tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47733279966393887232024-02-18T22:03:21.214-08:00SailingTatiana
Kristen and Jamie's adventures on TatianaJames Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-38819918032544972832018-05-19T17:55:00.000-07:002018-05-19T17:55:45.520-07:00All about ME! (part 1)Yay, we made it to Maine! We spent about six weeks there, exploring the lower bays from Portland on Casco Bay north through Penobscot Bay, and as far north as Somes Sound in Mt Desert Island in Acadia NP. The distance from Portland to Mt Desert Island is not even a hundred miles, and so to spend so much time is a small cruising area meant we got to slow down and really enjoy ourselves.<br />
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One major adjustment when cruising in Maine is learning to avoid the lobster pots. They are everywhere!! Here was a noticeably dense section on our way to an anchorage in Quahog Bay. <br />
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One of our first stops, and one that really set the tone of cruising in Maine, was Jewell Island on Casco Bay. It is only about 6 miles from Portland, making it a wildly popular weekend stop, but on the weekdays, it was busy but still manageable. It was here that we were introduced to the Maine Island Trail Association, an organization that maintains access to various coastal islands for camping and hiking. There were some interesting WWI and WWII lookout towers on Jewell Island to explore, and generally, a cool little spot to hang out.<br />
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A view out from the tower offered a nice view of Casco Bay.<br />
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View of our small, and a bit busy, anchorage at Jewell Island (Tatiana is center and at the back). There would be at least three more boats packed in here before nightfall.<br />
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We enjoyed exploring the rugged shoreline around the anchorage.<br />
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Just east of Jewell Island, we stopped at Eagle Island SP, which maintains the historical home of North Pole Explorer Robert Peary. It is a remarkable house and setting and the story of this Arctic adventurer was fascinating.<br />
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Leaving Eagle Island, we headed east as we departed Casco Bay. We made several stops along this section of coastline. We passed through Quahog Bay and Sequin Island on our way to Boothbay Harbor. <br />
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Seguin Island is home to the Seguin Island Lighthouse, which is now illuminated with electricity, and so the lighthouse keepers are no longer needed. Instead, the home has been converted to a museum and volunteer caretakers residence. The views here were breathtaking, and the wild roses, raspberries and blueberries were marvelous. <br />
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Here's a view from offshore looking toward the island and lighthouse. </div>
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Lighthouse and caretakers home. </div>
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We stopped in several other bays along the shore, but were ultimately making our way to Penobscot Bay. This large bay offers semi protected waters. We still ran into a fair bit of fog, and while mostly not interesting to look at, we did occasionally get to see the low fog clouds in the distance, which were quite fun to watch as they meander. </div>
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As we entered Somes Sound on Mt Desert Island, there was a sailboat race going on through in the fog. Somehow, this felt strangely familiar.</div>
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Anchored in Somes Sound. The megayacht in the background did, indeed anchor with us puny sailboats, and yes, they have a helicopter on top. We had actually seen this particular boat once before, last winter at Warderick Wells at the Exuma Land and Sea Park.<br />
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While anchored in Somes Sound, we took a fun shoreside hike to the rim above the anchorage to look down a our little floating home (on the lower right).<br />
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Another nice overlook at the view toward the mouth of Somes Sound.<br />
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The return trip through the coast of Maine was full of even more beautiful stops and sights, but you'll have to wait for the sequel...<br />
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-10585818602971579312018-04-07T06:39:00.001-07:002018-04-07T06:39:28.685-07:00Entering Cold WaterWe sat in Onset, Massachusetts for several days while we caught up from our travelling. This means that we had a pile of dirty laundry and empty shelves in our cupboard that we wanted to remedy before we left. Onset has a comfortable anchorage and is a pleasant coastal town to spend some time to relax and explore. We ended up meeting some friends we last saw in the Bahamas who gave us some great recommendations on travelling northward to Maine (thanks Joe and Barbara!). The day we finally left, the conditions were nice and calm for both our canal transit and crossing the Cape Cod Bay.<br />
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The Cape Cod Canal has had an interesting history, once privately controlled, narrow, and crisscrossed with so many opening bridges that many commercial ships preferred the exposed trip around Cape Cod. Now the canal has been deepened, widened, and bridges removed and replaced with two towering fixed bridges for road traffic and only one railroad bridge that stays open except when train traffic is present. The reason for the bridges changes was due to the hazards they present to water traffic, where the current that runs through the canal can reach 5 knots, due to the tidal differences on either side of the canal. For a boat that only runs about 5-6 knots, that much current can be very dangerous, or advantageous, depending on its direction. Even large commercial traffic have difficulty maneuvering in this much current. As we were approaching the open railroad bridge, below, they announced that the bridge would be closing for a train in 15 minutes. We already had a 2 knot current pushing us through, so we made it through before the closing.<br />
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Shortly after we made it through, the bridge closed and water traffic had to stop. As you can see, we were among a nice parade of boats transiting the canal this day.<br />
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Once through, we looked back at all the traffic that also passed through before the closing, along with the closed bridge in the distance.<br />
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Along the canal, they have many parks and a full length recreational paved trail. There is also a campground and picnic areas along the way. The banks are lined with fisherman hoping to land a striper. As we passed by the breakwater on the east end of the canal, you could see the exposed low tide shoreline, showing that we were now in the land of 10+ tidal swings!<br />
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As I mentioned, the conditions were nice and benign. Unfortunately, no sailing for our trip to Provincetown, but sometimes nice, calm days are pretty nice for a sailboat, too. This was our first sighting of a gannet, and was just the beginning of all the new, cold water critters we would start seeing.<br />
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On our approach to Provincetown, or P-town, we had a nice view of the beach.<br />
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We only spent an afternoon in P-town, and while it was an unusual and interesting place to experience, we were ready to keep moving early the next day.<br />
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Straight north from Cape Cod, the Stellwagen Bank is an area of relatively shallow water that attracts fish and had a resident pod of humpback whales. If you go whale watching and leave anywhere from Provincetown or Boston or Gloucester, they all go to this same area to see these whales. We kept a safe distance, but enjoyed the sights as we passed this area on our way north to Gloucester.<br />
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We made our way north from Provincetown on Cape Cod straight to Gloucester on the south end of Cape Ann. Gloucester is home to the well known fishing fleet on this section of coast, made famous by the Perfect Storm. Here we found ourselves anchored in the center of the harbor, where it was fun just to watch all the commercial fishing boats go by. Here is Tatiana at anchor in the harbor.<br />
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We made our way to the fisherman memorial. Around this iconic statue, there are memorials for the the sailors from Gloucester who have been lost at sea.<br />
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We left Gloucester and headed around Cape Ann. At the tip of the cape, there are two lighthouses which are used to orient yourself with both the shore and a shoal just offshore. <br />
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Our destination this day was Isles of Shoals, which mark the state line between New Hampshire and Maine. They lie about 5 miles off the mainland coast. Our first glimpse of the islands and of White Island Lighthouse was through the fog.<br />
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We got there early enough in the day to enjoy some exploring of the area. All of the islands that make up the Isles of Shoals are privately owned, but there is one open to visiting, Smuttynose Island (how would you like that family name). We enjoyed a few hours of exploring this pretty island.<br />
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We have never seen a trail sign like this before...<br />
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It wasn't far before the trail was covered with gulls. Huge gulls. Gulls that didn't just fly away as you walked by.<br />
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Then we found out why they weren't just flying away. This island is a nesting ground and was covered in baby gulls, too! <br />
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So, we made a quick retreat off the trail, and relaxed for a little while, soaking in the " Maine island life".</div>
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We were treated to some pretty light as the sun began to set. <br />
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And a pretty sunset to boot.<br />
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We had finally arrived in Maine. James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-37056388063760656522018-03-12T14:39:00.003-07:002018-03-12T14:39:58.359-07:00Sailing into NewportAs we pulled out of Port Washington on the west end of Long Island Sound, we knew we had a few easy days of eastbound travel with a southwest breeze. One of our first sight upon exiting Manhasset Bay was the lighthouse at execution rocks. It has a gruesome history from colonial times when prisoners would be chained to the rocks at low tide and be left to drown as the tide consumed them. There has since been a nice lighthouse and building added to this clump of rocks making for a scenic landmark. <br />
