Christmas 2010

Hello to all, and sorry for the long silence! We've been tied up to a dock at Deltaville Marina (Deltaville, VA) since late October, and although we've had a great time exploring the area (first on bikes, then later in our car) there hasn't been any 'traveling on the water' news to report! We did dress the boat for Christmas, and were delighted to join the Deltaville Boatyard crew at their annual Christmas party. It was an outdoor bonfire, with roasted oysters (and oysters on the half shell), smoked pork, and a slew of other great dishes. The boatyard owner took everyone in shifts on a night tour of the river, to see the lights of the houses and boats. Really got us in the mood! We left for Basking Ridge the next day, and have been here now for about a week and a half.



Deeper Season dressed for Christmas at Deltaville Marina



The engine, which was removed and shipped to Long Island for a rebuild, is now on its way back to Deltaville, and will be reinstalled right after the first of the year. If it's still bitter cold, and looking to stay that way, we will probably sail 30 miles south to another marina that can lift us out of the water, then head home and line up some skiing. If we get a January thaw we'll keep heading south, and hope to get to the Bahamas for a warmer winter. Stay tuned, and have a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Life at the Deltaville Marina



Salon/dining table / office



Galley

We're renting a car today (Friday) to head home, pick up our car and our mail, and enjoy the comforts of living on the land for a couple days. Thought this might be a good time to give an idea what life on board is like. The photos include one of the boat at the dock, and several of the interior - the salon, the galley, the navigation station / fridge-freezer area, our 'library', the master stateroom, and the master head (bathroom). Not bad, eh? No pics of the 'guest hull' but it also has a queen-size stateroom, a double-size stateroom (currently our 'garage' area) and another head. Visitors welcome!

Library (in guest hull)



Master stateroom



Master head / shower

At the dock in Deltaville Marina

Goodbye, Starboard Engine!

We're still in Deltaville, VA. The offending starboard engine was removed this morning (note picture of big hole in our starboard hull) and will be crated and shipped to a Volvo repair center in Long Island. With luck, they'll be able to rebuild it and will get it back to us within three weeks or so. (A big caveat here, since boat repairs never seem to go quickly for us, with the exception of the steering repair in Solomons.) So, we're hanging out. It's cold and windy, but we're in a slip, with power (and heat) and getting other projects done between bike rides to keep ourselves moderately in shape! Hoping this cold snap will break just about the time the engine goes back in, and we can continue south, but we could just as easily end up heading home for the winter. Time will tell.....

Solomon's to Deltaville

We thoroughly enjoyed our 'forced' stay over the weekend in Solomon's. The weather was beautiful, so we rode bikes, ate more crabs, and visited the Calvert Marine Museum, which was great! The picture is a lighthouse that used to be on Drum Point, and which was moved to the museum in one piece. Early Monday morning, the guys from Zahniser's arrived, towed us to the dock, and got to work on the steering. We were back in business by early afternoon, but stayed at the dock (with power, and therefore, heat!) Monday night. We took off at first light Tuesday, and came down to Deltaville, VA, where we've been at a dock since. We're getting engine repair estimates from this yard as well as another yard further south, and will either stay put or travel tomorrow to our final destination for this leg.

If nothing else, having boat problems has caused us to enjoy exploring places, rather than arriving late afternoon and leaving first thing the next day. Today, we took Mindy for an extended walk through a nature preserve / sculpture garden (additional pix). Taking more time is definitely the way to go!

So Who Says We're Not Lucky?

Yesterday (Friday) we decided to move south as far as Solomon's, MD. Yes, there were small craft warnings (but we're not really a small craft - we're blue-water material) and the wind gusts were upwards of 30 knots, but we knew the wind and waves would be on our stern, so we headed out. It was a brisk journey, and we certainly exercised our steering in the following sea, but at one point I remarked to Bill "I have confidence in this boat." After all, we were on only one engine, yet we averaged 7 knots, and reached a top speed (running down a wave) of 12 knots! After about 5 hours we were entering the harbor at Solomon's Island.

