12-23-09 We left Las Olas Marina, Ft. Lauderdale yesterday noon and went down the ICW to North Miami Beach. We dropped anchor with two other boats in Maule Lake just off the ICW. We will make our way to Miami Beach from here to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day we will sail out Government Inlet and cross to Bimini.

12-26-09 Alice Town, North Bimini, Bahamas. What a ride! Hauled anchor in Miami Beach at 7:00 pm Christmas Day and took Government Cut out of Miami Beach across the Gulf. The Southwest wind was with in the beginning and some chop but the winds soon turned North, Northwest and the chop became an all out falling sea. Anyway, the three boats traveling together made it across to the channel into Alice Town safely. However, one of the boats lost his engine before entering the channel. They tried unsuccessfully to sail in and ended up dropping anchor. During the anchoring process, Cal caught his thumb in the chain. He has been airlifted back to Florida to have reattachment. TowBoatUS towed their boat into the anchorage with the rest of us in Alice Town. We'll hang out here with them until there is a conclusion. We dropped anchors here at 8:00 a.m. Bill cleared us through customs and we are flying the Bahamian courtesy flag! After some rest, tomorrow we get to enjoy this beautiful place.




12-27-09 I'm glad to say Cal underwent surgery and will be flown back to his boat this evening. Timing is everything and the fact that the power boat coming in behind Cal owned an airplane and his pilot was available to pick Cal up and take him back to Florida; then a hand surgeon was on duty at the hospital to perform the reattachment within the critical time period; and finally the pilot will be flying Cal back to the boat tonight. There is no airport on this small island of North Bimini so the seaplane will land here in the channel where we are anchored. We walked the length of the island this morning. All the shops were closed as it is Sunday, but all the churches were in high gear. The islanders are very religious Baptist and we witnessed a revival meeting. Whew, I bet they are tired and need a nap after church! We walked back down the back side of the island which is all sandy beach. We were gone 3 hours, but saw the island. We were back on the boat when a Palm Beach couple here for the week with their dog Amber dinghied over to tell us a fishing boat has just come in to the government pier with fresh fish and they held up a "lobster." So we investigated and found fishermen from Nassau who sell wholesale but didn't find a buyer for all their fish so here they were. Dad "negotiated" two "lobsters" and another variety of snapper for $25.00. Fun talking to them. They are experiencing the high cost of overhead to fish too. We went back to the beach and met some other boaters from Annapolis and got to see our dogs enjoying the water. Skipper wades; Lilly (surfer girl) went in once and after that decided that wasn't her thing (she is a puppy); Sadie wouldn't come out. She was in heaven. After a dinghy race and bumper boat competition with our friends from the Release, we decided to do some touring in the dinghy and educate ourselves on the water depth. First off Polarized lenses and then remembering our reading, we set forth to distinquish the deep water from the deeper water and the coral water and grass water. After this big day we are sitting on the back porch with a drink and enjoying the warmth.

12-23-09 We left Las Olas Marina, Ft. Lauderdale yesterday noon and went down the ICW to North Miami Beach. We dropped anchor with two other boats in Maule Lake just off the ICW. We will make our way to Miami Beach from here to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day we will sail out Government Inlet and cross to Bimini.

We are in Miami Beach tonight anchored.  We wish everyone a Merry Merry Christmas and we will be back on line ASAP.  Love to all.

I'm Dreaming of A Snow Goose Christmas.....

This is LILLY 'the surfer girl' and SADIE

& Skipper hunting the wild Greco.

It wouldn't be Christmas with out the tree!!! [ I wonder what Santa is going to put under there??]

Christmas Boat Parade

Here are some lights on a nice WARM night in FL

a beautiful CHRISTMAS tree...

Our RENTAL car

party BOAT

i can't imagine how long it took to do this!!!

the end

Christmas Florida Style

Renee will be attaching pictures I have uploaded of Christmas in St. Augustine and the Las Olas Ft. Lauderdale boat parade. The boaters had quite the time. We had friends over, grilled dinner and watched the decorated boats go by. Fun evening. We have been preparing the boat and provisioning for the crossing to the islands. Now it is a matter of waiting for a good weather window without any northerly winds or winds over 15 knots. We have crossed over to the Las Olas Marina slip which is really quite a reasonable facility. The beach is across from the marina and the local transit takes you anywhere you want to go. The weather has been in the 80's every day and sunny. We are thinking of all of you during the Christmas season. Thank you so much for keeping in touch and following us in our great adventure.

12-12-09 Geoff the good news is the outboard is working quite well now. It likes to ride on the stern of the Snow Goose and likes to be very dry. Great huh for a water animal. Yes, the starter again. We have a mechanic coming aboard on Monday for a look see at the overall engine before we cross that Gulf Stream to Bimini. We'll let you know how that goes. Actually, the engine has been just fine working away every day down the ICW. It is a bit dirty running however and we think a little tuneup might be due. It will be good to pull those sails out again.

12/12/09 Hello from sunny Ft. Lauderdale. Warm and wonderful! We arrived yesterday after going under 4 more bridges (we did 5 bridges the day before in seven miles). The bridges all have timed openings that sometimes we were able to make, sometimes not and we would go around in circles for 30 minutes. One of the bridges was stuck in the down position, so we did a pier side pit stop that involved a couple of Margueritas. We were lucky enough to pick up a mooring in Ft. Lauderdale outside the Las Olas Bridge at a municipal marina at a decent rate. We will hang here until we are ready and the weather suitable for our crossing. We are looking forward to a Christmas boat parade tonight. We have a ring side seat. I will send pictures.

