Two Way Fish Camp and Mudcat Charlie's

I was foolish to think that a little sunshine was going to make Sunday an easy day of cruising. It was definitely sunny, but it was so cold that three layers of shirts under the "foulies" and three pairs of socks masquerading as mittens still didn't keep us warm. I don't think the temperature got above 40 degrees and there was a 25-knot wind in our faces much of the day.

Now, I know that doesn't sound very cold to all you Hoosiers who are enduring sub-zero weather right now, but we traveled straight through from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. We took turns at the helm so one of us could go inside the cabin to warm up.

In spite of the chill, we managed to log 31 miles. Our day of motoring ended at Two Way Fish Camp Marina, four and a half miles up the Little Altahama River from the ICW.

The difference between staying at a marina and anchoring out for the night is like the difference between camping out and staying at a motel. Camping out can be lots of fun, but after a few days, a motel has a lot to offer. Two Way Fish Camp Marina has friendly folks, hot showers, Maytag washers at 75 cents to wash and 75 cents to dry, and best of all, Mudcat Charlie's Restaurant.

Mudcat Charlie's and the Two Way Fish Camp Marina are about two miles from Darien, Georgia, a small fishing village, population 1,800. We are reliably informed that "Two Way Fish Camp" got its name because there are two ways to fish from there -- to the west is fresh water or go east and you're in saltwater. After we docked, checked in at the marina and straightened up the boat, we made our way across the docks to Mudcat Charlie's.

Mudcat Charlie's looks like a lodge, with knotty pine paneling and floors. The walls are decorated with stuffed deer heads, huge fish, and one nasty-looking wild boar. There is a bar in the middle and about 50 tables, which filled rapidly after we arrived, leading us to believe that Mudcat Charlie's might be the cultural center of Darien.

The waitresses were friendly and informal. Phil ordered the grouper dinner and I had the home-made crab stew, a deep fried soft-shelled crab, and cheese grits. Talk about heavenly..... these coastal Georgia cooks know how to prepare seafood. The Giants/Packers game was on several big-screen televisions and beer was flowing freely at Mudcat Charlie's.

We planned to leave Two Way Fish Camp Marina Monday morning, but once again, the Georgia weather changed our plans. We awoke to a rocking boat fueled by a fierce 35-knot wind that made us feel we were riding out a hurricane. The howling wind continued all day, convincing us that Two Way Fish Camp was the place to stay for now.

We checked in with the marina office about a taxi to town. (Some marinas offer loaner cars, but Two Way Fish Camp is not the loaner-car type of marina.) Darien had no taxi service, but a waitress from Mudcat Charlies came into the office and overheard our conversation. She said, "I have a truck that y'all are welcome to use." She didn't even ask our names, just handed us the keys. We gratefully accepted and drove the two miles (and four bridges) into Darien's only grocery store, a Piggly Wiggly, where we stocked up on what we expected to need for the next week or so. On the way back, we filled up her tank with gas. It was the least we could do for such generosity.

It's Tuesday morning. The hurricane winds have given way to sunny skies, calm water and an expected high today in the lower 60's. After we finish the laundry and fill the diesel tank, we'll continue our journey south.

Margaret

On the road (water) again...

We are headed south! Phil spent Friday morning installing a new motor in the head. He finished about noon and we unhooked the lines after lunch.

Getting out of the marina was not easy. In that area of Georgia, there is a very strong current. The difference between high tide and low tide is nearly six feet. We were tied up between two docks, with a couple of very expensive fishing boats between us and clear water.

We started the two diesel engines and Phil unhooked all but the aft (back) dock line and jumped aboard. I was at the helm and, I admit, it had been a while since I had driven the boat. This is not a gimpy boat. It's 36 feet long and nearly 19 feet wide...picture a floating tank.

With about three knots of current having it's way with my steering, I tried valiantly to clear the fishing boats on the port (left) side, without hitting the dock on the starboard (right) side.

OK...here's the whole story. I missed the first fishing boat. Then, the current caught our boat and began to drive it toward the 2nd fishing boat. I "kissed " the 2nd fishing boat (Phil would say "scraped"). Actually, we traded some paint, but no denting was involved. As I was working to miss the 2nd fishing boat, I over-steered toward the dock on the starboard side and "kissed" the dock (Phil would say "scraped"). Long story short, we exited the marina with no discernible damage to our boat or the expensive fishing boat, and we were on our way south.

