Bahamas Bound - Cruising Florida!

The winds have died down and we were eager to get back out cruising and to arrive in Florida. We left our anchorage in GA and spent our first night in Florida at a free dock in Jacksonville. The next day we took a mooring in St. Augustine, FL for 2 days. The moorings were $20 per night which gave us access to the marina’s facilities and their dinghy dock. This little town was one of the most lovely we have visited so far on the trip. We enjoyed the cobble stone streets shopping at little boutiques and enjoyed some great food while being surrounded by old Spanish architecture.  Check out the episode below to see what we mean.

After leaving beautiful St. Augustine, we had a great anchorage in Rock House Creek which is just off the ICW which was surrounded by mangroves and sandy beaches. While sitting on the bow of the boat we could see the ICW and an inlet to the ocean. It’s surreal when we sit back and see how the scenery has changed from northern evergreens to mangroves and Palm trees, to see the abundant amount of different birds and to enjoy dolphins and other marine life everyday.

We spent another 2 days on a mooring in Titusville, FL for $15 per night. My (Cyndi) parents came for a visit for a couple of days. Now that we had a car, we headed into Orlando to do a little shopping and some provisioning for our trip to the Bahamas. The visit was way to short but we had a wonderful time together.

After leaving Titusville, FL we meet back up with Living on the Edge in Cocoa, FL. We spent 5 days in Cocoa with 2 days on anchor and 3 days on a free dock. Our first night we got a bus and headed down to Cocoa Beach for the afternoon and jumped in the ocean for the first time on our trip and stayed into the evening to watch a rocket launch. We rented a car and did some serious provisioning, Shel and Barry checked out the Kennedy Space Centre and we also got to check out a surpisingly good vegan restaurant along with some little stores along the streets.

Photo By C-Shel Photography

Photo By C-Shel Photography

Photo By C-Shel Photography

It’s warm, humid and hot as we leave Cocoa to head more South. There is still no weather window in sight to cross to the Bahamas but we are still excited to check out the next anchorages and towns along the way. It was Thanksgiving here in the US and we are so thankful to be heading South for the winter and to be able to enjoy beautiful Florida on our boat. We were greeted with dolphins all day. We couldn’t keep up with how many were surrounding the boat swimming along the sides and in the bow wake. The playfulness of these beautiful creatures is so fun to watch and always brings a smile. It’s something that never gets old.

We arrived in Vero Beach, FL expecting to take a mooring at Vero City Marina. We read that the mooring field could be busy and to expect to raft but we didn’t realize how very true that was as when we arrived most moorings had 2-3 boats rafting up and no free moorings at all. We decided it was a little too crowded for us so we chose an anchorage just south of the marina where we enjoyed a beautiful peaceful evening. The weather is now warmer so we now get to enjoy late evenings outside enjoying the stars and the salty air.

Photo By C-Shel Photography

It’s one of the last day of cruising until we get to our crossing point. There’s chatter of a weather window first thing tomorrow morning or wait until another possible window 5-6 days out. We fill up with fuel and water so we are ready when we get the window to go. We choose to stay in Florida a little while longer as the window was too short. We stayed a few days in Manatee Pocket in Stuart, FL where the weather seemed to get warmer each day. We enjoyed our stay here as we got to sit back and take in the scenery and weather of Florida. We spent 5 days here and then headed towards Lake Worth Inlet as Thursday, December 1st was the weather window we were waiting for. Our cruise to Lake Worth was a beautiful one - lots of large homes with perfectly manicured landscapes, the water in Jupiter was a beautiful blue color and our anchorage gave us lots to sit back and look at. There were cruise ships, megayachts, and an abundant amount of boats anchored and the hotels and condos in the foreground lined the beach of West Palm. 

Photo By C-Shel Photography

Make sure to join us next time as we cross a rather rough gulf stream over to the beautiful Bahamas!

Bahamas Bound - The Carolinas & Georgia

We left Great Bridge dock with a little fight with the winds which kept pushing us back into the dock. No damage was done but let’s just say the rub rail got a few good hits but the wood pier was forgiving. We had a leisurely cruise towards Broad Creek, NC along with many other boats heading South. The anchorage is tucked away off the West side of North River and is well worth the stop. Probably the best anchorage in the area.  It was Halloween but there was nothing spooky about where we were - just beautiful scenery and a quite peaceful evening.

