Some areas of the US East Coast's Intracoastal Waterway regualarly fill up with sand and silt from the small tributary creeks and rivers along its length. Certain sections are actually shallow rivers, themselves. This constant water action builds up sand bars, expands them, and sometimes even causes them to migrate from one point to another.…
Charting errors can occur anywhere. There's a running joke among cruisers along Mexico's Pacific coast, about how the charts in certain areas – most recently surveyed in the 1860s by a US Naval vessel – are some 5 miles off. Everybody takes pictures of their chart plotters showing that their boat is on land, when…
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…
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,…
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…
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 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 –…
I spent some time in Stuart working on smaller sewing projects while there were no cushions in the saloon and I was farming out the bigger jobs to Canvas Works. It still left me with plenty to do: I visited a local upholstery shop and sewed new curtains and tie-backs out of some fancy-patterned, silky-textured…
Tarpon Springs is located near Florida's Gulf Coast, north of the Tampa Bay area. Historically, the town was important because the nearby Gulf waters is one of the few areas in the world where certain commercially-desirable species of sponges grow. During the 1890s fishermen from Tarpon Springs made their living by harvesting these sponges using…
One thing that strikes you negatively about the US after having traveled through several foreign countries is the absence of cheap, accessible public transportation. Except for a few of the largest coastal cities, life in the US generally means that to get anywhere, you have to go by car. Florida is no exception. And it…