01 December 2013 | Biscayne Bay
31 October 2013 | Beaufort, NC
16 October 2013 | Annapolis
27 September 2013 | Annapolis
11 September 2013 | Annapolis
First leg... Check
01 December 2013 | Biscayne Bay
A Good Place to Spend the Holidays
Wow, where do I begin? I know it's been a number of weeks since my last entry and I apologize to those who care. The fact is that it's been a VERY busy 37+ days. We left Annapolis on 10/13 and arrived in Biscayne Bay on Thanksgiving.
I will not bore you with a daily log but along the way we:
sailed in no wind and sailed in 30 knots
wore winter ski clothes and wore shorts and tees
travelled in bays, rivers, canals, and the ocean
traversed locks, sandbars, and over 500 feet of water
only hit bottom once... and only waited a couple hours for the tide to come in to get off
had dolphins swimming with me and splashing me to stay awake
saw 20,000 sq foot homes next to trailer parks
I can't begin to share all the nuance!
The diversity of the Inter-coastal Waterway is amazing. Sometimes we would anchor where there were no lights except the milky way reflected in the water on a still night. Sometimes we would anchor in the middle of a city where the lights of the buildings at night changed colors.
We stayed in a number of places along the way to visit friends or just explore as well. Some favorite spots were:
Norfolk, VA
Beaufort, NC
Charleston, SC
Savannah, GA
St. Augustine, FL
Vero Beach, FL
Once we were tired and just pulled "off the road" only to dinghy onto the marina there to find a string of tiki bars and bands. I had the best pizza in a biker bar on the same strip out in east bum shoe nowhere... who knew?
On Thanksgiving we headed offshore from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami at sunrise. It was a chilly morning and warm steam was rising off the water. With 15-20 knots of wind and 6 foot rollers both to our back we were in heaven... it was a perfect moment to give thanks and wonder at the universe. That evening we met a semi homeless guy (rather he found us). He showed us around Coconut Grove... we bought him dinner.
Next stop? Xmas in Biscayne Bay then off to the Bahamas... maybe Marathon Key first just for kicks!
Cheers all... and Happy Holidays.
Annapolis, MD to Beaufort, NC
31 October 2013 | Beaufort, NC
Captain Jim
Well we finally left Annapolis on the morning of 10/23. The forecast called for a nice breeze out of the NW for a few days after a high came through so we left late morning in the rain. By mid day the sun was out and we made banner time to Solomons Island in time for left over pork on my brother’s boat. We got up at 5 AM the next day to leave at 7 in an effort to get to Deltaville. THAT never happened as the breeze turned into small craft warnings which was fun for a while but got tiring so we turned into a nice northern VA creek where I made pot roast for dinner. The next day we needed to provision... damn Gin ran dry... so we made the short hop to D’ville where we took care of business and got some rest. The next day was the same 5/7 AM routine... nice sail to Norfolk where we entered the inter-coastal waterway.
After a nice dinner with our nephew we headed out even earlier in the AM (6??? Really???) to time the bridges and beat the crowd. We made it to Coinjock for fuel and anchored just south. We left the next AM at a more respectable time and made the Alligator / Pungo Rivers Canal. Place looked like a nuclear disaster with no birds or fish. We were so far from anywhere we could see the Milky Way and is’t reflection ion the calm waters. The next day was another civilized ride down the Canal to the Pungo River to another canal and the Bay River to yet another canal to Beaufort. Whew!
Here sit riding out a passing front, re-provisioning, and planning next steps!
Final Preparations
16 October 2013 | Annapolis
Rigging Check... Check!
The Annapolis boat show is now over and everyone is leaving in droves. My ship finder app showed hundreds of boats here for the show and now displays only a few. It is finally time to head south.
Short of looking at boats and all the new gadgets I've been going through a final check list and learning how to cook. After years of traveling and eating out I thought it was about time to learn a new skill... other than climbing the mast. Now there are tons of new ingredients to procure.
ETA for departure is 10/23 as the winds will be from the WNW then and make for a nice run down the Bay!
Still at the Dock
27 September 2013 | Annapolis
Captain Jim
One would have thought that retirement was a time for R&R... NOT! As I work through the "to do" list and prepare to sail south I find every task completion to highlight more "opportunities". The most recent opportunity / project added solar panel installation to my repertoire. After doing all the research (a.k.a. talking to everyone you meet), sourcing and purchasing the goods (leveraging local businesses to share in discounts), and begging to use the drill press and table saw from a local business owner (he said... right over there... help your self) I now have enough energy to power my fridge and freezer for free. This assumes sunny days of course but given my proclivity for spreadsheets the business case for not running an engine or generator to replace power to the batteries yields a 3-6 month payback... a "no brainer... even if my assumptions are off by 100%! Happy trails campers... target date to leave Annapolis is somewhere between 10/15 and and 10/25. Gotta love retirement and all these horrific deadlines.
Preparations
11 September 2013 | Annapolis
At the Dock
This week represents my second full week of retirement but, more importantly, cruise planning. I started with a long list, booked my calendar, and set to work. I will NOT bore you with the list but it includes regular conversations with my neighbor who is in Annapolis for a re-fit and preparing for his trip to New Zealand. He has been both a great source of information (e.g. did you think of this or that?), and a great inspiration. Thanks JP!