Having been here last summer, we knew where we last anchored, so headed that way. Deciding to go back to a different spot, we turned the boat hard right, and then discovered we couldn't turn left! Our steering had failed! Fortunately we steered a slightly different course, and it caught again, but we decided to pick up a mooring at Zahniser's, and I called to make sure the remaining moorings would take a boat our size. We headed toward the mooring, but just missed picking it up, and had to do a circle. As I headed back out into the harbor channel, a ferry blew its horn at us, but again there was no steering, so my only option was to put it into reverse, which fortunately did the trick. Then the challenge was to get us back to the mooring. Again, we lucked out and the steering caught just enough for us to head to the mooring. We grabbed it! Hurray! Two people, shaking like leaves, never felt so fortunate as to be attached firmly to a mooring.

As harrowing as this was, we count ourselves very lucky. Why?
1. It could have happened when we were still in 30 knot winds and 4-foot seas (although we would have had time to install the manual tiller)
2. We could have wiped out not only our boat, but many others in this harbor. Instead, there isn't a mark on Deeper Season or any of our neighbors
3. We grabbed a mooring at Zahnisers, a yacht center with good mechanics, who will tow us to the dock Monday morning and fix our steering (we know exactly what the problem is, but prefer to have the experts fix it, because we will be sending the bill to Oxford Boatyard, who installed a new steering system in July. By the way, they have already agreed to pay for the repair).
4. Solomon's is a great place to spend a weekend
5. We got to watch the Jon Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity in the office of Zahniser's!
6. We met some really good folks, who we hope to hook up with in the Bahamas.

Isn't this what boating is all about? Periods of intense "adventure" followed by periods of quiet contentment? And a slow but steady building up of amazing stories, guaranteed to put all listeners off the idea of boating ever in their lifetimes!

A Beautiful Day on the Chesapeake

After holing up in the Bohemia River for an extra day (rainy, high winds, tornado warnings) we took off at dawn today and had a beautiful run down to the West River (just south of Annapolis). On the way, we watched a submarine come into harbor (the Coast Guard kept everyone from getting too close, but we could see enough). We anchored, took Mindy ashore, brought her back to the boat and still managed to get to a restaurant (Thursday's) in daylight. Shared a dozen oysters and a dozen crabs, and sat for several hours taking them apart. Photos of the harbor from our picnic table at Thursdays, and of Bill at the table.

There are small craft warnings for tomorrow, but only because of high gusts (no rain or thunderstorms, seas only 2 feet) so we may press on. It will probably take us at least 2 full days to get to our destination from here, so we will likely take it slow and plan to arrive at the marina on Monday instead of trying to get there by closing time (2PM) Saturday. Weather looks good through Monday, so we're just going to enjoy the ride!

Moving Forward Again

After a week in Cape May trying to fix our starboard engine (to no avail), and talking with a whole lot of people about options for repairing or replacing it, we left this morning at first light (7 AM) and with perfect winds and tides made it all the way up the Delaware Bay, through the C&D Canal, and into a snug anchorage in the Bohemia River, at the northmost point of the Chesapeake Bay. We're headed for a yard in the Severn River in VA (in Mobjack Bay) where it seems they have the expertise and the reasonable rates we need to get us going again. We may stay at anchor tomorrow, depending on wind direction, but at this point we plan to go where it makes sense to go each day rather than trying to push against wind and weather. May not do another update until we are in the yard, but the most difficult part of our journey is behind us now, so we're breathing easy and plan to enjoy the next few days!

Still in Cape May

We ducked into a lovely marina last night and rode our bikes to a restaurant with a terrific and inexpensive lobster dinner special. Today the winds died and the sunshine is warm. We headed out of the marina on two engines but were quickly reduced to just one again, so we are once again anchored in Cape May harbor. We'll stay here until we can have an engine mechanic look at our starboard engine on Monday. We're safe, dry, and taking care of other little projects while we wait. Perhaps a Canasta game or two tonight????

Cape May update

We're back in business - starboard engine humming as I type this update. Now all we need is a liitle sunshine and our spirits will be right back where they should be!

Underway again!

Whoever said the best days with a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it was right, or at least it seems that way at the moment. We're in Cape May - it's raining, cool (but not as cold as at home, fortunately), and we have only one engine.

