After a month in Jacksonville relaxing and a quick trip to California to see family, we start our eighth and final trip north on the ICW. But of course, it wouldn’t be boating if everything went smoothly…
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Winter is a really a time of waiting and decompressing for us, avoiding the extreme cold and not having such regular movement. Hence we’d spent most of January in Daytona and then moved the short distance up to Jacksonville for a month. Northern Florida can have its share of cold – and this year La Nina made for a few more colder days and some lower lows. But once we decided we weren’t going to go to the Bahamas, we didn’t want to go further south just to turn around and come back north.
We continued to spend our mental energy looking toward ‘life after boat.’, planning, researching, and discussing all kinds of possibilities. Our routine was to spend the morning on boat projects or planning, and then find something fun to do in the afternoons. Staying in one place for the month also meant we could take a trip to California to see my family.
Then it was time to embark on our Farewell Tour. This would be our eighth time traveling the ICW and we’ve stopped in almost all the places along the way, so this time we picked our favorites to revisit plus a couple new ones. It will be a speed run much like our trip south, with longer days and fewer stops. It’s about a month earlier than most start heading north, which meant it would be colder and thus we would not be able to anchor out much. But we are getting itchy to start our next chapter — so Norfolk ‘Ho!
Everything went smoothly, for the first two hours…
Jacksonville FL
Jan 21 – Feb 20, 2025
Our home for a month was Ortega Port 32 Marina, a really nice facility with pool/jacuzzi and lots of other cruisers wintering over. Except we arrived at the start of an extreme cold snap with everyone hunkered down, so we didn’t really see many signs of other intelligent life for the first several days. Once it warmed up, we started on some boat projects to get it ready to go on the market when we got back to Norfolk. Polishing, shining, cleaning, lubing, routine maintenance.
The scooters got a lot of use as we explored the area in the afternoon. The nearby neighborhood of Avondale has lovely homes of the moneyed Floridian style of the 1920s and 30s. We would tool around and eventually end up at our new-favorite coffee shop Southern Grounds. The large Riverside Arts Market was a short and easy bus ride on a Saturday morning, and the nearby Cummers Museum was free for First Saturday so we took in the art and gardens.
And then No Worries pulled in! We cruised the Bahamas last winter wiith Patty and Ciaran, and were totally excited to have them in Jacksonville. They had Ella with them, their very sweet Bichon-Poodle, so we got our dog fix. We took them on our favorite excursion to the Arts Market and Avondale, played a lot of dominos after dinner, and hung out at the jacuzzi when it was warm enough. It was a nice, relaxing month of just enjoying each day without any obligations.
We are also both returning to hobbies as we learn to ramp down our activity level. Dave is reading for fun again, not just out of necessity to figure out something on the boat. I have been doing a lot crocheting something my grandmother taught me when I was in elementary school and I’ve returned to it repeatedly over the decades. There’s something about the rhythm of the movement and the counting of stitches that makes it like a meditation. It’s enjoyable in and of itself, but it’s also something I turn to when I’m a little stressed and need to focus my thoughts on something other than what’s ricocheting around in my head.
Southern California Trip
Feb 13 - 18
This is the first time Dave has been able to go to Calif with me since before COVID; between Roxy and finding places to leave the boat for an extended period, it just was too hard for us both to be away. So this was a bit of a taste of what some of the Life After Boat opportunities might look like.
The long weekend there was spent just hanging out with family. My sisters and I have a tradition of doing a jigsaw puzzle whenever I’m in town, and they had a 1000-piecer all teed up. Part of that tradition seems to be getting to the end and discovering the final piece is nowhere to be found. It always turns up hours or a day later, typically having been located some place we all looked repeatedly.
Once we returned to JAX, it was a busy two days of prep to get underway toward Norfolk.
The Farewell Tour
Fernandina Beach FL Feb 21-22
Brunswick GA Feb 23-24
Isle of Hope GA Feb 25
Beaufort SC Feb 26-27
Charleston SC Feb 28
Wacca Wache SC Mar 1
Holden Beach NC Mar 2
It was a very cold sunrise start from Port 32 Ortega. The drawbridge opened upon our request, and soon we were passing by the parks and high-rises of downtown Jacksonville. At least it was sunny and calm, and not long after getting underway we saw dolphins off our bow.
