Dec. 2-3 We had a leisurely take off because we didn’t have far to go and needed to arrive in daylight and with a slack tide. The weather was sunny and we made good time overnight to the Brunswick, GA area and St. Simon’s Island. Our usual dock girl at Golden Isles Marina, Melissa, was there to take our lines. After a nap and lunch, we used their “loaner” car and did shopping errands. It was also time to top off the tanks before heading to the Bahamas where the fuel is more expensive. That night, we had a lovely dinner with our friends, the Ledbetters, who live on Sea Island. We always streak in and out but do enjoy our times with them. Scott grew up in Greenwich so we knew him when we were kids.

Dec. 4-6 Our last passage down the coast! We left around 6:30am and headed down the coast. As the day went on, the wind picked up till it was around 30 knots but the seas never got above 2-3ft and “Mr. Auto” was able to handle the steering. We were cozy inside once again. By dawn, we were passing Cape Canaveral which was our halfway point in the 355nm journey. As the day progressed, the winds and seas went down and the sun came out.

Now the water is a light turquoise green because we are staying close to shore to stay out of the Gulf Stream which is just a few miles out to sea in this part of Florida. As we have been traveling south, the water has changed colors. In Long Island Sound and down the Jersey shore, it was dark green and in the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay, it was brown. Off the Carolinas, it was a pretty dark blue but muddy again in Charleston harbor and Brunswick, GA. Once we get to the Gulf Stream, the water is a beautiful cobalt blue and has little bits of Sargasso weed floating in it and flying fish. The water temperature also goes up to the high 70’s or even 80. These two things help us know we are in the Stream as well as the northward current.

As we went down the southern Florida coast, the wind lessened and the temperature warmed enough for us to sit outside on the flybridge and watch the marlin/swordfish jump and the various seabirds fly by looking for fish. During the night the wind picked up again but the seas were not a problem. By dawn, it was blowing 25 knots or better. We planned to go in the Key Biscayne Channel and up the bay and into a new anchorage for us that would give us almost all around protection. We had heard this was possible from some CCA friends of our neighbors (M.A. & Barnaby Blatch). These friends live in that harbor. We came in the channel and did our route into the harbor but saw a nail biting 7.2 ft at the entrance. It is good to finally be in Florida even if the temperature tonight will be 29! We will stay here for a few days till the winds calm down and then cross to the Bahamas. Yeah!

Dec. 6 Our new friends took us around and had us for drinks that night. The big treat was seeing my exmother in law, Olga, and her friend Dolores for dinner. It was wonderful to catch up and we had a jolly evening.

Dec. 7 Ann took us to several supermarkets for a last minute provisioning. Both were first class. When we got back to the boat, our friends Kat and Alan on Andale were in the harbor. We were planning to buddy boat across the Gulf Stream and down to the Exumas. We had dinner aboard Windermere and made an early evening of it.

Dec. 8 At the high tide, we both left and worked our way out the Key biscayne channel and on to the Gulf Stream. The stream was a bit lumpy but it didn’t last long and the rest of the overnight to Chub Cay was calm. We arrived at Chub at dawn and anchored to wait for the marina to open. When everyone was ready, we both went in to the fuel dock and the men went to clear customs. That night, we both anchored out and had dinner on Andale.

Dec. 9 Another sunny day for our jump down to Norman’s Cay where we anchored off the big beach. John helped Kat take their dog ashore in our dinghy. Dinner was on Windermere.

Dec. 10 Windier but still sunny for our shorter hop down to Big Majors Spot by Staniel Cay. We were the only two boats anchored in the big harbor. We went to feed the pigs and show Andale how to get into Sampson Cay marina. dinner was on Andale.

Dec. 11 A nice sunny calm day and the boat was cleaned from top to bottom. At high tide, we moved over to hide behind Thunderball Grotto island because a big storm was coming the next day. Later in the afternoon, we went to check on Andale and make sure they were settled in the marina. They invited us to dinner at the Sampson Cay restaurant. The food was much improved and they had redecorated too. A partial moon and our GPS helped us work our way back to the boat. When we returned, we realized the wind had blown us on to a sandbar and the incoming tide was in the process of bumping us off. It was uncomfortable for about an hour and then we floated off and were able to swing further south to deeper water. The wind slowly picked up over the night but our new gigantic Rocna anchor was buried deep in the sand.

Nov. 2-3 We had a leisurely take off because we didn’t have far to go and needed to arrive in daylight and with a slack tide. The weather was sunny and we made good time overnight to the Brunswick, GA area and St. Simon’s Island. Our usual dock girl at Golden Isles Marina, Melissa, was there to take our lines. After a nap and lunch, we used their “loaner” car and did shopping errands. It was also time to top off the tanks before heading to the Bahamas where the fuel is more expensive. That night, we had a lovely dinner with our friends, the Ledbetters, who live on Sea Island. We always streak in and out but do enjoy our times with them. Scott grew up in Greenwich so we knew him when we were kids.

