Jekyll and Cumberland Islands

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #8
Jekyll and Cumberland Islands.

Tuesday, Nov. 11

We were glad to get through the channel markers for the Brunswick River from the overnight sail because the winds had piped up to 18-20 knots and seas were getting to 3-4 feet. Once in the river the winds were more 8-10 knots and much flatter water. We motored into Jekyll Creek with Estelle ahead of us. We anchored past the bridge and Jekyll Island Marina. We had a big breakfast because we had eaten a rather light dinner out in the ocean. Al was concerned that we were too close to shore and did not like the strong current here, so we decided to go to the marina. We tried to raise Estelle but they had turned their radio off to be able to sleep. Once tied up we rested until lunch time. Then Jim and Jeannie contacted us on the radio wondering where did we go? They chose to stay anchored so we were to meet them later for a drink on their friend’s boat called Seabird who was tied up at a dock between us at the marina and where Jim and Jeannie were anchored.

So Al and I got our bikes out and rode into the historic district. For those not familiar with Jekyll Island, it was purchased by the millionaires of the 1800’s such as Goodyear, Rockefeller, Pulitzer, Gould and a few others for their winter hunting retreat. They each built their own “cottages” (mansions) and a huge clubhouse where you can stay today and see croquet being played on the pristine lawn with everyone in their proper whites! There is a small free museum that explains all about the island’s history and about the marshlands habitats. There are also some small shops, and wonderful biking and hiking trails. There of course are cottages and places to rent along the Atlantic Ocean side and a beautiful beach. The island is a must see in my book.

We met Nancy and Bruce on Seabird, who are friends of Estelle. These two couples plan to sail to Belize after the holidays. They keep trying to convince us, but Al and I don’t think we are quite ready for that type of adventure yet!

Wednesday, Nov. 12

The weatherman was saying a possibility of rain today with some sun and clouds. It was to be in the high 70’s. We decided to get biking early to try and avoid the rain. We followed the bike trails which took you through the vegetative interior. It was quite beautiful with the green foliage and the hanging Spanish moss. We took a wrong turn and ended up biking to the southern end of the island and ended up biking against the wind. When you have not biked for years, it’s a bit hard on the old knees! We finally reached the small IGA grocery and picked up a few needed items. We got back to the boat with just enough time to give our legs a rest, change into some nicer clothes, because we were to meet our friends on Estelle and Seabird at the Clubhouse for lunch. So we got back on our bikes to the historic district.

The Clubhouse was so civilized! Beautiful furnishing and the dining room had white linen tablecloths and the waitresses were in 1800’s period garb. It truly was a very nice lunch, reasonably priced and the friendships and camaraderie was great.

After lunch we sat in the solarium at the Clubhouse chatting and Al and I finally left the two couples to discuss their plans for their trip to Belize. We visited a few shops in the historic district. Al patiently sat on a bench outside until he finally came into the jewelry store and said it was looking a bit ominous, and suggested we get back to the marina before it rained. I made my wise purchases (How could I resist a 70% off sale!) and got back to the marina with no problem.

Helen and Ray on Rigamarole, who were at the marina, invited us for drinks. It was fun getting to know them and their cruising stories. They are headed to Daytona where they live now, since they sold their house in New Hampshire just recently. They said when we get there, if we need a car for needed items, to give them a call. It certainly is nice to have friends along the way!

Thursday, Nov. 13

We planned to leave with Estelle around 9am but we received an email from the manager of our mail that some bills came in that needed to be paid. So we called Estelle and told them we would catch up, since they had already pulled up their anchor. We were headed to Cumberland Island which is owned by the National Park Service and has no amenities. We quickly wrote our checks and put them in the mail at the marina and left.

