On March 1st, we got underway and crossed Lake Okeechobee in the center of the state. Our first stop was a little marina about 8 miles east of the lake called Indiantown. As we crossed the lake, I noted a strange sound coming from the starboard engine. To make a long story short (and it pains me to repeat it) we had to stay in Indiantown for almost three weeks making engine repairs.
Underway again on March 21st, we stopped at Titusville, Fl and than headed toward Jacksonville. We had an overnight stay in St. Augustine and had a chance to meet with our Canadian friends the Tovel's before they headed back north to Toronto. From St. Augustine we continued to the St. Johns River and than headed south toward our hometown of Green Cove Springs.
We arrived in Green Cove on March 25th and spent 4 days taking care of personal business, restocking the boat and saying good-bye to friends for the summer.
On March 30th, we began the final stretch on Loop #2, heading toward the Intracoastal Waterway with stops in Fernandia Beach, FL, Brunswick, GA, Savannah, GA and today north of Charleston SC harbor.
The last couple of months have been spent enjoying the Holidays, enjoying get togethers with friends and family, and just relaxing. We're ready for this final run to the Chesapeake, hoping to arrive in the Norfolk VA area around April 20th.
Enjoying dinner with friends Skip and Sharon Moore in Clearwater, FL |
Kelly Cromer on board GREAT ESCAPE with his buddy Shipmate |
The Clearwater, FL skyline |
Teresa's mom Bailey joined us in Clearwater for the trip to LaBelle. We now had three dogs on board with her Portuguese water dog Jessie |
The Sarasota, FL waterfront |
The inn at Cabbage Key just north of Fort Meyer's on the west coast |
Deb and John Blom, good neighbors in Green Cove Springs, at Deb's birthday dinner (hence the tiara) |
Friends Maggie and Sam Short visiting from Charlottsville, VA for the Daytona 500 |
Everett Grey Koncius enjoying a portion of his first Christmas |
Celebrating Jack and Emma Delarm's 50th wedding anniversary with their daughter Krist and grandson Troy |
Enjoying a dinner in LaBelle with Teresa's Mom and Stepdad as well as friends Evelyn and Al Love |
Underway from LaBelle with fog on the river |
In Indiantown, we had a dinner on board with Teresa's highschool friends Yvonne and Dan Moncrief |
The dockmaster in Indiantown marina |
Teresa's Mom Bailey visited Indiantown with her girlfriends Mary, Betty and Ike (who won our March Madness tournament this year) |
This 80 foot Burger yacht stayed in Indiantown prior to crossing Lake Okeechobee |
Some trouble on the Intracoastal just north of Daytona |
A warship in dry-dock near the Mayport Naval Base |
The Landing in downtown Jacksonville |
This little beauty belongs to the new owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars |
The city dock in Green Cove Springs |
Having dinner onboard with Deb and John Blom and Ruby Parrish |
Sunrise in Green Cove as we got underway |
The Jacksonville skyline heading into town |
Wild horses on Jekyll Island, GA |
These shrimp boats are actually floating, but there is a significant tidal change in the Georgia Intra-coastal |
Mufasa on dolphin lookout during a windy day |
The Battery in Charleston |
Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor |