Summer Update and Heading South Again

Well, once again we are on the boat heading south for the winter. What did we do this summer?

Besides the usual working on some things with the house we had a wonderful two week trip out west to the National Parks. We flew out to Bozeman, Montana and picked up our bus tour from Vantage Travel. 

Our first rest stop.  What beauty!

We weren't quite sure how we would like a bus trip, but ended up loving it. It was so nice to just relax and leave the driving and planning to the tour company. Our tour guide was excellent and the group of 38 people were very nice and considerate of all. So no stragglers when we were to leave destinations which was a plus! 

The mist and the colors where magical.

We started at Mammoth Springs, then Yellowstone for two days. 

One of the many geysers!

The turquoise mist and orange minerals were a sight to behold in Yellowstone.

Grand Teton beauty.

Through the Grand Tetons which were spectacular and on to Jackson Hole, Moab and Arches National Park.

What a contrast from the Tetons!

We saw them in their convention center which seats 23,000.

We learned all about the Mormons in Salt Lake City and heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir twice which was fantastic.

Monument Valley

Then onto Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation where many movies have been filmed,

Grand Canyon

What a way to end the trip with the three greats, the Grand Canyon,

Hoo Doos- amazing natural formations

Bryce Canyon National Park,

Amazing what you see at 6:15am walks at Bryce!

Bryce Canyon

and Zion National Park. All with such beauty of their own. Our country has truly breath-taking beauty and we were so glad we went. Everyone asked which was our favorite spot. It was hard to choose, but I guess Bryce was my top pick and then Yellowstone.

Now we are heading to see a totally different kind of beauty. Fall is here and the leaves are starting to turn colors and drop. We left on October 4^th and made it to the Solomons Islands on the Patuxent River, Md. We have been here for two days waiting for the wind to change from south to anything else. It has been unusually hot in the mid eighties since we left, but we are sure will turn cool soon enough.  We are glad our new canvas, for the bimini, dodger, and sail cover got done.  Now we might be able to not get wet when it rains, because our old white canvas leaked like a sieve even after waterproofing it before we left last year.

Blue Heaven's new look.

It has been raining for several hours and canvas is doing well.   We have had time to do indoor projects like inventory of all our supplies and fixing and cleaning things we just did not get to before leaving. Hope to leave tomorrow to visit with friends in Mill Creek. Waiting for the decent weather does get tedious at times!

Last but not Least!

Sunrise at Goat Island in the Dismal Swamp

It may be called the Dismal Swamp but we often have some beautiful days in there, and this was the start of one of the pretty ones.  We had to go through a second lock which took a bit of time seeing so many snowbirds were returning north.You can see how crowded it can get.

The water is filling in at the South Mills Lock.

This is actually the first lock we went through.
You can see by looking at the sides of the lock that we rise about eight feet.  The next day people were getting anxious to get out of the lock because they were trying to make a bridge that was about 55min. away.  They zoomed out almost causing an accident but missed the bridge opening by minutes and then had to motor around for an hour until the next opening.

Al trying to stay warm!

After having a beautiful day in the Dismal Swamp the day before, this day was drizzly and cold!  I think it was the most layers we had on the entire trip and that was on May 4th.  We went into Hampton Piers to dock the boat and our friends, Dave and Toni Mershon whisked us away to their house in Williamsburg where it was nice and warm. 

We had a grand time visiting and sightseeing.  We went to Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  It was a bit chilly that day but the flowers and scenery were gorgeous.  If you have not picked up on it yet, the three things I love to photograph are sunrises, sunsets and flowers.

The contrast of colors are amazing.

The azaleas were massive.

Glass and metal fish sculptures in a pond.

 There was a glass sculpture exhibit throughout the massive gardens entitled "Reflections of Nature."
The fish are only one of numerous designs.
Although it was quite chilly we were glad we went

The serene Japanese Garden

The next day we visited Jamestown and refreshed our history lessons from many years ago. 

It still amazes me how our forefathers fought back then and that anyone came back alive.  The following day we  went to the Muscarelle Museum at William and Mary which is an art museum. We got some to see some amazing wooden block prints and lithographs as well.   After lunching in Williamsburg they drove us back to our boat.  It worked out perfectly, because the days we visited with them, we would not have gone out in the bay due to strong northerly winds.  We left the next day and you can see how brilliant and calm the waters were leaving the Hampton area.  It was the same in the bay.  We anchored at Reedville and it rained most of the evening and night.  However, we awoke to blue skies and sunshine and are headed to the Solomon Islands.  We will be back at our marina this weekend so this is the last blog for the season.  I hope you enjoyed reading our adventures as much as we loved experiencing them.

Leaving Hampton under blue skies.

PS.  One last thing I wanted to put into our blog for cruisers who might have known our friend Pat Thorpe from Sun Cat.  I have started a fundraiser for a memorial bench which will be placed at Warderick Wells and excess funds will be given to Exuma Land and Sea Park in memory of Pat.  If you are interested in donating, the site is: http://www.gofundme.com/patsperch

A New Stop on the ICW

The old southern houses along the waterfront.