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It was the fourth of July, and we pulled out our patriotic red white and blue spinnaker to celebrate. We moved to Port Jefferson that evening, where we dropped anchor for the night. Port Jefferson is a busy harbor with lots of boat traffic, especially with a fireworks show that brought out dozens of boaters. The ferry seemed to come and go every hour, and you had to time your passage through the narrow inlet to stay out of this big fella's way.<br />
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We had another nice, easy day on Long Island Sound that ended near Fishers Island at the east end of the sound. We ended up anchoring on the Connecticut shore outside Mystic, Connecticut on the edge of a small mooring field. <br />
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We listened to the soothing sounds of the fog horn from Latimer Reef Lighthouse all evening, and enjoyed the view as we passed by the lighthouse early the next morning.<br />
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We had a light southeast breeze as we motored-sailed east along the Connecticut shoreline. Point Judith was a welcome sight, as we turned north and had a nice following breeze to sail into Newport, RI. It was great fun to enter this harbor full of sails, but we felt a bit intimidated by some of the fellow sailors in this harbor. The majestic Columbia (below) was heading out under full sail for an afternoon sail as we entered the harbor. <br />
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We were grateful to find a spot to anchor in the cheap seats of this busy harbor full of expensive mooring balls and marinas. <br />
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We spent a few days enjoying the sights of this "old money" town. <br />
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The hydrangeas were in full bloom in early July.<br />
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We continued our eastbound trek after leaving Newport, stopping first for a night in Cuttyhunk, where we were able to explore this interesting island. We made it to the summit, where there is a nice lookout platform.<br />
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From this vantage point, we could look out to the harbor, where Tatiana sat at anchor with her new roommates for the night.<br />
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The next day we made the trip to Onset, Massachusetts, where we staged for the passage through the Cape Cod Canal, and on toward the cold waters of the Gulf of Maine.<br />
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-47451736863921700732018-02-15T17:18:00.000-08:002018-02-15T17:18:18.896-08:00More NYC, 'cuz there's lots there to see!After a rolly night anchored behind the Statue of Liberty, we headed toward the island of Manhattan and took a right to head up the East River. Eventually, we would end up on Long Island Sound. Before we got there, we would pass under many bridges and hit a new top speed. We had consulted the current tables carefully, and clocked an even 10.0 knots speed over ground running through Hell Gate. Not a bad feat since our normal cruising speed is 5.5 knots. Below is the view as we were passing Manhattan on the left. Ahead of the bow and off in the distance, you may be able to see the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.<br />
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The view from the East River of Manhattan and all the bridges was quite a thrill. Here we are approaching Brooklyn Bridge.<br />
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Next up is the Manhattan Bridge.<br />
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Along with the bridges, there is some crazy architecture in this town. Whoever built this thing needs to check their level.<br />
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We had a nice view of the UN building as we cruised up beside Roosevelt Island<br />
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Hell Gate is a turbulent area during the times of peak flow, as the strong currents in the East River mix with the currents from the Harlem River. It makes for some fun navigating as the changing currents push the boat in various directions. Here you can see some of the turbulence on the water's surface as we approach Triborough and Hell Gate bridges.<br />
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We were nearing the end of the big city, and before passing Rikers Island, we passed beside North Brother Island. I found it interesting that here in New York City, there are islands that have gone into ruin. This island has had an interesting history and currently it has the ruins of a quarantine hospital, where typhoid Mary spent her final days. <br />
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It was just a few more miles around the bend to Port Washington where we stopped for the next few days. We finally were able to meet up with our friends Russell and Steve on s/v one80. Here is Russell in his self proclaimed lil' blue clown car. Thanks for the warm welcome to P. Washington!</div>
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We ended up taking the train into NYC with Russell and Steve for a day trip. The train dropped us off at Penn Station, and we headed south toward ground zero. We planned it perfectly, walking through this normally hectic city on the fourth of July weekend. The only people out were tourists, and the hustle and bustle was notably absent. We made our way south to the impressive new Freedom Tower, along with the very serene WTC memorials.<br />
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Somewhere we should all take the time to visit...<br />
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We made our way to Liberty Park, where we would catch another glimpse of Lady Liberty.<br />
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We were getting a bit tired of walking now, so we hopped on the subway for a trip back north to Central Park. Wow, is that a big park. I was expecting much less, and ended up being very impressed. <br />
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On our way back to Penn Station, we passed through Times Square, where we caught a glimpse of the ball that is dropped, confirming that we were, indeed, still in 2017.<br />
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It was getting to be a long day, and after some grub, we headed back to Penn Station and our train, and back to Port Washington<br />
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And back to our floating home on a mooring...<br />
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We ended up spending a total of four days in Port Washington, where everything a cruiser needs in accessible and affordable. From the town dock at the grocery store and shopping area to the transient moorings and boat shuttle for people passing through town, we felt very welcome in this harbor. Plus, it was a great way to visit NYC. After stocking up and getting our fill of the city, we left Port Washington headed toward more New England adventures...<br />
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-11740929403041439992018-01-21T08:25:00.000-08:002018-01-21T08:25:11.067-08:00North to NYC!I have had quite a hiatus from the blog, and I apologize for such a long silence. We are weathering this winter in New Bern, NC, where the temperatures have been quite cold. A positive of the delay in the blog is that I am looking through all the fun and WARM places we were this summer and fall. It make me feel a bit warmer myself, seeing photos of us in shorts and tshirts. <br />
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When I left off, we had completed the ICW northbound and entered the Chesapeake Bay. From our past experience there, we knew it was a fun place to travel and explore. However, the heat of summer was upon us in mid-June, and we were heading north to escape the heat (I sure would like some of that excessive, oppressive heat now!). Our short term goal was to get north of NYC and on to Long Island Sound as quickly as possible, where the weather would be more mild. Aside from a short stop in Solomon's Island for some stormy weather, we were moving north as quickly as possible. <br />
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Travelling quickly is a term we use pretty loosely here on Tatiana, and while the speed may not have felt any faster than normal, we weren't stopping anywhere to smell the roses. It was a pleasant change, that the red and green daymarkers of the ICW had changed to lighthouses and bouys, so we were required to slow down and take a few photos. We even had a lovely spinnaker run up the bay one day!<br />
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We stopped at Reedville, VA, where there is an active fishing fleet. This was one of a half a dozen fishing boats we saw there. </div>
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An obligatory lighthouse photo on another lovely sail heading north.</div>
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Regrettably, the closest we got to Annapolis was Thomas Point lighthouse.</div>
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I think every cruiser up the Chesapeake is require to photo the Bay Bridge. It is a beauty, and you can't beat the perspective. </div>
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At the north end of the Chesapeake is the Chesapeake-Delaware canal, also known as the C&D Canal. It connects these two busy commercial bays, but can also be used as a inland route to New Jersey. There were several nice bridges along the canal.</div>
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There were also some big ships - this was the biggest we encountered. It's a car transport ship, and believe me, we were giving this behemoth as much room as we could.</div>
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The Delaware Bay was far less scenic than the Chesapeake, and it was extremely busy with shipping traffic. We were happy to leave the Delaware Bay and enter the Atlantic as we rounded Cape May. Here is a view of the cape as we exited the bay.</div>
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We were fortunate to have some very benign conditions here, as Cape May is known to get really rough when it's windy. There was hardly a ruffle of water as we headed offshore. If fact, it was so benign, that we decided to keep going overnight and end up in NYC the next day! </div>
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On our way north, we passed Atlantic City at sunset.</div>
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As you can see, we found some cooler weather.</div>
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An low an behold, we found NYC! Here is the Verazzano Bridge, and the entrance to the NYC inner harbor.</div>
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And someone else, we hope you all recognize. </div>
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We ended up anchoring behind Lady Liberty with wonderful views all round. We splashed the dinghy to get some photo of Tatiana and her surroundings. </div>
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It was a very special experience to arrive in NYC by boat, and anchor in the harbor. The night was visually spectacular (they light up both the city and the statue), but it was also very bouncy, with ferry boat wakes rocking us all about. We were happy to stop here, but the following day it was time to move somewhere we could get some sleep!</div>