We picked the best day we could for an overnight sail from Raritan Bay to Cape May. Temps started in the high 50s and dipped down to the high 40s before morning, but the winds were perfect (from the west, 10-15 knots) and the seas were calm almost all night. We motor-sailed with one engine and averaged 7.5 knots. I, for one, was very stylishly dressed (see photo) in multiple layers, starting with long johns, ski socks and a fleece hat, covered by ski pants, my warmest North Face fleece and a baseball hat (to keep the fleece hat in place and my jacket hood out of my eyes), and topped with my foul-weather jacket, bright red waterproof (and windproof) boots, and mittens. Quite a picture, but it did the trick. We took turns in 2-hour shifts, and arrived in Cape May just after sunrise (although the sun did not actually make an appearance).

During the journey our starboard engine had a melt-down (a small pipe burst and sprayed oil all over the engine compartment). Needless to say, without oil the engine shut down. With only the port engine our maneuverability is nil, so instead of getting a slip (with power, and therefore heat) we anchored and have been on the hunt for a replacement part ever since. This morning we got lucky and found at least a temporary replacement, so our on-board mechanic (Bill) is putting things back together now, and we're hoping the engine will still run. The permanent part has been ordered and should be here by Friday. Since the weather is lousy and the winds aren't good for a run up the Delaware Bay, we're not going anywhere anyway, and this anchorage is the most peaceful one we've ever experienced, so things could definitely be worse. Meanwhile, we're just glad we brought warm clothes!

Long Island Sound at the end of summer 2010

A quick week is all we were able to manage in our quest to "go north" before heading the other direction. But it's been a great break, and we've had a chance to get reaquainted with Deeper Season before taking her on a longer journey. Lovely fall weather - wind, warm days, cool nights and only one thunderstorm! One nail-biter day - we were aiming for the Thimble Islands, got there late in the day with a lot of wind and seas picking up. Couldn't for the life of us find a place to anchor, so we backtracked (against the tide and wind) to Branford Harbor, CT. Got just inside the breakwall at around dusk, and were fortunate to be able to anchor before it got completely dark. A lesson we will probably have to learn repeatedly is to plan to arrive at a new destination when there is still plenty of daylight left, and time to try a second plan if the first one doesn't work out! That was our only lumpy night, but our anchor held with no problem!

Our trip: Left RYC in Perth Amboy Sunday around noon, swept up the East River and into Manhasset Bay (Port Washington) that afternoon. Stayed another day there to clean the boat and let the winds die down. Then to the Connecticut shore, and an attempt to reach the Thimbles (failed) when we ended up in Branford. From there, to the Connecticut River and Hamburg Cove (delightful!) and an extra day in Essex. Then back across the bay to Oyster Bay, Long Island, with an extra day in town. Tomorrow it's back down the East River to our mooring in Perth Amboy.

Here are a few shots of the week: The 'tug and pirate' at the town dock in Port Washington, Long Island, a shot of Bill cleaning the side of the boat (it was disgusting and took both of us several hours to clean), and a picture of the Presby church in Oyster Bay where Teddy Roosevelt attended as a boy.

We pulled into Oxford Boatyard for what we thought was about a 2-week haulout, enough time to paint the bottom, clean and wax the hull, take care of the most important items on our "to do" list, and enjoy biking around the charming town of Oxford, MD. Seven and a half weeks later (and you don't want to know what we spent!) we are back in the water. We had hoped to saunter up the rest of the Chesapeake, then perhaps spend some time in Cape May before heading to our mooring at Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, NJ. But, since it is now mid-August, and since we'd still like to get up to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket before heading south again, we decided to make it a fast trip.

Our very good friends, Stu and Julie Conway (Stu is the artist who created the Deeper Season picture, and Stu and Julie circumnavigated for a couple years, so they have loads of experience) volunteered to help us on the trip. There will be at least one overnight, and since we haven't done one of those on our own on this boat, it will be great to have knowledgeable company.

We're enjoying Sailor Jerry's at night, and hoping for a wind that will actually let us sail. At the moment we're coming through the C&D canal, which links the Chesapeake Bay with Delaware Bay. We'll then come down the Delaware Bay, around Cape May, and then up the NJ coast into Raritan Bay. More later. Thanks, Julie and Stu!

