We left Oriental Monday October 26, one week earlier than past years.  Went to Cape Lookout anticipating we would leave on Tuesday morning for an overnight to Charleston S.C.  As we always say our plans are written in sand.  We left at dark thirty Tuesday morning heading for Charleston SC.  We were in the ocean for two hours pounding into the waves.  Such a joy!  We had a staff meeting on the VHF radio with Sapphire and decided since we were traveling at about 3.5 knots and going directly into the wind and waves that we would turn back to Beaufort, NC and go in the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway).  It is debatable if going 3.5 knots, into wave and wind or going in the ICW is better.  Of course at 3.5 knots it would have taken us five days to get to Charleston.  So ICW here we come.  Bummer!  Now we are able to travel with 25-30 of our closest boating friends rather than being in the ocean and the only boat we can see is Sapphire (Mike and Kathy).

The ICW is like traveling on a busy highway.  Steve says he would rather travel on the Beltway rather than travel in the ICW.  At least if he was on the beltway he would have the get up and go in the car to pass people.  It is pretty hard to pass anyone in the ICW when your top speed is seven knots.  The reason it can be such a hassle is because there are bridges over the ICW that only open at certain times, and some are on the hour and some are on the hour and half hour.  It is all timing, and if you can believe it, there are boats that travel slower than we do.  Most people do not like to be passed…kind of like a sailboat race; no one wants to be passed.  The ICW also has one other grand feature, the depth.  There are places in the ICW that are very shallow.  It is all such a joy.  

 Oh, did I tell you I love the ICW…  A few other lovely things about the ICW; there are only a handful of places to anchor and you can only travel in the ICW during daylight.  So imagine this; boats traveling at different speeds trying to pass each other in shallow water (and the person being passed is not usually very happy) all racing to catch the next bridge plus hoping you will not get to the anchorage too late and not find a place to anchor.  I really love traveling in the open ocean so much better.  Could you have guessed?

We anchored at Mile Hammock on the ICW.  When we got to the anchorage there were probably 20 boats anchored.  No biggie.  We had to drop the anchor a few times but finally got it to hold; or so we thought.  We sat and watched more boats show up to anchor every hour.  By the time it was dark there were probably 40 boats in this anchorage.  At about 4:00 a.m. the wind picked up and yep you got it, we were dragging.  So disrupting during that REM sleep time!  Steve is in the cockpit in his underwear with the engine running trying to keep the boat from going backwards into the boat behind us.  I, of course, am running around down below in the boat saying a few choice words trying to get dressed, find my glasses, get my shoes on and saying a few more choice words.  I of course cannot go out on the bow in my underwear.  We dropped the anchor a few times (and a few more choice words) and finally at 5:00 a.m. the anchor was dug in.  Who can sleep after such excitement! 

We left Mile Hammock on Wednesday morning, again traveling in the ICW.   OH JOY!  We got to Wrightsville Beach, fueled up and anchored close to First Edition (Lynn and Peter).  It was great to see Lynn and Peter.  We met them our first season in the Bahamas.  Last year they traveled to the Dominican Republic and we never crossed paths with them.  We had dinner at a Baha Mexican restaurant with Lynn, Peter, Kathy and Mike.  A good time was had by all.

Thursday (10/29) Sapphire, First Edition and Fine Lion went out Masonville Inlet (Wrightsville Beach).  In the middle of the night Sapphire and Fine Lion cut off to the west towards Charleston SC and First Edition continued on to Brunswick GA.  We got to Charleston around 11:00 a.m.   We had such a great sail from Wrightsville Beach to Charleston we did not have to take on fuel.  For a sail boater that is awesome. 

In Charleston we had new anchor chain delivered to the Megadock.  Remember those choice words I talked about earlier… well most of them were because every time I would drop or bring up the anchor it would slip in the windless (this is what automatically brings up and drops the anchor) because the chain was so rusted it would not grip in the gears on the windless.  So I would have to lean down into the anchor locker and put the chain back on the windless.  Accident waiting to happen.  Needless to say we got new anchor chain.  Seems simple, Right?  The old saying there is not a boat project that goes as planned.  You know, take off the anchor and unhook the chain from the anchor locker. Simple!  Except that the anchor swivel and the swivel holding the anchor chain on the boat are just as rusty and corroded as the rest of the anchor chain.  We managed to drag the anchor to the dock still attached to the boat and just pile the chain on the dock.  Oh look…another problem, there is so much muck in the bottom of the anchor locker now from the chain corrosion the weep hole to let the water out of the anchor locker is now clogged.   Get out the metal hangers.  I have one foot inside the anchor locker and one foot on deck (lovely) and Steve is lying on the dock.  Each of us with hanger in hand trying to open the weep hole.  Unfortunately, we were both too busy to get a picture of this.    It took us about 30 minutes to get the weep hole clear.   Finally, water is running through the weep hole.  Yahoo!  We did have to have the anchor cut from the chain.  The new chain is beautiful and works on the windless like it supposed to.  Thank goodness.  I do believe if after dropping the anchor the first time (with the new chain) and I came back to the cockpit to tell Steve the anchor was still slipping he may have thrown me overboard. 

Our few days in Charleston were of course great, other than the anchor chain problem.  We went to town with Mike and Kathy to have the usually bi-valve day.  A gynormous amount of oysters and mussels.   It was great as usual.

We left Charleston Sunday 11/1 sailed and motor sailed a little.  It was great traveling.  We got to Fernandina FL on Monday morning around 11:00.  We passed a submarine going out to sea while coming into Fernandina.  Very cool. 

We got fuel in Fernandina, but only 16.3 gallons.  Eat your hearts out ICW travelers.  To be able to travel from Wrightsville Beach, NC to Fernandina, FL on 16.3 gallons of fuel…that is a record for us.  Of course, 20 kts. out of the north helps.  We sailed more in the last week than we have sailed most of the time we were in the Bahamas.  Cool!

We are now in Fernandina, had planned to travel today but we changed our plans to leave on 11/4, Wednesday, instead.  Need to have a mellow day.  We are anchored at Cumberland Island GA.  We are right on the line of GA and FL.  Cumberland GA on one side and Fernandina FL on the other.  We have the wind going one direction and the current going the other direction.  Makes for interesting movements of the boat.

More later…

Kim