Hawks Channel & The Fla Keys

We have been to Key West before by car. The farthest south we have gone by boat was Marathon last year where we turned N/NE and went to the Florida Everglades and worked our way up the west coast of Fla. So this was a new experience.

We departed Ft Lauderdale and traveled south via the ICW, it was way too rough on the outside for a comfortable passage. Winds were out of the N/NE 15-20 kts and building, this close to the gulf stream winds in opposition to the 2-3kts gulf current can give big steep waves close in.
The inside run is certainly stimulating with much to see and lot's of activity. Tedious because of so many "go slow" manatee zones and  bridges. You can count on it taking twice as long as it should. We had a worry at the intersection of the ICW and Haulovers inlet. A notoriously skinny spot, which we were relieved to find had just been dredged. The last time we went through this area there was a TowBoat US and Seatow on site knowing that inevitable groundings would occur. For some a bad day for others a rather good living. We crossed without incident but held to the greens which had a tad more water and a softer sandy bottom. The reds have rocks near them and the winds were blowing such that you were being pushed towards the reds & out of the channel and we needed to compensate.

Our plans were to anchor all the way to KW, with the first anchorage in Key Biscayne.  
This was also the first anchor attempt with the new Rocna 55. Our initial and every attempt since has been met with fast setting and great holding. Our last anchor, a CQR would take  20-30ft and sometimes up to 60 feet to set properly depending on the bottom type. While the Rochna would almost set where it first lands. Quite an improvement.

We did not have really strong winds, rather an average in the mid teens most nights. Retrieving the anchor was straight forward but it did bring up a bit of the bottom with it, which was strangely reassuring to me to see how well it had set, buried might be more apt. On our first retrieval we found an old phone handset in the muck with a cord & plug, including a sea slug. Quite a trophy. The waters were clear and beautiful and we cooked dinner on the grill, enjoying the tranquility of the setting.

We were traveling south with our friends Barry and Alice aboard Risky Business (pictured to the left) in Hawks Channel. A channel off the east side of the Keys in the ocean but protected by a line of coral reefs further east. Typically it will be a smoother ride than outside the reef. Our original plan had been to stop in three anchorages along the way but looking at the weather forecast a cold front with high winds was due to move through the area one day ahead of our planned arrival date. So we decided to pick up the pace and get into port a day sooner. On the second night we chose a spot to anchor just south of Channel Five Bridge that was exposed to the south but afforded some protection from winds to the N/NE. It was a bit rolly but other wise a comfortable night after a longer day than expected. Our good anchor did a great job again of a quick set and held us well. Winds were not bad, but some were gusty. Looking at the anchor watch and swing radius the next morning we were in a nice and tight arc.

When we anchor at night we set an anchor watch. Which is a common feature of  chart plotters, we have 3 separate for redundancy. We mark our location and draw a radius around the boat. If we were to slip anchor and drag outside of that radius an alarm will sound to alert us. Been there and done that in high winds & it is not fun. We set up a baby monitor in the pilot house and the other in our stateroom to be certain we would hear it. The display also shows, as a track, how the boat moves while at anchor making it easy to see how the boat moves as it is pushed by winds or tides. We ended up with a nice tight arc. Both reassuring and helps make a quick assessment of how we are doing. And of course we always set our snubber lines to take the stress of the anchor windless and it is much quieter. This is an interesting picture in that it shows the snubbers taking the strain and the slack chain going aft to the bow pulpit. Also it shows how well the anchor is set because as the wind blew, the chain came out of the water during a gust as the boat pulled against the set anchor. In this picture we were in 8' of water and had about 110' of chain out.

Tech comment;

Some confuse scope as meaning chain from bow pulpit to sea bottom, that would mean in 8' of water would be 56 ft of chain/line which would be incorrect for a 7:1 scope.

