October 21, 2000
Location:
Beaufort, SC
Odometer:
719 miles
Finally! We found a place to update the web site - walked all over
Charleston and no one was willing to let us use their phone line. We
came upon a fantastic man who owns a informative news stand/internet
station here in Beaufort. The name of the establishment is "The
Marketplace" and his name is Michael Sutton (and adorable dog
Breezy). If you are ever in Beaufort go in and say hello! The
photo of the modified tall ship was part of a play given by the city of
Beaufort - it was called "Shakespeare's Dog". Beaufort is
by far our favorite town - the architecture is amazing and the people are
wonderful! We ate lunch at Plums restaurant - delicious sandwiches
and upscale dining in the evenings. Yes, we could live here!
October 22, 2000
Location:
Savannah, GA
(Herb River)
Odometer:
771 miles
We cruised for 5 hours today - a short day. We had to have the hook
down by 3pm - the Redskins play today! Thank goodness Chris found
the game on a local channel and finally got to see a game. :)
October 23, 2000
Location:
Wally's Leg, GA
Odometer:
846 miles
Started early today and while underway met a great couple from Corpus
Christi Texas. They are living and cruising on a 43 foot gorgeous
Bristol sloop named Escondita. Their names are Jim and Cindy Johnson
and travel with a cute kitty named Shadow. Of course, we have a
picture of Shadow and Escondita, but not Jim and Cindy. We stopped
cruising around 6pm and had drinks and good conversation with Jim and
Cindy onboard that evening.
October 24, 2000
Location:
Fernandina Beach, FL
Odometer:
903 miles
Jim and Cindy were picking up mail in Fernandina Beach so we decided to go
with them and took a slip at the Fernandina Harbor Marina. It took three
tries to get against the bulk head due to strong currents - finally made
it. We spent the entire time washing clothes, cleaning the boat,
filling water tanks, checking e-mail, and making phone calls. A good place
to get caught up on much needed chores!
October 25, 2000
Location:
Fort George River, FL
Odometer:
920 miles
We cruised to the Fort George River and anchored. A thunderstorm
kept us inside most of the evening but we managed to have a glass of wine
with Jim and Cindy.
October 26, 2000
Location:
St. Augustine, FL
Odometer:
966 miles
We started our day at 5:30 am - for those who know us well realize that
rising before the sun is quite an accomplishment! Jim and Chris
decided that in order to make it to St. Augustine with favorable currents
we had to leave at 5:30 am and navigate in the dark for a few hours
(that was interesting). Arrived into St. Augustine at 1pm and
anchored in Salt Run (lots of dolphin!). We took the dinghy to shore
and walked around the city a bit. We happened upon the A1A brewery
(surprise) and enjoyed a delicious lunch (sashimi tuna and mahi sandwich)
and sampled the beer. The city is pretty with interesting Spanish
architecture but has a large commercial district (wax museums, t-shirt
shops, etc.). By the time we returned to the dinghy the wind and
waves had kicked up and we had a very wet ride back to the boat. The
next morning we went to shore to the West Marine (if we don't enter a West
Marine store every week or so they send the coast guard to search for us)
and the Winn Dixie.
October 27, 2000
Location:
Flagler Beach, FL
Odometer:
1003 miles
Short day cruising to Flagler Beach. The water is getting
progressively clearer and the sea life is increasing - saw a manatee today
and lots of dolphin. We anchored in a creek by an abandoned cement
plant and enjoyed a peaceful night.
October 28, 2000
Location:
Cocoa, FL
Odometer:
1090 miles
We cruised 12 hours today.....wow, are we tired. We anchored on the south
side of a bridge and almost got run over by a huge party boat complete
with blaring music and disco ball! The noise did not bother us and
we fell asleep early.
October 29, 2000
Location:
Fort Pierce, FL
Odometer:
1160 miles
Fort Pierce is another clean and friendly small town . We anchored
in Faber Cove and took the dinghy to town. We walked around a bit
and had dinner at the Mana-tiki. The food was not very good but it
was fun to get on terra firma and stretch our legs a bit.
October 30, 2000
Location:
Palm Beach, FL
Odometer:
1220 miles
We met up with Jim and Cindy again in Palm Beach. The waterfront
homes in this area are opulent and breathtaking! Many of these mansions
have 70-100 foot yachts parked outside on private docks. Our boat is
very small compared with the mega-yachts of Florida. Remember when I was
complaining about wakes? Try being waked by a 70+ foot sport fish -
not a pleasant experience! The marinas offer valet and maid service
and a crew meets you to hook up the onboard telephone. We joined Jim
and Cindy for dinner at Buccaneers - a pricey seafood restaurant.
The food was good but the company was better! Jim and Cindy were
having their boat hauled to get the prop fixed and the bottom painted for
their offshore trip back to Texas so they stayed in Palm Beach.
October 31, 2000
Location:
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Odometer:
1269 miles
Our first offshore cruise! We jumped offshore in Palm Beach and
cruised to Ft. Lauderdale. The experience was a bit unnerving with
seas of 3-5 feet and choppy. I sat on the bow most of the day
because there is less rolling there. The fly-bridge is like
"Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!" Ft. Lauderdale is loud and
congested and the city limits cruisers to 24 hours of anchoring. We
have taken a slip at the Los Olas Marina near the beach and are currently
provisioning and changing oil and performing other maintenance related
tasks. We plan to go to Key Biscayne in the next day or so and wait
for a southerly wind and calm seas. We will then make our crossing
to the Bimini Islands, which is about a 50 mile crossing. I am ready
to leave Lauderdale!
