2021-2022 Trip Log Florida Keys
2018-2019 Trip Log Abacos Bahamas
2017-2018 Trip Log Florida Keys
We traveled 8 hours from Solomons Isl MD to our home port near Baltimore MD. Between Annapolis and the Bay Bridge we spotted a submarine in the water. The Coast Guard in a high speed boat came right at us then told us that we needed to keep a 500 yard distance from the boat, and that our current heading and distance was good.
Traveled 9 hours from Hampton VA to Solomons Isl MD
Departed Great Bridge VA at 6 am in the dark so that we could get through the lock before it was shutdown for the day. We traveled the morning to Hampton VA, passing through heavy industrial activity in the Norfolk VA area. The picture is of a stealth looking private boat called "Plan B". Took a slip at the Hampton Public Piers.
Day two at Great Bridge VA. Took an Uber and visited the Big Ugly Brewery
We traveled through back country that required us to request opening for several low bridges. Pic #2 is North Landing Bridge. Pic #3 is Centerville Turnpike Bridge. Pic #4 is Norfolk Southern RR bridge. Pic #5 is Great Bridge Bridge (the area is named "Great Bridge"). The Great Bridge lock (Pic #6) was closed for maintenance the next four days, so we moored on the wall to wait out a day of rough weather.
We continued north passing through the back country. It was a mix of narrow sections, and moderate size bodies of water. We passed a dredging equipment being moved.
We traveled from Morehead City NC to a remote anchorage off the Pungo River. The picture is of the R.E. Mayo Company where you can purchase unprocessed fish.
We arrived at Morehead City NC and docked at the Sanitary Fish Market (restaurant). We took an Uber to explore nearby Beaufort NC, visiting the shops along the waterway, and Fishtowne Brew House. Continued to Atlantic Beach to visit Crystal Coast Brewing Company.
We traveled from Carolina Beach NC passing through numerous shoaling and high current areas. In addition to those concerns, we met up with dredging equipment that we had to maneuver around. We anchored in Mile Hammock Bay, just off the military base of Camp Lejeune.
Very high winds and cold temperatures today, so we stayed another day on a mooring at Carolina Beach NC.
We traveled from Myrtle Beach SC to Carolina Beach NC, passing by many ritzy homes along the waterway. The birds don't care much about how nice your home is, if you don't use your dock, they take up residency. (see picture).
We departed our remote anchorage, and traveled through fog highlighted by bright sunlight in our eyes. Arrived at Barefoot Landing (Myrtle Beach SC) and had lunch with our son and his fiancee, who happened to be in the area on vacation.
Sunrise at South Santee River anchorage. We traveled 1/2 day through shoaling during mid to high tide and anchored in a remote anchorage.
Traveled 6 hours from Charleston SC through many shoaling areas and narrow channels. The birds followed us, interested in what we stirred up in our wake. Anchored at a remote anchorage.
Very high winds today, so we decided to stay another day in Charleston SC. Took the free shuttle downtown and explored the shopping district
We traveled a short distance today and arrived at Charleston SC city marina (only reasonable option to see the city). Uber took us to the southmost end of the peninsula, and then walked all day north, visiting various sights throughout the city. Our first stop was White Point Garden, along the waterfront. White Point Garden - USS Hobson memorial marker, erected in memory of 176 men of the US Navy who died when the USS Hobson sank in less than four minutes as a result of a collision with the USS Wasp during a mid Atlantic wartime training maneuver on 26 April 1952.
Next we viewed The Calhoun Mansion, the Nathaniel Russel House, and Saint Michael's Church. After a walk through Washington Square, we took visited the grounds of the Circular Congressional Church.
We observed more of the unique Charleston architecture, and then we walked through the four block long City Market, and then it was time for a southern style lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
A 30 minute walk north along the shops on King Street helped work off lunch. We stopped at High Wire Distilling for a quick tour and tasting. Then we took an Uber to Tradesman Brewing Company to sample their beers. It was only a 7 minute walk south to Edmond's Oast Brewing Company where we sampled their brews in an industrial start-up area.
