Warm Wishes

 Jacksonville 

It sure was nice to see the sun today! Another cold front moved through overnight triggering tornadoes nearby and dropping the temperature into the 40s. Thankfully it also blew away the cloud cover. We both packed up all of our cold-weather clothes. We'll need them at home over Christmas and do not want to bring them back with us. Dear Santa, will you please bring some warm weather to northern Florida in January? Two dock carts were packed full and we pushed them to the car. The sun set behind us and cast long shadows on the ground ahead of us. The trunk of the rental car is already full so tomorrow's last-minute bags (and our cactus) will have to ride in the back seat.

Tonight's event at the marina was the Lighted Boat Dock Crawl. My favorite spot was soaking up the warmth around the roaring bonfire. Boats of all shapes, sizes, and styles were decorated. (We did not put lights Crossroads this year, but remembered how good she looked last year.) Equally as festive as the boats was seeing how folks transformed their dock boxes into appetizer stations. There was an amazing assortment of food and beverages along the four docks -- gumbo, cookies, brownies, hummus, cheese, nuts, chips, crackers, sodas, wine, and shots just to name a few.

We will leave in the morning and need most of the day to drive home. I'll take a break from the blog for a while and pick back up in January when we return to Jacksonville. Thanks for following along and warm wishes for a Merry Christmas!

Holiday Treats

Jacksonville 

A heavy rain began around 6:00. The sound of it falling on the cabintop roof made for an early morning. A little cleaning and packing prep passed the time until the office opened and Barry could go pick up may package. I had forgotten to empty a drawer at Aunt B's on Sunday and she shipped the essentials (eye glasses, anti-inflammatories, computer power cable, plus a few other things). The Santa drawing was an added bonus. The rain stopped around 10:00 and we took the opportunity to go for a walk. The yellow hibiscus by the pool reminded us we were in Florida. The wreath on the gate indicated it was indeed the Christmas season. With that in mind we set off for the CVS to pick up a toy for tonight's Toys for Tots drive.

We walked down Herschel Street, past the impressive St. Johns Presbyterian Church sanctuary. One turn led us to CVS where we spent too much time picking out our toy and batteries. On our way back it began to rain again. Thankfully we had both worn our foul weather jackets. While it continued to rain, I finished my photo yearbook (for 2018) before heading up to the clubhouse for the holiday gathering. The inside of the building was decorated just as nicely as the exterior. Boaters were asked to bring a personalized ornament to hang on the community tree. We managed to piece one together with limited resources and Barry found a spot for it. It was a nice evening complete with open bar, live band, and tons of food.

The buffet line and dessert spread were huge. An active-duty Marine arrived to collect the toys that were placed under the tree. We collectively filled four large cardboard bins, plus there were a few bicycles and scooters that wouldn't fit. We got in a quick selfie in front of the fireplace before returning to Crossroads. The temperature remained in the mid-60s all day which was a happy medium where I wouldn't freeze and the snowman on a neighboring bow wouldn't melt. A dense fog has settled in over the marina. Its supposed to rain again overnight, but tomorrow afternoon will be sunny. I can't wait.

Tomorrow will be devoted to serious packing. We get the rental car mid-afternoon and want to get most of our stuff loaded in the car before tomorrow night's Lighted Boat Dock Crawl. 

Weathering a Nor'easter in the Sunshine State

Jacksonville 

When planning our offshore travels from Thunderbolt to Jacksonville, all forecasts predicted a very short weather window. The pundits were correct. We made the jump in good weather and then it quickly deteriorated. Today was cloudy, windy, rainy, and cold (at least by my and Florida standards). The only bright spot was the view from the pilot house of Flip Flop a few slips down. The crew had left for North Carolina before we arrived yesterday, so we'll have to wait until January to catch up with them. I didn't leave Crossroads, but made sure I got my stretching done. The day was spent looking at screens. The weather dominated local news. Barry left once to visit the marina office. We are docked front and center on the marina's webcam. Once I was able to ignore the Christmas light in the middle of the lens, it was cool to see him walking the dock. When we're away, we'll be able to make sure we're still floating. There is strong wifi here which allowed me to upload more than 1,000 photos and work on my photo yearbook. We later streamed Brittany Runs a Marathon from Prime Video. I enjoyed the movie whose story hit very close to home.

