Still slowly heading south...

We have made some progress south since I last wrote on this blog. We have had a wonderful time visiting friends along the way as well as meeting new friends. Our social life has been great fun!

(Took these on my phone so a bit fuzzy)

While we were in the lovely city of St Augustine we had a great dinner at Louise and Bryan's new home south of town on Anastasia Island on the Intracoastal. We met these two at the Canadian American Business group in Atlanta in the early 90's and have lots of history in common! It was terrific to catch up with all their news. Louise and Brian, the Silver Girl crew and we all had drinks on Wind Spirit and then dinner together at Columbia in the old part of St. Augustine, which was fun and yummy! We were back at Louise and Brian's again as we waited out some cold windy rainy weather forecasts. Brian did the chefs honors this time with some help from Louise and we enjoyed another delicious dinner. Honestly we did invite them to Wind Spirit for dinner.



Tried to convince them to come sailing with us too, but they are headed to Costa Rica for their sunshine fix! We were able to walk a bit in the old town and to visit some amazing galleries too. It was my first walking adventures since I had hurt my ankle so we kept them short. The history is amazing as St. Augustine is the oldest city in North America and has been under many flags. Next time more touring.

We made it to Daytona Beach in a day, after we waved goodbye to Brian and Louise as we motored past their house. We anchored in the river in Daytona as it was low tide. Then on Sunday morning we were able to get across the sand bar and into the mangroves to Adventure Yachts Marina. They were very accommodating. Mom's best friend in AZ, Helen, on Wind Spirit

We were able to visit Mother's dear friend Helen, and her daughter Arlene who hosted us for lunch with her daughter Laurie at Boonedocks, their restaurant in the marina at Wilber-by-the-Sea. We spent the afternoon with Helen, who seemed tickled to visit Wind Spirit, ran a couple of errands with us, and then we were invited to a Super Bowl Party at Arlene's. It was great fun being with all of them as well as briefly meeting Helen's great granddaughter Marissa. Laurie came and had coffee with us in the morning before we fueled and left.
Helen, Arlene and her friend Gator... Super Bowl Partying!

Lovely sunny afternoon as we went through New Smyrna Beach the next day. Saw lots of birds and dolphins coming along Mosquito Lagoon. Saw this house with ham radio antenna and planetarium along the way! This is a boater friendly town and they have water taxis too.

Titusville was our next port. We had big winds and the edge of a rainstorm coming across the Indian River on our way in. We had trouble getting the anchor to set in the rough water and wind so went into the municipal marina which was terrific. Titusville has a different focus than St. Augustine with all the space exploration centered nearby. We could see the gantrys and building at the space center, but they were too far away to photograph. Wish we were going to be there the 27th to watch the second last shuttle go off. We may be able to see something from the Bahamas when it takes off if it comes south east. We did find a small and interesting museum and a yummy bakery in town. Also got some canvas repair done some new zippers to keep the wind and rain out of the cockpit enclosure. Greg from Harvey was at the Municipal Marina too and joined us for dinner. He gave us a cribbage lesson which I had long been wanting to do, but we need lots of practice!

We motored on south stopping to anchor at a bridge. Rain and wind slowed us down the next morning and Bill cleaned some filters. We did have a scare while he was working on the boat as the wind came up and we dragged anchor.Saved in the nick of time!

Anchor up and all was well so we continued on to Vero Beach through a lot of pretty islands as we got close. The moorings at Vero are in mangrove lined creeks and there were lots of birds to watch. We were welcomed by Silver Girl and Harvey came in the next day. We all had dinner together at a restaurant we could dinghy to under the bridge. Harvey will be continuing on south to Key Largo and maybe the Dry Tortugas, and we hope to run into Silver Girl in the Bahamas. Bill visited with a friend of Bruce's here who has spent a lot of time in the Bahamas and had some helpful information for us.

Phone call from Harvey as I wrote this, and he is at the boat show in Miami!

Vero to Stuart was a short day and we motored past the inlet at Fort Pierce and past the St Lucie Inlet which is navigable by local knowledge only so will go south to Lake Worth and head east from there. The Gulf Stream is only about 8 miles off the coast at that point.
Our welcome sunset to Stuart!

Stuart is a lovely town and all the more so as we have had an amazing reunion with Pat and her husband Bruce. Pat and I have been friends since we were 10 and she was my maid of honor.
We were all in high school together. Pat's brother David and his wife Corrie are also here in town so it was a family reunion for Sunday dinner complete with a yummy rib roast. Am going to try one of those now...but not for two of us! It was great see everyone and enjoy reconnecting and sharing memories.

