One year ago... November 2015

One year ago, we left Newport, RI filled with excitement and apprehension.  We cannot believe that we have already made it to our one year boat anniversary.  It has been a year of sights, sounds, challenges, and great joy.  Our challenge now is to keep the blog updated with our fun... well and the goofups!

Beaufort, SC to Stuart, FL

Five weeks in Beaufort and we started getting itchy bridges to move along.   We rented a van to deliver Wendy's paintings to her galleries, she closed down her bait shop studio and we pushed off the dock on Jan 15th.  We loved the marshlands of Georgia and were challenged by the low spots on the ICW having to time our passages of trouble spots with sufficient tidal depth.  A short stop in Darien was required for breakfast at B&J Seafood and their deep fried bacon, woah.  Two nights anchored behind Cumberland Island allowed us to hike the island.  The ferries were closed for the holiday, so the island was our private playground.  The big sand bar behind Cumberland provided another learning experience... bring the ipad charts with you on the dingy or you might run aground.  33 degree weather helped us remember the lesson.

In Jacksonville, we stayed for a three nights at Jim King Park City Dock on Sisters Creek, rented a car and drove to Green Cove Springs to meet the folks at our mail service.  They had given us detailed instructions on how to register the boat and get our FL drivers license.  It took most of the morning to process at the Clerk of Court, DMV and voter registration, but we were soon Florida residents with new drivers licenses.  We had been Georgia residents for 25 years.

In Jacksonville Beach, Hillary and Calvin from Stellers Gallery came to dinner on the boat.  It was a treat to see them.  From a Jan. 25 until the 29th we pushed south with the goal of Stuart, FL.  Many Kadey Krogan cruisers spend the winter at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, and after some wrangling, we had reserved a slip to join the crowd.  The plan was to spend a month at Sunset Bay and then head for the Bahamas.

In keeping with Wendy's good luck, Sunset Bay let her use a vacant houseboat as her studio.

Sunset on the ICW

Chilly dingy ride at Cumberland Island

Uh, Leigh, you should be watching out for the sandbar that you are about to hit.

Mistletoe!!

We had wanted to get to Cumberland Island for years.

We met Jeff and Kim for lunch at Fernandina Beach.

Sunset at anchor on the mooring at Fernandina

Trying to keep up with consistent exercise is one the biggest challenges on a boat.  Wendy has her little stair stepper.

In Green Cove Springs, we registered as Florida residents.  New driver's licenses!

Wendy usually makes our smoothies in the morning for breakfast, but I tried one day.  I think Wendy does a better job.

Our refrigerator had not been cooling very well, so we defrosted it.  This huge block of ice came out.  Maybe that was the problem??

Our boat neighbors giving us the scoop on crossing over and cruising the Bahamas.

Wendy's cool house boat studio at Sunset Bay Marina.  Again a simple commute, just down the dock.

We are off to deliver paintings to the galleries.

Mooney is off to the vet for his checkup and papers to go to the Bahamas.  Walking almost a mile with a cat in a bag is a challenge.

Without a car, our transportation in bikes or on foot now.  We like it!

Beaufort, SC stop for five weeks

After a month of travel from Newport, RI we arrived in Beaufort, SC on December 9th and it felt like coming home.  We have always loved the SC lowcountry having lived in Hilton Head when first married, Bradford and Tom were born there, and later vacationing at Fripp Island for many years.  So we quickly decided that we would stay a while.  Wendy wanted to paint and we were close to two of her galleries, in Charleston and Hilton Head.  And quite frankly, we were ready for a break.  With all of the preparations in Newport and the pushing to get South we were wondering this "slower life" was going to happen.

Beaufort was perfect, close to Wendy's sister Joy in Savannah, a fun cool downtown waterfront, and a great place to ride my bike.  We checked out the three great marina's in town and decided to stay at Port Royal Landing.  They let Wendy use there old bait shack as her studio!  It turned out to be a little cramped, but the commute of 100 yards down the dock was sweet.

Wendy's old bait shack studio was a little cramped but a cool place to paint.

Cannot beat the studio view!

Joy, Cinda and Vince came to see us in Beaufort.

The Petersen sisters

On the chilly boat, Mooney stopped sheading so he had to go to the beauty parlor to get the mats out.

My flying buddy, Jeff flew down to visit.

Jim Strange helped Wendy set up her fishing rig after a trip to Walmart for tackle.

Jim and Laura Strange

The old guys around that marina coached Wendy on how to catch spot tail bass.  Her lucky spot was on a low tide, between the rust spot and the fire extinguisher on the dock.

She showed them all up and caught fish!

But I had to clean them.

Jan and Addie came to visit