We are currently visiting Amy’s mom in Illinois–a welcome respite from the cold, cold trip down the Intracoastal Waterway, commonly known as the ICW. Neither of us has ever worn so many layers of cold-weather clothing as we have the past few months. Nancy J awaits our return in Satellite Beach up a canal at the dock of friends.
Our journey south, Bahamas-bound, began in the Galesville, MD up the West River of the Chesapeake Bay. It was mid-November. Brrrr. The first stop was Solomons, MD where we took delivery of a new outboard engine for the dinghy. Hurray! The previous one was a continual pain in the butt (and shoulders) as it broke down every two weeks forcing us to row ashore or take moorings where a launch service was offered. The new 5hp Tohatsu arrived at Zahniser’s Marina after sunset. Unboxing it in the dark wearing headlamps, we muscled it onto the mount on Nancy J’s starboard rail. Two days later, following the first of many storms that would slow us down, we were on our way again.
Amy’s friend Andrea, a writing teacher, asked Amy if she could describe the sailing experience in one complex sentence. Here it is: “Sailing is an endlessly humbling endeavor in which one attempts to make way comfortably in an environment unsuitable for humans on an continuously deteriorating vessel, accompanied by alternating feelings of fear, discomfort, boredom, exhilaration, and peace while being immersed in the sublime artistry of nature as she paints the seas and heavens with sunlight; then joy in the satisfaction of a hard-won landfall.”
Continuing southward, we met up with old friend Dave, in Reedville, VA. He had kindly offered us his dock for our stay but we had some difficulty fitting into the space and retreated to the nearby anchorage. Catching up with Dave, also a sailor, was delightful and his shower to die for. He and his neighbors have hosted us many times on our trips north and south, offering us meals, swimming pools, and fun! That’s Reedville!
Thanksgiving was spent aboard the Nancy J at anchor in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA. We enjoyed watching locals on shore decorate their backyard and seawall with lights and fake deer. After sunset it lit up our world. Amy cooked a chicken, a fine substitute for turkey.
Willoughby Bay, in the heart of Navy Norfolk, was our next stop. We got stuck waiting out bad weather for three days with no one for company but dolphins, tug boats and the silhouette of US Navy ships on the horizon.
Onward to Great Bridge, VA, where temperatures turned bone-chilling. We took an Uber to a nearby Walmart to purchase long underwear, other warm clothes, and a case of 1 lb. propane cans for our little heater.
Departing Great Bridge, we congratulated ourselves on being the first boat to leave the free dock, only to discover we could not pass through the lift bridge a few miles down the ICW until after rush hour. We motored in circles for an hour after which the other boaters who had read the bridge opening schedules arrived. Nancy J followed the winding path of the ICW southward as we traded tricks at the helm taking in the passing scenery of extravagant mansions on shore, leaping dolphins, and the golden salt marshes as the sun dipped below the horizon.
In North Carolina, I noted our engine was using more oil and seemed to be smoking more than usual, so we stopped in Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven. On top of my engine concerns, our windlass (apparatus for raising and lowering the anchor) had stopped working and our staysail would not unfurl. A very affable local mechanic came the day we arrived to examine the engine. He found one possible cause for the loss of oil and solved the problem by cleaning out our air intake gizmo, allaying our fears that a larger engine repair was immanent. The staysail and windlass issues we managed to solve ourselves, thank God. While in Belhaven, Amy’s Peace Corps friend, also named Amy, drove over from the outer banks to visit. We were very taken with her new Jack Russel puppy.
On December 9, we found ourselves at River Dunes Marina outside Oriental, NC where we purchased Nancy J last March. Another storm was approaching and it looked rather severe. River Dunes is a great spot to seek shelter as there’s no expanse of water to build up and knock you around. The surrounding buildings and woods do a great job of keeping the wind speed low. On the downside, there’s nothing to do there. We made dinner reservations at the marina restaurant, the only game in town within walking distance. We put on our best bibs and tuckers only to discover that there was a special event and the restaurant was not open to the public. All dressed up and nowhere to go. We repaired to Nancy J for cocktails and Amy whipped up something in the galley.
A couple of days later, as we were preparing to anchor in Beaufort, NC, our navigation electronics quit working. Very unfortunate but not the end of the world. Town Creek marina was nearby, so we pulled up to the dock, where we remained for the next ten days. Never have we enjoyed so much marina time, but it sure was nice in the cold weather to be able to plug into shore power and enjoy Nancy J’s heater! Amy had recently received a phone call that her mother was ill with pneumonia, and her sisters were at the hospital to help care for her. Being the wonderful daughter that she is, she flew to Chicago to help out. Her nursing, along with that of her sisters, brought MumZ back to good health. Meanwhile, I rode out a big storm in a local motel as I couldn’t stand the short violent waves that grew from nothing and kept smacking poor Nancy J in the behind. I wished in that moment we had a vessel with a canoe stern that could better absorb pounding waves. The electronics issue was soon solved by a local technician who found a bad connection and blown fuse.
