Marco to Chatham - April 2011
M/V Solipsys
Captain - Robert Thurber
Crew - James Thurber, Bennie Ficarrotta
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Fri 4/29 Fri 5/6
Marco Island, FL to Ortona, FL
Trip Miles- 97 nm Time Underway 8 hrs 25 min
Avg Speed 11.5 Fuel - 83 gallons
Happy Easter!!! Out of the slip at 0615. Just as we started running in the Gulf, the engine overheated. Jimmy thought it might be the fact that the guy who was supposed to clean the bottom, maybe didn't. Diver was supposed to have cleaned the bottom earlier in the week.
Turned around and went back to Esplanade Marina. Jimmy gets in the water and confirms. Barnacles and growth all over rudder, prop, trim tabs and hull.
Bob calls diver. Diver comes in and cleans everything. Test run in the Gulf. All OK. On our way about three hours later than planned.
Made it to Franklin Lock about 1415. Due to water issues in Lake Okeechobee, the lock only opens at 7A, 1P and 7P. Tied up to dolphin and waited until 1815 when they called us in. Ran hard all the way to and through Ortona Lock around 2030.
Once through, we tied up on one of the dolphins on the east side of the lock with a tug and barge (just like the big boys!)
Dinner, night cap and sleep.
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Ortona, FL to Ft. Pierce, FL
Trip nm - 100 Time Underway 9 hrs 21 min
Avg Speed - 10.8 Fuel burned 83 gallons
Off the dolphin at 0615. Never moved or swung. Nice tie up.
Beautiful weather.
At Moorehaven lock at 0715. Open. No need to lock through. Just motored on by. On through Lake Okeechobee. No problem until we got to St. Lucie Lock (the last lock before hitting the ICW). Scheduled opening at 1300. Got there ten minutes early. Had to wait about an addition hour before they locked us through.
Headed up to Ft. Pierce. At the slip by 1700 or so.
Met a very nice couple in a Mainship 430. From New Hampshire. First boat. Thought it sounded like fun. So, they sold the house, bought the boat, and moved aboard. This was their first trip south. They are headed back to NH tomorrow morning. Godspeed.
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Ft. Pierce, FL to St. Augustine, FL
Trip nm - 163 Time Underway 11 hrs 51 min
Avg Speed - 13.8 Fuel burned 140 gallons
Out of the slip by 0630. Staying on the inside. Made good time most of the way. However there was a very slow-no go-manatee zone from Haulover Canal all the way to Ponce DeLeon Inlet.
Uneventful trip to St. Augustine City Marina. Arrival at 1820.
A couple who were taking their engagement photos at the marina, asked Bob if they could use Solipsys as part of their photos. Bob OK'd and Steph Owens (photographer) took quite a few shots of Jonathan and Meghan. All very nice. Congratulations and best of luck to Jonathan and Meghan!
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St. Augustine, FL to Port Royal, SC
Trip nm - 201 Time Underway 12 hrs 48 min
Avg Speed - 15.7 (nice) Fuel burned gallons - 198
Out of the slip by 0630. Out St. Augustine Inlet. Charts aren't updated. Channel takes a dog leg to the South. Look for the red nun.
Seas were 3-5 out of the SE. So they were on our starbord port quarter. We did quite a bit of surfing. Wasn't too bad though. I can only imagine what it would have been like if we had been taking these on the nose. No thanks!
About 0900 we cut in front of a Navy warship that was heading out of Jax.
By 1030 the seas were building and moving more to our starboard beam so we decided to head back in at Jeckyl Island. The ICW in this area snakes around quite a bit until you get to the Sapello River.
Nice run through the ICW. Ran into some weather in of all places, Port Roayl Sound. Glad we weren't outside.
Arrived Port Royal Marina, Port Royal, SC around 1920
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Thursday 04/28/11 - Port Royal, SC
Trip nm - 0 Time Underway 0 hrs 0 min
Avg Speed - 0 Fuel burned gallons - 0
Dock Master won't be in to fuel up until 0800. So, it was a late wake up today. Also, a pretty bad front is coming through the area today. Tornado watch.
Decided to hang out here in Port Royal and let the front pass through. Laundry and re-provision day.
Weather looks good for the rest of the week. We'll make up time by running outside as much as possible.
Jimmy and I took the marina courtesy truck to Piggly Wiggly for re-provisioning. Didn't need much; one green pepper, one mango, one lemon, olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, beverages to avoid dehydration.