We traveled all day to a anchorage just short of Charleston SC
We traveled all day, crossing from Georgia to South Carolina to a remote anchorage.
Today we visited the city of Savannah, just in time to see their azaleas in bloom! The waterfront has a variety of shops and restaurants, housed in the old cotton exchange buildings. Steep steps drop you 45 feet within a 100 ft wide area to the waterfront. Our first stop was the St John Baptist Cathedral, which is of French Gothic style architecture with ribbed ceilings and pointed arches. Tyrollean stained glass windows from Innsbruck, "stations of the cross" wooden carvings from Munich, and artistic murals and so much more, make this church a breath-taking site. Colonial Park cemetery was an interesting step back in time when large monuments were used to honor those who passed on. Large Southern Live Oak trees with Spanish moss grow throughout the cemetery. The Waving Girl statue honors Florence Martus of Elba Island, who every day waited for her lover to return, waving to passing ships hoping one day it would be his ship. City Hall houses a unique stained glass dome, surrounded by the circular steps leading up to the clock tower.
This morning we had to wait until after 10 am to begin our trip so we could pass through a narrow shallow area between two larger bodies of water known as Hell Gate. Arrived Thunderbolt (near Savannah GA) early afternoon. We borrowed the marina's courtesy vehicle to pickup much needed groceries.
Another sunrise start and a 6 hr sail through Georgia.
Early sunrise start but short run in order to get through the Georgia shoaling areas at mid to high tide.
We traveled the morning to a remote anchorage in Georgia. The tidal ranges in Georgia waters range 7 feet on average. The inlet we crossed is busy with large ships and tugs.
We traveled 1/2 day to a remote anchorage in Florida. From here on we need to travel at mid to high tide only in order to avoid the shoaling areas that could ground our boat. Passed through a major commercial harbor.
It was rainy and cold this morning (< 50F) as we traveled 1/2 day to St Augustine. We walked around the main shopping area for a while, and then stopped in at Dog Rose Brewing Company and Ancient City Brewing to sample their beer.
Traveled all day to our Daytona Beach anchorage. Over the VHF radio, we heard a Coast Guard navigation alert for restricted marine travel in our area. The new bridge construction would restrict our travel from 7 am to 5 pm. We changed our plans to depart before sunrise tomorrow.
Traveled north and stopped at Cocoa FL. The city is not very boater friendly as there is no where to land our dinghy, however we were motiviated to try again to visit since we could not last year for the same reason. We stumbled onto a art festival held at the historic district and enjoyed that. Later we visted Dirty Oar Brewing Company and sampled their beer. We pulled up anchor and continued on to Titusville FL.
Traveled all day to Vero Beach FL and visited American Icon Brewery.
After waiting nine days at Bootle Bay, we finally got a weather window to cross from the Bahamas to Lake Worth Florida. About 20 miles from the Florida coast, the Coast Guard hailed us on the VHF radio, asked a few questions, but did not board us. After arriving at Lake Worth FL, we cleared Customs and Boarder Control via a special app. Later we traveled north to an anchorage and visited Twisted Trunk Brewery to sample their beer.
We rented a car locally and took a road trip to Port Lucaya Marketplace. Browsed the shops, and had a nice lunch. One of the dive shops on the waterfront(UNEXSO) had interesting old relics to look at in their store. On the way back we stopped at Sands Brewery and enjoyed a great tour.
We departed Great Sale Cay at 2am this morning and made it to the west end of Grand Bahama safely at 9 am. The super moon made our longest night sail ever much easier. We trolled for fish during the 7 hour trip, but caught nothing. We will be here waiting for several days for a weather window to cross back to Florida. It is off season here, so very quiet.