This yucky weather is supposed to clear out by tomorrow afternoon in time for the marina's Tree Trimming Holiday Party. I'm sure everyone will be anxious to get off their boat and share some holiday spirit.

Hello, Florida. Farewell, (Miss) Utah

Thunderbolt to Jacksonville  |  23 Hours  |  137 Miles 

With the trip to North Carolina behind us, we were anxious to get moving. We had a nice weather window that allowed us to jump offshore and get to Jacksonville in one overnight passage. For the first time this entire trip, it was warm. As we made our way down the Wilmington River toward the Atlantic it was 77 degrees. I enjoyed the sunshine while taking in the view from Fiberglass Beach. Large houses lined the Intracoastal Waterway. A steady stream of jets crossed over us on final approach to the Savannah airport. The massive Wilmington Plantation towered along the port-side shore. The landmark structure was built in 1927 as The Oglethorpe Hotel and spent time as a Sheraton Hotel before being converted to luxury condominiums.

The transition to the ocean was gradual as the lowcountry dissolved into the river delta. The ocean waves were low and on our nose, but the period was short which made for a bumpy ride. We settled into our watch schedule. Barry was downstairs when I throttled down and called him up. Seven miles off of Ossabow Island, I had spotted a lone mylar balloon floating on the surface that had to be rescued. I grabbed the boat hook and Barry brought Crossroads around. It was fun to scoop it up and save it from the wildlife. Released balloons end up in the remotest of places. A near-full moon rose in the east as the sun set in the west. The moon provided just enough light to keep a horizon visible. We encountered only a few boats all night. Mostly we were watching the rain showers come and go. Thankfully, I skirted most of them on my midnight to 3:00 am shift. When I came up at 6:00 we had entered the St. John's River and were approaching Jacksonville. Large cargo ships and fuel carriers were well-lit along the way.

The cold front that brought the overnight showers also brought a return of chilly temperatures. As the sun rose into an overcast sky, we checked out the city through the windows -- multiple bridges, the skyline, TIAA Bank Field (home of the NFL Jaguars), and the Maxwell House coffee plant. Maxwell House first came to Jacksonville in 1910. This plant was built in 1924. It is the last remaining manufacturing plant for the Kraft-Heinz brand in the United States. We should have opened the pilot house and smelled the coffee, but we didn't think that fast.

We had to wait for a railroad bridge to open before heading up the Ortega River. The water was surprisingly skinny and we were very glad to have arrived at high tide. Mental note: we must also depart on a high tide at the end of January. Our final bridge of the day was a tiny bascule span that led into the marina. The opening was made to accommodate only one boat at a time. We received our slip assignment and proceeded down the fairway. My first words to the assisting harbormaster were, "Are you sure?" He was adamant that we would fit and somehow we did ... with just enough room for one set of fenders between us and our neighbor. We remembered back to July 5, 2018 when we stressed over squeezing into a much wider slip (by maybe six inches) just outside of Montreal.

We arrived just in time to catch a final visit with our dear Loop friends from Miss Utah. They were live-aboards for close to seven years and have just sold their 52-foot Bayliner. I enjoyed a nice visit with Chris while Barry helped Roger load up the U-Haul with their belongings. Chris and I have shared many great times and chats, and more than a few "final farewells" over the last year, but always seem to cross paths for one more visit. Here's hoping that pattern continues and we will meet again down the road. I failed to capture a new photo today, but will use this one taken on August 23 when they hosted us for a few days in Charleston. As night fell, the clubhouse and several boats began to glow with Christmas lights.

Tomorrow we'll begin the process of packing for our trip home for Christmas. We want to take all of our cold-weather clothes off the boat, but it looks like we'll be wearing them for a few more days.