We awoke to another amazing sunrise and cruised through Albermarle Sound, down the Alligator River towards Belhaven, NC. It was a cool, crisp day and there was for the first time little to no internet service for most of the day.

We cruised to Oriental, NC and spent an evening, checked out the small town, and headed out the next morning to Mile Hammock Bay anchorage. There were lots of boats in the anchorage who all departed first thing in the morning. Our next destination was Wrightsville, NC. It was a great anchorage surrounded by beautiful houses, nice marinas and was a very nice clean town. I enjoyed a trip to Harris & Teeter for some groceries as well.

As we head into South Carolina the scenery is changing again giving us the feel of the Southern life. Palm trees are more plentiful, the homes are colonial styling with perfectly manicured landscapes and the heat of the sun feels more intense each day. We took a marina in Little Bay, SC and the next night a nice anchorage in Cow House Creek, SC. To the West of the anchorage was just miles and miles of wilderness. It was such a quite stillness it brought a sense of peace as you could even hear the wings of the birds when flying overhead.

Photo By C-Shel Photography

Photo By C-Shel Photography

Our next day was a another beautiful, sunny day with so many of us heading South. The chatter on the radio was non stop with folks looking for a slow pass, conversation of boating experiences, wishes of safe travels and everyone with such a nice pleasant demeanour. Must be the feeling of heading South for the winter. We arrived at our anchorage in Whiteside Creek, SC that afternoon which was a creek that was lined with seagrass that went on for miles. As we entered the anchorage there were many boats already settled away for the evening and dolphins playing around as we set our anchor. We could hardly focus as it’s always so exciting to see them and try to get them on camera. That evening brought on an amazing sunset over the many boats on anchor and a stillness of the night as the moon trickled across the waters. There is just no way to photograph, video, or describe the beauty and feelings we are experiencing. We’ve just got to say if you ever have the dream of this life on the water, go for it - it’s just the best and worth everything to get here!

Happy Dolphin Day!! What a time we had heading to Beaufort, SC. We’ve had dolphins though out our trip so far but this afternoon both boats had so many and for such a long time - we were overwhelmed with excitement. We were given the opportunity to look one in the eye, and just watch how they move, swim and play. It’s sad to think anyone would put them in a zoo or marine facility for us humans to be entertained. They do not belong in a pool or contained area - you can see their intelligence and their need to explore the waters of the wild. We feel so blessed to enjoy all of the wildlife out here on our trip, where the wildlife are free to grace us with their presence on their terms. 

After a day in beautiful Beaufort, SC we headed toward Georgia. We spent one night at an anchorage in Walburg Creek and 2 nights anchored off Fort Frederica. There is a dinghy dock there so we went into the Fort Frederica National Monument and checked out the fort town and its archaeological remains. It’s a nice walk through the many many trees and there is also a visitors center. We had to stay an extra day anchored off Fort Frederica as the winds were quite high. With strong current and strong winds it made our boat turn perpendicular with our chain and anchor which was a very different experience for us.

Photo By C-Shel Photography

We are getting close to our posting our Bahamas and Gulf Stream Crossing videos. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. 

Thank-you to all of you who are following along and supporting us along the way. 

Merry Christmas from the Bahamas

We are so thankful that you are following along in the fulfillment of this dream. We want to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your Families.  Cheers to 2016 and looking forward to a wonderful 2017. 

Bahamas Bound - Chesapeake Bay

Finally the winds died down and we were all eager to get out on the Chesapeake to continue our journey South. We headed out into the Chesapeake with the planned destination of Rock Hall, MD. We had waves of 2-3 ft from the front which was going well so we decided to carry on a little further to Annapolis, MD. We got to experience some very sloppy seas for about 1 hour where they hit us on the starboard beam and caused all loose items to be tossed around which of course made it seem more chaotic.

If you've missed the previous episodes of Bahamas Bound be sure to catch up here. Get the recent episode right here below.