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Port Royal, SC to Southport NC (Cape Fear)
Trip nm -183 Time Underway -11 hrs 7 min
Avg Speed -16.5 Fuel burned -185 gallons
Out of the slip around 0615. Ran offshore all day. Not bad. 2-3' footers on our port forward for awhile. Then, it sort of calmed down. Back in at Cape Fear. Docked up at Southport Marina at 1720. Pretty uneventful run (sort of the way we like it).
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Southport NC (Cape Fear) to Manteo, NC
Trip - 192 nm - Time Underway - 12 hrs 12 min
Avg Speed 15.8 - Fuel burned - 190 gallons
Sorry, not much news or photo ops when we run outside.
Out of the slip around 0600. ICW to Masonboro Inlet out the the Atlantic around 0725. Pretty smooth rollers to start. But, by 1000 or we were hitting 3-4 footers pretty close to the nose. We were back into the ICW via Beaufort Inlet around 1100.
Back out at Oriental up through Pamlico River and Pamlico Sound into Roanoke Sound to the Pirate's Cove Marina in Manteo on Roanoke Island around 1815.
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Manteo, NC to Ocean City, MD
Trip - 175 nm - Time Underway - 10 hrs 30 min
Avg Speed - 16.6 Fuel burned - 185 gallons
Out of the slip around 0545. Out to the Atlantic via Oregon Inlet. Got some local knowledge from a fishing boat. Glad we did. Into safe, deep water by 0645. COG 003 degrees due north. A little rolly when we first got out, but by 0900 it was so smooth we could have water skied (no kidding).
Arrived at Sunset Marina, Ocean City, MD around 1615. What a run!
Carol and Bonnie met us at the docks. We had a wonderful dinner with them at The Captain's Galley.
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Ocean City, MD to Jersey City, NJ
Trip - 160 nm - Time Underway - 9 hrs 30 min
Avg Speed - 17 Fuel burned - 168 gallons
Out of the slip around 0545. Grey and overcast skies. Luckily, seas are 1-2 footers on our starboard beam. Making good time.
1400 Passed Sandy Hook. Up Swash Channel. Cross Romer Shoal to Ambrose Channel.
1440 Under Verrazano Bridge through the Narrows up Anchorage Channel dodging tankers, water taxis, ferries and sailboats.
1505 Enter Hudson River and in to Jersey City and the Liberty Landing Marina.
Manhattan across the river. So close...
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Jersey City, NJ to Chatham, MA
Trip - 200 nm - Time Underway - 12 hrs min
Avg Speed 16.7 - Fuel burned - 209 gallons
Out of the slip and into East River around 0530.
Flat calm. No other boat traffic
0554 Hell Gate. Astoria Getting a nice push from Hell. One tug, one barge so far.
0601 North Brother Island. A large, abandoned house,
overgrown with vines is here. Should look it up to find out the story on it. My daughter, Justine, did look it up and found this very cool site. NORTH BROTHER ISLAND, NY
0630 Entering Long Island Sound. Light chop.
1130 Block Island Sound. Light Chop
After lunch into Nantucket Sound got pretty bangy. Three footers or so right on our starboard forward quarter. White caps. Pretty bumpy ride all the way into Sage Harbor where we hooked up to a mooring ball by 1720.
Overcast, grey and chilly. But, once again, a highly successful and safe delivery!
Here's to the captain and crew of M/V Solipsys!
TRIP TOTALS
Marco Island, FL to Chatham, MA
Trip - 1475 nm
Time Underway - 97 hrs 48 min
Avg Speed 15.1
Fuel burned 1439 gallons
Avg 1.02 nm per gallon
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Chatham, MA
Off the mooring ball in Stage Harbor around 0645. The Mitchell River Bridge opened aroun 0655 for us. It was scheduled for a 0700 opening.
See video of bridge opening
We had Solipsys tied up to the Pease Brothers docks aroun 0705.
Clean up began. Outside and in.
Will continue cleanup on Thursday. Friday (if the sun comes out) we'll polish the stainless and dry and stow the cockpit cushions.
Scheduled for a Saturday afternoon flight back home.
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Chatham, MA
Went to the Coast Guard Aux awards dinner at the Orleans Yacht Club. It was packed with Aux and Coasties. Wonderful dinner.
Bob received the award for USCG Auxiliary New Member of the Year for Flotilla 11-1.
I never realized how much the Auxiliary does. From confirming Aids to Navigation to standing watch. From vessel inspection to safe boating classes. The Aux is truly an integral partner with the Coast Guard.
Good day. Good evening.
Congrats to Capt. Bob!
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View from the Orleans Yacht Club