Tea Time

Thunderbolt, GA to Clemmons, NC (and back)   

Our Thursday departure day finally arrived. With almost all of my packing done the night before, it was hurry up and wait until we could get the rental car. When Barry opened the door to leave, he discovered that a box of six Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts had been left for us by the marina staff. How fitting since we were traveling to Winston-Salem, the birthplace of Krispy Kreme. We loaded up the car and left Crossroads sitting nicely in the sun. Before we knew it we had crossed the Savannah River on the Talmadge Memorial Bridge and were back in South Carolina. Five and a half hours later we arrived at my aunt and uncle's house in Clemmons where the fun began. Friday was busy managing five loads of our laundry, wrapping Christmas presents, and visiting. Saturday the whole family met in Old Salem for our traditional Christmas kick-off at Candle Tea. Walking around the historic district, we spotted the plaque marking the original Krispy Kreme shop and enjoyed looking at the natural decorations.  

The wreaths and garlands are simple and elegant at the same time. Small peppers add the splash of red. The weather was beautiful -- crisp, but not cold. The band played carols as we waited in line for just under two hours. Fourteen of us were present in our group when we entered the Single Brothers. We sang hymns to music by the historic pipe organ then moved to the candle making demonstration. Beeswax and beef tallow are combined and poured into traditional tin molds. Once released from the mold, the candles are trimmed for use in the four Christmas Eve services.

The next room was the kitchen. We were anxiously awaiting the sugar cake and coffee which are served every year. An additional treat was having Aunt Wrenn give the talk this year about how the fireplace was used for toast, stews, and meats back in the 1800s. Continuing downstairs we paused for the Salem scene -- a miniature representation of the colonial town covered in marble dust "snow." The final stop on our journey was the nativity and a reading of the Christmas Story. This is the 90th year for the Candle Tea, and I've been to quite a few. It was hard on me to miss last year while we were in Pensacola on the Great Loop. So glad we were able to come back this year and get a great family photo too.

The sun was setting and casting an orange glow on Home Church as we went to the car. We stopped for Mexican before heading back to Aunt B's for more fun chatting and a few spirited rounds of dominos. Time flies and just like that we found ourselves starting to pack up. We went out for breakfast then to church. The century-old country church was beautifully decorated with greens and poinsettias.

We had planned to leave around 1:00, but were having too much fun visiting. After more stories, pictures and hugs, we pulled out a little after 3:00. That made for a late arrival back at the marina, but all was good. We unloaded most of our bags and I made it a point to get down our new "Seas and Greetings" holiday doormat. Today started out very foggy and we were glad we hadn't planned to leave. Seems the birds partied on Fiberglass Beach while we were gone. Barry broke out the hose and cleaned that mess up.

I took a little walk up the street and saw a bit more of Thunderbolt. When I came back there were a dozen dolphins in the river and some were feeding just off our stern. The sun set quickly. Thankfully we're approaching the shortest daylight of the year and soon they'll start getting longer.

Our weather window still looks good for tomorrow. We'll hop offshore and make an overnight run to Jacksonville, FL. We're looking forward to visiting with some friends who have already made it there. 

Georgia on Our Minds

Beaufort to Thunderbolt  |  6 Hours  |  41 Miles 

After close to a week of slowing down, we were finally on our way to Savannah this morning. We left Beaufort a bit ahead of schedule and had the rising sun directly ahead of us. The sunsplash was blinding at times. Luckily this didn't last for long as this section of the ICW is quite curvy. We snaked our way down through the low country at low tide. There are still the occasional high-and-dry boats along the way to remind us of recent hurricanes. The large water tower proclaiming "We Make Marines" welcomed us to Parris Island, the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot. The open water of Port Royal Sound greeted us with a constant boat wash. Waves were churned up with opposing forces of current and wind. A lone sailboat passed us enjoying that nice breeze.

Soon we saw the Bluffton-Hilton Head Bridge and began remembering our trip to the island close to 20 years ago. We visited a fellow Insty-Prints location here and Marie, the owner, hosted us at her home for dinner. Both she and we have since left the industry and attempts to connect via email did not work. It was fun though to spot her house along the ICW and remember that evening on the dock with her dogs watching the sunset. Windmill Harbour Marina has a private automated lock for entrance to their basin. It will remain one lock that we haven't passed through. Further south, we passed Spanish Wells and thoughts turned to the Bahamas and family on Spanish Wells, Eleuthera. A quick internet check showed that it was over 20 degrees warmer in the Bahamas. At the southern tip of Hilton Head the American Cruise Line ship Independence was anchored just off the distinctive Harbour Town Lighthouse.