We arrived safely in Annapolis where we took our dinghy out for a ride into town. Annapolis had so many boats and all kinds of marine services. We did have a low battery in our dinghy so it wouldn’t start which caused us to have to row back to our boats. A nice couple offered to tow us back which we quickly accepted.

We headed out the next morning to Solomon’s Island, MD where we stayed 3 nights to wait for another weather window. High winds were causing the Chesapeake to kick up so we spent 2 nights on anchor and 1 night at Calvert Marina where we did some provisioning and took out their Mercedes courtesy car.

The next morning we again were eager to get back out on the Chesapeake along with many other boats having the same idea. The sunrise was just spectacular! We were all taking pictures and videos trying to somehow capture the feeling of heading out to sea with sailboats in the distance, feeling the morning breeze on your skin as the sun starts to rise over the open waters. The colours were amazing and the feeling like no other. It’s moments like this that we realize how important to us that we’ve chosen to give it all we got to be where we are.

Photo By C-Shel Photography  -  Purchase a Print

Photo By C-Shel Photography

The next morning we again experienced another breathtaking sunrise, we saw a few dolphins and it’s was another perfect sunny hot day to cruise out on the Chesapeake. Lots of boats cruising South along with some weekenders out enjoying their home waters. As we cruised through Norfolk, VA we were entertained as always by the warships, freighters getting loaded, and the work tugs going about their business. 

Photo By C-Shel Photography

The day was a perfect cruising day as we headed towards Virginia. We anchored in Little Bay, VA off a nice sandy beach. As soon as we dropped the hook we all jumped in the dinghy with chairs and cold drinks to enjoy the sand between our toes. 

We headed towards the ICW Great Bridge route, did our last lock of our trip and docked at the free dock at the Great Bridge Bridge. Just walking distance is town with restaurants, banks, groceries and most amenities you would need.

Thank-you to all of you who are following along and supporting us along the way. 

Bahamas Bound - Jersey Shore to Chesapeake City

After wonderful peaceful evening anchored behind the Statue of Liberty we headed out first thing in the morning and were greeted by ferries, freighters and fishermen already starting their work day before the sunrise. When the sun did crack the horizon, they played “Here Comes the Sun” over the VHF radio. We felt like true mariners as we headed out with all of these boats, under the Brooklyn bridge and into the Atlantic.

Cruising the Jersey Shore on the Outside (Photo By C-Shel Photography)

The day was sunny, warm and amazingly beautiful. The sea wasn’t flat but it wasn’t rough either. As we looked over the bow of the boat the sea looked like it was breathing. Waves built to about 2 ft later in the day and with a small craft warning for the next day, we decided to take the inside so we entered into Manasquaw Inlet and found a quiet anchorage in Tom’s River.

The weather was hot and sunny as we cruised the Jersey Shore. We could smell the fresh salty air mixed with the sandy beaches surrounding us. We headed into Atlantic City where we enjoyed another nice anchorage where Shel and Barry continued to diagnose our battery charging issue. 

Heading Into Atlantic City on the ICW (Photo By C-Shel Photography)

Sunset Over Atlantic City (Photo By C-Shel Photography)

Atlantic City at Night (Photo By Diane Edge)

The next morning we headed back out into the Atlantic where we had 2-3 ft seas, some foggy patches and enjoyed dolphins playing in our stern wake. By mid afternoon we arrived in Cape May, NJ where Sheldon picked up a new alternator to help fix our battery issue and enjoyed a great dinner at Lucky Bones restaurant.

Living on the Water in Cape Map, NJ (Photo By Diane Edge)

The Fishing Fleet in Cape May, NJ (Photo By Diane Edge)

Anchored off the Coast Guard Station in Cape May (Photo By Diane Edge)

The next day we travelled across Delaware Bay where again we saw dolphins playing around and then travelled down the C&D canal. We then spent 3 days at Chesapeake City along with a lot of other boats waiting for a weather window to head out on The Chesapeake Bay. Barry helped us install our new alternator, we did some provisioning and enjoyed an evening out at the Chesapeake Inn.

The Colourful Dwellings of Chesapeake City (Photo By Diane Edge)

A Little Shopping in Chesapeake City (Photo By Diane Edge)

Chesapeake City Boat Basin at Night (Photo By Diane Edge)