West End, Grand Bahama

December 21, 2017- December  24, 2017

Getting the transmission cable shipped to Freeport turned out to be more difficult than expected.  Bob made numerous phone calls to FedEx, first to establish an account and then to create the shipping label necessary for Advantage Marine Supplies (AMS) to ship the part.  Then, of course, it took several phone calls to AMS to convey the correct procedure for the shipment and finally to get the tracking number.  We later discovered that Bob had racked up over $100 in phone calls.  The rest of that day was spent wishing and hoping that the part would make it to Freeport the next day.  

Here is a view of the marina restaurant
and shop where we 1st discovered we
needed a new sim card to activate our phone.

On the 22nd Bob received an email that the part was on the plane in Miami and would be in Freeport that afternoon.  Before lunch we took the resort shuttle to the BTC office to reactivate our phone only to discover that they were out of minutes and couldn’t help us.  After lunch we rented a car to drive to Freeport, hopefully, to pick up the cable.  Yes, we are optimists.  Bob was navigating while I was driving (on the left side).  We stopped at another BTC office and were able to activate our Bahamian phone (one important task checked off our list).  When we got to the FedEx office we were told that we needed a printed instead of a hand written receipt to be able to get the cable through customs.  This required another call to AMS and the promise of emailing the receipt to us and the FedEx office.  Just another thing to worry about.  We waited around Freeport for awhile just hoping to hear something positive about the part, but instead we found out the customs office was closing early on Friday (the 23rd) and would not be opening again until 12/27.  This meant that if the part did not clear customs before the office closed we would be stuck in West End until at least 12/28.  We got home safely even with the many crazy roundabouts that were so unnerving when driving on the left.  We both had a good stiff drink for happy hour.

All of our troubles did not reduce the beauty of the area.

After quick showers, we headed to Freeport in the morning with high hopes for successfully obtaining the part.  We arrived even before the FedEx office opened.  In the same shopping center was a cafe that served patties (pastry filled with meat and/or cheese and vegetables) and Starbucks coffee. The perfect place for breakfast while awaiting out our cable’s arrival.  Once the FedEx office opened we were informed that their agent was waiting for all the days deliveries to pass customs and would be back to the office around noon.  Two and a half hours of stress later we returned to the office and were told the agent wasn’t back yet….15 more minutes.  Back at the coffee shop we had another Starbucks and waited.  Waiting is not my forte so I browsed the shops nearby just trying to distract myself from the possibility that the part wouldn't arrive.  When we walked into the FedEx office for about the 5th time the agent left the counter and after a few minutes came back with the cable.  Bob and I both breathed an audible sigh of relief.  

We drove to Silver Beach and a tiki hut restaurant called Bernie’s (highly recommended in Trip Advisor) for a lunch of grilled lobster tail.  Bob had a rum and water but I stuck with plain water as I wanted to be totally alert for driving home on the left side.  The restaurant was constructed of what appeared to be salvaged wood and tree branches for the roof covered by a quickly disintegrating tarp.  It was quaint to say the least, but the food was excellent.  We found a local grocery store and purchased everything we needed for our Christmas dinner then headed back to the marina.  After such a stressful day we decided to wait until the next day to install the cable.

The cable installation went well, two and one half hours as compared to four hours the last time in Vero Beach.  We had lunch at Teasers Tiki Bar on the beach and then completed all of the chores necessary to be ready to leave in the morning.  At happy Hour we decided to go back to the tiki bar and try a Bushwhacker drink which many of the patrons had been drinking at lunch time.  It is a frozen drink consisting of ice, dark rum, kahlua, and Bailey’s.  It was served in a 12 ounce cup and looked like a milk shake…delicious. Almost too easy to drink.

On this sea wall is the customs office,
showers, marina office and the fuel dock which
we visited just before we left West End

On 12/24 we got up early filled our water tanks and headed to the fuel dock to fill up on diesel and settle our bill.  Our stay cost us almost $600.  That blew our mooring budget for the month so we will be anchoring out now, which I prefer anyway.  When we are in a marina we tend to eat out too much and get used to air conditioning and unlimited water.  

