side of the cockpit. Wilbur thinks he has to help with everything every step of the way so I wasn't surprised to hear the tags jingle on his collar as he came up to join us in the cockpit.

Hans was getting ready to cast off our lines when I wondered where Wilbur was. Like I said, he's normally underfoot. However, a quick check of the salon area and our berth told me that Wilbur was not down below.

Hans insisted he was in our berth as he'd seen him there right before we tried taking the grill down. I went back to our berth again and pounded the covers to make sure he wasn't hiding.

No dog!

Hans ran down below to check it out for himself and I started looking over the sides and into the water. When he came up and confirmed that there was no way Wilbur was on the boat I went into panic mode and we shut off the engines. Off the boat I went screaming out Wilbur's name as I ran around to the stern and bow trying to see if he might be trapped by the dinghy lines or heaven forbid had been caught in the propellers.

By now I was sick with fear and then I heard someone way up at the end of the dock yell, "Up here!" That's all I needed to hear and I have to tell you I don't think an Olympic sprinter could have out ran me as flew up the dock.

And then I saw Wilbur coming out of the parking lot in order to approach the men who'd been beckoning to him. Luckily he didn't run away when he saw me and came right to me. By then I was shaking so bad I could hardly stand up and one man with wildly unkempt hair and ratty clothes stared at me like I might actually be crazier than him.

We now know that when I heard his tags jingle when we were in the cockpit, he actually scooted over the starboard side and jumped down onto the floating dock. It was a very long drop and I can't believe he did it as he's not overly fond of getting on and off the boat.

I think what happened was this; when I walked Wilbur yesterday he found a very delectable smell in the parking lot and nearly sucked the pavement up his big pitty nose he sniffed so hard. I think he still had that smell in mind and just had to get back to it as soon as our backs were turned.

Time out for Wilbur.

I don't think he looks sorry enough for what he did to me.

This has gotten me to wondering though. It would appear that the men in my life will do anything, including going overboard (even in freezing temperatures), in order to get away from me.

Perhaps I should be putting our shower to use more often.

Florida! Finally! And some new friends!

We were able to avoid the rest of the ICW in Georgia when we went 'outside' yesterday. And even though there was very little wind and it was once again coming from a different direction than NOAA had forecasted, we were able to sail!!

Yaaaaay!

We motored on into Fernandina, FL and headed for the Fernandina Marina in order to rent a mooring for the night and as we were approaching the dock I could have sworn I heard someone call out my name. I looked out over the water and saw someone waving their arms at me, but I knew I couldn't possibly have heard my name and Hans told me to get on the radio in case they were trying to warn us about something. I called them and imagine how surprised I was to hear their response, "This is Bright Eyes."

I've been following the story of Joey and Christine of Bright Eyes for quite sometime and I was thrilled to finally see some fellow sailing bloggers. Once we got settled at our mooring we invited them over for a visit.

Our dinghy hangs over our stern and blocks our swim platform and Hans was concerned that they would have difficulty getting on board. I told him that if this old 50 year old woman could scramble up the back of the boat I was pretty sure a young couple in their 20's would be just fine.





And here they are!

Joey and Christine.


Also joining us last night was Drew's wife Theresa so we had a cockpit full of people and a very excited pit bull.

Wilbur is feeling extra special spiffy today after he found his picture on the Bright Eyes blog. One of my favorite posts of theirs is the one that shows their boat after they ran aground. It's pretty impressive so you really should check it out.

Guests!!

We anchored in Little Tea Kettle Creek on Thursday night and even though we spun around many times due to the tides everything held good and tight.



And once again because of the tides I think yesterday was one of our most tedious days in the intracoastal. We had three stretches of canal that Skipper Bob warned would be very shallow at low tide.



When did we hit them?



At low tide of course!



Actually, we hit the first one at low tide due to the fact that we got a faster boost than we expected to and it's just not fun to see your depth finder telling you you're in 3 feet of water. We eked through that one and then managed to catch the other two as the tide was coming in. The wind was cold and gusting to 25 knots and didn't help things either.



After a full day of this we were thrilled to see the Golden Isles Marina in St. Simons Island, GA up ahead and just as we crossed under the bridge we were boarded by the Coast Guard (after they radioed and asked us if we had any weapons on board and was our dog friendly?). Of course we had to keep moving and it was very windy and choppy but they jumped aboard anyway. Actually, one of them nearly fell in between our boats and had to let go and leap backwards into his. They pulled up yet once again and this time he was successful.