It was foggy today but carefully we motored across Jekyll and Andrew Sounds. We entered the Cumberland and then Brickhill Rivers. It was truly a winding passage, weaving back and forth through the marshland, to finally anchor not far from Plum Orchard mansion. Jim and Jeannie picked us up in their dinghy and we tied up on the inside of the dock. Once again this island has history, but the most recent was when Thomas Carnegie in 1882 purchased the island and rebuilt the mansion called Dungeness which unfortunately burned in 1959. He also built several homes for his children, one being Plum Orchard. There are tours but only on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. We looked in the windows and saw a built in swimming pool. An indoor swimming pool in the 1800’s, now that is impressive! Looking at this estate, you can just imagine the parties that went on here.

Some other visitors said they saw and alligator at the pond, but we were not fortunate to see it. We walked through the maritime forest for a bit and saw numerous armadillos.
We went back to our boats for a nice peaceful evening with a beautiful moon rising over the tree tops while enjoying a drink with Jim and Jeannie.

Mystical,Magical Moonlight Passage to Jekyll Island

Monday, Nov 10

Around 4am I awoke to tossing and turning about our decision to go outside. I want to do this and what better way than to follow an experienced couple, I keep telling myself over and over.
The weatherman says the winds and seas are even going to be lighter than predicted, so it is a go.

We were out of the anchorage for the 10am opening of the Lady Island Bridge. You don’t want to leave too early, because then you arrive in the dark to enter the channel to Jekyll Island, GA.






It was very flat water and we were seeing dolphins throughout the morning. As we got closer to the open ocean I could not believe how flat it was. It was almost like a huge mill pond. I decided to take advantag and do my small weight exercises. It was great doing exercises while watching dolphins come gracefully to the surface and back into the water again.




(Can you believe how flat it is!)

After we got out in the ocean we finally were able to put those big white things up. They are called sails, if I remember correctly. It seemed so long since we used them. We motored sail for a while and eventually turned the motor off. Hearing the lapping of the water against the hull was a wonderful sound. We sailed slowly but peacefully at 2-4 knots. There were times we thought perhaps we should turn on the motor and just then a puff of air would come, so we continued to sail. This trip was going to be 111 miles, so we planned at 4 knots we would get in shortly after day break to the buoys at the end of the river to go up to Jekyll Island. So if we got too far below 4 knots, we would turn on the engine and motor sail. During the trip I got alot of rug hooking done. It was another very gentle ocean like our first ocean passage.


The sunset was phenomenal. As it was going down the almost full moon was up in the sky and reflecting on the water. We watched intently as the sun slid into the horizon, trying to see the green flash, but none appeared. The sky seemed to get more beautiful every time I came out of the cabin - the reflection of the moon and oranges and reds of the horizon. Once the color faded to dark, it hightened the crystalline sparkles on the water from the moon even more. The moon was so bright it was like a spotlight showing us the way. It definitely was mystical and magical.


After dinner Al tried to rest in the cockpit. He never really fell asleep because he was too excited and because I don’t think he really trusted his boat with the first mate. I also was not overly confident about my sailing abilities but if I don’t take charge at times, I will never get more competent. If we are going to do more off shore passages he is going to have to change his tune on that one. Eventually he told me to go below and get some rest which I did, a good two hours. I awoke to Blue Heaven sailing 6 ½ - 7 knots. The winds had picked up as predicted to 10-15 knots. Al furled the 130 jib in part way to slow us down. Now we were going too fast and would get in too early. Al went below to try to sleep. While I was responsible for the boat, I brought some friends along to ease my fears – Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra, The Eagles and of course Jimmy Buffet. I also found that sitting on the moonlit side of the boat just seemed friendlier. We would also talk to Estelle each hour so you did not feel entirely alone out there. It was not very difficult to sail because there is a lot less traffic out in the ocean than in the Chesapeake or the ICW and with GPS, radar and auto pilot you can actually relax. Once the sails are set, it is pretty much a straight shot down the coast.