"On the Hard" in Oxford, MD

We had a 2:00 appointment to be hauled out in Oxford, so we left Annapolis early - made it under the Spa Creek bridge at 7:00, well ahead of the rush-hour limited opening schedule. With the tide and wind in our favor, we made great time - slipped through Knapps Narrows with ease, and were in Oxford by 11:30! We had time for a thorough pump-out, and then headed for the lift. We are by far the widest boat they can pull, and we just barely made it into the lift, with about 2 inches to spare on either side. Took them a long time to get the straps on, but we really appreciated the care they took, and we were propped up on blocks and stands by 2:30.

Oxford is a great little town - we had a late lunch at Schooners (where our car had been parked for more than 5 weeks) and ice cream at Highlanders, right next door. It's an adjustment to have to climb a ladder to get on board (or to take Mindy for a walk), and of course we can't use our on-board heads, so it's a ladder trip and a walk across the boatyard when we need to use the facilities, but at least we're able to live aboard. We were able to get a whole group of craftsmen on board to look at the issues we need solved, so we should have estimates early next week.

Saturday morning we packed up, took a swim at the little beach right across the road from the Marina, jumped in the shower, and headed home. Now we're back in NJ for a little while, and it feels great. We have TV and a dishwasher again!

Mill Creek, Solomons, Deale, Annapolis

Two delightful anchorages after rough seas. Mill Creek (south of Reedville, MD) we had all to ourselves, and enjoyed a swim off the back. Then we headed to Solomons, where we anchored again and ferried our bikes to shore on the dinghy (not an easy task, but doable) to see the town. It was OK, but not up to the hype. The next day we took a slip in Deale (Shipwright Marina) because we had to do laundry. Enjoyed their pool while the washer and dryer were doing their thing, then took our bikes to Skipper's Pier for $2/crab night. Ordered a half dozen, plus a dozen oysters on the half shell, and the man sitting next to us at the bar gave us two jumbos he couldn't finish. Crab heaven! Two beers and all that food later, we left after paying just $30! A great day.

Next morning, with skies threatening and the radar website showing rain any minute, we biked to a great coffee shop for the morning brew and muffins. Biked back to the boat in the sprinkles, but had a rain-free (but windy) ride to Annapolis. We were very fortunate to have a free dock, courtesy of two other Manta owners (one of whom is the dockmaster at their condo association) on Spa Creek in Eastport. We've spent today biking for all we're worth - visiting with UK Sails, Doyle Sails, and a dinghy company, to check out pricing on a stack pack for our main sail, and repairs for our dinghy. After a long afternoon we headed to Eastport Yacht Club for a beer, and happened on a party (picture) to celebrate tomorrow's start of the Bermuda Ocean Race. We're taking off early tomorrow for Oxford, MD, where we will pull the boat out of the water for repairs and routine maintenance. Our car should be there waiting for us, so we'll be heading home to NJ for at least a little while.

Cape Charles and Jackson Creek with Stewardship

Thursday - June 3 - Headed to Cape Charles and for a change were under sail - no engines! Glorious day! Cought up with Stewardship (a sailboat owned by our friend Dave Steward, and in charter service for sunset and dinner cruises with first mate and on-board chef Hania). They were on an afternoon charter, so we tried racing them, but lost miserably. No one said a large, comfy catamaran would also be a star under sail!

In port at the town docks (a working dock for crabbers and fisherman) I stopped to ask a couple of fishermen what they had caught, and where I could get some fresh fish. They offered me my choice of whatever was in their cooler, so I took two and put them on ice until I could clean them. Dave and Hania came into port shortly afterwards and agreed to join us for a fish dinner, so it was time to eviscerate the fish - a first on Deeper Season. Discovered that the steps down in the back (I guess the fantail) works just great for the purpose, and in no time we had our catch ready to go in the oven. A great dinner, and great to catch up with the captain and first mate of Stewarship. The next day, Dave took me and Hania out for a sailing lesson, and I finally learned how to do a man overboard rescue. I also learned just how much I really do know about sailing, so my confidence factor rose measurably. As thanks for the lesson we took Dave and Hania to dinner at Kelly's Pub in Cape Charles, and it was fantastic.