Scope= L/D+d  


L= length of rode from anchor ring attached to the anchor to the bow pulpit,
d= from the water line to the bow pulpit 
D= water line to the bottom

For example in the case of 10 ft depth and 110 ft of chain is deployed, assuming the bow pulpit on Seabright is 10 ft above the water line:

110/10+10 = 5.5 scope

Minimum scope on an all chain rode is 4:1 solving backwards that would be a total of 60 ft of chain. For a 7:1 would be 140 ft

The holding power of an anchor is highest when the force on the anchor shaft is horizontal and weakest when it is vertical. Chain gives more pull down on the anchor shaft, keeping it horizontal than rope and is therefore preferred.

Min anchor rode is 4:1 for all chain rode and 10:1 all rope, combo is 7:1.
Chain however adds nothing to the shock absorbing capabilities like rope and once stretched taut and it can be broken, a very good reason for snubbers or additional anchor in a really bad storm.

It is fuel polishing time; tech talk (not a pretty subject)

While we have been enjoying the warmer weather in the SE, we are currently in Key West, our diesel fuel has been hard at work creating sludge and what is called asphaltenes,  http://fuelschool.blogspot.com/search/label/Asphaltene.

Fuel as a biologic substance is affected by many factors including temperature, moisture and contaminates. Aside from routine maintenance, most engine problems can be traced back to fuel management. Particularly problematic after sitting for prolonged periods and then going out in seas that agitate the fuel.
 This causes all of the gunk that has been formed and is sitting on the bottom of the
fuel tanks to become suspended in the fuel which is then picked up by the engine and run through the filters. The filters, made by Racor do a very good job of filtering and separating out the water, but you can overwhelm them with dirty fuel and water.

The potential is for  clogged filters which shut the engines down and or smaller particles accumulating on the injectors which over time cause performance deterioration as well general fouling of the injectors. Additionally, water accumulates, often the result of condensation from temp changes or it was present in the fuel when it was sold.

The longer you sit the greater the risk, conversely the more you run the boat and "turn over" the fuel the less the problem.The other risk is getting dirty fuel from either bad storage tanks on shore or where the fuel has sat too long before being sold. We try to find places that have high turnover of fuel and the facility is visually, at least in good shape. When traveling in more remote places, that option is not always available however. Fuel sold outside the US is sometimes more suspect also. Whenever we take on new fuel it is a good idea to run it through the polishing system.

To help manage this problem last year we installed a "fuel polishing" system made by ESI
http://www.fuelmanagement.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=125

Our ESI fuel polishing system is mounted on the forward bulk head of the port side of the engine room. We can polish (filter) about 180-200 g/hr. We can filter the fuel to 2 microns.

We have the capacity for 2000 gal and currently have on board about 1500g. The pump creates enough force to agitate and stir up the gunk that can then be picked up by the filters. My practice has been to filter 150% of the fuel.
The reason is the fuel pick up tubes draw from the bottom of the fuel tanks returning the filtered fuel to the top. To ensure we have a filtered all of the fuel I like to do more than is needed. We will in essence filter 2250 g. of fuel in tie next few days.

A slightly different view showing the fuel manifold system below the ESI polishing. These are the valves that control which of the three SS fuel tanks fuel is being drawn and returned to, as well as which of the two engines and 2 generators are supplied fuel.

Aft facing port engine and generator ( in white sound shield). You can also see the Max Q water maker which is modular and part is on the bulkhead part on a table behind the exhaust elbow and part not seen. This makes for easy installation and service when needed. We can make (desalinate) 1200 gal of water a day.

Seabright has a great stand up lazarette, you can see the Trace inverter as well as a battery charger and the house battery bank. We have 8 255amp hr batteries for a bit over 1020 amp hours that can power a series of appliances and electronics when we are running or at anchor. We use our generators to charge the battery bank after use.
I will try and address each system in future notes and cover with greater detail.

