You may wonder where we have been all these months. Well, I will attempt to keep this brief as possible. We put Dorothy's Gale 2 on the hard in New Bern, NC for Hurricane Season (June 1-November 30. My dad passed the day after Thanksgiving and with Christmas, the year ended in a blur. January brought a couple of trips to work on the boat and we launched January 31st. Kim, with his friend John, got the boat to Myrtle Beach down the ICW on February 14th. I flew to Greenville, SC to meet Kim where he had a training job and a week later we were back on the boat. Whew! SO... we officially started our new adventure February 17 as we pulled out of the marina on a cold but sunny morning.
Still seeing hurricane abandoned boats on shore all along the way.
And only saw one tow this first leg.
Monday, Feb. 17-Before we left, I had planned all the bridges we would encounter to make sure we fit under them. And yes, I ducked and did not look each time we went under a 65' bridge!
We did have a draw bridge on this leg and a swing bridge.
Most of the bridges have these measuring signs but not always.
Georgetown, SC-
HarborWalk Marina. Coming into the marina was somewhat shallow but we called ahead and the marina guided us in. Georgetown is the third oldest town in South Carolina. Cute historic town. We caught up on laundry and walked all over the town. Biggest adventure was the 4 mile hike to get fresh shrimp and salmon. There was a sunken sailboat still across from the marina.
Georgetown to Charleston-Feb.
There is always a choice, take the ICW or go out on the ocean. We look at weather-winds and waves for the ocean verses tides, currents and depth on the ICW. The weather was rainy and cold so we stayed in "the ditch". We used Bobs Tracks, a navigation tool, to help us avoid shallow water along the way. What you don't expect is a huge houseboat anchored right in the channel and you have to go out in shallow water to get around it. Not cool! Long day. Sick of being cold. Finally got to Isle of Palm Marina to get fuel and rest before we head into Charleston.
Charleston, SC
The trip into Charleston was pretty uneventful. Finished out the ICW into Charleston Harbor. Saw a Captain Phillip's life raft. We had to enter the shipping channel so all eyes were on watching for freighters and cargo ships. Past Fort Sumpter on our way in but did not get a good picture of it. Also, as I got the Red and Green in my sight, I found a "moving red buoy" that turned into a small tug boat.
We had such a good time in Charleston. The marina put us on the MEGA Dock. We did the carriage rides, went to the City Market, the Exchange and Provost Dungeon, toured the Slave Mart, walked a lot around the city. Loved the historic homes that have privacy doors off their verandas. If the door is closed, no socializing is wanted. The neighborhoods like to get together every night. A ICW Cruise Ship docked behind us on the Mega Dock and we also took low country cooking classes. We made pimento cheese, biscuits and apple cobbler.
Fort Sumpter
Charleston to Beaufort-We made the decision to go out on the ocean today after we saw that there were less than 2 footers and mild winds. First time on the ocean for me in a year so I was somewhat nervous but once we go out there it was fine. Read my book and enjoyed the ride. We headed to Port Royal Sound inlet and expected to get in before sunset. I text float plan to our kids and estimated ETA.
In the first picture, Charleston Harbor is the ship at the top right and Port Royal Sound is the ship at the bottom left. The second picture shows Port Royal Sound entrance.
What you cannot always predict is the current coming at you. We were slowed down to 4 knots and did not make the inlet before dark. We followed our charts and watched the depth to enter the inlet and find a good spot to anchor. And we did! Anchored set at 8:30pm.
We set the anchor alarm, ate dinner and went to bed. Usually we do not sleep good on anchor but we woke up at sunrise, surprised that we slept the night. No rush to leave since check in time at the marina in Beaufort wasn't until noonish.
Safe Harbor Marina-Beaufort, SC
Only had one 65' bridge to go under to get to the marina.
Beaufort, SC
"Beaufort is a city on Port Royal Island, one of South Carolina’s coastal Sea Islands. It’s known for its antebellum mansions, especially in the downtown historic district." (Google)
We decided to take a golf cart tour around historic Beaufort.
