The End

Well we made it! Six hundred and thirty six miles from Urbanna, VA to Savannah, GA and 80.1 hours of travel time. 

We are in Savannah now seeing the last of the sights. Tomorrow, time to get back to reality. Today we prepare to leave, clean the boat, decide what to take back with us, straighten things out and prepare for having the boat pulled in the morning. 

Our stay in Beaufort, SC was great. Another town with rich history of the south and the Civil War. Beaufort and Savannah have been used for scenes in many movies over the years. We visited the Mercer House which was used and the actual place of a murder which was highlited in the movie of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" . Plenty of shopping and walking along the waterfront and small squares throughout the city. We were fortunate to be here during a large celebration throughout the city. Many of the squares had a ton of activity taking place from cookouts to music, book sales and artists displaying their works. We passed by Bobby Deen who was promoting one of his books. No thank you Mr. Deen, I wasn't impressed with you food the last time I was here. 

So now after I finish this we take a small hiatus and enjoy family and friends up north for the holidays, go back on diets drink less wine and prepare for winter in Florida. 

See you on the next trip!

Mike & Jess

Water tower on site at Paris Island

A sailboat at the docks we were staying at in Beaufort, SC

The lighthouse at Hunting Island 

The lighthouse at Harbortown on Hilton Head Island

One of the many shops in Savannah. Here, for a mere $140.00, you can buy a Wizard of Oz doll.

Cooking barbecue on the square. These egg barbecues are very expensive, but I am told they last forever. They were on sale for an event special for $1,200. 

Jess, Patti and I enjoying lunch at Six Pence Pub. Another movie sight for the filming of " Something to Talk About" with Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid. Patti is our "go to girl" while in Savannah. Can't beat her Southern Hospitality! She even made us a low country boil. Now that's hospitality.

And finally, Dun and Becky our traveling companions for a whole month. See all that money hanging on the walls? That's how we afford these trips. When no one is looking we pick them right off the walls. Not!

The end is almost near

Since Georgetown we have gone to Charleston, SC and we are now in Beaufort, SC. Charleston, SC is one of the best places to visit. They absolutely cater to tourists. We had a free trolley from our marina to the city and when you get there, there is a free trolley to take you anywhere you want to go. We spent three nights there and didn't see it all. A definite place to visit again. As we traveled down to Beaufort, SC we saw wonderful picturesque settings and tons of dolphins swimming by our boat. We stayed at one anchorage that was spectacular, Upper Rock Creek. It was our little piece of heaven on earth. Below are some highlights of our stay in Charleston and our anchorage. 

The trip is winding down and we anticipate arriving in Savannah, GA on November 14th. after a few days there we will be pulling the boat and leaving it there for our return after Christmas.

Where's Waldo? You can just about see our boat with the green hull  behind the submarine. This was our marina in Mt. Pleasant, which is right over the bridge from Charleston.

This is the aircraft carrier Yortown. A great exhibit of planes and life on a carrier during WW II. We also got to tour the USS Laffey, " The Ship that wouldn't die". It was attacked by 22 kamikaze planes in a horrific battle. To learn more and see videos of the attack go to www.laffey.org

We also visited Ft. Sumter. This Fort was where the Civil War started. The Union troopes stationed here were  bombarded by the the south destroying much of the fort. You can see in this photo one of the shells fired that landed and embedded in the wall.

We also visited the Citidel know as one of the premiere military schools of the south. Here are Jess & Becky standing in front of their stadium.

After a day of cruising you go a bit crazy when you set the anchor. Here is Dun and I on top of his boat taking in the view.

Panoramic view at anchor. Just love it!

Southward bound continues

Haven't made too many entries, yet we have covered some distance after Beaufort. We hit a couple of anchorages as well as Southport, NC and then Myrtle Beach and we are now in Georgetown, SC. Each stop had something different to offer. Southport was a quaint fishing town with a nice main street and lots to do and see. We rented a car and drove up to Williamsport to do a tour of the battleship North Carolina. When you get on those ships you realize how small you are. It is a city unto itself. They have everything on board to sustain their existence while out to sea. They even had a barber shop along with dentist, doctor and a full operating room. Their machine shop was magnificent. It was amazing to see how they loaded the cannons with shells and powder. The ship was decommissioned and was going to be scrapped, but local politicians and some citizens made an effort to have it saved and rest in Williamsport as a museum. This was definitely a great tour. 