My next blog will cover our trip to Marsh Harbour and our stay there.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Crossing the Gulf Stream to West End, Bahamas

December 19, 2017 - December 20, 2017

We got up a 2:30 am and weighed anchor before 3:00 am to start our Gulf Stream crossing.  At first, I was a bit freaked out by barreling ahead at 6 knts/hr into what seemed like a black hole. However, once I got my night vision and could make out the horizon I started to relax.  We had an easterly wind of about 3 knots per hour which made for some rollers.  The rollers were hitting us at an oblique angle causing a bit of rocking and rolling, but I was fine as long as I could see the horizon.  I took the second watch at 4:00 am.  Looking out over the bow to the ocean, watching for other vessels, and guiding our vessel on its course gave me the feeling of a real adventurer.  At that point it seemed as if I could go anywhere.  On my second watch (6:00 am-7:00am) I was blessed with watching the sunrise from the first light tinting the horizon with a reddish hue to the vista of the sun peeking over the horizon in all its range of colors.  I can’t think of any other time in my life that I have observed this phenomenon.  

Once the sun was well up into the sky the deep ocean water (our depth sounder quit registering the depth at 468 feet) became a gorgeous indigo blue.  If you have ever been on a cruise ship you have probably observed this shade of blue.  We watched for flying fish that leap from the water spreading their aerodynamic fins to sail for hundreds of feet above the water. The flying fish use this technique to escape the jaws of the dorado fish that like to eat them. We didn't see any dolphin on this crossing. The crossing was long but uneventful until we motored into the turning basin of the Old Bahama Bay Resort and Marina in West End, Bahama…  

When Bob tried to shift into neutral to slow down and tie up at the fuel dock the shift lever didn’t work.  With some quick decision making he immediately lowered the anchor to prevent us from crashing into the rocks of the break wall.  I went below and tore apart the drawers that give access to the engine compartment.  We experimented a bit with the gear shifting and determined that something was wrong with the control cable.  Bob called the marina to get our slip number, explain our situation, and get some dock hands to help us into our slip.  I was below manually shifting the gears as Bob yelled out the gear he needed the boat to be in as he guided the boat gently into the slip.  As soon as the dock hand grabbed our stern line I was up on deck to help complete the docking.  I was rattled, to say the least, and could not think of how to tie a bowline knot to create a loop at the end of the line.  The dock hand took over and skillfully tied us to the piling.

Okay, major crisis avoided…Bob checked us in through customs and we registered at the marina office.  When we took the pedestal apart to look for the transmission cable problem (foolishly hoping it was something simple) we discovered that the cable we had just replaced was broken.  Bob got on the phone to Advantage Marine Supplies in Vero Beach to locate the cable we needed while I walked back and forth (about a quarter of a mile one way) to the marina office to figure out a way to get the part to Freeport and then to the Marina (FedEx, etc. does not deliver to West End, Bahamas).  By the time we located the part I was ready to go back to Florida for the winter.  I was exhausted, discouraged, and hungry.  Bob nixed that idea even though the shipping  the part was going to be a convoluted process involving a rental car to pick the part up in Freeport. We headed off to Teasers Tiki Bar for lunch and a Kalik (Bahamian beer).  I was feeling a little better, but still stressed about the situation and the uncertainty of the part arriving in Freeport with any kind of promptness.

After a good night’s sleep I was feeling a bit better.  We had breakfast at the Marina restaurant (vowing only to eat one meal out a day, LOL) and then came back to the boat to do some chores.  Bob walked over to the hotel office to use the WIFI and post his blog while I took a relaxing walk to the pool to test the water temperature (it was cool but pleasant) and to explore the beach.  

It’s hard to stay pissed off by the curve balls life throws you when this is the kind of place your “stuck” in waiting for a boat part.  By the time I got back to the boat I had accepted our situation and realized that being flexible is a great part of this cruising lifestyle.  Sure we wanted to spend Christmas in Marsh Harbour, but is West End a bad alternative?  Most cruisers claim that cruising is just boat repair in exotic ports and I am swiftly learning this is a true statement.

Here's the pool...

the beach...

the view from our pier. See what I mean?

My next blog post will chronicle our stay in West End and our boat repair.  In the meantime, have a great holiday!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Vero Beach, FL to West Palm Beach, FL

December 10, 2017 to December 18, 2017

By the time I got back from Sarasota to Vero Beach a cold front had come through and the temperature stayed chilly for four days.  Highs were in the mid 60s and the lows were in the high 30s-low 40s. Quite a change from the high 70s with high humidity. Even so the weather is better than the snow they were getting up north.