Beaufort to Savannah-
Leaving Beaufort was early morning at high tide. We knew that the ICW had shallow areas and strong currents so we planned to utilize the high tide as long as possible. How ever, first obstacle we came upon was the 65' bridge that we had already gone under days before. High tide was 7' up but the bridges are suppose to factor that in when they give the clearance. Also, there are suppose to be bridge boards to show the clearance. As we approached, no bridge boards were visible. Current was behind us, pushing us. Kim slowed down and I had to watch the top of the mast. We slowly proceeded and our antenna at the top of the mast, tinged, hitting the bridge ever so slightly. No damage done but WOW!
We did not film much on the route because we were busy. I was on the tablet following Bob's Tracks and Kim was watching the charts. We hit ground good once but Kim quickly reversed and got us back on course. We saw 5' a few times. Whirlpool like areas in the water that raised red flags but we made it to the Savannah River!
Once in the shipping channel we had to watch for cargo ships, dredges, and tugs. We passed Fort Jackson on our way in.
Savannah-We had the best time here! Planned to stay 2 nights and added a 3rd night. The dock, at The Westin Hotel we were tied to, was unique but turned into an experience. The free ferry was right there to take us across the river. Cargo ships passed regularly all day and night. Their wake wasn't too bad. Amenities were sparse but we managed.
Of course we had to go to the Maritime Museum. There were model ships in this historic home that were so intricate and detailed.
The First African Baptist Church was a history teacher's dream. The holes in the sanctuary floors were air holes for escaped slaves who would hide in the church which served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, the church housed runaway slaves in a 4-foot space beneath the sanctuary floorboards. They display a slave quilt and how it was used to aid slaves on the underground railroad. It is still an active church and we had to wait for a funeral before we could enter the church.
The slave Bible only provided parts of the Bible to show that slavery was acceptable.
We have tried many ways to soak in the history of each town and Savannah offered a comedy history bus tour. "Savannah for Morons" What fun! Not much history but that's ok.
Friends, Clay and Sarah, recommended drinks at Wet Willie's so of course!
Those cargo ships were up close and personal! WOW! They were HUGE and we felt we could reach out and touch them from our boat where we were docked. I found a ship tracker app and got a screen shot just after two ships passed right in front of us.
The Prohibition Museum was interesting and you end your tour in a speakeasy for a drink.
Savannah to St Catherine's Sound to Jekyll Island-
After all the shallow water in the ICW on the way to Savannah we chose to head out to the Atlantic again. Winds were predicted to be light, waves 2 foot. Sun all day. We had to avoid cargo ships on the way out of the Savannah River but they hailed us on the radio to let us know how we should pass them. "Port to Port" was most common. Out on the ocean, all was good for a few hours. Winds started to pick up. We put the main sail up and moved along at 7 knots. Then the winds increased and soon we had 27 knot winds. A little breezy! Waves increased to 3 footers but all was still ok. We had read from the Facebook group, Navigating Inlets of the East Coast USA, that St. Catherine's Sound Inlet can be a nightmare with shallow water and currents. We watched the charts, went slow and made it in.
After all the shallow water in the ICW on the way to Savannah we chose to head out to the Atlantic again. Winds were predicted to be light, waves 2 foot. Sun all day. We had to avoid cargo ships on the way out of the Savannah River but they hailed us on the radio to let us know how we should pass them. "Port to Port" was most common. Out on the ocean, all was good for a few hours. Winds started to pick up. We put the main sail up and moved along at 7 knots. Then the winds increased and soon we had 27 knot winds. A little breezy! Waves increased to 3 footers but all was still ok. We had read from the Facebook group, Navigating Inlets of the East Coast USA, that St. Catherine's Sound Inlet can be a nightmare with shallow water and currents. We watched the charts, went slow and made it in.
In the picture below there is a dotted line which is the ICW. We anchored just off the ICW for the night. Set anchor in time to watch the sunset.
