Our last post was the written story – now here it is in video. We have heard that some like the videos – ad they are a lot of fun to make (and easy) but harder to get uploaded.
We hope you enjoy them!
First up – sunrise in Beaufort SC!
Little Cumberland is just south of Jekyll Island and just north of Cumberland Island where the old Carnegie place is.
This video was from last year just to show you what Cumberland itself looks like!
We spent New Years 2016 in Fernandina on Amelia Island so we could ww the dropping of the lighted shrimp!
Coming into Jupiter inlet just above Palm Beach is always nice as we know we are entering “south Florida’. The water is now much clearer, and we start to see the big houses and big boats. We know we are getting into warm sunny weather (we hope!)
We went outside to the ocean at Palm Beach in flat calm and 5 hours later we were getting pounded by 20 knot south winds and short stumpy seas on the bow. Ryan and Shelly rode the bow like a ride for a while!
This is the same video posted a couple days ago – but it fits here as well. Can you tell I uploaded this in HD? I only wish you could have seen the colors and felt the air, and had the feeling we had while this was being filmed!
The sun came up over Biscayne Bay about an hour later. It was so amazing and I cannot even capture it on the video. As the sun came up the outer edges of the clouds lit up like LED lights. To add some effect I sped up the video by 2 and added one of my favorite songs! You have to appreciate sunrises and CS&N to watch the whole thing!
And finally – here is Ian playing for the Marathon crowd last year!
It has been a blustery, rainy, yukky few days to start our 3rd winter in Marathon in the Fl keys…
But it is still a heck of a lot better than the 29 degrees in DC!
We are way behind in everything internet as we have pushed hard since Beaufort to get here so Ryan could have a few weeks before we turn around and head back north.
Everyone is waiting on me to go in to shore (especially Goose!) but I wanted to get something out this morning.
This video was shot about a week ago as we picked up the anchor and headed south out of Miami Beach into Biscayne Bay and on down the keys. From here we are two days from Marathon but the water is clear, the winds are balmy and all is right with the world!
I started this post Sunday morning, Memorial Day weekend (thank you and we remember!) and finally finished it May 31 so it might be a little disjointed!
It feels great to be moving, although I am always a bit nervous when we get underway after sitting for a while.Especially when I do any work on the engine. Yesterday was oil and fuel filters, and an oil change. I had noticed the alternator seemed to chewing on its belt so I decided to swap it out for the spare. Surprise! There was no spare. Gulp. If I lost the belt we are engineless as it also drives the fresh water pump.
So I loaded the bike in the dinghy, and set off for shore and the 3 mile trip to the nearest Carquest. Of course, they did not have the correct width belt so we are running an oversize belt until I find the correct one.
Another thing on my mind is that the alternator overheats. We are using an auto alternator not really made for continuous duty. I added a blower fan and ducted the air right to the alternator to see if that would help.
We are in that stage of waiting for several different payments and having to use temporary affordable fixes until things settle down. Thankful I know how!
We really enjoyed ourselves in Beaufort. There are some amazing houses here.
The concept of a paws4vets golf fundraiser at ParrIs Island Marine Base is now in the planning stages. We met some truly amazing people who have offered lots of support. Lots of help will still be needed so if you know anyone in this area, or want to help please let us know.
While we were in conversations about this, somehow we managed to also set up a Dog Scavenger Hunt for Sat morning in downtown Beaufort. The plan is to start and end the event here in the plaza of the old armory.
It will be a busy spring!
I loved this sign welcoming us to Beaufort. It is stategically placed so you see it when you launch your boat at the ramp, or you are going back to your dinghy!
The first night out we anchored in a creek about 20 miles south of Charleston. Our issue always is trying to find a place for Goose. In the Lowcountry most of the shore is deep black mud and not easily accessed by water. This time we were lucky to find one lonely spot at high tide where he could get off on a patch of sea grass that looked like it had been grazed by horses! He was happy.
Before we could leave we had to send someone to the top of the mast as the Genoa halyard (pulls up the sail) had somehow gotten jammed. Shelly and Ryan used the anchor windlass to haul me up where I found the halyard wire had wrapped around the furling foil very tightly. It was fixed and a nervous captain was lowered back to the deck. And we were underway again…
We reached Charleston at lunchtime, but with a steady breeze blowing east into the harbor and the hundreds of boats out for Memorial Day it did not look like a comfortable place to anchor. We just kept going right across Charleston Bay for five miles and back into the waterway to the north.
After waiting for the Ben Sawyer swing bridge, we found a nice, quiet deep creek three miles further and down went the hook.
