Beaufort NC to Brunswick, Ga.

Dave and I left Beaufort, NC at 10 AM Nov. 2 after anchoring in Town Creek for the night. We had planned to sail for two days and nights and get to Charleston. Favorable winds were forecast so off we went. We had to go offshore quite a ways as Frying Pan Shoals makes out over 10 miles from Cape Fear.
We got an updated forecast and decided to keep going and changed course to Brunswick Georgia. A northeaster was forecast to develop and we wanted to get south of it before the stronger winds and higher seas came through.

Dolphins often were playing around us jumping in the air and frolicking on the bow wave.We were then about 40 miles out off Savannah.

Dolphins off the bow

 That evening the had more avian visitors, Two of them curled up and spent the night.

At the speed we were travelling we would have arrived at the marina in Brunswick before they opened for the day so we reduced sail to slow down to time our arrival with their opening. We arrived at the dock at 8:00 am just as they opened after a 70 hour sail of 377 nautical miles. We are keeping Emme here for the winter. Brunswick is not  large town but  the county government has it's offices here. In the square that contains these buildings and the town hall is a grove of magnificent centuries old live oaks. I just couldn't resist adding a couple of pictures of these amazing trees covered in Spanish moss.

Large Live Oak at the City Center

Looking the other way from the corner 

Emme is now snug in her slip and prepared for in the water storage. Dave and I will depart this afternoon for points north. I will return a couple of times over the winter to do a few boat projects and we will continue the blog when we return to head south in March.

The crew of Emme wishes everyone a great winter and Happy Holidays.

Portsmouth VA to Beaufort, NC

We left the anchorage at Hospital Point, got fuel and water and started down the waterway on Oct. 24th. The first bridge was held up by a long coal train which put us behind in our plans to get to Coinjock. We went through Great Bridge and the Locks and tied up there for the night instead. We met friends Helen and John on Aqua Mirus there and had a nice reunion. Broad Creek was the next stop with discussions of where to hide out from Sandy the topic of the day. There were three of us there and Aqua Mirus and Emme decided to Head for Dowry Creek Marina a place with good protection from the North and West where the highest winds were forecast to come from. We pulled in and tied up, using extra lines and battening down the hatches.

Emme Snug at Dowry Creek

There were a number of cruisers who had the same idea, I think there were about 18 boats that had come in for the storm. The storm followed the predicted track by us, tying well to the east so we had an easy time of it with only about a 1.5 foot storm surge and winds  about 40-45 MPH. There were a couple of very knowledgeable  folks there who held seminars about travelling south, boat maintenance, birding from you boat, and other topics. There was a yoga class every day and a cocktail hour or pot luck in the evening. We were there from the 26th until the 31st so it was almost a sad time leaving our new found friends. It was good to get underway again with so many fond memories of waiting out Sandy together. The cruising community is just that; a group of people who, as nomadic as they may seem, have common interests and aspirations and a deep concern for the well being of fellow mariners.

Our next stop was Hardy Creek an anchorage across the Neuse River from Oriental, It provided us with a calm anchorage after a day of great sailing although the temperature barely reached 60 degrees. Today we went from there to Beaufort where we have anchored in Town Creek. We will dingy ashore this evening for a good dinner then head out tomorrow for a couple of days on an offshore passage to Charleston, SC.

New London CT to Portsmouth VA

Dave, my trusty sailing buddy, met me in New London and we departed on the 17th sailing for Port Jefferson on Long Island. Winds were light so we had to motor-sail most of the way. On the morning of the 18th we dropped the mooring and headed for Port Washington: we were able to sail most of the way and picked up one of the free town moorings. Unfavorable winds and rain were predicted so we stayed two nights waiting for the front  to pass. We left on the 20th at 1 pm to get favorable current through Hell Gate and the East River and by 4 we were hoisting sails by the Statue of Liberty. I think I'd much rather sail through New York any day than take a car. There is some commercial traffic and lots of ferries but nothing compared to the automotive traffic we sail by. The winds were from the west and north west at 15 knot so we had a great sail. We kept on going for 46 hours and 305 miles and by 11 am on the 22nd we were at anchor in Old Point Comfort, which was settled in 1607 by John Smith.We took naps and went then ashore to explore. Fort Monroe, the latest incarnation of fortifications at this spot which began as Fort Algernon in 1609, was constructed during the early 1800s. We had a great time exploring the casements and ramparts and going through the museum there. Edgar Allen Poe was assigned here and Robert E Lee helped to build it.

