After sitting out the weather for a day in Spooners Creek, which was a great place to reprovision, we continued our way south through North Carolina. We traveled 150 miles in the next 3 days and ended our NC trip at Oak Island. The company that Bud worked for last year owns Blue Water Point Marina there and they couldn't have been more accommodating! We had dockage, laundry, ice, the beach, and Sid, the manager even offered a vehicle to take to town if we needed anything. Even though the shallow water made for an interesting entrance, it was totally worth it. We arrived pretty early and were able to enjoy the day there. It was the first time in months that I could walk on the beach without setting up or breaking down a wedding arch.

Church Creek

The next day we crossed into South Carolina and had 3 nights in beautiful creeks. In Church Creek we actually saw a deer swimming through the anchorage! We've seen some wacky stuff, but that's one for the books! Our anchorage the next night was in Brickyard Creek, 5 miles north of Beaufort. That's where our smooth sailing caught a snag. After anchoring, well, rafting to Links for the night, Bud went through some of his usual checks. When it came to the outdrive oil, it didn't look good. There was definitely water in the oil. The problem was that it wasn't something that could be serviced while the boat was in the water. Fortunately, we have the most amazing, knowledgable and prepared buddy boat on the planet! Links to the rescue...AGAIN! Bud and Tim diagnosed the problem and not only did Tim have the spare parts we needed, but also knew of a great boatyard 4 miles away where we could get a haul out. Unfortunately, the boatyard was not answering their phone. We decided to pull in anyway, despite the full dock and no answer on the radio. We puttered around until we saw a guy on the dock who said he would go get the owner. In a few short hours SeaQuest was high and dry.

SeaQuest in the slings

Tim and Jill had continued on another mile to Lady's Island Marina where we had reservations, but in no time at all, Tim was back at the boatyard and ready to crack open our outdrive. Bud, Tim nor the mechanic had ever done this repair before, but give these guys a manual and a YouTube video and things get done! Two hours later we were ready to go back in the water...the only problem was that there was no water. The tide went out while we were in the lift so we had to wait until the next morning. Ordinarily, this situation would be less than comfortable - pouring rain and climbing up and down a ladder to get to the restroom (we emptied our water tanks, among a bunch of other heavy stuff, in case the boat needed to be blocked for a few days). It would have been a long damp night. Luckily, we have good friends that live a few miles down the road. The Murphys lived a few houses away when I was growing up, but since Mike and Mary moved south 20 years ago I only get to see them on rare occasions. This was definitely a treat - great friends, home cooked meals and a warm dry bed. Those of you who know the Murphys, know how lucky we were!

The next morning we headed back to the boatyard to get underway. Tim joined us just in case, but after motoring around a bit the guys were satisfied with the repairs and we settled into our slip at Lady's Island Marina. This marina is located close to everything a cruiser could need, and since it was raining, the loaner car came in handy for our grocery store run. Steve and Gloria, who run the marina are fantastic! Just don't let Steve talk you into betting anything on his card trick. I lost, and technically we should still be there. (I think he let me welch on the bet because judgement may have clouded by the moonshine!) It really is the kind of marina that sucks you in and makes you feel like you are "home". It's always a little sad leaving there, but the no-see-ums make it much easier! They are the most awful little creatures on the entire planet!

                           

Georgia sunrise

Now we are in Georgia! So many dolphins along the way, but with that comes crazy tides and currents. We take the good with the bad, because the good is so good and the bad really isn't that bad!

Happy Halloween!

Quick Update

A week ago we finally got out of Chesapeake City. We took advantage of the clear weather and calm water and headed down the Chesapeake Bay. We would have loved to spend more time in the bay, especially stopping to visit with friends and family, but having lost so much time to weather, we had to keep pressing south.

We met up with our buddy boat, Links, and were in Norfolk before we knew it. After sitting out a little bit more squirrelly weather, we left Norfolk.

On our last trip we took the Dismal Swamp Canal. It was a beautiful trip through Virginia and into North Carolina, but this trip we decided to take the Virginia Cut. It will also allow us to stop at new places that we haven't been before.

Ok, it's been a few days since I wrote, but I think I finally figured out to to get pictures onto my post from my iPad! Hopefully now I can do shorter posts with a few more pics!