Our second week in Vero was a busy one.  We hired a guy to ride in a bosun’s chair to the top of our mast and replace  a connector on the antennae.  This didn’t solve the problem Bob was having with one of our VHF radios and our AIS reception but it eliminated one possibility of the problem.  The cats had to be seen by a veterinarian to get their international papers. We also bought all of the cat food and litter we will need until we return to the states.  Next, we had to provision for ourselves which took a trip to Walmart to get the nonperishable items and then on our last day at Vero we bought the perishable items at Publix.  There was, also, laundry and cleaning to be done. Bob spent a lot of time searching weather apps to find a good weather window for crossing the gulf stream.

All work and no play makes for a dull life. Consequently, we made sure we interspersed some fun in between all of the work.  Most days we ate lunch out, exploring some restaurants we hadn’t been to and returning to some favorites.  We, also, met some friends from our days at Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, MD for breakfast at The Lemon Tree.  The food was delicious and the conversation even better.  We visited another cafe, Cravings, for breakfast a couple of times. 

When the days warmed up we were able to enjoy lunch
on Mulligan's deck over looking the beach.
Eating while listening to the surf is a treat. 

Fishack is a funky seafood restaurant with great food
and atmosphere.  It's becoming one of our favorites.

Whenever, I was doing laundry I waited in the boater’s lounge where I met two other cruising couples.  Another boat rafted up with us for the last couple of days of our stay.  They were from Montreal and even though English is not their first language we hit it off right away as all cruisers have so much in common.  They were flying back to Montreal and leaving their boat on the mooring so we had to adjust some lines so we could leave more easily.  On Thursday we gave them a ride into land in our dinghy and a ride to the bus station where they were catching a bus to the airport.  We cruisers always look out for each other and lend a hand when we can.

Here's Rainy Days rafted up with Le Repos,
the French Canadians boat.
As you can see the situation
 promotes camaraderie.

Having the cooler weather made taking a couple of long walks very comfortable.   One was to the park where there was an arts and crafts show going on.  I bought some air plants for the boat.  We’ll see how well they do on the boat.  Captain Jack has already eaten the blossom off one.  The second long walk was to the beach and the beachside shopping district.  Fun, fun, fun.  I don’t need much now days, but I still love to look at all of the merchandise.

What do you think? Will they live?

After taking showers and topping off our fuel and water tanks we left Vero Beach at about 9:30 Saturday morning.  It’s sad to leave Vero, but fun to look forward to arriving in the Bahamas.

Saturday and Sunday were traveling days taking us to West Palm Beach where we anchored out in Lake Worth and waited for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream which if nothing changes will be Tuesday, December, 19, 2017.

My next blog post will be about our crossing and our first few days in the Bahamas.

Thank you for reading my blog

St. Augustine, Fl to Vero Beach, FL

December 1, 2017 - December 9, 2017

 St. Augustine is a cruiser’s town (it even has a daily cruiser’s net to facilitate communication) and most cruisers stop over there on their way up or down the ICW.  It’s also an easy stop for those who are going outside in the ocean for the trip.  We always seem to run into friends in St. Augustine.  This time we noticed s/v Paperbird just behind us in the mooring field and stopped by to catch up with Greg and Lynn who are also from Annapolis.  Stories of our journey was the topic of choice.  Our neighbors from Anchorage Marina in Baltimore, John and Bobbie on s/v Satisfaction, stopped by our boat to chat, too.  Maybe that’s why it is always hard to leave St. Augustine, but we got up with the sun on Friday 12/1 and were on our way for the three and a half day trip to Vero Beach by sunrise.  When we get up that early we are always treated to a beautiful sunrise.

About two days of the trip were spent on the Indian River.  It’s wide and shallow with a dredged channel for the ICW.  Most of the time we were motoring in a straight line, keeping our eyes out for other vessels, and navigating the many bridges.  During my time at the helm I particularly enjoy watching the habits of the water birds.  The cormorant is a sleek black bird that sits low in the water and ducks under to catch fish.  We often see them atop day marks with their wings spread wide.  They do not have the oils most water birds have to waterproof their feathers so they have to air dry them in this way.  Brown pelicans are fun to watch.  They glide above the water so gracefully until they spot a fish and then they clumsily crash into the water with a loud splash.  Pelicans like to follow fishermen around waiting for a free hand out.  Sea gulls, of course, are plentiful.  I have seen them follow a pelican around and land on its back when it crash lands in the water.  I guess they are looking for an easy meal, too. Another excitement on the trip is dolphin sitings.  Many times they swim in our bow wake for several minutes or surface right next to the cockpit.  We’ve been told that they like to visit with other mammals.