On Saturday, we followed Stewarship for a sail across the Chesapeake to Jackson Creek. Found a beautiful anchorage and rafted up (another first for us). Hania cooked - stuffed grilled clams, fish tacos, rice and beans, and mojitos. Unbelievable! If you ever receive an invitation to dine on Hania's cooking, say yes!

This morning, after a great breakfast cooked by Hania and Bill, we parted company with Stewardship and went north. We were aiming for Solomons Island, but fell quite a bit short. Strong winds and a resulting broken fair lead block on our jib, plus threatening thunderstorms, encouraged us to duck into Mill Creek just south of Reedville, VA - an anchorage Dave recommended. We had a lazy afternoon and took a very refreshing swim (another first for our journey) before the storms came in. Once they were through, we had yet another glorious sunset. All in all, a great couple of days with friends!

Elizabeth City, the Rose Buddies, and the Dismal Swamp

At the start of the Dismal Swamp sits Elizabeth City, NC, a town that now proudly calls itself the "Harbor of Hospitality," and for good reason. We arrived to tie up to a free dock, then hustled over for the "Rose Buddies" welcome reception (see the pix of the Rose Buddies plaque for the history). We were feted with free wine and cheese and, because they were also welcoming another town we were fed a free dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, mashies with fixins, and lots of other good stuff. I was given a rose (see pix), and then we were invited to partake of movie night. (There's a picture of this, too - it was an old black and white starring Andy Griffith as "Lonesome Roads" - now I know why Keith Olberman calls Glen Beck by that name). A lovely night!

This morning we headed into the Dismal Swamp - the oldest canal in the Americas, started by George Washington and others as a business investment well before he became President. It's beautiful, especially today when we were the only boat transiting. Very contemplative (see pix of Bill sitting forward just enjoying watching the world go by - or maybe napping).

There are 2 locks (duck soup, even easier than the ones on the French canals), and at the second one our lock tender treated us to a concert on the conch (see pix). Yes, he plays the shells, and not only makes different notes, but he played jazz! Very cool! In the middle of the swamp is a welcome center that is now a state park. Note the pix of the exotic moth. (One of the volunteers told me its name - starts with a 'c' - but I can't remember it.

Tonight we're in Portsmouth, VA, heading to see friends in Cape Charles tomorrow.

Oriental for Memorial Day

We left Swansboro thinking we would end up in Morehead City or Beaufort - two of our favorite NC towns. We had hoped we could work our way up the Core Banks to visit our old neighbors in Sea Level. Unfortunately it seems there has been a lot of shoaling on that route, so we made a quick decision to skip our old familiar haunts in favor of Oriental, a town we had visited before, but wanted to get to know better.

We arrived in early afternoon at Deaton's Marine, and had our first opportunity (?) to parallel park. With just about as much space between boats as between cars, we maneuvered our boat into its slip, and only heard one soft 'clunk' (but no damage!) We called our friends from NJ, Ron and Louise (Nock) Stevens. They were out, so we left a message and took our bikes into town. A long iced tea break at M&M's Cafe, and we were ready for a long ride, so we set out to see if we could remember where their house was. We remembered that it was on the water (see picture of dock from their deck), but the house had changed so much (a huge redo project) we didn't recognize it. But we had no sooner passed the house than Louise called! We spent that evening with them and their friend Lisa at a new development / marina north of town called River Dunes. Louise works there part time, but also takes care of their ponies. Great food, great conversation (fortunately we're all on a similar page when it comes to politics) and a beautiful night!

On Sunday, Bill met Ron and Louise at The Bean for early coffee. Later, Bill and I rode into town to partake of M&M's steamed jumbo crabs. We biked to Louise and Ron's for another delicious dinner (see photo of the 4 of us, taken by Lisa, that will give you some idea of the feast we had). All in all, an absolutely perfect holiday weekend! Thanks, Louise and Ron!

