LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN
After a month and a half of preparation and getting familiar with my new boat (new to me) and searching for a Captain to help me bring the boat down to Florida from Oriental, North Carolina I was set to cast off.
I had plenty of recommendations for Captains. One recommendation took the form of: "I would sail anywhere with this person". Well, that sounded pretty good. I contacted him, had a lengthy conversation and ended the meeting with him agreeing to find me at the boatyard (where his boat is dry docked) next time he was there. I never saw or heard from him again.
A woman who use to own a business in Oriental heard I was looking for a Captain, and enthusiastically recommended a fellow who was not only a delivery Captain, but also a sailing instructor. Perfect! For reasons that will become clear in a bit, I'll just refer to him as "The Captain".
One of my best friends flew in to help. He grew up around boats in San Diego and had plenty of sailing experience, plus, he's a lot of fun. We would have preferred four people for the passage, but three would work, it just meant only two hours of sleep between watches instead of four.
Our goal was to move as quickly as possible to Florida since my buddy only had a couple of weeks to spare before having to return home. So, the decision was made to travel "the outside" rather than "the inside" route. The inside route is down the Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW). The ICW is a series of rivers, bays and canals that run from New Jersey down through Florida and over to Texas. You are protected from the high winds and seas of the North Atlantic. It can be a fun way to travel if you're not in a hurry because you can only travel during the day. You also have to be very careful of not running aground. The furthest we traveled in one day was about 80 miles. And those are long days. But it can be enjoyable as you pass through different towns, cities and little bergs along the way. There are areas where the ICW passes by beautiful, huge mansions, areas where there is nothing to see, and areas where your traveling through some beautiful grassy and somewhat remote waterways. You could spend months on the ICW if you wished.
But, because time was a factor, we elected to head out into the North Atlantic for a quicker passage. The boat was provisioned with plenty of food including certain things the Captain suggested, like M&M's, trail mix, crackers and other snacks, along with the basics and food for some nice dinners. The three of us took turns preparing dinners.
We left Oriental on a crisp (o.k., cold) November morning. We traveled a short distance down the Neuse River and then entered the ICW and continued on to Beaufort, North Carolina.
At Beaufort we entered the North Atlantic and headed out 20-30 miles off shore. It was cold so we all had multiple layers of clothing on. The winds had a northerly component and we had following seas. The days were sunny for the most part and the sailing was excellent. We had two days and nights of excellent sailing. We even ate dinner in the cockpit. We had smiles on our faces, and were making great time with the following seas...averaging more than 8 knots.
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We knew there was a storm headed towards us and debated whether to put in at Charleston, South Carolina. Because we were making such good time, the decision was made to continue on. A decision we came to regret about 8 hours later.
In the early morning hours we ran into rain. It was pitch black and visibility was poor. My friend was off watch and asleep below. The Captain was at the helm. The seas began to grow and the wind pick up to 20-30 knots. We had doused the mainsail and a while ago and were on a run with just the genoa.
Before I realized what was happening (remember I'm new at this), we were in a strong gail storm. There is much about this night that remains a blur for me (which is probably a good thing...trauma can do that to a person).
I recall checking the time at 2AM. I don't know who turned the deck light on but it certainly didn't help my anxiety levels (now in the red zone). There are a few things I remember clearly. Here are a few of them: the noises from down below as stuff flew around the cabin; the pain in my forearm as I was flown around the cabin; standing in the companionway watching the Captain trying to control the boat; seeing the rail in the water; watching the bow go straight up in the air and then come crashing down; green ocean water covering the deck and filling the genoa. Time to change my pants (maybe that's how I hurt my arm?)
We were making a half-a-knot at best. The winds were between 40 and 45 miles per hour and the seas 10-12 feet. The boat was being pushed around like a bathtub toy.
I must say, although the Captain was concerned he maintained his composure and made good decisions throughout the ordeal. At one point, he said we were going to turn back to Charleston. I turned and looked at my buddy and we both read each others minds ("no way can we turn back"). About thirty seconds later the Captain took back the statement and said, "no, we have to continue on".
We were aiming for the Savanna River to get out of the storm. All we could see were the lights of huge ships aiming for the river as well to get out of the storm. My depth perception in pitch blackness is nill. I couldn't tell if those ships were a mile away or 5 miles away.
"I see the sea buoy", I announced with joy. "How far is that from the mouth of the river"?, I asked. We were close to safety I thought. "About sixteen miles", came the Captain's answer. My heart sank.
"We're going to have to stay out until dawn because of the ships going in", the Captain said. "Its too dangerous to try and go in now with those ships going in". My heart sank further. We were going to have to sail in circles for hours in this gail and get the stuffing kicked out of us until dawn.

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"Is there anyone we can call?", I foolishly asked. "Who ya gonna call", my friend said...with somewhat of a snicker. "What about the Coast Guard", I said. He was enjoying himself. I think he even had a smile on his face. This was the adventure he was seeking when he agreed to come and help.
So, it was a naïve and stupid question in retrospect. But it wasn't there retirement savings tied up in this boat. How sick is that? I was more concerned with losing my investment than my life.
"The Coast Guard isn't coming", the Captain said. "Can't they tow us in"? "No, they don't tow anyone in unless it's a matter of life and death". Helllloooo..I thought to myself?
It was about this time I remembered Bob Bitchen suggest to me I not sell my Harley-Davidson yet as the cruising life isn't for everyone.
As dawn broke, we entered the mouth of the Savanna River. The sun was starting to shine and I could see again. Phew! The sphincter meter was beginning to drop.
Around 2PM we put in at Isle of Hope, Georgia. More than twelve hours since we were in the worst of the storm. We went to the fuel dock first then guided to a dock space where we would spend the night. Showers and a warm meal quickly followed along with a beautiful walk on firm soil. Ah, terra firma.
The storm was still raging out in the Atlantic and we knew now the rest of the trip would be down the ICW. The next day we headed south continuing on our journey at a much more relaxed pace.
The Captain apologized for what had happened. He didn't like exposing new sailors to that sort of thing. Hell, I don't think experienced sailors enjoy exposure to that either. I told him not to feel bad about it. The boat wasn't damaged, no one got hurt (except for my now severely bruised arm) and it was a great learning experience.
The Captain got off the boat in Jacksonville, Florida and my buddy and I continued. We enjoyed our stops along the way, especially New Smyrna. We got to Ft. Pierce where we stayed for a few days and had a great time at an Irish Pub one night, and a terrific time at the huge Saturday Market complete with a Regge band. If a slip were available at the city marina we would have stayed, but because there were none available we continued on to a mooring field at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, Florida.
Alas it was time for my friend to return home. He took hundreds of pictures and videos documenting each day of the trip (unfortunately no pictures were taken during the gail..go figure). He had a great time, although was a little disappointed we didn't get more ocean sailing in before he left. It was great having him along for the adventure.


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Stuart was a great place to hold up for a while. I have two cousins that live here who I grew up with, but hadn't seen in many years. We've had a great time together. I flew home to Oregon for Thanksgiving. I needed a "family fix" bad. I had a wonderful holiday visiting with children, grandchildren and friends who wanted to hear about my trip.
I'm not ready yet to take the Harley out of storage. The adventure will continue as I head south to the Florida Keys with Vaca Key and Boot Key Harbor as my next destination. Stay tuned.