Al was back up in an hour because with the wave action from the northeast winds and faster sailing, it was hard to sleep with all the creaking and other noises below. We were still going too fast so we furled the sail all the way and sailed under the main alone for the last twenty-five miles. I had gone down below to try to get some sleep but it was sporadic. Al finally called for me around 4am to come on deck to help him gybe. I stayed up in the cockpit with him for the remaining trip.

It was very interesting watching the moon get lower and lower in the sky until it finally went behind the horizon around 5am, just like a sunset. So for an hour or so we did not have much light. Then finally in the east the sky was getting brighter and brighter until the sun rose. We had done our first overnight and survived, a little road weary or should I say wave weary, but we survived!!!

Beaufort, SC

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #6
Beaufort, SC

After a peaceful night in Rock Creek we left around 8am to once again motor dead into the wind through Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff. We past a dredge called the Jeannie Lea. What a coincidence, the name of our female sailing buddy from Prince Edward Island! The dredge was definitely needed there, because the depth was equal to our draft. We proceeded down the Coosaw River to Beaufort River and finally to Beaufort.

We arrived in Factory Creek (on the port, north of the bridge) at noon. After lunch we used our dinghies to go across the river to Beaufort. They have a great dinghy dock and beautiful waterfront with benches and swings to sit and watch life go by.

Once again we walked around looking at the beautiful southern homes with the hanging Spanish moss on the trees. We also hit the few stores that were open on a Sunday, and treated ourselves to ice cream cones at a cute ice cream parlor.

Back at the boat, Blue Heaven hosted cocktail hour with the Leas, and Bill, Carmen and John from a boat named Respite. Earlier in the day Jim had hailed them, because he saw their Canadian flag and was interested in the home port saying Oriental, NC. He discovered they had just purchased the boat from Oriental and were taking it to a marina in Florida where it would be left for the holidays and to get some work done. Then they planned to come back and cruise around Florida to get used to the boat. John had brought his concertina (a very small accordion-like instrument) and played some sea shanties for us. It was great fun having our own concert onboard. Darkness closed in so they headed back to their boats.

Respite planned to do the ICW and Estelle was going outside to St. Simon Island. Blue Heaven had a decision to make. Over dinner we decided to try our first overnight in the ocean. Light winds and low seas were predicted which helped to come to our conclusion. This would save us a lot of time doing the constant motoring on the winding rivers of Georgia. We will miss Savannah this way, but next time maybe.

Charleston, SC

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #5
Charleston Visited

November 5th –We were near the end of Mega Dock, with alot of the"Big Boys" such as 100+ ft. boats. I asked the dock hand how we got put there, and he said it is for transients, so that is how we qualified. He said it was named more for how long the dock is. For those familiar with Charleston City Marina, you will understand why the dock hand drove us in a golf cart up to the marina office. It is a long way! Eventually I walked it and wore my pedometer to find it was 1/3 of a mile from our boat. That is also where the bath house and laundry were. Oh, well it was good exercise.

Al, myself, Jim and Jeannie got out our bikes and road around the waterfront and through the streets to see the truly remarkable historic homes. We came back and had cocktail hour and back to our own boats for dinner.

November 6th – Morning was dedicated to getting some chores done. Al changed the oil and I thoroughly vacuumed the cabins. We then treated ourselves to a good breakfast on board.

Later in the morning a friend of Al’s from Lancaster, Paul Pelland, who lives in Charleston now, picked us up and gave us a tour of Charleston, the Citadel and Mount Pleasant where we visited with a mutual friend. We lunched over looking the water where a lot of shrimp boaters tie up their vessels. A seafood store and Harris Teeter’s, which is a good grocery store were the next stops where we stocked up mainly on fresh produce, bread and milk. Back to the boat we went to stow it all away.

We joined the Leas for dinner at the restaurant called SNOB (Slightly North of Broad). I had shrimp and grits, definitely southern cuisine. All of our meals were delicious and the service very good. We highly recommend it.

We got to walk off the calories just walking from where the taxi left us off to our boats!