 We made a stop at a place we had never been before, Southport, NC.  We were glad we did.  It was a charming southern town with the large older homes along the water front and many quaint churches and shops.

The dogwood blossoms made great framing for this church.

It was also interesting because the day we were there, they were shooting a scene for the new show that comes out in June on CBS called Under the Dome.  We saw a lot of the equipment and one scene but no big stars.

Lights, camera, action!

Came highly recommended.

We did learn that this town and Wilmington, NC are used often for shows and movies.  Even parts of the TV show, Revenge, which supposedly takes place in the Hamptons is shot here.
We had another enjoyable meal at the place recommended by many, called Fishy Fish.  I actually have become tired of so much seafood so I chose a wonderful Walnut Apple Spinach Salad!

The fun Fishy Fish Cafe

Full moon from the docks of Southport Marina.

We stayed at Southport Marina which was a very nice facility.  It had great floating docks and nice bathrooms.  But the view that night was the greatest, with the full moon reflecting in the water.




The next day we moved onto Wrightsville Beach which was definitely a different atmosphere.  It is a beach town with lots of young people all around.  They were having a paddle board race on Saturday so there were many twenty-somethings out in their very little swim suits paddling all around our boats.  We are sitting there in our fleece and jeans but they had on their swim suits!  Oh, to be young again.  The men in the anchorage thoroughly enjoyed the sites. I on the other hand enjoyed the beach.

The craze of paddle boarding has taken over!

Wrightsville Beach

Cruisers heading north.

 The next day we left to anchor in Mile Hammock along with about eight other boats going through all the bridges with us.  There ended up about 15 boats in anchorage who seemed to keep coming in even after we went down below after dark.

Some rainy weather was predicted so we decided to head in to River Dunes Marina just north of Oriental, NC. Thirteen other boats decided the same thing along with our friends on Summersalt, John and Susie, and Five and Dime with Curt and Kathy.  Since they had so many boats come in, the manage called the chef and staff to come in on a Monday for a cruiser's dinner.  A one selection entree with salad, veggie, rolls and dessert for a set price.  After raining all day it felt good to go to the restaurant and sit in real chairs and talk to other cruisers. 

Enjoying our cruiser meal at River Dunes.

Our rainy day ended with a sunset and moon rise from the window of the restaurant.

So now we are in the Dismal Swamp because the winds were against us to go up the Virginia Cut.  We plan to meet up with our old friends Dave and Toni Mershon to see their new home in Williamsburg this weekend.  It will be nice to get off the boat for a few days.  It won't be long now until we are back at our home marina!

On the move!

Early morn in St. Augustine

 We left St. Augustine at an early hour and you can see how calm it was. It made for interesting reflections on the water of the boats and the lights from the Bridge of Lions.


Looking to the east from our boat we got the beautiful sunrise with the interesting definite edge of the darker clouds reflecting in the water as well.

Sunrise at St. Augustine

Flowers beautifying Fernandina streets.

We motored to Fernandina Beach where we decided to stay two nights on a mooring ball.  We always enjoy this town looking at the shops and just going for walks to see such sights as these pretty flowers along the sidewalk at one corner and the cute church across the street.  We were a bit disappointed in finding our favorite Pizza Restaurant not open on Tuesday so we went to the fish market and got some shrimp to cook on board.  It's healthier any way!


We hopped over to Cumberland Island the next day to wait for better wind conditions to head out in the ocean.  We enjoyed our usual hike on this beautiful island.  I got a great shot of the wild horses and the ruins of Dungeoness all in one.

They don't look very wild here.

 We left Cumberland the next morning to head out the inlet to come in at Charleston.  We were hoping the weather guru was correct, that the ENE winds would clock around and become SE.  Well they did, just after motor sailing for 24 hours as we entered  Charleston Inlet! The one good thing of our trip in the ocean were once again the dolphins that came around sunset to give us a show.  I finally got a super shot of one leaping out of the water!

What a sight!

As we headed in the inlet the race boats were heading out for it was Charleston Race Week.

One of the many racing boats heading out from Charleston Harbor.

Al in socks, shoe, fleece and long pants for the first time since the fall.

 We decided that we did not want to deal with all that activity and so headed up the ICW to anchor in a creek.  Well, we passed three creeks that we thought we might stop at.  The current and winds were so favorable for moving up the ICW that we just kept going for another 6 hours.  We finally anchored in the great spot of Minum Creek which was perfect for the front predicted to come through.  And it did come through with lots of rain cleaning our salt encrusted boat for which we were thankful.  But with that front came the plunging temperatures.  We went from shorts and sleeveless to long pants and fleece and this was in South Carolina! 

We headed into Georgetown, SC to get out of the 30 knot winds.  Luckily the winds changed to the north which made the harbor a perfect spot to be.  We stayed two days and enjoyed a great meal at a new place in town called the Krazy Fish on the main street.  It is a casual kind of eclectic place with a very interesting menu.  My lightly pan fried catfish with a light lemon cilantro glaze over rice was fantastic with an interesting salad and veggies.  Al had a shrimp sausage combination which was also delicious.  The owner and waiter could not have been more accommodating.  The price was reasonable and we both took doggie bags with us. We will be back on the next trip!