Fort Monroe

Dave by the 500 yer old Algernon Oak

The Fort was held by the Union during the Civil War and many freed slaves were given asylum here. Harriat Tubman was the chief nurse to tend to injured blacks and Fort Monroe became known as "Freedom's Fortress". Jefferson Davis was held here after the war.  It was decommissioned in 2011 after serving as one of the longest lived Army bases and now is a National Monument.
We re-provisioned today and will take on fuel and water tomorrow morning; next is the trip down the Intercoastal Waterway until Tropical Storm Sandy passes and we can go outside again.

Heading South

After a beautiful summer sailing our home waters in Maine I am moving the boat south to Georgia again this winter.We will store it there until early March when we will head south to explore the Bahamas or down the Keys.  Randy had his nephew Alex on board for the first leg from Freeport to Newport, Rhode Island. We had great winds and made record time to Newport; stopping at Chandler Cove, the Isles of Shoals, and Plymouth, Mass. Alex is a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy and is at sea quite a bit, although in much larger craft. He was good company and a big help on the trip.
We had visitors for lunch one day in Cape Cod Bay three little birds decided to join us for a rest and to get  drink of water.

One decided to come say hello and landed on my hat! They stayed for several minutes then took off for parts unknown.

I sailed solo from Newport to Fishers Island, NY and then to New London Ct. where I am now awaiting my sailing buddy Dave who will join in for the rest of the trip.

Home Again!

It was a rather quick trip from Cape May to Freeport. We left Cape May, New Jersey on May 15th and 49 hours and 291 nautical miles later we were at anchor in Onset Massachusetts. We had great sailing for the first day but then the fog rolled in and the winds died for most of the second so we had to motor sail. About 4:30 pm we heard a squealing sound from the engine room.The alternator had seized up and refused to turn. We had to shut the engine down in order not  to overheat because the belt that drives the alternator also drives the water pump. Fortunately we had a spare unit but it was internally regulated and the one that died uses an external one. After doing some research in the onboard library, I was able to build a new wiring hook up for the spare alternator and after a couple of hours had everything up and running again. It was a calm as a millpond in Onset harbor and we had a well deserved full night's sleep.

The next stop after passing through the Cape Cod Canal was Provincetown at the end of Cape Cod. We arrived early enough to go shore and explore the town and tour the Pilgrim Monument and the Provincetown Museum. The Pilgrims first landed at P-town before landing at Plymouth. They signed the Mayflower Compact in the Harbor and stayed a week or so before moving on.

Pilgrim Monument in P-town

We left Provincetown at first light the next day and set a course for the Isles of Shoals right on the New Hampshire- Maine Border. About 6 miles from the end of the Cape we had the greeting committee meet us and welcome us back to the Gulf of Maine. There were more whales than I have ever seen in one place! It was not uncommon to see three spouting at the same time they were frolicking about for over a hour and we estimated about 30 to 50 whales were in the group. They were mostly finbacks about 60 or so feet long and thankfully did not get much closer that 50 yards with most of them staying about 1/4 to 1/2 mile away. Dave who was sailing with me and spent 7 years living or board and cruising from the Chesapeake to the West Indies had never seen so many at once either. It was an amazing morning to say the least. We arrived at the Isles of Shoals where we spent the night at a mooring in the harbor.

 Anxious to get home, we again left early in the morning and pulled into Freeport Harbor about 4PM on the 20th. It was a round trip of 3718 miles; we certainly enjoyed the journey and hope to sail south again next winter. It is great to be back in Maine and we are looking forward to a summer cruising our in our home waters and spending some time in our favorite local spots.

