April 15 Well, it was too hot to sleep so we got up at 4am and headed towards New Providence island where Nassau is located. We passed the western end of the island by 10 am and decided to keep going to Beaufort, NC. By midnight, we were near Great Isaac light at the north western tip of the Great Bahama Bank and ready to head for the Gulf Stream.

April 16 By 4am we had gone 180nm and were just getting into the gulf stream. We turned north into the stream and zoomed up the coast of Florida at mostly 11 knots! The wind was on our stern quarter and we were sidling along and the auto pilot and NAV steering had trouble so John had to use the Z drive to help it out.

April 17 By the time I came on watch, the steering didn’t need as much help and got better as the night wore on. By 4am (48 hrs after our departure), we had gone 434nm at an average speed of 10.6 knots! The seas were still bigger than we wanted but the stream was pushing us along wonderfully so we stayed in it until around Charleston. I sit in the pilothouse trying to entertain myself all the while listening for objects making noises in the galley. Then I stuff towels in the offending spots and start listening for places I missed. Our route slowly took us out of the stream and straight on towards Frying Pan Schoals and eventually to Beaufort, NC. The gulf stream comes up the coast of Florida and curves with the coastline of Georgia and South Carolina and then slowly turns east to go across the Atlantic to Europe. To get to Beaufort, NC we have to continue north and leave the stream and go slower (at our usual pace) as a result. At least it is sunny and we even had a flying fish land on our fore deck.

April 18 This was an easy day and we arrived in Beaufort NC in the late afternoon and anchored by the coast guard station. Along the way, I cooked up some and ate some of the food that the customs people were probably going confiscate the next day when we cleared in to the USA.

April 19 We went into the Beaufort town docks and the customs officers came and took some of our fruits and vegetables and meat but were polite about it at least and even let us keep our chicken if we cooked it up right away in front of them. I checked my e-mail and low and behold, I had an e-mail from”Eliora” and they were sitting at the coast guard station that we had been anchored by last night! We agreed to try and meet somewhere up the ICW. Next, we went to lunch and grocery shopping. On the dock was another very interesting steel trawler and we made friends with the owners and had a tour. The husband had done all of the interior work over many years and it was incredible and had quite a few interesting features. He did beautiful wood working everywhere. Then we showed them our boat which they loved too and had cocktails. Because lunch had been filling, we had ice and ice cream for dinner- don’t tell the kids!

April 20 We puttered around on the boat in the morning. As we walked down the dock, we saw a British friend from the Ocean Cruising Club getting drinking water from the dock hose for his boat. We hadn’t seen him since Maine this last summer! After lunch, we went shopping along the main street and had a delicious dinner at the Beaufort Grocery Co. restaurant.

April 21 This year, I asked John if we could go on the inside north instead of going around Cape Hatteras and he reluctantly agreed. We had done this trip in the Mason 44 in 2002 but not since. I studied the charts and made our route. Every creek and canal looked so narrow on the charts until I ranged in quite a ways. Our friends ,the Weckels, wanted to drive down from Maryland and meet us along the way in a place called Coinjock for dinner so we organized the timing for that rendezvous. The weather was not going to be good on the outside for a few days so it was decided-the ICW or bust. . We got up early and left for the ICW (intercoastal waterway) north. A few dolphins bid us farewell as we entered our first creek. The water is definitely not the turquoise blue water of the Exumas but luckily, the traffic of boats was light. After a few more creeks, rivers and canals, we anchored for the night in a protected spot along with 5 sailboats. One was “Eliora” and the other “Discovery” that we knew from Big Majors! What a small world. Time for a party on Windermere. Everyone brought hor’s and drinks and we provided the boat and the heat. We love these serendipitous meetings that seem to happen all the time while we are cruising.

April 22 Up early again and the day started out very sunny which was nice, Our first stretch was in a canal that is about 20 miles long and very straight. It is about 70 ft wide and we were glad there weren’t any large barges coming or going. The water was warmer than the air so there was a wonderful low mist everywhere and the sides of the canal had lots of stumps and, I suspect, Kudzu vine everywhere but I don’t know what it looks like being a Northerner. Our route then led to the Alligator River which was wider but not necessarily deeper. On to the Abermarle Sound which is wide and deeper in a broader area so it was only choppy but not tight piloting. Our last section of the trip was in a winding river which was lined with marsh land and prettier. The evening’s destination was a small place called Coinjock where everyone stops for the night and the men get their beef fix. They offer a 32 oz prime rib for those who are not faint of heart when it comes to beef. I had pasta with lobster that turned our to be the fake crab meat but the sauce was good. Our old friends, George and Judy Weckel drove down from Maryland to have dinner with us and spend the night on Windermere. It was fun to see them again after quite a while.

April 23 After a nice breakfast to gird our loins, the Weckels helped us with our lines and we were off down the road. The first 30 miles were all right but then the bridges and one lock started. Some open on demand but others are on a schedule which sometimes works with our speed and sometimes doesn’t. We had to wait at the lock for 30 mins but who should be waiting with us but “Eliora” and “Discovery”. We had caught up to them over the morning. Finally, we arrived at our marina for the night and tied up. John was exhausted from steering all day and having to “hover” by several of the bridges. But our day wasn’t over yet. We needed fuel and the price was very good there so we spent the next 3 hours or so getting 3039 gallons of diesel. Dinner was late but good leftovers and bed was not far behind.

April 24 -25 It was a sunny day and not too windy and we were off for our last push up to Sandy Hook NJ. All was well during that day, overnight, and halfway up the New Jersey coast and then the fog rolled in and we were in pea soup. The tide was right for going all the way up the East River so we decided t keep going. As we approached the Verrazano bridge, we couldn’t see a thing. First we saw a glowing that seemed to follow the curve of the bridge and then finally we saw the street lamps along the roadway. This all happened as we were almost under the bridge! Next was New York Harbor with its giant cargo ships sitting at anchor all over the place. Once again, we would see a glow and then the various ship’s lights as we glided by them. Thank God for AIS which identified them and let us know which ones were moving. Of Course, the Staten Island Ferry was whizzing back and forth. As we neared the Battery, the fog lifted enough to see all the to the 59th st bridge. After that, it closed in on us as we progressed through Hellgate and past the Whitestone and Throgsneck bridges and John had to once again use the radar and electronic charts to figure out which way to go. I had to lean out the doors and look for buoys. Most of them we heard more than saw. We finally reached Greenwich harbor at about 3:30am, anchored, and went to bed! John has decided he now has his instrument rating and has had some good practice for Newfoundland this summer.

April 26-27 After some sleep, we went into the Indian Harbor Yacht Club dock and spent two days visiting with our moms, and even John’s daughter Alison just happened t be there.

April 28 The wind was going to be coming from the south so we moved over to Oyster Bay for more protection and invited two of John’s old sailing buddies for cocktails aboard.

April 29 Our final push to Mystic was a piece of cake with very calm conditions.

April 30 We headed for Rhode Island and our boatyard at Brewer Cove Haven in Barrington. In June, we plan to head to Maine, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Stay tuned!