They were greeted by many wiggles and kisses from Wilbur, and one of them had to try to write on his clip board with Wilbur sitting in his lap and after verifying that we had registration, life jackets, fire extinguishers, and peeking at the holding tank lever, they were off and running. Wilbur was sorry to see them go.


So anyway, believe it or not we had guests arrive at the Knotty Cat last night for a weekend of fun, good times, and hopefully a little bit of sailing. And even after reading our blog they still wanted to come along.










Hans is leading the way as Craig (a long time friend of Hans) and Craig's friend Drew (a fellow sailor).



























Wilbur taking a rest after setting the table. He's such a good boy.













Wilbur makes a fine antenna as Drew tries to talk on the phone.





















Exhausted from his day of boating, entertaining the Coast Guard and Hans' friends, Wilbur is finally able to relax.















Today we left the marina and headed out to sea. So far it's very smooth and we don't have much in the line of wind but it's still better than being stuck in the ditch that is the Intracoastal.

On the Lighter Side

Happy Hans the Traveling Salesman shows off his boo-boo.

As I looked at this picture, I was like... what the hell is that on Hans' head? And then I realized that peeking over his hat is a stuffed fish (designed to hold CD's) that's sitting in a basket on the shelf behind him.

Woe is me, I'll never make a living as a photographer.




Where's Wilbur?

Yesterday was a cold, gloomy day (we motored a whole foggy 13 miles before anchoring), and Wilbur, who usually spends his days in the cockpit (second guessing Hans' navigation), went below and hid under his blanket.








It's been years since I've played Monopoly and it may be many more years before I attempt it again after the other night (which I won't go into at this time), and I was thrilled to find that the tokens haven't changed a bit.



Hans was the battleship (go figure), I was the thimble, and Wilbur was the dog (go figure once again!).

Wilbur spots the Monopoly Dog for the very first time.

"What the hell?"

And the reaction.

"But I thought I was the only dog on this boat!"

Last night we anchored in Kilkenny Creek (GA) in heavy winds and strong currents and I'm thrilled to report that we held firm throughout the night.

Today when we realized it was going to be very windy we (I) decided to pull up to the Kilkenny Marina (just yards away from us) and spend the day changing our oil and rearranging our dinghy.

After a very busy afternoon we crated a very unhappy Wilbur (whom we could hear screaming all the way up the dock) and walked over to Marker 107.

I was expecting maybe a local watering hole (which would be fine with us) but what a beautiful place it is! The owner was there for a few minutes and mentioned that after he bought it, he fixed it up.

And fixed it up he did! Even if you're not anchoring or in need of a marina, Marker 107 is well worth the trip up Kilkenny Creek!

We shared a bowl of 'she crab' soup and a blackened grouper sandwich while looking over the waterway. Isn't it funny how peaceful the water appears to be when one observes it from on the hard as opposed to from the sea?

I Only Wish That I Made These Things Up!

I didn't have my camera with me today when the Rescue Squad, Fire Chief, Fire Truck, and paramedics showed up to take care of Hans.


I didn't take pictures of the blood all over our spring line, cockpit cushions, and helm pod cover.

And I think I'm kind of glad I didn't as I really don't want any visual reminders of what I consider to be one of the worst days of my life.


At the end of the day Hans received just 7 stitches in the palm of his left hand, has a very bruised and swollen knee, but he's alive and that's all that really matters.


Before I go any further though, I have to tell you the Rescue Squad was purely overkill (as was the stretcher they rolled up to us) and we were shocked and embarrassed (although Wilbur was thrilled) when they all showed up this morning after Hans informed a marina employee that he might need some stitches in his hand.


And to think that yesterday started out as a very uneventful day at sea.


Once again good old NOAA was completely wrong and the 15 knots of north wind that he promised were really 10-15 knots of south wind. I will never quite understand how these forecasts can be so wrong. The ocean was as smooth as glass so I went ahead and took advantage of this situation and made a pan of chocolate chip brownies.


We had hoped to sail as far as St. Catherines but since the winds didn't cooperate and it was getting late, we headed into Ossabaw Sound inlet. We decided that after days of cold nasty nights a marina might be a welcome relief, and with shore power Hans could watch the Steelers.


Here's a bit of trivia; water depths in the Ossabaw inlet can vary by 9 or more feet with the tides, and the currents just rip. We discovered that low tide is very low and at 6 PM we found ourselves aground at the entrance to the marina creek. And we draw two and a half to three feet!


Hans immediately shut down the engines so as not to suck a bunch of sludge and sand into the engines and we thought, 'Now what?' Just then a small motor boat came down the creek and the owner, a former tow boat captain who was on his way home managed to pull us off. By now it was dark and he led us up to the marina, helped us tie up, and absolutely refused payment. "We've all been there," he laughed.