After 2 days in Southport our next stop on land was Myrtle Beach. The marina, Barefoot Landing, was great, but this was not one of my favorite stops for things to see or do. We did have dinner in the House of Blues and if you enjoy golfing this is the place to be. So we relaxed, got some provisions and moved on later the next day to a wonderful anchorage off the Waccamaw River. This river, as well as the Pee Dee, Santee and Black River,  had a great impact on the rice industry in this area. Georgetown, SC was our stop after anchoring out and this is a lovely town. The people are welcoming and the town has significant history. Their biggest crop before the Revelutionary War was indigo. They grew it and made blue dye from it and shipped it to Britain for use to dye the material for their navy uniforms. Unfortunately the start of the Revolutionary War ended the industry since Britain would no longer purchase their product. They then resorted to growing rice. This area was the premier supplier of "Carolina Gold" rice around the world. The Civil War ended that and the local land owners abandoned rice production because it was very labor intensive requiring inexpensive slave labor and once the slaves were freed, they couldn't afford to pay them. Eighty-five percent of the population were black slaves who worked on the plantations. Interestingly none of the blacks were affected by malaria because most of them had sickle cell anemia. I have not found out yet why this happens. At that time people did not know malaria was caused by mosquitos. They thought it was brought on by the heat in the summer, so the plantation owners would move out to the shore in the summer where it was cooler. What they didn't know was that the mosquitos stayed in the swamps and did not venture to the cool ocean air and that is why they were not inflicted.

Most of us who travel south on I-95 have passed this area many times, but we are in such a hurry to get to our destination we fail to stop and take in the tremendous amount of history in this region. I could go on forever here, but I don't want to spoil you visit. 

On the deck of the USS North Carolina

Halloween in Southport, NC

Self explanatory 

They should do a little paint job on this one,

An Exciting Day

Since our last post we have traveled south towards out destination of Savannah. We stopped over in Oriental and Beaufort, both nice small quaint North Carolina port towns. Beaufort had the most charm with small historic homes that were owned by many a ship's captain. Blackbeard spent some time here. This section of the Atlantic is called the largest ship graveyard of the world because of the many moving shoals that have claimed many a ship. We actually ran aground ourselves. We were fortunate to have a rising tide and traveling with our friends Dun & Becky. We were able to run a line to their boat and have them pull us off. So that was a bit exciting for a while. We also passed through Camp LeJune and you could hear them doing artillery practice in the distance. The place was somewhat in a buzz. We could see them doing touch and go's with helicopters and an osprey. We could hear a navy aircraft carrier warning pleasure craft to stay a one mile distance as they were doing aircraft recovery maneuvers. The coast guard had a boat patrolling the waters and was helping another sailboat that had gone aground. 

After a long day of traveling about 70 miles we anchored out in a cove by the figure eight bridge, which connects to, where else, Figure Eight Island. Snacks, wine and dinner was the order for the night. Our guests the porposes came and gave us a welcoming show as did a local fisherman who came by to chat and even gave us some of his meager catch to cook and eat as an appetizer. It really can't get much better than this!

The Osprey in action

All set for dinner on the hook

Southward Bound

We left Elizabeth City rather early for a long day of cruising. We crossed Albemarle Sound just after sunrise. Albemarle Sound is long and shallow. Any winds can turn it up with steep close waves, so no wind is a blessing. We entered the Alligator River just after noon and made our way to Upper Dowry Creek. We arrived at our anchorage around 4:30 pm. It was a beautiful spot. The waters were calm with a light wind blowing from the west. Once we set anchor, trawlers and sailboats started coming in to rest for the night. We are fortunate to have a shallow draft so we are able to get closer to shore for more protection. As the sun set you could see the silhouetts of the tall masts from the sailboats in the distance. There were thirteen of us anchored out. Once the sun fell over the horizon you could see the twinkling anchor lights among the millions of stars. Dinner was made and the wine flowed. As we settled in for the night the heater was put on to low to get the chill out of the air. All the evening duties were done and into the v-berth we went. Once settled in you are lulled to sleep by the gentle waters lapping against the hull and after a good nights sleep you are ready for the next day. 

