FT-LAUDERDALE & MIAMI, Florida

Work work work work work ! That was the plan, so here we are at Cooley's marina in Ft.Lauderdale doing boat projects but mostly shopping for parts and provisioning before our departure to the Bahamas. Not to mention loads of laundry & cleaning the boat.

WE STILL FOUND TIME TO HAVE BEERS AT BRINY'S
IRISH PUB NEAR OUR BOAT

My cousin Irene & her husband Jacques live in Pompano Beach part of the time. Tim & I had a wonderful time with them, laughing, eating and drinking.   They were nice enough to lend us their car so we can do all the shopping & provisioning we needed.

TIM RELAXING AT IRENE'S CONDO IN POMPANO

Our boat buddies Al & Brenda on s/v Haven arrived a few days after us. We had a delicious American Thanksgiving dinner with them at the Sea Watch restaurant. Our other buddies Krista & Phil on s/v Harmonium will be arriving this week-end.



AL & BRENDA ARE FROM COMOX, BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

There doesn't seem to be a good weather window anytime soon to cross to the Bahamas unfortunately. We will be discussing our plans with our buddies and hope to cross with them sooner than later.

Once we completed all our projects, we went to Belle Island in the Venetian Causeway in South Beach, Miami.  Krista & Phil on s/v Harmonium Cays arrived and of course, we had another reunion dinner.




SUSAN, PHIL, KRISTA, BRENDA, TIM AND AL

During our stay in Miami waiting for a weather window to go to the Bahamas we visited several places:


SOUTH BEACH



HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL





LAKE WORTH & LAKE SYLVIA, FLORIDA

We went down the ICW to Lake worth. We sailed most of the way downwind reaching 9 knots. YEAH ! we were flying in the ICW. In total, this trip was 59 miles. We missed one of the bridge openings so we got to the anchorage as it was getting dark (5:30pm). It was a long day but a very enjoyable one. We only stayed here the night at Lake Worth.

The very next day, we sailed offshore from Lake Worth to Lake Sylvia in Ft. Lauderdale. The waves about 5-10 feet at every 8 seconds on the aft quarter. Winds were at 15 knots gusting to 25. At first, the waves were rocking our boat in a very uncomfortable manner but soon we fell off a wee bit and it was more tolerable.

Upon reaching Lake Sylvia there was a 41' catamaran that was following us and decided to set his anchor right in front of us and over our anchor. Really ? Normally, a boat behind should wait to see where the boat in front will anchor then anchor himself at a good distance. I guess he was in a hurry.

The next day, he moved enough for us to pull our anchor and off we went to Cooley's Landing Marina on the New River in Ft.Lauderdale.

VERO BEACH, FLORIDA

          

We took the ICW from Melbourne to Vero Beach, Florida. Very light wind so we could only sail a little bit.

Now we know why Vero Beach is nicknamed "Velcro" beach. It's a very practical and beautiful place to be. The beach is only 1/4 mile away and there are free buses to every imaginable store. The marina only has a few moorings so it is expected to raft up with other boats. There were 3 Island Packets rafted up next to us:

WE KNOW THE MIDDLE BOAT WHICH BELONGS TO STEVE ON 'SLOW FLIGHT' AND THE FAR RIGHT ONE IS OWNED BY HAYDEN ON 'ISLAND SPIRIT'

Here we met many cruisers and had a fun happy hour / pot luck with cruisers playing their guitars.

On the day before we left, Brenda & Al on "Haven" showed up. What a surprise ! We sailed with them last year in the Bahamas. We had a most wonderful reunion. Brenda had made home made bread which warmed up their boat (it was cold & rainy outside). We drank wine & Rum while eating warm bread with cheese & shared our plans for the future. They will be having Thanksgiving with us in Fort Lauderdale and most likely we will be sailing with them to the Bahamas. Brenda & Al are from Comox, BC. One day, they wish to visit us in Dillon & they invited us to Comox. We will definitely take them up on this one day.



VETERANS MEMORIAL



SAY THIS OUT LOUD 3 TIMES

MELBOURNE, FLORIDA

          

Melbourne is only 15 miles from Cocoa Village. We stopped here because Prue & Burt on s/v "Exuberant" told us that there was a Seven Seas Cruising Association gathering called a "GAM". We had never hear of this association before. Prue was able to get us tickets to get in which are normally only for people who are part of the association. Judy, an organizer welcomed us with open arms and invited us to participate in all the seminars.