We have been totally spoiled by Pat and Bruce. They have taken us exploring all around the islands and coast, fed us royally and run us all over doing weird errands buying boat bits and pieces. We have seen some birds and manatees and walked on beautiful beaches. Unfortunately I took bird and beach pictures on my phone so they are not clear enough to post here. (Did send some by phone to grandson, Will who wanted to see where we were.) Live and learn. At the Stuart beach there was a good sized flock of Royal Terns on the sand close to the water, who were tired from migrating and we could walk very close to them. They were gorgeous with their crests blowing in the wind and their reddish-orange bills. Pat did take some wonderful pictures of them so will try to get some from her and add it to the next blog.
Pat and Bruce have introduced kayaking into their condo community and now have a large group using their condo yacht club pictured behind them, as a kayak club! They have enjoyed exploring the waterways around Stuart.

Pat and Bruce even took us to the Fort Pierce Airport to the Customs and Border Patrol Office to pre-register the boat and us, so we can come back into the country from the Bahamas with a phone call! It is called the Local Boating Option.

The weather while we have been here has been warm and sunny and finally we are in summer clothes with a jacket in the evening. We are on a mooring at Sunset Bay Marina which is a brand new Marina with spacious and immaculate facilities, restaurants and a ships' store too. We've been getting good practice at using the dinghy. Getting on the dinghy from the boat is actually much easier than from the lower floating dock.Boat chores are still happening, new head pump on the aft head, enclosure roof screws replaced and roof recaulked, refrigerator working again, generator working again. We will hopefully be provisioning (translate that to grocery shopping) tomorrow and on our way Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning after the refrigerator cooling system is cleaned our and the rigging has been checked.

So now you are up to date with all our recent endeavors. A huge thank you to all our wonderful friends along the way who have been, and are making this such a memorable trip for us. Also thank you too all our friends and family who keep the emails and phone calls and texts coming so we don't get too much out of touch. We miss you.
Morning light at Sunset Bay on the St. Lucie River.

South as far as St Augustine...

Bridge of Lions in St Augustine. We have been under it and over it!
Does he look happy? He did miss Nancy though!
Broken Bridge at Sisters Creek. We sat on the bottom until it was repaired. The tide came in and we just motored off! :-)
A good trip with a good first mate to help us!
Smiling Sailor Claude!
Bill hanging onto the WINCH.
Bill and Claude having fun together...


We have had a good trip down...not boring mind you, but manageable and fun! We are in the City Marina right downtown St. Augustine, and have had a great time visiting friends Brian and Louise who now live here and getting to know some fellow sailors on Silver Girl who we came down with. We docked and anchored near each other several times, and kept in radio contact. New friends also heading to the Bahamas!

We saw lots of White Pelicans which are so beautiful compared with their brother Brown Pelicans we see so many of at the beach. They have lots of black under their wings visible when they fly. We also saw White Ibis with bright orangey red curved beaks and legs.

Claude was in 7th heaven all the way. Wish I had his notes. In fact think will get him to write this part. Am going to post some pictures above, but you will hear more later...

Boat chores...

After a wonderful time at home spending time with friends and family over Thanksgiving and Christmas we finally returned to Wind Spirit. While it took me a while to settle in, Bill was right at it. Boat chores are really endless, but getting ready to leave made it all more urgent. I won't bore you with a complete list of what he was doing but it included changing oil in engine and generator, cleaning or changing oil, fuel, and water filters. In that process he discovered a leaky raw water pump on the generator so we had a mechanic come and replace it. Bill went up the mast to replace an antenna for the VHF radio. Wrong part... so reordered it then went up again or rather we pulled a fellow sailor Richard, who has lots of experience, and was our teacher, up the mast so we could experience both going up and pulling up. Learning all the time. Still a problem with the radio so it may be the bracket on the port side instead of starboard so it means another trip up one of these days. Bill was so excited to be up there he forgot to take a picture :-(.

Oh yes back to boat chores... Sorting and storage are endless as we weeded through what we wanted to take with us and what we didn't, as well as separating what we need now and when the weather is warmer. We needed to store things more effectively using plastic bags, boxes, and cabinets as well as possible.

Lists are a strong suit of mine, but they have to be written in a notebook so we always know where stuff is and what we need to do or to purchase. I call the notebook my paper brain!