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-15821066629950801442017-08-13T07:28:00.000-07:002017-08-13T07:28:11.410-07:00Quick trip up the ditchAs I mentioned in our last post, we are going to try to make it to Maine this summer. It's a long way from FL to ME, especially when you travel at 5.5 knots, or about 6 mph. Our first goal was to head up the "ditch", or Intercoastal Waterway (ICW), to the Chesapeake Bay. From our location at West Palm Beach, FL, we were 1015 miles from Norfolk, VA and the end of the end of the ICW. Compared to our travels in the Bahamas this spring, travelling up the ICW is blissfully calm, and a very laid back way to travel. Even though we were on the move every day, we enjoyed the familiarity and the easy travelling up the coast. We stopped at many familiar places, and a few new ones. <br />
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Our first stop was in St Augustine, where we wanted to spend a few days and relax and enjoy and explore this fun town. Here we are on our mooring, right in front of the majestic Bridge of Lions.<br />
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From our spot in St Augustine, it was a easy walk through town, including another visit to the Castille de San Marco, the local castle in town. <br />
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We stopped at a few of our favorites, including Fernandina Beach, FL and Cumberland Island, GA before making a hop up the coast offshore to Charleston, SC. We continued up the ditch through South Carolina and stopped for the first time in Georgetown, SC, a new favorite, before heading up the Waccamaw River. The Waccamaw remains our favorite section of the ICW, there is something about travelling up this river that is just so comfortable. Perhaps there is still a bit of river rat left in these salty dogs. The Waccamaw is a river surrounded by swamp, and is a wonderful place to feel lost in a forest, and yet spend the night on our comfortable,floating home. Here is our favorite anchorage on Prince Creek on the Waccamaw River.<br />
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We stopped early enough in the day for a little exploration of the swamps in our dinghy. We saw alligators, night herons,and swallow tail kites, along with all the wonderful swamp flowers and trees that make this place so serene. As we travelling through the swamp, we were enjoying listening to the sounds around us, here we see Kristen taking to oars!<br />
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After leaving the swamp, we quickly moved to New Bern, NC, where we took a bit of a break to catch up on some projects. New Bern is slowly becoming our new home port, as it was so nice to return somewhere so familiar and comfortable. We enjoyed spending time with old and new friends at the marina, while we were busy with some varnish projects and updating some electronics for our adventures north. <br />
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Leaving New Bern, we were venturing in to mostly new waters, and we were excited to get underway. By this time, it was mid June, and summer had arrived in NC. Here you can see we have all our sun shades up, trying to hide from the sun!<br />
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The ICW north from New Bern is only about 185 miles, and we were ready to get finished with it. When we were just about all the way at the end, we were delayed by the Great Bridge Bridge, in Chesapeake, VA, because it had been struck by lightning, and they were only opening it early in the morning, and late in the evening. Thankfully, there was room on the free dock, where we ended up making room for another cruiser coming through. It was the first time we have rafted up to another boat, or in this case the other boat rafted to us. <br />
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They were a bigger than us, so it was a little awkward tying up this way. I was happy that they were only staying for a few hours, while they waited for the evening bridge opening. We stayed here overnight, and departed with the early bridge opening. Following this bridge is a lock, and with all the backed up traffic from the bridge delay, we ended up waiting most of the morning for the lock to pass through the commercial traffic ahead of us (they get the priority). It wasn't so bad, as we had a place to tie up the boat, and a bunch of other boaters to commiserate with, as you know misery likes company. Here is a view up the canal from our boat, waiting for the commercial traffic, and a flock of geese that decided to cross the canal during all the commotion.<br />
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By afternoon, we were passing through Norfolk. It was really a treat to pass by and gawk at all the navy ships docked there.<br />
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As you can tell by the pictures, the day was mostly gray and overcast. However, by evening, not only were we through with the ICW, we were also treated to an amazing sunset.<br />
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Next stop, the Chesapeake and beyond...<br />
<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-52511530615284576252017-07-12T05:23:00.000-07:002017-07-12T05:23:15.006-07:00Back to the land of plenty<div>
For our return to the states, we were planning to head north and west through Bahamas, to leave from the northernmost Abaco island chain, so that we could make some good distance north on our passage through the gulf stream. But we are lazy, and we prefer that when the wind is out of the east, we go west. That was just the case, it seemed for weeks on end, as we were planning our trip back to Florida. So, instead of heading north from the Exumas, west we went. To Nassau, to the Berry Islands, Bimini, and finally, back to Lake Worth, FL, which happened to be the same inlet that we left from in January. As such, it turned our Bahamas cruise into a nice loop. Although, the wind and seas were up a bit more than we prefer, it was all downwind, and so it was much more comfortable. </div>
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The upside of our stop in Bimini is that we were able to enjoy the beach here on our final stop in the Bahamas this year. It was the first Bahamian beach that we visited last year, and it was fun to revisit a place that we held so fondly in our memory. Thankfully, it delivered, and we had a great time walking and exploring the beach again.</div>
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We had a long, 80 nm day ahead of us across the gulf stream and back to Florida, and we needed all the light we could get. Here is the early morning light leaving the harbor at Bimini. </div>
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After nearly 4 months in the Bahamas, we were ready to be back in the USA. We settled right back in, and found some wonderful food to restock the larder. Because, you know, the journey is not over. We are heading to Maine! </div>
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-21621408753423636372017-06-15T18:35:00.000-07:002017-06-15T18:35:02.374-07:00More Exumas!?!I apologize if you get tired of reading about the Exumas, but we spent a lot of time there this winter. What can I say, we were having fun, excuse me. We left Great Exuma island with the plan of following the chain of islands all the way north, and stopping in Spanish Wells, before heading back through the Abacos on our way back to the States. Unfortunately, the weather had its own plan for us...<br />
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We left the marina and had a grand sail up the chain of islands to Lee Stocking Island. This island was once home to a NOAA research facility, but was abandoned some years ago when the funding dried up. As near as two weeks before our visit, you could land on the island and explore through the old buildings and equipment. Unfortunately, a new owner is planning some great development and no longer wants people trudging all over the place, and has placed some very unwelcoming signs around the place. We traveled there with our friends, Ron and Judy, on Cetacean (their blog is <a href="http://sailcetacean.com/">here</a>). I mentioned before that they also have a Tayana 37, and it was great fun to travel with them on and off a few times on our way north. Here is photo of the two Tayana 37s side by side, ready for the weather. <br />
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We ended up here for nearly a week, and had a few opportunities to explore some nearby cays. On Leaf Cay and Normans Pond Cay, we discovered Bahamian iguanas, and enjoyed some fun photos. </div>
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Tracks in the sand.</div>
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There were some lovely beaches here to explore and relax upon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJGy7_HFKlExgTl-1t7fy-K4huS-m70rjpBUNo_qaf9RXfVUagZiiBN8xbUw-zKe8t4V9KNllr5ehNimVwmB_nZTHsVZKPiLYaaH5GquYJkYBCVI4KASuvatiLGEjtHodAbyNgA2zHVg/s1600/DSCN4439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJGy7_HFKlExgTl-1t7fy-K4huS-m70rjpBUNo_qaf9RXfVUagZiiBN8xbUw-zKe8t4V9KNllr5ehNimVwmB_nZTHsVZKPiLYaaH5GquYJkYBCVI4KASuvatiLGEjtHodAbyNgA2zHVg/s320/DSCN4439.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And mangroves to explore.</div>
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All in all, not a bad place to hide from some strong winds. Once the weather lightened up a bit, it was time for us to move on. We started our way north, and stopped at Staniel Cay to take in the pigs, where Kristen enjoyed feeding them a few carrots.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegcpjLnWPxd8pIot83k6K0tWtJQwkVaqerhJYrlqHdtKpsQqgdYAR0z_vj1fBHpcXOLbS5MKefDrgbcvr0dVXegWeSvcDIgRtVyqHHGf6rejQIWDuvulCgt6K5vW7OrKDMEFY_D7NKAQ/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegcpjLnWPxd8pIot83k6K0tWtJQwkVaqerhJYrlqHdtKpsQqgdYAR0z_vj1fBHpcXOLbS5MKefDrgbcvr0dVXegWeSvcDIgRtVyqHHGf6rejQIWDuvulCgt6K5vW7OrKDMEFY_D7NKAQ/s320/DSC_0042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We were soon back at Exuma land and sea park, generally re-exploring some of the places we had been, and seeking out some new beautiful places. Here we are back on a mooring ball at Cambridge Cay.</div>
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We found more fun places to explore by dinghy</div>
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And more mangroves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7xL7hkON4DfMO9Hg6yQd14vbcXnsPeu1zpkW8HU6j2cjp6rXztjyhhcmtqGvgSSz9RLX4W7wvww9XENkXdATiiRRxRgxssneL0CsI6YeGGQMRq0f4JhziC0g4YJW_aRGXWTEYi7DgJA/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7xL7hkON4DfMO9Hg6yQd14vbcXnsPeu1zpkW8HU6j2cjp6rXztjyhhcmtqGvgSSz9RLX4W7wvww9XENkXdATiiRRxRgxssneL0CsI6YeGGQMRq0f4JhziC0g4YJW_aRGXWTEYi7DgJA/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And more lizards.</div>
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And generally, enjoying the heck out of this place. What other pose do you do at a place called the Pirate's Lair? </div>
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So you can imagine that we were ready to leave as soon as possible.</div>