Monday morning we headed for Belle Haven. Not much of a town, and completely deserted on the holiday. We anchored in a wide open area and bounced all night, even after resetting the anchor. Took off at sunrise (see photo) headed for Elizabeth City and the Dismal Swamp.

Wrightsville Beach and Swansboro, NC

Bridge delays, strong currents and wind on our nose made for two long cruising days. First, we headed from Barefoot Landing (Myrtle Beach) to Wrightsville Beach. We thought we were terribly clever to wait for the tides to be just right, but very soon ran into a pontoon bridge that couldn't open at low tide. We dropped the hook and waited for 1 1/2 hours, but felt marginally better than the boat we had tied up next to at Barefoot Landing. They had left the dock 2 hours before we did, and we met them at that same bridge! We persevered and made it to a nice anchorage at Wrightsville Beach by about 7:30 that night. Currents were strong, but we tried a new anchor arrangement with a bridle to keep the two hulls straight, and slept well. The next day we found ourselves doing a near 360, so we reset and spent one more night. After clouds and some rain, the sunset was pretty great (see the picture with the large house outlined in red).

The next day, we headed for Swansboro and very nearly didn't make it. We were held up at 3 different bridges, fought the current and about a 20 knot headwind all the way, and got seriously wet in multiple rain storms. Finally made it to Swansboro, where we've been ensconced for the past 2 days. Note yet another sunset shot, but this time showing the pink of sunset and a nearly full moon rising. In fact, there are two of the same shot, one with the camera (lighter one) and one from my phone. The other picture shows our dock neighbor - a Corps of Engineers dredging vessel. Watching them dock so easily within about 5 feet of our bow without so much as a ripple made us envious! One day our docking skills will be just as good (I hope.)

In Swansboro we found a bike shop with folding bikes, so we now have two, and have been riding everywhere. Yesterday was gorgeous, so we took the dinghy out to the nearest sandbar and pretended we were back at our house in Sea Level and waded in the warm seawater. Mindy got a haircut and a bath today (poor old girl) and we got to the laundromat, so there's nothing left to do here. (!) Tomorrow we head through Morehead and Beaufort up to Oriental, on the Pamlico Sound. More thunderstorms predicted for the next several days, so it will probably be another wet day. Oh well.....

Georgetown, SC to Myrtle Beach (Barefoot Landing)

Left at a leisurely pace after a Sunday breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Filled the tank on the way out of Georgetown, and hoped to time the tides right, but failed miserably. A long, long day, made worse by our first thunderstorm (note our brave captain out in the elements!)

Good news is, we discovered we can handle a thunderstorm with no problem, at least in the intracoastal waterway (ICW). We were surrounded by small boats loaded with young people who continued to party through the storm, so it never seemed like anything more than an inconvenience. Also good news is that the rain gave us a great chance to wash down the boat! It is now sparkling clean (except for the ubiquitous dog hair) and ready for a jaunt tomorrow to Wrightsville Beach or thereabouts. Into North Carolina!

Georgetown, SC

Another 65-mile day, arrived in Georgetown at about 4:30, just as it was starting to rain. We fought deer flies (or yellow flies) all the way up the "ditch" (the intracoastal waterway, which we're following north). This is the second cruising day we've "enjoyed" their company. The first, on the way to Charleston from Beaufort, we killed at least 67 of them (Beth killed 66 of those, Bill killed a few more but didn't keep count.) Today, Bill was our dragon slayer, since my arm felt like it was going to fall off from all that killing two days ago. Amazingly, they seem to disappear just as we arrive at our destination. How do they know?

We were preparing to anchor, and spending a fair amount of time trying to set it in a place where we wouldn't be in the way of private moorings or other boats, but would have enough room to swing at the tide change. After 3 attempts, a man called out from one of the bars on shore that we could tie up at the mooring right behind us. Hallelujah! Needless to say, once on the mooring we dinghied into the bar - the Big Tuna - to say thanks. It was a great, very jumpin' place on an early Saturday evening, and we had some terrific food (calamari and seared ahi tuna) and a couple of beers for a grand total of under $30. It's later now - just about 9 PM, and the whole wharf is active. Lots of live music, lots of people having a good time. Definitely a partying town!

