Florida, Georgia, South Carolina

We had prepared before leaving the US by registering with the Customs and Boarder Patrol for a Local Boater program. This was a bit of work to show up at their office with all our paperwork but it pre-clears you for fast entry on return. We logged onto the internet before leaving Green Turtle to file our return float plan, found it harder than we liked as somehow Liz’s birthday got the wrong month and I had to call the CBP to get it corrected (They use your birthday as part of your login so it had to be corrected). Once the float plan is filed all we did was call them on arrival in Fernandina Beach and they took our Float Plan number and in 3 minutes had cleared us in and gave us our reference number to prove it if required. So here we sit nicely tucked up on our mooring ball and all ready for our US adventure.

 



Fernandina marina

Being back in the US, it feels very different already. We are in Fernandina Beach, FL, which is a small vacation town on Amelia Island, compared to the Bahamas it’s a major metropolis. The main street has more shops, restaurants and bars than everywhere but Nassau in the Bahamas. There is a shopping mall with Walmart and Winn Dixie just a few miles from town. This was a great help as we needed a few things and wanted to run on the bikes as well so off we went to stock some essentials from the dollar store! It was a lovely cycle through tree lined streets with nice period homes aligning them and all so clean and tidy. We also managed to visit a few bars with Gregg and Jo before parting ways, they also introduced us to 3 couples who arrived a day later and will work the Annapolis boat show with them. Before leaving however we had to have a splurge. We made use of the showers at the marina, our first on shore shower in nearly 5 months. It was so decadent to just relax under the faucet and rinse away as much as you like!

Saturday market

Biking to shops

Lovely homes on the route

Our next stop is Cumberland Island, GA, which is mostly a State and State Park with several properties, wide open beaches and huge forest areas to walk around a visit. They had the special allure of wild horses as well and since Liz is a horse rider of old she wanted to see them. So on our first day off we went in search of the horses and the ruins of Dungeness mansion the stately home on the south end of the island. We found both and they were delightful. We walked the circular route coming back along the beach on a windy day. It was totally different from a Bahamas beach somehow not near as romantic and the water nowhere near as blue. The next day Liz insisted we use our $4/person weekly park fee by walking to Plum Orchard mansion, home of Thomas Carnegie on the north end, the property was handed over with many items intact to the park service in 1972. So we took a packed lunch and set off up the trail. Well I guess we over estimated our enthusiasm, it was 7 miles to the mansion and the route back was more like 8. We got to the mansion and unfortunately they did not open, so what a trek just to see the outside! We were a bit fortunate and got a ride on the way back to save us a couple of miles walking as it was that was a long day with 6 of hours walking. http://www.nps.gov/cuis

Dungeness entrance

Dungeness ruins

Wild horses and fouls

More wild horses

Nice driveway

Plum Orchard mansion

Nice to relax even though it was closed

Returning on the forest trail

Well it was time to start thinking about restocking Moosetracks for the US as we are here for 5-6 months. We had met a fantastic couple in the Exumas and Georgetown called Walter and Gwen who when we contacted them on arrival had just missed us at Cumberland Island. They invited us to Georgetown, SC, where they were staying for 2 weeks and they offered to run us to the stores. Now an offer of a ride is never passed up for a provision run, you can imagine how much space 5 months grocery shopping takes let alone doing it in one shop!

We took an over night trip offshore to get there from Cumberland Island leaving St Mary’s inlet and entering Winyah Bay inlet and travelling up river. Our timing was right and we hit both tides perfectly, more blind luck on the arrival as it depends so much on the boat speed. We even put up the asymetric spinnaker for a while when the winds got light just to see how it sets close reaching.

Asymetric Spinnaker

Georgetown is another small town on the waterfront, once a very significant port on this coast for rice production it now has very little industry and caters to tourists and sport fishing to make up. As soon as we dropped anchor a welcome boat showed up with maps and flyers for local attractions, now that’s a first and very nice thing to have. We loved the place immediately. We enjoyed the Saturday farmers market and the fresh shrimp sold straight from the boat docks. Walter and Gwen lent us their truck and we did the two trolley shopping run in Walmart and got virtually everything we needed to put us back to fully provisioned! We even walked to the local t-mobile store and found the elusive SIM card for our mobile hot spot. So Georgetown had everything we needed and much more to enchant us with, we thoroughly enjoyed our stop here and especially the hospitality of Walter and Gwen.

First of two grocery runs in dinghy

Now we have to stow it!