Here is a cormorant drying its wings.

We dropped anchor three nights on our way to Vero Beach and found quiet pleasant spots.  The weather has been absolutely beautiful with lots of sunshine.  The mornings are cool, but we are in shorts and shirt sleeves by noon.  That’s why we make this long trip in the fall - we are looking for “weather that suits our clothes.”

On the last night of our trip to Vero our transmission cable snapped making it impossible to change gears from the cockpit .  Grabbing a mooring in the harbor the next day was quite a project.  Bob and I both wore our communicators and I went below and pushed and pulled on the gear lever as instructed by Bob.  Unbelievably, it only took us two passes to snag the mooring and get tied up.  After picking up our rental car from Enterprise we went straight to the marine store to get the needed cable. Bright and early the next morning we tackled replacing the cable.  After lots of cursing, struggling, and checking out ideas on the internet we got the cable replaced before lunch.  I was sure it would take all day a possibly a few trips to the marine store.

Vero Beach is another cruiser’s town. Our first few days in Vero were hot and humid without enough wind to keep the no-seeums at bay.  Consequently, we were a bit uncomfortable.  Vero is, also, the only marina that I know of that has boats share mooring buoys by rafting up beside each other.  We had neighbors from Virginia the first two nights.  It’s a fun way to make friends and talk about our experiences.

On Thursday-Saturday of the first week in Vero I was able to drive over to Sarasota to visit my children’s grandmother and dear friend, Claire.  She and her husband, Fred, are in the process of finding and moving into an Assisted Living Facility and I was there to lend a hand.  An added bonus was that Fred’s daughter visited at the same time and we reconnected after years of not seeing each other.  

More about Vero Beach in my next blog post…

Thank you for reading my blog.

St. Augustine, FL

November 24, 2017- November 30, 2017

We left our anchorage in the pouring rain headed to St. Augustine.  I had to bail out the dinghy once again.  It was wet, but easy going. We made the 10:00 am opening of the Bridge of the Lions and were settled on our mooring by 10:30.  St. Augustine is one of our favorite stops and for lunch we headed to Pizza Time for lunch.  Pizza Time was voted the 2nd best pizza in the USA by trip advisor and we whole heartedly agree.  

Pizza Time serves authentic NY style pizza in lots of variations, 

but we always get the cheese pizza.  Delicious!

I’m a fanatic about Christmas decorations and observing the festival of lights in St. Augustine which claims millions of lights was one of the highlights of our visit.  In my opinion there can never be too many Christmas lights.  We took the trolley ride around St. Augustine on Tuesday night armed with 3-D glasses that made each light a starburst.  It was magical.

My photos aren’t very clear but it gives you an idea about how serious this city is about Christmas lights.

A local restaurant went all out!

Constitution Square is covered in lights.

Decorating the boat for Christmas is a bit of a challenge since storage is a huge issue.  Lights and glass balls are out of the question.  I settled on tying crystal like garlands on the hand holds in the main salon.  When the light catches the baubles the garlands light up almost as if they contained lights.  

I think this sparkly look adds the perfect holiday touch!

We stayed in St. Augustine two extra days.  Bob contracted an eye infection that the doctor prescribed drops for.  We wanted to make sure he was getting better before taking off for Vero Beach (our next major stop).  The weather was wonderful with clear sunny skies and a cool breeze.  We had the opportunity to explore some unique restaurants…an Irish Pub/Oyster bar called Meehan’s and a seafood restaurant named Harry’s.  Both were excellent with charming outdoor seating on an upper balcony.  

The view of the Bay and the Bridge of Lions from the balcony of Harry’s

On Thursday we stopped into La Pentelo for lunch.  It is a Mediterranean restaurant with great food and a pleasant courtyard tucked away on quiet Charlotte Street one block over from busy St. George’s Street.

This hidden gem is a perfect spot for a delicious lunch. 