Charleston, SC

Just left Charleston this morning, headed for Georgetown. Arrived in Charleston Thursday afternoon, 5/20. Had planned to stay at the Dolphin Cove Marina for only $1 per foot, but realized (thankfully, in time) that they were up a river that was spanned by a 56' fixed bridge - too low for our 62' mast. We ended up tying up at the city marina mega dock. Great services, but expensive at $2 per foot plus power. Got a ride from the marina van into the city market area, and had an appetiser dinner at Bubba Gumps. Walked back to the marina, and admired the gorgeous architecture and lovely gardens behind wrought iron fences. Note the picture of the entryway, with marble leading to brick steps with greenery growing on the step risers. Also note the blue flowers - if anyone knows what it is, please let us know. They looked fake, but were very real.

Strolled past the battery and checked out the Carolina Yacht Club, to find that we could use one of their moorings for free! Friday morning we moved there, and although it was shallow, our boat was OK there. Perfect location! We lunched on oysters at a raw bar called Amen Street, then met Bill's friend Geoff, who took Bill to the Dolphin Cove Marina to collect some mail we had forwarded there. Turns out it was lucky we didn't stay there - it was in the middle of nowhere! With Geoff's local knowledge of Charleston, we visited one of several rooftop bars for a great view of the city. Headed back to the boat just after 7 PM.

This morning we left at about 7:30, trying to make the tides work for us on the way to Georgetown. More later!

Back underway, and enjoying Beaufort, SC

After about 3 weeks back in NJ, we came back to Brunswick, GA on May 8, where Deeper Season was waiting for us at the Brunswick Landing Marina. We spent several days there, taking advantage of the free laundry to wash all the sheets and towels, and using a couple of loaner bikes from the marina to explore the town and get ourselves fully provisioned. On Thursday, May 13, we motored to the fuel dock to fill up for an early morning departure. That night we biked to the Oyster Shak, and had a feast of raw and steamed oysters on the half shell, oyster stew, and yummy local peel-and-eat shrimp. A great way to say goodbye to Brunswick!

At 5:05 AM, an hour before sunup, we got underway on Friday, May 14, and headed about 100 miles north on the outside, to HIlton Head, SC. A good wind from the southwest helped us along, and we arrived at Palmetto Bay Marina at 6 PM. The next morning, we decided to move on to Beaufort, SC, since we've been to Hilton Head numerous times (by car) but had never seen Beaufort. We found a very affordable marina on Lady's Island, just a short dinghy ride into town. Beaufort is lovely! A really clean, very well maintained town with a wonderful waterfront, great restaurants, and loads of beautiful old homes dating back to Revolutionary and Civil War days. We got lucky and were able to buy a used folding bike for $30, and spent most of today running errands. Our plan is to motor over to the town marina (just the other side of a swing bridge) for a fill up tomorrow, then leave early Thursday morning (5/20) headed for Charleston.

Just now it's Sailor Jerry time (spiced rum and coke with lime) while we enjoy the breeze and perfect temperatures!

Starting the Shake-Down cruise

We left Marathon and sailed the outside route (Hawk Channel) to Caloosa Cove Marina in Lower Matecumbe Key. With 10-11 knots of wind from the southeast, Deeper Season sailed beautifully at up to 9 knots. At the resort, we tied up on the seawall, had help from some really nice boaters with suggestions for other places to stop, and checked out the fishing gear on sale. The next morning, ready for an early departure, we found we were aground, so we waited until noon and a higher tide, then were on our way.

Exploring Marathon

We spent just about a week in Marathon Marina taking care of things, like washing all the sheets and dishes, cleaning, getting carpets so our dog, Mindy, could navigate the decks and steps, and provisioning. Our first journey wasn't far - just to a mooring in Boot Key Harbor (still in Marathon), but we were able to:

1. Try actually running the boat (actually, Bill had done a little of this in February to move the boat from Marathon Boatyard to Marathon Marina, but that was all)


2. Figure out how to properly moor a catamaran (which, it turns out, is a little different from a monohull).

Both worked fine, and we spent another 3 days or so in Marathon, this time enjoying a few of the great restaurants, trying out our internet connections, trying the stove, and using our wonder-dinghy!