Then about two hours into our trip, the starboard engine just … shut off! It was followed five seconds later by the ‘check engine’ alarm went off, which was highly unhelpful at that point. Dave does a preliminary check and thinks it’s the fuel pump. We continue to Fernandina on one engine, running through all the ‘what if?’ scenarios along the way. I could feel my stress level start to rise and found myself stealing glances at the tote with my current crochet project just feet away.
No-no, Karen. You need to focus on how we would get to our destination and docked and adjusting our plans.
Fernandina is really a resort town on Amelia Island, which meant no boatyards and limited access to getting parts. Our next planned stop of Brunswick would be much better, but we’d have to get there on the one engine and they couldn’t promise a spot on their dock that wouldn’t require maneuverability we didn’t have with just one engine offset 9’ from the center (it ‘slike a fish with one flipper that keeps swimming in a circle).
Fngers are twitching with the thought of escaping into the calming rhythm of crocheting.
Dave found a place online to order a fuel pump, but it would have to have it shipped to them and then they ship it to us. Thus we arrived at a typical boating dilemma: it’s Friday afternoon, (because it’s always a Friday when these things happen) and behind Door #1 is spending $900 on a fuel pump that might not end up being the problem. Or we go with Door #2 and give Dave the couple hours he needs to be sure he had the right diagnoses, but then we wouldn’t be able to place the order until Monday and it would delay us a whole week. Of course, it was also possible that behind both doors was the donkey, and it wasn’t the fuel pump at all and then we’d really have to regroup. We chose Door #1, placed the order, and walked into town to find a bakery for some coffee-and-treat therapy.
Upon returning to the boat, Dave jumps into his research and I start crocheting, trying to stay out of his way. An hour or so into it, he suddenly declares “Oh! It has a fuse!” and runs out to the engine compartment. Sure enough, there’s a totally fried fuse in the system leading up to the pump. He replaces it from his supply of spare everything and the engine fires right up. WOOHOO!!! Of course, there’s the nagging question of what caused the fuse to blow in the first place. Door #1: it’s just an old fuse. Door #2: there’s a bigger electrical problem somewhere. Unfortunately, we don’t get to choose the Door this time.
The next morning, Dave ran the engine longer, and was pretty confident it was just a bad fuse and the fuel pump was fine. But the ‘check engine’ alert, while now saying ‘inactive,’ wouldn’t go away and caused an annoying alarm every time he started the engines. Dave learned that certain ‘codes’ with the engine computer can only be reset by a Volvo-certified mechanic with a special machine. In another forum, someone posts that he has the same ‘inactive’ engine code but even though the problem was fixed he couldn’t get the engine above 1600 RPM because the computer throttled it. Oh boy. If that was going to be the case, then we would be a slow trawler until we could find a mechanic, and we know what that’s like these days.
I think I’m gonna need some more yarn.
So we cast off our lines at sunup the next morning bound for Brunswick with both engines running, fingers crossed (and crochet hook at the ready). Dave gently gives it throttle, 1200 RPM…1400…1600…(breath holding)…1800….2000! I’m happy dancing as we cross into Georgia, not only because both engines are good, but because we’re finally upwind of the Fernandina paper mills with their obnoxious smell. Basically, a 25¢ fuse had cost us $900 – but we did add a fuel pump to Dave’s spare part collection since it’s already on it’s way. Such is the boating life.
We stayed in Brunswick a couple days to wait out some weather, and Dave was able to redirect the delivery of the fuel pump to a stop further north so we wouldn’t have to wait for it. Then it was a long run through the winding creeks and marshes of the Georgia Low Country to Isle of Hope, near Savannah. We saw lots of dolphins and pelicans, and were challenged by way more crabpots to dodge than we remembered as typical. Sunrise starts were the norm to make the long days, but that’s actually my favorite time of day and the waterways are so pretty in the early morning light.
Crossing the Savannah River, we entered South Carolina and had totally calm waters as we rounded Hilton Head and entered Port Royal Sound, where the dolphin show was in full swing (but still can’t capture those guys on camera). Beaufort SC is one of our favorite towns, so we planned and extra day there to wander the shops and scooter around the south side of town before enjoying a magnificent sunset over the water. On the way to Charleston, we saw a small wildfire along the Edisto River, which would turn out to be the first of many in the Carolinas of which we could see the smoke. We noticed all the empty private docks at the homes along the way, still too early to have them back in the water, and the brown marsh grass and still-bare trees. Even the stands of palmettos looked like they hadn’t had their morning coffee yet.
