April 28, 2005 - Wild Horses, Blackbeard, and Stuck in the Sand!

Yes, the title of this section does indeed highlight the events of the past few days. On April 22 we left Charleston and headed for Lightkeeper's Marina in North Myrtle Beach, SC, for what was a nice reunion with our good pals earlier on"the loop", Mark and Vicki Hill, from Petoskey, Mi.  It was a great meeting as we enjoyed a lobster feast with the lobster that we had purchased from local fishermen while in the Bahamas.  Lightkeepers was perhaps the nicest marina of our entire loop experience.  It had a beautiful pool, wonderful showers, and some great people who we befriended.  The dock master even lent us a car in which we visited a gorgeous Atlantic Ocean beach and did some re-provisioning at the grocery store.  One of the more interesting people we met was Bob Bassett, a college football official who had been a Big Ten football official for several years, but moved south and bought a 70 ft yacht that he named "It's Official" on which he now lives full time, and he now officiates for the ACC conference.  While in college, Bob went to Pen State  where he played for Joe Paterno, which made for a very interesting discussion.

We left together with Blue Willow (Mark and Vicki) and rafted together at a beautiful anchorage in Wrightsville Beach, NC. After dinner, we played cards before going to bed as we have done every night since traveling with Mark and Vicki. The next night we stayed at a new marina in Swansboro that was not yet opened, so we had no water or electricity.  But it was in a nice little resort town that reminded us a lot of Pentwater with cute shops.  Connie did indeed make a deposit in the local economy, buying some strings for the house. Upon leaving, Blue Willow(Mark and Vicki) got stuck when they left the marina and went the wrong way.  So we got to observe for the first time a Boat US tow boat get a boat off a sand bar.  Fortunately, they had insurance to pay for it, a must for all loopers!

Upon our arrival in Beaufort, NC, we stayed at the town boat docks in the middle of the waterfront downtown, This town again reminded us of Pentwater, with its little shops.  While here we went through a fascinating Maritime Museum, where we learned a great deal about the famous, violent pirate and terror on the seas, Blackbeard.  He had spent much of his time in the surrounding waters in the 1700's where he hijacked numerous merchant ships.  His primary objective was to be remembered in history, in which he was certainly successful.  Today, Connie and I got in our dingy and visited the small island across from the mainland, Carrot Island, which is known for the heard of wild horses on the island. We actually got quite close to them and were able to take some great photos.  We ended the day by enjoying another Bahamian  dinner (with Mark and Vicki) with some conch that we had purchased from local fishermen on the docks before we left the Bahamas.  Again, we enjoyed a spirited game of cards before retiring for the evening.

These are two of the wild horses we saw on Carrot Island across from Beaufort, NC

Enjoying breakfast in Swansboro, NC with Mark and Vicki Hill, looper friends from Petoskey, Mi

Towboat US is pulling Blue Willow off the sandbar in Swansboro, NC. 

A beautiful sunset from our slip in a North Carolina marina

April 23, 2015 - Lemons into sparkling lemonade...then bootleg whiskey

We arose early Monday morning in our Beaufort, SC marina slip, anticipating a full day on the water for our journey to Charleston, SC. To our great surprise, the current was tearing into our slip at over 4 knots, which made it impossible for us to back out of the slip and move on our way. With several strong men helping to get us turned around and get out of the slip to no avail, we finally resigned ourselves to the idea that we would be a spending a few more hours in Beaufort, SC. Luckily there were no other boats within "striking" distance, because we ended up cross-wise in the slip, held snugly against the dock without a prayer of moving away until the current subsided. Accepting our fate, we decided to go downtown for breakfast and see the little town that we hadn't been able to see the night before. A leisurely breakfast later, we then decided to take a horse-drawn buggy ride on a tour of the town of Beaufort. Very shortly into our carriage ride, as we were enjoying the narration by our driver, we felt a wobbling, weaving and a sudden JOLT as one of the 4 wheels fell off the carriage. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, the horse was calm and unaffected, and it added a new realm of excitement to our already eventful morning. After receiving a refund for the carriage ride, we went back to the marina and were able to depart easily from our slip for an anchorage and then on to Charleston.

We left Beaufort, SC with a very good feeling...beautiful, well-cared for small town, super-friendly people who obviously take much pride in making their town appealing and welcoming. If not for the mishaps of the morning, we wouldn't have had the time to get acquainted with the area. Thus, lemons to sparkling lemonade. What a treat!

Our journey to Charleston was a good one - very short, as we had stopped for the night at an anchorage close to Charleston - and we found the Maritime Center Marina to be the cream of the crop! It was located in Charleston Harbor, well protected from the wake of large container ships entering nearby. The rates were very good, shower spotlessly clean, and the biggest bonus - FREE WASHERS AND DRYERS in a laundry room with a view of the harbor. What more could we ask for?! (I know this seems very small to those of you who have the convenience of a laundry room at your fingertips, but REALLY, do you all have a view of a big, beautiful body of water in one of the most historic cities in the U.S.?!) I did laundry while Jim took a $25 taxi ride to purchase engine oil. We spent the afternoon exploring Charleston...more metropolitan-feeling than Savannah, and actually attempted another horse-drawn carriage ride. It was fun, but not as exciting as the one in Beaufort. We had a great dinner at an Irish pub, then returned to the boat for a fun evening of changing the engine oil.

Yesterday the highlight of our day was traveling down the Waccamaw River, by far the most scenic and beautiful stretch of our trip up the East Coast ICW. The banks of the river were green and lush, a cypress swamp with beautiful cypress trees adorned with Spanish moss giving us passage. Our anchorage last night was spectacular! We dropped anchor in Prince Creek, which was isolated but just a smaller version of the cypress-lined banks of the bigger river. We were hoping to see alligators, but none appeared. We half-expected to hear dueling banjos and broken whiskey stills but were lulled instead by the peaceful waters and singing birds. Ahhh!

As I write this, we are passing through Myrtle Beach, SC on our way to the Lightkeepers Marina in N. Myrtle Beach where we will reconnect with Mark, Vicki & Daisy on Blue Willow and celebrate our reunion with a Bahamian lobster dinner and many laughs and fun ahead.

April 19, 2015 - In Beaufort, SC

As I write this, it is pouring down rain and there is a tornado watch posted for the area we're in. We are safely tucked into the marina with a safe spot in case it turns to a tornado warning.

We had one and a half fantastic days in Savannah. We were so happy to have been able to connect with Bill & Lori Hughes (Perfect Day) for the time we were here, as they are leaving their boat and heading back to California on Thursday. It will likely be at least another year before we see them again. :(

Jim, Lori & I went to Savannah yesterday to take a trolley tour around the city. Great choice, as it introduced us to the areas we wanted to return to for our walking tour. Savannah is a thoughtfully laid-out city, with numerous grassy park-like squares dotted throughout the city. It was first settled in 1733 and James Oglethorpe was responsible for the layout of the town grid. He would be proud to know that today his vision and design is still alive and as beautiful as anyone could imagine. Bill joined us in the evening for dinner and a grand finale to Savannah. FUN!!

We left this morning for our journey to Beaufort, SC and watched the weather carefully for signs of the bad weather that was predicted. Thankfully, the bad weather held off until we made it across the biggest body of water, Port Royal Sound, and then to our slip in the Beaufort City Marina. We checked into the marina and took a quick walk through a very small portion of the historic district before the rain came and once we got back to the boat it cut loose and is now raging!

Tomorrow we head for Charleston, SC to meet up with Mark, Vicki & Daisy (dog) on Blue Willow and will travel with them until we return home in May.

Good-bye, Perfect Day

Bonaventure Cemetery - originally the site of the Tattnall Plantation during the 1800's. The family began the cemetery that eventually developed into a public grave when the plantation house burned. 

In 1850 Scotsman John Muir camped on the property here, was intrigued by its beauty and is known as our country's most prominent early advocate of environmental protection. He was also one of the founders of the Sierra Club.

