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!

Continuing on...

Well we stayed the month of August at Anchorage Marina in Baltimore spending great family times with Kelly, Bruce, Will now 6 and Andrew who will be 2 in November. We did some babysitting, went to the Maryland Zoo, to playgrounds, swimming at the marina pool and at the neighborhood pool, to Port Discovery, found a new picnic table, and we played in the back yard. We were even there for Will's first day at school. We have just generally been having fun with the kids... Bruce and Kelly too!

We had some sailing with Bruce and Kelly and Will on the Patapsco River and out into the bay. The boys love to go to Papa's boat. Bruce and Will stayed overnight on Wind Spirit with us and had a dinghy ride which is almost more fun than sailing for Will!

Lori and David came over right after they moved to DC. (Lori is the Emory student who lived with us and house-sat all last semester). The weather was somewhat iffy so we didn't get to sail with them but had a fun visit hearing about their 6 week trip to South America and exploring in Fell's Point. We found an amazing Gelato shop!
Bill and Marilyn came to visit on their trip north from Atlanta. We loved seeing them and having them with us on the boat. We were able to motor over to Reed Creek off the Chester River and visit Jean and Henry and have a sail on Saturday with Jean. Fun to be together with good friends. We had some wonderful sailing on the way back to Baltimore. We thank Lee for the use of her dock on the quiet creek as we couldn't anchor at that point and enjoyed meeting her, her daughter and grandchildren. We had a second visit to Reed Creek over Sunday of Labor Day weekend when we were invited to a family crab boil with Jean and Henry. Connecting and reconnecting with their family was great. Such a fun treat... thank you so much for including us.

We had super sailing when we went over to Rock Hall on the Eastern Shore to leave Wind Spirit for repairs, and going over to Reed Creek too! Best sailing since we have had Wind Spirit!!!













We had a smoldering fire on the boat in mid August while we were visiting at Bruce and Kelly's. The fire burned out the windlass (motor that lowers and raises the anchor). We have been dealing with the aftermath of that event with Bill removing the old burned out motor and climbing into the anchor locker to work on it. We had to clean the boat to remove all the bad smell from the smoke, try to find a windlass that fit in Annapolis, deal with subsequent electrical issues etc ever since. Wind Spirit is staying in Gratitude Marina in Rock Hall MD at the recommendation of our broker, Michelle, where we are leaving her until late October. The electrical issues should be resolved and a new windlass on deck when we come back to Wind Spirit.

In the mean time we are going home to Atlanta to reconnect with life and family and friends there, also we are traveling to China on a long promised trip. We are excited about both these events and will keep in touch.

Birthday in Baltimore!!!

We really did make it to Baltimore! We were hoping to get here sooner, however heat, fatigue, weather and engine issues took their toll so we ended up taking a bit longer than we thought... But am getting ahead of myself.

We had a great day Saturday, getting close to Norfolk seeing osprey fledglings on almost every channel marker as we went along. We crossed the Currituck Sound, went up the North Landing River with no problems and went through the lovely tranquil (except for ski boats and PWC) Albermarle Norfolk canal and into the Elizabeth River to Portsmouth. The idea of going through our first lock with several other boats was kind of intimidating and the bridge and lock were only open going northbound on the hour with the lift bridge opening coordinated. We had just missed the opening! We decided to stop right there at the Atlantic Yacht Center in Portsmouth until Sunday morning. This was an unexpected treat as it was wicked hot and we could use the AC all night...hurrah.
The bridge and lock at sunset. Wind Spirit's reflection at the dock.

We were the only boat to go through at 7AM Sunday morning, and the Bridge and Lock Masters were extremely accommodating. We had no problem as it is only a 12 to 18 inch lift. Such a very gentle introduction to locking!

We went on through Portsmouth, and Norfolk, seeing an amazing number of cranes and huge naval vessels as we went along. We also had to go through quite a few lift bridges here.
Then we headed out through Hampton Roads passing a naval warship coming in with all guns manned, and finally into the Chesapeake. We went north and anchored in the East River in Mobjack Bay. Had a small windy front come through with no rain but the temperature dropped about 20 degrees. This was wonderful as it had been very hot all day, and when we went to turn on the generator it made a very loud noise so we had no power that night for refrigeration or air conditioning. This was the third Monday with engine issues...we hope it is the last Monday with engine issues. We both slept out in the cockpit and it was lovely and peaceful with a full moon and gentle breeze ruffling the surface of the water.

