Today was cold. I feel bad even saying that since my kids are suffering single digit wind chills and snow, but when you live on a boat and you can't get away from the cold (we don't have a heater on board), and you start the day out seeing your breath in the head and trying not to go to the bathroom because you don't want to sit on the freezing toilet seat, it's cold.
We motored 5.3 hours today with a 20 knot wind off our port stern, making pretty good speed with the current and wind combined. It was a harrowing trip through shallow water, twice just brushing the ground with zero on our depth meter, and rarely more than 50 feet of usable channel width. Along with the wind and the cold, it was hard to relax enough to enjoy the scenery, which actually happens to be beautiful along this piece of the ICW.
Along about half way, we were approaching one of the very few settlements we happened by today and just off our starboard side appeared a flock of King Pelicans. These are the majestic white and black pelicans that migrated through our lake back in Carlyle, IL twice a year, stopping to visit for 2 weeks in March and again 2 weeks in late September. Every year we eagerly waited for their arrival, enjoying every minute of their brief stay. It was always our favorite times of year and to catch up with them in their migration seemed somehow fitting for Kintala. We are making steady progress South, although the pelicans will probably outpace us soon.
We motored 5.3 hours today with a 20 knot wind off our port stern, making pretty good speed with the current and wind combined. It was a harrowing trip through shallow water, twice just brushing the ground with zero on our depth meter, and rarely more than 50 feet of usable channel width. Along with the wind and the cold, it was hard to relax enough to enjoy the scenery, which actually happens to be beautiful along this piece of the ICW.
Along about half way, we were approaching one of the very few settlements we happened by today and just off our starboard side appeared a flock of King Pelicans. These are the majestic white and black pelicans that migrated through our lake back in Carlyle, IL twice a year, stopping to visit for 2 weeks in March and again 2 weeks in late September. Every year we eagerly waited for their arrival, enjoying every minute of their brief stay. It was always our favorite times of year and to catch up with them in their migration seemed somehow fitting for Kintala. We are making steady progress South, although the pelicans will probably outpace us soon.
 |
| The mud you see along the bank was about 50 feet from the side of our boat. |
1 comment:
Dear Deb and TJ
You bring fond memories of our first set of travels, and then our second and continuing adventures. To see the trek south through your eyes just brings back all the good memories we had when we did this from Toronto ON Can starting Oct. 4th 2003. We have travelled many miles since then, but to see you reliving our travels down the ICW and your present stop in Charletson which has definitely had some changes since we were there is just fabulous. We hope you have many more great stories and adventures as you venture south.
Post a Comment