Dec 4th We anchored in Titusville FL within view of Cape Canaveral Space Center on December 3rd. We had hoped to see a rocket launching but it was rescheduled due to weather. We had a beautiful day with the sail up along the river populated with wildlife preserves, dolphines and fishing camps. There were manatee protection areas all along, but we have yet to see one, nor have we spotted an allegator or pink flamingo. For that matter, the crab still hasn't hoped onto my dinner plate, however Bill keeps trying. We woke up this morning to a light rain, but decided to take off anyway. By 1:30 the rain took on a serious note, so we anchored outside of Melbourne, Fl with fellow cruisers we've met along the way. The shoaling along the ICW persists and the waters are shallow. It really is difficult to get used to these large bodies of water with only 6 or 7 feet depth. The cruisers all keep in touch during the day on the VHF radios, and when we come to an anchorage it is always fun to see who joins you, and try to remember when and where we last saw them. The boat now looks like a Chinese laundry with our wet clothes hung and the propane lantern going to dry them (and provide reading light). The plan is to head for Vero Beach tomorrow. We will be Bahama bound soon!

Dec 7th Rain or no rain, we pulled out of our Melbourne anchorage and headed for Vero Beach on the 5th. The weather declined by the minute and it rained so hard you could only see 150 or less feet in front of you. The Coast Guard released weather info about winds gusting to 50 knt - see safe harbor. Well, there was no safe shelter in the shallow waters so we along with two following sail boats continued on. During a thunderstorm we lost satellite - YIKES! However, a follower did not, and took over the lead. Our electronics came back on within minutes too. The Coast Guard then released tornado warnings from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. However, still not place to go except trudge on. Anyway, long day but safe ending in Vero Beach Municipal Marina. We rafted to a Maine boat, Hook, a Morris built boat out of Southwest Harbor, with a young couplo and their two little girls. We were on No. 1 mooring and aptly put because we were the two most beautiful and smallest boats in the harbor. Again, we did the dry out clothing thing, and gave ourselves Sunday there in the harbor to recoup. Bill and friends got the !!!!!! outboard going while we played with the dogs aboard and so we took the dighny into the big city on Sunday and shopped. This morning, Dec. 7, we headed out again traveling the Indian River with the low water alarm beeping at us continually, but we had the good fortune to be following a huge barge and tug plowing the way. The weather turned into Florida weather - 80's - and partly sunny and we had a nice wind to help us along as we were bucking the tide most of the day. We dropped anchor at 4:30 pm in Hobe Sound along the ICW. We will be down in the Palm Beach area tomorrow.

Dec 8 we played the bridges to North Palm Beach and dropped anchor just after noon. We took the dinghy down a small channel and tied up along a fence, then walked into a plaza area and got groceries.

Dec 9: Hauled anchor (having trouble with the starter) and decided to play the five bridges down the ICW into Delray Beach Marina and hopefully find a mechanic to look at our starter problem. The day again was beautiful, warm, in the 80's and just fueling our fires for the Bahamas. As we go along the ICW there are areas where there are channels that jet off toward the mainland where residences are built with their docks. The channels are sometimes shallow and sometimes deep enough that we see sailing vessels outside of homes. What a life! I think we have decided to jump off the mainland in Ft. Lauderdale for the Bahamas. Ft. Lauderdale is coming up next once our starter problem is resolved.

Pictures from the ICW

OK - Trying this again. Can you add a comment so I know that the link is working that would be helpful. THANKS!

View photos here

Dec 1 - Tuesday The wind was blowing and the current and tide was running hard when we left St. Augustine. Help with the lines got us off the dock safely and the rest of the day was beautiful sailing. It was in the 70's all day and sunny sometimes. The waterway was just beautiful with nice homes and lots of bird life, and of course our dolphin followers. There were three gigantic stocks standing in the top of some trees - quite a silly sight. The water was shallow today in many spots. Among the shallowest was entering Daytona Beach under the bridges. We are anchored in the harbor. Bill has given up crabbing and broke out the fishing pole. I reserve comment. Our fellow cruiser in the anchorage is taking his dog in the dinghy for a little land time - there is lots of barking in anticipation. We spent yesterday enjoying the day in St. Augustine. I took pictures of the "Old Town" historic section with the Christmas lights illuminated. I will try to label pictures posted on the blog in the future. I'm still in the learning stages. The pictures are all sights along the ICW and our marinas and anchorages. Whenever we had white knuckle moments passing a barge or a cruise ship or when we were anchored with a beautiful sunset or there was wild life, I took a picture. I hope I can figure out what goes where when we put everything together. Tomorrow is supposed to be a weather day, so we may just go as far as a marina and safe harbor.

Dec 3 Happy Birthday Greg! We pulled into a marina in Daytona Beach yesterday morning to ride out a high wind and rain storm. Took the bus into the city and bought a new grill for the boat along with groceries. Finding the bus stop and then the bus took a few phone calls but we made it. Today is cloudy but warm and the wind has calmed so we'll leave and head toward Vero Beach.