April 18, 2015 - Time Out For Mexico

During the week from April 3-10, we parked Patriot at a marina in Titusville and flew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where we joined our daughter and son-in-law (Heather and Blake) and their four children (Brynn, Avery, Camden, and Krue) for a marvelous week together at our timeshare.  We swam in many of the numerous pools, floated down the lazy river, went down water slides and various other water activities in the Kids Club, and experienced first hand some of the genuine Mexican culture.  We attended  a Mexican church, visited two different villages, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the beautiful atmosphere in Mexico.  The kids favorite activities also included participating in the release of baby sea turtles into the ocean and seeing numerous iguanas in the wild. We walked the streets of the Mexican villages of Bucerias and Jarretaderas, while enjoying some truly authentic Mexican food while celebrating Avery’s  8^th birthday.  She even had a mariachi band serenade her!   Needless to say, they kept grandma and grandpa very busy while very little reading and lounging was done while we were there.  A wonderful time was had by all.

Upon our return from Mexico, we promptly jumped back aboard Patriot and headed north up the intra-coastal waterway.  Surprisingly, we were able to join our Canadian looper friends who were aboard Ta Ta, Roger and Mary. We anchored together our first night near Daytona Beach at Sheephead Cut, then we continued north while anchoring by ourselves just south of St Augustine at Matanzas Inlet.  That made for a very short travel day arriving in St Augustine the next morning.  The highlight of our stay there was connecting with Pentwater friends, Ron Beeber and Amy LaBarge, and Dave and Carol Messerlie.  We had a great time together as we went to some great restaurants and enjoyed the sights of the nation’s oldest city which was originally inhabited by Spain in the early 1500’s.  We even went by the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, which was attended by my (Jim’s) brother, Rusty, who actually attended there when our family lived in Florida for a few years during our childhood. Finally, as we pulled out of St Augustine, Ron and Dave cruised to Jacksonville with Jim aboard Patriot, while the girls did some much deserved shopping (I am sure that it had been at least a couple of days since any of them had been shopping), and we all met for lunch in Jacksonville before departing our separate ways. 

Dinner at Columbian with Dave & Carol Messerlie, Ron Beeber, Amy LaBarge. Had a fantastic evening with these great friends

Wednesday, the 15th,  we enjoyed a quiet anchorage near Fernandina Beach, the northernmost city in Florida.  Early the next morning we crossed into Georgia on our way to the beautiful city of Savannah, while the next night we anchored just off the ICW in a very wild and desolate area miles from any civilization.  

Oh, I almost forgot the numerous special creatures that we enjoyed the entire way from Titusville to Fernandina Beach.  Throughout this journey we have experienced numerous dolphins and manatee sharing the waterways with us.  One time, Connie was using the solar shower on the back of the boat while I was driving, when all of a sudden she saw a pair of eyes watching her.  Immediately next to the boat was a dolphin swimming in our wake, occasionally turning to look up at Connie.  We both applauded him and he stayed with us for perhaps 30 minutes.  That is certainly not the only time a dolphin has been in our wake, but this was by far the longest.  Perhaps he enjoyed seeing a human being with no clothes on!

The flirting dolphin joined us for at least 30 minutes

Friday, April 18 - Arrival in Savannah

Just outside of Savannah, we are staying at the Isle of Hope Marina, where we have already hooked up with looper friends for some great food at a great restaurant in the Oldtown section of Savannah. Joining us were Bill and Lori Hughes from San Diego Ca. (although they have a summer cottage in Charlevoix), and Steve and Sheli Sterk from Grand Rapids. They have both been traveling partners at different stages of our journey, so it was good to reminisce and catch up. We are sure that both couples will remain friends long after the loop is completed. We are planning to further explore Savannah today, because it is such a beautiful and historic city.

Flagler College in St. Augustine - lots of beautiful stained glass

Entering the harbor in St. Augustine

Stained glass window in the Cathedral-Basilica Church in St. Augustine

Sanctuary of Cathedral-Basilica Church in St. Augustine

Beautiful church, unable to capture the beauty in photos

Large home along the Georgian ICW - nothing around it but marsh and swamp

Shrimp boat apparently got too close to the shallows. Oops!

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind - where brother Rusty spent 

Another of the beautiful churches in St. Augustine

In Old St. Augustine, this beautiful flower garden flourishing on an upper level apartment, overlooking one of the oldest streets

Oldest house in St. Augustine

The Old Senator...VERY old!