Coinjock to Cape May

We left Coinjock, NC and headed to Norfolk, VA. In order to pass through this bustling city, we had to pass through various highway and railroad bridges that all open on their own schedules. It takes good planning and  bit of luck to make it through in a timely fashion. Oh, and did I mention we has to pass through a set of locks too? They are used to equalize the water level between the Chesapeake Bay and the Inter-coastal Waterway. We make it through all except the last two bridges and stopped for the night at a place called the Top Rack Marina.They specialize in racking boats in a huge warehouse and putting them in the water when the owner wants to use them. This outfit is very friendly to transients such as ourselves and offers a free dock for an overnight stay if you have dinner at their restaurant. After a long day, this suited us just fine! We left in the morning for Little Creek, Va.; a convenient place to get fuel and leave for the overnight to Cape May.
There we met some friends from Maine who were coming back from Key West and had lots of laughs getting caught up on our adventures. They were heading to Cape May as well but were having battery problems so were staying a few more days to get them sorted out. We started out early for Cape May and had some nice sailing, using the spinnaker during the day and taking it down at dusk. As we took it down, we began to hear a solitary loon singing and we were about 12 miles out to sea! We heard more of them during the night keeping in touch with each other as we sailed along.
Morning brought a beautiful sunrise with a little to much red for my liking and we arrived and had the anchor set by noon. There is some rain and higher wind and waves in the forecast so we will probable stay here a few days before heading off to Block Island or thereabouts.

Charleston SC to Coinjock NC

Our vacation is over and now the return trip to Maine for the summer has begun. My sailing buddy Dave and I left Charleston, SC on May 3rd and did an overnight to Carolina Beach, just inside of Cape Fear. We have been inside ever since stopping at Swansboro, Cedar Creek, Pungo Creek and Deep Point on the Alligator River before arriving in Coinjock. Midway Marina there is the first one we have stayed at since leaving Charleston. I've traveled the Alligator river twice now and have not seen even one alligator; there are plenty of turtles though.We had been anchoring out in the wilds of NC where there are no lights visible at night and no cell phone service. There are a few other boaters but the annual migration north has yet to begin in earnest. The next stop will be Norfolk VA or thereabouts at the end of the Inter-coastal Waterway. It is nice to stop and walk on land, do laundry and get back in touch with folks again. We should have a few more days of this until we head offshore, outside of Maryland and New Jersey, weather permitting.

Charleston, SC

Easter Sunday in Charleston is time for decorations, Easter Eggs and Easter Bonnets.  We were able to get a photo of an Easter gathering of the local women in their beautiful bonnets at a home along the waterfront. Even the dogs were decorated. 

 The photos below shows 2 pigs decked out in their Easter decor.  

We did rent a car during our visit here so that we could go visit a couple of the old plantations.  Magnolia Plantation, which is situated along the Ashley river, was at one time a 2000 acre parcel.  Following the war, the Draytons had to sell off some of the land and now it has a remaining 500 acre area with beautiful magnolia trees, historic gardens, an Audubon swamp garden.  The original home was burned twice.  There is a home that was rebuilt on the old foundation but it had been modernized with electricity and plumbing.  At one time this area produced "Carolina gold", which was rice that had a huge market and made many a plantation owner very rich.  The slaves from west Africa had all the skills to grow rice as they had done this in their native lands.  The surrounding swamps have alligators swimming and sunning themselves.  Apparently the young have to hide from the adults because they do eat their young ( so we were told).

They also had a petting zoo at this plantation and while eating our lunch at a picnic table, we had peacocks wander over to pick up any crumbs available even as the male peacocks displayed their beautiful plumage. 

Magnolia Plantation House

Alligator Resting in old rice pond

Garden Pond

Camilla

The following day we drove to Drayton Hall, another plantation "next door" to Magnolia.  This is the oldest unrestored plantation house in America open to the public built in 1738.  It is renowned for its Palladian-inspired architecture and undisturbed historic landscape.  There, we were able to take in a program about the story of African American life from Africa to the new world, through slavery and emancipation. The tour guide for the house was also well informed.  This house has no furnishings, no electricity or plumbing.  It does have some of the original paint and is basically intact with some of the original plaster ceilings, chair rails and paneling.  It also had the kitchen in the basement which was quite modern for the time period.  Kitchens were usually housed in a separate building.  They are planning on building a museum with climate control to display the artifacts that they have as the house must remain preserved.  

