Grande Jete: Florida to NC on the ICW in 6 days: A Pictorial

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Florida to NC on the ICW in 6 days: A Pictorial

Sunset from the pier at Fernandina Beach, Florida

Salt marsh looking toward suspension bridge in Brunswick, Ga.

Old Glory heading through Georgia

Waterfront in lovely Beaufort, SC

Dolphins surfing our wake

Annoying jet skis surfing our wake

We are the only boat pushing water this beautiful morning.

Smooth as glass surface of the water in the Waccamaw River produces a mirror reflection.

This swinging bridge has now been replaced by the high rise bridge in the background.

One less obstacle on the ICW!

Bet the neighbors love these houses!!

Our friend, Lloyd's, estate in Swansboro, NC.

We are almost home!!

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Specifications

The Grande Jete is a 1990 Grand Banks Classic 46 trawler. The boat was built by American Marine in Singapore and is hull #80. We understand that there were only 240 of the 46 Classic models built. Hull material is Fiberglass with teak handrails and teak decks. A lower helm station and an upper helm station are similarly equipped.

LOA.................. 47' 1"
Beam................. 14' 9"
Draft.................... 4' 6"
Hull type............ Semi-displacement
Displacement..... 40,000 lbs (without fuel/water)
Power (2)........... 3208 TA Caterpillar Diesels @ 375 HP each
Eng sync............. Glendinning upper & lower controls
Transmissions.... Twin disc MG 507-1
Props (2)............. 30"-4 blade bronze, 2" shafts, spur cutters
Genset................. 10 KW Westerbeke
Fresh Water....... 290 gals.
Fuel Tanks.......... 600 gals.
HVAC................... 3 units, total 40,000 btu's
Refrigeration....... (3)Grunert cold plates with freezer
Cruise................... 9-12 knots
Max speed......... 18-20 knots

Jumping in with Both Feet

We had talked and talked about buying a larger boat for cruising. Finally, we either had to get serious or quit talking. Chuck logged many hours of seat time in front of the computer researching available used boats. For sure, we could not look at new ones. Once we identified the type of trawler, the price point, and the geographical range that we were willing to travel to examine a prospective boat, we began executing the plan.

This plan caused not a small bit of consternation among the kids and grandkids. They really enjoy visiting us at the coast and they also enjoy fishing on our 26 Regulator center console. Our proposed lifestyle change could jeopardize those activities. Not to worry, we still have the house and the "little" boat... and a 4 seater jet ski, but that is a different story.

Actually, Chuck did talk about selling everything and heading for the high seas, until our youngest daughter brought him up short: "Dad, are you crazy? What will you do with all of your stuff?" The look on his face was priceless. The man has more tools than Home Depot. He had obviously never considered the limited space on a boat. We had a good laugh and decided that if we ever do sell out, we will have to pull a barge with all of his "stuff."

First Things First

Once we found our boat and consummated the deal, the next order of business was to get her from Apalachicola, FLA to Atlantic Beach, NC. This task was no trivial matter to co-ordinate. This boat is slow. We could not arrange to take 2 weeks from our schedule to make the entire trip ourselves. We contracted with Captain Mike to bring her across the gulf (a non-stop 22 hour leg) from Apalachicola in the panhandle to Indian Rocks Beach on the west coast of Florida. Then he brought her through the "ditch" (man made canal) across Florida to Jacksonville on the east coast. We met him and our boat broker in Fernandina Beach just south of the GA/FLA state line.

We rented a car one way, stuffed it to the gills, and drove down the week of Fourth of July, 2010. After transferring the load from the car to the boat and adding supplies from Wal-Mart and the grocery store, we were ready to embark. Keep in mind that though we had both been boating for years and were quite familiar with running the ICW(Intracoastal Waterway) in NC, we had never handled a boat this large and we didn't know what to expect in GA & SC. This trip was a true adventure.

Our trip took 6 days of running pretty hard, some days as long as 10 hours non-stop. This meant that one of us had a hand on the helm at all times. We quickly became accustomed to handling the boat. We learned a lot, met great people at the marinas, watched Fourth of July fireworks near Savannah, unintentionally dredged out the Little Mud River (that was a nail biter), delighted in dolphins playing in our wake, reveled in the early morning sun on the salt marsh, marveled at the smooth tannic water of the Waccamaw River, and were extremely grateful to get to Atlantic Beach without major incident. The weather was perfect. What a blessing!

We had measured the slip that we rented to make sure that the boat would fit, but that slip sure did look too small when we swung around to back her in for the first time! Captain Chuck did a masterful job of easing her in and our new heighbors at the dock caught our lines. Welcome Home!

Grande Jete

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Florida to NC on the ICW in 6 days: A Pictorial

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