First thing next morning, after I had shut down the refrigeration and put on the vacuum pump, I got out the hookah and went over the side to try and clean the growth on the bottom. Visibility was awful. I had to get about 3 inches from the hull to see anything. When you scrape the 3/4 inch layer of weed and the occasional barnacle with a plastic scraper, all the critters that make that stuff their home come swimming out and many thousands of them attach themselves to the nearest safe place. That would be me. In my nose, ears, navel … yea there too.
After half the boat was done the feeling of those little guys in my ears drove me out of the water. I looked like I was wearing a coat of little tiny sea creatures. Yuk. It is going to take some self motivation to get back in there and finish the job…
Then back out and mess with the fridge. Again.
Tuesday we made it to McClellanvile, a very old, very cool, very small town north of Charleston with a lot of history and great houses. Mayberry for sure.
The horse flies seem to out early and in numbers. Ah paradise!
The good news is that we are not hurrying, traveling half the day many days instead of sunup to sundown as in the past. And visiting more.
We passed by Georgetown SC on Winyah Bay about lunch, and headed on up the Waccamaw River towards Myrtle Beach and Wilmington. It was an amazingly beautiful day.
After an overnight stop at Bucksport Landing for cheap fuel and a lot of running for Goose on the grass, we were out again the next morning headed for Myrtle Beach, and on to Southport.
We stayed a the free dock in Southport for two nights (we really like it here) and Shelly got together with Cece from paw4people for some training at the local fire station.
Then it was out and up the Cape Fear River to Wrightsville Beach where we will sit for a few days while Shelly gets to know some of the paws4people and paws4vets clients she helps manage.
Here we are in Georgia, almost to Ft McAllister. If you have read enough of these long winded posts, you know Ft McAllister is where we bought Yume in November 2013 and started this journey.
In Dec 2013, we left for the keys in Fl, then back past here to DC, then back past here to the Keys in Jan and now back past again heading for DC. And you are caught up! Or dizzy.
As I steered the boat for 10 hours today (well technically I have an autopilot but I have to watch and make the changes) I had a thought.
I wondered how you (the reader) wanted me to write. Then I wondered if it really mattered since I am the one who has to write after all.
But, I would be interested, if you are interested enough to respond, how you would prefer these posts.
Currently it seems I manage a post every couple of weeks.
Would you prefer shorter posts more often? Less pictures or more? Less words or more? Less videos or more? Less personal thoughts or more? What else?
What would it take for you to tell someone else to read this? And what would make it more enjoyable for you.
Just asking… Send an email to coachmiami@gmail.com or reply to this. Thanks.
We are three days north of St Augustine. First we went back to Fernadina Beach to drop the hook in afternoon thundershowers, then up to St Simons Island and Fort Frederica which was way cool.
Then today we had a very enjoyable day to Kilkenny Creek, Ga. The weather has been perfect. The bugs are certainly enjoying it.
We have had the fly swatter out for the first time ever slaughtering horse flies and tiny vicious biting flies. All of us are below at dinner time, with the screens in and swatter handy! Add in the fornicating love bugs that seem attracted to open mouths and it is much more comfortable below!
Last night we motored up a three mile side trip to drop the hook at Ft Frederica founded by Mr Ogelthorpe of Savannah Ga fame who sailed to England twice! to get money to build and arm a whole town against the Spanish hordes certain to attack from St Augustine. They did attack on 1742, and the greatly outnumbered English (4000-1000) simply waited until the Spanish stacked their muskets and proceeded to eat dinner to attack while hidden in the woods in the Battle of Bloody Swamp (so called as the swamp ran red with Spanish blood).
This is all that is left of the little fort, but the town (surrounded by a mile long earth berm is easily seen. It is a great place to see! The live oaks are amazing…
Obviously I love history and am greatly enjoying forcing this stuff on Ryan and Shelly!
We very much enjoyed our stay in St Augustine as well, although the mooring field by the Bridge of Lions can be rough, especially with the afternoon thunderstorms. None of the varnish work got done, but there is a great used sailing gear store where I got teak and parts to finally fix the rubrail, and electrical parts to split the house battery bank to try and figure out our usage issues. We seem to have a real problem using way too much power and way too much internet bandwidth.
Shelly and I explored a lot of the old town, taking a different route twice a day as we walked, or road bikes with Goose tagging along. This is another historical part of the U.S. and well worth the time to get off the tourist streets back into the old town itself. The old Ponce De Leon hotel built by Flagler for the rich way back when is now Flagler College and a beautiful structure to tour.
We ate lots of fresh shrimp and fish from the local boats too.
Ryan and Shannon had one more week together before we head back north. We enjoyed a pizza with her Dad the day before we left.
Tom had some good stories to tell as he is a marine biologist who works specifically with right whales.
We packed up the bikes in the dinghy, took once last sunset picture of a front coming through and we were underway again. Great feeling to be moving!