Drayton Hall 

We have walked miles in this city and it is filled with beautiful old homes, flowers everywhere, and enticing alley ways to explore.  They usually lead to more homes with hidden courtyards and gardens.  Then, of course, there is the food.  There is the low country menu filled with fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits

etc., endless seafood selections including oysters,  key lime pie and on and on.  Early on, we took a carriage ride with a self declared "redneck" who gave us his version of the historic areas of Charleston that he chose to take us through.  It has not been dull! 

We are leaving Emme in Charleston and returning to Maine by train. Randy will return in a couple of weeks with a crew of friends and bring Emme back to Freeport in May.

Cumberland Island to Charleston

We had a very pleasant sail from St. Augustine to Cumberland Island. Most of the Island is a National Park with a few private residences scattered about. This is one of the few barrier islands that still has live oak forests and in many places retains a wild untouched atmosphere.  We were able to anchor by the dinghy dock so going ashore was easy.  As we approached the island, the wild horses were grazing on the sea grass.  We hear that there are over 150 horses at last count.  They are feral and do tend to avoid the tourists passing through. Ferry boats bring people from the mainland for day-trips and to camp in the rather primitive campgrounds; they have no hot water so it felt luxurious to come back to Emme for a hot shower.   We walked over to the beach through the beautiful dunes and saw horseshoe crabs, numerous sandpipers and shells galore. We also hiked a mile or so down the sandy road to the old Dungeness mansion which was built and owned by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie.

 They entertained during the gilded age at this beautiful location.  They had a  green house, and a hunting lodge and were basically self sufficient.  We walked around the grounds of the burned out mansion trying to avoid the horse manure which was everywhere!  We read that the house ruins are inhabited by diamond back rattle snakes so needless to say we avoided that area.

 In the marsh area we saw hundreds of fiddler crabs scurrying around and diving into holes in the ground.  At first I thought they were giant spiders!!! There were many butterflies, lots of live oaks, grape vines, and palms.
We spent our first full rainy day just hanging out in the anchorage reading and cooking a few meals for our overnight sail coming up.

On April 1, we hauled anchor and set sail for Charleston, SC.  We started the day with fair winds and 1 foot seas.  The winds clocked around from the west to the NE to the E during the daylight hours so we were able to sail a good deal.  By sunset the wind had moved around to the southwest and was now behind us making a very lumpy wave combination.  This persisted all night long.  The sunrise was spectacular and with it the winds once again returned to the west and gusted to 25Knots as we sailed the final leg into Charleston Harbor.  We tied up to the dock as the sky was darkening.  A few drops of rain started to fall and then the wind picked up and up.  Our knot meter was still on and measured 42 knot winds which is about 50 mph.  We timed that one just right!

Now we will take our time to enjoy Charleston and what it has to offer.

Rockhouse Creek

Sunset at Rockhouse Creek

I'm not sure if it was the sound of the text message arrival or the constant rhythmic chatter, tap tap, of the shrimp that woke me up,but once I was awake, all I could hear was the shrimp.  The sound was giving new meaning to the name Rockhouse Creek. I have become accustom to hearing these little tap taps in the night in these waters, but this night it sounded like they were rapping on the companionway door!  In my night-train -of thought, I imagined giant pink shrimp with skinny long legs no longer being satisfied with just tapping.  Now they want to climb on board and "rap" to let us know the true meaning of their creek.

We pulled anchor at 0700 and watched a spectacular sunrise with Ponce de Leon inlet lighthouse on the horizon.  At Port Orange bridge, there is a rookery where we observed the pelicans carrying their nesting materials and the egrets were all puffed up-- it must be spring!  Yesterday as we passed near Merritt Island, we saw a small flock of scarlet spoonbills flying by ,  a manatee swimming by in mosquito lagoon and many dolphins.  We arrived in St.  Augustine at 1600 where we met up with some friends that we had met in GA.  They have been here for 3 weeks and have witnessed the birth of dolphins during their visit.  She said they are slightly pink and of course, small.