Nov 30 - St. Augustine, FL. Beautiful here and warm during the day (very cool nights, but they tell us that too will change). We met friends here yesterday and had the tour of a beautiful Spanish influenced city and dinner at their home. It was wonderful to be in a real home again. Our trip down the Florida ICW on Friday and Saturday was so beautiful. Mansions being built along the canal; massive marshes with many, many birds, dolphins playing all around us ( they really want to be in the boat with us); and the tide behind us. We just ran into friends from St. Marys walking their dogs. They are anchored outside St. Augustine. We are becoming a community as we go along our way.

Thanksgiving.
We sailed into St. Marys, GA yesterday afternoon and were greeted by locals inviting us to the Thanksgiving festivities. First up, cocktail hour at 5:30. They served roasted oysters and everyone brought an appetizer. What a huge crowd! Today Bill helped set up for 300 people for the feast. The town provided the turkeys, hams, and desserts and the boaters all brought a covered dish. There are 97 boats in the harbor and the setup was for 300 people with almost all the chairs filled. There was so much food and all of it was wonderful! But the best part was meeting all the other boaters and telling and hearing the stories. We sat with a couple from Vermont with their dog Skipper. Actually, there were probably eight or ten dogs in attendance. This evening there is a live bank and dancing in the park. Tomorrow a parade, tree lighting, etc. St. Marys is a small town but all the people have big hearts and embrace the boaters and I am sure their boost to the economy. We are now on the Florida border so 1,000 miles of Florida here we come.

Nov 20th. We are anchored in Bull River tonight. We are about 15 miles from Beaufort and are headed for Hilton Head tomorrow. The day was beautiful weatherwise but the ICW was very shallow. We had the tide going with us most of the way, fortunately, so we made good mph, but that meant the tide was going out. We followed a barge through the worst cuts. He plowed the way through very shallow waters leaving a mud wake in this path. The dolphins again kept us entertained with their syncronized swimming. I continue to try to get a good picture of them. We met a boat from Victoria BC along the waterway - I told them I loved Victoria; they said they loved our boat. We continue to get praises and recognition because we are from Maine - even from the bridge operators. We think of you all often and love to read your comments. It doesn't seem possible to us that Thanksgiving is next week!!!
Nov 21st We are anchored tonight in Bull River again, but across from Hilton Head Island. The fog had us socked in this morning, so we sat it out until 9:30 a.m. However, again today the tides were with us so we were able to cruise to Hilton Head after all. We are getting excited as we are only about 200 miles from Florida. I know, it took us long enough. Actually, tomorrow is supposed to rain, so I am not sure how far we will go. St. Mary's has a Thanksgiving feast for boaters so we thought it might be fun to attend - if we can make it. We are missing the big dog show in R.I. this year with all the GSP puppies. It had become a tradition to attend with Erik, Jodi, Jon and Hannah. I certainly will miss seeing all the German Shorthairs, but I wish my favorite breeders and handlers the very best. I will be checking out the winners and crossing my fingers. I am amazed at how many people have one or two dogs or a couple of cats on their boats. You can hear the dogs barking in the dinghy excited to be going ashore. The dogs are big and small, and we've met dogs who have cruised their whole life.
Nov 22nd True to the forecast, it is raining. However, we did get 30 miles in before we had to tie up. We are in Thunderbolt, GA. We chose to sit out the rain in the Bahia Bleu Marina, do laundry, have showers and heat. The cruise today was quiet and almost lonely. I think most of our sailing companions moved on ahead of us during our stay in Charleston. But we intend to catch up over the next couple of days, weather permitting. We have some very shallow water ahead of us along the ICW, so the tides are also a factor. The tides are 7 to 9 ft. along here, and change without warning as we cross the many channels, inlets and outlets. We did get a break today with the tides. Most of the time they were pushing us along and we had the jib up to add to the rpms. We are told December 1 is the first day of winter around here, so we have got to get moving south. I don't want to face anything colder than what it is now - 55 degrees behind the helm today.


Nov 23 Monday We were up before dawn determined to get a good start with the tides. Well, good plan, but only about 3 miles into our cruise the bascule bridge was only scheduled to open on the hour. So, we dropped anchor and waited our 45 minutes. Next up was Hell Gate, a channel 6 feet wide with water charted 6 feet deep. It was our concern for the tide, and in the end the bridge delay was probably our savior as we had no groundings along the way. How about that!! Bill had to pass a huge barge in shallow water (thank goodness I was washing dishes), holding his breath the entire way. Also a triple decker cruise ship plowed its way past us (and I know he plowed through mud because our fathometer was reading 5 feet) Yes, the ICW in Georgia is shallow. The day was cool, foggy and dreary and we wore our "let's go out to play in the snow clothes" all day. We have also noticed that there is a lot of "paper mill smell" in the air since entering Georgia. We cruised 10 hours, 57 miles. No, we are not fast, but it is our best day yet. We hope to repeat it again tomorrow. Tonight we are anchored off Sapelo River in the mouth of the Julienton River just outside the Sapelo Sound near Dog Hammock and Black Beard Island (only in Georgia).