St. Augustine will always be one of our favorite stops with its Spanish style architecture, historic sites, unique shops, and great restaurants.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Beaufort, SC to At. Augustine, FL

November 19, 2017 - November 23,2017

We left Beaufort early Sunday morning fighting a strong current in the marina.  The current was so strong that it pulled the boat away from the dock before I could jump on.  Bob had to circle around and pick me up at the fuel dock which was not an easy feat.  We motored into Georgia and conquered some spots that had given us trouble last year.  Paying close attention to tides and being prepared with waypoints on the chart plotter saved us from going aground. We have been winding our way through the salt marshes, rivers and sounds (a small bay) of Georgia with its wide “s” turns and tight “u” turns for three days.  It makes for more interesting navigation, but it tests my patience a bit since you have to be so vigilant at the helm.  Our practice of one hour on and one hour off makes the trip much better.  We each have time to appreciate the beauty of the area without the stress of navigation.

These day marks guide us through the twists and turns of the ICW.

This picture clearly shows the salt marsh at low tide.
 Those dark clumps are tidal oysters.

Our planning is very fluid.  We have a long range plan and a daily plan.  The tidal range in this area is between seven and nine feet which creates a strong current.  Our boat speed can be boosted by two knots or reduced by two knots. Consequently, it is difficult to predict how far we can comfortably go each day.  We adjust our plan while underway and are usually able to travel farther than expected.  Today we traveled far enough to grab a slip at the Jekyll Harbor Marina (our last stop in Georgia).  We arrived just after lunch and were able to take a complimentary golf cart around the island.  

This island was the summer home of some of the most prominent industrialist of the early 1900s.  

Can you imagine this as your summer cottage?

 … and here’s another island cottage

Croquet, anyone?

During WWII the island was evacuated in case there would be a bomb attack that would kill some of our country’s most influential men. Later the island was purchased by the state of Georgia and the renovation of the “cottages” began in the 1980’s.  I’m always pleased to see historic homes preserved.  So much of our heritage and history can be lost otherwise.

We contemplated staying at Jekyll Island another day but decided to push on.  We had one sunny day of travel and two days of rain.  It rained so hard at night that I had to bail out the ankle deep water from the dinghy before we could cast off in the morning.  It was a miserable trip to our anchorage on Thanksgiving day, but we arrived safely and had a marginally traditional dinner of roast turkey breast, sweet potato, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  Thankfully, we were snug and dry in the cabin, but the wind picked up during the night and rocked the boat mercilessly.  So as you can tell from this post traveling down the ICW is not all sunshine and umbrella drinks.  It can be pretty miserable and challenging at times, but the hard times make the good times all the better.

My next blog post will cover our stay in St Augustine.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Beaufort, SC

November 17, 2017 - November 18, 2017

On Friday we arrived in Beaufort, SC at about 11:00 AM.  On our way up to the office to check in we met Victoria climbing out of her dinghy with some empty propane tanks.  We struck up a conversation and agreed to go across the bridge to Ladies Island in the courtesy car to provision and get propane together.  She was uncomfortable driving, but could help us find the Publix.  After a great lunch at Plums we reconnected with Victoria and set out to Ladies Island.  It only took a few minutes to get there and on the way Victoria shared some of her background.  She is single handing her sailboat and has been in Beaufort since last fall.  She is a writer and is in the process of editing her book on her voyage to the South Pacific.  We invited her to happy hour that evening.  Meeting people with such fascinating stories is one of the perks of this lifestyle.

That evening she shared more of her story and gave us lots of information on what to do in Beaufort.  One spot that interested me particularly was the Pat Conroy (one of my favorite authors) Literary Center.  We connected with her in a way that made me feel I had known her for much longer than a few hours.  We made a “date” to visit the farmer’s market in Port Royal the next morning.

In the morning Bob and I had breakfast at this local cafe.

We strolled back to the marina along Bay Street where many of
the historic homes have been converted to shops.

Bob made a new friend.

We met up with Victoria at the marina and even though we had a bit of a struggle getting a taxi to take us to Port Royal it was worth the effort.  The amount of local produce available was incredible and Bob and I made some interesting purchases.  One mistake, on our part, was to buy crab cakes…they looked and smelled delightful, but were not as tasty as expected.  Our fault…we broke the age old rule of never eating crab cakes outside of Maryland.  Victoria introduced us to many of her friends and we felt very welcomed by the residents.

