We arrived at Little Harbor at 12 noon high tide, as there is not enough water to enter at low tide. Little Harbor is a small quaint cay with on bar and a few dozen hones. The cay is very clean and beautiful. On one side the open ocean and on the other a a huge shallow crescent bay. The bay is full of fish and conch and a variety of  sea cucumbers, coral, crabs and other wildlife. Kris and I sepent several hours exploring the crystal clear waters and shoreline.

The weather is supposed to turn rough tonight so we hooked up to a mooring ball for safety. Winds are expected to hit 40 -50 k. Not to much to worry about as the the mooring harbor is very well protected. A walk around the cay offers som spectacular views. I am certain that we will enjoy our brief stay here. Although Pete’s pub has been closed for two days.

We plan to move on to Eleuthera in the next  couple of days. About 55 miles south of Little Harbor.From here we will sail to pick up Emily in Nassau.  The weather is supposed to be stable for the next week or two.

The boat has been working fine. We are able to restore batteries with our wind and solar and the water maker works well. It is very rewarding to be so independent.

Riveria Beach Fl Manatee

We left Riveria beach at 9pm to cross the Gulf Stream and be in the bahamas by daylight . The weather must be calm and the winds not out of the north or the gulf stream can get very rough. We arrived on the other side at about 4am and had to circle until 7am , daylight before we could enter the shallow Bahama banks, about 7 ft deep. After daylight we headed to great sail cay to rest. The ride was perfectly smooth across the banks and the weather warm. We spent the day at great sail and caught snails that we had for dinner. Very good with cajun seasoning and fried. the next day we headed for Treasure cay and arrived just before dark set anchor and went to bed.  We were awakened by a neighbor at 2 am and informed that we were dragging anchor, about 30 ft from the rocky shore. We re set the anchor and went back to bed the next day we went into dock did wash took on water and relaxed.

After several days at Treasure Cay we set sail for Man O War Cay, anchored and spent the night then on to  Guana Cay a small island of boat builders and a few stores and restaurants. Both cays we pleasant and friendly with enough goods and services to meet our needs. From here we sailed to Hopetown Cay a very pleasant harbor with mooring balls and a very quaint town right on the water. We went to the beach and walked the town and went to see the local oil fired light house built in the early 1800s. After several days here we sailed to Marsh Harbor only 8 miles across the bay. Here we will pick up provisions make repairs and then move on to the southern more remote cays. Marsh Harbor is very friendly and not to expensive. $ .85 per foot for docking. Carol does not feel well so we wil spend 4 days here.

Just to update everyone we went home for a week after Thanksgiving and then returned to the boat in snow and cold. I have to say that I do not miss the cold and snow. The people back home working on the business are doing a great job. I is nice, very nice, not to have to worry about the business. Thank You All.

The trip from Hilton Head south was uneventful. However the cool weather seems to keep chasing us south. We made stops in St Kathrens Island, St Simons, Jeckle Island, Ga, Fernandina, Fl , St Augustine, Fl, Daytona Beach, Titusville, Fl,  Indian Harbor beach at Telmar Bay Marina, then to Ft Pierce, Fl, where we are today  12/17/2010. All in all a great ride. Special note for Indian harbor beach Telmar Bay Marina. Th people there were great and very friendly and helpful. A really beautiful marina and the docking price was great $1.25 per foot. We highly recommend it.

We are now heading south to Palm Beach and will make the jump to the Bahamas within a week depending on the weather. We have updated all the boat systems, fuel filters, oil changes tightened nuts and bolts and stocked up on filters, and anything else we will need while on the islands. Nothing else but food and fuel will be needed to make the passage to the Bahamas.

I plan to keep up with the posting while in the islands however internet access is not always available so keep checking back.

Pinkums new Pirate Lover Fernandina,Fl

Pinkums pirate takes off and she wants to end it all.

Pinkums walks away "I HAVE HAD IT"

Pinkums hooks up with Mark and holds hands... OH NO!

We decided to take the ICW to to Beaufort, SC.  A small waterfront town that seems to be set up mostly for the tourist trade. High end stores and lots of food establishments dominate the towns main street. Just out of the business district, on the waterfront large plantation type homes dominate. Magnoificant old homes dating back to the early 1800s. The view of the bay is magnificent. Palm trees, massive oaks, marsh grass and a bay full of sail boats make up the perfect picture. We stopped for lunch, not great, and enjoyed the views then walked around town to take in the sights. The next day we went shopping, we had our car so it was easy. Bought more led lights for the boat to conserve power and some groceries for the next few days as we will continue to anchor out. The weather was perfect and calm but still cold at night.