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It's difficult to type that as I look at that last photo, but we actually were ready to head back to the states. We had become saturated with beautiful beaches, and breathtakingly beautiful water. I think we may have lost our senses somewhere in the Exumas.</div>
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-15598883861548112492017-05-07T06:21:00.000-07:002017-05-07T06:21:34.136-07:00Georgetown and Great Exuma!We spent the next six weeks or so cruising around in the Exumas chain of islands. It is truly a cruising paradise. We found plenty of ways to have fun in the sun, but it also seemed like we did a lot of hiding from the weather. After our brief initial stop in the Exuma Land and Sea Park, we worked our way quickly south through the Exuma chain of islands, down to Georgetown in time for the annual Cruisers Regatta. We spent about three weeks combined in Georgetown and on Great Exuma Island. There are a lot of services for cruisers there, and we enjoyed taking a bit of a break from moving the boat so much and enjoying the island life here. <br />
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We stopped at the main cruisers beach, at the Chat n Chill, one of the nicest beach bars we have found. Looking over the "where to" sign post, lo and behold what did we see? That's 947 miles to Chattanooga in good ol' Tennessee Orange! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LOVJ_2t-WxgM0BzrUVdfyRvIld4zFdRajDXmuiqDMogT_FxDa_lec7N6mRrsGJFcWbv3dPOhJnZVEbNjgYEIz2Zv9iLhz6i1k0oMANTHC1nXNVahd1f_RugPpmerDfJ_kAzbbuy1sq0/s1600/DSCN4266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LOVJ_2t-WxgM0BzrUVdfyRvIld4zFdRajDXmuiqDMogT_FxDa_lec7N6mRrsGJFcWbv3dPOhJnZVEbNjgYEIz2Zv9iLhz6i1k0oMANTHC1nXNVahd1f_RugPpmerDfJ_kAzbbuy1sq0/s320/DSCN4266.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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A view looking back at the Chat n Chill beach. It shows off a small portion of the anchorage in the distance (Tatiana is in there somewhere, way, way out to the left). The area full of house boats in the foreground is referred to as the "fruit bowl", where the house boats go by names of Mango, Papaya, Pinapple, etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24xNFj7O7vvWMfBxeO1tkfSu_XeQTrslmCNAp97Kp6H75PB0Due0rDqOAfLNleEc2qHxs9bXE44ZGNjWvgs77tvD7WXkZli_HxSN-68nLXcMwyP_v037Oygssb9IhaLKue6rng8hz4M4/s1600/DSCN4258+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24xNFj7O7vvWMfBxeO1tkfSu_XeQTrslmCNAp97Kp6H75PB0Due0rDqOAfLNleEc2qHxs9bXE44ZGNjWvgs77tvD7WXkZli_HxSN-68nLXcMwyP_v037Oygssb9IhaLKue6rng8hz4M4/s320/DSCN4258+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I took in a bit of body surfing, and Kristen captured this shot of me on the best ride of the day! (Thank you, Frank, for letting me use your gear)<br />
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The Cruisers Regatta had a bunch of fun packed into a week of activities. We ended up participating in six events total, nearly all with our friends Frank and Mary Grace on s/v Let It Be. Our first event was the Coconut Challenge, and it is likely the most ridiculous fun we have had in a long time. Who knew that all that time Kristen spends throwing things like coconuts at me over her head would help us win second place?!?! We also sailed on Let It Be in both of the regatta races. Mary Grace did a great job on her blog assembling a bunch of pictures from all of their events. Check them out <a href="https://helialetitbe.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/george-town-races/">here</a>. We had such a fun time with them during the week's activities! <br />
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Here is a view of the anchorage, with s/v Let It Be sporting her new flags from the races of that day, along with others in the anchorage flying all their colors. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOWb30-aDMOBoHfHbYu2Il5iEa9Rd28IHYX-tgpUbX8tTxAZO-x9t-xwOWZXXQ1Pm_8cazd6oda_i56wcw5_QS4M8aq5N4SxdxM6RbtqkdLOMLa1kQPUNnmz_ACdFvk_ipq_DMMuGlkM/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOWb30-aDMOBoHfHbYu2Il5iEa9Rd28IHYX-tgpUbX8tTxAZO-x9t-xwOWZXXQ1Pm_8cazd6oda_i56wcw5_QS4M8aq5N4SxdxM6RbtqkdLOMLa1kQPUNnmz_ACdFvk_ipq_DMMuGlkM/s320/DSC_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see, the anchorage here was a bit busy. They reported over three hundred boats at anchor here for the Regatta week!<br />
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We had a few nasty clocking fronts pass through, and we ended up spending quite a lot of time anchored out of the way in "Red Shanks", a place named after the small cays that provide all around protection. While a bit further from the action, it was far more protected from the nasty weather. One of my favorite parts of this anchorage is the bridge that you pass under on your way into town. It was built for a development that, as far as I know, never happened. It seems that there are so many examples of big plans that never happen here in the Bahamas. The bridge is very scenic and pleasant, but there is a run down mobile trailer next to it, reminding you that the construction is over, and the development stopped. It is essentially a bridge to nowhere that hardly anyone every uses or sees.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIdWZLfZmpZE0lbrxCw0dviloj_hOSOmmHWmYO8ujjAYNZsiFauMJ49j8n5ja_PaFrkAygDaj8sRPmHuX9dyHG_Thlmq7MbsZgDQfI8Qhcii0FepScbkZBNZtjzOjA2LdO6nc-rIqBBQ/s1600/DSCN4250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIdWZLfZmpZE0lbrxCw0dviloj_hOSOmmHWmYO8ujjAYNZsiFauMJ49j8n5ja_PaFrkAygDaj8sRPmHuX9dyHG_Thlmq7MbsZgDQfI8Qhcii0FepScbkZBNZtjzOjA2LdO6nc-rIqBBQ/s320/DSCN4250.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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By comparison, below is the bridge into the town of Georgetown. Every cruiser who visits here passes under this bridge, and everyone who lives in town uses it. It is probably seen and used 1000x more than the previous bridge. Look closely, it appears as just a break in the shoreline. </div>
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Georgetown was full of the colorful buildings you would expect in a place like this. Here we have a pretty blue church.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gmx_4tCZeGzSJjFOMg6WHbB3ZFLPR8iOQzdH98DPPw9hPFmVdbh_u0pkZGIjiAV-Smq4I5JjNAcT45SBwvvYKK0kGU-Z2uqbIKEUYWm0xd0bfzcguP_NuujLib6zKCL3Tr9WgwhevCs/s1600/DSCN4294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gmx_4tCZeGzSJjFOMg6WHbB3ZFLPR8iOQzdH98DPPw9hPFmVdbh_u0pkZGIjiAV-Smq4I5JjNAcT45SBwvvYKK0kGU-Z2uqbIKEUYWm0xd0bfzcguP_NuujLib6zKCL3Tr9WgwhevCs/s320/DSCN4294.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Here is the most inviting pink police station I have yet to see. It seems that most government building in the Bahamas are pink. Can you imagine government buildings this color in Tennessee? </span></div>
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We left Georgetown and moved up the coast to Emerald Bay marina for a brief stay (of 10 days!). Thankfully, they have the cheapest docks we have found anywhere - $0.50/foot! We met a lot of cruisers here heading both north to the states and south to the islands. Here we met some new cruising friends, s/v Cetacean. Ron and Judy also cruise on a Tayana 37, so we had lots to talk about. We joined them on a road trip down the island, all the way to Little Exuma, where we stopped at the Tropic of Cancer beach. Our hightlight of the day. Here is Ron's timer photo of all four of us, thanks Ron!<br />
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Because I know you want to see our feet...</div>
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Enjoying the beach!</div>
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All in all, a fun visit to Georgetown and Exuma Island, but all good fun must come to an end, and it's time to start our trip back to the states and north...summer is coming!James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-29806619912913907372017-03-20T13:34:00.001-07:002017-05-07T04:29:05.007-07:00Gin Clear Water!Arriving in the Exumas, one of the most notable changes was that the water became truly gin clear. All the water in the Bahamas has been wonderfully clear, but the Exumas were a notch clearer. Add on top of that the Exuma Land and Sea Park is a marine sanctuary, and you have some great underwater exploring to do. Here we are at Warderick Wells, home of the park office and a nice place to spend some time...<br />
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We spent a nice, calm day seeing the Cay by dinghy. The water was so calm that day, we were doing some dry, speed snorkelling from the dinghy. This photo was taken at the "Pieces of Eight" reef between Hog Cay and Warderick Wells. <br />
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But I get ahead of myself. We entered the Exumas at Cambridge Cay (Conch Cut, to be precise), and enjoyed a few days on a mooring at Cambridge Cay as a front came through. We did some hiking on the Cay, and found this nice view of both the beach on the sound side and the mooring field in the distance.<br />
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We found some great snorkeling at "the Aquarium"<br />
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And even more snorkeling at the Rocky Dundas caves. Yes, you snorkel into the caves! It was really cool. We were thankful we were able to time our trip for low tide and only a slight swell. We were still both knocked over several times by the swell in the caves! <br />
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After some fun at Cambridge, we were off to Warderick Wells and the top two photos. We hiked a few of the trails there, and set our sign on the pile at Boo Boo Hill. It was neat to see signs of other boats we had met or of blogs we have read.<br />
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The next leg of our journey continues south down the Exuma chain toward Georgetown for the upcoming cruiser's regatta. Stay tuned for some fun in the sun!<br />
<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-67305873532220577042017-02-13T03:52:00.000-08:002017-02-13T03:52:36.757-08:00Fish On!We timed our crossing from Eleuthera to the Exumas with a nice ENE wind to carry us comfortably on our SW heading. With all sails up, we were happily sailing along at 5-6 knots in the 10-15 knot breeze. The scene was quite pleasant, and on several occasions, we saw schools of flying fish coming out of the water around us. Well, it was just the previous day that we had spent time on s/v Let It Be, where we had some diving and fishing, and I guess I had the bug enough to try my hand at dragging a hook behind the boat. As you know, you can only catch fish if you have a hook in the water. <br />
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After about an hour we heard the spool start running out, and low and behold, it was a fish! Not just any fish, but a Mahi Mahi! And what a beautiful fish she was. When you first spot the color of a mahi mahi, the brilliant yellow, green and blue colors glow neon. By the time it was beside the boat, it was already loosing its color, but Kristen still managed to capture some of the brilliance in the second photo. By the time it was on deck, it had had its final shot of tequila and the color was long faded. I spent the next hour filleting and cleaning up the mess on the leeward decks (thankfully remembering that the mess could wash off the boat that way). We now have a freezer full of fish and an experience to remember. Thank you fish. </div>
