Day 34

Atlantic City to Sandy Hook, NJ
N 40 27.771, W -74 00.738
80 miles, under way 11 hours

This was a nice day, if a bit long.  We followed some other cruisers to find a nice current about 3 miles out.  All was calm, perfect calm, the whole way here.  As we turned to go into the channel at Sandy Hook, suddenly we were taking the waves the wrong way.  Wham!  

Day 33

Cape May to Atlantic City, NJ
N 39 22.874, W -74 25.356
38 miles, under way 5.5 hours

We were going to stay in the NJ ICW, but I noticed that every boat leaving Cape May was going outside, so we asked a few people. Seems the water is only 3 ft deep on the inside. One guy said going on the inside was the worst five days of his life, and he only draws 4 ft.

We left early and the Atlantic was calm with big slow swells coming in from the east, and made Atlantic City by noon. Tomorrow we get up earlier and make a run for Sandy Hook on the outside of New York harbor, a long haul but the channel is huge going in and can be done in the dark with no problem. The days are really long right now so we should get there with daylight to spare. Not at all sure if we'll stop at NYC, we've gotten so we enjoy quiet peaceful swamps. Hard to imagine stepping off this boat onto Fifth Ave. We might lay up at Sag Harbor for awhile, maybe take the train in.

I must say the folks in NJ put on quite a show, just like I remember them, and that's not a compliment. Only now with the Sopranos and Jersey Shore they're proud of their tattooed foreheads and jet skis.

Day 32

Cape May, NJ

Big old Victorian houses, and a lot of antique stores- the local specialty, perhaps?  

Day 31

Cohansey River to Cape May, NJ
N 38 57.055, W -74 52.879
35 miles, under way 6 hours

Excellent birdwatching here.

Day 30

From Tolchester Beach, MD to Cohansey River, NJ

N 39 20.918, W -75 21.670

61 miles, under way 9 hours

Caught a flood tide up to the top of the Chesapeake Bay and across the C & D Canal into the Delaware Bay and our first sight of NJ was this power plant.  Quite a change from the east coast of Maryland, which is gorgeous.  Anchored 12 miles south of said plant in a very nice river.  Tomorrow down to Cape May and hopefully some shopping as we are always out of fruits, veggies, and salads.

Day 29

From Choptank River to Tolchester Beach, MD

N 39 12.956, W -76 14.756
42 miles, under way 8 hours

Some may recognize this bridge near Annapolis.  We anchored at Tolchester Beach, about twelve miles north.   What a gorgeous place- deserted beach,beautiful houses, restaurant closed, and nothing closer than Chestertown, about six miles away.  Now we're headed for the C&D Canal because the currents favor us this morning.

Day 28

From Smith Island to Choptank River, MD

N 38 39.490, W -76 19.008
47 miles, under way 7.5 hours

Another anchorage along the Chesapeake- although we really just stop somewhere, and it becomes an anchorage.  I swam, and Lorenzo scraped barnacles off the propeller- fewer than we suspected.  We don't know what goes on under there!

Day 27

From Back River, VA to Smith Island, MD

N 38 03.683, W -75 59.180
65 miles, under way 9.5 hours

It was a cloudy day with practically no one in sight, after the crabbers. The Chesapeake is lovely, although colder for swimming than where we've been up till now.  Surprised this morning to find we have a web connection.  

day 26

From Blackwater Creek to Back River, VA

N 37 06.391, W -76 18.174
45 miles, under way 8 hours

This stretch took us out of the beautiful marshes through Norfolk, VA- and then into the Chesapeake River.  We woke up this morning surrounded by attentive crabbers. (other places have crab pots, but the water here is carpeted!)  

day 25

From Alligator River Bridge, NC to Blackwater Creek, VA

N 36 35.770, W -76 03.770
46 miles, under way 8 hours

This beautiful spot was right off the ICW (with no places to stop for another 20 miles).  Good swimming, amid lots of weekend boat traffic.

Day 24

From Belhaven to Alligator River Bridge, NC

N 35 54.573, W -76 00.564
46 miles, under way 8 hours

This intelligent sailboat was heading out from Belhaven right when we were.  We followed him all day, and didn't have to stare at the sun while we headed east.  

Day 23

Belhaven, NC


We didn't realize we were staying another night here just to eat at Georgie's Oyster Bar.  Oysters were out of season, but shrimp, scallops, and crabcakes were all great.  And their Little League team was having a party.

Day 22

From Pamlico River to Belhaven, NC

N 35 31.800, W -76 37.237
17 miles, under way 3 hours

Day 21

Goose Creek, NC

Very lovely here, quiet, wild, just the occasional boat passing by.  We got down and dirty yesterday afternoon and changed the oil and and all the filters, what a mess.  The 8/71 takes 8 gallons of oil, one oil filter and three fuel filters, and all that has to be changed out every 100 hours of running time.  It also needs about one gallon added to it for every 15 hours, some of which just gets splattered around the engine room.  One plus is there is no rust in the engine room, nada, zilch. Today we lay about and sometime go down there and clean up.  Guys I talk to that ran fishing operations with five boats going all the time tell me the 71 series Detroit Diesels are the best, will last forever, and cannot be killed.  We'll see.