Plants take every opportunity to grow. This guy was growing out of the piling where we were docked in Elizabeth City. A spider took the opportunity to make his home there as well!

Sunrise before launching in the morning from Elizabeth City. 

The devil sisters in their 3-D garb

We want wine!!! Here we are, Becky, Dun and I, anchored out at Upper Dowry Creek. 

Out of the Swamp

Today we left the visitors center at 10:00 am for a short ride to the bascule bridge that would not open until 11:00am, which coincides with the lock opening so we can exit the Swamp. The trip down after the lock was very enjoyable and pretty. As we were entering Elizabeth City we were stopped by the Coast Guard for a boarding inspection. I always get a voluntary inspection by the Auxilary Coast Guard and all I had to do was point to my compliance sticker and they said I was good to go, so off we went. The docks at the city marina are free. No water or electric, but it is more convenient than anchoring out and having to dingy in. The town people are very welcoming and they even threw a group of us a welcoming party with food and drink. Now you can't beat that, free dock, food and drink. The winds may kick up tonight so we may have to stay another day. If this place is anything like the town in "Ground Hog Day" (and it sure looks like it) we may get another welcoming party! 

As we waited at the bridge we put our name on the fender wall along with some other passerbyers. Ours  is the small one second from the top.

This was the lock at the beginning of our entry. Notice the wall, we are about 8 feet below the top.

Here is a picture at the other lock down stream, notice we are at the top of the wall. Now they have to lower us.

Here we are riding down the River towards Elizabeth City. You really can't see it in the picture, but many of the trees have mistletoe growing in them.

The dismal Swamp

We left Hampton today for our trek down the dismal swamp. The "Ditch" as they call it was built by the Army Corp of Engineers as one of two routes for traveling the ICW. It is fairly shallow, about six feet depending on rainfall. It is approximately 10 feet higher that the entrance at Deep Creek so a lock is required to enter. It is straight and narrow, but is abundant with wild life and foliage. You can only travel at about 5 knots and passing other boats that are slower can be difficult at times. Tonight we are staying at the Virginia Dismal Swamp visitors center. Free dockage, but no power and we are rated together with about 15 other boats   Quite a flotilla of boats scurrying to get into limited space and trying to help each other in. If you want to get out early, fagadda bout it, it ain't gonna happen. 

Oh, yeah, we visited the Air and Space museum in Hampton!

Passing a battleship on the way to Dismal Swamp

She really is happy! That green stuff behind her is called Duckweed. They have been having an infestation of it at the lock in Deep Water. That is the lock wall. You have to hold yourself to the walls as they raise the water level.

This is the passage through the Dismal Swamp, called the Ditch. Fifty five miles of this!

Here we all are tied up at the wall at the visitors center. You can barely see us behind that big boat with the fly bridge. 

More to come.

Yorktown, VA

Well, we are into day five of our adventure and we have seen a few interesting things. The seas on the Chesapeake can get very steep and close since it is wide open and shallow. Our two days heading south east to Cape Charles and then west to Yorktown were very lumpy to say the least. 

We arrived in Yorktown yesterday and were fortunate to arrive on the weekend that they celebrate the battle of Yorktown. This was a pivotal point point in the Revolutionary War. We are staying here until tomorrow morning since there is so much to see and read. 

An interesting moonrise while in Cape Charles

Passing one of the big boys on the Chesapeake

Watching a cannon firing at the battlefield 

All set and ready to go

Well it is now Thursday and all our plans have been set in motion and we can actually start our cruise. The logistics can be time consuming and definitely keep the old gray matter working. We are traveling with Dun & Becky Smith so we have two boats. We trailered the boats to Urbanna, VA and launched them there on Tuesday. We set and loaded up the boats with provisions. The next morning Dun and I left early in the morning and drove to Savannah, GA with the trailers. We left both trailers and Dun's truck in Savannah and then drove back in my truck.. When we get back to Savannah by boat we will be leaving Illusions on the trailer until after Christmas and we will ride back with Dun and Becky in their truck back to Urbanna and we will then drive back to Connecticut from there. If Abbott and Costello were still alive they would have loved this skit. 

