FLORIDA................from K

We finally made it - I never thought it would take almost a month, but it's worth it. The sun just feels warmer here, although the wind is still kicking up to more than 25 kts today in the ICW. We couldn't even cook our hotdogs on the grill for lunch like we usually do.

We ate our Thanksgiving Winn Dixie pre-cooked chicken and stove top dressing while we were hard aground in the Cumberland Sound near Kings Bay (the magenta line on the GPS lied!). No problem, we just waited for the tide to come in and continued our sail down from St. Mary's River into Jacksonville, which is a lot like going into Norfolk because of the military ships. We anchored in the deepest basin yet - 27 feet! We weren't convinced our anchor would hold, but we did just fine.

We have done a lot of motoring this past month which can be monotonous. People ask us if we ever run out of things to talk about. Actually, I usually find myself "saving up" conversations for the evening when all is quiet and still. We've learned not to interrupt each other when the other is studying a chart or engaged in a book. Because of our close proximity, it would be easy to constantly be in each other's way, but that really is not a problem. I guess this is a bit of a carry-over from our lives back in the "real" world, where we rarely ever called each other at work and definitely did not yell for each other across the house. We've even gotten better at finding lost items on our own - if only we take that skill home with us!!

bubba gump................from P

I now fully understand why the deep south is fertile ground for fiction writers and movie producers. This place is full of "colorful" people. First, you have the shrimpers. Apparently they don't much care for sailboaters from up north. They will crowd you out of the channel and nearly dismast your vessel with their widely spread outriggers pulling long nets. Admittedly they look charming, especially in the sunset with dolphin and pelican following along. Next, you have the butch marina nazi in Brunswick, GA. She was clearly not interested in a delightful customer experience. The coup-de-grace was when she told K that we could not get our septic tank pumped out because it was nearly low tide, and that would require too much effort to pull her "pump out cart" (never seen such a thing) up the dock ramp and to the city sewage lines. I thought she was kidding. That is so wrong on so many levels. Then she flatly said "I encourage people to just dump overboard." I guess that's how its done down here. I asked her again this morning because the tide was up - she literally said "no pumpout for you!" Imagine a cross between Kathy Bates in the movie "Misery" and the soup nazi in "Seinfeld." I was looking around for the candid cameras, but no - this was real. Then, we called for a cab to transport us and our groceries from the Winn-Dixie to the marina. A cab/mini-van pulled up, and out jumps what appeared to be a U.S. Marine in full combat fatigues. He had the marine hair, the marine boots, and full cammo with "U.S. Marines" on the chest pocket. When he stood smartly at attention with his arms akimbo behind his back as we boarded the cab, I asked him if he was driving this cab while also on active duty. He said "I'm not really in the military - I was just raised this way." Huh? It was too late, we were already in the moving cab. No escape. He went on to tell us stories of how a local recruiting office mistook him to be an officer, with salutes and all. And how he often "scares" people with how he looks. Glad it was a short cab ride. Then he charged us double what I estimated for the fare (no cab fare monitors down here). I was in no position to argue. Needless to say, we were glad to be back on Senara and motoring toward Florida today. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lots of these guys around. I need to get to a restaurant and eat some of these local shrimp.

Dammit just barely missed us again!

This is the cemetary featured in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"

Morning rewards......................from K

My wise father-in-law says, "you're always rewarded when you wake up early" and sometimes that promise is the only thing that gets me out of bed. Of course, he's right. We were up before the sun this morning, but it was sending up warm red rays which bounced off the puffy clouds. We were the only boat anchored in our marshy creek and with the mist on the still water, I felt like a part of nature. Our "friends" came back to usher us out to the ocean. Last night, they made it difficult to anchor because they kept playing around the bow of our boat. One dophin has a notch missing from his dorsal fin, so he obviously has not learned his lesson to keep a healthy distance from boats. Every time they surface next to us, we laugh. It's like getting that rare smile from a serious baby - a shared secret.
We have a long day today. We're going out St. Helena's inlet (bring us fair winds Mom!!) and coming back in by Hilton Head Island. After helping P get the anchor up and dodging a few crabpots, I scurried below - back into my blanket-leaden bunk. I've never gone back to bed before, but I'm hoping that this is one of our last frigid mornings, so I'm taking advantage of the situation. I'll assuage my guilt by catching up on emails...