We are now in Bogue sound, just past Beaufort, NC. We had a few rough days on the way down. A lot of people think that the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) is a nice easy ride, and for the most part it is. There are a few sounds that do need crossing though, and they are large open water bodies. The Albermarle sound was a tough one, and our second day on the Pamlico wasn't the greatest either. It's amazing how conditions can change day to day. The reason I have time to write this right now is because we are waiting out more heavy winds. We do want to get south, but we also want to be comfortable and enjoy the journey. We are lucky that we have traveling partners that feel the same way!

Just a few random pics from along the way.

Great morning!

First good dolphin pic!

Captain, my Captain!

Links at the end of the rainbow! (They ARE worth their weight in gold!)

Beautiful start to our not so fun day on the Pamlico! 

Kaya hasn't jumped ship yet! 

Finally!

September 28, 2015

Well, after a week of trying to leave the dock, we finally did it! The weather hadn't been cooperating but we figured that this was our best chance for a semi-smooth ocean passage. At 6:40 AM we left the marina, quite unlike when we departed two years ago. There was no farewell breakfast, no friends and family waving from the dock and no Mesipek filled with our kids escorting us out of the creek. I think we said goodbye to family so many times in the past week they figured there was a good possibility that we wouldn't be leaving anyway. But we did. We did have one visitor before we left. Our friend dropped off a farewell gift which is the most beautiful handmade cheeseboard I've ever seen. Thanks again George! 

As we motored towards and through the canal, through the Manasquan River and towards the inlet, we discussed our plan. We checked weather reports, wind forecasts, etc., and decided we would go all the way to Cape May. Heading out the inlet our favorite sailing song, "Southern Cross" came on the radio and we were assured that it was a sign of a great day ahead! 

Then...we hit the ocean. I am not a fan of big swells, but I am a positive thinker – "I can handle this for a while, all the reports say that the wind and seas would lay down after a little bit." By 10:00am I was convinced I didn't have my sea legs yet and let's just say I did a little chumming  for the next few hours. My positive outlook began to falter, but if there is anything I am sure of, it's my Captain and our boat. SeaQuest can handle anything you throw at her – 6' to 8' swells (that's what the captain called them) 10' to 12' swells (that's what I called them), I'm sure it was somewhere in the middle. And no matter how many times I asked Bud "Are you sure you're OK with this?" He always responded with a smile and a confident "Yup". So I had no choice but to start feeling a little better.

It was a long day…a very long day…and evening. Kaya was a trooper all day until one bout of projectile vomiting around 8:00 PM, then back to sleep. We finally arrived in Cape May and anchored around midnight. With the exception of one pod of dolphins, and the realization that our adventure was finally beginning, the day was not the best. But this is what we signed up for and tomorrow will always be better! And it was! 

Up early the next morning and through the Cape May Canal, the Delaware river was beautiful! After a not so wonderful day on the ocean we were thrilled. The sun was shining and the winds were light. We put up the screecher (our biggest sail) and didn't look back. We rode the current all the way up the river and into the C&D Canal.

And here we sit, in a safe anchorage in Chesapeake City, MD, for days just waiting out the storm. 
It's ok though, now we have time to fix a few issues that occurred on day one. We are having some (amazing) friends bring up some parts needed for an exhaust leak on our engine, and troubleshooting Otto (our autopilot). 

You know what they say cruising is...fixing your boat in exotic places. Not sure how exotic MD is, but we are on our way!

Looking forward to heading south!

The Final Leg...

Since my last post we have just been trying to soak up every minute of this adventure. Even though we have traveled these same waters on the way down, it is still exciting. There is always something new to see, or a new anchorage to try. Just last night I realized how close we are to getting back to NJ. Although we are still in NC, we technically could be home in just over a week. It depends on the weather, but the Capt’n is considering heading on the outside from Norfolk and doing an overnight straight to Cape May. The first Mate is not so excited about this idea! Hopefully we will still head up the Chesapeake, but again everything depends on the weather.

We’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on our journey, trying to think of a few things that we will miss. Well, a “few” turned into a whole bunch, and here is just some of the ones we will miss the most:

·          Links – Links has been our “Buddy Boat” since October, when we met in the Dismal Swamp. Tim and Jill have been a huge part of our trip. Since they have the same exact boat, they have been a wealth of information and our Gemini mentors. More importantly though, they have become incredible friends that we are going to have a very hard time leaving in a few days. Sometimes you meet people and you just click. We have had such a blast with them! We are definitely gonna miss our adventures with them, our dinners together, our laughter and Farkle!