We were able to make an early start again the following morning and sailed up to Deltaville which we had visited in 2008 looking for a boat. We stayed in the Dozier Regatta Point Marina on Broad Creek. After touching the bottom coming in we found the deep channel and made it through fine. The marina was very convenient with wonderful amenities including a pool which we did enjoy and a courtesy car too! Deltaville is a yachting center so lots of repair people there and we were able to get the generator repaired. The repairman thought a jellyfish had been sucked against the water intake blocking it long enough to break the impeller. Bill had a good lesson in how to replace it. We ended up spending the day, did laundry, swam, relaxed and ran errands after the generator was repaired. We also enjoyed two beautiful sunsets.

The Doziers who own this marina write excellent guide books for cruisers which we haven't used (as had bought a different one). It is also the home of Captain Bob's guides to the ICW which we had used. We enjoyed meeting Jack Dozier.

The generator delay made things a bit tight getting to Baltimore for the Friday birthday party so we hurried along very early the next morning at 6 knots and hour with some sail support when the wind was right. The wind changed a lot as we headed north and sometimes sailing was feasible and sometimes not. The wind and waves were growing as we headed north. The waves were at 4-6 feet when we were about ready to stop. We sailed into the peaceful calm loveliness of the Solomons. What a wonderful place! We will spend more time there on our way back south and visit the museum and research center. Calm waters with homes along them and lots of boats and marinas. Anchoring is easy and convenient. We found a spot in the entrance of a bay with some breeze and enjoyed sparkling light on the water as well as a great sunset.


Tried to get an early start on Thursday AM as we had a long way to go! We needed fuel and the marinas didn't open until 8...or so, so we just waited. Rested and fueled we headed out just before 9. The wind was perfect to sail for a good while, and we were approaching Herring Bay. Bruce called on the cell phone to tell us there was a wicked front heading in the direction we were approaching, and he thought we should stop in Herring Bay or in one of the marinas there. We had seen the clouds building, but didn't know even from NOAA how severe it was. Just as we made it into the bay we were hit by a blast of 30 to 40 knot winds and then heavy rain. We just caught a corner of the storm. It was over quickly for us. Wind Spirit is very solid and handled it just fine. We decided, as it ended and we could see more clouds ahead of us that we would just head into the Herrington North Marina.

Bruce offered to drive down about an hour to get us and take us to the house, and he and Bill could come back Saturday and sail to Baltimore. So we made it for the birthday party on Friday! Pizza and cupcakes and ice cream and fun and games and a happy six year old! Have had a great few days with Bruce and Kelly and the boys.


Saturday Will and I drove Bruce and Bill down to the marina. They sailed Wind Spirit into Baltimore to the Anchorage Marina where we will be for about a month. Kelly and I met them and we all went out for dinner nearby. We hope to spend lots of time with Will and Andrew, and actually will sit for them starting Saturday when Bruce and Kelly go to Nicaragua. We will also get our visas for our trip to China next month. Hope to see some friends while we are here in DC, Jay and Lori, and Jean and Henry on the Eastern Shore too as well as have a sleep over with Will on the boat.

We just came back to the boat for a couple of days of work and reorganizing. May not blog too much while we are here, but will start again as we begin our trip south. Thanks so much for your interest and support as we continue our adventure.

Cypress and sounds and friends...

Well back in Southport we were able to get the fuel cleaned out of the tank...all 57 gallons of it, and the tanks refilled with fresh fuel. The Yanmar Diesel is now working perfectly. We really we needed to head north again and make some miles if we want to get to Baltimore for Will's birthday. We waved to our patient friends as we passed them, Dick on a boat heading out to Bald Head Island, and Kerrie on their dock on the ICW taking pictures as we trekked along past. They have promised to sail with us one of these days...maybe when we get more practice with this boat! Most of the afternoon we had the jib (big front sail) up though. We do hope they will join us for some sailing on the way south!

We anchored with some challenge in a very windy Mile Hammock Bay in Camp Lejeune, a US Marine base where they were doing landing craft drills. We saw lots of military action on the water and helicopters in the air. We had never been exposed to this type of activity before. Bill was fascinated and had the binoculars out all the time we were there. They were doing practice training and maneuvers and had British troops there too. Didn't take any pictures!