Mammoth Old Senator branches

Dinner with Ron & Amy in St. Augustine

Good buddies happy to be together on the trolley tour. Had a great time with Ron & Amy, and girl time was especially needed. 

Trolley tour was a good choice to see the highlights of St. Augustine

Ripley's Believe It Or Not - a stop on the trolley tour, but not a place we toured

Ripley's building is really beautiful

The old jail, with hanging gallows on the right side of the picture

Lori & Connie sipping on margaritas while shopping in downtown Savannah

April 1, 2015 - Excited for Mexico!

The days are a blur, since we've been here. It seems that time passes so quickly that I can't remember what day, what date, or what we did yesterday! Is it old age, dementia, or just plain enjoying every day and worrying about nothing?

Last week we rented a car and spent part of a day (not nearly long enough) at the Kennedy Space Center. It happened to be the day of the Delta 4 Air Force navigation satellite system launch. It was our first visit there, so to experience a launch was topping on the cake. While we both grew up knowing about NASA and the very beginning of space exploration (geez, I guess we ARE old!), it was exhilarating to be reminded of its evolution. Space exploration as we knew it is not at all what it is now. It was great to learn about what has happened since Apollo, and what is planned for the future.

While we were in West End, Bahamas, awaiting our trip back to the U.S. on March 12,  there was another launch from Kennedy Space Center - MMS, Magnetospheric Multiscale Study, Atlas V421. Its purpose is to study the magnetic fields around the earth. This launch was really spectacular for us, as it was at night and we actually saw the booster drop off, and saw Atlas' fiery exhaust streaming through the sky until it quickly went out of sight. This location truly was one of the best for viewing launches from Kennedy.

While Merritt Island is best known for Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, the barrier island is a National Seashore/National Wildlife Refuge maintained by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, in cooperation with NASA. This really is a sight to see, and I highly recommend it to everyone!

This marina has proven to be a perfect place for us to stay for this time on our journey. It is well protected, but just off the intracoastal, people are friendly, and there are no worries about leaving the boat for our various excursions and trips during the time we are here.

Highlights since our last post:
 - Lunch and a short visit from Debbie & Greg Apel, Barb & Paul Apel (from Punta Gorda). They were in Orlando and made the drive to Titusville to catch up with us.
 - Friends Bill & Lori  on Perfect Day stayed in the marina for one night, so we had a little time to catch up with them.
 - Reconnected last night with Loopers (Gus & Roe on Summerland) who had been our neighbors in the marina at Green Turtle Bay. They live in Orlando, completed the loop and keep their boat at this marina in Titusville. It's always so much fun to reconnect with friends who have become part of our lives!!
 - THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT...going home to Michigan for 4 days for our grandson's first birthday party. We soaked up every second of time with our kids and grandkids and had a hard time saying goodbye to Kade, as it will now be two months before we will see him again. At his age, they change so fast that it's hard to keep up. Fortunately, Dave & Jen are very good at regular FaceTime visits with us.
 - While it was hard to say goodbye to the other grandkids, we are over-the-top excited about our upcoming trip with them to Mexico. We leave this Friday (the 3rd) and return on the 10th. Can't WAIT!!!

When we return from Mexico we will be on the water again, making our way north. We have reservations at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, where we will stay for a couple of days, then on to Jacksonville. Our friends Ron & Amy from Pentwater will be joining us in St. Augustine and Ron will make the day journey from St. Augustine to Jacksonville with Jim, while Amy and I have some girl time.

Life is good today and every day!

Large, beautiful houses along the intracoastal - Vero Beach

Baby Kade being shy, snuggling with Grandpa

Intracoastal is very shallow. Important to stay within the markers or we'll bottom out on these sandbars

Atlantic beach by Peck Lake anchorage

Sunset in Florida, on the intracoastal

Jensen Beach, the place my parents went every winter for several years. Awww...nostalgic flashbacks.

Sunset from our anchorage near Squidlips Bar/Restaurant 

Jim's friends gulping the run-off water from his boat washing project

Three manatee were vying the spot where fresh water was inviting them

Kennedy Space Center

Mosaic of the International Space Station and the flags depict the countries involved in the mission

Replica of the Apollo shuttles

Moon rover 

Shuttle van, used to take astronauts to the space shuttle