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We are now exploring the Exuma Land and Sea Park, and will spend then next few weeks here before heading further south to Georgetown. </div>
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-45427135427060408102017-02-09T18:28:00.001-08:002017-02-09T18:28:45.307-08:00New HorizonsHeading south along the east coast this fall, we found it to be an easier than it was on our first trip north last spring. There were pleasant towns and anchorages to revisit, shallows to avoid, and wonderful scenery to see again. While we had not seen all of the coast the first time, we knew enough that it was a far more comfortable trip south. This familiarity extended into our Bahamas cruise as we passed through the Abacos as we headed towards the Exumas.<br />
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After our brief visit through the Abacos, we headed south to the island of Eleuthera about two weeks ago, and again, we return to a state of discovering new horizons. The new is the adventure and it is one of the biggest driving forces that keeps our boat moving. <br />
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After a long day crossing from the Abacos, we found ourselves tucked into the cozy anchorage at Royal Island Harbor. <br />
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Tatiana at anchor in Royal Island Harbor</div>
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We stopped in Spanish Wells for some marina time while a strong cold front passed through. The town is really interesting, and we look forward to coming back here again.<br />
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The working waterfront of Spanish Wells which includes the largest fishing fleet in the Bahamas</div>
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More waterfront scenes from Spanish Wells</div>
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While there, we met many other cruisers and quickly became friends. We joined some friends on s/v Let It Be to Harbour Island and the wonderful pink sand beach there - we all agreed that is one of the most beautiful beaches we have seen.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">The pink sand beach of Harbour Island</span></div>
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Mermaid in the surf</div>
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When we left Spanish Wells, we had some terrific weather for sailing and cruising down the west coast of Eleuthera. We slowed the boat for a quick look at the "glass window", where the island is so narrow that the ocean has nearly completely divided the island in two. There is a bridge connecting the two sides, that occasionally gets damaged with strong enough storms.<br />
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Glass Window of Eleuthera</div>
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There were few other boats cruising this coast of Eleuthera, and we often were the only boat at anchor. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8mttvBFUM9itXCo_4ui_n3VEk4bC7zfeE5S7gnbOfXv_ZqFGsj7vzGSochGylyeAr7-e12UMJVP7wSDH8frFx7gWHJSoCnWuMfcRGnUM08h9QiEdQkHNKxsEhkZY_TV-LihcyweobhA/s1600/DSCN3962.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8mttvBFUM9itXCo_4ui_n3VEk4bC7zfeE5S7gnbOfXv_ZqFGsj7vzGSochGylyeAr7-e12UMJVP7wSDH8frFx7gWHJSoCnWuMfcRGnUM08h9QiEdQkHNKxsEhkZY_TV-LihcyweobhA/s320/DSCN3962.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here we are in Alabaster Bay of Eleuthera</div>
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Our final stop in Eleuthera was on the southern coast where we again met with our friends on Let It Be for some diving! Wow, what great diving there!<br />
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Kristen hovering over the boiling hole</div>
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Kristen on a coral swim through</div>
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Nice soft coral</div>
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We are continuing to head south (not that it's cold, just more stuff to explore). Our next stop will be the Exumas! James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-82088376423959862452017-01-07T07:26:00.000-08:002017-01-07T07:26:48.653-08:00Bahamas Beach Time!We made it to Green Turtle Cay for a bit of beach time today. <br />
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There is a cold front coming, and we are going to get some bitterly cold weather from the US today. Tomorrow's low is predicted to be 16 degrees. Thank goodness they use Celsius here. </div>
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Sorry for the short post, but wifi here is slower than a snail. </div>
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-47800779503682703562017-01-01T13:00:00.000-08:002017-01-01T13:00:14.672-08:00South to Florida<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Birds are not dumb. They head toward
warmer weather in the winter, and so we are adopting their migratory
tendency. We started our journey south on November 1, and shivered
through the first few cold fronts of the year. We had hoped to avoid
as much of the slow and tedious (and shallow) ICW (inter coastal
waterway) as possible, and opted for offshore jumps where we could.</div>
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In North Carolina, we stopped again a
Cape Lookout and, for the first time, at Bald Head Island. Both had
scenic light houses that make for scenic backdrops.
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Cape Lookout Lighthouse - Can you tell what time of day it is? </div>
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(Hint, the black diamonds point north/south)</div>
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Making time during our busy life to go fly a kite!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmBr9JrNuvyRXijY45SZF02Oj64g-3jhOWhyphenhyphenVa-6PLG3c21r3xDd-12xHGPRjOJg7N6OyJu-TnQXsFAv-xu_X0VM8Mb5T1Dtz3WoOpFiTyWen0vNEmpPVivQ8EP3ywmFAlRUm7iKE1yY/s1600/DSC_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmBr9JrNuvyRXijY45SZF02Oj64g-3jhOWhyphenhyphenVa-6PLG3c21r3xDd-12xHGPRjOJg7N6OyJu-TnQXsFAv-xu_X0VM8Mb5T1Dtz3WoOpFiTyWen0vNEmpPVivQ8EP3ywmFAlRUm7iKE1yY/s320/DSC_0057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bald Head Island Lighthouse</div>
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Our friends Larry and
Candy on s/v Saphira, we got this fun picture offshore of NC</div>
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Leaving Bald Head Island, we made our
way offshore to Charleston, but didn't stop in town because there was
no room at the marinas and the anchorages were not very protected.
Continuing past Charleston, we made our way to Beaufort, where we
spent about a week working our way through various anchorages and
spending time in this historic town.
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South from Beaufort, we made our final
overnight passage and entered St Mary's, GA. It was approaching
Thanksgiving by this time, and the town puts on a fantastic dinner
for cruisers. Everyone is welcome, you just bring a dish or two to
share. The final count for dinner was 175 guests. It was a great
experience and showed how generous people can be on this great
holiday. Oh yeah, and we got to stuff our faces with turkey...
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175 hungry people waiting in line for some turkey dinner!</div>
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St Mary's marina and anchorage at sunset with the
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Of course, a visit to St Mary's would
not be complete without a stop at nearby Cumberland Island. We were
here in the spring and this time we were forced to find new ways to
explore the island. Hurricane Matthew damaged some of the docks, so
that the main dinghy dock was not available for us use. As a result,
we headed north to the Plum Orchard house, and north again to the
anchorages on Brickhill Creek. Wow, this island continues to
surprise us. Plum Orchard house is a museum about the wealthy
families that lived and vacationed on this island. At the north end
of the island, we found a cute little church among other homes where
the workers of the plantations lived.</div>
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Plum Orchard with resident wild horses</div>
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First African Baptist Church of Cumberland Island</div>
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South of St Mary's, we entered FL, and
somehow, it seemed that the weather knew we were in Florida and
immediately started warming up. We stopped at Fernandina Beach, and
enjoyed touring the historic Ft Clinch that we had passed entering St
Marys Inlet.
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Fort Clinch on Amelia Island</div>
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South of Fernandina, we nosed our way
into Fort George Island, where we found the historic Kingsley
Plantation, and a terrific anchorage.
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Anchorage at Fort
George Island and Kingsley Plantation...can you find Waldo?</div>
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We stopped again for a brief overnight
at St Augustine, and next at Fort Matanzas, where we again nosed our
way into a shallow anchorage and were rewarded. Fort Matanzas is a
fascinating fort built by the Spanish to protect the south entrance
to St Augustine. It seemed so small compared to the main fort of
Castillo San Marco in St Augustine, but it was effective at
protecting this ocean inlet on several occasions.
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Fort Matanzas</div>
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Further south, we stayed for a brief
night in Daytona before finding another small and protected anchorage
at Ponce Inlet. A repeat anchorage for us, but this time we were
prepared when we visited the lighthouse and museum (there is an
entrance fee, and last time we were walletless). What can I say, the
museum was an illuminating experience.
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Ponce Inlet Lighthouse</div>
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Spiraling downward...</div>
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South from Ponce Inlet, we spent a
brief night in Titusville, and then moved to Cape Canaveral where we
stopped for two weeks to take care of some important business in
Chicago...Happy Birthday, Sis! While in Cape Caveral, we saw two
rocket launches – a night and daytime launch! It was fun to see (and hear) these in person.
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Our final stop in Florida would be Lake
Worth/West Palm Beach area, and we were treated with our first
travelling visitor for the trip...my brother, John, visited us for a
few days. We had a great time with him aboard!
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I'm still trying to get me a good catch!</div>
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Merry Christmas from Ft Pierce!</div>
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Yes, those are palm trees decorated with lights with a light show set to music!</div>
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We are now in Lake Worth waiting for
weather to head east to the Bahamas. In the mean time, we wish
everyone a healthy and happy New Year!