Our new escorts.....................from K

We're anchored by the Toogoodoo Creek and planning to go up the Ashepoo River tomorrow - Faulkner couldn't come up with better southern names than these. Well, we finally left the chahhming city of Chahhleston. We toured the College of Charleston (very inviting!) and visited the Fort Sumter Memorial Museum. I had never realized the irony of the Civil War beginning with a Confederate shot at Fort Sumter.
We've had wonderful escorts down the ICW today - dozens of dolphins! One in particular has taken special delight in surfacing and blowing right on our stern, scaring us every time. He is BIG and light grey, and has quite a personality. Even unflappable P jumped a few times. I'd like to throw out a line and keep him as a pet. Tonight we plan to sleep in the saloon with our propane Mr. Heater - our best friend on the hook.

shrimp & grits................from P

We learned not to say Charleston - that's in West Virginia. It's Chahhlston here. We also learned that when you order food, be prepared to get to know your waiter. Conversations are required. This really is an old, charming city with a modern hustle & bustle. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour and heard stories of old family politics, old money shenanigans, and myriad famous characters entwined into the fabric of this city like the strands in the sweet-grass baskets being handwoven along the sidewalks by the direct descendents of west African slaves. Did you know that JFK had an affair with a beautiful Nazi spy just after the big war? Right here in an old hotel on the waterfront. The city was uber wealthy until the civil war, but was so destitute thereafter the citizens had no choice but to continue maintaining their old buildings and houses rather than starting from scratch (as did Atlanta). So the old buildings and homes are still here, each adding their special personality to the town that is a living museum of 18th century affluence. My problem is that I want to read every sign, go into every "house museum," and eat in every restaurant. Yesterday I had a bowl of hot shrimp & grits for lunch. It also had scallops, sausage pieces, and melted cheese. Man! So it is a good thing that we are stuck here because of this unbelievable weather. Oh well, got to go into town again today and maybe check out the civil war museum. And of course, K wants to walk around the campus at the College of Chahhlston. I am already thinking about lunch.

I love Charleston!...........from K

We had a tough time getting a marina slip in Charleston, but it was worth it. The City Marina has a shuttle to the downtown area and delivers a newspaper to our cockpit every morning!! Now we're talking!! We spent yesterday on the Megadock gawking at the megaboats and then went downtown and had some delicious seafood at Charleston Crab House. We can't wait to explore the city today - quick, any suggestions??
Oh, Vicky & Caroline: would you believe the Isle of Palms Marina had a sauna? It wasn't the same without you. Warm memories to you of Finland...

missing sunny & warm New England...from P

Tonight's forecast: Lows in the mid 20s (twenties!), Northwest winds 15 to 20 knots. The further south we travel, the colder it gets. I have never been so cold. For the past two days we have traveled on the "outside" - we jumped out into the ocean at Cape Fear, then into Little River inlet, then into Winyah Inlet last night. The run from Cape Fear to Little River inlet was an uncomfortable beat into a cold 20 knot wind with a very disagreeable 4 to 5 foot ocean chop. Each time Senara would ride up into a swell, she would pound down into another one - throwing cold salt spray over the bow, up around the dodger and onto us. We have spent two cold nights at anchor. Today we ducked back into the ICW and made over 40 miles. The wind angle allowed me to fly the genoa (deeply reefed) while motoring down the ditch. The power of half a sail increased our speed an additional 2 knots, allowing us to get to this marina (Isle of Palms Marina) early in the afternoon before the truly arctic temps set in. Even so, today was a frigid experience. This was the first time I have heard K simply declare (after hearing the above forecast) "we are going to have to find a marina for the night"! Good call. We are warm and toasty on board, as our reverse A/C heat pump works from a shore power connection. If we had spent tonight on the hook, they would have found us frozen solid and drifting at sea tomorrow morning.

To prepare for the day, we put on long johns, a long sleeve T shirt, a hoodie, a fleece jacket, our foul weather bibs, a winter coat, then top it off with our foul weather jacket. Boots, extra socks, ski gloves and stocking hats have also become standard sailing wear. We live off our hot tea and hot mac & cheese while under sail. And the sun goes down - fast - at 5:00 sharp. In the Nantucket sound we wore shorts & T shirts. We wore sun screen and sweated. We want to go back to New England. It is waaaay too cold down south!

K preparing to take her turn at the helm. We both look like we are getting ready to take instrument readings at the Antarctic international scientific station.

Hey - this line is frozen to my hand!