The sun was shining for the first time in several days and we felt free at last. Given our late start, we only made a few miles before anchoring, but we were overjoyed at being on our own. We anchored around 4:00 p.m. a few hundred yards up Queen Bess Creek, just off the Intracoastal Waterway. There were dolphins playing around our boat, pelicans dive-bombing for dinner, and geese and ducks everywhere. After we had secured the anchor, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. We had a simple dinner and slept soundly that night.

The rain began around midnight and continued through Saturday morning. We awoke early and had breakfast, firing up the generator so we could watch the weather on TV. Forecasts were bleak...calling for rain most of the day. We considered staying in our cozy anchorage, or heading south. The wanderlust won out and we pulled up the anchor around 9:00 a.m. We donned our newly-purchased "foulies" (foul-weather jackets), which were supposed to keep us warm and dry in our open cockpit. They did a fairly good job and we traveled six hours in rainy/foggy/chilly weather. About 3:00 p.m., we found a secluded, protected anchorage and called it a day.

It's nearly dinner time. We have provisioned well and I'll come up with something comforting for dinner. The rain continues but is supposed to taper off around midnight. We are looking forward to a sunny but chilly day of travel tomorrow. Sunny/chilly beats rainy/chilly every time.

We hope to reach St. Simons Island, Georgia, by tomorrow afternoon. I've got my eye on a marina there, which could mean long, hot showers and a nice restaurant for dinner. Plus a free loaner car to the grocery for milk and bread.

Thanks for reading this blog. We appreciate all your e-mails and your support.

Margaret
Anchored just south of Wahoo Island, Georgia

We were so close to leaving...

We spent yesterday preparing to begin our journey south. We studied navigation charts, plugged in the GPS, chart plotter and other electronic aids, and stowed items that might fall off shelves. The weather reports weren't too promising, but we were ready to go.

When we awoke this morning, we discovered how uncomfortable Georgia's winter weather can be. Brisk winds were stirring up white caps on the Ogeechee River and the boat was straining at the dock lines, rocking back and forth. The sky was gray and the temperature was about 40 degrees, and not expected to go much higher. A low front was moving in from the west and would bring rain by early afternoon.

All of a sudden, a day of motoring down the Intracoastal waterway in an open cockpit didn't have much appeal. We reminded ourselves that we are not on any schedule and decided to spend another day or two at the dock in our warm, comfy boat, waiting until the weather could provide a more comfortable trip.

Delaying our trip turned out to be a good idea. Not long after making the decision to wait, the head (toilet) stopped working. Most systems on this catamaran are electrical, and the head is no exception. You push a button on the wall and the toilet flushes, or at least it's supposed to. Phil took the system apart and discovered that the pump that is supposed to make the flush happen had died from old age (the boat is 13 years old).

A few telephone calls later and a new pump was ordered and would arrive tomorrow. We made arrangements to borrow a car for the trip to the store, since we had turned in our rental car yesterday.

So, if you're picturing us snorkeling in gin-clear water and sunbathing on the front deck, just replace that vision with tools all over the bathroom floor, howling wind and chilly rain. The snorkeling and sunbathing will come soon enough.

For now, we've learned two good lessons. First, when you live on a boat, the weather determines your plans. Second, something will always need to be fixed.

Margaret

Almost Ready

Thanks to all the well-wishers who read the article in the Daily Journal and sent us messages. We appreciated your kind thoughts. And thanks to Annette Jones and the Daily Journal for a fine job.

Who knew it got so cold in Georgia? The days have been spring-like, but last night it dropped into the low 30's, and that's cold on the water. We have a small heater on board that we fired up this morning to take the chill off.

Our trip from Greenwood to Savannah took only three hours. The air travel was uneventful, except for having to horse four big suitcases and some very heavy carry-ons, loaded with lots of books. One thing all cruisers seem to have in common is being voracious readers. We do have a television on board, but we don't seem to watch too much TV. (Except for the Colts and the IU basketball game yesterday. A sad loss for the Colts and another great win for the Hoosiers.)

We have spent the last few days "provisioning." That basically means going to WalMart and Sam's Club to stock up on everything you think you might need on a two-week trip down the IntraCoastal Waterway. We will probably have access to stores from time to time, but you never know for sure. Even when we are docked at a marina (rather than anchoring out), we may not be within walking distance of a grocery. Some marinas have loaner cars, some don't.