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-30794161295930989102016-11-21T06:29:00.002-08:002016-11-21T06:29:22.337-08:00Super Moon Blues<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You may have noticed that we recently
experienced a natural event called a super moon. It occurs when the
moon in unusually near the earth, creating a visual moon that is
larger than its normal size. It was a once in a lifetime event. We
looked for it, and unfortunately, the first night of its appearance
we were under clouds. The next day we were on the move, heading to
Skull Creek Marina. Quite a pirate name, if there was one. It is
indeed, located on Skull Creek, just behind Hilton Head Island. It
turned out that we needed a slip for a couple of days for a quick
check up on our engine, so we were headed into the marina.</div>
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The marina emphasized that we should
enter the marina at slack tide, so that we would not have any
problems with the strong tidal currents through this area. We did,
and it happened to be slack low tide. Now, when we ask for a slip,
we always emphasize that we draw 6 feet, so that they don't place us
in a slip that is too shallow. We did the same here, and didn't give
another thought to depth. Well, wouldn't you know that the super
moon brings super tides, too? To say we planted our boat would be
an understatement. When it was all said and done, we had 4.5 feet of
water under us, and Tatiana started showing off some of her side
where the sun don't shine, providing a new interpretation of a super
moon.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSalZ7hg24PEE4-9ge1ztrFA5JKOp3XrLKbmWconlNO6wjV7AjPVIP8Euknyb-GwroLQZr_KHY2tRkKQjLo_VRn1_H4FDipCrUGlTqHhFiLWFhUgY8OoDWBrIFLCfrDpJhAj_P2_dekbc/s1600/DSCN3653_p.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSalZ7hg24PEE4-9ge1ztrFA5JKOp3XrLKbmWconlNO6wjV7AjPVIP8Euknyb-GwroLQZr_KHY2tRkKQjLo_VRn1_H4FDipCrUGlTqHhFiLWFhUgY8OoDWBrIFLCfrDpJhAj_P2_dekbc/s320/DSCN3653_p.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Thankfully, the tide returned, and two
hours later we were in our slip and ready to take on some
maintenance. Oh yeah, and when we left at slack high tide we had over
13 feet in the same spot!
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Happy Thanksgiving! </div>
James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-67822816415963447292016-10-30T19:14:00.000-07:002016-10-30T19:14:55.990-07:00The Dog Days are Over!The weather has been a big part of the days of our lives lately. Hermine and Matthew became close friends of ours, and have now left us with a few lessons on life aboard. Thankfully, we have had a hurricane plan since we arrived in New Bern, and were able to follow through and keep both us and the Tatiana safe. In between, we spent the better part of September working on the boat, getting it ready for the trip south. We are now sporting a brand new dodger, or windshield. We have stripped and re-varnished various teak parts around the boat, and tracked down some whirring maintenance with the propeller. Matthew also allowed us the opportunity for some haul out maintenance on the boat, including some new bottom paint and renewed shine to the hull. <br />
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In the boatyard before re-launch....<br />
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Tatiana is sporting her new dodger!<br />
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Following Matthew, the weather cooled dramatically, and our wandering toes are getting itchy. Thankfully, it was not a case of athlete's feet. We instead set our sights on Ocracoke, NC. A couple of nights anchoring in the South River and then in Silver Lake at Ocracoke were just what we needed to renew our focus in cruising and getting ready to head south. Unfortunately, Matthew left many others in less fortunate situation that ours, and our path ahead is full of uncertainty. So, we are taking our time before we head off, so we can make sure there are no new navigational hazards in our path. <br />
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At Ocracoke, we were able to head to the beach and check out the local lighthouse. </div>
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A view from the anchorage of the lighthouse...</div>
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This called too smooth sailing, also known as motoring</div>
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Enjoying some OBX beach time!</div>
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For now, we are back in New Bern. We have just a few final projects and a few final goodbyes to all our new friends. It has been a great summer here in NC, and we look forward to coming back one day. But, you know, summer's over, so it's time to head south again! <br />
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-73374203472346658272016-08-31T14:31:00.001-07:002016-08-31T14:31:43.256-07:00Catching Up!You can't say that we are not adopting some key slacker habits here on our blog. It has been a while since I posted, and all I have to say for myself is that I blame the heat. It has been summer here in North Carolina, and it's been a steamer....and as a result, I have had a hard time stringing sentences together in a coherent form. My apologies to our die hard followers that have been checking daily for updates! We are planning to resume cruising now that it is cooling down a bit, so stay tuned for more up to the minute action here at SailingTatiana....<br />
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Since we left off, we were still in the Bahamas, and heading back to the US. A front had stalled over the Carolinas, leaving us with a light and favorable SE breeze to carry us back to the US. Our planned route was to leave the Little Bahama Bank late in the afternoon for an overnight to trip to Port Canaveral, FL. The gulfstream would give us a nice push north, and make this the longest overnight passage thus far of 160 nm in about 28 hours. <br />
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As we were crossing the bank for departure, we had some extremely flat seas, and therefore, good motor sailing conditions. It gave us a great opportunity to study the bottom beneath us in crystal clear water. We had a pair of dolphins stop by to wish us well on our journey, here is one showing off for us.<br />
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Our trip across the gulfstream was nicely uneventful. The biggest problem was the gulfstream was a bit narrower and faster than planned. The result was that we weren't getting an even steady push north toward our destination. So, in the middle of the night, and the middle of the gulfstream, I jibed to head north and got to experience 10 knots over ground for a short while until we returned to our intended course toward Port Canaveral. Just so you know, it feels exactly the same going 10 knots with 3 knots of current as is does going 7 knots with no current (as I know it should). At 2 am, however, it can cause wild ideas to start popping into your head....things like "at this rate we could be in Charleston, SC by afternoon!" We thankfully diverted back to our original destination and found Port Canaveral to be a great inlet (no tidal current here, because they put in a lock between the ocean and ICW).<br />
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We safely made it back to US soil, and the most immediate and obvious change was the water color. The ICW along the east coast is full of mud and stuff, and visibility is about 1 foot on a clear day. The only times we would see nice clear water would be on our two short jumps "outside" where we returned to the ocean and the deep, clear water there. <br />
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The second obvious change was that we had returned to cheesy Florida and the only place in the world to find a space shuttle shaped hovercraft. Not sure why, but this guy buzzed around us three times, and I was not even making any lunar gestures in their direction...honest! <br />
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The trip up Florida's coast was a good introduction to the East Coast ICW, where tides and timing bridge openings become a major component of your daily planning. As would become a theme for our "delivery" trip to NC, we passed up many fun exploring opportunities in an effort to move the boat as quickly as possible along the coast. Our goal was to find a safe place in NC, or further north, to spend summer storm season, and to be there by June 1. <br />
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As we left Florida, and were looking forward to a two night stay at Cumberland Island, GA. We had backpacked on this island a few years ago, and were looking forward to exploring it again. It delivered as we remembered, with towering oaks full of Spanish moss and palmettos. It almost feels surreal walking these trails and exploring the island. <br />
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Of course, the ever present wild horses of Cumberland Island also provided some great company on the island, too.<br />
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We continued our way up the GA coast without incident, and made a small outside jump to Hilton Head, SC. We stopped at Beaufort, SC, and enjoyed the scenic downtown. We had planned to stop in Charleston, but it turned out that we were arriving on a Saturday, and Charleston harbor on a Saturday is a good place to pass up. We did just that and instead found a nice quiet anchorage a few miles up the ICW, where we could watch the shrimp boats go by, appearing to float through the grass...<br />
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We continued one night stops all along the SC coast and into North Carolina until we found ourselves at Wrightsville Beach, NC. There were a few days of bad weather coming through, and we were waiting for a chance to go outside to Cape Lookout near Beaufort, NC (we were getting tired of bumping the bottom of the ICW). We knew at this point that our goal was to reach New Bern, NC. But first, we spent two nights enjoying the national seashore at Cape Lookout before making our final day trip to New Bern. The Cape Lookout anchorage was very scenic, with loggerhead turtles, views of the lighthouse, more wild horses, and miles of undeveloped beaches. Here is us at the lighthouse.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8bPVXFEbqnrMzIbER5-nhVksJcrIIZ1kS2V6HdhHqao_BzXC6QDkBGMaQFOfCm_0thlaklVH8BOA8dTbqgA-XWJIjV9ni0FdP3_sx9A_I_ya0vdXqXIx5LrzZq7upA5ufhrrBRzumA4/s1600/DSC_0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>New Bern became our home stay for the summer months this year, and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time in this scenic and active coastal community. I'm not sure when we'll be back here, but it has made our list of places we could live someday.<br />
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Thus concludes our first season of cruising. While we have not yet been living aboard full time for a year, it seems appropriate to end this season before we begin our second migration south for the winter. Some fun facts: since leaving Sale Creek Marina on November 10, 2015 we have been underway 75 days for a total of 2640 nm miles. Not too shabby for a couple of professional slackers. <br />