 

·         Sunsets – We have been lucky enough to see so many spectacular sunsets. And along with the sunsets, comes the conch horn blow. Tim is the resident conch horn blower, and he’s pretty darn good. (He even won a t-shirt in a contest in Marathon) Granted, occasionally it sounds like a sick cow, but most of the time it’s awesome. Sometimes in a larger anchorage or mooring field you could hear 3 or 4 conch horns at sunset, it’s pretty cool.

·         Meeting interesting people – The cruising community is filled with interesting people. I don’t think there is one cruiser that we have met that we didn’t like. Ok, some are stranger than others, but they would all give you the shirt off their backs. They have all been friendly and super helpful. Can you imagine walking down the street and walking up to a house you didn’t know to knock on the door and introduce yourself? But, that’s the way of life with the cruisers. People dinghy up to say hi and exchange boat cards, and before you know it another ding pulls up and you have an impromptu happy hour. Which brings me to my next point…

Vince & Marianne from Bony Boy, Me, Bud & Tim

·         Finding a cheap happy hour – Being on a budget, we don’t go out to eat a lot…almost never. But if we find a cheap happy hour it’s like hitting the jackpot! Our favorite by far was a place in Marathon, Lazy Days. A long dinghy ride, but so worth it!

Tim & Jill, Me & Bud, Beth & John from Island Time @ Lazy Days

·         No schedule – This was a little hard to get used to, but we settled into it quite nicely! It wasn’t long before we didn’t even know what day of the week it was.  Actually the only time we had a schedule was when we had to leave an anchorage…sometimes at the crack of dawn. Which often led to my next favorite…

·         Reflections – The reflections of the boats, trees, etc., on the glass-like water on a calm morning. Just so beautiful and peaceful. Speaking of peaceful…

·         Sailing – Nothing is better than that moment when there’s enough wind to turn off the motor and actually SAIL! You would think that on a sailing trip of over 3300 miles, we would sail a lot, but since we were on the ICW, there’s been a lot of motoring. Any chance we could, we would raise the sails and at least motor-sail. We have been pretty lucky though, and have been able to just turn off the motor and sail quite a bit.

·         Being outside – Whether it was taking our bikes ashore and exploring new towns, or walking the beaches for hours collecting shells, just to be able to enjoy the outdoors during “Winter” has been amazing.

 

·         Dolphins – Dolphins, Dolphins, Dolphins! Love them! Not to mention all the other wildlife. The manatees, the eagles, the pelicans...can't get enough of 'em!
 

 

·         Bare feet – We went months in flip flops and bare feet. Who wouldn’t love that?

·         Stars – The millions of stars you can see, especially from a pitch black anchorage in the middle of nowhere.

·         Sounds – Whether it’s the sound of the water lapping on the hulls at night, or the crackling sound of the shrimp munching on the algae on our boat bottom, it’s relaxing. I now have a hard time with complete silence aboard.

·         Fishing – We fished….a lot! For hours…just fishing from the dinghy. Extremely relaxing, and definitely one of our favorite things to do. Whether we caught anything or not, it was just nice to be out there. We did catch our fair share of fish, but I must admit we did barter for some too!

   

 

·         QT – Quality time. This is definitely what we will miss the most. For the past seven months, the most time Bud and I have spent apart is probably about 3 hours. That’s a lot of together time! Surprisingly enough, we have gotten along splendidly. Of course I’m sure we both had our moments of aggravation, but all in all it has been great.

 

This trip has been our most amazing experience to date, and I hope we are lucky enough to do it again in the future. Of course it’s not all sunshine and palm trees. We have worked very hard along the way. (Contrary to popular belief!) There’s so much behind the scenes that needs to be done constantly. Little things we take for granted while living on land, like having fresh water or stocking up on groceries can sometimes take the better part of a day to accomplish. And a long hot shower is a real treat! But I wouldn’t trade any part of this trip. Actually there’s only 2 little things I won’t miss…crab pots & no-see-ums!

So, I guess we'll be home in a week or two. We are actually really looking forward to it. There's been a lot going on with our families that we have missed, and of course we need to get back to work....to hopefully refill our "cruising kitty"!

