We left Vero Beach with about 2 weeks of travel until reaching New Bern, our final stop on this adventure. We didn’t have much leeway on the timeline for stopping and exploring as we needed to make it to New Bern with time to get moved off the boat and have it ready to put up for sale. Traveling with Jeff and Kendra was an added bonus – always fun to have such good friends along for the ride.
Our first stop was just south of Titusville, FL. We anchored just off the ICW near a bridge to get a little protection from the south wind. We had a lovely dinner with Jeff and Kendra and a gorgeous sunset before we called it a night. Sleeping at anchor is such a joy with the breeze always blowing through the boat at the bow points into the wind, gently sounds of water against the hull and sometimes you can hear dolphin’s breath as they surface near the boat. And from the v-berth, where Eric and I sleep, there is a hatch just above our heads so we have our own view of the stars and moon as we fall asleep. Pure heaven!
The next day was a long one, with our anchorage target being just north of New Smyrna Beach, FL. We passed through our favorite manatee viewing area, the Haul-over Canal, and weren’t disappointed as we saw many manatees. There was a large brush fire just near the huge Cape Canaveral space station buildings that sent a strange plume of smoke through the air. We were a bit ahead of Finley and were spared the layer of ash on our decks that they encountered. We pulled into our anchorage, which was quite crowded and set the hook and prepped dinner. Jeff and Kendra joined us and we toasted yet another great sunset.
Our next stop was St. Augustine. We picked up a mooring ball and headed into town to explore a bit. We stopped at the A1A café, a favorite for Ava and Reed because of their homemade root beer. Of course, the microbrews were also good for the adults! It was a calm night on the mooring and we slept well in preparation for the next day of travel.
Our final day in Florida, we traveled past Jacksonville, FL, across the St. John’s River and into our anchorage in a small river next to the Kingsley Plantation, an historic site along the shore. It was low tide and finding a spot wide enough to drop the anchor, swing with the current and not run aground was a bit tricky! We finally found our spot and settled in for the evening. It was a beautiful anchorage with lots of birds singing near shore and fish jumping in the creek. We had cocktails aboard Finley after dinner and went to be just as the moon was rising.
It was a relatively short day the next day to leave Florida and reach Cumberland Island, GA, one of our favorite spots on the entire trip. To get to Cumberland via boat, we sail past the Kings Bay naval station. That day, there was a submarine coming into the channel being escorted by several coast guard security vessels. It was a sight to see – felt like being on set for The Hunt for Red October! Very cool!
After that excitement, we anchored at the south end of the island and went ashore with Jeff and Kendra to explore. The wild horses are one of the main attractions of the island and they were out in force. An added bonus was seeing all the new foals with their mothers, staying close and enjoying their fresh grass and freedom to explore. As we explored the buildings, tiny inchworms were hanging from the trees and Reed loved to have them crawl on his arms. From the historic buildings, we walked to the beach to explore at low tide. There were lots of miniscule clams buried in the sand with little fountains coming up from the sand as the tide washed away. It was a beautiful walk back to the dinghy dock, passing through huge, sprawling live oak trees covered in Spanish moss. Another fantastic sunset and meal shared with Jeff and Kendra capped off the day.
Jekyll Island was our next stop for two days. Arriving around noon, we anchored just off the marina and for a small fee, could leave our dinghy tied up to their docks while we explored using their complementary bikes. The first day we rode around a bit (saw a gator!) and then had a great dinner and accompanied by a fantastic live band while watching the sunset at the Rah Bar. The next day we started early and took a long bike ride around the north end of the island, past the ocean beach on the east side, through the marshes and park on the north side, and after a picnic lunch at the fishing pier, we rode along the tree-lined paths back south toward the marina. There was a “Turtle Festival” going on at the town square with booths that were set up to educated on turtles and other wildlife on Jekyll Island. Reed especially enjoyed talking about turtles and snakes with the biologists manning the booths. After four stops here, Jekyll remains one of our most memorable places from our two-year trip.
We had two lovely nights at anchor, one in the Crescent River where we’d anchored last summer during a thunderstorm but this time the weather was perfect! Reed and Eric went fishing with Jeff and Kendra and we all had a lovely dinner together as the sun set. We were soaking up every last moment of the trip and could feel the end of the trip looming. The next day, we crossed over into South Carolina and anchored in a broad, current filled creek just north of the Savannah River. It was a windy start to the evening but as the wind settled down, turned out to be a beautiful, secluded anchorage that we had all to ourselves. Finley had stopped just before the Savannah River so we missed them that night.