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-42993060297992599462016-05-20T13:03:00.001-07:002016-05-20T13:03:52.365-07:00Our bahamas trip has made it all worthwhile...<br />
For a good part of our journey (especially the current one) we have sometimes felt more like delivery captains than explorers. First it was a mad dash south to out run winter. We are currently on a dash north to find safety for the upcoming hurricane season. But, in between, we spent a glorious month in the Bahamas, and it has made it all worthwhile. Here are the highlights, in pictures, because words don't do justice to this place...<br />
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Sailing along in our swimming pool clear water to our next destination...</div>
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Snorkelling from our paddle boards in Sandy Cay</div>
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The turbo turtles of Manjack Cay!</div>
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Sailing to another beautiful beach!</div>
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Another beautiful beach.</div>
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The Hopetown Lighthouse</div>
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Tatiana with her new friends in Hopetown (taken from the lighthouse)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbqrcV2_xvBHiABROtktovOnCiJW0o_rTIE7MsSQ5xsngVGgHxgk0IRksVQBDM2OKi2i0jrsa65W7oUZT6A1nBNwOzW3jI0-Vo74MvoqW9H4vBUXXbXxylZ2IuOfD2odRB1Zs1UUiCIM/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbqrcV2_xvBHiABROtktovOnCiJW0o_rTIE7MsSQ5xsngVGgHxgk0IRksVQBDM2OKi2i0jrsa65W7oUZT6A1nBNwOzW3jI0-Vo74MvoqW9H4vBUXXbXxylZ2IuOfD2odRB1Zs1UUiCIM/s320/DSC_0062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kristen conquers Tahiti Beach!</div>
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Kristen floating in space</div>
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Sharks are UNPREDICTABLE!</div>
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Needless to say, we really enjoyed our time in the Bahamas this Spring, and are already planning our return next winter, with hopes of exploring more of the Bahamas. For now, I will celebrate another completed post the way we celebrate the end of another great day in the Bahamas...conch style!<br />
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-54950466450155856982016-04-27T18:21:00.000-07:002016-04-27T18:21:18.365-07:00To the Abacos!Bimini may seem like a strange stop, if you are headed to the Abacos. Indeed, most people head to Bimini on their way east toward Nassau and beyond. However, we were interested in avoiding the mess that is Miami, along with about a million of the people there, too. So, east to Bimini, and then north to West End. Nevermind that wind was conveniently blowing us this way, too.<br />
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So just where is West End you ask? It the west end of the Great Bahama Island, nearly due north of Bimini and across the Northwest Providence Channel. Since our ultimate cruising destination was the Sea of Abaco, it would require going around the north end of the Great Bahama Island and then east of the Great Abaco Island. It doesn't look like much of a destination, but the Sea of Abaco (which I would call more of a sound) is actually a wonderful cruising area. Once we made it around West End and onto the "bank", the great cruising began. The passage across the NW channel went well, the highlight being all the flying fish. Our night at the posh Old Bahama Bay marina at West End was great - we took advantage of laundry machines and filled our water tanks. Once we got on the Little Bahama Banks, we did not see water over 20 feet deep for a whale of the a time, but I get ahead of myself.<br />
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The deck hand enjoying the view from the helm on the outside passage from West End end before entering the banks. </div>
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The Banks are protected from the ocean swell, and make for wonderful sailing conditions. We sailed across the Banks and anchored at Great Sale and Crab Cays along the way. Just around the corner from Crab Cay, the Sea of Abaco begins. <br />
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Our first cay in the Sea was Powell Cay. It was here where we finally had our "we arrived" moment. It has been a lot of go go go to get here. At last, we found ourselves on an isolated idyllic beach, and no where else to be but here. Powell is uninhabited, but there is a trail across the cay to the Atlantic Ocean side.<br />
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The ocean side of Powell Cay</div>
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Who needs structure when you snorkel sporting your very own fish attracter pants?</div>
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We stayed at Powell Cay two nights, and then the wind turned and it was time to move. The great thing about this area is that there are a lot of anchoring options nearby = less work and more play. :)</div>
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-32403039942295842742016-04-17T05:51:00.001-07:002016-04-17T05:51:07.310-07:00Gateway to the Bahamas!We planned our departure from Marathon with a two day weather window to get to the Bahamas. To avoid an overnight passage in the gulfstream, we left Marathon and traveled up the Hawk Channel and anchored near Key Largo, at Rodriguez Key. The Hawk Channel is the near shore waters along the Florida Keys between the keys and the ocean reef, about 5 miles offshore. It is much more protected than offshore, but still far from the calm of the TN river. Our second day would be the long day to Bimini. It would be our longest single day trip, totaling 73 nm and our first crossing of the gulfstream. The first 23 miles continued inside the Hawk Channel, until we reached Angelfish Pass, where we ventured out. Since the gulfstream runs north at about 2 knots, we would be pointing the boat almost due east and being pushed north, to end up at our destination...Bimini! <br />
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The crossing was mostly pretty awesome. The color of the ocean when it's several thousand feet deep is an amazingly deep blue. We had some man-o-war jellyfish joining us that day, along with two other boats also making the same crossing. While we didn't plan on the boat company, it is reassuring that you picked a good day to cross when you have others doing the same thing. <br />
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We arrived after an uneventful day of motorsailing. The depth changes rather abruptly from thousands to hundreds to tens of feet as you come onto the Bahamas Bank. The guide books warn about this, but it was still pretty intimidating to go so suddenly from deep blue water to a turquoise color that you can suddenly see right down at the rocks, coral and sand! But we managed not to run aground, and since there are not good anchoring options here, we tied up at a marina and cleared customs. Customs was a mostly painless process, there are so many boats that clear in here that the offices are near the marinas and are quite accommodating. Next stop, the pool, and then the beach! <br />
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We spent five nights in Bimini, waiting for our next weather opportunity to head on to our next destination. In the mean time, we enjoyed swimming and snorkelling on the beach, swimming in the pool, and generally exploring this tiny island. It is amazing how many people live here, and how friendly and welcoming they all are to each other and visitors. We felt very welcomed and enjoyed our stay on the "Gateway to the Bahamas".</div>
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More sunset candy...</div>
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-13766758215804457172016-03-28T15:27:00.001-07:002016-03-28T15:27:36.891-07:00Kristen's MarathonOur next stop after Sanibel would be the Keys! In between were some great stops that we hoped to explore, but the weather was not working for anything but an overnight trip to Marathon. So began our marathon to Marathon. Kristen agreed that would be the closest she would ever come to running that far. The overnight passage was long, and full of crab pots. It wasn't until we were arriving and passing under the seven mile bridge that I realized that we had crossed into the Atlantic ocean. Ok, maybe not as significant as crossing the Atlantic, but reason enough for a celebration. Maybe even more reason for celebration was the availability of a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor upon arrival, and we immediately paid for a week in advance. <br />
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It seemed that most our time in Marathon was spent walking up and down the overseas highway, as it was a mile to either Publix or West Marine, in opposite directions, of course. We had a few projects and provisioning to complete and this was a good place to get that sort of thing done. We also had a dive trip and a trip to the beach to balance out the work/play routine. It can't be all work in the Keys, right?<br />
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Kristen waves hello from 20ft under...</div>
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Our next leg would be taking us to the Abacos in the Bahamas, and I'm not sure how much we will be able to update the blog from there. Feel free to click on the map page to see our current location, so you know when to wave, if you happen to be passing overhead. :)</div>
<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-16853031577298534832016-03-24T06:44:00.000-07:002016-03-24T06:44:07.586-07:00Oh my Darling, Ding Darling...Leaving St Pete was once again bitter sweet. We gave up a nice and snug harbor and found ourselves heading south toward new horizons. Our ambitions wanted to take us offshore for a quick jump to Dry Tortugas, but the weather was driving us slowly down the intercoastal waterway. The daily 15-20 morning SE winds would turn SW and build to 20-25+ after lunch when the seabreeze kicked in, making it too rough on the gulf, so we chose to move slowly down the ICW. Between the bridges and shallow water everywhere, I think a few more hairs turned grey that week. <br />
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Leaving Tampa Bay, passing under the Sunshine Bridge</div>
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Our first night was on the Manatee River, near Bradenton. No, we didn't see any manatee. We did see a whole bunch of other anchored boats, and learned a lesson or two about anchoring with reversing currents with company. The lesson is that you should not expect a good night's rest in these conditions. After the Manatee River, we ended up in Sarasota, where we picked up a mooring ball for a few nights. We got to meet up with more friends in Sarasota and explore this pretty city. <br />