A good weather window presented itself when Amy returned from her mother’s so we headed offshore to Charleston, SC. It took a little over two days as we tacked down wind struggling to find a comfortable point of sail. Neither of us slept much when off watch as the seas tossed us about. When the wind dipped below ten knots we motor sailed and when it picked up again our final morning Amy tried to turn off the motor, but the “kill switch” malfunctioned so the motor would not quit. I was able to sort out the matter when we finally came to rest in Charleston.
We celebrated Christmas in Charleston strolling through the streets, sampling restaurants and wandering into hotel lobbies decked out for the season. Our fabulous granddaughter, Trynity, lives in Charleston with her boyfriend Cameron. She studies online and teaches over 40 hours a week at a Montessori school, working with three to six-year-olds. When she and Cameron returned after Christmas, we shanghaied her for our trip down the ICW, to Beaufort, SC. She kept us thoroughly entertained telling stories about her job and her plans for the future. She was an excellent boat guest and seemed as thrilled to be aboard as we were to have her. We are very grateful to Cameron, who drove down to Beaufort to pick her up after the two day trip.
From Beaufort, we motored our way to Daufuskie Island at is at the bottom of South Carolina. There is no bridge to this island so development is kept somewhat in check. We rented a golf cart and toured the place bundled up in multiple layers of clothing. Daufuskie is known for its Gullah culture. (“Gullah” refers to the enslaved West African people who grew rice on the sea islands and low country of the Carolinas and Georgia. They developed their own language and brought many traditions from their homelands in Africa). We were surprised to see so few African Americans there. Daufuskie Island has been studied by anthropologists and covered by writer, Pat Conroy, who recounts his time there as a school teacher in the Water is Wide, our current read-aloud-to-each-other book.
We left Daufuskie for the short trip to Savannah, GA, on January 3. We wanted to visit Amy’s childhood friend, Dietra, and her partner, Nancy, who have welcomed us many times as we’ve driven up and down the coast in our car. As we were motoring down the Wilmington River to Thunderbolt Marina to dock, we could see the distinctive raked masts of the Pride of Baltimore II off in the distance. What a pleasant surprise! Turns out she was in for some repairs and was getting a first class overhaul from her work crew, one of whom told us that she was in great shape for her age. Having seen the Pride many times over the years including her launch in 1988, I was still in awe of her size, beauty and lines. She always looks like she’s sailing fast even when standing still.
We had much fun and laughter with Dietra and Nancy–playing all kinds of word games. We didn’t get to do as much sightseeing as we would have liked because our transmission’s dipstick broke off inside the transmission while checking the fluid level. Too much time was spent driving around trying to locate a suitable replacement and the right tool for extracting the broken cap. Thank you again, Dietra, for the loan of your car. In the end, we had to have a new dipstick shipped from Clearwater, FL. While waiting, poor Nancy J rode out another huge winter storm (40 knot winds) at the dock, while we enjoyed the comfort of Nancy’s brick home. One day we did make some time to stroll through the parks and historic streets lined with antebellum mansions and live oaks. Monuments to confederate soldiers still stand in some public places. I guess they haven’t gotten the memo about removing offensive statues or maybe they forgot they lost the war and that they were on the wrong side.
One of the highlights of our stay in Savannah was being invited for drinks aboard a huge motor vessel at the marina. The owners were a young Canadian couple with two small kids aboard. Their boat seemed like a palace next to ours with its multi levels and winding stairways. It was our first interaction of any length with other cruisers and the kids seemed to delight in our company as we did theirs. Amy offered to make a short movie with the little girl if our paths crossed again. Of course they’re already in the Bahamas so who knows if that will ever happen.
Further along the Georgia ICW, we encountered yet another storm although nowhere near as severe as the one in Thunderbolt. We finally motored into Fernandina, FL on January 14. We enjoyed a couple of days of warmth before it turned cold again. In St. Augustine the festive lighting left over from Christmas did much to brighten our spirits. It looked like a magical fairyland from our mooring just opposite the town.
We made our way to Cape Canaveral where we anchored just in time to have a front row seat for the launch of a SpaceX mission carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station. Neither of us are huge space exploration enthusiasts, but were duly impressed by this event. We had our iPad showing the closeup of the countdown while we watched the real thing across the water. The sound delay was quite surprising.
Amy logisticated several doctors appointments for us on in Bradenton on the Gulf side of Florida, so we arranged with friends of our friends, Raffi and Lisa, to park Nancy J at their dock in Satellite Beach. We rented a car and drove to our friends, John and Dawn in Bradenton, FL. John and Dawn are the owners of our previous boat, Mary T. (She’s now called Morning Star). They generously hosted us as we each visited four doctors in three days. Then it was off to my brother and sister in law in Land o’ Lakes for some family time and to meet our new grand nephew, Rex, a baby’s baby.
We’ve been in Illinois for over a week visiting Amy’s mother and have extended our time here, as I learned from my dentist that I need two crown replacements entailing two follow up appointments in Bradenton. Boats aren’t the only things that need repairs and upgrades. Still hoping to sail to the Bahamas by March. We haven’t been since 2010, so it will be like a new adventure.