We are hoping to leave Ft. McAllister early Wednesday morning. We will turn in the rental car tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon, then make our final preparations for casting off. There is a lot to do, not the least of which is studying the charts, , testing the engines, topping off the diesel and water supplies, and making sure everything on board is tied down or stowed so it won't come crashing down if we encounter turbulence from a passing speedboat or high winds

If all goes well, we can make about 50 miles a day. I haven't figured out how long it will take to get to Miami averaging 50 miles a day. I don't want to know. We'll get there when we get there. That's the point of this adventure...we're not on a schedule. When we find an interesting place where we want to linger on the way South, that's what we'll do. Cumberland Island is one such place. On the way north, when we were on a schedule, we passed by Cumberland Island and saw wild horses from a distance. This time, I'd like to anchor out nearby and hike through that wilderness, and maybe take some pictures of those horses to post on this website.

Phil and I have been married for 38 years. We have lived in Greenwood most of our lives and have raised two children. As we move into retirement, we have chosen an unusual path. We are embarking on an adventure into the unknown.

We have much to learn. We'll do our best to describe for you what it's like to start from scratch, moving onto a 36' catamaran sailboat with hardly any boating experience, but lots of enthusiasm. We'll share our triumphs and our failures. I promise only that we'll try to be honest and accurate in our descriptions.

Margaret McGovern

Long time, no blog......

OK, maybe it's been a while since our last update. We did manage to get Sunshine up to Savannah, GA without serious incident where the boat is docked at a marina on the Ogeechee River a few miles off the ICW. We've made a couple of trips down there and have spent several days on the boat, cleaning, fixing, organizing and, mainly, just goofing around. We have also had lots of fun exploring Savannah which is a very cool place to visit.

Things should get a lot more interesting very soon, though. Right now, we're at home getting ready for the holidays and trying to figure out what people are supposed to do when they expect to be gone for 5 or 6 months -- lots to think about.

Ready or not, we fly out of Indianapolis on January 10th and will spend a couple of days onboard while we get things sorted out for our trip down the ICW. We'll keep going until the butter melts -- probably in the Miami area -- with a few stops along the way to visit family and friends. As we get farther South, there are more and more bridges to contend with, so we may get our courage up and go "outside" into the deep, blue water when we get closer to Miami.

Once we get to Miami, we plan to spend several days (or weeks) in the Biscayne Bay while we learn to sail. The bay is large enough that we should be able to make lots of mistakes without hitting other boats. From there, we'll head East to Bimini and the rest of the Bahamas (or South to the Florida Keys) for several weeks (or months). Yes, there is some uncertainty about our plans, but that's what's so great about them. We have no schedule that's a good thing. The whole idea is to do some exploring, learn about cruising and, most important, to have a good time.

We have enough doo dads and gizmos on board, that it will be difficult for us to get lost or to run into anything. We also will have our cell phones and should have some sort of Internet connection. Once we get to the Bahamas, communication may get a little tricky, but we'll find a way. They are not famous for their telephone or Internet service, but I'm sure we'll get by.

Finally, we promise to do a better job of keeping this blog up to date with lots of amazing pictures and fascinating sea stories, so please stay tuned. If you would like leaving a comment, we'd love to hear how you're getting along.

Best wishes for the holidays to one and all! Wish us luck!

Our next voyage....up the ditch!

Our very first re-fueling draws a crowd of admiring onlookers.

and

Nothing quells a mutiny like a few random beheadings early in the voyage.

Watch where you're going!

We hate that low steel.

The Captain is on break.

Our next voyage will start on June 13th and will take us up the ICW from Melbourne, FL to a spot on the Ogeechee River that is just South of Savannah, GA. Normally, it would take about a week, but we're allowing two weeks -- just in case.

We plan to leave Melbourne on or about the 14th and go to Titusville, FL where we'll pick up our friend and fellow PDQ36 owner, Rich. He will ride with us as far as Jacksonville. At that point, my brother-in-law and Navy veteran, Tom Harnishfeger, is planning to join us for the rest of the way to Savannah.

We plan to motor the whole way but might get brave enough to raise the sails if we can find a really wide spot in the ICW where we aren't likely to hit anything. We'll have several chances to improve our bridge raising skills along the way and we'll know a lot more about our boat and the ICW by the time we get to Savannah.