We decided this morning to begin our trip back to the USA. Today we traveled all day to Great Sale Cay, an uninhabited island mid way between the main Abacos area and West End. The marina at West End where we stayed previously is having management issues, so we quickly made new arrangementsto stay at a marina 6 miles south of West End.
We tried fishing offshore today. We zig-zagged between 100 and 2000 ft of water but unfortunately caught nothing. Stopped at a beach on the north west end of Manjack Cay hoping to do some snorkeling, but no marine life could be found. So we took the dinghy into the beach and enjoyed a beautiful day. We did spot our first dolphin today.
Today we traveled from Guana Cay, out into the open ocean, and then back through a tricky channel into the Abaco Sea called the Whale Cay Channel. Careful weather planning resulted in a safe an comfortable passage. Next we stopped at Noname Cay, and visited the pigs on the beach. The wind picked up after lunch, so we traveled north to Turtle Cay and were fortunate enough to get a mooring. We are making Turtle Cay our base for the next week so we always have a place to go for strong north west winds (no other place in the area with that protection). After securing our mooring, we took our bikes on a 4 mile ride to the town (because the short dinghy ride exposed to the Abaco Sea would have been very wild and wet). We toured the town of New Plymouth again, but this time more carefully.
Left our base in the Hub of Abaco at Hope Town for good. Traveled two hours north to Guana Cay, and anchored off a pretty beach with large estate homes. It is cloudy today, but warm, so we went swimming. At least we were rewarded with a rainbow.
Took a 4 mile dinghy ride on the Sea of Abaco to Tahiti Beach. It features a long sand bar with pretty white sand. The locals operate a floating "Thirsty Cuda Bar & Grill" right off the beach.
We attended a free concert at a marina right here in Hope Town that featured several local bands.
On Back Street in Hope Town is a Cholera Cemetery from the 1850's. About 100 Cholera victims are buried here. There is a monument on the dune that dedicated to those lost in shipwrecks in the area.
Sailed an hour to a snorkeling location known as Tavern Cay. Enjoyed a great afternoon snorkeling. The highlight was a large sting ray that we managed to capture on the GoPro. Later from the boat watched a large turtle swim around our boat. Sailed back to Hope Town.
Took a day trip to Marsh Harbour to visit the a fabric shop a woman at Man-O-War told us about. Purchased several yards of various fabrics with a unique nautical theme. Traveled back to Hope Town and then toured the Light House again.
Visited the town of Treasure Cay in the morning and purchased another yummy cinnamon bun. Also purchased a local item consisting of sweet dough wrapped in cooked ground meat with curry - delicious! Traveled from Treasure Cay to Man-O-War Cay. Purchased nautical theme fabric for sewing projects. Traveled back to our base at Hope Town.
Moved to the harbor at Treasure Cay and picked up a mooring. We spent the afternoon at the beautiful beach. Later we explored the area by dink.
We tried fishing at Mermaid Reef (where we could see fish on the depth sonar), but very little action. Abandoned fishing, and took the dink to the reef and went snorkeling. The scene was like an aquarium (see video). Trolled for fish from Mermaid Reef to Treasure Cay (2 hrs), but nothing caught. It was cloudy, so we visited the very small town and purchased a freshly baked cinnamon bun, it was delicious! The local hardware store was well stocked. Anchored outside overnight. Later that night we watched squid picking off small fish that were attracted to our underwater lights. The picture of the pastel homes are located along the shore of Mermaid Reef.
Attended local church service again today. Picture is of turtle. We see them frequently in the harbor.
Left our base at Hope Town just after sunrise (to get out of harbor entrance before low tide) and traveled 2.5 hours to Treasure Cay. The movie and pictues say it all - what a beautiful beach! We are planning to move our base up here for a while. Trolled for fish on the way to Treasure Cay and back, but no bites.