November 7th – It’s a beautiful morning but we have to do laundry. Luckily, our friends the Mershons told us about another laundry right off the docks of the marina. There were a lot more washers and dryers than the marinas laundry so we were able to get done in record time for 3 loads- 1 ½ hours and everything was dry! (It is amazing how these menial chores we do at home with hardly a thought, become major events when cruising.)

When Jeannie and Jim got back from grocery shopping, Jeannie came to Blue Heaven to learn the Strong Women exercises. She had read the book so it wasn’t too difficult. By the time we finished, it was time for lunch which was when Al was finished with some maintenance from the cockpit locker. (Yes, those are Al's legs! Doesn't it look like fun!)

After lunch Jeannie and I biked into town to do some shopping while the men, filled water tanks and cleaned the outside of the boats. They eventually got to go biking as well. The men were happy when we returned with one $20 purchase each, and not the hand dyed or painted $1500 jackets and $400 scarves we saw in the one store. I guess Jeannie and I should have known when we had to ring a buzzer to be allowed to enter.

November 8th – We rode our bikes to the showers. (These folding bikes have been a great asset.) After breakfast we planned our strategy on how to leave the dock. We were a tight fit in between a catamaran and another sailboat. Al was hoping the catamaran would leave first, but I finally convinced him it would be easier for us to go first rather than the wide catamaran. Al had just assisted another sailboat to dock which had three men on board, so they reciprocated and helped us get away. It is very tricky when the current is going one way and the wind another. Our plan of having the captain of the catamaran take our bow line out past his boat while we used a stern spring line worked perfect. We had a much better exit than entrance to City Marina!

A lot of boats leave Charleston and go outside and sail directly to places in Florida, thereby passing up all the winding ICW of Georgia. However, Estelle and Blue Heaven chose to go the slower route along with many other boats.

We got through the Wappoo Creek Bridge which was about 30 minutes from the marina. We made the 9am opening along with five other boats. In Elliott Cut we were motoring at 5 knots and only making 2.9 knots. Now that’s a current!

We motored through five rivers today with marshes on both sides of the waterway. If you like marsh land, you would love the waterway! We arrived in Rock Creek around 4:30pm. It seemed a long 40 miles! Looking forward to getting to Beaufort, SC tomorrow.

Calabash to Charleston

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #4
Calabash to Charleston

Monday, Nov. 3 - Dreary would be the term to use to describe the type of day to which we awoke. We were the last two boats to leave the anchorage around 8am. Earlier we had heard chatter on the radio that two boats was having difficulty getting out, running aground. Low tide was at 5:15am, so leaving later was probably better. We had several bridges to go through which were "on request" (rather than on demand) openings. We learned from other cruisers you need to be polite to the bridge tenders. This stretch of the ICW is definitely a motor day, allowing me to get some rug hooking done while Al steers, along with our autopilot, we affectionately named Delbert. We went 43 mi. past Myrtle Beach and the famous Rock Pile, with no problems and anchored in Thoroughfare Creek. This was one of the prettiest anchorages we have been in. Other boats knew of it also, with about eight others sharing this spot.

Al decided he wanted to explore further up the creek so he readied the dinghy and picked up fellow cruising buddies, Jim and Jeannie. We were hoping to spot more wild life but were not too successful. We did find an almost hidden inlet that took you back to an aging planned canal community. It must not have been too successful, because there were not a lot of homes back there.

With daylight savings ended, we had to get back to the boat, because now it is dark by 5:30pm. It may get dark earlier, but we still get some gorgeous sunsets. We had a very peaceful night with some light rain.