Nov 24, Tuesday. We are in Brunswick GA at the Brunswick Landing Marina tonight. We decided we had better restock before the holiday and needed water. We again got an early start and did the shallow Georgia waterways. Again the day is dreary and 60 degrees - warm weather gear. We passed a dredging operation in progress. One of these days I will get some pictures posted (I have to have Renee help me). A couple in the boat next to us gave us a ride to the Win Dixie grocery store, and since we had wheels we stocked up. Then we walked downtown and had a wonderful dinner in Brunswick. We have caught up with some boater acquaintances again. There is a family with an 8 year old and 3 year old girl that are on their way to the Bahamas. Obviously, the 8 year old is home schooled so they can do the trip. The laundramat is a wonderful place to chat and hear about other boaters and their lives. The couple that gave us a ride the store today live on their boat and go from one marina to the next, spending a month here and another one there. They are on their way to Fernandina Fl this weekend after being in Brunswick for a month. Tomorrow we will head out for St. Mary's, Florida and stay over for Thanksgiving. We wish all of you the most wonderful Thanksgiving and wish to thank you for being on this great adventure with us. We love that you are here too!

Southbound

Nov 20th. We are anchored in Bull River tonight. We are about 15 miles from Beaufort and are headed for Hilton Head tomorrow. The day was beautiful weatherwise but the ICW was very shallow. We had the tide going with us most of the way, fortunately, so we made good mph, but that meant the tide was going out. We followed a barge through the worst cuts. He plowed the way through very shallow waters leaving a mud wake in this path. The dolphins again kept us entertained with their syncronized swimming. I continue to try to get a good picture of them. We met a boat from Victoria BC along the waterway - I told them I loved Victoria; they said they loved our boat. We continue to get praises and recognition because we are from Maine - even from the bridge operators. We think of you all often and love to read your comments. It doesn't seem possible to us that Thanksgiving is next week!!!
Nov 21st We are anchored tonight in Bull River but across from Hilton Head Island. The fog had us socked in this morning, so we sat it out until 9:30 a.m. However, again today the tides were with us so we were able to cruise to Hilton Head after all. We are getting excited as we are only about 200 miles from Florida. I know, it took us long enough. Actually, tomorrow is supposed to rain, so I am not sure how far we will go. St. Mary's has a Thanksgiving feast for boaters so we thought it might be fun to attend - if we can make it. We are missing the big dog show in R.I. this year with all the GSP puppies. It had become a tradition to attend with Erik, Jodi, Jon and Hannah. I certainly will miss seeing all the German Shorthairs, but I wish my favorite breeders and handlers the very best. I will be checking out the winners and crossing my fingers. I am amazed at how many people have one or two dogs or a couple of cats on their boats. You can hear the dogs barking in the dinghy excited to be going ashore. The dogs are big and small, and we've met dogs who have cruised their whole life.
Nov 22nd True to the forecast, it is raining. However, we did get 30 miles in before we had to tie up. We are in Thunderbolt, GA. We chose to sit out the rain in the Bahia Bleu Marina, do laundry, have showers and heat. The cruise today was quiet and almost lonely. I think most of our sailing companions moved on ahead of us during our stay in Charleston. But we intend to catch up over the next couple of days, weather permitting. We have some very shallow water ahead of us along the ICW, so the tides are also a factor. The tides are 7 to 9 ft. along here, and change without warning as we cross the many channels, inlets and outlets. We did get a break today with the tides. Most of the time they were pushing us along and we had the jib up to add to the rpms. We PASSED a huge very long barge being pushed by three tugs. We are told December 1 is the first day of winter around here, so we have got to get moving south. I don't want to face anything colder than what it is now - 55 degrees behind the helm today.

Welcome new followers!! We love the comments. Yes Geoff the local culture is quite interesting??? Y'all from Maine??? You should see the summer home (one of many) this Piggly Wiggely founder owns! They'll would love to see the snow!! Little do they know! In the 70's here today. We know what they are missing !!!

Nov 18 We are here in Charleston, SC Yesterday we finished installed the fresh water pump and gave the boat a good wash down. In the evening we walked to the hotel where Connie and Joe were staying and enjoyed a wonderful meal on Queen Street with Joe and Connie (Connie's treat!) Today we toured the historic district of Charleston on a horse drawn carriage, walked around the College of Charleston, and then drove out to the Magnolia Plantation. We really enjoyed our time with Connie and Joe, and feel like we have inhaled Charleston. Tomorow we plan to leave the dock early and head down the ICW south.

Nov 15th We departed from Georgetown, finally, at 7 am. We are now anchored in Whiting Creek across from Capers State Park, 3/4 of a mile from the Atlantic Ocean, at mile 451 on the ICW. We are in good company with other boats we've met along the way. We will be in Charleston early tomorrow. We plan to anchor tomorrow and then pick up a marina on Tuesday. We will meet Connie and Joe on Tuesday afternoon and hopefully spend the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday with them seeing Charleston. The weather today was beautiful, sunny and in the 70's. We had no wind, but it was almost a relief after the past 4 days. The ICW passed through the Cape Romain Wildlife Preserve today. We saw many Bald Eagles, white and blue herons, another heron that resembles our Green Heron but larger, and the dolphins were around us all day. They know of I love them. I just can't get a picture of them -they are too fast. However, I continue to be challenged. Bill contends he saw an allegator next to Allegator Creek. I missed it. The water along the ICW today was very shallow and commanded constant attention at the helm. That's my excuse for missing the allegator. I send you all thoughts of sunshine, beautiful scenery and temps in the 70's. May tomorrow be a repeat.