Tomorrow we plan to sail up to the St. Mary's inlet and hopefully get a chance to visit Cumberland Island.

North Lake Worth to Stuart

On the vernal equinox we departed from Lake Worth and set our sails for the St. Lucie inlet.  We had a fast sail and had to furl the yankee or we would arrive too early for the trip up river.  The inlet was being dredged and we were told to hug the south side of the channel.  That worked but we did bounce over a few shoal areas but fortunately we were able to keep moving.  As we headed to the crossroads of the ICW and the river we did get caught on some shoal that had reached out into the channel.  As we sat there thinking about our next move, we were approached by a very friendly sea tow guy who was off duty.  He happened to be from Yarmouth, ME.  He had recently moved to this area and was very helpful to us.  Meanwhile there was another well meaning boater who was circling us trying to produce a large enough wake to wash us off the shoal but creating some havoc with his actions. We manged to get off without a hitch and proceeded up river when another sea tow guy pulled up along side.  We were both thinking at this time that he was probably going to save us from another snag on some unknown shoal, but no, he was also from Maine and wanted to know how we were doing and did we know some of the same people in Maine etc.  There seems to be a huge connection between Maine and Florida!  At any rate, he rendered his approving opinion on the marina where we planned to pick up a mooring and was on his way.  We did get in just before the dock closed for the evening.  We have been in Stuart now for 3 days and may stay for the art festival tomorrow.  It has been another beautiful port with and old town filled with artists and good restaurants.  

House in Stuart with sail boat shutters and screen door

Fort Lauderdale to Key Biscayne 

We finally got back to internet access and can update things again. The water has that wonderful aquamarine shade every where in this area. We have been anchoring out more down here and have enjoyed finding wonderful parks in almost every stop. At Key Biscayne we anchored in Key Biscayne Bay with wonderful views of the Miami Skyline.

Miami at night

We then moved to the south end of the key to No Name Harbor, a very well protected basin in Bill Baggs Park. There were bike trails and hiking trails right by the dingy tie up and we walked just about the whole thing. We saw an iguana over two feet long, our first such siting.  Off to the south and over a mile offshore is a place called Stiltsville. The houses are built on stilts in shallow water and some have been there since the 30's or 40's.

Stiltsville

This was our turnaround point as time is going by and we have decided to sail up to Charleston and take a train back to Maine mid-April. Things move slow when cruising and there are many places that once we stop, we want to spend a few days to see some of the sights and get to know the area somewhat.

Key Biscayne to North Lake Worth

From Key Biscayne we sailed north to South Beach and anchored between two islands which gave us some protection from the wakes of passing boats. There is a canal that one can dingy up and tie up by a bridge then walk to South Beach with its big walking mall with every store conceivable. We found a great little grocery store that had a whole dairy case of goat cheeses and a wonderful anti-pasta bar. We sailed outside the next day to Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale where we anchored again in a protected spot. The house closest to us put on a show for us to watch. First just before dark, they lit up the gas torches and fire-pits; then when it was dark, the turned on the lights. We were expecting a lot of people to show up but only saw one person and two dogs!

House with fire

House with lights

The next stop was North Lake Worth anchorage where we met some folks from Massachusetts on Mon Ami. We had talked with them on the cruising radio net but had not met them in person before. Nice folks who invited us to stop by later as we passed through Onset on the way home. A beautiful sunset followed.

We have had some of the best sailing yet since we started north from Key Biscayne. The Easterly trades have kicked in and reaching is the norm. Emme has been doing well and seems happy to be sailing along in the trade winds again.

North Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale

It sure was nice to get outside and under sail again. The winds were perfect so we were able to unfurl all 3 sails for the first time this trip. We sailed the 48 miles in less than 8 hours and had great views of the beaches along the way as we stayed within a mile of the coast to avoid the currents that were flowing in the opposite direction. The skies were mostly sunny and the water changed to that beautiful aqua marine blue.  We sailed into the busiest port on the east coast, so they say. It's called Port Everglade.  Fortunately we were able to get a mooring at the city marina.  Today we biked to the Bonnet house and gardens, which is an oasis  in the morass of towering buildings.  It  is a plantation home built and designed by Frederick Bartlett.  He got out of Chicago and headed to this home in the winter months.  It still has all the charm of its day and the local flora was still intact.