A bargain rental car over the weekend help with provisioning and sundries we couldn't live without.

We had a busy social life with friends at the marina while we were there, eating out and sharing meals together. Fun! Thanks Gideon!

Our plan was to leave on Monday the 24th of January, but very cold and rainy weather delayed us until the 27th. We had a fun surprise though as Claude called and said he would be able to come with us as far as St. Augustine. He came down on Monday the 23rd and waited out the bad weather until we left on Thursday a bright sunny cold morning.We were happy to have his car available during the last 2 days to get out some more and even to visit the Marines' Museum on Parris Island which was very well done!

More to come as we head south...

Beaufort NC to Beaufort SC...

Golden Wake

Sunset on Taylor's Creek at Beaufort NC

We spent an extra day being blown against the dock in Town Creek Marina in Beaufort NC. When finally, we got off the dock about 2 PM it was too late to get to an anchorage before dark so we spent the night anchored in Taylor's Creek right there in town. Bill had difficulty anchoring, but we finally got it to stick!

We left early the next AM. Went through Morehead City and along the Bogue Sound. Unlike our trip north it was very calm and we made good time with the mainsail up. The channel is narrow , shoaled and very winding in spots. We did get stuck and pulled off by our friend Tow Boat US, but it was an easy on and then off!



We spent the night in the anchorage on Camp Lejeune, Mile Hammock Bay. One Marine helicopter and one boat came in to keep an eye on things. There were 11 sailboats and one motor yacht in the harbor which was calmer than we had experienced before.



We took off and motor sailed for a while past Surf City where we had a traffic jam of 9 boats at the bridge, Topsail, Figure Eight island where we passed Kerrie and Dick's home, Wrightsville Beach, then motored down the Cape Fear River all the way to Southport. We tied up in the Southport Marina, and were able to walk over to a favorite restaurant, Fishy Fishy for dinner.

The Brunswick County Barrier Islands, North Myrtle and Myrtle Beach were the next step. The new south bridge to Oak Island is open. We got through the shallow water at Lockwood Folly and Shallot Inlet at low tide which was lovely in the bright sunshine. Sunset Beach has lost the pontoon bridge, and the new tall bridge just opened the week before we went through.



We stopped at a convenient place again because we couldn't reach an anchorage before dark. We also wanted to have time to SKYPE Andrew as it was his second birthday. We were at Barefoot Landing Marina which is next to a shopping center and several restaurants. It is between route 17 and the ICW and we had visited Sybil and Tom across the road from there a couple of years ago. We did do a bit of shopping ending up at Johnny Rockets for a yummy burger and shake! Two evenings in a row off the boat...wow! Reflections of Barefoot Resort in the morning were amazing as we left the dock.



We motor-sailed again with just the mainsail up and had the current with us the entire day as we went south on the Waccamaw River which was very different than the green shady mysteriousness we encountered in July. The leaves were off the trees for the most part, but their was some color in the undergrowth. Wondered if cypress trees are related to tamarack trees as both lose their needles and are deciduous. I will have to find my tree book!



We anchored in the South Santee River. We heard duck hunters in the dusky light and then again early in the morning. When the ducks rose and flew away I have to admit I was cheering them on. We saw some hunters in their boats and they had camouflage grass all around the outside of the boat. It was kind of like a boat in a hula skirt, and we did chuckle. Tried to get a picture but they flew by too fast! We saw 2 Bald Eagles perched on trees this morning.

We moved right along a lot further than we anticipated sailing past the Charleston Harbor and past the Battery. This was the first time we had done the ICW between Charleston and Beaufort SC as we had sailed outside on the way north. Timing to do that was not right this time so we just kept on going south on the ICW. We stopped in the most lovely anchorage called Church Creek. It had a wide deep entrance with room for lots of boats to swing. there were dolphins all around us as we came in. We started to see a few dolphin in Beaufort NC but none north of there.



We had passed a boat hard aground and tipped over towards the water just before we got to this anchorage and the captain said he wanted to wait for high tide. There is almost 8 feet of tide here. They were in the anchorage the next morning and said it had been difficult to get off the bottom. Later that day we heard them call for Tow Boat US and something about a water pump so they did have a rough time. Boat's name was Pandemonium. Names of boats are so interesting. We met one called "Someday's Here" a couple of times. Will try to record some more of the ones that tickle us.



This is called the traveller and helps to control the mainsail. Looks like it needs some help with the rusting!