We were up the next morning as the sun started coming up. Pulled anchor and took off down the ICW. Ocean had 8 foot waves so that was a 'no go'. Even on the ICW we had high winds and 2 footers. For most of the day we had tides and currents in our favor until we entered the Jekyll River. 2 miles from Jekyll Harbor Marina. Called the marina as we entered the creek because we were at low tide (-1.4) and wanted to know if we could make it. We draw 5' and we saw 4.5' so we were plowing mud. Made it under the bridge and attempted to dock the boat on their face dock. We were on the ground so two dockhands pulled our boat over so they could tie us to the dock. What a day! Again, cheated death!
Jekyll Island, GA
Who in their right minds, other than my brother and Matt V.S., would decide to go 12.5 miles around an island on bike? Not electric but a good old fashion, no gears, bicycle. Yep, that would be us and I even had a basket on mine. This mode of transportation was not first choice but the two golf carts were already checked out. So off we went.
We went to the Jekyll Island Club, where the Federal Reserve idea was created under Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, and Baker. What I did discover was the fact that I had been playing croquet all my life. I was never very good at it. I now know why. The wrong outfit!
We went to the beach. We went to a historic site. And we are never without a boat project. Good day!
Historic Cottages of Jekyll Island
Tides here are about 7'. You really notice it on the ramp from dock to marina.
Painting The Jekyll Island Club..
Went over to St. Simons Island and ate at Barbara Jean's. Great southern cooking.
We have to watch for alligators when going into town.
The following is Kim's attempt to become a True Crime Detective.
The Crime scene.
Suspected thugs, making believe they know nothing.
Potential witness and victim's body.
Suspects leaving the scene.
Possible witness but not talking.
Only a blood trail left. Call Silent Observer if you know anything.
March 21-Traveling on the ICW from Jekyll Island to Fernandina Beach. We left at slack tide and supposedly very little wind but when we got to St. Andrew's Sound we had 20 knot winds crossing the sound. The below chart shows the path we took across the sound.
St. Mary's Inlet-the way to the ocean.
Once we crossed over the inlet everything calmed down. We passed the Cabin Bluff, the oldest hunting club in America. Worth the read https://landreport.com/american-landowner-the-cabin-bluff-story
You could only see the dock and I was so busy researching that I forgot to get a picture.
Saw wild fires in the distance. Also, there was shallow spots all along the way.
Fernandina Beach is located near the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, which is a training facility for Trident submarine crews and support personnel. They say you might see submarines. Kim would LOVE that! UPDATE: OMG! That's a submarine behind the guard boat!!!!!!
Coming into Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. Passed Fort Clinch, shrimp boats, a dredge and a mooring field.
As we got closer to St. Mary's Inlet we saw twin ships in the distance. One of the ships was named Black Powder. They are support vessels for submarines. We started taking pictures and then saw a Coast Guard rib come out and point their boat at us. As we went by, it pivoted so they always faced us. Scary!!!
March 22-Busy day! Slept in, horseless carriage ride around historic district, lobster roll for Kim at Mason's Famous Lobster Roll, sitting in the sun and listening to music with our new biker friends, shopping, afternoon nap, dinner at the Salty Pelican and watching the sunset. Perfect day!
March 23-Sunday
Rented two beach cruisers for 4 hours to go to Fort Clinch. The website says it was 3.7 miles, easy hills. (We did not film while biking since we are old and need to focus on what we are doing). 10:00 am we take off. This is our route. Green is where we picked up our bikes and the red is Fort Clinch. Why did we go Northwest? The website sent us to a closed entrance. 9.78 miles to get to the Fort.
ICW Cruise Ship docked on our dock
Leaving Fort Clinch. This is our route to dropping off our bikes. 5 miles.
Fort Clinch
After massive bike ride we needed refreshments. Went to Florida's oldest running bar, The Palace Saloon.
March 24-Jacksonville, FL
We were sad to leave Fernandina Beach but it was time for more adventures. Today's trip was a short 24 miles to Jacksonville. I called Palm Cove Marina and snagged a slip for the next couple of days. So we untied the lines, with Dockhand Joe's help and off we went south past abandoned boats into shallow waters down the ICW.