After anchoring in three nights of bitter cold temps, we were so happy to finally be able to relax and use our space heater, I made Tuna Tettrazini (Tuna Helper!), and we watched the Steelers beat the Jets. All was well.


And then at 4 AM everything went wrong.


What happened next is exactly what boaters should never do.


Hans woke up at close to four o'clock and realized that our space heater wasn't working. A glance at the navigation station revealed that our shore power was no longer connected and our inverter had shut down our batteries.

That's when Hans broke our iron clad rule. Never go above at night unless someone else knows about it. I was apprised of this situation when a huge bang woke me up. Hans wasn't in bed, he wasn't in the head or salon, and then I found the cockpit door open.


"I'm in the water," Hans shouted when I emerged from the cabin, and there he was, pinned between our boat and the dock in at least four knots of bitter cold, outgoing current.

He looked stunned and I knew we didn't have much time. I didn't agree with him but Hans felt he should try to get to our swim ladder while I hysterically babbled about throwing him a life preserver which would obviously not get him out of the water. Somehow he managed to pull himself along the dock (against the current) and then lunge over to our stern which was swinging well away from the dock, and partially swim and grab at our boat until he reached the starboard side. I dropped the swim ladder and up he came. His sweat pants were down around his knees and he had to strip them off before he could heave his way into the cockpit.

I managed to get on the dock, reconnect our power, and tighten the stern line. It wasn't until I was back on the boat that we realized that the palm of Hans' left palm was slashed wide open and bleeding everywhere. We bound it shut and after getting the rest of his sopping clothes off I stuffed him into our bunk and made him a mug of hot chocolate. Even with blankets, Wilbur, and me draped all over him he shook for a good long time.


This morning it was obvious that his hand needed medical attention and that's when the cavalry descended upon us. Even after all that the paramedics were not permitted to suture his wound and Hans had to take a cab to an Emergi-Center and get stitched up.


How did this happen?


Upon realizing that our electrical cord had pulled free from its source, Hans decided to simply jump onto the dock and reconnect it. He didn't count on the icy conditions and his feet went out from under him and he dropped straight into the water. It was a very narrow slot and I can't believe he didn't hit his head on the boat or smash his jaw onto the floating dock. We're pretty sure his injured knee is what hit the dock first and saved him from being knocked unconscious.

This one simple act could have killed him. He could have been knocked out, he could have suffered from hypothermia (the water was 46 degrees), and if we hadn't been at a floating dock he could have been swept away with the current.

Don't think I haven't given him hell for this.

Hans has been around boats all his life and this is what happens when you get complacent and careless.

I'm still a bit shaken over all this and as embarrassing as it is to post, if this keeps someone else from pulling the same stunt, it will be worth it.

How Cold Is It?

Too damn cold as far as we're concerned!

No, our Knotty Cat does not suffer from dandruff. That's sleet on our dodger and it didn't melt either!

Last night we were in bed by eight with Wilbur firmly tucked in between us and this morning some of our hatches had ice on them. It is soooo not fun to struggle into ice cold clothes.

Here are our coffee cups from this morning.

On a nicer note, we ended up motoring over 44 miles yesterday and anchored in Bull Creek. Hans was very pleased this morning when our anchor came up as slick as snot.

Today we're going 'outside' with predicted 15 knot North winds and 2 to 4 foot seas.

We hope to get as far as St. Catherines in Georgia. I would appreciate it if everyone would keep their fingers crossed! We've had three unprecedented nice days and I'm bracing myself for another disaster!

Slow Progress But at Least We're Moving

Anchoring in the Intracoastal is certainly interesting. Two nights ago we anchored easily in Church Creek (SC) but at 3AM we could hear all kinds of noises from our anchor chain. The current and wind were pushing us in different directions and we think we were just hearing the links of the chain moving around.

Last night we ended up in a much more quiet spot in Bass Creek just off of Parrot Creek. We were up and moving at 7:30 this morning in order to take advantage of the currents and we are currently freezing our butts off! Right now we have little pellets of sleet all over our dodger.

So for your viewing pleasure here is a video of us rappelling Wilbur off the boat when we were in Charleston. Everything went very smoothly and a couple of employees gave us a hand. You can see that since they are so much taller than me Wilbur didn't have to stay suspended for very long.



We just passed Beaufort SC and hope to anchor in Skull Creek by mid afternoon. At that point we just want to get warm.

Wilbur is an excellent heating pad!