First Sail of Winter Season

We went outside today from Cumberland Island to St. Augustine.  Reports were that the seas had calmed down.  Not too bad at the start, but they grew to 6' by the time we shot through the St. Augustine Inlet.  If the wind had stayed strong, we would of been fine under sail.  Wasn't the best first sail, but we feel the boat is definitely stiffer and more sound with the upgrades to the salon.  Everything held together perfectly with sailing speeds up to 8.5 knots.

We plan to spend a few days waiting for a front to go through and then it is off to Stuart to visit a friend before we continue down to Marathon. 

 This is where the term "stick in the mud" came from.  Jekyll Creek on the ICW in GA.  I wonder about his thru-hulls.

We had 5 picture perfect days for our trip on the ICW from Myrtle Beach, SC to Cumberland Island GA.

Doing the Ditch

Yup, it has been since Yumsuch that we have headed south on the ICW, but we are doing it this year.  There is a stubborn low sitting off the northern coast of FL and it is causing a large swell all the way up to Charleston.  One of those things where the marine forecast looks perfect, but the buoy data shows a different story.  Seas over 5' from Charleston down and up to 8' near Jacksonville.

We are currently right near the Savannah River.  Still in SC in the New River.  It is just 2 miles from the Georgia border. Weather has been perfect, so we can't complain about motoring the ditch.

 First night on the hook, in Awendaw Creek, deserves a celebratory Walking Dead beer.  We got caught up on season 6 later that night.

 

First sunset of the winter cruising season.

On the Move

Water has come down, at Osprey, about three feet since last week.  That makes us comfortable going under the bridges again.  We left this morning and are hoping to be in Charleston tomorrow.  There, we will wait for the right window to go outside and sail to FL.

Besides a few details, the remodel is done.  We spent last weekend finishing teak, waxing and provisioning.  So, we'll finish things up as we move along.  Everyday, the new look still surprises me.  Makes the months of work worth it. 

Pictures will follow soon.

    

Living on the ARK

We are just about done with our renovation and have moved back aboard for the winter season.  Our new couches have shipped this week, so once we receive, we can take final pictures.  we are both working on a final cabinet, teak and waxing for our trip south.

It has been a long haul getting the boat the way we want it.  Looking forward to cruising and spending time together again. 

You all have heard about about the historic rainfall and flooding in NC and SC.  To be honest, Myrtle Beach was spared the worst. But, we still had road closures, water half way up the tires at our resort and docks approaching the limit at Osprey.  No damage to any of our properties, so good news there. 

The water still hasn't peaked here at Osprey. Osprey is a designated hurricane hole, but the water is now higher than any hurricane has ever brought.  Full flood isn't expected until for up to a week.  No one is sure. 

This may delay our couch arrival, as parts of I95 are still closed in SC.  In terms of departure, we are shooting for the 17th.  But, debris and lowered bridge clearances may delay that a few more weeks.  Only time will tell.  One thing for sure, we don't plan on any overnight sails when there will be so much debris floating out there.  One Active Captain comment was about witnessing water exiting the inlet during a flood tide. 

 You can see the weld seam right above the black collar.  that was where they added height after the last hurricane that hit here.  That seam is usually above my head, so we are 5-6 ft above normal water levels.

 This is the cart path that leads to the transient dock along the canal.  It is now completely under water.  Even though it stopped raining 3 days ago, the water is still rising about 2 inches per day.

           This is the transient dock.  We spent all last summer in the same spot as this cat.  The ramp, that is going up right now, is usually going down at a pretty good angle.