Just a swinging............from K

It's only 24 nautical miles between Wrightsville Beach and Southport, but in a 30 kt wind smacking you in the face and currents circling at the whim of passing ocean inlets, it was a tough run. But we were determined to head south. Thanks to Skipper Bob, we found a free slip next to a closed restaurant as we entered the basin. With a vicious current working against us, we finally docked with the help of Felix - fellow sailor on the other side of the dock. He and his wife have been living on their boat for 4! years - up in Maine. They're on their way to the Keys to find jobs teaching high school...hmmmmm.

Southport, which is near Wilmington, is a delightful town. They have benches and swings all along the waterfront for strollers to stop and relax. The Irish Mermaid is one of the best Celtic shops I've ever been in. P & I had a delicious dinner at the Thai Peppers Restaurant - inexpensive and tasty! Our free slip is a bit percarious. We have to climb a wooden ladder to get from the dock to shore and the wake from every boat that passes gives us a raucous ride. You get what you pay for!

K keeping Senara secure.


















A charming home purported to have been used in filming The Secret Life of Bees - it's for sale.....hmm

baby drive south............from P

We were determined to make progress yesterday, even in the fog. We took turns on "lookout" duty - sitting on the bow with a walkie-talkie, peering into the fog looking for channel markers. This would have been really stupid, except for that dependable magenta line showing us the way on the GPS screen. We were blessed with perfect weather on our northern trip, but as all dynamic systems eventually return to the mean, we are now paying the price. I can only remember one day since Nov 3rd when we could sail in the sunshine, and no days without a jacket or full raingear. So for now we are stubbornly pushing our way south, even if it is only 20 miles in a day, down the ditch, in nasty weather.

These conditions do bring their own forms of entertainment. Our more frequent marina stops have allowed us to meet some great and interesting people. We now recognize about a dozen boats that we regularly see, and have met five or six of the fellow travelers. We have benefited greatly from their advice - especially Chuck and Ali aboard their well equipped Island Packet 38. We enjoyed a great dinner and boat-talk with them in Beaufort, and got to watch the election returns aboard their gorgeous boat back in Great Bridge (where we were all socked in by the northeaster). Yesterday I was entertained by another fellow souther from Massachusetts, even if it was in a different way. We saw him pull out of a marina ahead of us in a Catalina 42 in the fog - I thought "great, I can just follow his mast to the next mark" - but that was just about the time I saw his boat tilt violently forward, saw him try to spin it around, heard the engine gunning, saw it spewing black smoke, and to top it off I saw a crabpot float following his stern around! Aground! Well, it happens to the best of us. He pushed off the mud and continued ahead. Not sure what happened to the crabpot. A little later I noticed he was zigging and zagging almost to the muddy shoals across the channel, then he took a green channel marker to starboard (wrong side). I said to K - "watch this guy and don't get too close, by the way I have named him 'Wrong-Way'." As we approached one of the many turn bridges, several boats were in a bunch waiting for the opening. As it turned open, Wrong Way started hard toward the shore side of the opening. All I could see over there were rocks leading down to the water and a guy standing on the rocks with a fishing pole. I started moving toward the channel through the correct side of the bridge opening - figuring that he must know it is OK to pass simultaneously on the other side of the turn bridge - suddenly I heard the bridge operator screaming over the radio "Sailboat going on the wrong side of the bridge - you are going to find serious trouble over there !!! Stop!! Stop!!" I slammed Senara into reverse, the boat behind me slammed into reverse, and finally - Wrong Way was able to back out of his pending disaster and swing to port, squeezing between my bow and the bridge, just in time to make it into the channel. Five miles later at the next turn bridge, I eased up near Wrong Way's stern. Good naturedly he hollered "I will try to pick the right side of the bridge this time! Last time I went the Wrong Way!" As I said, even these conditions can bring entertainment.

We are planning a real sail from Cape Fear to Little River Inlet tomorrow. It is supposed to be sunny and breazy. I can't wait. But for today, as my favorite musician John Hiatt sings...... baby drive south!

The fog thinned enough to see this tropical mansion. We know there is sunshine somewhere south!

You know your entertainment options are limited when you start playing with the lables from your mechanical equipment.

Where are the Bahamas?..........from K

Talk about getting kicked when you're down:

We were anchored in the Swansboro basin bouncing around in a torrential rainstorm when all of a sudden WHAM!! We were hit by a loose sailboat! It took 2 chunks out of our shiny teak toerail and then bounced off. P & I were up in the cockpit in a flash armed with boathooks and an obnoxious horn. Alas, we had seen the boat's "boys" head off to town in their dinghy so we knew no one was on board. We called the closest marina to alert them and they sent the Coast Guard - big excitement! The CG secured the boat and asked about our damage, but we didn't want to get caught up in filing reports. Besides, we felt a little bit of parental affection for the three sailors. We had watched them the evening before load up their skateboards in their dinghy to hit the town. They had waved at us enthusiastically and when P suggested that they might be anchored a little close to us, they willingly pulled anchor and moved to a "safer" place. Talk about irony.