Finally, sun and fun! .. well sort of. We traveled two hours south to Sandy Cay. On the way we caught a Cero Mackerel, but left him go, hoping for something larger for dinner. The ocean swells were pounding Sandy Cay, so we backtracked a short distance and anchored at Channel Cay, were we had more protection. We started snorkeling at 10 am in order to do it at slack tide and avoid the strong tidal currents. This was the best Bahamas snorkeling on this trip so far! Expecting the sun to stay out, we traveled north to another snorkeling / fishing spot. Unfortunately the sun didn't stay out. The captain played around with fishing using artifical fishing lures and that quickly got the attention of three very small sharks. One of them immediately took the lure, but the line was cut by his teeth. We tried using wire leader with the big fishing rod, but they apparently had moved on. We made our way back, trolling for fish for dinner, but didn't catch anything. The first picture is of the lighthouse at Channel Cay, where we were snorkeling. The second picture is of a very nice home at Travern Cay.
It has been rainy, cloudy, and windy the past few days. Today it was windy, with some sun and a few scattered sprinkles. After lunch we went for a walk around the north end of the island. Pictures are of a town building that holds the Post Office, Commissioner, and Police Station.
High winds today, so we stayed on the boat most of the day, other than taking a walk around town late afternoon. The next two days will be very high winds and rain. Still t-shirt weather. The picture is of the Hope Town school.
Took a 4 mile bike ride to the south end of the island to Tahiti Beach. There is a nice marine / waterfront bar & grill before Tahiti Beach that we stopped at for a soda.
Went snorkeling from the Atlantic side of the Hope Town island from the beach. Other than a shark, we didn't see many fish.
We explored the Hope Town today. Went snorkeling off the beach on the Atlantic side and experienced the best snorkeling in the Bahamas to date. Took a break, then visited the lighthouse. What a great view of the harbour!
Cruised from Man-O-War Cay to Hopetown, to secure a mooring for for the upcoming weather. Then departed and went snorkeling at Crossing. Traveled to Matt Lowe's Cay, and went snorkeling. The picture is of a beautiful beach at Matt Lowe's Cay. The winds were calm, and it was great weather. Mark spotted a stingray, and a brightly colored eel while snorkeling.
Sailed on hour to Man-O-War Cay, anchored outside the harbor, and took the dink into town. Walked around the town after lunch and enjoyed a mostly sunny day. The 2nd picture is of the harbor from the top of the island. We walked to the Atlantic side of the island, and took the pictures of the cemetery, and the beach/ocean. On the Sea of Abaco side they had a few nice shops, one shown in the picture had hand made bags. The last picture is of one of the boats that ferries the school kids from each of the islands each morning to Hope Town for school.
We traveled about an hour from Marsh Harbor to Settlement Harbour on the island of Great Guana Cay. Great Guana Cay is on the north east side of the Sea of Abaco. This island and a chain of them provide protection from the ocean swells, making the area much like traversing the Chesapeake Bay in East/West winds. The beach pictures are from a place call Nippers that is on the Atlantic side of the island. The water was rough, so we didn't go snorkeling today.
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We left Green Turtle Cay at sunrise in order to get out of the shallow entrance before low tide, and to time our arrival at Whale Key Channel at slack tide. Whale Key Channel is a tight opening to the Atlantic Ocean from the Bahama Bank, and as a result it can be treacherous to traverse with high currents and large ocean swells. We had some decent size swells, but they were managable and we made it to Marsh Harbor two hours later without issue. Marsh Harbour is the third largest town in the Abacos. Our impression of it was that although it had great hardware and grocery stores, it was considerably smaller than what we expected. Walking around in the early afternoon quickly exhausted options for us to explore. The captain went on a short fishing expedition with the dinghy, but didn't come back with anything to brag about.
Departed Great Sale Cay early, and had a great trip across the Bahamas Bank with the wind on our back to Green Turtle Cay. On the way, we caught a very large barracuda that we returned to the sea for fear of cituatera fish poisioning because it was greater than 30 inches in length. Later, we caught a Cero Mackerel, so he was filleted quickly and added to the ships stores. We cooked 1/4 of him tonight and had a wonderful meal. After arriving at Turtle Cay, we took the dink to New Plymouth and walked around the small town.
