Renaissance
| Vessel Name: | renaissance |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Holland Yachts/Dutch Flyer |
| Hailing Port: | Bradenton, Florida |
| Crew: | Bill and Patty Gaffney |
20 June 2011 | Chisman Creek/Poquoson River
Yorktown and Williamsburg, Virginia
We have been anchored on this lovely creek, just south of the York River, since last Thursday after leaving Norfolk and sailing all the way. On Friday we relaxed and threw out our crab lines and chicken necks and caught our dinner! 4 mediums and 6 smalls and tossed back at least 2 dozen crabs too small to keep. It was a great crab and beer fest. We rented a car and toured Yorktown and Williamsburg on Saturday and Sunday. Although it was hot, we had a fabulous time. We've both been to Williamsburg many times and it brought back lots of memories of fun trips. Today it is windy and raining-blowing from the north again. We will probably take off tomorrow or the next day and head to Deltaville. The man on the horse is Benedict Arnold alive and well in Williamsburg!
15 June 2011 | Norfolk, Va
Mile Marker 0
Here we are at the end (or beginning) of the ICW and the Chesapeake is just around the corner. The wind is from the north 10-15 today so no going out on the Bay since all destinations are North! The good news is its a cool wind- temps in the 60s last night and only going to about 77 today! What a relief.
07 June 2011
Lake Chatauqua, New York
Renaissance is in North Carolina on the ICW continuing on her way to the Bay, captained and crewed by Lee and Catherine McMichael. Bill and I are now in Lake Chatauqua, New York with his sister and her husband, at their summer home. Bill's mom, Anne Gaffney, passed away on June 2 at the age of 93. We left our boat in Charleston, SC. and flew to Cleveland for the funeral and now its time to let down and relax. It is quite beautiful and peaceful here and a lot cooler than the south. It has been raining all morning but the air is fresh and the grass is very green. We'll go back to Cleveland tomorrow evening and will fly to Baltimore on Friday, pick up McMichael's car in Annapolis and drive to meet them wherever they are in NC. We are so grateful to them for being in the right place at the right time with us to continue moving Renaissance north.
24 May 2011 | Thunderbolt, Georgia
Ocean sail
We left St. Augustine Monday at 7AM and arrived here, just outside of Savannah at about 1:30 this afternoon. We have shaved off 200miles and 4-5 days of the ICW (all of Georgia) by doing 30 hours "on the outside." It was a rolly polly down wind ride with following seas of 2-3 feet initially and then increasing to 4-6 by daybreak today. The wind was about 10-15 and as it lessened in the morning, the waves and rollers persisted. But we motor sailed at 5 knots, sometimes more, everything worked and now we're anchored in the Herb River. Its hot- yesterday temps were around 100 here, today probably close, but there is a breeze. We're tired! We will rest here until Monday when Lee and Catherine McMichaels join us for some more ocean voyaging, we hope, weather permitting!
22 May 2011 | St. Augustine, Fla
Movin' on
Tomorrow morning at sunrise we will take off for Savannah, via the ocean. Its about 140 miles and will take about 30 hours- this will knock off a couple of days of motoring on the ICW. Weather report is good, calm winds and seas. We should arrive in Thunderbolt Georgia early afternoon on Tuesday.
16 May 2011
Endeavor Launch
Space Shuttle Endeavor launched at 8:56 this morning. It was a semi-awesome sight due to cloud cover. From our marina we were able to see the lauch site and the immediate take off, but in a few seconds it was gone in the clouds. About a minute or two later we heard the roar of the engines. We actually [...]
Movin' on
We have been in St. Augustine since Friday on a mooring ball. Last time we stopped here was 2004 and there were many derelict boats in the harbor and no mooring balls- it was not a good place to anchor. Since then they got rid of all the bad boats and put in balls. Plus with the 5-6 foot tide swings the balls are much easier to manage. Its such a lovely city- lots of history and interesting places to visit, tons of restaurants and cafes and all very clean and peaceful. Henry Flagler made his mark here- many beautiful buildings and Flagler College.