The next day we headed for Hilton Head, SC on the ICW. A short hop of about 18 miles. We anchored in Skull River for the night. We arrived at about 2PM and secured the boat and took Spinny to shore. We also contacted our friends from Battery Park, Sandusky, Oh Wayne and Roseanne who had offered to meet us and let us use their car or take us anywhere we would like.  We had great conversation about old times at Battery Park and what everyone was doing now. A really great evening with lovely people. After dinner and drinks we returned back to the boat and made preparations for the trip south tomorrow. Either Savannah or Saint  Catherine’s  Bay. The weather is supposed to be calm and warm. I should be a great ride on the ocean.

Pinkums looking for the Griswalds

Marcus new boat

We arrived in Elizebeth City, NC about 4 pm tied up at the dock walked the dog, took a shower and went to bed. We did not have much time for anything else. Tomorrow we will pick up provisions and head for Beauford.

The trip to Beauford was quite nice. We took the ICW and spent the night anchored in a back wash where it was quiet but filled with boats headed south. We had time to walk Spinny and spend some time exploring and talking to some of the locals fishing and netting shrimp. The nights are cold. About 33 degrees as been the average low. The boat does not have heat without running the generator so you bundle up at night. Not to bad.

We got up early and set out for Beaufort, about 6:30 am it will be a long day. All ICW to Beaufort so it is slow and one must pay attention or you end up grounded, We saw several boats both power and sail on ground.. We took the ICW and spent the night anchored in a back wash where it was quiet but filled with boats headed south. We had time to walk Spinny and spend some time exploring and talking to some of the locals fishing and netting shrimp. The nights are cold. About 33 degrees as been the average low. The boat does not have heat without running the generator so you bundle up at night. Not to bad. The next day we started early and arrived at Beauford a 5 pm. We anchored just outside of town and Kris and I walked the dog and went into town for dinner,  Just hamburgers and french fries and we bought spicy boiled shrimp for Carol. We went back to the boat and turned in early it will be a  long day tomorrow.

From Beauford we headed out to sea for Cape Fear, a day trip and arrived just before dark. We were tired so we stayed at the city dock. We bought provisions in the morning and had an early at the Cape Fear Provisioning Co. Free dock for dinner or over night, very nice of them. We had to wait until 2 pm to leave for Charleston, SC a 130 mile trip, we want to arrive at the harbor in daylight after a 21 to 22 hour trip. The seas were 4 to 6 feet until 3 am when the wind dropped from 25 knots to 15 knots.  By 7 am the wind was down to 5  knots and we motored into Charleston at 11 am.

We anchored just outside the city and went into the city for dinner. We were all exhausted from the trip. Cold and rough does not make for a pleasant passage. The city is beautiful and very vibrant. Beautiful homes, shops, restaurants and more. We stay her for two days and then head out for Edisto Island.

Edisto Island arrival at 3 pm at the Edisto Marina. The owner greets us and helps us tie up. On check in he offers his pickup to pick up provisions. Very Nice. But we have a car as Kris’s friend Mark drove down to meet us in Charleston and is traveling with us for a week. Carol drove the car down from Charleston and enjoyed the break. We will spend the next two nights here. Tonight we made fresh stuffed BBQ oysters and  cajun shrimp for dinner. Short travel days are great.

The last night in  Manteo it  was quite exciting.  Pinkem got drunk went into town, smacked some locals around and then went all pirate on us. We had to cut her down from the rigging and put her into the brig until she came back down to earth.It will be a night for all to remember.

Pinkem ready for a fight

Pinkem in the rigging

After we settled Pinkem down we set sail for Silver Lake, NC on Ocracoke Island. We left at 10 am and arrived just before dark, anchored and secured the boat for the evening. The sail over was somewhat rough with 3-5 ft  following seas and 15-25 knot winds. Other than the water being shallow for most of the trip not much else to comment on. The channel into Ocracoke is deep but shoals  up sharply to port.

The next day we hauled anchor and sailed under a  cloudy sky and breezy conditions to Oriental, NC . Oriental is a small town with several shops and restaurants and a small port with a free city dock, that holds 3 boats. We anchored and visited the town and talked to several locals. Same thing as everywhere else business is ok but not great. Everyone is waiting for the economy to turn around. We will stay anchored here for a day. While here we will adjust rigging, change a alternator belt and try to lighten the boat before going out to sea from Beaufort to Cape Fear.