The day passed quickly. The Haig Point Lighthouse on Daufuskie Island was a pleasant surprise. We had expected to need the Causton Bluff Bascule Bridge to open for us. It has a stated vertical clearance of 21-feet. The bridge tender said he had five extra feet in the center and that it was also low tide. With an air draft of 26 feet, we SHOULD be able to make it. A stressful few minutes ensued as we approached the span at idle speed, trying to judge whether or not we'd sneak though with our mast intact. We scooted under the green bridge and breathed a big sigh of relief. I then pulled out the camera to snap a photo of it and the new 65-foot replacement bridge under construction. We passed a large dredge while in Fields Cut on the way to the Savannah River. Many large earth-movers were excavating along the point. The scene looked reminiscent of all the Tonka Trunks in the childhood sandbox.

With the crossing of the Savannah River, we entered Georgia. We had bypassed the Peach State on the Great Loop when we went straight from the Bahamas to Charleston. Now it can be checked off. We pulled into Thunderbolt Marina and tied up to the floating dock. It was warm in the sun and a perfect day to give Crossroads a well-deserved bath to get rid of her salty crust. We'll leave her here for a few days as we travel to visit family in Winston-Salem and do our traditional Christmas season kick-off. We were in Pensacola last year this time and I missed the festivities for the first time in 30-some years. I'll take a break from the blog for a few days and pick up again on Monday as we prepare to depart once more. Now, off to pack ...

A Chilly Stroll Through History

Beaufort  

Our day to explore Beaufort started off with temperatures in the high 30s. We bundled up in layers and walked up to the ticket office to catch our 10:00 carriage tour of the historic district. We were informed that the tours would be operating on a one hour delay because of the cold. After chatting with the ticket agent for a while we walked through the square where workers were wrapping the central evergreen with colored lights. Down by the waterfront the carriages were being dressed with wreathes and ribbons for the day's tours. I met our horse Stucky, a semi-retired Amish plow horse from Missouri, who was getting fed and fitted with his jingle bell sash. We loaded into the carriage with two other couples and tour guide Liz. The entire downtown area is part of the National Historic Register so we were quickly being directed to look left and right and various grand houses. There was only one problem ... Stucky was not happy. Seems he did not like the jingle bells at all and was not bashful about letting everyone know. Liz made a quick call to the office and someone arrived shortly to remove the offending jingle bells. Happy with the quiet, Stucky graciously resumed our tour.

Most of the tour was spent in Beaufort's most prominent neighborhood, The Point. Historic houses lined the streets, all with large oaks and/or palms and Spanish moss. We also passed Tabernacle Baptist Church, notable for its parishioner-crafted stained glass windows and as the burial site of Robert Smalls. Smalls was born a slave, commandeered the Confederate gunboat Planter, and ultimately served nine years in Congress. His has a pretty incredible story.

Next to the Smalls monument will soon be a monument to Harriet Tubman, who was a nurse in Beaufort's contraband hospital, but is most famous for being the conductor of the Underground Railroad. Following the tour we returned to Crossroads for a quick lunch and to warm up. For the afternoon we did our own walking tour. We began by heading up Church Street toward a majestic white steeple we could see from the waterfront. The Parish Church of St. Helena was established in 1712 and the current building was constructed in 1724. I enjoy visiting old churches so we went inside where we were greeted by a docent who gave us a bit more history on this building that was also used as both a stable and hospital over the years. An interesting feature of this church is no stained glass windows, and no windows of any type behind the altar. The side walls are lined with windows of clear glass that look out upon 300-year old gravestones. The pipes dominated the sanctuary's rear balcony. The gravestones ranged from modest to opulent. This one caught my eye as Lt. Gen. Anderson fought in the Battle of Cold Harbor with the Army of Northern Virginia. A short distance down the street, the Baptist Church of Beaufort dominates the better part of a block.