Nov. 4-6 Our last passage down the coast! We left around 6:30am and headed down the coast. As the day went on, the wind picked up till it was around 30 knots but the seas never got above 2-3ft and “Mr. Auto” was able to handle the steering. We were cozy inside once again. By dawn, we were passing Cape Canaveral which was our halfway point in the 355nm journey. As the day progressed, the winds and seas went down and the sun came out.
Now the water is a light turquoise green because we are staying close to shore to stay out of the Gulf Stream which is just a few miles out to sea in this part of Florida. As we have been traveling south, the water has changed colors. In Long Island Sound and down the Jersey shore, it was dark green and in the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay, it was brown. Off the Carolinas, it was a pretty dark blue but muddy again in Charleston harbor and Brunswick, GA. Once we get to the Gulf Stream, the water is a beautiful cobalt blue and has little bits of Sargasso weed floating in it and flying fish. The water temperature also goes up to the high 70’s or even 80. These two things help us know we are in the Stream as well as the northward current.
As we went down the southern Florida coast, the wind lessened and the temperature warmed enough for us to sit outside on the flybridge and watch the marlin/swordfish jump and the various seabirds fly by looking for fish. During the night the wind picked up again but the seas were not a problem. By dawn, it was blowing 25 knots or better. We planned to go in the Key Biscayne Channel and up the bay and into a new anchorage for us that would give us almost all around protecton. We had heard this was possible from some CCA friends of our neighbors (M.A. & Barnaby Blatch). These friends live in that harbor. We came in the channel and did our route into the harbor but saw a nailbiting 7.2 ft at the entrance. It is good to finally be in Florida even if the temperature tonight will be 29! We will stay here for a few days till the winds calm down and then cross to the Bahamas. Yeah!

Nov. 20 We’re on the road again! Down Narragansett Bay and on to Point Judith, we motored and all was well till we turned the corner and had seas and wind on the nose for the next 4 hours. As the sun set, we anchored safely in Niantic Bay for the night.

Nov. 21 Midnight, and both of us were awake. If we left now, we could make Greenwich by morning. The moon was almost full and lit the way. The yacht club was ready to take our lines when we arrived and that night, John’s mom and stepfather met us there for dinner.

Nov. 22 Mom lent us her car to use after lunch at L’Escale with her and a friend and we were off to the movies and Costco. Once we had given the car back and said our goodby’s, we had a quiet dinner and went to bed early.

Nov. 23 We got up early and had an easy trip to NYC and down to the Atlantic Highlands area to anchor for the night. The tide was a wonderful help all the way and we saw over 12 knots in the East River!

Nov. 24-25 After a windy night with choppy seas, we were glad to be on our way down the New Jersey coast. Once again, the tide was with us all the way down the coast, up the Delaware River, and through the C&D Canal. In honor of Thanksgiving, we had turkey sandwiches and some good soup. Our average speed for the trip was 7.84 knots! Just at dark, we found a nice protected bay to anchor in for a good night sleep.

Nov. 26 Up early and well rested and time to head down the bay to Oxford to visit our friends Larry and Leslie on “Algonquin”. They told us where to anchor, we launched the dinghy, and headed to their boat for dinner and socialization. It was good to see them because we missed them this last summer. We all had left over Turkey Day dinner- delicious!
Nov. 27 Up early and once more down the bay towards the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel- Bridge. The wind was blowing but off our stern quarter and the seas were manageable. The sun was finally out but the temperature too cold for our liking. Passing by the entrance to the Potomac added to the wind and waves for about an hour. The excitement for the day is dodging big ships and crab pots. They like to string them together and the paint them black just to make it more sporting! We finally reached the bridge at around 8:30pm going almost 9 knots. The boat was literally “spit” out of the bay. Down the coast with more following seas but bigger this time and they made for a rolly night. John had to stay at the helm almost all night and steer with the Z drive because the autopilot wasn’t strong enough to hold a course continually.

Nov. 28 The seas continued to roll us but slowly lessened by the time we reached Hatteras. The sun was out and it was good to make the turn to the SW and stop rolling. Both of us took turns napping during the day and were in good shape by evening. Dinner of John’s favorite hotdogs and beans and a pretty sunset set the tone for a nice night passage past Cape Lookout Shoal and on to Frying Pan Shoal.

Nov. 29 The day was gray and the wind slowly picked up. We lucked out and had two groups of dolphins come by and visit for about 20 mins each. Boy do I love watching their antics! For about the last seven hours, we had to steer using the Z drive remote because the autopilot couldn’t keep a course in the aft quarter seas that were “sidling us” to and fro. Just before midnight, we entered the Charleston channel and had the place all to ourselves for the first time! By midnight, we were anchored off the channel in the Ashley River and went to bed.

Nov. 30 We called our friend Doug, who we new from the Exumas last year and were planning to visit that day, and he came down to the Carolina Yacht Club and took our lines. Our berth there was provided by our other friends in Charleston. We spent the rest of the day catching up and playing dominos. It blew and rained but we were cozy inside. By nightfall, it had calmed down and we went ashore for a nice dinner at a nearby brewery. The wind that was blowing was so warm and balmy. It was wonderful!

Dec. 1 It was sunny but still breezy and much cooler here. We were picked up by our friend J.P. and taken to the city marina to meet some of her friends and see their boat. Then, they came to see our boat and we had a good lunch at the Yacht Club. J.P. then took us to do our errands and dropped us back at the club. We spent a quiet night.