Tuesday, Nov. 4 Election Day - A cloudy day was predicted, and a cloudy day it was. Larry the Liar was right for once! We had discussed going into Georgetown for a few hours but Al thought it best to get down as far as possible in the waterway, so the next day we could get into Charleston at a reasonable hour. One thing we definitely learned about is “slow passes.” That is when a boat (usual a large power boat, sport fisherman or yacht) is overtaking you. The slower craft slows down and the faster craft slow down, so as not to throw you a large wake. Some captains are better at it than others! We had quite a few of these today while we traveled down the Wacamaw River, Winyah Bay, Esterville Minim Canal, Four River Creek Canal, the ICW past McClellansville and finally into Awendaw Creek (where do they get these names?). It was just Estelle and Blue Heaven in this anchorage for a quiet night.

Wednesday, Nov.5 – Up at 6:30am so that I could get in my small weight exercises (Strong Women by Dr. Miriam Nelson) while we were still on the anchor. We left at 7:45am under cloudy skies again to head south motoring down the ICW. Yesterday and today are supposed to be some of the most boring part of the waterway according to our cruising buddies the Leas. I would agree. Friends back home always ask, "What do you do all day?" I know Jim and Jeannie do crosswords and sodukos or read. I tend to do my rug hooking, scrapbooking or writing in my journal. When it is super flat as it has been the last two days, I have done things such as change the sheets, answer emails, download photos from camera or work on the blog. I do take over steering the boat when Al needs a break. Al likes to do the navigating and steering. When I ask to do it for awhile he sits looking totally bored, so I feel sorry for him and just let him do it.

We arrived in Charleston after passing Isle of Palm which by the way has no palm trees. Although earlier in the day we did see our first palm tree so we know we are getting further south! Into Charleston City Marina we came with a bang! We did not do too well on our first attempt at docking due to the current, so we had to go back out and try again. The second time we were successful for which I was glad because there was an audience on the dock which usually makes me extremely nervous. Once tied up, we fueled up. Ouch, what a painful process when you are taking on 60 gal. at $2.99. However, it is better than over $3 which is what we had seen before we left.

It's time to relax. We plan on staying two or three days.

Wrightsville Beach, NC to Calebash River, SC

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #3

The beginning of November (Saturday, Nov 1) saw us in Wrightsville Beach where we put the dinghy in the water and motored to the nice public dock next to the bridge. This community welcomed boaters with their great facilities for us. So many places don’t provide dinghy docks and it seems like they are saying, “Go away!”

We explored to see what was available here. The nice beach was two blocks from the dinghy dock, as well as a small grocery store. Our cruising buddies knew of a Mott’s Channel Seafood Store which was over the bridge near the ICW. When returning, Al said he had never seen his prop in Chesapeake waters but could see it here. It was good we had wanted to go ashore and explore because they were having an Ironman Contest and swimmers were in the channel, until about 10:30am and so it was closed for boaters.

We left Wrightsville Beach and went down Masonboro Sound, through Myrtle Grove Sound, and then through Snow’s Cut into the Cape Fear River. We learned how the currents change, one moment they are going with you and the next you are fighting it depending if you pass a small inlet.

Blue Heaven and Estelle arrived at Bald Head Island Marina mid afternoon. Since the wind was blowing from the north this was a comfortable very nice marina. However, if it was a south wind it would probably be a bit uncomfortable unless you were way back in the basin.

Al and I were finally able to get out our new folding bikes, to explore this southernmost barrier island in NC. I had read in the cruising guide that it is the most northern semitropical environment on the East Coast. It is also one of the East Coast’s most significant nesting grounds for the endangered loggerhead turtles. The only transportation allowed on the island are golf carts, bikes or by foot. The only way to get to the island is by boat such as we did or by the hourly ferry. Bicycling around the island definitely gave you the feeling that only those who have done well financially could own the homes here. We did not see any loggerhead turtles but we did see a fox along the side of the road while biking. We stopped at the small grocery store and just then Jim and Jeannie pulled up in a golf cart that they rented for the day.

Back to the marina for showers, to do some laundry and to have drinks on Estelle. We chose to eat at the very casual Eb and Flo’s Steam Bar. Hoorah….a night off from cooking!

