ANCHORS A-WAYYYYY

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC: June 1, 2008....ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CRUISING

This is a story to really mark our one year anniversary. We arrived in Wrightsville Beach (which is right outside of Wilmington). It was a windy day and we decided we would stay in a marina. Chuck and Fabin on Whichaway planned on anchoring. As we approached the marina for docking, Capt. Still had to make a left turn into the marina then a tight right 90 degree turn at the dock. The wind and current slammed us into the pilings at the 90 degree turn. We had to back out into the channel and try again. A huge yacht was docked on the outside of the dock that we were trying to get to. As we backed out, we hit the swim platform of the huge yacht. I felt so sorry for Jess...he could not control the boat for the winds and currents. Of course marina was packed, open air restaurant packed and the whole place stopped and stared.

We backed out and left the area to go anchor by Whichaway. We called the marina to see if there was damage to the yacht and of course there was (very minor). Owners were not there so we left our name and number with the dockmaster.

We made it to the anchorage and after five attempts, finally hooked. Friends of ours that we met in the Bahamas live in Wrightsviile and came out to see us. They took us back to shore and we went out to dinner. Chuck and Fabin stayed on their boat and kept an eye on ours. A fast and furious storm blew through with winds clocking 50 mph. Chuck called us and said our boat was moving to shore and he couldn't get his dinghy down for high winds. Jess and our friends left the restaurant and headed back to the boat.

IT WAS A MIRACLE. My Cin was sitting at a huge pier right off the beach. Not one scratch on her and right behind our boat was a small ski boat. We just couldn't believe it....this was the "wake up call" that we have to change out our anchoring system. So we are in Chesapeake City, VA ordering our new system and will be here for 10 plus days.

Pictures show the small boat behind us, the pier where My Cin drifted to and a picture of us getting on our friends boat. In that picture you can see the beach and the pier in the background where she drifted to. The picture of the small boat sitting on a sandbar shows what can happen when you don't stay in the channel - run aground and then the tide goes out.

We will head north once we leave here and our goal is New York late June. Jess and I both said our prayers of many many "thank you's" after this incident and are very very blessed. We have wonderful angels taking care of us.

Very grateful......
Jess and Cindy

CRUISING SOUTH CAROLINA

Georgetown, South Carolina: We have been in Georgetown for two nights, leaving today and heading north. Beaufort was incredible. Very quaint and alot of "movie history". Movies that were filmed there were Big Chill, Prince of Tides and Forrest Gump. The picture of the church was in Forrest Gump. The house with the big trees in front was the house that Nick Nolte and Sally Field rented while they were there. The house on the water with the long pier was Big Chill. We were able to see the front of the house but it was hard to get a good picture because of the foliage. Other movies that filmed in Beaufort were Something To Talk About, G I Jane and Forces of Nature (Sandra Bullock).

Charleston was very nice. We took a carriage tour one day and spent the other days "working" on the boat. The picture of the "yachts" was coming in to Charleston and the other one was leaving Charleston.

While cruising to Georgetown, we went through a Wildlife Reserve. We saw about eight alligators swimming along the shore. (Picture of one, you have to zoom in).

We plan to be in Washington DC and New York area mid-June. Our "on the water one-year anniversary is June 1st". It has been an incredible journey and more to come.

Until then......My Cin

GEORGIA - SOUTH CAROLINA & HORSE FLYS

Hi there, we are having so much fun, it's hard to find the time to update...sorry.
Good news is we bought a new camera. Pictures are from Jacksonville Fl., Jekyll Island and Savannah, Ga. and Hilton Head Marina, SC.

We ended up staying two weeks in Jacksonville instead of one. Our new Port Hole Windows were not delivered when they were scheduled for and that delayed us. But we managed to get projects done on the boat including a "bottom job". We left Jacksonville on May 2nd and headed north.

We have anchored at various places along the way with the first stop after Jacksonville being Fernandina Beach (Florida/Georgia State line). The small town hosted a big Shrimp Festival and Firework Display that evening, which was a special treat for us.

Once we crossed into Georgia, the Intracoastal Waterway snakes thru alot of marshland and alot of horse flys. We would have at least thirty plus buzzing around in the flybridge. It did get on ones nerves.

Jekyll Island was incredible. Twenty miles of bike trails plus paths thru the woods. Right after we docked, a wedding took place right down the dock from us (pic. of the ceremony). Jekyll Island features old historic mansions, incredible huge Oak moss covered trees and white sandy beach on the Atlantic side. We arrived on a Saturday and there must have been at least six weddings setup at different locations on the island. I really enjoyed taking "Stella" (Segway) out for long rides.

Tides: We are experiencing tide swings of eight to ten feet. There is a picture of Jess taking "Stella" down the ramp at low tide. Another picture of Hilton Head marina at low tide. But, all the marinas on the east coast have floating docks.

Isle of Hope Marina right outside of Savannah was very nice. My Cin was docked right next to a 118ft yacht "Rebecca". The Capt. and crew were very nice and they gave Jess and I a special tour. HOLLYWOOD - RICH. Beautiful vessel. She left today for an 18 month cruising tour. The waterfront downtown area of Savannah reminded me of New Orleans.