The marshes have turned to gold.



We made it through the 3 PM Lady's Island Bridge, and into the Port Royal Marina by 3:30. They had a slip ready for us. We were finally back in Beaufort SC, and we headed home Wednesday after packing, scrubbing, closing up and securing the boat!

We'll be back to Wind Spirit early in the new year and start another phase of this adventure.

Merry Christmas!

After Halloween, south we go...

Bill and I flew to Baltimore on Halloween in time to have a great visit with friend Jay (below) who kindly picked us up at the airport, and then spent the afternoon with our son Bruce, his wife Kelly, and our grandsons, Elmo and the Pirate. We had a busy and fun few days with the family there.

Before we left Atlanta, we had spent some time with a new Grand-puppy, Bonnie, here with Christine. Bonnie is a sweetheart and lots of fun! We hear she can now do the stairs and loves to play with their other dog Abbie.









Bruce took us to Rock Hall and to provision the boat (groceries).

We left Rock Hall Saturday the the 6th of November. Bill was a happy Captain to finally be underway. Cool, sunny, windy weather all the way south in the Chesapeake with some challenging , but great sailing. He is holding on here!














The Bay Bridge crosses the Chesapeake Bay just north of Annapolis. It looked like lace on the water and we had a very dramatic perspective while we were going under it!





We passed nine sailboats racing downwind with spinnakers flying on the way into the West River.



Sunset at Solomon Island. We were on a mooring at Zahnisers Marina after the anchor dragged twice and we went aground for a few minutes then got ourselves off.







Behind the wheel on autopilot. And hanging on too!









We went through the Great Bridge Lock and Bridge at Norfolk VA.















Lots of fall color on the Norfolk-Albermarle Canal with cypress stumps all along the edges.



Going through another bridge. They open on the hour and half-hour so we had to wait for a few!



This was an amazing expanse of wide open water in the Alligator river where we anchored. It is quite shallow only 8 feet. We have not seen any alligators either going north or coming south, but did see 3 bald eagles in trees and soaring. Wonderful! The fog had just lifted and the fog bank is just above the trees. This is one of my favorite pictures with the sky and clouds reflected in the water. The breeze came up a minute later and it was gone.

Bill, the happy Captain.


















Working parts, winches not wenches!


We saw lots of Cormorants all along the way. We missed the Osprey. All the nests were empty or gone and the cormorants and gulls had taken over the markers.

Sunrise on Goose Creek.
Along the Adams Creek Canal. The Intracoastal is a series of rivers and creeks and sounds joined together by canals in Northern North Carolina and is quite lovely. We have had really wonderful weather with only one rainy day, yesterday afternoon since we left Rock Harbor, Maryland. It is much warmer as we are getting further south too. Have put the longjohns away!


Happy day, internet while under way! We are using a Verizon Hot Spot which has been great with solid connection every place we stopped except one. Can't say the same about our ATT phone service!


We left Beaufort NC early this morning, and we are continuing south to Beaufort SC in the ICW.

Not on a slow boat to China...

We are home from an amazing trip to China and slowly recovering from a 12 hour time change and crossing the international date line for the first time.
I have been looking at pictures as I put them into the computer and cannot believe we have been to all these place we have been hearing about for so long and wanting to see for ourselves. I have wanted to visit China since I read my 3rd grade geography book! The size and amount of building and the amazing scope of projects the Chinese undertake and accomplish is totally mind boggling but we still had a peek at some of the old China and realize just how very long their history is and how varied.

Considering the size of places, when we got off the Yangtze River cruise, we were in the city of Chongqing for example, which has 34 million people. It has a population equal to the population of all of Canada.

I still have not figured out what was my favorite part of the whole trip. Just being there was very special. Our trip followed the typical route of Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Guilin and HongKong. We were in China for 16 days with 2 days of travel. We had 5 in-country flights, lots of bus rides and 4 boat rides. We had a full meal on every flight even those 55 minutes long! Every airport we were in except for one domestic airport was brand new, huge, full of stores and the service was excellent. Airport security was as tight there as it is here.

Shanghai is a fully modern city with just a few older sections that we saw. Many new buildings mostly apartment buildings are under construction. We visited the ancient Yu Garden which was crowded but lovely. Getting into it through the market was a big treat, and we took lots of pictures. Well to be truthful, I took lots of pictures everywhere. We also loved the Shanghai Museum.