Traveled all day from West End through a shallow Indian Key Cut to Great Sale Cay, an uninhibited island. The light pollution was very low, so we had a great view of the stars that evening!
West End, Grand Bahama, BHS.
Finished boat maintenance, and washed the boat this afternoon. This may be the only time we have fresh water available (a mandatory cost with the slip).
The locals here will sell you five fresh lobsters for $20, or fresh conch (meat), or conch salads. Working to straighten out our cellular communications here, and boat maintenance. We took a bike ride to the closest town 1.5 miles away. Pretty rough area, with one convenience store. Locals were processing conch they had caught.
Traveled Lake Worth (south) FL across the Gulf Stream to West End, Grand Bahama. It took us just under eight hours to make the trip, mostly because the Gulf Stream slowed us down for 50% of the trip. The weather was perfect and it was a very comfortable ride. We were only out of sight of land for a few hours, but we still could see other vessels making the crossing. West End has a nice small marina and a resort on site, but not much else here. The closest large town is a 45 minute rental car drive away. When we purchased lobsters from a local, he tore off the tail and threw the remainder in the marina water next to our boat. Immediately nine very large nurse sharks appeared, plus two babies to consume the lobster bodies! The captain is glad he cleaned the boat bottom in Lake Worth.
Traveled from Lake Worth (north) anchorage to Lake Worth (south), just inside of the inlet. Planning to go to the Bahamas tomorrow.
Traveled from Vero Beach FL to Lake Worth (north) anchorage Waiting for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas.
Returned to boat from PA by plane. Visited Bass Pro Shop on the way back from the Orlando airport. Fixed the watermaker.
Returned home to PA by plane for a family emergency.
Christmas Eve local church service. Seven fishes stew dinner on the boat rafted next to us.
Rough weather coming
Thanksgiving cruiser's pot luck lunch.
Finally fixed the generator. Now the watermaker doesn't work.
Returned to Vero Beach FL by plane. Reprovisioned the refrigerator. Visited American Icon Brewery.
Returned home by plane from Vero Beach FL for a family emergency.
Traveled to Vero Beach FL. The no-see-ums are horrible here! Working on resolving the generator problem.
At Titusville FL. Replaced generator fuel injection pump and other related parts. This manatee came right up to the back of our boat to drink fresh water from the dock faucet. The area was heavily populated with birds that traveled in large flocks, resting on one boat after another. The picture is one of the larger solitary birds.
Traveled to Titusville FL. Sunset from our mooring.
Traveled to Daytona Beach FL and anchored. The geography of the area during our trip was mostly the interocastal waterway, a thin strip of land next to the ocean. The first picture shows a stilted house on that strip of land. We were awarded at the end of the day with another beautiful sunset.
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Traveled 31 mi, passing through Cabbage Swamp on our way to St Augustine FL. Cloudy but humid and warm (low 80's). We walked around town, admiring the historical architecture. St Augustine is called America's oldest city, dating back to 1565. Pictures: Cabbage Swamp / Fort Matanzas is the the oldest stone fort / St. Augustine city / oldest wooden School House in USA.
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Still in Jacksonville Beach FL. Completed installation of battery bank. Visited Engine 15 brewery just down the road from the marina.
Traveled to Jacksonville Beach FL. Removed six 69 lb five year old AGM batteries and replaced them with ten new batteries. Also replaced the seven year old generator battery. Both the battery bank and the generator starting battery were beginning to exhibit signs of old age.
Traveled five hours through several areas of severe shoaling. Stopped early at an anchorage just outside of Fernandina Beach FL to avoid traveling through another shoaling area at low tide. A storm came through the area later in the evening as expected.