Nov 16th. We've been on our trip for 2 months now. The day is again beautiful and sunny. We traveled the ICW where the piers are very long from the homes in order to cross the marshland to the water, and everyone hauls their boats out of the water because of the constant wake from boats traveling the ICW. Everyone with a home along the ICW has a pier and at least one boat. Again today the dolphins played around us as we sailed. We are always trying to make the bridges that only go up on the hour. We just made it today. This bridge was the railroad swing bridge that was scheduled to close on the 11th of November and they pushed the date forward to the end of November. We are in Charleston Harbor tonight at Charleston City Marina. We decided to come into the marina because the fresh water system pump decided to quit last night, which necessitated a visit to West Marine today. Bill is trying to get the new pump installed now. We'll stay here to visit with Connie & Joe tomorrow and maybe Wednesday. We are definitely feeling like we have made the South now.

The wind was blowing hard again this morning, so here we are still in Georgetown. The surprise was the sun came out this afternoon and it was sunny and warm. This morning we worked on the boat. Bill changed the oil and filter and replaced the main halyard while I did dishes and cleaned up inside. We washed the hull and the dinghy. Then we treated ourselves to crab sandwiches at the Goat Island Grill for lunch. We walked many miles looking for a hardware store. No such thing within walking distance. We again hope to set out tomorrow toward our Charleston destination.

Tropical Storm IDA

Okay. I understand this trip may be boring for all of you, but I need support here. Where are your comments that I loved reading??? I love Bill dearly, but really, I do need outside input. A 30' sailboat is VERY SMALL during a 4 day storm in which you are anchored in a very small town. Actually out of self preservation we hauled anchor this AM and pulled into a marina here in Georgetown (fortunately some much larger boat decided to leave the marina). The winds are still blowing and the weather is still not safe for us to be out and about. The fresh shrimp is wonderful and Piggily Wiggily provided transportation back to the boat. And the marina has a shower and laundry. PERFECT ! Our friends we met along the way contact us to get the lastest locations and the people we have met along the way are the greatest. It seems that the coastal community and the ICW know the mariners are against great odds. We love you all. More to come.

Nov 7, Saturday. Again today it was sunny with temps starting at 50 and hitting 60 at one point. We still are wearing winter clothing behind the helm during the 50's however. There were white herons, ducks of all kinds, unknown sea birds galore, and the dolphins playing their games around our boat. The homes and landscapes with green grass, flowering bushes and waterfront piers were beautiful along the ICW. We watched a sailboat that was on hard, REAL HARD, tried to be towed by TowBoatUS with no success. We have no idea how the boat could have gotten into the shoal so far. We had five bridges today, two that opened on the hour. We missed that hour opening on both by five or ten minutes. That really slowed us up today. After running out of daylight, we anchored in Snow's Cut, just across from Orton Point, south of Carolina Beach Inlet, NC. It crosses Cape Fear. There is a bridge in Charlestown that we are trying to get to before they close for construction for a week on November 11th. A big paddleboat all lite up just passed us playing music. It looks like it might be a casino cruiser. People along the ICW do a lot of fishing, with boats or without. This would be a great place to be a child with shallow water vessels. There are so many marshes, inlets and places to explore, and the wildlife is fantastic.
Nov 8, Sunday. Just a beautiful day in North Carolina. We are just a few miles away from Little River, South Carolina anchored in a little cove off the ICW. Our journey today along the ICW was just a fraction of a mile away from the Atlantic - at times the two joined. The homes were back to back on the ICW and Atlantic. The area is really beautiful. We managed to make the one bridge at opening time today. It was a pontoon bridge at Sunset Beach, the last one remaining on the Atlantic. Zero clearance. I guess there is local interest in preserving it. They decorate it at Christmas time. However, a new high level bridge is under construction. Lots of activity on the ICW today, fishing and pleasure power boats, jetskis, and kids playing on the beaches. We travel with familiar boats, all of us heading to a warmer climat. Tomorrow we must get another early start and get some miles in again in an effort to get to the Charleston bridge before the 11th.
Nov 9, Monday. Left the anchorage at 6:30 am proceeding back into ICW. The current caught us, drifted us sideways onto a sidebar, grounded again. We spent 20 minutes kegging off and went on our way toward Georgetown. However, around noon we discovered the alternator was not functioning. We called Hague Marina, the oldest marina on the ICW (and it looked it) and they had a mechanic available to look at our problem. The marina was located in back of an island with a narrow channel entrance. Well guess what, we got hung up on shallow water again. However, this time we were lucky enough to back out. It was like chocolate pudding down there. Long story short, the mechanic turned out to be very efficient, found a broken wire immediately. He also traced our problem with the running lights that had recently developed. It was a corroded socket in our deck light (the one mounted halfway up the mast). So he cut the power to the deck light so at least we have running lights now. The marina was awful! No anything except water. They did tell us that construction on the Charleston bridge is being delayed to the end of November. We gave the boat a bath and then ourselves to at least get our money's worth charged by the marina. Spent the night.
Nov 10, Tuesday. There is a tropical depression looming in our neck of the woods. However, we had to escape the dreadful Hague Marina. So we took our chances and headed out of the marina as soon as we hoped we had enough water to get down that narrow channel heading back in to the ICW. WE MADE IT! We were lucky enough to get to Georgetown, SC, anchor the boat, get some walking and shopping time in, get diesel fuel and get back on the boat before the rains came. Now we expect to be here tomorrow as heavy rain is predicted.
Nov 11, Wednesday. Yes, heavy rains it is. So we sit and try to be patient. Bill did maintenance on the diesel. I cleaned the boat and oiled the interior wood. We have pumped out the dinghy once but the rain is coming down hard and it is filling up again. We decided we didn't like our anchorage. The holding wasn't that good. So we hauled anchor and moved to a different spot here in the harbor. The prediction is for rain tomorrow too, especially in the morning. Good book time.

