This morning was 49 degrees and windy. Far to chilly for us. We are readying the boat to begin our travels south to winter in the Florida Keys. The first leg of our journey will be from Wrightsville Beach, NC to Charleston, SC possibly this Tuesday, Oct 4th. The photo is a picture of our dock at Seapath Yacht Club here in Wrightsville Beach. This has been one of the most enjoyable and accomodating marinas on our cruise.

We went to a fun event at our friend's, Dale and Sharon Smith, home today. They had a gathering of friends and neighbors to celebrate Dale's very successful knee replacement surgery. It was a pot luck gathering with a big pot of home made soup to warm our bodies & spirits as the fall weather has definitely arrived.

Left Wrightsville Beach at 8:30 Tuesday morning (10/4) and had a wonderful overnight sail to Charleston. We had a NW wind at about 12 knots and a current that was giving us a little push. We were able to pass the Cape Fear River shoals in daylight and then set a course through the night directly to Charleston. Beautiful clear skies, bright moon and mild temps made for a great sail. Arrived our marina in Charleston late morning on Weds.

When we were approaching the Charleston City Marina I could see what looked like an extremely tall mast or tower that was not there the last time we were in Charleston. Cathy was able to confirm that it was a sailboat mast and I was not just seeing things in my sleep deprived condition. We then pulled into the fuel dock directly behind the largest single masted sailboat in the world, Mirabella V. She is 247 feet long and has a mast 292 feet tall. We looked like a little toy up next to this beautiful ship. You can Google their website and see for yourselves what a magnificant ship it is. I have been able to visit with some of the crew members and it has been a fascinating exprience to learn of their adventures.

After getting settled and rested, we unpacked the bikes and have been touring Charleston, grocery shopping and revisiting our favorite restraunts and their fabulous Farmers Market. We will be here for about 10 days before our next stops in Fernandina Beach and St. Augustine, FL. We have a major storm approaching from the south and will have several days of heavy rains and strong winds before the next weather window to continue our travels south.

This morning we went to a Methodist church that is a little over 200 years old and in beautiful condition. A most friendly congregation and delightful service. After church we went to one of our favorite restraunts, Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar. Cathy had some great southern style shrimp and grits and we split a fabulous piece of coconut pie (we agree the best we ever had). Now it is time to diet for a few days.

We are so blessed to be able to continue our crusing life. We are also blessed to have such a wonderful group of family and friends. God bless to all.