We started a little late the next morning to catch the tide and the lift bridge at Onslow Beach following another boat Adventurous a large motor cruiser. The first part of the trip was lovely before we got to Swansboro, and we had the jib out as we had done the day before. The winds got to be a bit much and too challenging as the ICW wandered... so no more jib. We crossed the Bogue sound in a narrow channel and rough waters...not pleasant at all, but made it safely to Beaufort NC which is pronounced "Bofurt". Someone told us the difference between Beaufort SC and Beaufort NC is that they did not speak French in Beaufort SC which is our favorite city. We found a pleasant anchorage in Town Creek. We were very tired. That was probably our least favorite day of the entire trip so far.

Next morning we were going into downtown Beaufort and the dinghy engine would not idle! Another issue to deal with as we didn't want to continue without it working. We stayed another night, then were able to take it in to be repaired.

We moved into Town Creek Marina as they had a car and we could deliver and pick up the engine. Bill rowed the dinghy for the first time in wind and current. The engine was repaired, and needs to have the fuel bled out if we are not going to use it for several days. Another learning experience!

We left Beaufort after picking up the engine and a few groceries with the courtesy car, and doing a load of laundry. Marinas mean internet too!

We were able to get to Broad Creek, a lovely spot past Oriental, and anchored fine in quite shallow water. There were LOTs of dolphins dancing all around and very close to the boat as we went in. It was a lovely quiet evening with a beautiful sunset.

We had no phone service for 2+ days! I abhor ATT. We recently changed from Verizon and the service has been very poor to none most of the trip.

Up early with the reward of a spectacular sunrise.
On the way out of Broad Creek ...you guessed it or maybe not... we went aground. We called Boat US but some friendly shrimp fishermen came over, and two of the boats were easily able to get us free very quickly into 6 feet of water. That was the deep water there so there was not much room for error with our 5 foot draft!! Yours truly was behind the wheel this time. Bill said very little. Don't believe anyone who says that navigating the ICW is easy.

The rest of the day was wonderful but a long one. We cruised the Neuse River, Pamlico River, Pungo River and Pungo River-Alligator River Canal. Lots and lots of marsh and cypress trees alive and dead all along the rivers. We are not sure why so many are dead! We saw five Bald Eagles along the canal! They were wonderfully huge and distinctive. One eagle caught a fish right in front of the boat! Have seen turtles sunning and many nests of Osprey. In one, the almost grown chicks were flapping their wings and lifting up above the nest and then lowering over and over. PT for baby hawks!
We anchored in wide open Alligator River after we came out of the narrow canal in a bit of wind but deeper water where we felt comfortable. All these canals and rivers keep us inshore and get us past the Outer Banks in the Atlantic.

Next morning we crossed the Albermarle Sound in lovely winds right on our nose. Saw this tug from a distance and took a while to figure out what it was.

When you can sail and the waters are deep enough the wind doesn't cooperate. We have a new cooling trick during the day when we are very hot. Put on the swim suits and use the shower in the cockpit to wet down and cool off. It works very well to keep us comfortable. Also keep a wet t-shirt on to keep out of the sun has been working well too.
We stayed 2 nights at Midway Marina in Coinjock, NC. Easy docking ...our first time at fixed docks instead of floating docks. There is very little tide here and just a little current. What a treat to have such a gentle place to dock and a swimming pool too! Christine said it has been a while since we have fully submerged our bodies and not just showered and she is right.
Yesterday my Atlanta friend Laura, Sophia and Ben and David, who have been at Corolla on the Outer Banks this week, came to spend the afternoon with us on the boat! The kids had fun exploring the boat, and going with Bill on a dinghy ride. After lunch we were able to motor with them back up the canal and river. Just past the Coinjock bridge we saw another Bald Eagle! Laura spotted it and both kids saw it too. That was the frosting on the cake this afternoon. We came back and had a quick swim before they all had to leave. It was such fun to have them visit.

Bill and I had dinner out last night at Crabbies and it was delicious! The best seafood in Coinjock and we tried both places! Think is is the best I have had for a long time! There was musical entertainment tonight at Crabbies! Two doctors were playing and they were good. They call themselves "The Paradox". Midway Marina is a bit rustic, but we loved being here and having the pool too in this heat.