We participated in a demonstration of a life raft being deployed. It so happens that it was the same life raft that we have. I was given the opportunity to sit in the life raft with 5 other people (our life raft holds 6 people). It was very cramped indeed. I hope to never, ever have to use our life raft. 



I'M REALLY NOT SURE WHY THESE PEOPLE WERE SMILING? 

At the GAM there were several vendors and one was from Trinidad.  We had always thought of hauling out our boat in Grenada for the summer of 2015.  We asked the representative to tell us why we should go to Trinidad rather than Grenada.  It so happens that the representative was Jesse James, the SSCA representative in Trinidad.  He's done a lot for cruisers and did a good job convincing us.  He gave us a free haul out at Peakes Marine in Trinidad along with a free ride to or from the airport. 

COCOA VILLAGE, FLORIDA

          

From Saint Augustine we went offshore towards the Cape Canaveral inlet. Unfortunately, they were not launching any rockets.

We only spent enough time here to walk to the Key Lime Pie company. Yup, it was well worth it !

ST-AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

On our way to Saint Augustine, we stopped at Sister's Creek where there's a free city dock with fresh water. The fish were jumping all around us. Must of been the full moon effect? We spent a nice night here before heading to Saint Augustine. We so wanted to sail off shore but because of the weather, it would of been difficult to go thru the cut at St-Augustine. I guess because I had a bad experience with rage seas, I've become a little conservative. However, I got over it because we did go thru that cut once we left St-Augustine. 



WE WERE THE ONLY BOAT DOCKED AT SISTER'S CREEK

 
This is a great place to get around with bikes. We went to the Farmer's market and bought some fresh vegetables & listened to a group of guitar & banjo players playing the blues & southern songs.

In 1965, David Sollazzini and Sons of Florence, Italy created a marble replica of "DAVID" for the Palace of Living Art at the Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, California. The marble used for this replica was taken from Michelangelo's own quarry near Pietrasanta. This replica was later sold to Ripley Entertainment for the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in St. Augustine, Florida.

We took part in the Saint Augustine annual Pirate Gathering. This is the invitation on their website;
"Hear Ye, Hear Ye, and attention all Pirates, Scallywags, Scurvy Dogs, Wenches, and other assorted undesirables of the sea! Be it known to all that you are hereby summoned to the Port of St. Augustine, to join in congress and merriment at the 7th Annual St. Augustine Pirate Gathering November 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2014!!!".

So, we wondered....why are pirates celebrated ? They were not very nice people at all.

The Flagler College in Saint Augustine is a private four-year liberal arts college.The school is located on 19 acres, the centerpiece of which is the Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1888 as a luxury hotel. It's breathtaking. What a beautiful place to study.

FLAGLER COLLEGE

FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA

          

It was a quick 10 mile down the ICW from Cumberland Island to Fernandina beach.

Nancy & I once again had some girly time alone. We visited all the quaint shops in town. I especially enjoyed the Christmas shop. Unfortunately, all the ornaments I liked were either made of glass or of very delicate materials. Surely, they would break on the boat, so I didn't purchase any.

We purchased some local shrimp and had a fest on our boat with Rick & Nancy.  It was sort of a good bye dinner since our plans no longer matched up.  We made plans to meet up again in the Bahamas for Christmas.   

MERRY-GO-ROUND HORSES ON SOMEONE'S BALCONY

NOTICE THE STUFFED RABBIT ANIMALS AT THE TABLE

CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GEORGIA

From Beaufort, we sailed offshore again to Cumberland Island. Winds were light, so again, we had an easy night.

Cumberland Island is a National Seashore taken care of by the US National Park Services. It is 56.9 square miles.

History that has a more specific record starts with the early Spanish missions in the 16th century. In the 1730s, James Edward Oglethorpe laid out two forts, one on each end of the Island. In the 1750s, aspiring planters came to the Island once slavery was allowed on its shores. After the American Revolution, prestigious families, such as that of Nathaniel Greene, became interested in Cumberland's natural resources; the first mansion was built on the site we now know as Dungeness.

The horses which roam freely on Cumberland are feral, meaning that their ancestors were once domesticated. Legend has it that they were originally brought to the Island by the Spanish. However these particular horses' ancestors arrived, they make a very pleasing vista for the visitors of Cumberland. They are one of the most sought-after sights by visitors coming to Cumberland.

We couldn't visit the Plum Orchard mansion simply because there was a Hog hunt and the roads nearby were all closed. My question was "Will there be a pig roast later "? Unfortunately, the hunters kept all their kill and there will not be any pig roasts. ahhhhh, too bad :(

On Sept.21, 1996, John F. Kennedy Jr. married Carolyn Bessette on this Island.