Snubbers

Since my last note on our new Rocna anchor we have anchored out several nights. Having discussed snubbers, I thought it might make sense to add a few pictures of what they look like and how I deploy them. In this picture you can see two lines coming from the boat and attaching to the chain. The stress of the anchor and chain are transferred to the line and boat. A little harder to see but the chain on the roller is slack.

the snubber attaches to the chain with the use of a chain grabber, which slides onto the chain links. The lines are attached to the line via a thimble and shackle. Hard to see but the shackles are secured and wired so they will not loosen. The chain after the snubber attachment is quite slack!
We had great luck anchoring out with the new anchor. It sets really really fast and buries into the bottom. If there is a downside it would be that it comes up with a lots of sand or what ever the bottom type is. In a way I find that comforting.

The waters here are a brilliant blue green.

It's big and it's ugly but it is great

I have for some time been considering changing our 110lbs CQR Plow anchor to something else. I have had concerns which have grown with each anchoring about the ability of our anchor to set quickly and hold as the winds kick up. The CQR is a hinged shaft to plow and was a big improvement in its day. But it does have some decided disadvantages all of which I have experienced in one form or fashion. On the "bright side" it was SS and looked really nice.

It will take sometimes up to 60 feet to set which in a crowded or narrow space is problematic. We have also dragged in some windy weather and it will not reset unless you raise it and set it straight down again. Err. In my mind at least I have come to think of it as a fair weather anchor that on a summer night in light winds works well; otherwise you need to be extra vigilant on anchor watches. Here is a video of a set example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmGAckf69pE&feature=related

This past Friday I had a new Rocna 55 (121lbs) galvanized anchor put on  (http://www.rocna.com/our-story/features-of-a-rocna/ )  It is a bit bigger on the ugly side but to me it is a thing of beauty. It is designed to set quickly and deep. The roll bar helps align it to the proper position to set quickly.We are traditional when anchoring, we deploy a minimum of 7:1 scope, meaning 7 feet of chain for every foot of depth. We use an all chain of rode and we set snubbers.  Snubbers are ropes we attach from the bow on the port and starboard side hawser holes which are then are attached to the chain. They act as a shock absorber as the boat swings on the anchor and takes the stress off the windlass. Tomorrow we will depart Ft Lauderdale City Docks on New River and travel to Key Biscayne Bay for an anchorage followed by an anchorage in either Rodriquez Key or Channel Five Bridge area then Marathon anchorage and ending in Key West.

 The weather looks to be good with winds from the SE and seas will be fine for running down Hawks Channel all the way to Key West. This gives us a great opportunity to put this bad boy anchor to the test and hopefully sleep well at night.

It boils down to give me a big, heavy ugly anchor any day over a nice looking hull ornament. The business end of the bow is meant for anchoring other wise we would stay at a dock! 

Risky Business

We joined up with Risky Business yesterday and today traveled the ICW with them from St. Augustine to Daytona. A pleasant and leisurely day.
The only challenge was the Matanzas River Inlet and a chronic shoaling problem at r 80 day marker extending until the next red. You really need to hug the reds in the area where sometimes it feels as though you might drive your boat up on the beach. Good water however with 10-11 ft all the way. Go a bit closer to the greens and it is a call to Tow Boat US.
We had the added advantage of part of a dock about 20x 6' floating in the middle of the waterway.

Always on the lookout for birds we found this heron sitting quietly on a tree stump.
For those interested our bird count so far is; Great lesser Blue Heron, White Egret and lesser, brown & white Pelicans (we have seen more flocking whites than ever before), mallards, hooded merganser, 4 bald eagles, osprey, sea gulls, Ibis and cormorants.

Departing this am we went past the old Spanish fort in St Augustine. This always is such an impressive site.
We went through the Bridge of Lions Bridge at the 7:30am opening. It was the first time through for us, now that the construction is done and everything is back to normal.

Fernandina Beach to St Augustine

A perennial favorite, we love to stop at is Fernandina Beach. This is the first time coming from the north and the ICW. Usually we are pulling in after an overnight ocean run from Charleston and use this place as a stop-over to replenish and refuel.  Our arrival felt different as a result.
The town is charming and very convenient to walk to. We always find something interesting to do and good places to eat. We spent three days here and had ample time to poke around and most importantly we were here on a Saturday for the farmers market and the February air temps were delightful. The other must is to replenish our shrimp "locker" with fresh caught wild shrimp at a local Seafood store. Grrreat stuff.