 

 

 

 

Heading North....(sigh)

That's right, we are heading home. Well, actually we've always been "home", but I guess we are cruising back to our home town. I guess that's the nice thing about living aboard, no matter where we are, we're home. The last month (OK, 6 weeks) since my last post, have been a lot of fun. Even though we were technically starting our way back, we had never crossed the Okeechobee Waterway before, so it was still new and exciting. Before our crossing, we were able to meet up with old friends Noble and Paula, that we met in the Dismal Swamp, for a quick visit in Cape Coral. We also met up with Lou & Annie, that we met in Marathon. They were staying at a marina in Cape Coral and invited us to their tiki hut for a BBQ with the other boaters. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. I think that has been our favorite thing about this trip, the great people we have met along the way.

After leaving Ft. Myers we were officially on our way through the Okeechobee Waterway. We are still travelling with our buddy boat, Links, and having made this trip 2 other times before, they know just where to go.

We made a few stops including LaBelle, where they had a free town dock with electric! We stayed there 3 days, but left a few days before the swamp cabbage festival. Apparently that is a big deal in that little town!

 Have I mentioned this is gator water? We saw quite a few, which is fine when we are on SeaQuest, but not too comfortable while in our dinghy! Our next stop before crossing the lake was Clewiston. Interesting place to tie up, but it worked.

The next day we crossed the lake.

 

So, 3 locks and one 49' train bridge later (our mast and antenna are 47'), we were on the other side and headed to Stuart.

 

We stayed on a mooring ball in Stuart for 5 days. What a great town and marina. Some towns really cater to cruisers, and Stuart is one of them. They had free dinner and a movie on Sunday night at the marina, and when there weren't enough loaner bikes available, Sam the dock master drove us where we wanted to go in town! There also happened to be a huge art festival going on while we were there, and to top things off we had a visit from our friend Tom from Jersey! 

 

In another two days we were at the mooring field in Vero Beach. Another great spot, and super cruiser-friendly. There was a free bus that took us to just about any store we could possibly need. We also had more visitors! Maureen, Jimmy & Casey drove down from Melbourne Beach, and we went out to a nice dinner before Casey had to fly home the next day. We also met up with another boat that we've been seeing along the way since Marathon, Vince and Marianne on Boney Boy.

This is some crew! Every time we all get together it's a great time. We also had a fun impromptu happy hour with the crews of El Camino and Tekla Bramble. We were rafted with Links on the same mooring ball, so if one cat is good for a get-together, two is even better!

 

Links had some friends coming to visit, and some weather was coming in, so we left and headed to Melbourne Beach to Maureen and Jimmy's. We stayed there four nights and had a blast. We even caught fish! I love seeing all of the wildlife there, dolphins, birds, manatees!

 

From Melbourne Beach we went up to Cocoa, Daytona and then to St. Augustine. We stayed on a mooring ball at the municipal marina, which was great for laundry, provisioning and hot showers! After a few days we had one more stop at Pine Island, and then onto Jacksonville. Our last stop in Florida. This is where reality set in...we're heading back to NJ.

Our first stop in Georgia was St. Simon's Island. The weather was good enough on our first day there to get our bikes ashore and get a few things we needed. Yesterday, wasn't so great. Rainy and buggy all day. A good time to clean out my closet and put my summer clothes away. I know, that sounds weird, but it's getting cold. Maybe not by NJ standards, but when you are outside all day in the weather and the wind, 55 degrees is cold. I'm not complaining though, it's totally worth it.

 

So here we are anchored in New Teakettle Creek, GA.

Hopefully tomorrow we will head to Blackbeard Island. We heard about this cool little place to find great shells and sand dollars from a guy we met in Belhaven, NC. Captain Keith was traveling alone. He was 45 and had cruised for years. He was a neat guy, traveling north to spend the holidays with his family before heading back down to the Caribbean. Sadly I found out a few weeks ago that he passed away. Accidental drowning in the very waters he loved. For me, I could never understand wanting to cruise alone. I guess for some people the lure of the sea is so strong that they just have to do it. Keith was like that. Even though we only spent about a half hour with him, it was obvious that he was happy and passionate about his lifestyle. I think that's an important thing. Being passionate about your lifestyle no matter what it is. Once again reminded that life is short. That's why we're here.

 

 

PS - My camera battery died and I can't unload the pics from the last month, so most of the photos were taken by Jill of Links. Thanks Jill!









