One of the favorite blogs that we follow are Rick, Deb, and Izzy aboard Broulee (pronounced "Brow-lee). Needless to say, I was alarmed this morning when I read on their blog that they were having issues with their Navi-Nut. It seems it wasn't tracking well and they had spent the better part of the day on the phone with tech support at the Black Duck R&D Center in Westport, CT. They finally resorted to their old DOS version, which is only 8 bit and much slower than the new model and doesn't have anywhere near the features of the Navi-Nut 2.0.
This photo was on their blog.
I know. I noticed it right off the bat too. It's upside down. The chamfer is supposed to be down for better hydrodynamics. It's a wonder that it worked at all, a true tribute to the failsafe design efforts of the R&D team at the Black Duck. I posted a comment on their blog suggesting that they read the owner's manual.
I'm looking forward to living aboard here in Savannah, especially to see just how miserable summers are here in the deep south. Long time readers of our blog know that we lived aboard Drift Away during the winter in Stamford, Connecticut. Now we're living aboard in the summer in Savannah, Georgia. Yeah, I know. We don't quite have the hang of this cruising thing.
In other news, I've been working on my photography pretty hard. I've been studying photo techniques on digital-photography-school.com and today joined JPGMag.com. Cruising and/or living aboard a boat gives one plenty of photo opportunities and I'd like to improve on the quality of the pics on this blog. For you folks planning on cruising in the future, I'd suggest buying a basic DSLR and taking photography lessons. No matter how good you think you are, you will improve if you study and work at it. When I'm in the nursing home reading blogs, I want them to be as good as you can make them.
This photo was on their blog.
I know. I noticed it right off the bat too. It's upside down. The chamfer is supposed to be down for better hydrodynamics. It's a wonder that it worked at all, a true tribute to the failsafe design efforts of the R&D team at the Black Duck. I posted a comment on their blog suggesting that they read the owner's manual.
I'm looking forward to living aboard here in Savannah, especially to see just how miserable summers are here in the deep south. Long time readers of our blog know that we lived aboard Drift Away during the winter in Stamford, Connecticut. Now we're living aboard in the summer in Savannah, Georgia. Yeah, I know. We don't quite have the hang of this cruising thing.
In other news, I've been working on my photography pretty hard. I've been studying photo techniques on digital-photography-school.com and today joined JPGMag.com. Cruising and/or living aboard a boat gives one plenty of photo opportunities and I'd like to improve on the quality of the pics on this blog. For you folks planning on cruising in the future, I'd suggest buying a basic DSLR and taking photography lessons. No matter how good you think you are, you will improve if you study and work at it. When I'm in the nursing home reading blogs, I want them to be as good as you can make them.
How many boats a day do you think pass you on the great migration north? 5, 10, 20, 50??? Any word on the Whaler?
ReplyDeleteHard to say, Mark. I'm usually involved in boat projects or whatever and not watching close. Not counting locals, I'd guess it's more than 20, not as many as 50.
DeleteFirst off that model is from 1985 - who knows where the manual is and secondly - he's a guy Dave, read a manual? Thanks to the team for all the help. P.S. Got my taxes done, not pretty.
ReplyDeleteDeb
My condolences on your taxes. :(
DeleteOur son just arrived in Boston to visit his girlfriend. He's at SCAD living in Savannah(and loves it there).
ReplyDeleteHe told his mom on the phone, the weather in Boston today is great!
I looked it up, 55 degrees and partly cloudy?
What's he talking about?
It's been in the 70s and 80s here just about everyday since we arrived in February. Your son is probably relieved to be someplace cool!
ReplyDeleteDave, Since you are settling in there, I have some things that you might investigate with the local knowledge people and report back to us followers.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the traffic like on the River? Is there much commercial activity? My chart shows what looks like a shipping facility. Barges?
How do dock fees compare with up north?
My ENC charts does not show detail on the bridges. I'm under 63' for mast clearance. Where are the tall masts hanging out?
Any hurricane holes?
I am not seeing much in the way of anchorage areas near the city. Do people anchor out down there? Perhaps across the river in South Carolina? I see you have 8' tides. The rivers just north of you are deep with many parts labeled hard, and a few as sticky. What is the current like in the various rivers?
Curious about insects. Any horseflies or billboard sized mosquitoes expected?
Is there dinghy dock access for those anchoring out? Perhaps at a waterfront restaurant?
Bike trails? Kayaking? Anything else a cruiser would want to know?
Hi Conrad,
DeleteWe're at Isle of Hope Marina, which is a suburb of Savannah and on the ICW. It has a population of 2,000 or so and the marina is the only business in Isle of Hope. Sandfly (which will answer another of your questions) is about a mile away and has all the restaurants etc., but is not on the water.
Cruiser traffic is up considerably with all the folks heading north, although surprisingly there are also people headed south. A transient boat that came in today is going to Alabama. We don't see much commercial traffic, only the occasional barge.
The dock fees here are competitive and less than Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. Prices started to drop once we hit the ICW in Norfolk.
We've encounted a coupla three knots of current all along the ICW. The tides flow in and out of the ICW through the inlets. You might have a two knot current pushing you along nicely, and then pass the inlet and have the current against you. No big deal though.
You won't have any problems with fixed bridges with a 63' mast height. The standard height all along the ICW is 65', with only a couple of exceptions and those can be avoided. One, for example, is on the Cape May Canal at 55'. You'd have to go out Delaware Bay and go outside.
Insects are a problem here at Isle of Hope. Mainly sandflies (also called gnats by the locals, or no-see'ums). They end many a happy hour. The only thing that seems to work is insect repellent with at least 40% DEET.
You can anchor near the mooring field at Isle of Hope and dinghy in to the marina. If you plan on cruising the ICW and plan on anchoring out, get a copy of Skipper Bob's Anchorages along the Intracoastal Waterway. A great resource. We also use a flip chart called the Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook by John and Leslie Kettlewell (who are also from my hometown of Saratoga Springs NY). Anchorages are marked on it too. This might be a good future blog topic.
All along the ICW are places to ride bikes or kayak. As soon as the Whaler is fixed (if it ever gets done) Pam and I plan on checking out the alligators on the other side of the island here. I see people on kayaks too, as well as paddle boards.
Dave-- I hope gave Broulee at least one of the latest navigational aids...
ReplyDeleteThe Navi Almond Nut-- If you still have any left...