Unique things in Coinjock: A group of older men cruised by us on their personal water craft and pulled into the marina. We saw them later at the pool...then, when we went to eat they started to come into the restaurant and most had on t- shirts with "Bay Dogs" on the back. Guess the dogs cruise the waterways around here.

On the way back to the boat we saw a man on another PWC and did see a black dog on the front with him. It was a good sized poodle. He had another one on the other side and he slowly cruised off with both of them barking!

Talked to my brother last night, and sounds like all is well with them in Sutton, QC.

Best news we've had today though is that Bill's brother John in California had clear scans this week after his surgery and radiation for Melanoma. Thank you and keep on praying they stay that way forever!

We have stopped today at another marina as it is very hot and we wanted the AC on all night. We are just south of the locks at Great Banks, and will deal with that in the morning. They will raise us a foot in the lock which is mainly, so we have been told, to keep the Albermarle Chesapeake Canal from getting too brackish. Tomorrow will be our first time through locks. Something new all the time.

Meanwhile back in Southport...

It is amazing trip to see the east coast from the water at 5 knots an hour! A very special part of the Intracoastal Waterway is the Waccamaw River so we decided after much discussion to motor inside so we could see it. We also wanted to go by the beach Islands in NC where we still have some property. It was truly worth the time to do this lovely trip. The river is wide and deep all the way, and such a very different river than we have been on before. There is a gradual shift from wide open space along the shore to deep swampy terrain with wonderful cypress trees.














Osprey nest all the way along and were feeding babies we could even hear crying over the engine and when we stopped. We anchored in an oxbow along the way overnight which was still and tranquil. The water is very brown and was a mirror as we had our morning coffee on deck. The reflections as we went along were spectacular, smooth and then rippled with the gentle wake.



We transitioned out of this section to the canals in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach with intersting homes and huge complexes such as Grand Dunes and Barefoot Landings. They both have wonderful new huge marinas. We didn't stop but were able to use their internet as we went by... thanks. We passed Little River and the harbor we have stayed as we continued on the way to the Beach Islands in North Carolina.




We came to the Sunset Island Pontoon Bridge over the ICW just after 2 PM. We could see it opened, but just couldn't reach it in time. It only opens on the hour and NOT in extreme low tide. We knew the tide was going out, but we still had 3 hours until it was at low. The Bridgemaster told us we had to wait an hour so we set the anchor and relaxed. Pulled it up and headed toward the bridge which SLOWLY opened. No one went through until they blew a loud siren and then we all took turns going through. When it closed they announced in a US Coast Guard Advisory that it would not re-open until at least 6PM due to the extreme low tides! Lucky we got through. The waterway through these islands is particularly interesting for us as we have spent a lot of time here on summer vacations and still have property on the Shallot River which has a dock on the ICW.
It was a delight for us to finally go through on the water even though it wasn't deep enough to stop. The channel had been dredged in April so we had adequate depths along the way at the inlets where it shoals all the time but even so there were places we just squeaked through. The afternoon was fun as we saw lots of familiar sights including a house we had rented with all our kids and my parents a few years ago right on the end of Oak Island, and the lighthouses at Ft. Caswell and in the distance on Bald Head Island. We stopped at South Harbor Marina for the night, an unexpected treat.

In the AM we left very early as we were going to Figure Eight Island past Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach to visit some long-time friends. As we headed up the Cape Fear River we were in the middle of a rainstorm . The winds were not bad, but there was lightning. The engine just stopped suddenly as we were at a narrow part with restricted water on one side (an armament depot) and very shallow water on the other. We put up the staysail (the small one in front) and the jib (the big one in front) and tried to sail back into the channel that the current was pushing us out of into the shallows. That tactic didn't work so we dropped anchor in 3.5 feet and called Tow Boat US. They came as the rains stopped and brought us back to Southport Marina so we could figure out why the engine stopped. Well we did! Rain water running down the scuppers will go right into the fuel tank if the lid is left off! Did I mention we had fueled at South Harbor Marina?? This is another adventure in sailing on Wind Spirit, and another hard lesson learned, which we think might be somewhat expensive.

Our friends joined us for dinner here last night at Fishy Fishy...yummy. Whenever they are able to finish up draining the fuel tanks so we can refuel, we will be on our way north again. Hopefully we will still be able to stop at Figure Eight tonight. In the meantime the laundry is done.