The farmers' market was well attended with lots of produce; not quite sure where it was from but we loaded up on all of the essentials as well as some home made hot tamales, we're talking seriously good. We walked around the outside of the town and off the beaten paths and found a very interesting series of roads and homes.

Since we are always on the look out for pelicans we found this one outside the Seafood store obviously looking for some grub.

The important chore of the stay was washing and cleaning the boat. Having sat in Charleston for the past several months we
(read me) let this chore slide a bit. While I do like cleaning the boat somehow 40 degree temps and wind take the fun out of it. It was in need of a good basic cleaning & took all one day. I felt there was plenty more to be done yet satisfied I got the big stuff.





Sunday is the day we leave for St. Augustine and meet up with Risky Business. We will travel with Barry & Alice together to Key West and the Outer Reef Rendezvous, where they head on to the Bahamas and we head north again. They have the better itinerary and a great time to go to the islands. For us that is a next year event.
Our original plan had been to meet Risky Business at the ICW-St Johns intersection in the mid morning time frame. Barry found he had to leave earlier due to a low low tide or risk getting stuck. We caught up with them in St Augustine and now are snugly tied up along side in the Camachee Marina.
On our way to St. Augustine we came across this Heron "high rise". We counted 6 nests  perched in the transmission tower, a first.

Tomorrow we are off for Daytona Beach  and hopefully this very fine "shorts" weather will continue.

Here is a nice picture of Risky Business and Seabright together in St Augustine.

 

The Mud River & prepare to be boarded

We have for the past several years avoided the Mud River in southern Ga, arguably the worst spot on the ICW. It is not uncommon to hear others say noooo! only on a mid tide or higher. In the past we wrestled with this question and for good or bad have been able to make a longer offshore run either north or south bound, usually an overnighter. Thus missing all of Ga., in fact, we have not been through the Ga. ICW in a very long time.

This is one of those spots where we can never time it well. It seems the tide here always works against us with a low on the Mud River occurring  at a particularly bad time. Yesterday the offshore weather forecast had a "back door" cold front coming through with 25kt winds from the NE and 4-6 ' seas with 6-8sec pd, rather snotty in our view; we have done it but why bounce around if you do not need to. Our experience has been if they call for 4-6' waves count on something worse. Seabright runs like a champ in these waters but riding up and down short tall and steep waves when you do not need to is something else. It is the wave period that is the issue, sometimes you are not out of one before into the next. In deep blue water ocean 6-8' rollers are not uncommon but close in like this is not a fun ride.

We departed Isle of Hope Marina at 6:30am to make the 7am bridge opening at Skidaway Bridge, which has a rush hour opening restriction. We typically snake along the ICW very slowly with our spot light on in the predawn inky darkness. Amazingly as we passed a couple of anchorages most of the boats did not have on anchor lights. One had a solar powered light that you can buy at Walmart for $4, that you can see only when very close. I would have missed it all together if not by a fluke and figured out what it is.  These are unsafe but not uncommon practices.

Concerning navigating the Mud River we look at Active Captain as well as other sites;
https://www.activecaptain.com/X.php

Little Mud River, MM655, the straight section between R192 and G193 has about 8' to 9' MLW on ICW line, except for a slight hump to 6 to 7' off Crooked Creek.  Approaching the bend, southbound, it shoals up a little to around 6' MLW then back to 7' MLW in the bend, slightly on the green side (outside), then 8' off R194 (100' away).On the south end of Little Mud River, aim at a point exactly in the middle between G195 and the range marker.  Then make a sharp turn on the range.  This should give about 7.5 to 8' MLW off G195 then increasing to 12' on the range.  Splitting in the middle of the G and range markers, then getting on the range without cutting or overshooting the corner seems to be the best option.

