Myrtle Beach meltdown

Today we made it to Myrtle Beach-Lightkeepers Marina ( $1 a foot and only $5 for electric) after another long day and a short stay at Georgetown SC. It was a fabulous morning actually using the jib sailing down a forested pathway with osprey (sea eagles) everywhere.There were lots of huge nests and many had mother and baby birds in them.The chirp of the babies was so enjoyable and there was very little traffic on the waterway.

Yesterday we were plagued by biting flies in the morning but today only a couple but they were mutant megabig flies.We also saw our first alligator in this stretch.It is hard to describe the beauty of the Waccamaw River-miles of trees full of Spanish moss,jumping fish,mocha water that you can see reflections in and the osprey.I spent time at the bow just loving it all.
In the afternoon we approached Myrtle Beach and by the time we reached the swing bridge the bridge operator warned us to keep hydrated as it was 100 degrees.It seemed warm but after docking it was crazy hot on land.

Charleston!

We had a long day today, but we made it all the way to Charleston from Beaufort. I want to say sorry to all the other people that we did not get to visit while in Florida, but our schedule did not allow us to spend much time there and we have to get home to take care of some business that has come up. We will be back down in the fall and then we should be able to visit then.

Beaufort, SC

We are curently in Beaufort, SC at Lady's Island Marina. Just had a nice meal at the Factory Creek Fish House. Chris had the garlic shrimp and I had the blackened grouper, both were tasty. We plan on anchoring out somewhere between here and Charleston, SC and then the next day we will time the passage through Elliot Cut on Wapoo Creek for slack water or somewhere around it. After that we wil stop somewhere around charleston for a night and then keep moving North.

Northward progress

We are now stopped at Isle of Hope Ga after spending last night anchored in Walberg Creek just South of St Catherines sound. Walberg Island is an exotic animal breeding site for the New York Zoological society, although we did not see any exotic animals. We did battle biting flys the last two days while motoring along, ( Note to self, finish screen enclosure!!) We took the Marina loaner car to Walmart today and restocked on a few items and plan on taking the bus into Savannah tomorrow. Then we will head for Beaufort, SC on Friday weather permitting.

Jekyll Harbor Revisited

We have stopped at Jekyl Harbor again, it is a nice marina and they have a loaner car that you can take to the grocery store to restock on food. They also have clean showers, laundry, cable TV, and a nice bar/resturant.

Fernandina Beach

We are now at Fernandina Beach and slowly moving north at 6 miles an hour. We spent last night at Jacksonville Beach and had a fun time, they opened a new restaurant, Nippers (They bought the rights to use the name from Nippers on Guana Cay) at Beach Marina and they had a band from Trinidad there so we decided to celebrate the end of the world there with a few boat drinks. Tonight we are at Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island Florida. It was recommended that we stop here and we are glad we did. It is a real nice town and worth another stop on our way back next fall. Plenty of places to shop at and lots of good restaurants and bars. Nice town to walk around and explore. Just No Grocery stores within easy walking distance.

Palm Coast Marina.

We left Cocoa on Thursday and motor sailed to New Smyrna Beach where we ran into Jeff, Cindy and their Shelty and Dachshund. We first met them back at Treasure Cay, and it was great getting to see them and talk for a while. After a night at New Smyrna we started North again, and ended up at Palm Coast Marina North of Daytona. All of the staff here is very friendly and helpful, they have a small store and there is a shopping village with a few good restaurants a short walk away. One of the liveaboards here joked that this is one of the best assisted living marinas in Florida. It is the only stop for Fuel between Daytona and St. Augustine.

Love Bugs!!

We left Fort Pierce this morning and started our trip up to the Cheasapeake. We ended motoring most of the way to Cocoa Beach as the wind was right on the nose most of the way, and to add to our fun we had swarms of Love Bugs the whole way. If you don't know what they are or haven't experienced them, here is a article about them; Lovebugs are a considerable nuisance to motorists. They congregate in unbelievable numbers along highways and the insects spatter on the windshields and grills of moving trucks and automobiles. Windshields become covered with the fatty remains, and vision is obscured. During flights, the flies clog radiator fins causing cars to overheat. They also get into refrigeration equipment on trucks causing them to malfunction. The fatty tissue will cause pitting of the car's finish if it is not removed within a few days. Flies enter cars and sometimes drivers and passengers soil their clothing by sitting on lovebugs. They are also a considerable nuisance to fresh paint. The flies enter houses under construction in such numbers that carpenters refuse to work. Beekeepers complain because worker bees do not visit flowers that have been infested with the flies.

Music Night

We just went to a Jazz night here at Fort Pierce ( Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society ) with Joy and Joe on High Spirits, it was a realy nice night and we had a good time. One of the things that we have missed while cruising is all of the live music that we have at  Harpersfield Winery and the other venues in Northeast Ohio.

Lift Off

We got up early this morning and took a rental car up to Titusville to see the Space Shuttle launch. It was a great sight, but due to the cloud cover we could only see the shuttle for about thirty seconds until it passed into the clouds. After we left Titusville we stopped by Cocoa Village Marina and visited with Gary and Janet on LEE-ANN and we had a nice lunch with them.

Fort Pierce

So we are stuck in Harborview Marina,not bad with pool,tiki bar and Publix a block away.We spent a week cruising Florida catching up with friends and family and put over 500 miles on the rental car.Thanks to Dan Dimichele and his wife for a nice time at the Rainforest Cafe catching up on hometown news.I loved our tour of Disney area with my little sis Maria and James-fun relaxing day.I got to spend a day also with my roomie from nursing school Debbie and her husband and they treated us to lunch at Cheesecake factory and caught up with each others lives.I got to spend time with my Uncle Dave and picked up our new Honda 2000generator and our old airconditioner there.
We neded recuperation time after all that,I am having a hard time handling the crazy traffic and pace of life here now-take me back to the Abacos now.
It took a few waiting days but we found a diver and had the bottom of the boat cleaned and new zinc put on-in time to wait out another weather front-weather guru says strong risk of storms so we will stay tied up and rent a car again today.I am eager to leave before hurricane season and to get to Annapolis to fly to Seattle and see the kids and grandaughters!

Back Home

We spent May 1st anchored at Great Sale Cay with 27 other boats,it was brisk winds but enjoyed a fast fun sail to get tucked in there.We spent 24 hours with vhf conferences with the other boats gathered there and 24 hours later after a 4pm weather update 20 boats headed out across the Atlantic ocean.We had double reefed the main and used 3/4 of the jib due to strong tail winds that never slowed until we got 3/4 of the way across the Gulf Stream.The forecast included a storm in 48 hours, so that meant using the motor to help propel across the stream faster.We had the smallest boat and the smallest engine so we soon lagged behind the pack.Taking turns at the wheel I became incapacitated by a serious headache at the 20 hour point followed by seasickness.Mike stayed strong and we pulled into Harbor View Marina in Fort Pierce,Fla. 22 hours later.I soon fell asleep but Mike celebrated at the tiki bar.I awoke the next day with no upset stomach and just a small lingering headache so we rented a car and have enjoyed traveling the state visiting family and friends.