Lady’s Island Marina in Beaufort, SC, was our next destination. It was a long trip with some rain and wind at the last hour as we crossed over Royal Sound and sailed up the river into Beaufort. Once at the marina, we were welcomed like family by Steve, the dock master, and the rest of the staff. Reed immediately got to dropping the crab traps and Ava to finding all the resident dogs at the marina. Reed caught enough crab to cook and clean them for us to eat. Yum! Jeff and Kendra arrived the following day and we had some fun, including a dinner at the Fillin’ Station bar with other cruisers while waiting for the torrential rain to stop so we could continue on our journey.
We anchored in Church Creek just south of Charleston to set up for an early arrival the next day. We said our goodbyes via VHF to Jeff and Kendra who were stopping on the south side of Charleston Harbor while we moved to the Isle of Palms marina at the north end of the harbor. We meet up with Addy Fisher and her grandma, Janet Jones. Jo Ann and Greg Fisher, Addy’s parents, were out of town but Janet was there and picked us up at the Isle of Palms marina. They had let us stow some of our cold weather gear there during our first trip down the ICW and it was time to pick it up! We had a great time at their house, with Reed and Addy playing on the trampoline and making a sailboat out of a roller skate and sail. After a pizza dinner, we headed back to the boat to keep moving north the next day.
The next few days we anchored out in some of our favorite areas, including Butler Island along the Wacamaw River, north of Myrtle Beach in Calabash Creek, and then took a slip at the dock at Carolina Beach State Park. There, we met up with another family, the Bergstroms, who are just starting their cruising dream and had a lovely dinner at their house. Ava was thrilled to have another teenager to chat with.
Our last few days were upon us. With mixed feelings, we cast off from the dock at Carolina Beach and headed north. One of our adventures that day was to see a sailboat aground just north of Camp Lejune. It was the exact spot where we had run aground on our second day of our trip many months ago. We had so many miles and experiences under our belt and navigated the area safely – but felt bad for the other sailors and were glad to see the Sea Tow boat as it zoomed past us to their rescue. We were thankful that we hadn’t needed that assistance during our trip.
Thanks for following!
Our first stop was just south of Titusville, FL. We anchored just off the ICW near a bridge to get a little protection from the south wind. We had a lovely dinner with Jeff and Kendra and a gorgeous sunset before we called it a night. Sleeping at anchor is such a joy with the breeze always blowing through the boat at the bow points into the wind, gently sounds of water against the hull and sometimes you can hear dolphin’s breath as they surface near the boat. And from the v-berth, where Eric and I sleep, there is a hatch just above our heads so we have our own view of the stars and moon as we fall asleep. Pure heaven!
The next day was a long one, with our anchorage target being just north of New Smyrna Beach, FL. We passed through our favorite manatee viewing area, the Haul-over Canal, and weren’t disappointed as we saw many manatees. There was a large brush fire just near the huge Cape Canaveral space station buildings that sent a strange plume of smoke through the air. We were a bit ahead of Finley and were spared the layer of ash on our decks that they encountered. We pulled into our anchorage, which was quite crowded and set the hook and prepped dinner. Jeff and Kendra joined us and we toasted yet another great sunset.
Our next stop was St. Augustine. We picked up a mooring ball and headed into town to explore a bit. We stopped at the A1A café, a favorite for Ava and Reed because of their homemade root beer. Of course, the microbrews were also good for the adults! It was a calm night on the mooring and we slept well in preparation for the next day of travel.
Our final day in Florida, we traveled past Jacksonville, FL, across the St. John’s River and into our anchorage in a small river next to the Kingsley Plantation, an historic site along the shore. It was low tide and finding a spot wide enough to drop the anchor, swing with the current and not run aground was a bit tricky! We finally found our spot and settled in for the evening. It was a beautiful anchorage with lots of birds singing near shore and fish jumping in the creek. We had cocktails aboard Finley after dinner and went to be just as the moon was rising.
It was a relatively short day the next day to leave Florida and reach Cumberland Island, GA, one of our favorite spots on the entire trip. To get to Cumberland via boat, we sail past the Kings Bay naval station. That day, there was a submarine coming into the channel being escorted by several coast guard security vessels. It was a sight to see – felt like being on set for The Hunt for Red October! Very cool!
