Short break in Jupiter

A quiet night in Faber Cove

Bill's sister Susan and husband Larry have a great place in Jupiter, so we planned to stop here for a few days. En route, we noticed some gear slippage, so we've had someone take a look at our port engine. We are now waiting for estimates on that (plus cosmetic repairs caused by the Virginia canal encounter with a cruise ship), and may have the boat hauled while we're here. Should know more tomorrow.

Susan and Larry Connor

What a cool bird!

The pictures include a sunset from Faber Cove (in Fort Pierce), a really cool bird that visited us at dinner last night (either known as a golden crested night blue heron, or as a yellow crested night heron, but cool, nonetheless), and Susan and Larry at their condo. Temps are warm (just shy of 80 degrees), and life is good!

Underway Again!

After finishing a bunch of projects (new salon cushions, new side curtains, a WIFI extension system and several things  made from a re-purposed mainsail cover (screen holders, a head curtain, and covers for both bikes) we left late in the day Tuesday, 1-17. The railroad bridge is under construction and only open before 8 AM and after 5 PM (and for an hour at lunch time) so we timed our depature for the 5 PM open, then tied up at Jacksonville Landing for a great dinner at Fionn MacCools, with the Main Street bridge all lit up in blue for a backdrop.

On Wednesday morning, in a light rain, we took off for Saint Augustine, where we took a mooring. It was chilly last night - down in the 40s - but OK under the covers. Today was gorgeous - sunny with a high around 65 - so we took our bikes in and visited the lighthouse, had a terrific lunch at a locally favorite place here, and then biked to the ABC store for Sailor Jerry's (a great price - $20 for the gallon size! Tomorrow after breakfast and a pumpout we'll head for Daytona Beach.

Enjoying Jacksonville

We love the marshes!

Amazing Spanish Moss at Fort Caroline

The Batmobile at Jacksonville Beach

Rented a car this past weekend and in addition to running errands we enjoyed Jacksonville. Beautiful weather (sunny, about 70), so Friday we explored Jacksonville landing, Saturday Fort Caroline (with Timicuan Nature Preserve adjacent for a really nice hike) and Sunday we headed to the beach. Had a great light lunch at Joe's (Joe's know crabs), walked the beach, and watched the many fishermen (and fisherwomen) on the pier, mainly catching fish that looked like bait. Saw a phenomenal Batmobile at the beach.

We're still having work done - some metal work tomorrow, and an extension to the side curtains we had made over Christmas (we liked them so much we wanted more!). Earliest we are likely to be heading south is next Tuesday, January 17th.

Back on the Boat in Jacksonville

Someone looks comfy!

After a great time at home in New Jersey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we flew back to Jacksonville January 2. The boat is still floating, and now has new seat cushions in the salon, which look terrific. It was very cold for a couple days, but has now moderated and should hit a high of 75 today. A neat surprise - we met up with my old friend from Rocky River (Marianne Wellington Fugeman) and her sister Nancy Laszlo, who lives in Jacksonville. We've been taking care of little errands all week, and rented a car for the weekend to get to Home Depot, Lowe's, and Costco for some bigger things.

Yesterday we went down to Jacksonville Landing, which has a free dock for visiting boats. We stopped there briefly on our way to Ortega Landing Marina, but didn't have a chance to explore. So this time we checked it out, and had a great lunch on a beautiful day, sitting overlooking the river. The pix is from our lunch table at an Irish Pub (great food), and the other pix is of our first trial run of the cool solar charger we got for Christmas (thanks, Liz and James), which worked great to charge Bill's cellphone.
We're having some metal work done, and then will be heading south. Life is good!

Foggy Days at Sea

Bill at Sea Pines

We had a long day to get to Hilton Head, but treated ourselves to a night at Harbortown in Sea Pines. We tied up at the fuel dock, which was right in front of the bar, so we had live music!


In the Atlantic in the fog



The next morning we headed out early, and just as we cleared the inlet the fog rolled in, really thick. We were glad we had decided to go outside instead of the inside ICW route that day, because we were the only boat out there. Listening to the boats on the inside, it sounded very difficult, with narrow channels and other boats to contend with. Still, it was unnerving not to be able to see any markers, and we were relieved when it finally lifted so we could see  the way into an inlet to anchor for the night. 

Keeping a Lookout


Today, after a peasoup beginning, we continued south on the ICW past Jekyll Island, Cumberland Island, St. Simon's Island and a whole lot of other pretty spots, and anchored in a fairly ugly place just south of Fernandino Beach (Amelia Island). The objective was to get close to Jacksonville so we have a short run tomorrow. Once in Jacksonville we'll take care of some boat things, then hop a plane Sunday to head home until after the new year. See you all soon!

Heading to Harbortown, Hilton Head Today

Carolina Beach, NC

Bald Head Island

Since our last transmittal we've covered a lot of ground. A couple days ago we decided to put the boat in Jacksonville, FL for a couple months and fly home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That means that after meandering down the ICW, now we have a deadline, and the miles are accumulating. Since the last update, we spent a lovely night anchored in Carolina Beach, followed by two days in Bald Head Island at their marina.
We had planned to stay only one day, but our overnight FedEx package took two days to get to the island, so we stayed. Had some great bike rides, two good lunches at MoJos, and good weather, with a full moon rising.

Minum Creek anchorage - all to ourselves!

From there, we spent one night at Barefoot Landing, then a gorgeous anchorage at Minum Creek (just south of Winyah Bay) and another lovely anchorage at Church Creek (south of Charleston).
Tonight we'll be in a marina again, at Sea Pines in Hilton Head. Should be in Jacksonville by Thursday if all goes according to plan.

Warmth At Last!

A peek at the ocean near Wrightsville Beach

We have had a nice run the last few days - Oriental to Morehead City, then last night we anchored just north of Surf City, NC. Tonight we will anchor at Carolina Beach, and then will stay at the Bald Head Island Marina Wednesday night. The temps have really warmed up, and we've had enough breeze most days to raise the jib to help us along. Still high seas on the outside, so we've stuck to the ditch (the Intracoastal Waterway).