We left in 30 knot winds but once through Winyah Bay it was not bad in the Wacamaw River we we pulled in to Osprey Marina for two nights.  It had been down into the low forties at night, so being able to plug in was a real treat.  It was the first time to stay at a marina since last November! It is in the middle of nowhere but  an Italian restaurant called Scatori's will pick you up and bring you back so we decided to try it for a late lunch.  There is a great grocery store next door which you can shop before you are driven back.  The restaurant also had fantastic food.  I have never seen Al eat so much bread using it to eat every last bit of the spaghetti sauce!  Needless to say, I did not have to make dinner that night.  Yeah!

Well protected and clean marina!

Also besides being well protected and a very clean marina,  I should mention Osprey has some of the lowest fuel prices on the ICW.  It is a gem in the middle of nowhere!


We are now passing Myrtle Beach and will be in Wrightsville Beach, NC. in a day or two hoping the weather warms up again!

Birds, Bridges, Bikes and Bistro

We left Vero as planned but not before having Blair and Mary from Strathspey for dinner on Blue Heaven.  It was great visiting with them again and hearing about their visit to Cuba (They are Canadians and so can go there legally!). 

Riverside Cafe in Vero Beach

We also visited the Riverside Café one more time with Curt and Kathy from Five and Dime.  Can’t beat their Happy Hour prices and Fish Taco!  Another night we had dinner on Five and Dime with Tilt and Discovery.  Afterwards we played the game “Sequence” and it was a close match between the sexes but the men pulled it out this time.

Saying goodbye to Five & Dime

We said our goodbyes to Kathy and Curt our mooring partners and motor sailed most of the morning. 

The wind picked up and we were then able to sail a nice gentle sail to Cocoa.  I got to do some rug hooking, so it was my kind of sail.  You can see I started a Christmas pattern which I had purchased before I left.  I knew I did not have time to design another one, so I do purchase patterns once in a while.

Another rug hooking project I started.

The next day we also got to sail to Titusville and there we picked up a mooring  after going through several bridges which had some welcoming committees there to greet us.  How about this cormorant drying his wings and scratching his back at the same time! 

Welcoming Committees at most bridges.

  

One talented cormorant!

The new "Cruiser's Caravan" at Titusville Marina.

After lunch we used Titusville's new “Cruiser’s Caravan” to go to Publix for groceries and Napa for oil and filters.  The van’s first use was Monday and this was Wednesday so it was bright and shiny and smelled brand new.  We had read about it on Active Captain, that eighteen business went together to buy the van to attract more cruisers to the Titusville area.  What a change because so many communities are fighting to keep us from anchoring in Florida.  We are welcomed in Titusville so show your support!

  

 The next day we sailed again (this has been unusual sailing so much in the ICW) to Daytona area where we anchored opposite of Halifax Marina in front of this gorgeous house. 

It is a house, not a hotel!

 It was blowing quite a bit which made it a bit uncomfortable but finally the wind quieted down for the night for a good night’s sleep. 

Leaving the anchorage the next morning the bridge was opening up for us and Al came out a little too soon and ran us aground.  The bridge had to be lowered again but with Al powering up he got us to plow through and free ourselves for the next opening with two other boats.  We motored sailed and got to St. Augustine where we got one of the last few mooring balls available almost as far south in the field as you can get but we got one!  We went in for showers and a walk and then just chilled for the rest of the evening. 

Bike racers starting the race in St. Augustine.

We went in to town to find that they were having a bike race on the main street.  It was fun to watch them but this is one sport Al and I know nothing about.  Al had wanted to go to Sailor’s Exchange to see what all the talk was about among cruisers.  It was like Sailorman in Fort Lauderdale where all sorts of used parts for boats are for sale.  We spent over 1 ½ hrs. there  and got one small part, which I did without complaining even though there is nothing of interest to me, but he is patient when I go into stores so I thought it pay back time.  

Having lunch with Mary and Blair at the King's Bistro

Afterwards we met Mary and Blair at the King’s Bistro.  They had recommended it.  When Al and I first got there, we said is this it?  It did not look like much from the outside, but this was a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover.  Inside had only about ten tables but the food was delicious, the presentation great and the price reasonable.  We will definitely visit there again.  

Great food and presentation!

We said our goodbye to Mary and Blair because they are keeping their boat for the summer in Florida and heading back to Ottawa to work for a few months. 

We invited Tim and Paula from Hooligan who traveled up from the Daytona anchorage with us for drinks and got to find out what sailing on the west coast, Mexico and south was like.  They have spent the past five years there. This is their first time on the east coast so we shared our knowledge with them as well.

Sunday dawn cloudy but we lucked out without getting wet.  I visited The Cathedral Basilica, the oldest church on the east coast, for mass.  Then Al and I had a lazy day reading and going in for walks.  We are heading to Fernandina tomorrow which is a sixty some mile day so we thought we should get as much exercise as we could today.  Drizzle came around 5pm so we lucked out.  Further north they had some nasty storms.