Oriental is a very pleasant town and I would highly recommend stopping here for anyone in the area. For sailors the harbor is safe and secure with a good bottom for anchoring.

Arrived at Manteo Waterfront Marina at 3:30 pm after a great sail. With a brisk breeze at on our port we  mad 6.5 to 7.5  knots most of the way with a smooth sail. The water across the bay is only 10 to 20 feet for most of the trip and the channels to the marinas are 6 to 8 ft deep. Most of the shore line is only 1 to 3 ft deep out a half a mile or more. The bay was big and beautiful but I am told it can get rough. We changed oil and hooked up some electronics, cleaned the boat out, did some wash and talked to the dock master, George Barr, about our trip south and decided to go the thorny patch route rather than the off shore route. that is down to Miami then to the Bahamas and on to the windward islands. He spent a lot of time with us and gave us great details on how to make the trip better and safer. We really appreciate all the advice. We also visited the shore the dunes and did some some shopping. Kris bought a parafoil  kite and we bought a signal kite for the raft. We cooked fresh shrimp an flounder for dinner. Fresh seafood is the best. Now we make plans to head south. At first through the bay then into the Neuse river down to Beaufort, NC.

Set sail at 8:30 am on the 26th for the Great Dismal Swamp. Weather was breezy with rain. The previous night had lots or rain and gusty conditions.  The mut mixer was canceled due to weather Spinny was really disappointed. Sailing out of the river the banks are lined with war ships an cargo ships of all types. Repair facilities for ships are everywhere. There is also plenty of cruising traffic  in all the ports and on the river. Cruisers are headed south to the Bahamas, Florida and the windward islands.  All are very friendly and helpful with travel tips. The sailing community is truly a community unto itself. Sailing out we heard calls to get out of the way of the incoming destroyers and aircraft carriers or be subject to deadly force. We reached the first lock on the swamp canal at 1:30 pm. The locks only open four times per day. Just south of the lock we stopped for some provisions and to let Spinny off the boat. Heading south for the Swamp visitor center to spend the evening we found the canal to be shallow with lots of bumps from sunken longs. Most times the canal was 6 to 10 feet deep in the center of the channel. We never really had any great concerns about depth but the canal was up due to recent rains. I would nor recommend any boat having a draft over 6 feet using the swamp canal. Having said that the canal was beautiful and relaxing. No bugs while we were on the boat either. As we exited the canal after exiting the last lock we entered the river. The vegetation changed and the cyprus forests dominated the landscape. We went from 40 ft wide canals to 500 yard wide river and much deeper water. The landscape is extraordinary and worth seeing. The swamp is anything but dismal. We all enjoyed the trip and found it very relaxing. But now on to Elizabeth City. Elizabeth city offers free docking for 48 hours. No water or electric but a very comfortable city wall dock close to everything. We went to the Laundromat and the hardware store. Did our wash and picked up bolts for the prop shaft. Tornados are all around tonight and some high wind expected. 10/28/10 we set sail for Cape Hatteras weather permitting.

Went to West Marine to pick up a water pressure regulator they picked us up. Walked around town and did some more work on the boat. Tomorrow we will head for the Great Dismal Swamp weather permitting. Had several different opinions on the trip from other boaters some good some bad. I guess we will find out. We will let you know.

Hampton is a nice town but many businesses are out of business. We have found this to be the case where ever we go. I wish the town luck it is very pleasant and friendly here.

Departed Tangier Island at 8:04 am at low tide with a 6 ‘ draft. Mr. Parks warned us to be careful. Staying in the cannel we were ok but you must stay to the south side of the channel and stay well within the markers when outside the harbor.

No wind so we had to motor the whole way, boring.  Pinkem kept us company and did a Hula dance to make the time go by faster. A fair number of large and small craft as we approach the hampton river. Over all a very pleasant journey.

1. Pinkem Hula Dance

1. 

   ships at sea

   

   enter Hampton river

   

   Lighthouse at fort

   

Arrived at port at 5:32 pm. Kate the dock master helped tie us up at the city docks and greeted Spinny , she met her at the boat show. Spinny was invited to Mutt Mixer tomorrow night with drinks, appetizers and a social gathering for all the mutts. We will let you know how it goes. Walking around Hampton we found the people to be warm and friendly and the city clean and inviting, for a Sunday night.