Warm and Sunny

We  arrived in Key West and are enjoying the warmer weather along with the local wildlife.

The winds have been unusually high, steady 20kt with gusts to 30+kts. 

When the area shrimp boats com in for safe harbor that is a sign the local weather is deteriorating.

Fortunately the winds abated long enough for us to enjoy a bike ride downtown for our Thanksgiving dinner.  

Thanksgiving Day was very pleasant with fabulous food at Kelly’s Caribbean Grill. 

Kelly’s is owned by actress Kelly McGillis who starred in Top Gun.

Prior to becoming a restaurant, the building was the home to PanAm headquarters in the Keys.  A small theater, The Fringe, is located upstairs of the restaurant and provides a quaint live theater experience.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect upon our blessings and we have had many this year.  We would like to convey to all how truly thankful we are for our friends and family!!

Fun in St Augustine

Transiting South we stopped at Cumberland National Seaside Park near St Mary’s GA.   

The horses were grazing, little to no boat traffic and we had the anchorage to ourselves.

Unfortunately we were unable to go ashore to the island since the National Parks were closed due to Government shutdown but this  didn't affect the gorgeous sunsets.

We went round the bend and South about ½ mile to Fernandina.  The anchorage was secure holding and the City Marina provides landing for tenders,  allowing us to visit the local attractions.  

Went ashore one night to enjoy a Humane Society fund raiser and participated in the doggie parade.

  

       Fernandina is a small picturesque town that provided some storybook pictures at sunrise.

We arrived at St Augustine and have enjoyed several weeks of activities with friends.

Such as:

 Full Moon Party, Polynesian style .

 “No boat” Fishing Tournament and  fish fry.

                          Time on the water.

Dressing for Halloween.

Good eats at local Chowder Fest.

Center piece made of pineapples.

Our clock has fallen back and cooler weather has arrived.   That is our signal to head further South and to warmer weather.  If weather permits we will head to Ft Lauderdale later this week.

Charleston and South

Atlantic Sunset

Only a week since the last posting but we have covered a lot of ground or water in seven days.  Left Ocean City, Maryland at the Chincoteague Inlet Wednesday 10/2 intent on entering at Moorehead, NC inlet on Friday.  Winds were good (10-15kts sustained)  with flat seas so we decided to continue South.  After three overnights (24 hour sailing), we arrived in Charleston, SC.   Night sails are such a calm serene time and this night transit was no exception as we marveled at the reflection of the stars in such calm seas.    Usually there is little to no boat traffic so it is like having the highway all to yourself.  Navigation lights are usually visible from 3 plus miles away, if they are on.  A private tug boat had forgotten to cut on his navigation lights until he was approximately 300 yards from us.   It was around 2am so needless to say we weren't sleepy anymore after that adrenaline rush.  

Entered Charleston Harbor Saturday 10/5 at 3pm.  Charleston is such a charming city and the people exude southern hospitality.    We waited out the remnants of Tropical Storm Karen which was mostly a rain event with the parking lots partially flooding at high tide. 

Unfortunately we did not figure the extra rain into our itinerary as we left Charleston heading to Beaufort SC.  Due to the swollen rivers we discovered the McKinney Bridge on the North Edisto River was 62’ just after high tide.  Our mast height requires 64'.  We waited for a couple of hours but the tide was slow in receding thus a change in plans. 

As I write this we are in a quiet secluded anchorage surrounded by a couple of dozen dolphins feeding.   Having recently seen a clip about dolphins beaching themselves during feeding, we saw this first hand tonight.  What an amazing sight and just to think we would have missed it except for the change in plans.

Leaving tomorrow early, plan to sail to St Mary’s Inlet with anticipated arrival Friday late afternoon.   Of course this is all subject to change and who knows what unexpected amazing event may lay ahead?

NYC then South

Anchorage with a view.

It continues to amaze me how fast the days pass and it is hard to believe it’s been a little over two weeks since the last blog post.    

Atlantic City NJ

After leaving Cape May, NJ we stopped in Atlantic City the weekend of the Miss America pageant.  There were over 200k spectators present just for the parade so needless to say it was a busy place.  Fortunately our anchorage was relatively quiet.  

As we traveled north to Sandy Hook Bay we said a prayer for those affected by the SeaSide fire as we sailed offshore and could see the charred debris.  It was good to see that only days after the fire there were cranes already in place to assist in reconstruction efforts.   

Sandy Hook Bay provided an opportunity for protected anchorage (thanks to seawall), new docks to dinghy to for a walk in the quaint nearby town, beautiful view of NYC skyline and gorgeous sunsets. 

New docks post Hurricane Sandy

NYC skyline from Sandy Hook Bay

Sandy Hook Bay Sunset

Moon Rise

Traveling North in the Hudson River pass The Statue of Liberty we explored a couple of anchoring options and anchored securely over Lady Liberty’s right shoulder for a night.  It made for a memorable evening watching the moon and sunrise over the majestic landmark.  

Sunrise

79th Street Boat Basin

Further up the Hudson we stayed at 79^th Street Boat Basin.  




  

It gave us an opportunity to explore the surrounding dog parks, provision at Trader Joe's and meet our son to celebrate his birthday.  Our daughter joining us made for a surprise celebration and it was great to spend time together.

Leaving NYC the winds were a steady 15kts and with all the boat traffic and fetch we felt like we were in a washing machine.   Once in the Atlantic we experienced six to eight foot swells.  After several days of the washing machine action our stomachs felt like they were stuck on agitation cycle.  

Apparently our feathered friend may have been feeling the same since he hitched a ride with us for at least an hour.    

We returned to Capy May for anchorage prior to transiting the Delmarva coast.  We couldn't help but notice that the Southern migration has begun.  When we last anchored here there were only 3 boats now the anchorage is near full.  

The Delmarva coast brings back special memories for us since we always loved to visit Lewes (pronounced Lewis) and Rehoboth Beach. 

There is so much history here and where else can you look for Captain Kidd or Blackbeard’s lost treasure, ride the carousels while looking at wild ponies and gorgeous sunsets near Assateague Island?    

We plan to stay here for a few nights until the swells associated with a nearby front move through.    If weather permits we will round Hatteras and be in Morehead or Beaufort, NC by next weekend.   

Cape May, NJ

Sailing off Cape May, NJ:

Smile says it all…GREAT DAY OF SAILING, calm seas, 18kt of sustained wind off our beam.

Let’s recap the last week in pictures:

Leaving the Potomac and saying goodbye to George Washington’s Mt Vernon home:

Arriving in the Nation’s Sailing Capital, Annapolis, aka Aluminum Forrest.

Transiting under the  Chesapeake Bay Bridge:

Up the Patapsco River to Baltimore Harbor and the historic site where the Star Spangled Banner was written during the war of 1812.

Frances Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner while held prisoner on British ship located at this buoy mark.  

Visiting the Victorian town of Chesapeake City.

Traveling with the ebb current  at 4am, through the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) canal.

Watching sunset at Cape May.

Dependent upon the weather we should arrive in Manhattan by mid September.