Nov. 12, Thursday. We are having a wonderful lunch at the Goat Island Grill here in Georgetown. Yes, still here, anchored, waiting out the persistent storm. We are told we are on the back side of Ida, but it is still very windy and cold. We will probably move into a marina here tomorrow to do the usual shopping, laundry, showers, water, etc. This is a pretty good place to be stuck though. It is a very pretty town with lots of shops and good restaurants. Our love tol everyone. Wish us better weather on Saturday. We would like to get to Charleston SC by Monday.

Nov 4, Wednesday. We have been incommunicato for a couple of days - no phone, no Internet and no wireless. Tonight we are anchored just outside the ICW in Bay River, NC. Tomorrow we hope to make Beaufort, NC. We need to keep putting the miles on while the weather is good. Today was another sunny day in the mid 60's. Some wind, but in the narrow canals of the ICW it is difficult with sails up. We traveled through a wild life preserve today. It was beautiful. We saw Bald Eagles and many other birds. We are now seeing familiar faces as we travel - or should I say boats, or both. We traveled again today with another 30' sailboat that has knowledge of the course. We took the dinghy over to their boat for cocktails this evening. Early to bed and early to rise with the time change. Hopefully tomorrow we can communicate with our world.

Nov 5th and 6th. We stopped in Beaufort, NC on the 5th. Did grocery shopping, watered up, washed the dirty boat and had soft shell crab sandwiches for dinner. Delicious! It was another beautiful sunny day. We watches the dolphins play around the boat as we cruised the ICW.

On the 6th we left Beauford bound for Swan Point - Jacksonville, NC. Just a little marina with a lot of shrimp boats. We passed a Vt boat with two pups aboard. We watched the pelicans in action. Passed Camp Lajeune Marine reserve where they were playing all sorts of war games. Today was sunny, but cold all day. We just need to keep putting on those southbound miles.

Returned to the boat Saturday evening well provisioned after a wonderful visit with Harrie and Patti. We left the dock Sunday morning accepting an invitation from the cat next to us to follow them across the bay to Mile Zero and the beginning of the Virginia Cut and the Dismal Swamp along the Intracoastal Waterway (hereinafter the "ICW"). We tied up to a pier just off the entrance to the Dismal Swamp, Willowby Creek, but not until after we practiced the technique of getting stuck on a shoal, rowing out the dinghy, dropping one anchor, hitching that anchor line to the halyard to haul us off the shoal, dropping the primary anchor once off the shoal, hauling the assist anchor in, breaking off the windless anchor switch, rewiring a switch, all the while trying to keep from going back on the shoal again! We have been told this is a practice one must follow to be welcomed to Chespeake Bay. Our reward was an invitation for apple pie from the cat friends.
Sunday we were off down the Virginia Cut, through many bridges and negotiated our first lock. We had the lock to ourselves - never a dull moment around here. The wind and sea kicked up in the afternoon followed by rain. We headed for Coinjock, NC and are tied up at a pier. Hopefully, the weather will break tomorrow.

Nov. 2, Monday. Well, we didn't leave Coinjock. Weather too iffy to cross the canal. We have met a couple from Florida who are bringing home a 30' sailboat and we may follow them outside as a bridge in Charlestown, NC is closed for over a week for repairs. Laying over gave Bill more time for those minor repairs and fix ups. I spent my time drying wet clothes from yesterday's rain and cleaning up the boat. Miss everyone!

Monday 8:30 am. Sailed out of Smith Point, bumping the shoals despite our new local knowledge. While leaving the channel the seas were so high with 11 ft of water we hit bottom twice. The seas were 3 to 4 ft today and the wind 10 to 15 knots. Nice sailing day again but not without work. From the Chesapeake we came up the river around Gwynn Island into Milford Harbor. We had the swing bridge open for us and are anchored across from the Coast Guard station. After onboard showers and boat chores, Bill is trying his luck at crabbing again. We hope to make Hampton Roads tomorrow although rain is predicted.
Tuesday 10/27/09 Pull anchor 8:00 am headed for Hampton River. Called for the bridge opening. No can do. Bridge is stuck. Went back and dropped anchor. 10:30 am bridge called, it swung, and we were off. We sailed with 10-15 knot winds with in and out fog. Threatened rain all day. Called Hampton Public Landing at 4:45 to let them know we were running late. We had quite the reception when we pulled into the slip. Too many people, all with their line and fender wants and needs. Our friends Fred and Pat Manley were among the greeters! Very busy few minutes. Called the diesel mechanic Bill when we got settled. He came right over, boarded and checked out the engine for pump needs. Called Harrie & Patti. We will meet up with them tomorrow. Showers were very nice. We will be here for a couple of days.