After that excitement, we anchored at the south end of the island and went ashore with Jeff and Kendra to explore. The wild horses are one of the main attractions of the island and they were out in force. An added bonus was seeing all the new foals with their mothers, staying close and enjoying their fresh grass and freedom to explore. As we explored the buildings, tiny inchworms were hanging from the trees and Reed loved to have them crawl on his arms. From the historic buildings, we walked to the beach to explore at low tide. There were lots of miniscule clams buried in the sand with little fountains coming up from the sand as the tide washed away. It was a beautiful walk back to the dinghy dock, passing through huge, sprawling live oak trees covered in Spanish moss. Another fantastic sunset and meal shared with Jeff and Kendra capped off the day.
Jekyll Island was our next stop for two days. Arriving around noon, we anchored just off the marina and for a small fee, could leave our dinghy tied up to their docks while we explored using their complementary bikes. The first day we rode around a bit (saw a gator!) and then had a great dinner and accompanied by a fantastic live band while watching the sunset at the Rah Bar. The next day we started early and took a long bike ride around the north end of the island, past the ocean beach on the east side, through the marshes and park on the north side, and after a picnic lunch at the fishing pier, we rode along the tree-lined paths back south toward the marina. There was a “Turtle Festival” going on at the town square with booths that were set up to educated on turtles and other wildlife on Jekyll Island. Reed especially enjoyed talking about turtles and snakes with the biologists manning the booths. After four stops here, Jekyll remains one of our most memorable places from our two-year trip.
We had two lovely nights at anchor, one in the Crescent River where we’d anchored last summer during a thunderstorm but this time the weather was perfect! Reed and Eric went fishing with Jeff and Kendra and we all had a lovely dinner together as the sun set. We were soaking up every last moment of the trip and could feel the end of the trip looming. The next day, we crossed over into South Carolina and anchored in a broad, current filled creek just north of the Savannah River. It was a windy start to the evening but as the wind settled down, turned out to be a beautiful, secluded anchorage that we had all to ourselves. Finley had stopped just before the Savannah River so we missed them that night.
Lady’s Island Marina in Beaufort, SC, was our next destination. It was a long trip with some rain and wind at the last hour as we crossed over Royal Sound and sailed up the river into Beaufort. Once at the marina, we were welcomed like family by Steve, the dock master, and the rest of the staff. Reed immediately got to dropping the crab traps and Ava to finding all the resident dogs at the marina. Reed caught enough crab to cook and clean them for us to eat. Yum! Jeff and Kendra arrived the following day and we had some fun, including a dinner at the Fillin’ Station bar with other cruisers while waiting for the torrential rain to stop so we could continue on our journey.
We anchored in Church Creek just south of Charleston to set up for an early arrival the next day. We said our goodbyes via VHF to Jeff and Kendra who were stopping on the south side of Charleston Harbor while we moved to the Isle of Palms marina at the north end of the harbor. We meet up with Addy Fisher and her grandma, Janet Jones. Jo Ann and Greg Fisher, Addy’s parents, were out of town but Janet was there and picked us up at the Isle of Palms marina. They had let us stow some of our cold weather gear there during our first trip down the ICW and it was time to pick it up! We had a great time at their house, with Reed and Addy playing on the trampoline and making a sailboat out of a roller skate and sail. After a pizza dinner, we headed back to the boat to keep moving north the next day.
The next few days we anchored out in some of our favorite areas, including Butler Island along the Wacamaw River, north of Myrtle Beach in Calabash Creek, and then took a slip at the dock at Carolina Beach State Park. There, we met up with another family, the Bergstroms, who are just starting their cruising dream and had a lovely dinner at their house. Ava was thrilled to have another teenager to chat with.
Our last few days were upon us. With mixed feelings, we cast off from the dock at Carolina Beach and headed north. One of our adventures that day was to see a sailboat aground just north of Camp Lejune. It was the exact spot where we had run aground on our second day of our trip many months ago. We had so many miles and experiences under our belt and navigated the area safely – but felt bad for the other sailors and were glad to see the Sea Tow boat as it zoomed past us to their rescue. We were thankful that we hadn’t needed that assistance during our trip.
Thanks for following!