Sunday dawned another bright and beautiful day. Al hosed off all the salt build-up while I tended to de-frosting the freezer and some other clean-up jobs. It can’t always be fun and games while cruising! Once our chores were done, we took our bikes and headed off to see “Old Baldy.” No it was not some old famous guy, but the lighthouse which was on the island. Unfortunately, it did not open until 11am on Sundays, so we did not get to climb it for the scenic view.

We left the marina around 11am for a twenty-five mile outside run to Little River Inlet. The weatherman, whom we affectionately call Larry the Liar, said it would be 10-15 out of the NE. It was at first but then dropped to more like 8 knots which caused us to have to motor-sail and finally just motor. We got in to the Calebash River and anchored at the entrance with about ten other boats. The water was a bit thin since it was low tide but we made it. Luckily, no bad weather was had, so we had an uneventful night except for seeing the brightly lit casino boats heading out and returning on Little River throughout the evening.

Oriental, NC to Wrightsville Beach, NC

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #2
Monday, October 27
We enjoyed a light breakfast at a coffee shop called The Bean, which was right across the street from Oriental Marina. We also enjoyed the banter of the locals who ate there. The front porch was definitely a frequent stop for some elderly men and a big white dog that everyone had to step over to get into the coffee shop.

Jeannie (our cruising friend from Estelle) and I went for some groceries with the borrowed car from the sales clerk at the Provisioning Co. Other stops were the hardware store for a lost wrench and the bank for quarters for doing laundry. I picked up some Christmas gifts at the Provisioning Co. which is a combination marine store and gift shop. Finally, we got back to the marina to leave by their requested 11am departure time.

It was a beautiful sunny day, but the wind was on our nose, so motoring was the name of the game, all the way to Adam’s Creek Canal. Then it was down the Russell Slough Channel to Beaufort Docks Marina. People do anchor in the crowded anchorage but the currents and strong winds make it difficult. We saw boats anchored and moored going every which way. We did not want to get into that type of situation, so we tied up at the marina by 3pm. Since they have courtesy cars that you can take for an hour, we went to the grocery store again for the items we forgot earlier that morning. Later we checked out a lot of the cute shops in town. (I should say I checked the shops while Al stayed outside.) At the Scuttlebutt a nautical book/gift store we found the Cruising Guide to Coastal South Carolina and Georgia which we will need for the future.

Since we were given wooden nickels when we checked into the marina, which were good for a free beer or glass of house wine, up to the restaurant we went for happy hour. When we got back to the boat, it was toasty warm and smelled delicious due to the meatloaf and baked potatoes I had baking while we were enjoying our drinks. Just prior to dinner an unpredicted gale blew through the area. We saw winds as high as 32 knots sitting at the dock. We could not imagine what it would have been like out in the open waters. The temperature dropped almost 20▫. They were calling for lows in the thirties, so we were glad to be tied to a dock, and able to use the heater. Through out the evening there were boats coming in that had been out in the harbor and sailing down the coast, all with their stories to tell.

When we awoke on Tuesday, the winds were still blowing 25 knots out of the west. That was not good for the direction we want to head, so we decided to stay put. So once again we borrowed a car and located a fish store and a place to fill propane tanks. Jim, our cruising buddy, had a tank which needed filling. However, the gentleman told him he really needed a new tank because it was so rusted, although he did fill it. Then it was a search to find a place that sold the small tanks needed for a sailboat. Lo and behold there was a West Marine, across the bridge from Beaufort in Moorehead City which we went to after lunch. Speaking of lunch, while we were eating lunch, our good friend, Carl Moser stopped by. He was in town making some sales calls to his marine clients. He took a chance because he knew we had been in Oriental the day before and this seemed a logical next stop. It was good seeing a friendly face from home.