The ladies enjoyed their time on the boats without the captains. We had a strong feeling that we could have been gone a week and not missed! It seemed that everyone in town as well as in the marina knew Jess & Becky! I wouldn't be surprised if there is a big Bon Voyage party tomorrow.

All set in our slip

Crabs and Whiskey, life is good!

New adventure begins

The summer has drawn to a close and the leaves are beginning to fall. This year we have decided to start our journey early and do a fall trip. We are starting from Urbanna, VA to Savannah, Ga. We will be leaving Illusions in Geargia and then head back north for the holidays. 

With us life is an ever changing environment. We are downsizing further and have placed our condo on the market. So between trips we will be purging more of our belongings in perpetration of the sale. 

So for now stay tuned as we will be providing pictures and information on Urbanna to Savannah!

It's a wrap

We had a great time in Savannah. Plenty to do and see there. Jess's friend Patty had us over for Easter dinner. We ate at Paula Deen's restaurant, which was a great disappointment. Visited the Owens Thomas House, which is part of three museums that one can visit with a package deal from Telfair museums. The week we were in Savannah also happened to be a music festival week and our friends Chic and Linda Frosch had two spare tickets for a concert with Emmylou Harris. Country music isn't our favorite, but it was a good time enjoyed by everyone. A visit to Tybee Island mandated a lunch at the Crab Shack for a shrimp boil and steamed oysters.
Our trip came to an end on Friday April 5th with an early morning retrieval of the boat on the trailer and on the road by 7:00 am.
See you next year!

Paula Deen her food is like her picture, cardboard.

Emmy Lou Harris. Can you see her?

Easter tradition continues with coloring eggs.

The egg bunnies Patty on the left and Jess on the right.

Jess and I got creative and decorated strawberries and blackberries we called it bunny eggs and turds.

Standing out front of the Crab Shack in Tybee Island

Oh yeah, you can feed the alligators at the crab shack.

On the road! We stay at campgrounds while traveling.
It is a lot easier than taking you stuff out of the boat
just to sleep in a hotel.

South of the Boarder. This is an icon that has been here since
I was a kid and before that. A bit honky tonk, but after seeing signs for 100
miles one has to stop at least once in their lifetime to take in the culture.

Our Journey Nears Its End

We launched the boat today at a Ramp in Thunderbolt, GA Thunderbolt is a municipality adjacent to Savannah and access to sights and things are close by. We left Lighthouse Point yesterday after a wonderful month there and met great people and had a blast. We will definitely make it back there. I will report back later in the week with pictures and activities. For now here is a shot from the back of our boat.

A trip to Ft. Lauderdale

We are taking a few days to visit Ft. Lauderdale and experience the city. We left our "home base" in Lighthouse Point yesterday for a nice easy ride down the ICW. We passed some pretty big homes and even passed by our good friend's house, Donna Addessi, and said hello. When we got to Lauderdale we checked in at the City Marina. It is centrally located, two blocks from the beach, a walk to the water taxi and a two mile walk to the Las Olas Blvd shopping.

The water taxi is a great way to see and learn about the history of Ft. Lauderdale. Did you know that Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan) created a facility in Ft. Lauderdale to give kids in the cold winter climates a place to come and practice swimming? They loved the place so much they would come back during spring break to have fun and relax,  hence the beginning of Ft. Lauderdale Spring Break.

As we meandered through the many canals of Ft. Lauderdale we passed homes and yachts of affluent people such as Steven Spielberg, Burt Reynolds, Wendy of Wendy’s, the owner of Subway, the owner of Papa John's,Morone Chevrolet (a big car dealer in FL), a Toyota dealer who has two black Labs named Cash and Flow, an unnamed plastic surgeon and it goes on and on. Below are some pictures




A typical yacht docked outside a home





15 Street Fisheries is a restaurant, but you can feed the fish after dinner and I don't mean Mafia style.





If you look closely there is a restaurant behind that yacht! it has a green awning.





See what i mean? Pretty big isn't it?





Here we are in the Las Olas City Marina





Steven Spielberg's Yacht.
 I belive it cost $200,000,000 and you can rent it for $1,000,000 per week.
What a Bargin!