We will probably leave Sunshine in the Savannah area until we figure out where to go next. Another sailing friend who lives there has offered to let us "park" Sunshine behind his house for a while and we will most likely take him up on his offer. Savannah sounds like a very cool area to explore and, after we have spent a while there, we may well head farther North up the ICW -- maybe to the Chesapeake Bay area.

We have been warned about some mosquito-like bugs known as "sand gnats" that thrive in coastal Georgia. The locals love them because they eat Yankees and, then, the shrimp eat the sand gnats. In effect, the sand gnats turn Yankees into shrimp. We are going to try saying "y'all" a lot so that the sand gnats will think we're locals and leave us alone.

Wish us "fair winds" and stay tuned for the next chapter.

Captain Phil
s/v Sunshine

We didn't break anything!

We just spent a week on Sunshine at her dock in Melbourne, FL and, despite taking a couple of short motor trips, we didn't break anything -- at least nothing that can't be fixed. She is a fine ship and appears to be in very good condition with a LOT of extra gear and conveniences.

We had our first overnight guests: the Admiral's brother, Allen, and his wife, Dorie. We took them on a trip of about two miles down the Grand Canal, under a couple of bridges, to a marina fuel dock where we filled the tank and, then, and out into the Indian River which forms part of the Intracoastal Waterway. We experimented with lots of switches, buttons, knobs, and dials and, in the process, learned a lot about our ship. After some fooling around, most everything worked, but a few things (like the "flush" button for the head) need a little encouragement. There are so many "systems," gizmos, and doo dads on Sunshine that it will take a while before everything makes sense to us.

A couple of days later, we took another trip with Sunshine's landlord, Rod, who is an Annapolis graduate and an airplane pilot. He also knows the area very well was very helpful to us as we motored out into the ICW and ventured a little further than we had on the previous trip.

We were also visited by Jeanette and Kenny Thompson and their friend, Gunther, and enjoyed an meal with them at a local seafood restaurant. Gunther is a sailor and wanted very much to show us how to sail our boat, but we had to tell him that we weren't quite ready for that yet.

We also drove up to Titusville to have dinner with Roger and Bonnie Ford of s/v Kokomo and Rich Tanner of s/v Feral Cat. During dinner and for a couple of hours afterwards, we picked their brains unmercifully since their boats are also PDQ 36's and they had just returned the previous day from the Bahamas.

We were also visited by our Melbourne friends, Sam and Gina Densler, who own s/v Lady of the Lakes which is another PDQ 36 that they keep docked just a few miles away. We spent a few hours asking zillions of questions and Sam was kind enough to fix and/or resolve several issues that we had encountered on Sunshine.

It is truly incredible how helpful fellow cruisers (especially fellow PDQ 36 owners) are and we would be totally lost without them.

At the end of the week, we both felt that we knew our boat and her various systems well enough that we could make our way up the ICW under power. Again, sailing will have to wait until we get to a place that has LOTS of sea room for us to practice in.

Our maiden voyage was from our rented dock to a public dock which is across the canal and about 200' away. We managed to untie the docklines and get the boat underway without too much trouble but the drama began about one minute and 50' into our voyage when we managed to run aground right next to our freakin dock! It seems that no one had warned us that the opposite side of our canal was only about 2' deep. We were unable to get loose by gunning the engines, but managed to avoid calling for a Coast Guard rescue by the Captain jumping into the water and pushing the boat sideways into deeper water.

The birds and fish around our dock are amazing. Ospreys, pelican, ducks, and geese are everywhere along with dolphins, manatees and all sorts of things that go splash and plonk into the water. Unfortunately, we also encountered a bunch of "noseeums" that bite at night and leave itchy red dots all over your feet and ankles. A goodly supply of "Off" will be on our next packing list.

We took tons of pictures and I will post a few of them here. If anyone wants to see more, just let us know. Some of them will be of interest to no one except other PDQ 36 owners -- like the picture of the inside of our port chain locker or the one of our refrigerator compressor.

We hope to get back down to see our baby within a few weeks and, who knows, maybe we'll be brave enough to begin the trip up the ICW. Folks tell us that the average distance covered in a day of motoring on the ICW is about 50 miles what with the bridge openings and a few locks that have to be dealt with. At that rate, we could realistically expect to get to somewhere in the Savannah, GA area within a week. Wish us luck!