Later, Jeannie and I took a good long walk, eyeing all the gorgeous southern homes with the pillars and two porches on top of each other on the front of the house. I should know the name for this architecture, but a senior moment has hit! We also stopped at a local pizza shop that Carl told us about that also has good Greek food. We picked up some spinach cheese pie and had a tasty treat with our drinks.

After dinner we discussed future plans over an apple cake I had made. Once again the baked dessert was two-fold. It was used as dessert but also the baking of it warmed the cabin nicely and gave off a wonderful aroma. It was very cold, going down to the low thirties. The small electric heater worked over-time!

Wednesday dawned with winds still blowing out of the west. Several boats left the marina and were back about an hour later, so once again we thought it best to stay put. We are definitely getting a taste of the cruising life which is based on weather! Al and I decided to visit the North Carolina Maritime Museum. It was excellent and all for just a donation. One of the major topics was the pirate, Blackbeard. In 1996 a ship was located 3 mi. off the coast from Beaufort and it is believed to be Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s flagship. Young archaeologists were on hand to discuss their finds from the week before. Their enthusiasm for their finds was vey refreshing and made it extremely interesting. It was well worth the visit. After the museum we went to a store called Harbor Specialties. If you want any thing monogrammed such as bags, tee shirts or hats, this is the place to go. We treated ourselves to new hats with “Blue Heaven” on them.
Early evening we met at the marina restaurant with the people off a boat from Halifax who had been coming down the coast during that gale on Monday. When they talked about 10-12 ft. waves and surfing down waves at 21 knots, it made me glad we were safely tied up in Beaufort at the time.

After three days at the dock, we finally were able to leave around 10:30 am on Thursday. Once through the inlet we were able to sail. For a few minutes dolphins sailed along our starboard. We reached Lookout Bight around noon. While eating lunch, the wild Shackleford Bank ponies came out to the beach for us to see. Jim and Jeannie deployed their dinghy and picked us up to explore Cape Lookout Lighthouse which is the southern tip of the Outer Banks. We strolled the beach hunting for seashells and I found the most unusual starfish which is almost perfect. The lighthouse itself was not allowed to be entered but the keeper’s house was. It had excellent displays and an educational video. Although the temperature was only in the fifties, it was vey sunny so it made for an enjoyable day. After dinner it was to bed early since we were planning to be up at 5am and lifting anchor at 6am for our first off shore experience, following our Canadian friends on Estelle.

Friday - Leaving in the dark is an experience in itself. You think you just have to look for the one buoy with a blinking light to get out and around. However, there are all sorts of lights out there. Al and I don’t know how people did it without GPS. I also never realized how fast light starts to come even before the sun is seen (that is a good thing). We got out of the anchorage safely and put up the sails. Winds were out of the north 10-12 knots which was a beam reach. Ideal! However, the winds kept dwindling to about 5 knots so motor-sailing was needed. It definitely was cold. To help you understand, I removed my knit gloves and hat at 8:30am. 9am the outer coat came off, 9:10am, the fleece vest, 9:20am, the cotton sweatpants, leaving a pair of stretch pants and long-sleeve top on. And you must to remember, we were inside a full cockpit enclosure! Eventually we had to open some panels because it got too hot in our “sunroom.”

Late morning when I went below for a minute I heard Al yelling “Dolphins.” I came up and found him hooked to a tether line at the bow of our boat. There were at least two maybe more dolphins playing in the bow wake of our boat. I ran up with the camera as they swiftly swam back and forth from port to starboard and back. Sometimes they were just below the surface, other times breaking the surface. It was so much fun watching them crisscross back and forth. They stayed around this time for 7-8 minutes and then disappeared as quickly as they came. This was definitely the highlight of cruising so far. You really felt “one with nature!” We arrived in the beach town community of Wrightsville Beach after 5pm. Blue Heaven and Estelle had traveled the 70 mi. in eleven hours. We had probably one of the flattest oceans you can possibly have, so it made for a very easy, but “loooong” day!