As usual al good things have to come to an end, the local west marine store didn’t have all we needed and Walter told us of a huge store in Wrightsville beach, so that would be our next port of call. We had a night at the marina with Walter and Gwen to thank them for their hospitality and we made plans for our next offshore trip. On memorial day before we left, we walked the beautiful tree lined streets downtown and in the historic district that boasts many houses over 100 years old and some over 200, being built as early as 1740! We spent time wandering the streets just admiring the properties they are so wonderful. www.seaportgeorgetown.com

Then the next day we staged by anchoring down river nearer the sea so we could catch the 2am tide and make our way to Cape Fear Inlet. When we got up there was not a breath of air and the river was totally flat but it belied a 2-3 knot ebbing current. We raised and washed our anchor and headed out the river for 6 miles, it was easy navigation given it is a major Class A inlet and fully marked for commercial traffic. We did find one buoy not lit but it was evident on radar and we made it out with no issues. The first few hours we had a good sail as the wind outside built to 10-12 knots and moose tracks made 7 knots plus on a beam reach. However forecasts are just that and no guarantee's come with them, the wind died as the sun rose and we motor sailed most of the day until late afternoon when we could sail again. We made Cape Fear Inlet on an ebbing tide, it was hard work making the 6 miles up river against the 3.5 knot current but motor sailing we made 3-4 knots. So here we are anchored in the Cape Fear river waiting the tide to continue on to Wrightsville beach today.

Nice boat in Winyah river before leaving

Cape Fear lighthouse

We sincerely hope all is well in your world too.

A wonderful time in the Abacos

Well we spent a few days in Marsh Harbour because we met up with good friends Barbara and Andy on Ptarmigan, if you recall they are a British couple we met a while ago in Rock Sound. We had several days of playing Mexican train and having sun downers. They have spent a lot of time at Marsh Harbour so also helped us tremendously to get the lay of the land here. We took advantage of a huge supermarket and stocked up on vegetables and other items we had run low on as well as getting our propane tank filed for cooking.  We spent Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) at Mango’s bar on the beach and had asked several others to join us as it was half price drinks and special menu items all day. We joined Barbara and Andy then enjoyed catching up with Bill from Providence and Steve from Slow flight as we had seen them both off and on during our travels. We also met Jo and Greg from Serenade for the first time. It was a great event and really great to see these folks.

 

M-O-W beach

After Mango’s we decided to leave for Man O War Cay just across the Abaco sound. It was a short sail in fresh breezes and really nice to be moving again. We had arranged to meet Serenade there as they were departing today as well. We arrived in a bit of a swell so decided to check out the harbor and liked the calm water so took a mooring. Well really once we were in it was so narrow and shallow that it was also easier to just take the ball then turn around in circles. Man O War is a delightful place with a lovely range of local houses and nice people. However during our stay the museum was not open and we missed another Abaco attraction. We walked the beach the first afternoon and met a few locals including the bread lady who makes fresh loafs every day at 80 years old.

Liz on M-O-W beach

M-O-W famous wooden dinghy builders

The next morning Jo came over to walk with us as she knew a great walk along he north of the island where a narrow isthmus is a spectacular sight. The houses here were mostly ex-pat residences, large and very well kept. It was a lovely long walk with great scenery and great company.

Jo and Liz at isthmus

The Man-O-War isthmus

Ex-Pat memorabilia

 

We moved to Great Guana Cay later that morning as Planned. However the wind didn’t get the message and it was on the nose, so we tacked all the way and took our time. This Cay is famous amongst sailors for the raucous bar called ‘Nippers’.  It is often very lively and sometimes even over the top (or topless) but for our visit it was more sedate as it was only Wednesday. We enjoyed a long walk on the beach behind the bar to work up an appetite and thirst before our Nippers constitutional. The food was very nice and everything a very reasonable price too! We even stopped to buy t-shirts and souvenirs as well. We finished our afternoon with a dip in the salt water pool and a few cocktails, later we also stopped at Crabbers where they have a fresh water pool so we could rinse off for the price of a couple of beers.

Beach behind Nippers

Lunch at Nippers

Relaxing at the pool

wasting time at Nippers making rope work.

 

 

After Great Guana Cay we moved on to Green Turtle Cay to visit this lovely settlement. We walked around town and stopped first at a model boat makers workshop to marvel it has scale models of local boats which were magnificent. After that we toured main street shops and attractions. They have a lovely park which celebrates the great local islanders who helped form and guide this community. There were school teachers, lawyers, politicians and local entrepreneurs who had bronze busts and plaques to tell you all about them. Of course we even managed to stop for ice cream at a local café. The next day we returned to town to visit the local museum as both were open on this visit, hooray!  They were both very well preserved wooden buildings with lots of period artifacts from their prior occupancy. It was great to see just how they lived and brought up their families.

 

Memorial

Museum garden



Capt Roberts House - museum

Of course now it was getting near my birthday and also our impending departure from the Bahamas, so to celebrate our wonderful 5 month sojourn and my birthday we joined Greg and Jo for dinner at Green turtle yacht club. It was a fantastic evening with fabulous food and even nicer company. The only downside was Jo ordered the last piece of chocolate tort and they had no ice cream due to a freezer failure, oh well it is the Bahamas' still!

Devin, Jo & Greg at Green Turtle Club

Leaving our mark at Green Turtle Club

A wonderful place to dine

 

The next day we left for Hawksbill Cay and Fox town, we had a wonderful beam to close reach sail and made great time and good speed. We both anchored behind the island and off of town and stayed aboard for the evening with Greg and Jo coming to Moosetracks for birthday cake as it was May 12th.