When they finally returned (reportedly from "the library"?) to their boat after its little adventure this morning, they were duly contrite and even offered to repair the damage to Senara. P gave them some admonishing Dad advice on anchoring and last we saw them, they were fishing/motoring down the ICW. Tooo cute!! P's not so amused. I love the interesting people we meet.

Tonight we're in a Camp LeJeune anchorage - surrounded by camouflaged marines, watercraft and "warthogs" - weird. When do we get to the Bahamas?

Senara bears scars from this runaway sailboat.

Full moon with the cirrus clouds announcing the pending storm last night

Marines fishing along the ICW banks at Camp LeJeune

Beaufort!.................from P

You can lick your ice cream cone while doing your laundry. Or you can borrow one of the big ol' Buick Roadmaster courtesy station wagons and drive to the hardware store. Or get a fish sandwich and a few beers at one of the many casual waterfront pubs or cafes. We did all of those things (big entertainment for us). I can see why Beaufort, NC was rated by Sail Magazine as one of the top 10 stopovers on the entire ICW. The city marina has floating docks with all the ameneties (power, water, cable TV) at your slip. Plus the fuel lines are run so that you can re-fuel without moving the boat out of the slip! These are the kinds of little luxuries that I so much appreciate, and are rarely found all in one marina. As a bonus, the mariners museum in Beaufort is the best one I have seen so far, north or south. And it is free admission! It's worth stopping just to gawk at all the gorgeous boats coming in and out of the marina. We had to leave because Senara was getting jealous. But we will definitely be back.

Clawson's Restaurant - you simply must get the Sea Bass Special. And be patriotic about it.

real heros................from K

I just finished Three Cups of Tea, and as many of you know because you recommended it to me, it is a powerful read. It's about Greg Mortenson, an American mountain climber, who stumbles into a poor village in Pakistan in the 1990's and is so moved by their generosity that he promises to come back and build them a school. Fascinating story cut short: he ends up building hundreds of school through worn-torn Pakistan & Afghanistan, despite being kidnapped, shot at, and dodging American bombs. He had every reason to halt his efforts, but yet he kept the image of the children's need and desire to be educated as his focus. Wow - what an inspiration!

Yet, this book reminds me of a story much closer to my own experience -- the story of Maison-Fortune Orphanage in Haiti. This is a school that P & I have supported and my daughter, E & I have visited. The orphange was started by Lefort, Jean-Louis, a Haitian man who as a young man had the good fortune to meet a sensitive Xavarian Brother, Cos Rubencamp. Brother Cos encouraged Jean-Louis in his studies and even arranged for him to attend Va. Tech. Jean-Louis returned to Haiti and began this orphanage with 3 children and it has grown to more than 100 boys. Jean-Louis is now in the process of building a separate school for girls. Much credit for this goes to our friends, the DiRenzo family who tirelessly push for support of the school at a grassroots level. So, if you can't read Three Cups of Tea in the next day or so, visit this website: http://www.maisonfortune.com/ It will remind us all how little it takes to help others and how much some people are willing to sacrifice - God has truly blessed them with a passionate mission. May we all be so blessed.

the magenta line........from P

I have had to readjust my sensory expectations. On our other long distance cruises, especially the northern leg of this adventure, we have flown the canvass (OK actually a mylar-dacron composite) 75% of the time. We will only grudgingly fire up the iron sail when it's time to roll up the real sails and pull into port, or when we have to beat straight into the wind to make time, or when there is some emergency, minor or otherwise. So far this trip is different. I now know why the intracoastal waterway (ICW) is affectionately, and sometimes not so affectionately known as "the ditch." Today was a great day because we actually hoisted both the mainsail and the genoa - and sailed fast in the Neuse River - for about three hours. But this was a special exception, because we have been motoring for a hundred and fifty straight days. Maybe that is an exaggeration - we actually had another great two hour sail across the Albemarle Sound on Friday. Otherwise we run the motor probably 90% of the time. You have to. The canals that connect together all the various sounds and rivers are just over 100 feet wide in some places, and you have to keep the boat in the middle 50. My GPS/chartplotter shows a thin red line running down the middle of the ICW channels all the way from Norfolk to Florida. It is pre-programmed into the chart function of the GPS and it is amazingly accurate. If I am on that line, my depth sounder shows 12 to 16 feet. If I move off that line by just a few yards I show 8 to 10 feet. I dare not experiment much further. So in the canals I am fixated on this little line, described in our cruising guide as "magenta." All day my head bobs up and down from the GPS screen to the water just ahead (we have been repeatedly warned about floating logs and fallen trees). I think I have just figured out why my neck is sore. All the while, the iron sail drones along at 2,000 RPM. I am finally learning to embrace it. I do love my new engine - it fires right up with the touch of a button and it is as dependable as the tides. It also runs 1.75 hours on a gallon of diesel. These are good motoring thoughts. Also, the fall colors in the woods - framed by the cypress stumps and scalloped mud shoreline - make for incredible scenery as you think about the gallons of diesel. And listen to the sound of the engine. And dream of sailing. Maybe soon.


