Fernandina Beach

We arrived at the Harbor Marina around 4:30 yesterday afternoon, hooked up to the mooring ball then went into shore for a much desired shower.
Dave has relatives in the area who came to entertain us. We had cocktails at Kathy & Bucks, then onto dinner at the Crab Trap with Rudy, Emily, and Carla. We also got to meet Kathy and Bucks grandbaby, Sophia. We really enjoyed visiting with everyone.
Our trip over the ocean was unevetful, we three gals decided we could not face another sandwich, so we made a delightful meal of couscous, veggies and shrimp. Nothing like limited food items to get the creative juices flowing.

Overnight Sail

We have been on the Atlantic all day, some of us felt queasy, only one of us lost her breakfast. I think it was the smell of Dave's freshly cleaned fish that did it. Needless to say, we did not have fish for lunch.
We debated the merits of going into a marina in Chaleston, but decided that if we sailed all night we could get to Fernadina Beach, FL around 1:00 pm tomorrow.
We saw a few dolphins early in the morning, but none since. We saw a flock of Northern Gannets early on too, with a few here and there as the day progressed. A new bird for me this trip.

Docksiders, SC

We have made it to South Carolina. What a beautiful day. On our way here we saw turtles, great blue herons, brown pelicans, dolphins, cattle egrets, kingfishers and bald eagles. Right across from the marina is a big shopping mall, so we three gals did a little shopping. We met the guys at the bar to listen music and ogle the "fat groovy old people". Sadly, these are people in our age group...but of course we are the grooviest of them all.

Marooned

It was a very stormy night, rain came down in sheets. Once the rain let up the wind took over, I slept with ear plugs in and could still hear (and feel) the gusts of wind. So once again we are waiting for calmer weather to
resume our trip.
We walked downtown and discovered a church bazaar, some very creative items were for sale, and then there was the "other" stuff. We ate lunch downtown with the guys, then sent them on their way so we could enjoy browsing the gift shops. Turns out this was Southport's holiday gift sale. Sorry, we don't have much room on the boat, so we didn't buy you any gifts.
It appears the wind is dying down, so keep your fingers crossed! We would love to be on our way.

The Big Clean

After a hearty breakfast (Bert's breakfast sandwiches) we cleaned the boat. We have been on the boat non stop for almost two weeks, it's amazing how dirty it can get. I cleaned the galley, Bert cleaned the head, Andy cleaned the cabin and Dave scrubbed the outside deck. We are shipshape and ready to take on additional crew.

Arrival at Southport, NC

Today's travel took us to Southport, NC. What a beautiful spot. On our travel today I saw a new bird, a black skimmer. Very exciting to someone who likes to add new birds to her life list. We also saw many, many brown pelicans and white egrets. When we were docked at the marina, we saw several dolphin playing in the water near us.
The day was sunny. Warm in the cabin, but out in the wind it was a bit chilly. Once we arrived, Andy and Judy's friend, Jane, came to pick us up to ferry us around. We had to visit the grocery again, and the liquor store. Jane also gave us a bit of a tour of downtown Southport, showing us a great restaurant where we had dinner. Yummy, Dave is sticking to his southern roots, eating grits whenever possible. Bert is sticking to his Idaho loyalties, eatting french fries whenever possible.

Jeanne and Judy will be flying into Southport on Friday, so we will be hanging out here for a few days. The downtown area is not far, so we will surley be sightseeing around this quaint town. Although it's not easy for me to get off the boat, I get the wibble wabbles when on dry land.

Chasing Sunshine

It's been a cold few days, we would really appreciate some warmth with this sunshine.
Last night we anchored in at Cedar Creek Anchorage. The wind was low at the time, but came up after we had all gone to bed. Andy was awakened a couple of hours later by the guy in the boat next to us, seems we had moved. A scramble ensued to secure the anchor, then Bert, Dave and Andy each took an anchor watch. It was a cold, rainy night...I lucked out.
Today we are traveling in comfort, the cabin heats up well when the sun is out. It's not warm enough to hang outside, maybe tomorrow? We are heading to Wrightsville Beach, NC tonight.