THE BEACH AT CUMBERLAND ISLAND

On Halloween night, Tim & I decided to dress up with whatever we had available and go trick or treating. We dinghied to most of the boats in the harbor and received chocolates but mostly beer. Tim was dressed as the "Ebola clean up crew" and I had a kangaroo pouch with our parrot.  We met Prue & Burt on their beautiful Hylas 46. Thanks for the M&Ms !

BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA

We sailed offshore, overnight from Charleston to Beaufort. We could only wish every overnight sails were like this one. Light winds but strong enough to sail with small waves on a close reach. To keep awake, I stretch & dance to XM Sirius radio. I discovered new moves when the boat heals over.

There is a Beaufort in North and South Carolina.  Both are pronounced quite differently.

Beaufort has a wonderful waterfront full of small cafes & restaurants with people playing their guitars and banjos. This is where Rick showed me how to play cribbage.



WHAT A NICE WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON

Beaufort is the 2nd oldest city in South Carolina after Charleston. Numerous films were made here including 'Forest Gump', 'The Big Chill', 'GI Jane', 'Platoon' and more because of the beautiful landscapes and historical background. We found the house where 'The Big Chill' was filmed and a park where 'Forest Gump' was filmed.



BEAUFORT IS FULL OF LARGE TREES WITH SPANICH MOSS HANGING FROM IT

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Tim turned 50 on the day we arrived in Charleston, October 20th. All he asked for his birthday was a haircut which I managed to do several days later. To celebrate we went out for a seafood dinner with Rick & Nancy.



This is our second time in Charleston.   This time we visited Fort Sumter & the Aquarium.

Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry sea fort which is best known as the site upon which the shots that started the American Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861.



I had a girly afternoon with Nancy of "Angel Eyes". We visited the small aquarium & found a wonderful lunch place.

HELICOPTER LANDING ON A MEGA YATCH

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

CHARLESTON IS FULL OF BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPING



THERE ARE NUMEOUS MANSIONS IN CHARLESTON
WHICH COST AROUND 6 MILLON

CAPE LOOKOUT, NC -> WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC -> BALD HEAD ISLAND

SHAKLEFORD BANKS

Shakleford banks at Cape Lookout is home to wild horses.  Historical research and genetics testing indicates that these wild horses descended from a core group of the old type of Spanish horses.

We then sailed overnight to Wrightsville Beach, NC. We biked 25 miles the next day to visit our sailing  buddies from last year.  Nancy & Rick "Angel Eyes" were in Wilmington, NC. It was such a nice reunion. We spent 2 months sailing the Bahamas with them last year sharing Mahi Mahi and lobsters. We will sail with them to Charleston next.

RICK & NANCY

WRIGHTSVILLE SELLS BEER FROM QUEBEC. 

We left Wrightsville Beach and went down the ICW to Bald Head Island. You can't anchor there so we took a slip. It's well worth the stop. At this Island, there are no cars, just golf carts and bikes. We biked all around, watched the Bluefish tournament, walked the beach, and did a nature hike. I definitely recommend visiting this beautiful Island.



LGHTHOUSE ON BALD HEAD ISLAND

GEOTEXTILE TUBES

One weird thing about North Carolina is that there is NO happy hour. Basically, they aren't allowed to discount drinks. Oh well, we still had drinks at our Happy hour !

BEAUFORT, North Carolina: August - October 2014

For 2 months in the hot, sticky, humid summer of 2014, Tim worked 7 days a week, 10 hour days, fixing and replacing parts on our boat. Once most of the list was accomplished (you know the list is never completed), we left Beaufort, North Carolina on our journey south along the US coast, then the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean.

Some of the major things that were done to Alpenglow:  Replace the port & starboard chain plates, install a new arch, replace all the fresh water hoses, replace the holding tank hose, replace some of the electrical wires, add a new solar panel, install new companion way doors, the list goes on and on.

New Companion Way doors



Added a new 12Volt sub panel



Tim actually fits into our lazarette



Replaced the fresh water hoses and the holding tank hoses



Susan did some of the sanding and varnishing



Some of our provisions



Tim filled this bucket with water so he can have air
conditioning while working on the hard




Most of the cabinets on the Port and Starboard side
needed to be removed to replace the chain plates



New chain plates



New fiberglass to hold the chain plates against the haul of the boat



The area needed to be enclosed when removing the old fiberglass 



Installation of a new arch as the old davits were bent

2 month old shoes