Better keep it straight. Lots of submerged stumps and "dead heads" along the perimeter.















Some fellow ditch runners. It's fun to travel in a
pack











Our bowsprit



















This sure beats the office.

Wine & Words - what else?.............from K

This is a much different trip going south - cold!! We spent a rainy night tied up in Coinjock and then a lovely night on the hook in the Alligator River - I kept looking for alligators until P showed me the chart and I realized that the river LOOKS like an alligator, not full of them (false advertising!). We were able to sail for a few fleeting miles, but for the most part we are motoring through the ditch. I'll be glad when we get to Beaufort and can sail on the outside.

Tonight, we are in the lovely little - slightly depressed- town of Bellhaven. We walked into town to Wine & Words cafe and bought some used books and had a delicious tapas lunch. Interestingly, we met a couple related to the family that bought Middle Ground Lighthouse next to the M&M Bridge Tunnel. They invited us to sail over and see the renovations when we get home. They don't realize that we will come...

where's the sun & fun?.....................from K

We've been tied to the side of the canal in Great Bridge since Monday waiting for the nor'easter to blow through. Today we're gonna motor down the ditch in the rain regardless. Our goal is to make it to Coinjock. Doing the ICW has honed new skills for us like keeping our boat "still" while waiting for a bridge to open. P's getting pretty good at jockeying the boat around, adjusting to the push of the current and dodging other sailboats who are in the same predicament. It reminds me of trying to get a herd of frisky horses to stand still in a line - there's always one who has to antagonize the others.
Despite the cold, wet weather, it's good to be back on Senara. We brought a friend this time - Mr. Heater (the actual name on the box!). He's getting a workout - and so is our raingear. I'm dreaming of a ray of sunshine tomorrow...

get yer ball!.............from P

I laid in my V-berth bunk this morning thinking about playing ball with Abby. She was our little heinz-57 terrier, multi breed, born on the streets of Baltimore, family pet of 12 years. Yesterday morning we delayed our departure because we had to finally give it up and take Abby in to have her put down. She was suffering from liver problems, pancreas problems, and she had become senile. She would get lost in the kitchen and just stand in one place and shiver. Around 4:00 AM yesterday morning she fell down the steps. No broken bones this time. Thinking she wanted to go out, I carried her outside and stood her up in the yard - she walked over to the wooded area and got tangled up in the briars. She used to own those woods. Now she couldn't find her way around the vines. She stayed frightened and frozen much of the time, picking a spot to stand and shake. So we decided it was time. I laid awake this morning remembering playing ball with her for hours, walking through the woods, our every-morning and every-evening routine, and yes our overnight sailing trips where she would sleep on her pillow on the floor next to our bunk. Around mid-day, after we had buried her, we were walking out of the garage to board Senara for final departure. Glancing around the garage my eyes landed on her yellow doggie life jacket. It was a tough morning.

casting off tomorrow!...........from P

Senara's waterline has dissapeared near the stern. 40 gallons of diesel, 90 gallons of water, a packed fridge, a cabinet full of canned goods, 3 cases of beer, most of the clothes we own, 50 or 60 pounds of tools, fishing gear, diving gear, printer, a dozen or so books, linens, spare anchor and chain, lines, spare parts, dinghy motor, charts & guides, grill, and all the normal sailing equipment. Add it all up and its a wonder she floats at all! I love it. We are Packed and Provisioned! Senara is all cleaned up, packed up and ready to set sail. The lines will be cast off tomorrow morning around 9:00 or so. I am excited to get underway again - let's head south!