I feel like we do not film much on the way but with the shallow waters, I need to watch the tablet with Bob's Tracks and Kim is watching Navionics so we are pretty focused. I did make my bridge list and we only had 5 to deal with. We left as the tide was going down so at the first 65' bridge we needed to check the board to see if we could clear. Our mast is 64' 8". If we could clear this bridge, we would not have to worry much about the next ones. And we cleared!
We crossed St. John's River Inlet, watching for cargo ships and more military ships. Back on the ICW, we passed fancy houses.
We had to dodge a catamaran, who anchored in the middle of the small channel to the marina. That was kind of rude! However, we fueled up and got a pump out before we docked into the slip.
We took at quick walk to West Marine and Publix before we settled in for the night.
We passed a ship yard and discovered another military ship hidden with a patrol boat and all it's guns watching us as we passed.
March 25-Jacksonville, FL
Today was a laid back day. Slept in. Did 3 loads of laundry. Went to Jacksonville Beach via Uber and walked back (3 miles). Sat and read our books for 3 hours. Cleaned boat. Dinner at Marker 32 restaurant next to the marina. And now planning tomorrow's next adventure.
On our walk home we crossed over BB McCormick Bridge (65'). Video shows where we came from on the ICW yesterday. The marina is to the left. Tomorrow we will go under this bridge going South.
March 26-St. Augustine, FL
We left Jacksonville around 10:00 am. It was a short trip to St. Augustine (24 nm). Only 3 bridges to worry about. All were 65'. Trip was beautiful. We kept hearing the warships talking to each other on the vhf radio. They were on the St. John River north of us.
We had to come into Camachee Cove Yacht Harbour 2 hours after low tide so there was no hurry. A sailboat tried to enter their channel at dead low tide and went aground at the entrance. So we knew that could be a problem. As we approached the marina, they were able to get off the sandbar after 2 hours and we could go in. Our friends, John and Jackie, met us and we went into town to do a little bit of exploring then dinner.
March 27-St Augustine
Today we walked to The Old Jail, The General Store Museum, History Museum and The Fountain of Youth. The Jail tour was so much fun. Lizzie did such a good job.
Ponce De Leon-The Fountain of Youth and first settlement museum. Lot's of peacocks! We did try the water and expect to look more youthful from now on.
This jail was built as a smaller Alcatraz. 8 prisoners were hung on the gallows. There were still prisoner etchings in the cell walls. It was operational until 1953.
March 28-St. Augustine Day 2
Today we visited the Castillo de San Marcos Fort. It is the oldest masonry fortification in the US. Kim even found their pizza oven.
https://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm
We walked through the original gates of the city, saw pirates, restaurants, oldest wooden schoolhouse, shops, listen to music and toured the Medieval Torture Museum. This was very intense and gross. It was an hour long tour and we couldn't wait to get out of there!
March 29-Leaving St. Augustine down ICW to Palm Coast. We had to have the famous Bridge of Lions Bridge opened to leave St. Augustine. Only opens on the hour and half hour so we had to wait 20 minutes.
We arrived in Palm Coast Marina about 2:30 pm. Docked on their face dock and then walked to dinner at the European Village. The apartments make a triangle, shops, restaurants are on the lower level. Music in the center. They are predicting storms on Sunday so will stay put until they pass.
On the ICW we saw fancy boat docks, sunken boats and huge houses.
March 30-Lay Day
We did some organizing and cleaning on the boat. Read our books. Napped. Enjoyed the rain. Walked to the local farmer's market. Nice Day.