The Great Wall is an interesting adventure. To walk on this famous piece of history is moving. Bill climbed up as far as he could go. I watched him, and then wandered wishing I had the camera.

The steps are rough and uneven and were very crowded. The crowded part was everywhere particularly after the 1st of October as that week is the National Holiday in China like our 4th of July. Lots of families...multi-generational were on vacation everywhere we went.
In Beijing we drove by the Olympic Center at night so I was able to get a picture of the Aquatic Center, but not the Bird Nest. Both were beautiful and so unusual in the night lights.

The Summer Palace is a lovely park and a gift to the people of Beijing which they use well. Parks seem to be favorite places as they live in such small and crowded apartments for the most part. There is though, a growing middle and upper class who do have some larger spaces. The Forbidden City, and Tienanmen Square were familiar, but the size of both of them and also the Temple of Heaven were unbelievable! It seems that it is impossible to imagine the huge spaces unless you actually stand in them!


Visiting the Hutongs or old parts of Beijing was a lovely afternoon! They have stopped tearing these buildings down and are renovating them using some of the old building techniques. We had a home visit and lunch there which was very good.


Xian was a typical city and we had quite a long bus ride through city and pomagranet orchards to the Shanxii Provincial Museum, a lovely new building and it set the stage for the visit to the Terra Cotta Soldiers. We saw a Cinema in the Round which is a terrific illustration of the building and the destruction of the tomb and of the warriors only 2 years later. The farmer who found the tomb was there in the gift shop as he is every day, and signed the book we bought about the soldiers and the tomb. The buildings that they have built for the displaying of the soldiers, officers' quarters and chariots are interesting too.

We flew to Wuhan and then drove 4 hours to the town if Xichang where we got on the boat to cruise the Yangtze. The drive was very interesting as we saw lots of farm land, rice fields, fish farms, sesame growing as well as corn, sweet potatoes, soybeans and cotton. The plots are small and carefully cultivated, some with water buffalo and some with a small rototiller. Threshing was being done by hand in some places and by small machines in other places. We saw small trucks with a motor attached on the front that could be detached and used for other farm projects. It was very functional.

We visited the Three Gorges Dam and sailed through the 3 gorges and in a smaller boat down the Daning River through what they call the Lesser Gorges which were lovely. They pointed out hanging coffins high in caves along the river, a burial practice used by the Ba people to bury their dead, and help them get closer to heaven. The sun was out and it was a very special day.


The trip up the Yangtze River was a relaxing and pleasant time. The staff put on culturally enriching shows 2 evenings and the costuming was beautiful. We had also attended the Opera (Beijing), and an Acrobatic Show (Shanghai) and a Dinner Theater (Xian) with dancing and music so had a good exposure to a variety of the cultural experiences for tourists. The costumes in all the performances were lovely and so colorful. The music was different and interesting too. They use many musical instruments from ancient times we do not use in North America.

Guilin was different than the huge cities we had been with no high rises and the wonderful karst mountains surrounding the city. The Reed Flute Caves were lighted and one of our group for whom walking was harder was able to be carried through in a chair and see the cave easily. The trip on the Li River was picturesque and we did see lots of water buffalo, ducks, and cormorants which they still sometimes use for fishing in a few of the villages. These older customs are disappearing as you might expect with motor boats and modern fish farming techniques being used more and more. The giant bamboo is a lovely green and curves gracefully over the water. The farms along the river were growing rice and citrus as well as cotton, vegetable crops and corn. We had dinner in the city and a walking tour with a man-made waterfall and the brass and crystal pagodas. The city was lighted everywhere as it was festival time. Massages were good there too!

Hong Kong was our last city and all the signs are in English. We stayed in Kowloon and were able to get around on our own easily. We had High Tea at the Peninsula Hotel and found the recommended optic store where we were both able to get polarized sun glasses so we can see better when we are sailing on Wind Spirit. We did have a short tour over to Victoria Peak, saw the Happy Valley Race Track and to Aberdeen where we were on a Sampan for a harbor tour and then to Stanley Market where we did a bit more shopping.

We left for home the next day and are still internalizing all we have seen and done. We met some very pleasant people on the tour. The group was too big however and they used 2 buses to haul all 60 of us around. We did have a wonderful time despite the size of the group. The tour director Joy did an amazing job keeping us on schedule and going.

Our tentative plan is to head to Baltimore for Halloween and then go to the boat on the Eastern Shore. The repairs are completed so we will provision and then head south soon after a Halloween visit with 2 little boys!