Ha! You can't get rid of us that easily. It has been so long since I have posted to the blog as we haven't had wifi, but let it be known that we are well, in tact and every day is a new adventure! We made the decision to leave Manesquam, NJ via the ICW. Big mistake. The winds in NJ never stop. 35 to 39 mph. We called the Coast Guard for advice to get into Barnegat Harbor. They said don't go. TowBoatUS picked up our call and monitored our entry. We bottomed out on the shoals, managed to get off where TowboatUS was rescueing another party. They guided us into anchorage. We stayed there for the big blow. There were no facilities, so we hired a taxi at $50.00 (never again) to get groceries and laundry done in Ship Bottom and Surf City. For real! The boat anchored next to us had its mast laid out on the hull, two men and two big dogs. Who knows what happened to them. I do not like New Jersey weather.
Anyway, we escaped there and headed for Atlantic City. Oh, I forgot. The anchor was caught on a cable. That was fun. Boat hook was handy, and those muscles Bill developed from lifting. We got into the harbor at Atlantic City and the anchoring location we expected to use was too shallow. The Coast Guard was called again and they have us great advice this round. Next day on the Cape May, NJ. We had to wait out the high winds here. Took the dinghy into shore and walked to town. Found a great restaurant for lunch and West Marine to replaced a grill part we lost in the high winds in Manesquam. Also a liquor store with scotch! Thank goodness we now have the grill operating again! Too many dishes without it!
October 14, 2009, Wednesday.
Hauled anchor at 8:30 a.m. and left Cape May, NJ through the Cape May Canal. Temperature was 40 degrees. At the end of the canal our fathometer read 2.9 ft. and we have 2.1 inch error - which gives us 4.10 inches, we draw 4.9 inches!!! Scary. Thank God we ran out of water that morning! So much for the chart's statement that the waters in the canal are maintained at 10 ft. Motor sailed with NE winds 18 to 22 mph up the Delaware Bay. We took 15 min shifts at the helm as it was so cold. Those NYC coats were appreciated today. In the afternoon the winds dropped off to N and the tide running with us gave us a little more umph to our progress. We came through the oyster flats cautiously. Saw a shark of some kind. I need to find a book store for a fish identifying book. Turned into the Cohansey River, Greenwich, DE, and are docked here at the Hanover Marina. We got the last slip available. $1.00 a ft. Such a deal! And they have power and water and fuel and SHOWERS! We did all that, buttoned up the boat for the approaching storm, had pan seared scallops, a game of cribbage and dropped into bed. This sailing stuff is hard work. They duck hunt in the marshes here and we saw many duck boats on the water and going down the highway to the water. Very fancy ones with grassed sides, lean and low.
Well that storm lasted 4 days. We did the laundry twice in that time to stay warm. Finally got a ride into the city from Munroe, a union carpenter who lives on his boat at the marina, and bought a heater. Yes, heat. But then, the bad part is the condensation. Drip, drip, drip. Not so good when you are asleep.
Finally, Monday, October 19th, the sun is shining and we st out for Salem, NJ and tied up at the Salem Boat Club. Wonderful people. It is a private club, but we are from Maine and nothing evers happens at their small club. Good for us, right. We walked into Salem and talked with a fellow yachtman we met in Cohensey. Next day left beautiful NJ to traverse through the C & D canal to the Chesepeake Canal. Oopps, wrong turn. Almost went to Philly. Canal and buoys poorly marked. Anyway, finally made it through the canal and so long New Jersey! Lots of really big ships in the canal, plus pleasure craft. Navigation nightmare! Once we'd had enough we ducked into the Sassafrass River and dropped anchor. The day was sunny and warm.
Again, the day was sunny and warm and we again motorsailed down the canal to Rock Hall. The marinas were a long way up the river and Rock Hall Marina was expensive. However, we needed provisions and the showers were wonderful!
Next day was cold, but partly sunny and finally some wind. We sailed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - huge and amazing structure. Lots of sailboats around this area - Annapolis influence. Destination was, changed our minds, and ended up in the Rhodes River. Dropped anchor. That !!! outboard would not start AGAIN. We rowed 1/2 mile to marina for diesel (too shallow for Snow Goose), and 1/2 mile back. No pushups needed tonight!
Friday 10/23/09 We are headed for the Solomon Islands; approx. one half point down the Chesapeake. All the traffic we have had in the past is gone. We did see a submarine though! It is fun to watch the sea birds and pick up the fish on the fish finder. I don't know why the birds just don't follow us. We know where the fish are!.
And so we continue on down the Chesapeake Bay. We are tanned and are at our fighting weight! No one has gone overboard yet - first week is long gone and that was the pivot point. We just want to get to warmer weather and sailing breezes. Thanks for keeping in touch. We read your comments whenever we can and really enjoy them. You are our home base.

The Snow Goose is sitting in Manesquan, New Jersey - south of Asbury Park. We came in to weather the storm yesterday with some rain and winds 40 - 50 mph and to get a mechanic to look at the diesel. The mechanic is onboard right now. With luck, we will sail out of here tomorrow AM for Atlantic City. It will be good to get NJ behind us. Lots of weather here. To get into this inlet we had to go through a 48' wide railroad bridge with a lift that significantly cuts into that width when it is up. Then there was the current much the same as the Piscataqua River. I closed my eyes and held by breath as Bill took us through. The white knuckle moments continue, but we both have gotten significantly better at dealing with the moments and more confident in our skills. Nothing but fun! Love to all and thanks for following us. Gotta go help Bill clean out the boat and all the soot that has been created by our engine problem. Love, Barb