March 31-On to Daytona Beach
After hot showers, we tossed the lines and headed out. As we exited the short marina channel, we encountered rowers. It seemed that the ICW was their training area. Dodging 8 crew boats or shells and going under a bridge, we settle in for a relaxing day on the ICW. We saw houseboats, big houses, and a tow. At first I thought we were being followed by a big powerboat. We were going at 5 knots and so were they. Then it got closer and closer. On the AIS it said it was a tow. A Stalker Tow! Always behind us. For hours. Through 4 bridges, 3 65' and one bascule bridge that only opened one leaf. Finally, as the tow closed in on us, he hailed us. He wanted to pass! We slid over to the edge of the channel, slowed down so he could squeeze by. Once he went by, I relaxed.
As Daytona Beach approached we saw hurricane boats along the shore.
Next came 5 bridges in a row. It was high tide and that could be a problem for us. Our mast is 64'8". We need a 65' bridge but with high tide that can change. 1st bridge was 64' per the bridge board. We made it. 2nd bridge was 63.5' but somehow we made it. Next was a bascule bridge, so that you hail the bridge master and they open it. Again, only one leaf opened. Next was a 64' bridge and the last one was 65'. Cleared all of them. Anchorage came up quick at Bethune Point. We set anchor and got ready to watch the SpaceX launch at 3:52 pm. It launched and I filmed but it was so hard to see anything. Fast forward to 1:42 and watch to the left of the screen. At one point you hear me say "oh, there it is". It is just a white streak in the clouds.
We ate dinner and settled in to wait for Starlink launch around 9:00 pm. Thunderstorms started coming over us. Which turned into a squall. 40+ knot winds, anchor dragging, Kim started motor to steer the boat away from other boats. We were headed to shore at one point. A good half hour of pure hell! Lost our anchor bouy. Reset anchor and now probably won't sleep all night. Cheated death again! No lives lost and no boats damaged. Great sunset. Well, we did get to see Fram2 launch. Didn't have time to get video but Kim can now cross that off his bucket list.
April 1-New Smyrna Beach
Woke up to a beautiful sunrise. We pulled anchor and started down the ICW south. We had hope to make it to Titusville but the marina was full so decided to stop early in New Smyrna Beach in the city marina. It was only 10 nm and 2 bridges (65' and a bascule bridge) Easy day!
We docked at the New Smyrna Beach City Marina around 10:30 am. So glad to be in a slip after last night. We walked into town and for lunch. Margaritas did happen.
Did laundry and just relaxed.
We walked over to the Tikki Bar to listen to Reggae music and have drinks. Best part of the night was watching the drama of the group next to us. I love people watching!
One guy had a t-shirt on that we decided that that is how we should plan our next few stops.
Watched the sun set over our boat from the Tikki Bar. Once back at the boat the storm hit. What a difference being tied in a slip verse being on anchor.
That small island across from our slip is full of peligans.
April 2- Provisioning day and boat projects. Walked to Publix, about 5 miles round trip. Kim took his giant backpack. The plan was to take the bus for $1.00 each but we just missed it going to the store. We asked 3 people at the store where to get the bus back to marina but no one knew so we walked back. Kim will need a chiropractor as the pack weighed 46 pounds. Yikes!
After sunset, we sat in our chairs on the front of the boat and listened to music from the Tiki Bar. So relaxing!
April 2-Titusville, FL
Beautiful sunrise, bird walking on power cords, and taking off south. Beautiful day down the ICW. Always see interesting things on the ICW. We saw 2 small sharks aggressively going after something in the water. Also, many manatees.
Saw this small island going into Titusville and Kim said all we need is a bucket of Corona! As you can see winds still blowing and we had a mooring ball to snag.
Marinas are full so mooring balls are first come first serve. We spot a few available at Titusville City Marina. Kim's first attempt, while I am trying to get the boat to stop at the mooring ball resulted in a dock pole being snatched out of his hands and went into the water. Attempt two, pole retrieve but clip that you attach to ball hangs up on life line. Attempt third, pole in the water but quickly retrieved. Attempt 4, E2 is ours!!!
Then we entered Mosquito Lagoon with winds on the nose of the boat pushing 20+ knots and 2 knot of current against us. Hours of this! Finally we entered Haulover Canal and had to go through a bascule bridge.