After all of that touring, we headed to the beach to cool off in the surf.  Beautiful!

Bonnet House

Large Banyan Tree in Gardens 

Vero Beach to North Palm Beach

Hobe Sound Wildlife Refuge At Peck Lake

One of the many fishing boats on the ICW. Note the Pelican sitting on the right outboard; it's real as it soon flew off, just taking a break we guess.

One of the smaller of the homes along this section, we were able to get it all in one frame!


We finally left Vero Beach on the 8th and headed South again. The winds had calmed down to about 15-20 so we thought we would continue. The waterway is fairly protected with it seldom being over a mile wide with lots of places being a quarter mile or less. Crossing a lake or when the Indian River widens out provides more wind but there are no big waves because the water is so shallow. We anchored in Peck Lake for the night and in the morning went ashore and hiked the hundred yards across the barrier island to the ocean beach. this is the Hobe Sound Preserve and it is a wildlife sanctuary with day use allowed on the beach but not in the dunes where seabirds nest.

Yesterday we came the remaining 22 miles to North Palm Beach. This is where the bridges really begin with some opening on demand some on the hour and half hour and some at 15 and 45 minutes past. This is also the area with many very large homes, some you would think must be luxury hotels or resorts but then you notice no one is there and there are only four chairs at the tiki bar by the dock!

Last evening we went for a walk along the winding paved sidewalks that go along PGA boulevard.  We found a Vietnamese restaurant/jazz piano bar where we decided to have dinner.  The chef was incredibly helpful as he circulated among the tables to help us order and understand the menu. We were not disappointed as we cleaned our plates while listening to a piano/vocalist duo playing and singing many of the old standards.

Since we stayed a couple of extra days here, we got the bikes out to explore a wider range.  We visited the John MacArthur state park  where we could hike to the beach (just in time for an ominous looking rain storm).

We were able to take refuge under a lean to til the worst of it passed and then we moved on   to the amphitheater where there was a bluegrass group was playing the tunes of the Grateful Dead, Townes Van Zandt, and other great artists.  

Pelicans at Ponce

 Ibises in Titusville

Vero Beach
Wow is it March 3rd already? We have made more progress south, leaving Ponce and moving to Titusville and now on to Vero Beach for a few days. In Titusville we met an old friend from Aroostook County and had great time catching up over lunch.  We visited a park near the waterfront and marveled yet again about the birds.  There were so many white ibises that they seemed like pigeons.  They walk right up to you.  There was one lone juvenile wood stork and a couple of great blues.
  We found a nice anchorage along the way and have dolphins swimming along side of us each day.  The weather has been quite glorious so we headed to the beach soon after arriving in Vero Beach. Vero Beach is known in cruising circles as Velcro Beach because cruisers seen to stick around here for a long time. In fact we met some folks we know from Falmouth, Maine who has been here since December 19th. they just left this morning to continue south. The water is now in the low 70's which is warmer than Maine all summer.  This city provides free bus transportation about any where you would want to go. There many parks and things to see and do and we will try to do a few.

St. Augustine is now a pleasant memory as we have moved on to Ponce de Leon inlet about a 60 statute mile run on the ICW. We had a mostly cloudy day with occasional showers but stayed dry under the Bimini. The birds all seem so exotic to us with Great Blue Herons, Night Herons, Pelicans, Storks, Swans, Snowy Egrets, Tri-Color Herons, and Great Egrets, being some of the birds we have sighted in the last few days.We have seen signs for manatees everywhere but have yet to spot one. No alligators either even though many waterways are named Alligator River or Alligator Creek. 
Our friends on Patty Jean, who we had first met in Brunswick Ga., had spent the last few days with us in St. Augustine.  They were intending to leave with us today but had a plumbing issue so stayed behind to fix it. As we write this, there is an 80% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow so we may stay here to ride out the storms and give them a chance to catch up. The decision will be made tomorrow morning when we get the latest weather forecast.