A booth at the busy Port Royal Farmer’s Market

The crab cakes look pretty good, right?

I will definitely be keeping in touch with Victoria and hope to spend more time in Beaufort when we return from the Bahamas in the spring.

That afternoon I visited the Pat Conroy Literary center which is only two blocks from the marina.  It is small, but contains a wealth of Pat Conroy memorabilia and a docent who was extremely knowledgeable.  Pat lived in Beaufort most of his adult life and wrote numerous novels set in the low country of South Carolina.  My favorite is The Water is Wide which fictionalizes his experiences as a teacher on Daufuskie Island in a one room school house with students who had been neglected by the public school system up to that point.  As an educator myself in challenged schools with challenged students the book touched me in a deeper way than it may for a non-educator.  There was a wall of pictures documenting his first year of teaching on the island and one of the artifacts was a letter he wrote to his family after the first day of teaching on the island.  It was obvious from the tender way that the docent discussed Pat that he was an exceptional man and beloved by the Beaufort community.  One comment made was that he treated each person he met as if they were the most important person around and always asked them to tell him their story.  So the center’s theme is “Tell me a Story” and their goal is to promote reading and writing in those who visit the center and take part in their many events.  As you can tell I was thrilled with my visit.

This case holds the letter Pat wrote to his family after his first day of teaching.

One of the docents snapped this picture of me sitting a Pat’s writing desk

 in his actual writing chair. What a special moment for me.

 In the background you can see the collection of Pat’s

 father’s Air Force medals that Pat kept with him always.

 The walls of the center are covered with artifacts and artwork.  

This is a painting of the Beaufort waterfront at sunset.

After spending 10 weeks last winter in the South Carolina Low Country I gained a new appreciation for the beauty of the salt marsh with its golden sargasso grass, its water birds and sea life, and its distinctive fragrance when low tide reveals the mud flats and the tidal oysters.  I reread pat Conroy’s Prince of Tides and realized once again what a beautifully descriptive writer he is. I have downloaded two more of his novels and will read them before returning to Beaufort in the spring.

My next blog post will cover our trip through Georgia.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Southport NC to Beaufort SC

November 11, 2017 - November 17, 2017

Our last stop in North Carolina was Southport which is an historic town on the Cape Fear River. The Island across the channel is a popular beach called Long Beach or Oak Island.  When I get to Southport I know I’m in the south.  Even though it was rather chilly when we were there the colorful historic homes, graceful palm trees, and ancient live oaks just say “south” to me.  Our favorite restaurant is Fishy Fishy Cafe which (as the name implies) serves excellent seafood and top notch salads.  

You know you are in the south when you see palm trees.

Besides being a great restaurant it’s a fun place with live music
 at lunchtime and enough amusing signs to keep you smiling.

After leaving Southport the next three days were a bit harrowing with shoaling at two inlets, narrow canals, and the rock pile (a section of the ICW that required blasting through granite to complete the canal).  We had to pay close attention to all floating buoys and day marks to keep the boat from going aground.  I have to say we traversed these dicey areas very well with good communication between Bob and I about buoy locations, etc.  I felt sorry for the one boat we passed that had gone aground  at Shallotte inlet. 

These day marks are invaluable in helping us navigate the ICW without disaster.  

As you can see the cats are a lot of help with navigating.

We spent two nights anchored out and three nights in marinas this week.  I’ll never get tired of the beautiful sunsets and sunrises we observe each day.  I learned this week that deer can swim…who knew. We saw a deer swimming across the channel and climbing easily up the rocky edge.  With those skinny legs I would never think that deer could swim so fast.

Each sunset is unique.

One of the marinas we stayed for a night was Isle of Palms.  We spent the whole month of November at this marina last year waiting for our boat to go to Rockville for re-powering.  This time we came in under our own power. YAH!  Joe, one of the dock hands, remembered us from last year.  He made a comment while he was helping us dock that is so true.  He said, “The first mate - captain relationship is a real test of a marriage.”  I have to agree whole heartedly. I have been a much more competent first mate this year and Bob appreciates that.  

We passed through Charleston Harbor on our way to Beaufort on Friday.  Sometimes thinking about the history and charm of Charleston I forget it is a major port.

This huge ship dwarfed our sailboat.

Thank you for reading my blog.

My next blog will start with our visit to Beaufort SC