Today, we are docked at the Downtown Marina...Beaufort, SC, located right in the historic district. We will be here for three nights then Jess and I will head to Charleston for ten plus days. I will update again with more pictures from Beaufort and Charleston.

Just a note to all our friends, June 1, 2008 will mark one year of our boating journey. Hard to believe.....until our next update

Love...Jess and Cindy

BACK IN THE U.S.

We are back in the states and have been traveling up the east coast. We made our crossing from the Bahamas to West Palm Beach on Friday, April 11th. All conditions appeared to be good for the crossing. We were about two - three hours out and conditions changed. We had swells coming at us from the north and winds coming at us from the south. Therefore, we rocked and rolled all the way back (eight hours).

Saturday, April 12th, we started our journey up the east coast. We have had several fronts and very high winds. So our traveling hasn't been that comfortable.

Things have settled down and we are currently anchored outside of St. Augustine. We plan to arrive tomorrow in Jacksonville and will stay there for about 10 days. We will have some work done on the boat (minor things) and take care of other projects and maintenance. While we are there, Jess and I will shop for a NEW CAMERA! Ours crashed and I haven't been able to take any pictures.

We had a wonderful time in the Bahamas and look forward to going back next December. We met alot of great folks and will be hooking up with them along the way. We are still loving this and are really looking forward to exploring the east coast.

Once we leave Jacksonville and I can start taking more pictures, the blog will be updated and much much better.

Until then.....alive and well.....Jess and Cindy

BAHAMA PICTURES

Here are pictures from various places we have visited in the Bahamas. We are having so much fun and each day is a new adventure. We are going to try to take a side trip to Nassau and Freeport before we leave. The other day, we had a huge Sting Ray swim right by our boat and this was sitting at the dock in our marina. More to come later.

My Cin

Abacos - Bahamas

We have arrived and it is incredible. We left Ft. Lauderdale at 6AM on January 9th and headed out to the Atlantic. It was a scary thought to make this crossing but it was like "just jump off that diving board and swim". We started out and wind/sea conditions were very good. There were three of us..."My Cin", "Whichaway" and "Mascot". We met the captains of Mascot in Ft. Lauderdale and they joined our group. About two hours out, a fourth trawler radio us and asked if they could join our group. Now we are four and "Roving Seas" has joined our fleet. The winds picked up and it was rough for about two hours heading directly into the wind. After that, it settled down and once we approached the islands, very flat and smooth.

We arrived at the West End of Grand Bahamas around 4PM and that was our official checkin - clearing customs. All went smooth and we settled in for the night. The next day we anchored out, third day we stayed at Green Turtle Cay then on January 12th, we arrived at our home base for three months, Boat Harbour Marina in Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas.

There are about 80+ boats here and you couldn't ask for a nicer group of folks to be with for the next three months. Some are here for the length of time we are and some are here longer. The grounds are very nice. Restaurant, nice showers and laundry facilities, two swimming pools, white beach with the use of water equipment (snorkeling, Sunfish Sailing). Each dock gets together for happy hour and when it's time, you hear the sounds of the conch shell announcing "Happy Hour". On our dock, we have met two other boats from Texas. Every morning, they have a "cruiser net" on Channel 68 (VHF) to announce daily events, weather, news, new arrivals of boats and ones that are leaving. After that, a group of ladies will take off for a four mile walk. There are always some sort of activity going on and things to see. There are so many Cays around to take off and go have lunch or explore a new beach. On one island 12 miles away, they have a big pig roast on the beach every Sunday. We plan on making that event one weekend.

Our camera is really messed up and we are having a hard time taking good pictures. So......that is why so few pictures. I'm going to have to borrow a camera from Whichaway to get some good shots to post on our blog. But in the meantime, here are a few pictures that turned out. They are from part of our crossing and a picture of "Whichaway" at the marina. We are experiencing a series of cold fronts this week, so when it warms up and better weather, I will take more pictures.

It's hard to believe we are really here. It is everything we thought it would be and more. The weather has been so nice that we rarely run the AC. At night, it has been very comfortable sleeping with the windows open.

We are not using our cell phone (very expensive). But we can communicate through email. Drop us a line when you can. Just know that each morning as we sip our coffee and think about what we are going to do that day.....we think of all of you driving to work.....in the traffic.....and as we dinghy over to an island for lunch......we think of you on your one hour lunch break.......and when the sounds of conch shells call us for happy hour.....we think of you driving home......in the traffic.

Much love.......Jess and Cindy

FT. LAUDERDALE

Happy New Year! We left Marathon on 12/31 and spent two nights in North Miami (riding out a strong cold front that hit Florida). Coming into Miami was so beautiful. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on January 3rd and we are docked at the City Marina which is located downtown on the riverfront. We are enjoying the sights, people watching and admiring the biggest yachts we have ever seen. They are so big that they have to be towed down the river.

We will leave from here to make our crossing to the Bahamas. We are waiting for the "weather window" which hopefully will be in a couple of days. Ft. Lauderdale is beautiful and very very rich. My Cin looks so small compared to the "ships" that pass us everyday. We are having fun and can't wait to get to the Bahamas!

We will update again once we arrive in the Bahamas.

Jess and Cindy