Next stop was a return to the Arsenal that we visited yesterday. The Beaufort History Museum is located upstairs and was open today. The structure is being renovated and many of the windows are being replaced. The new panes staged in the courtyard captured a cool reflection of the 1852 building. The windows were purposely made to resemble those of a church with the reasoning that enemies would not attack a house of worship. It worked and the building stands today in its original form. Another excellent docent gave us her take on the 500 year history of the Beaufort District through wars, rice, indigo, cotton and lettuce. Believe it or not, Beaufort's nickname is "Lettuce City." Across the street is the National Park Service visitor's center. Fourteen display boards chronicle Beaufort's leading role in the Reconstruction Era. We headed back to the marina as the Christmas lights began to come on for the evening.

Another great sunset concluded our final day in Beaufort. There is so much still to see and do here that we'd love to stop here again. Early tomorrow morning we'll bring the dock lines back onboard and head to Savannah.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Church Creek to Beaufort  |  6 Hours  |  42 Miles 

A cold and windy morning had me back in four layers of clothing as we exited Church Creek and headed south. The wind held steady at over 20 knots, with gusts to 30, whipping up small whitecaps. We left at low tide and noticed the water drop displayed on the marsh grasses. This section of the ICW has many turns and small man-made cuts that connect two rivers for more direct navigation. Once we entered the Coosaw River the wind and current combined to create larger waves that yielded more spray on the windshield. At one point we had our wipers running full time. Then, oops. We lost our port side wiper arm. Thankfully it was not the center window wiper and the fix will be quick and easy once we get to a West Marine.

There were many dolphins in the water today and we saw several babies. I didn't even leave the pilothouse to go watch them as it was too cold and I've become spoiled by their daily presence. We did get plenty of opportunity to view many long private docks of various designs and construction methods. We began hearing jets overhead (F35s) and seeing signs along the way indicating we were approaching Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. We rounded a final bend and spotted the Ladies Island Swing Bridge, the signal for me to get our dock lines and fenders ready. The bridge has a vertical clearance of 30-feet so we cruised on past the two waiting sailboats and under the span. With the wind still blowing and a forecasted low in the mid-30s, we elected to stay at the City Marina and use their electricity to stay warm. We checked in, cleaned up the decks, and then took a quick walk into town. We sat on a bench under a huge live oak in Waterfront Park and watched the bridge open for a large trawler to pass. The Visitors Center in the historic Arsenal was next and we picked up information on things to do tomorrow. Beaufort is South Carolina's second-oldest city and has plenty of museums and antebellum neighborhoods with elegant mansions. We plan on taking a guided tour in the morning for an overview.

We enjoyed dinner at Panini's, located in the converted Beaufort Bank building, then walked up and down Bay Street, looking at all the Christmas displays in the storefront windows.

A few things caught our eyes and we'll return tomorrow for a little Retail Therapy. How did they know to put the UVA and Penn State totems side-by-side? The Grinch will watch over us and make sure we don't get filled with too much holiday spirit.

Flag to Flag Coverage

Church Creek 

Our quiet little anchorage churned up overnight. A stiff breeze blew all day, straightening the flag, rattling the bimini, and swinging us back and forth through the typical arc. I camped out in the pilothouse and passed the time looking at charts between here and Savannah, working on a photobook project, making multiple lists for what to do and pack, and listening to a little music. Rain began shortly after noon and continued for three hours. The Charleston television stations came in strong here, so we got to watch the Redskins-Panthers game. I longed for the sun that was shining in Charlotte and the warmth that was being enjoyed in Miami. Eventually the clouds parted and a bit of blue sky appeared just in time for the sun to set. The wind is still blowing the flag stiff and, with the clearing sky, the temperature has really dropped. We are very happy to have ridden out this blow here in Church Creek with plenty of swing room and no concern for other boats dragging anchor into us. Looks like I'll pull out the Coldgear and sweats once again for tomorrow morning's departure for Beaufort.