Time to Turn Around....

Well, we have come as far north on the Gulf Coast as we are gonna go, so it's time to turn around. We have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, we are sad to know that our adventure is going to be coming to an end for a while. On the other hand, we are excited to get back home and see family and friends. We do still have another 10 weeks of our trip left and we will surely make the most of it, but it seems like so much has happened while we have been away. Babies have been born, friends have passed away. That's another reason why we are glad we have taken this trip. To often we are reminded how short life can be, and after planning for so long, we were glad to be able to bring our dream to fruition.

We just spent a week in Punta Gorda. After 3 days of rain things started looking up. We were able to explore the town a bit and get some much needed laundry done. We also hit the farmers market and got some provisioning done, thanks to a friend of Jill and Tim's (also a Gemini owner).

On Saturday, Jack and Irene came for another visit and took us for a boat ride and back to their house for dinner and a dip in the pool. Oh, but the fun didn't stop there! After getting back to the anchorage, we all headed out on the town. We hit a few places, found a few great bands, danced and had a great time.

 

Sunday was a lazy day. After a morning walk we took the all hopped in the dinghy and went to a nearby marina, Fisherman's Village. For a small fee they let you use their facilities for the day. We hung out at the pool, played shuffleboard (Jill & I beat Tim & Bud!) and had nice, long, mostly hot showers!

Monday we  took a bike ride and picked up a few last provisions. The city has a free loaner bike program, so it was nice to not have to lug our bikes to shore. Monday afternoon Jack and Irene came back on their way to drop off visiting friends and we also had a visit from our nephew Chris. His team has been training in Sarasota, so he drove down for the afternoon. The weather was perfect, so we all went out for a nice sail. It's been a long time since we went out for a sail to nowhere. Jack and Irene left after happy hour and Chris stayed for dinner and Farkle. It was great to have another little piece of home!

 

Tuesday morning we were on our way again. We saw dolphins when we left the harbor and after a great day of sailing, saw more dolphins when we entered our anchorage in the afternoon. That never gets old for me. As I was typing this post I jumped up 3 times because Bud spotted dolphins!  We are on the move again today. In the next few days we are hoping to meet up with friends that we met in the Dismal Swamp, and also friends from Marathon! We have been very lucky to have met such great people in this cruising community.

One last note. We would like to send our prayers and condolences to the family of George Francis Sr. who passed away this week. George (Big George, Grampy) was a great man and friend and helped us out enormously while we prepared for this trip. He will truly be missed by all who knew and loved him.

~ Jen & Bud

It's Been a Busy Month...

Since leaving Marathon we have been on the move up the Gulf Coast. We have been staying in quiet anchorages like Little Shark River, Rookery Bay and Cayo Costa where it was just us (and our buddy boat!) and the dolphins. On the other hand we have also visited the popular towns of Marco Island, Naples, Ft. Meyers Beach and Captiva. Right now I am sitting here in Punta Gorda on a rainy, chilly day wondering where the last month went. We've been having a lot of fun, but more importantly we've had visitors!


Liz and Timmy came for a weekend!





We had a great visit with the kids, although it wasn't long enough. We walked the town of Naples, hit the farmers market, and introduced them to our friends and Farkle! 


Jack & Irene came to Captiva, Cayo Costa and Punta Gorda!


We also had a few visits from Palm Tree Jack and Irene, on Coconuts. Despite the cool weather we did plenty of fishing, shelling and walking about. Speaking of the weather, I know that NJ is having a bitter cold winter, and I feel bad for anyone who is unhappy there. I have received a few (not so nice) comments on Facebook in respond to a post that I made. All I have to say is that if you don't want to see any pictures or hear any comments about our trip, please feel free to unfriend me. Ninety-nine percent of our family and friends have been very supportive and happy for us, and that really means a lot. We are where we are because we planned and worked and saved, and above all we've been positive and happy people despite a few hiccups along the way. We will not let anyone's comments or negativity bring us down, or make us question our decisions. We are happy and that's the bottom line.

Another reason to be happy.....

Patrick and Jena welcomed Mia's little brother Lochlan 1/24/14 @ 3:02 pm 6lbs 7oz 20 inches long. We cannot wait to get home to meet him!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Here's a few extra pics of the last month!

 

 

Thanks for checking in, I'll try to keep the posts coming!

~ Jen & Bud