On April 21 three boats from the Cape Coral Cruise Club left Cape Coral northbound to the “Golden Isles” of Georgia. These were boats that cruised under 20 knots. The following day three more boats, cruising in excess of 20 knots left the Cape Coral area at 8am so all could arrive at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart that evening. The group traveled east on the Caloosahatchee River, across Lake Okeechobee and down the St Lucie Canal, headed for the Atlantic Intra Coastal Waterway. The weather was perfect and sunny with barely a ripple on the lake. After fueling and cleaning the boats, the cruisers met aboard the Sharon Ann, owned by Len and Sharon Palmisano for Happy Hour. Following Happy Hour most went to the Sailors Return restaurant at the marina for dinner.
The next morning the boats got off to another early start, again traveling in two groups, depending on the speed of the boats. The weather was ideal. The destination was New Smyrna Marina in New Smyrna Beach. The cruisers traveled in the Intra Coastal Waterway since there is good water depth, and few slow zones in this section. Upon arrival crews washed salt from their boats, fueled as needed prior to Happy Hour aboard Sharon Ann. Fueling at New Smyrna Marina is available at each slip for added boater convenience. Everyone dined on site at the Outriggers Tiki Bar.
Continuing north from New Smyrna the following morning boaters began the last day of serious, long day runs before starting a more leisurely cruise schedule. The destination was St. Augustine Municipal Marina. Five boats elected to venture out on the Atlantic Ocean via the Ponce De Leon inlet at New Smyrna since the weather was, again, perfect and outside the ocean was flat. The Intra Coastal Waterway is slower and there are several shallow water concerns between New Smyrna and St Augustine. Traveling “outside” also allowed the boats to arrive at the marina at slack water (no tidal currents). That is important because strong tidal currents can make docking difficult. Mark and Kate Lewis on MarKate decided to travel inside because they had never traveled this section of the Intra Coastal. The routine of cleaning and fueling the boats was followed by a change in routine. Happy Hour was not cancelled. Instead it was held aboard Pop’s Place, a Grand Banks owned by Kenneth and Sandra Starnes. This was followed by a roast beef dinner prepared by Sharon Palmisano.
Sightseeing was the activity of choice the next day since no travel was planned. The marina is in the historic district of St. Augustine giving the club members a wide choice of activities. The weather was again outstanding. Phil and Pat Kryger owners of Y Knot climbed the St Augustine lighthouse. Many of the couples toured the historic district on the Red Train. Rich and Robyn McGloin of the Robyn M enjoyed the architecture at Flagler College. Dinner that evening was “on your own” with most of the club members opting to eat on their boat.
The following day saw the group departing St. Augustine, headed to Golden Isles Marina at St Simons Island, Georgia. The group again traveled “outside” to avoid going through some shallow areas, as well as some military restricted areas of the Intra Coastal Waterway including a seven mile “slow” zone north of St. Augustine. The weather was excellent again.
The cruisers made their way to the Marina by entering St. Simons Sound inlet and following the channel markers up the Frederica River to the Marina. Again, the boats were washed and fueled in the slips. Those needing to replenish ship stores made a trip to the supermarket using the marina courtesy car. That evening Happy Hour was held at the Marina pavilion followed by a grill out of Italian sausage, hamburgers and hot dogs.
The next day a trolley tour of St Simons Island was taken by all the cruisers, as this was one our destinations. The tour company allowed the group to stay in “downtown St. Simons” for a couple of hours at the conclusion of the tour to shop and take advantage of the restaurants before returning them to the marina. The afternoon was free to explore in more detail places seen on the trolley tour, perform routine boat maintenance, or do as Steve and Nell Winner of Our Idea did, and use the courtesy car to go to the supermarket. The evening Happy Hour was again on the Sharon Ann followed by a group dinner at the Coastal Kitchen Restaurant, which is located at the marina.
Early up and out was the order of the day the following morning. Not because of the distance to Jekyll Island, but to get through Jekyll Creek before low tide. The creek only carries about 3 1/2 feet of water at mean low water, and while most of the boats on the trip have a draft of 4 feet or better, this is very important. Robyn M was the only boat leaving later in the morning since they needed less water than the other boats. Jekyll Harbor Marina was able to accommodate the boats that morning despite an early morning arrival. The distance traveled was only about 10 miles so washing and fueling was not necessary. The early arrival allowed the cruisers to begin exploring the island using courtesy bicycles provided by the marina. A manatee provided the group with additional entertainment by frequenting the marina. Happy Hour was again held aboard the Sharon Ann that evening, with the men gathering to tell each other stories. The women were playing dominos on the Y Knot and having a “happy hour” of their own. Dinner was “on your own”. Most ate on their boat with several Capt’s preparing dinner for their ladies.
The next day began with a dinghy race between MarKate and Pop’s Place. The name of the loser will not be reported to spare his feelings. Transportation to the historic district was arranged by the marina. Club members were able to explore the historic Jekyll Island Club, bordered by the former estates of long ago summer residents such as Joseph Pulitzer, J.P. Morgan, W.K. Vanderbilt, and Marshall Field, as well as visit the many shops and restaurants in the district. Several of the group took a horse drawn carriage tour of the area while others visited the turtle rehab center. The afternoon was free for the cruisers to explore more of the island, work on their boat or just take it easy. Happy Hour that evening was on Pop’s Place followed by a cook out of hot dogs and hamburgers provided by the marina.
Travel the following morning was to be north to Cumberland Island. The perfect weather, however, was about to end. The group decided to skip Cumberland Island and go direct to Fernandina Beach Marina. This provided the cruisers an extra day to travel home, which the captains thought might be necessary because of a very negative weather forecast of rain and high winds. During the trip to Fernandina cruisers saw wild horses grazing near the beach along the shore of Cumberland Island as well as two submarines in the Kings Bay naval base. The afternoon was spent touring Amelia Island with Happy Hour that evening on the Sharon Ann, followed by dinner at Bret’s Waterway Cafe, located at the marina.
The following morning the cruisers began the southbound trip home. MarKate and Our Idea decided to stay at Fernandina Beach an extra night and then slowly make their way home. The remaining boats left and headed for the New Smyrna Marina, running “outside” until St Augustine when seas became rough. They continued southbound on the Intra Coastal for the remainder of the trip. The next day they continued inside arriving at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart. That section for the trip was on the Intra Coastal Waterway with the group staying just ahead of the serious storm front that blew in after all were safely secured at the marina.
The third day had the group west bound across Lake “O” returning to the Cape Coral area. This proved to be a most eventful day. More storms, that the cruisers were trying to avoid, finally caught up while they were on the river. All experienced lightning, thunder, wind, and heavy rain. In light of these poor visibility conditions, Sharon Ann touched bottom and required an assist from Sea Tow to be pulled off a mud bank. In the end everyone returned home safely with no major problems. Overall, this was a very fun filled and adventurous cruise hosted by Len and Sharon Palmisano.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations. For membership information please contact Larry Mitchell at 239-560-2823. View a short picture video of Club activities and review additional Club information on its website, www.c-c-c-c.org.
By Len Palmisano