This morning we stopped in Altamaha Sound at the ocean to walk the deserted beach with Goose. We both keenly felt so grateful as we had just passed Broughton Island where we lost Goose for three days in January. Imagine the pain if we had to pass that island having not found him…
Hilton Head Island, SC has been warm and sunny since we got here 3 days ago. We even dug out the shorts and flip flops!
Ryan has been back to the top of the mast with another video…
We are anchored at our spot off Palmetto Bay Marina, trying to get some web work done for clients and p4p, and making preparations to go west in a rental car to spend Christmas with Shelly’s mom in Marion NC. Ian is driving up from San Antonio Texas to be there, then he will drive us back here in his new truck.
The plan is to slowly make our way further south for about a week before he has to head to his next duty station in NC.
The two days on the waterway just before making Wrightsville were cold and windy, and saw us hard aground at one point.
There is a spot in the ICW along Camp Lejeunne where an inlet from the ocean has piled up a bar of sand right smack in the middle of the channel. It is marked, but I missed the marker, and ran hard up on the sand at about 6 mph.
As this is not the first time running a boat aground, (sooner or later if you boat you will run aground!) the crew was pretty well versed in what to do.
First you try to sail off by using the sails to heel the boat as far over as possible which both reduces the draft and powers the boat forward. That didn’t work, and since the tide was roaring out and dropping fast, we quickly dropped the dinghy, lowered an anchor into,it and carried the anchor out about 150 feet to deeper water. Then we use the windlass to haul in the anchor, while hauling in the sails and powering with the motor at the same time.
That worked. Whew! If not the next step would have been to take the halyard (which is used to haul sails up the mast) to the dinghy and pull the mast down which would help,heel the boat way over…
Back in deep water and heading full speed for the drawbridge that opens only on the hour, we look back and there is another boat coming behind us heading for the same spot! We tried calling on the radio to warn them, and even jumped up and down waving our arms. We watched them plow right into the same shallow spot and go hard aground!
Since the dinghy was already down, I turned the wheel over to Ryan and told him to make the bridge, keep going and I would catch up after I helped the new boat get off.
And this is what they did during the hour it took us to free the boat that was aground!
The trip since Wrightsville has been much more enjoyable. Once the weather changed a bit, and we found ourselves ahead of schedule, we slowed down a lot…
We stayed two days in Wrightsville Beach at a free dock at Dockside Marina. The first night we had a nice dinner with Kyria and Danielle from paws4people, and the next night with Jim and Pat Henry who,we like very much. They are also followers of the blog and had lots of questions about what they had read. It was very cool to know someone actually reads this stuff!
The sail from Wrightsville to Southport was only 25 miles and it flew by as we has a 25 knot following NE wind gusting to 30 with a outgoing tide with us all the way put the Cape Fear River. At one point Yume was traveling over the ground at over 10 knots which is screaming for us…
Southport offered another free dock in the town harbor. We love these old fishing towns with the really old houses built by sea captains and passed down in the family.mof course, with Goose we get to walk a lot (twice a day) and we take advantage of it to see as much as we can.
This was a cool Christmas yard display…
We stopped on the way to Charleston at a small private island, dropped an anchor and took Gooose for his morning walk along a deserted ocean beach, collecting shells and letting Goose run free for a change. It was most pleasant although still a bit chilly.
Later that morning we sailed into Charleston and dropped anchor between the Municipal Marina and the Coast Guard station. Shelly and I walked Goose that afternoon, and were amazed at how much we were annoyed by a “city”. It was noisy, crowded, congested, and we decided not to hang around a tour like we thought we wanted to.
Part of the problem was we had just come from a night in McClellanville, a very small old seaport on the ICW just north of Charleston.
This town had been founded as a plantation in the 1700’s, then slowly turned into a community of old historical houses with small lanes fully of very old live oaks full of Spanish Moss. There were old fat dogs running free everywhere, and we stopped into the seafood market to buy a fresh whole flounder for $4 a pound and two pounds of rest shrimp for $3.50 a pound. They were delicious. And so was the town.
We much prefer McClellanville to Charleston!
Someone wanted some privacy and was building this house out in the middle of nowhere. No neighborhood covenants here!
After a nine hour motor (no wind) we arrived at Beaufort, SC, anchored and walked Goose that evening, then again in the morning for a 3 mile hike to the nearest grocery store for a couple of things before taking off for the short 30 miles to Hilton Head. It was another absolutely beautiful morning.
This is the Ladies Island swing bridge at Beaufort. Beaufort is another one of those old historical towns that is well worth visiting!
In a couple of days we will rent a car for the drive to Marion for the holidays, then back to Yume and back on the road.
We are not sure where we are going to visit, but we are sure it will be interesting and really look forward to it!
All of us want to wish you a very joyous and loving Christmas and holiday!