Thursday morning we left Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY headed for NYC - Hells Gate and the Narrows. What a ride! The trip through NY Harbor was awesome. What fun sailing around the ferries at 5 pm! We went through Hells Gate before we knew we had. We did our first night sail arriving at Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island, at 8 pm. Can't say as it was a lot of fun looking for those buoys in the dark! We're sitting in a bagel shop in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (near Sandy Hook, NJ). We came Friday and dropped the hook, waiting for the weather to be with us for the trip down the New Jersey coast. We did the town on Saturday getting ice, food, drink & doing laundry. Bill worked on the engine, changing filters. Took the dinghy into town for a larger spanner wrench. Before he returned, a thunderstorm hit. When he returned, he needed only the bar of soap. Talk about the wet dog! This morning we were fogged in. It lifted we took on water and fuel, and the fog returned. We went back and dropped the hook again Hoping for better weather tomorrow. Thanks for following our adventure. We don't have many dull moments, and time just flies by without regard for date or time. Love for now. Barb

7/25/09 Left the Bishops and headed for North Cove. The welcome sign greeted us and invited us to pick up a mooring. Beautiful and quiet. Bill gave me a Christmas present early - new mariner's flag for the boat. Bill and Jerry went to Bill's favorite store, Defenders. The previous one went out with the winds. Dinner and hopes for another great day.
7/26/09 Heading for Branford CT. Need ice. That tricky sail batten tried to escape again. I sewed it in permanently when we arrived at Branford.All the marinas close at noon, so no answer to our requests for a mooring. We pulled up to a pier but had to move to another pier. Funny how the phones are not manned when you are looking for a mooring, but how they can find you to collect the fee every evening. Had dinner on the back porch.
7/27/09 Rain, rain making up for the past two weeks. Laid over in Branford. Walked to town. It was Sunday, no stores open. Had a nice tuna salad though. Barb cleaned the boat and reorganized. Bill checked engine, rearranged some hoses, found water leak in head. Had a couple games of cribbage.

7/28/09 Sailed and motor sailed today. The wind picked up in the afternoon to gusts of 35 mph. Decided to head for Black Rock Harbor. Picked up a tranient dock in Fayweather Marina. Bill again repaired that junk outboard pull cord (Jerry repaired it the first time). Walked to the market place in the Spanish section of Black Rock. Got back aboard just in time to avoid a heavy rain.

7/29/09 The wind is still blowing hard. Small craft warnings are still up. Headed out for groceries. Dried out the boat and everything we wore in the winds and high sea yesterday.

We have met the greatest people. Time just flies by. We hope to be going through New York, Hell's Gate, by the time I write again. Love to all.

Friday 9/25/09 Yesterday we left Avondale, motored out of the Pawtucket River, and set sail for Groton, hoping to meet up with Jerry and Sandy Bishop. Sailing was beautiful. We met the Bishops off Mystic and followed them into Hammock Island. They had the dogs and we enjoyed the water, lunch and catching up. We them followed them into the Thames River, under the railroad bridge, dodging all the rowing skulls and Coast Guard sailing races and into the Smith Harbor. It has been fun catching up with dear friends whom we have not spent time with in so long. We are off this morning (I'll have my little personal rendeveau with the Thames bridge keeper - we have a VHF thing going on) to continue along the Long Island Sound. The weather yesterday was 85 degrees. I love the South!

9/23/09 We sailed to Sakonnet River, Sachuest Cove, Flint Point, RI on a beautiful day with a 15 kn wind. We anchored in a quiet cove with a beautiful beach. Walked the beach the next morning and then set out for Refuge Cove, Snug Harbor, Point Judith, RI. Long narrow channel with very little water. Lots of reefs. We anchored in the harbor and met some locals who boated out to visit with us. It's the Kittery Point, Maine thing. Today we are sitting in beautiful, sunny & warm Avondale, CT., Frank Hall's Boat Yard. We had some miscellaneous items that needed attention before we put too many more miles on. The windless had the wrong size chain and line; there was an exhaust leak, poreous lines; a cranky start button; and a rigging adjustment to the furler. People here are great (I'm using the owner's computer). So far, Barb has been declared the best navigator and deck swabber; Bill is the Captain and Cook. Barb locked herself in the shower at Barden's Boat Yard and spent enough time there to do her nails, eyebrows, etc. before Bill heard me (he thought he heard seagulls, but it wasn't quite right) shouting out the window. Bill had an adventure holding onto the mast in 25 kn winds (he looked like we were flying him as a flag) trying to save his batten that was working its way out of the sail. We saved Bill but lost the batten. We are having a good time, no boring moments yet. Love to all.

Sunday, 1/20/09 I think. Sitting in Marion, MA. Bill is fueling up. Plymouth was beautiful. We picked up a mooring and walked around town. Then on through the Cape Cod Canal, through Buzzards Bay and into Marion. I loved the canal. We met Harden Sails on the wharf here in Marion to pick up our batten. Hiked to the laundry. Picked up groceries at the general store. They trucked us back to the pier. Frisbee's Market could learn something from the general store. I learned l lb cheese makes 5 sandwiches. We met some very interesting sailors. We're from Maine you know, so we have already generated a lot of interest. Bill is now itching to take off. Weather is beautiful. Gotta go. (Can't get into Comcast today, so can't answer email. Sorry. Erik, did you get your pictures? Love to all from the Snow Goose.

We left the Isles of Shoals Tuesday AM and set course to Gloucester. The wind was great all the way. Anchored in the harbor apprx. 4:30 pm. Weather was wild today, so we decided to hang out here today. We had a few minor boat problems to square away. Hope to leave in the AM for Plymouth MA. Slowly but surely.