Day 20

From Beaufort to Pamlico River, NC

N 35 17.243, W -76 36.960
45 miles, under way 7 hours

Day 19

Beaufort, NC

Stopped at the hardware store, where these two guys were styling- then did some grocery shopping.  

Day 17-18

From Charleston, SC to Beaufort, NC

N 34 42.901, W -76 40.546
207 miles, under way 30 hours

We got a window of smooth seas, 5 to 10 kts out of the S SW with 2 to 3 ft. seas, so we ran an overnight from Charleston to Beaufort and stopped here for dinner last night.  We will hang here a few days to resupply and give the cats a rest, and then go up the ICW to get to Norfolk Va.  The outside around Cape Hatteras can be really rough, and it's a long run with no viable inlets; the shoals keep shifting and extend way out, so it's best to avoid that stretch of ocean altogether.

Day 16

From Hilton Head to Charleston, SC

N 32 45.340, W -79 52.860
72 miles, under way 10 hours

Anchored at Fort Sumter, on what looks like a lovely beach.  We won't be hanging around- If the weather holds, we're going to try to get past Cape Hatteras in the next few days.

Day 15

From St Simons Sound, GA to Hilton Head, SC

N 32 16.357, W -80 38.894
92 miles, under way 12.5 hours


We're very proud of ourselves for getting out of St Simons Inlet in the dark, and doing a 12 hour day in the open ocean.  Actually, it's much easier than doing the equivalent on the inside because you can set the autopilot.  Today we should get to Charleston.  


Suddenly it's a bit chilly.  What's going on here?!?

Day 14

From Cumberland Island to St Simons Sound

N 31 06.225, W -81 25.859
30 miles, under way 4.5 hours

Day 13

Cumberland Island

Day 12

Cumberland Island

These are the ruins of the Carnegie mansion, the family used to own 90% of this barrier island with a fabulous beach and dunes that go on for 20 miles, lush sub-tropical forests of moss covered oaks and palmetto and magnolia, wild horses, deer, boars, on and on. It's now a national park that you can only get to by ferry or boat. Big portions of the Georgia coast are off limits to humans entirely. Then, of course, there's Hilton Head and other developments. 
The view of the east coast from a boat is amazing, massive military bases, nuclear power plants, heavy industry, and then vast stretches of unspoiled barrier islands and waterways. Not at all what you see driving on 95.

Day 11

Cumberland Island

Day 10

From Fernandina Beach to Cumberland Island
N 30 46.302, W -81 28.223
7.5 miles, under way 1.5 hours

Day 9

Talbot Island to Fernandina Beach
N 30 39.965, W -81 28.417
13 miles, under way 2.5 hours

Jim Armstrong drove over to Fernandina to meet us.  He has his grandson Chris with him (Jim: send pics- mine are awful!) We had pizza and talked, boring Chris and Lorenzo with RI tales.  This is a quiet town with very elegant cruisers- I need some pics of their look, sort of anti-Sartorialist.

Day 8

Crescent Beach to Talbot Island
N 30 29.348, W -81 27.504
53 miles, under way 7 hours

Here we sit 20 miles from the Georgia line. Tomorrow we pull in at Fernandina to get fresh salad and veggies and then off to Cumberland Island to lay about for a few days, it's supposed to be fab. Hiking trails, beaches, and no people (except of course for the ones who told us about it). This part of Florida is amazingly beautiful and wild. We're just a few miles from Jacksonville but where we're anchored we're completely alone, very nice.

Day 7

New Smyrna Beach to Crescent Beach
N 29 48.470, W -81 17.178
60 miles, under way 9 hours


Anchored in a quiet spot, with some nice rain.

Day 6

Satellite Beach to New Smyrna Beach
N 29 00.336, W -80 54.443
56 miles, under way 7.5 hours


In Middlesex, the mother and aunt retire to New Smyrna Beach.  They're from Turkey and love the name.  

Day 5

Fort Pierce to Satellite Beach
N 28 09.729, W -80 37.705
58 miles, under way 8 hours

Heading down the ICW since the Atlantic is rough right now and the wind is strong 90 degrees to our course. Tony is much better now that we're not pitching about but he says he wants us to pull in to Palm Beach and buy him a house.

Day 4

Palm Beach to Fort Pierce
N 27 24.117, W -80 17.275
43 miles, under way 7 hours

Why we're not out in the ocean:  cat and others have expressed a preference for calm waters.  The ICW isn't as hairy as the west side of Florida- we definitely spent less time scraping the bottom.  The weekend traffic is just as fun, though.  I have to figure out how to take pictures of jet skis. 

Day 3

Palm Beach