April 5 - Kennedy Space Center
We are still attached to E2 in the mooring field. Yesterday was really windy so we stayed on board and read, napped, etc.
Today the dingy came down and off we went to visit NASA. Can you see the excitement on Kim's face?
We took a bus tour out to the VAB, Vehicle Assembly Building, where they actually put the rockets together. We saw the launch site in the distance, we saw the original control center, the crawlers that move the rockets to the launch pad, touched a moon rock and so much more.
The above chart is our boat moving around on the mooring ball.
We saw Atlantis and Kim tried his hand at landing it back on earth. (The young girl to his right was successful)
We got to see a SpaceX launch 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites!!!! So cool.
April 6 - We left E2 and headed south. Light winds and beautiful sunrise. We had 5 bridges, all 65', to go under to our next marina. It was only 30 nm so we expected to get tied up by 2:00 pm. 2 hours into the day, the winds started directly on the nose of the boat. The last 5 miles were the worst! 27 knot winds slowed us down to 3 knots. Waves on the ICW were 2-3 feet. There were white caps! Less then a mile from our marina, 2 power boats were trying to rescue a dingy struggling to get in. They finally got a line to them to pull them in.
When we entered the Eau Gallie Channel we were finally protected by the winds and successfully docked our boat. Glad that day is over!
Kim channeled his 'inner Chad' and talked to a group of people to find a good place to eat and off we went to the rooftop bar at Pineapples.
April 7-Eau Gallie is the Art District of Melbourne. We toured the town and spotted at least 5 murals. Squid Lips for dinner.
April 8 - Heading to Fort Pierce. We were up and on the water before 7:00 am. The winds should be behind us all day and our trip should be more comfortable. We had 4 fixed bridges at 65' and one bascule bridge right before the marina. We put up the jib sail after the first bridge and winds picked up to 22 knots. We sped up from our typical 4-5 knots to 7-8 knots. The second fixed bridge was the Wabbaso Bridge. All reports on this bridge was that it was really showing 63.5' not 65'. We carefully went under the bridge and our antenna "tinged" but we made it. All was good until we got to the bascule bridge. It opened on the hour and half hour so we had to wait 15 minutes. Kim did a great job keeping us in position but I was freaking out. 22 knots of wind and 2 knots of current pushing us at the closed bridged. Once the bridge opened we went into Safe Harbor Harbortown Marina to the fuel dock. Bow thruster decided to not work so it took some time to get us docked. Good thing they had strong dock hands who pulled us in. Onced fueled up, we went to our slip, F34, and here we stay for a month. Tiki Bar was calling our name!
April 9-11 - We have walked to Publix (1 miles there and back) to get groceries. Laid by the pool. Relaxed. Walked to Ace Hardware (4 miles there and back). Did laundry. Slept in. Chatted with marina people 'Chad style'. Went to a local bar called the Funky Cuda. Started boat projects. Enjoying our first few days. Tomorrow we are off to a Oyster and Sea Fest in downtown Fort Pierce.
Saturday, April 12
Walked into town for the Oyster and Sea Fest. Discovered the Farmer's Market was also close by. Music everywhere. Seafood that Kim enjoyed. I had fish and hushpuppies. We hope to see another space launch tonight. We waited for one last night at 9:15 pm but it was scrubbed.
We did see a launch but Kim tried a different setting on his camera so don't blink or you will miss it! LOL!
April 11-18 Keeping Busy!
We have gotten into a great routine. We go to the fitness center to work out. After showers, we go to the pool where we are usually the only ones there. Somedays we go to Publix or the Fresh Fish Market. Today Kim got a haircut at Dukes. We grill dinner or go to Skipper's Cove Tiki Bar. Watch the sunrise and the sunset. Nap. Retirement is amazing!
April 19-20 Random pictures and videos.
May 1-May 6 Nikki's visit
Picked up Nikki in the rental car in West Palm Beach on Thursday. Dinner was at the We went clear kayaking through the mangrove tunnels on Friday. Challenges were crossing open water in the high winds and dodging black, fast moving crabs that looked like spiders that were in the mangrove trees. Nikki only "bonked" me once on the head with her paddle! Our goal was no crabs in the kayak and we were successful!