Charleston was just a quick overnight with a sunrise departure for a long day to get to Wacca Wache. But that day was unique, because the timing of the tides lined up perfectly and we were able to ride the current the entire 80+ miles, giving us a nice push from behind; it’s pretty unusual to get those conditions. We took an Uber into nearby Murrell’s Inlet and strolled the Marsh Walk, which is really just a boardwalk along the marsh lined with restaurants. Wacca Wache is on the Waccamaw River, one of our favorite stretches of the ICW for its natural beauty. But this time of year, it’s rather brown and dull. Just another reminder that we are way early.
On the way to Holden Beach, we passed through Myrtle Beach with the ICW straight and lined with tall homes crammed together. At the southern end of town, we notice two float planes in front of us both do a touch and go. Kind of cool to see, though we thought it a bit strange they would be doing it in such a populated area. But we were passing by the airport, so figured it was some kind of training thing. A few minutes later, they roared from behind us and did another touch-and-gok, closer this time (since we had moved further along the ICW). We noticed lots of residents out on their balconies and patios watching and taking pictures. This time the planes were close enough that I could see the ‘Fire Dept ‘lettering on the underside of the wings. That was when I also noticed the smoke in the distance and the smell of burning brush, and realized the planes were scooping up the fresh water of the ICW in this area and dropping it on one of the Carolina brushfires raging nearby.
I asked Dave if we should pick it up a bit to get to the bridge a couple miles ahead and out of their way. But he pointed out we were in a no wake zone because of all the houses and private docks, and everyone was standing outside of their house with their phones taking pictures and we would be responsible for any damage our wake. So basically we could do nothing but smile and wave. There had not been any VHF securité broadcasts all morning, and we were basically the unwitting tourist who had bumbled onto their runway.
I see them banking back around, and go out in the cockpit to see them turning back to line up for another touch and go right behind us this time. Surely they see us. I yell at Dave that they are descending for another landing. There is nowhere he can go but straight ahead. I see their blinking white nose light getting lower and closer, and I’m getting stressed out as I try to decide at what point we should jump overboard and start swimming furiously.
Where is my crochet hook?!?
They were probably further away than what my panicked brain thought when they pulled up and buzz us loudly, aborting their third run to circle around, but it was definitely a bit of a breath-holding moment for me. By the time they made their fourth run we were far enough along that I could get a thrill out of the unique view. We still can’t figure out why there was no radio announcement/warning. Maybe they figured they can’t really stop the boat traffic and are used to just working around us cruisers.
Holden Beach was a new stop for us – a tiny town dock that barely had room for two boats. It’s a small beach town chock-full of seasonal rentals, and everything – I do mean everything – was still closed for the season. But we had a lovely walk along the nearly deserted beach, chatting with some guys out with metal detectors and admiring the skill of a group of older gentleman playing some kind of bocce ball, and great shell collecting as the sun set.
It was a short trip from Holden Beach to Wilmington, which meant we could delay our start long enough for the frost to melt. Yes, frost. Another cold front was coming, and this one was looking to pack a punch. We are making good time and had planned several days in Wilmington all along, but with the storm coming being 12 miles up the Cape Fear River in a well-protected marina makes it an even better choice. Perhaps we might even be able to find a Volvo mechanic to take the necessary 15 min to reset the ‘check engine’ code so we don’t have to listen to that !@#$ alarm every time we start the engines.
Final Random Thoughts
- March is definitely a cold month to be heading north – this year in particular with La Niña. Kind of a brown and gray month also as far as landscape.
- The excitement and anticipation of a new town contributes greatly to our enjoyment of travel. While we’ve enjoyed revisiting our favorites along the ICW, it’s just not the same. Which just further reinforces our decision that it’s time for something new. Plus we realize that there’s a lot of ‘new’ places to visit out there.
- Also reinforcing our decision? The amount of energy going into the boat breaking-stressing- $$$-fixing cycle is getting old.
Pops’ Stats Corner*
- No of Days: 40
- Travel Days: 7
- Miles Traveled: 481.6 (418.8 nm)
*Pops is the family’s affectionate name for Dave’s dad. He had a mind for sports statistics, earning him the nickname Numbers from the coaches of several Stillwater teams with whom he worked. This regular section of the blog is in his honor, because it’s the kind of thing he would love.
Loving these gorgeous photos! Replacing fuses better than fuel pumps. And who doesn’t love dolphins!?! Keep counting your stitches