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After Sarasota, we landed in Venice after a short but very blustery day. With little anchoring options in Venice, we chose to tie up at a marina. While expensive, the early stop did allow us the afternoon to walk to the beach where we heard some fun live music there. On the way back, we impressed ourselves with our self restraint to pass up all 14 options for ice cream along the main street in Venice...except for the first one. Nothing like finishing off a perfect day on the beach with some pizza and a malt!<br />
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Tied up in Venice in the early morning light, next to Hatchett Creek Bridge</div>
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We left Venice, and were headed toward Charlotte Harbor. We had discovered Cayo Costa several years back via sea kayaks, and again with a charter boat, and we hoped we could find refuge in Pelican Bay on this trip. However, the tide and wind would need to cooperate to get us in, and today, the wind did not. We ended up at Useppa Island, across from Cabbage Key, where we were rocked and rolled all afternoon to the wakes from boats passing us on the ICW. The wakes finally subsided in the evening, and we landed the dinghy at Cabbage Key and had a fabulous dinner.<br />
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Still looking for refuge from the strong south winds, we finally moved to the north side of Sanibel Island, where the Ding Darling Refuge is located. Here we found the wind protection, but were still rocking and rolling with wakes from the ICW, but thankfully, that calmed at night. While here, we took the dinghy and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the mangroves in the refuge. We saw lots of great wildlife including our first manatee of the trip. <br />
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Not a manatee, but an equally unusual sighting</div>
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Our plans from here were changing quickly, and we need to make the Keys before it gets too hot. Wait a minute...did I just say that? We have been running from winter so long, and now we are running from summer in March?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgImi7-IsHufQNqMkGMLPgaU9_Y-r-0elSOqjbArm5c3OH6glWaa-5cQQF9n8JtRqxJvjrJxCZZ0ib4L8kckf_Be5IboBxwYCOe5EHJ8ZWskIp1wGqWRECsqqLTtAwuPjvWqnTr3uhek/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a> Such is the life of a vagabond. <br />
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-42009533237102592212016-03-05T16:21:00.002-08:002016-03-05T16:21:51.493-08:00St Petersburg, FL...we must like it here!We arrived in Clearwater tired and ready for a break. However, we weren't into the vibe there, so we continued on after just a brief two night stay. We anchored at Shell Key, and wouldn't you know it, we found shells there. We were heading for the mooring field at St Petersburg Municipal Marina. When we arrived, we new we found something special. We ended up moving into a slip, and have enjoyed a month tied up to the docks here. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiRVuetVJo7p_Wz2bmFZzn2zLHBuLvC0em0ENV3RuFmIZdHOs2v9d1E2FoOsmqIUMpib6dMurdQV1bD1lJWGbakgDVhepyA8JvjDSwwzWtEe-5Urry6ImFN2_Cp4Q3hSVb7rNmi0463Y/s1600/DSC_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiRVuetVJo7p_Wz2bmFZzn2zLHBuLvC0em0ENV3RuFmIZdHOs2v9d1E2FoOsmqIUMpib6dMurdQV1bD1lJWGbakgDVhepyA8JvjDSwwzWtEe-5Urry6ImFN2_Cp4Q3hSVb7rNmi0463Y/s320/DSC_0033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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View from the marina at sunset</div>
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Old friends, new friends, family, perfect weather, and a truly enjoyable waterfront location. Wow, where did the month go? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxZYt63hzyw1nLyzzYXTfVfpBa7PQjQSRf3twcX2DkGrq1BCgQy8w-36SIz8ZgbettyuX8JDI0cKV6wonpVquDVqwmczMsHSsGLQTmTeOjLfoBeLkiyzr7RZdcDd1ak_KX51dMTqaFro/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxZYt63hzyw1nLyzzYXTfVfpBa7PQjQSRf3twcX2DkGrq1BCgQy8w-36SIz8ZgbettyuX8JDI0cKV6wonpVquDVqwmczMsHSsGLQTmTeOjLfoBeLkiyzr7RZdcDd1ak_KX51dMTqaFro/s320/DSC_0039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the resident osprey, who normally would be perched atop a sailboat mast to eat his breakfast, but this stormy morning, he chose our slip piling!</div>
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We are heading south in the morning, working our way to the Keys before it gets too warm. What a strange turn of events to be running from warm weather already! <br />
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<br />James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-57591008344922589302016-02-27T07:09:00.001-08:002016-02-27T07:09:51.930-08:00The Big BendOur next overnight would take us across the Big Bend area of Florida. This area is full of very shallow inlets, and since we have 6 ft draft, we were feeling very unwelcome here. We were a bit dissappointed that we couldn't do more exploring here, but at the same time, a big overnight jump like this would take us to warm weather, finally! <br />
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We staged for the jump outside of the town of Carabelle, and actually spent a nice, albeit cool, day on the beach waiting for the strong northerly wind from the last cold front to subside. As the day went on, our anchorage became more and more rolly, and it seemed that the wind was shifting to the west. That's ok, I thought, we have protection to the southwest, but where are all these waves coming from? By 3 pm, it was clear that we needed to move. The wind was southwest, and we had 2-3 foot whitecaps all around. So up anchor and head south across St George Sound to Dog Island, where there is just barely southwest protection, but lots of south protection, and the way the wind is shifting, it might be just what we need. It also turned out that there were three other boats anchored there, so lemmings we became. I fully expected to be moving back to our prior anchorage at some point in the night, but the wind just faded and we had a good night's rest. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8GKjhyphenhyphenTNLb41Lx5R6Q4-5wZpsxWobCdI6peVwWxWhyphenhyphen9SAc3oWxQsN91z3X_qOCQTs3wAZEN0cESeUAAfpu0QKC-MhMLr-tRl5YamIUgEKj4JDvcgyIEc3OywFi03smmYMMJJuWZ4AFk/s1600/DSC_0162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8GKjhyphenhyphenTNLb41Lx5R6Q4-5wZpsxWobCdI6peVwWxWhyphenhyphen9SAc3oWxQsN91z3X_qOCQTs3wAZEN0cESeUAAfpu0QKC-MhMLr-tRl5YamIUgEKj4JDvcgyIEc3OywFi03smmYMMJJuWZ4AFk/s320/DSC_0162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sunset hiding from the wind at Dog Island</div>
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At sunrise, we were up and heading out East Pass toward Clearwater! In total, the passage would be a little over 150 miles, and at our cruising speed, that would take nearly 30 hours. So an early start today would get us into Clearwater in the middle of the next day. We had another beautiful sunset, while a bit cloudy, still showed us some beautiful colors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62mKECmnqrfXjxu52s1kJ_o78WhWWWW4YUZNkcTZ4CFLSenO4FNfN5dZvKn-3Bk3gjGhA1sn91Rwqigo7b3M8nWTseEu7iM__jAox9wE5HQR17xfz0aK908I6effTfCdca2c2Pm20-rE/s1600/DSC_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62mKECmnqrfXjxu52s1kJ_o78WhWWWW4YUZNkcTZ4CFLSenO4FNfN5dZvKn-3Bk3gjGhA1sn91Rwqigo7b3M8nWTseEu7iM__jAox9wE5HQR17xfz0aK908I6effTfCdca2c2Pm20-rE/s320/DSC_0175.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sunset, about 50 miles from shore</div>
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By morning, we had lots of fishermen around us and we new the shore wasn't far away. We also had the welcoming committee greet us about five miles offshore. A group of 6-8 dolphin enjoyed our bow wave for about about 20 minutes!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTkrcBkkDMToUOGqwhcxcdinefWL-8oWfdeBEwm0VyCkAW5QBkJSJ4hG-HLUhqvVfslWqBMHxWeuTn90FuD0Oy8i-NIlOgM6LZwuR_-jMODJOTQM01bChfvC6AIcDULDENhpn-gZgwyU/s1600/DSC_0183+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTkrcBkkDMToUOGqwhcxcdinefWL-8oWfdeBEwm0VyCkAW5QBkJSJ4hG-HLUhqvVfslWqBMHxWeuTn90FuD0Oy8i-NIlOgM6LZwuR_-jMODJOTQM01bChfvC6AIcDULDENhpn-gZgwyU/s320/DSC_0183+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think they are camera shy, not once did they smile for the camera!</div>
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Immediately upon entering Clearwater Pass, we knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. For one, we went from cool morning air, with multiple layers and full foul weather gear to short sleeves! For another, we passed a boat that looked like a shark. And then one that looked like a pirate ship. Welcome to south Florida. Did I mention that we like that it's warm here?<br />
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773327996639388723.post-82304374723422961262016-02-17T05:39:00.000-08:002016-02-17T06:09:36.184-08:00Exploring the last of the panhandle of FloridaOnce we recovered from our overnight trip to Port St Joe, it was time to explore! We took the dinghy from our anchorage to the municipal marina. What a nice town and marina! We both looked at each other, and said, yep. we could live here. This was our kind of Florida. Miles of beaches, friendly people, and no condos! <br />
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Unfortunately, the one major drawback to our staying here - it is still cold here. We still have no heat on our boat unless we are plugged in to A/C power, and freezing temps are freezing temps, even in Florida. <br />
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Our next overnight weather opportunity was just a short four days away, and we needed to move through the ICW to get in position at Carabelle, so unfortunately, our stay in Port St Joe was cut short. We headed up the ICW and made our way to Apalachicola. We anchored across the river from town, and had a beautiful view of this cool harbor town. We toured the museum and enjoyed the history of the town. It was once bustling with various trades over the years, but now it has gotten a bit sleepy and just about perfect, if you ask me.<br />
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A view of the waterfront in Apalachicola, from our anchorage.</div>
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The quaint streets and waterfront view of Apalachicola.<br />
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Or, was it just a chance view of Tatiana while crossing the street?!?!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhK4P8tN6U4A_FIPOgS7O12h7mQl29zhAlhGQ6ZW9aK_swN8sqJHoCmmS77syoJbQZR587w87M8Az4yvPzQEbFWxhuUdsAdht1rjo-F5RftF36UT4_hnZGQR0KbYiXZWFtW-Hkm6Y5Wk/s1600/DSCN3047_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhK4P8tN6U4A_FIPOgS7O12h7mQl29zhAlhGQ6ZW9aK_swN8sqJHoCmmS77syoJbQZR587w87M8Az4yvPzQEbFWxhuUdsAdht1rjo-F5RftF36UT4_hnZGQR0KbYiXZWFtW-Hkm6Y5Wk/s320/DSCN3047_p.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Leaving Apalachicola, we headed a bit further east toward Carabelle. We stayed at anchor for two nights outside of town, to position ourselves for the overnight ahead. There we found lots of undeveloped beaches and a friendly attitude among everyone we ran across. What a pleasant part of Florida we had discovered.<br />
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James Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16180140737529619590noreply@blogger.com2