Working around the constraint of not traveling during low tide, we traveled from 10 am to 4 pm through Georgia. Anchored in a remote salt marsh bounded river. We expect high winds tonight, prior to the cold front tomorrow that will bring rain and possible storms. Temperature about 83 F today.
Happy Halloween. Traveled 9 hours from Beaufort SC, past Hilton Head SC, Savannah GA, and then anchored for the night at a remote location called Kilkenny Creek GA.
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Traveled 6 hours to an anchorage just outside of Beaufort SC. Great weather today in the low 70's. The picture is of a Commercial ship yard.
Traveled 7.6 hours to a remote anchorage in Church Creek (SC). Pictures: Fire tower / Charleston SC bridge / Charleston SC waterfront / Private waterfront properties require very long docks to get to suitable water depth / Sunset in remote anchorage, Church Creek
Traveling through South Carolina back country. The weather is getting warmer. The picture below shows the scenery for much of the day, although now at our anchorage it is mostly flat marsh land. The stars were very bright and visible soon after sunset, because we are in such a remote location with no artificial lighting.
We traveled from Carolina Beach, through the infamous Rock Pile, to Barefoot Landing, SC. Work began on the Rock Pile in the 1930's. Progress slowed when the Army Corps hit Cretaceous limestone with marl pits. The limestone is 65 to 144 million years old, formed at the end of the dinasour age. As The Rock became more and more of a challenge, the engineers continued to narrow the channel. It took two years to blast and drill along the Pine Island Cut.
We traveled in rainy, windy, and gloomy conditions to North Carolina, NC. Fewer boats were on the water today, probably due to the conditions. Observed mile after mile of hurricane damage along the way.
We departed at sunrise and only traveled 4.5 hours due to shoaling in many areas and an early low tide. Along the way we observed hurricane damage; boats on shoals and the land, roofs missing shingles, uprooted trees, etc. The anchorage we stopped at is located within the military base of Camp Lejeune. We spent the remainder of the day watching air and water military operations.
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Traveled 5.5 hours to Morehead City NC. No anchorage options in the area, so we docked at the Sanitary Fish Market for the great bargain of $25/night plus dinner in their restaurant. We shared a broiled Blue Fish that was the entire fish fillet plus two sides for $13. Several marinas were not open to transient docking due to damage from hurricane Michael.
Gorgeous sunrise this morning! We traveled almost 10 hours to an anchorage at the Neuse River in NC. We saved a lot of time thanks to the navigation by LK. The next few days of travel are normally through an area of NC where a lot of shoaling exists. The best information we can obtain is that the flooding from the hurricane has passed, and the channels have been depth surveyed. We have downloaded the depth surveys and will use them to travel safely.
Traveled 8 hours to a remote anchorage just south of the Albermarle Sound (Kitty Hawk area). God painted us a beautiful sunset!
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Hung on the wall today, due to higher winds. One of the other boats docked organized a 4 pm cocktail party where we shared appetizers and stories. Part of the ICW travel challenges is to watch out for large barges coming down the same narrow waterway you are traveling.
Traveled from Hampton VA to the Great Bridge lock and docked on the wall between the lock and the bridge to wait out high winds expected Sunday. Took an Uber to the Big Ugly Brewing Company to watch the Penn State game.
With LK at the helm, we traveled 10 hours from Solomons Isl to Hampton, VA. Small craft advisories were issued, but we experienced a comfortable ride in reasonable winds and waves. Point No Point Lighthouse. 52 ft high and opened 1905.
Began our trip from our home port near Baltimore MD down the Chesapeake Bay. The Coast Guard issued gale warnings all day from the National Weather Service. No weather model we checked indicated any weather of that magnitude, so we traveled 7.5 hours to Solomons Isl under the competent watch of Captain LK. Thomas Point Lighthouse. 43 ft construction started in 1875. The only screw-pile lighthouse in the Bay which stands at it's original site.
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