A recent remark;


Date: 2011-01-24
Captain: Capt Keylime, Oriental, NC (125)

Passed through here mid-January 2011 at low tide.  Good thing we only draw 3 ft on our 36 ft sportfisher because there was only 4 ft beneath our transducer for most of the length of Little Mud River.
To that we added;

We normally go "outside" to avoid this part of the waterway but it was so snotty we opted to travel the ICW. We came through 1.5hrs after a low tide with an incoming current and 20+ kt winds from the NE. We draw 5ft (truthfully more with extra stuff on board) and 65 ft length. Instructions given earlier are generally good especially and the southern end.Would add go slow and do not squat your stern. There are multiple range markers, line up carefully and stay lined up. Stray outside the ranges and your are aground.Tugs drawing 8 ft go through here all the time and in speaking with one he was adamant about the ranges. On the north entry, southbound, generally favors the west side of the channel and the last third on the southern end favors the eastern side of the channel. Check the winds before going,  you can have a situation where a strong wind and outgoing tide can push more water out and giving you less depth than normal, which was the case the day before we went through.

The water was skinny but we did fine. After going through and running in deeper water getting closer to our days' final destination we were hailed by a CG vessel who very politely asked to board for a "courtesy examination". Two CG officers, armed, came aboard while we kept our  headway at 5kts and in about 15 min completed a safety examination which we passed with flying colors.

It was a chilly day but we did see some signs of early spring;

 The first Osprey nest we have seen this season. These guys are getting a chilly jump on things. Happily we also heard the sounds of a lawn mower while sitting at the dock in IOH. Soon very soon the jackets are coming off and the shorts and flip flops on. 

We have not seen many white pelicans yet and this was one of the larger flocks. This is along Mud River, you can see the exposed shore line which is always impressive with a 7' tide.

The ICW all the way, yikes!

We had a fairly short trip today of 56sm. Our timing had us traveling through a low tide and a few shallow spots particularly at the south side of Ramshorn Creek, took a bit of hunting for "good water". Otherwise we had, for the most part, a favorable current which increased our speed by 1.5mph.
Traveling along the ICW I keep our chart plotter on "statute miles" instead of "nautical miles because that is how the ICW is measured. Easier to keep track of things; otherwise we use nautical miles.

Ever different, on this trip we have been surprised by the number of bald eagles we have seen. Four yesterday, of which one few close enough to touch, unfortunately could not get to the camera in time.

We found this one sitting on a shore line of drift wood.

A group of pelicans watching the boats go by

Not something you see everyday. Looks like a European canal barge boat.



Today is our decision day. Which way to go. Our options include a brief outside run to St. Simons Island or an inside run in the ICW. Either way it would be a long day of about 87nm and the need to time a bridge near the Isle of Hope Marina were we are for tonight's stay. The complicating factors are both weather and tides. Unfortunately there is a front coming through and the waves will kick up offshore making that option unattractive. Doable but not fun.

The inside run includes the notorious Mud River which is one of the worst spots, if not the worst spot on the waterway. There is a 7 foot tidal swing and the typical recommendation is to travel only on a mid-to-high tide. There are sections at low tide that are reported to be 4 ft or less. On some ICW blogs others report depths ok often giving conflicting advice on how to navigate to find good water.
Last year we opted to go off shore around this spot when going south and when going north we have gone offshore. The wind and waves make this less appealing and we have decided to go the ICW all the way.
The Mud River is 68sm from the marina we are staying in and the low tide is predicted to be at 12:28pm. Given the tidal range we would like to hit this area no sooner than 3pm. That adds about 3ft of tide to the overall depth and we think we can skirt through ok?
We plan on leaving the Isle of Hope Marina at 6:30 am, a slack current at high tide and go through the Skidway Bridge at 7am thus avoiding rush hour restrictions in effect until 9am. From there we will go slow to time our arrival and once through will kick up our speed to get to the nights' stop at St. Simons Island.
We could anchor for the night at one of several good anchorages and time our arrival to a high tide, but honestly I have some reservations about our anchor (that is story for another day).
If we can eek our way through Mud River that is our preference. If we have reservations, we will drop anchor in Tea Kettle Creek?