Birthday cake

That night we decided weather looked good to continue straight on and so we left the following morning for Great Sale Cay. Again a close hauled course and with a little wind shift we had a very tight course to round the north end of Great Sale and make our waypoints. But we had time so it was all just more pleasant sailing. At Great Sale we all took time to prepare our boats for the crossing to the USA. The weather was not quiet right and seas would lie down more if we waited one day. So everyone battened down and secured everything inside and outside in readiness. Greg even scrubbed his bottom (hull) for 2 1/2 hours as it was really slowing him down with the growth he found on it. On Moosetracks we stowed all internal lockers and put on jack lines and stowed our dinghy and removed the outboard.

 

So it was we were ready on May 15th at noon to leave the Bahamas with Cool Kat and Serenade, we raised sail and set course for Mantanilla Shoal and then into the gulf stream and north past Cape Canaveral and on to Fernandina Beach, FL. The trip went well all across the banks with good winds and a 6 knot boat speed, the wind clocked a little to close to our stern and left us almost on a run out to the gulf stream overnight but still getting almost 6 knots. Unfortunately as we hit the stream in the early morning we had the wind die and resorted to motoring. We ended up with little to no wind for the entire gulf stream northing. However it is a blessing in part as it was almost totally calm by the time we exited it the following evening. The last evening we had the wind fill back in and we sailed at 6-7 knots all evening on our course to Fernandina Beach. We saw lots of traffic on AIS and radar during the trip and because we all had both we managed to keep everything well clear and very safe. We had arranged hourly calls to keep track of each other and this worked well for all of us and we were always within 10 miles of each other.

 

A calm sea before sunset

So it is we are here in Fernandina Beach and longing for a rest and reminiscing about our 5 months in the Bahamas already. We are so fortunate to be able to do this and sometimes we have to pinch ourselves it’s all real.
 

Fair Winds to all

Dolphins in the Bahamas

We thought some folks might enjoy our short video we mad of dolphins playing in our bow wake in the Bahamas. It was on facebook and now, because of good internet, it's here too!

We hope you enjoy it.
Hugs to all.

The Wedding

Well on Friday April 26th we arrived for the first event of Oliver and Cici’s wedding. It was the reception at the Hope Town Inn and Marina, a lovely place for a reception. We met several of the guests as like us they had arrived early for a nice stay on Elbow Cay. It was nice to be able to meet a larger group of Cici and Oliver's friends and family. We were asked a lot about how we got there and we think we had a 50/50 mix of wow; I would or wouldn’t do that. For the most part folks thought 5 months in the Bahamas was paradise though.

 

On Saturday we spent the morning trying in vain to get into the Museum and again we found it didn’t open as advertised, ah well. We did manage to catch up with friends on s/v Lena Bea and s/v UnSeaSing two Island Packets we met in Punta Gorda a few years back when we organized the rendezvous. Around midday Ron and Mari arrived. We had missed their cell call and found they had got Oliver’s and we found them half way to our boat in the harbor. We transferred luggage and welcomed them aboard Moosetracks. We spent an hour or so catching up and drinking a few beers.

 

Then the evening entertainment started and we went ashore to catch the dive boat which took everyone to Pete’s Pub for a pre-wedding dinner. It was a great ride down to Little Harbour with lots more guests now in Hope Town and enjoying the wonderful view of Abaco’s on the way down to dinner. Dinner was fantastic and we got to catch up with several of our friends from St Petersburg and Jabil.

 

On Sunday we walked the beaches of Elbow Cay with Ron and Mari and then went over to the Hope Town Inn and Marina for lunch and a swim. A great way to relax before the wedding.

Ron & Mari on Hope Town beach

 

Later we walked down to the Firefly resort, I must admit it was further than I thought and we should have rented a golf cart. In any case we found rides for us all from there to Tahiti Beach and back to the resort.

 

It was a great setting for a wedding on the beach and it was a lovely service. Cici looked stunning as you can tell and her father made a great job of his speech and the ceremony.

Wedding vowes

Prayer Shawl

Fathers Speech

 

After the service we all returned to the Fire Fly resort and waited for the Bride and Groom, they arrived by boat and we welcomed them on the dock. They had a wonderful band and great music playing so there was a really lively atmosphere with lots of dancing. The food at the Fire Fly is outstanding so if your ever in the area make sure to check it out. We partied to really late, past 1 if I recall. Thankfully we managed to get a ride home in a golf cart as we found it was a bit of a hike.

 

Mr & Mrs Mauersberger

A great crowd

Lively dancing all night

 

Ron and Mari had the early ferry so we got up early for their departure, it was great to have them aboard and we so enjoyed sharing the whole wedding with them. After dropping them at the ferry dock we raised anchor to move Moosetracks to the Fire Fly for brunch there. We said our goodbyes after brunch to Oliver and Cici and their families. Thanks so much for inviting us, we had a truly spectacular time with you all.

Fire Fly Resort - From their dock

 

 

So off we sailed to Marsh Harbor - Hugs to all.