We are still here in St. Augustine.  This is one of the lions that stands at the end of the bridge of lions.  We took this picture on the way back from exploring the fort yesterday.  The Spaniards certainly knew a thing or two about how to defend their city;  the fort was never taken in battle. Today we are hoping to get to the Lightner museum which use to be a hotel during the gilded age.  So in the spirit of Downton Abbey, we must take a look.  Today is our 39th anniversary (unbelievable). Usually we spend our anniversary skiing so it is quite a change up to be walking around in short sleeves and shorts in 80 degree weather.

We are in Historic St. Augustine on a mooring off the old Spanish Fort, the Castillo de San Marcos completed in 1695.  The city was settled in 1565 by the Spanish and retains its old Spanish layout to this day with many narrow streets with old historic buildings everywhere you look.  We walked around for about an hour after we arrived yesterday afternoon and will do much more exploring in the next couple of days.We plan to tour the fort and some of the museums as well as try out one of the many fine restaurants for dinner some night.
In the opposite direction, there is the bridge of the lions.  There are 2 statues of lions at the ends of the bridge.  We'll have to get a picture when we walk over there to the grocery store.  Finally we are getting some warm weather today along with light winds.  Hopefully this will keep up.

Amelia Island

We made up our minds that if one day among the rain and clouds seemed at all promising , we would head out.  
Yesterday we left Brunswick, GA and motor/sailed in the mist and fog to Fernandina Beach, FL.  We did see a number of birds and a few dolphins but no right whales.  We are reportedly cruising in their habitat.  We arrived in the late afternoon so were able to walk around this scenic town and after dinner we decided to do the carriage history tour.  (Of note, there was a young boy wearing a batman cape that his mother made for him.  He said he had been batman for a very long time.)  It reminded me of the novel that Mindy recommended about Nigeria. That aside, the tour was quite informative and the horse drawn carriage was a bit of a change up from being on the boat all day.  The horse was a handsome Belgian named All that Jazz.  Apparently eight different flags have flown over this island and pirates and smugglers used it as a stronghold in their day.
Today we have been threatened with thunderstorms but none have occurred so far.  In fact, we were moored at Fernandina Beach and they recommended that we move on since their moorings were not suitable for the heavy winds that we were suppose to encounter.  So now we are secure at the south end of Amelia Island where we will probably stay until Monday.

Feb. 15

Here we are in Brunswick,GA.  We arrived here on Monday the 13th  under sunny skies but a cool wind.  Our dock neighbors were very welcoming despite the fact that we brought the cool weather with us.  Our first evening we were introduced to the 5pm happy hour followed by a delicious potluck supper.  This took place at the dock entrance where there are tables and chairs, a roof over our heads and a propane grill.  The sunset was beautiful but we were bundled up in our jackets as the cool wind blew.  On Valentines Day, we roamed around the town and happened upon the Ritz theater.  They were showing a free film from the 40's by Graham Green

named Guns for Hire starring Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd.  It was a nice diversion for a rainy day.  

Randy has spent part of the last two days installing and wiring the new radio and getting the dingy ready.  Now we just need the right weather window and we are off.

Emme sits at the dock in Brunswick Georgia at Brunswick Landing Marina

I had a nice flight down to Georgia and spent a week preparing for our trip in 3 weeks.It was nice to have some 70 degree temps after our last cold snap.  The bottom was scrubbed, systems tested and non perishable supplies loaded on board. Many smaller but important tasks like topping off the water the batteries, changing out zincs, topping off the propane tanks and changing the transmission oil were done as well. All we have to do when we arrive in the 13th of February is to fill up the water tanks, clean up the decks and put on board the perishable groceries. We are fortunate to have great neighbors at the marina where the people on the other side of our finger regularly hose of our decks to rid them of bird droppings. They keep an eye on things for us when we are not there and have a beautiful wooden powerboat from the 60s. We're looking forward to heading off to places where we have not been before and will post updates as we are able as we travel along.