Lion Country Safari
https://www.lioncountrysafari.com/
Sunday looked like a rainy day so we decided to drive down to West Palm Beach and go to the Lion Country Safari. This is probably the closest we will ever get to going on a safari. You drive for about an hour and a half through different areas that feature animals in the wild. Very cool! Zebras in the road, ostriches that try and eat the car, rhinos that slowly walk towards us with thoughts of stabbing the car with his horn. Yikes!
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo/Nikki's last day
Pool day. Casa Azteca Mexican Restaurant for late lunch. Random hail storm.
May 8-What Nikki didn't know was that her girlfriends were throwing her a surprise 40th birthday party in Indy so we flew to Indy to be part of the surprise. (Not so sure about the smoke/steam on the plane) Katie flew in and Michael and Sarah drove. It was so much fun and Nikki had the best time. Here are a few pictures.
May 13 - Time to head North. We have to move the boat to Brunswick, GA to put her on the hard for hurricane season. The weather window looks great for going out on the Atlantic Ocean instead of the ICW. There are 36 bridges to deal with between Fort Pierce and Brunswick on the ICW. By going on the outside we avoid them and do not have to deal with shallow water. So once the fog lifted we headed out. Sent a float plan to all the kids, knowing we would not have great cell service.
For those of you that know me, going out on the ocean makes me anxious. However, the waves were 1-2' at 8 seconds and winds were light. We motored sailed all day. Since it was going so well, we decided to continue over night. A sea turtle greeted us within the first few hours. Dolphins came around and even a small bird decided to stop and visit for awhile. Flying fish were everywhere but too fast to get any video. Watched the sunset and I went to sleep around 9:00 pm while Kim took the night watch. About 1:00 am I got up to check on Kim and the wind had picked up so we put the sails back up and turned the motor off. We did lose cell service and our Starlink no longer was working. Watched a strom in the distance.
May 14 - The day was exactly like the day before. Sea state was calm and winds were light. Sat on the bow and watched for whales. Never saw one. We could not see land due to being out about 20 miles. About sunset, the winds and waves picked up and we brought the jib in but left the main up. We knew we were going to get to the Brunswick Inlet around midnight but had picked out a couple of anchoring spots once we were in. Cell service returned and we let the kids know the plan. The last 4 hours was horrendous. Rolling waves pushing us forward about 5-6'. Winds picked up to 20-22 knots. The moon did not come out until 10:45 pm. We entered the channel for the inlet at 12:00 am and started the long trek into the inlet. It took 3 hours!!!! We had a 3 knot current coming at us, with 22 knot winds pushing from the side. Sails were down but we rocked and rolled the whole time. Found a great anchorage spot, dropped anchor and poured a glass of wine! Got to bed at 4:00 am!
May 15-16 Anchorage off Jekyll Island, GA
We stayed at this anchorage and will head into Brunswick Landing Marina Friday around noon. So peaceful here. Tides here are around 7 feet. That seems crazy! Saw a freighter and small cruise ship going by.
May 16-Brunswick Landing Marina
We will be leaving our boat here for hurricane season. Waiting for our haul out date. This marina has the nicest people. Already invited to happy hour. Cute town. Now we have work to do to get boat ready. Getting a lot of steps in. It's a quarter mile walk to bath house from our boat. Doing laundry was a 2 mile walk going back and forth.
May 29 Last sunset for this trip
We left New Bern, NC at the end of January and now it's the end of May. Hurricane Season starts June 1st and it is time to get out of Dodge! Boat will be hauled out in the morning. We hope we have prepared the boat for the 6 months for being on the hard. It's bitter sweet. Sad to leave and will miss all the adventures but it's time for a break. We have Naya and Alice coming to stay with us for a few weeks. Plan to do a few house projects (remodel a bathroom, possibly extend the garage). Catch up with us in November/December.
May 30 Haul Out Day
