After 4 days in Daytona Beach waiting and successfully getting our scupper hoses replaced, we finally made it to New Smyrna Beach where are good friends Tara and Carol had been waiting for us since we departed Yorktown nearly a month ago.
Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating. With strong winds and swift reversing tidal currents, we were afraid to leave our boat unattended in the anchorage. A quick glance at the boats around us showed why we were concerned.
If the wind and current are aligned, the boat sits very comfortably in one spot at the end of the anchor chain. But when the wind is against the current, the boat sails back and forth as wind on the rigging and current on the keel fight against each other sending the boat in all different directions. These pulls and tugs in all different directions and 1-2 ft waves created by wind against the tide, is what can pull a well set anchor out of the bottom and allow you to drag towards shallow water. Here's a view from our chartplotter showing the movements of the boat when the wind is against the tide. The red x is where our anchor is set at. The darker blue is where the shallow water is reported according to our charts but fortunately they were not accurate and it was 10 ft deep throughout this area. Inaccurate charts is another factor contributing to stress and anxiety.
So, we spent the next two days sitting on the boat waiting for the winds to die down, talking to our friends on the phone. Carol and Tara moved to FL over the summer, and we had been waiting to see them since they left. It was very frustrating to sit at anchor and see them standing on the dock of the yacht club. We filled our waiting with books, puzzles and of course, knitting.
Two days later the wind dropped and we were able to raise the anchor and proceed to the city marina. Not so fast though. As we throttled forward, the boat wasn't making any way through the water. We were just drifting across the channel. Something wrong with the transmission. We quickly dropped the anchor back down to troubleshoot the problem. When I inspected the transmission and shaft I discovered the six bolts holding the engine drive train to the propeller shaft had all backed off and the shaft was totally disconnected. We had had our shaft worked on in Yorktown last summer and apparently the boatyard there did not properly tighten the bolts when they put the shaft back together.
All turned out well as I was able to simply reattach the shaft. None of the bolts were stripped or damaged so it was an easy fix to just screw them back in and tighten them properly. Another lesson learned, should check that periodically after you have work done. Within 30 mins we were ready to go again. The only effect of our shaft issue was that Rivah's sleeping area was getting smaller and smaller as we had to move items around in the aft cabin to be able to get to the shaft area and check to make sure all was well.
One benefit of having to sit for a couple days waiting on the wind was that the free town docks, which were closed for docking during the Art Festival over the weekend, were now available. We were able to stay there two nights as no other boats showed up to dock. There is room for 3 boats there if everyone ties up properly.
Finally we were able to visit with our friends and see the sights of New Smyrna. It is a very pretty and artsy town and beach area without too much commercial development. That probably won't last. We took Rivah out to the Ponce Inlet where the wind was still blowing strong. A cold front with cold winds was blowing through but the cloudless sky allowed the sun to warm you especially with dark jackets on. Rivah enjoyed running and retrieving her ball on the beach but wasn't too keen on the sand the got in her mouth each time she picked up the ball.
Carol and Tara took us to Florida's Blue Spring state park to see the manatees, that come to the spring to hang out in the warm waters. There were over 350 manatees reported to be in the park grounds that day. We saw lots of them through the crystal clear waters along with tarpon and several other species of fish.
After touring the manatee waters it was time to check out the local brewery. the IPAs and Stouts were great.
The big attraction of New Smyrna Beach is the actual beach where they still allow the public to drive the cars out on the beach (for a fee). It was another chilly but sunny day and a great day to sightsee along the beach.
All too soon it was time to move on south (towards warmer weather) heading on to Miami, the Florida Keys and ultimately to Charlotte Harbor. Before we departed we had breakfast with Carol and Tara at the Jason's Corner cafe. The cute feature there was the doggy menu. Rivah loves eggs for breakfast and got a great treat.
Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating. With strong winds and swift reversing tidal currents, we were afraid to leave our boat unattended in the anchorage. A quick glance at the boats around us showed why we were concerned.
If the wind and current are aligned, the boat sits very comfortably in one spot at the end of the anchor chain. But when the wind is against the current, the boat sails back and forth as wind on the rigging and current on the keel fight against each other sending the boat in all different directions. These pulls and tugs in all different directions and 1-2 ft waves created by wind against the tide, is what can pull a well set anchor out of the bottom and allow you to drag towards shallow water. Here's a view from our chartplotter showing the movements of the boat when the wind is against the tide. The red x is where our anchor is set at. The darker blue is where the shallow water is reported according to our charts but fortunately they were not accurate and it was 10 ft deep throughout this area. Inaccurate charts is another factor contributing to stress and anxiety.
So, we spent the next two days sitting on the boat waiting for the winds to die down, talking to our friends on the phone. Carol and Tara moved to FL over the summer, and we had been waiting to see them since they left. It was very frustrating to sit at anchor and see them standing on the dock of the yacht club. We filled our waiting with books, puzzles and of course, knitting.
Two days later the wind dropped and we were able to raise the anchor and proceed to the city marina. Not so fast though. As we throttled forward, the boat wasn't making any way through the water. We were just drifting across the channel. Something wrong with the transmission. We quickly dropped the anchor back down to troubleshoot the problem. When I inspected the transmission and shaft I discovered the six bolts holding the engine drive train to the propeller shaft had all backed off and the shaft was totally disconnected. We had had our shaft worked on in Yorktown last summer and apparently the boatyard there did not properly tighten the bolts when they put the shaft back together.
All turned out well as I was able to simply reattach the shaft. None of the bolts were stripped or damaged so it was an easy fix to just screw them back in and tighten them properly. Another lesson learned, should check that periodically after you have work done. Within 30 mins we were ready to go again. The only effect of our shaft issue was that Rivah's sleeping area was getting smaller and smaller as we had to move items around in the aft cabin to be able to get to the shaft area and check to make sure all was well.
One benefit of having to sit for a couple days waiting on the wind was that the free town docks, which were closed for docking during the Art Festival over the weekend, were now available. We were able to stay there two nights as no other boats showed up to dock. There is room for 3 boats there if everyone ties up properly.
Finally we were able to visit with our friends and see the sights of New Smyrna. It is a very pretty and artsy town and beach area without too much commercial development. That probably won't last. We took Rivah out to the Ponce Inlet where the wind was still blowing strong. A cold front with cold winds was blowing through but the cloudless sky allowed the sun to warm you especially with dark jackets on. Rivah enjoyed running and retrieving her ball on the beach but wasn't too keen on the sand the got in her mouth each time she picked up the ball.
Carol and Tara took us to Florida's Blue Spring state park to see the manatees, that come to the spring to hang out in the warm waters. There were over 350 manatees reported to be in the park grounds that day. We saw lots of them through the crystal clear waters along with tarpon and several other species of fish.
After touring the manatee waters it was time to check out the local brewery. the IPAs and Stouts were great.
The big attraction of New Smyrna Beach is the actual beach where they still allow the public to drive the cars out on the beach (for a fee). It was another chilly but sunny day and a great day to sightsee along the beach.
All too soon it was time to move on south (towards warmer weather) heading on to Miami, the Florida Keys and ultimately to Charlotte Harbor. Before we departed we had breakfast with Carol and Tara at the Jason's Corner cafe. The cute feature there was the doggy menu. Rivah loves eggs for breakfast and got a great treat.
After saying goodbye's it was off for southern Florida...
