boatlife, lifestyle, Sailing

Fernandina, Florida (Finally)

After Brunswick, Florida was finally just a hop, skip and jump away.  After a surprisingly chilly several months along the ICW, I kept joking that as soon as we hit Florida the temperature would jump by 20 degrees.  I wasn’t serious, but as luck would have it, almost literally as we crossed the GA/FL borderRead more…

boatlife, Sailing

Georgia on our minds…

Ah, Georgia – the most dreaded stretch of the ICW.  It is a land of twists & turns, 8 foot tides, ripping currents and treacherous shallows that must be transited with care. Many try to go offshore from South Carolina to Florida and bypass Georgia altogether. We certainly entertained that idea but a good weather window neverRead more…

boat work, Gear

Boatyard Project – Solar Install

When we first decided to go cruising on Elara, I decided that adding a solar panel would be a necessity at some point.  It wasn’t really super-urgent while heading down the ICW (since we were motoring everyday anyway to charge the batteries), it was definitely a “do before we head to the islands” project.  SittingRead more…

boatlife, lifestyle

Liebster-fied!

One of the best things about this whole “cruising” lifestyle is the awesome folks you meet along the way.  The boating community in general seems to be a pretty friendly group, but there are some folks who you just have an immediate connection with beyond just having “the whole cruising thing” in common.  Ryan andRead more…

Uncategorized

On the Water Again!

Finally! With all the cosmetic damage repaired, our new rudder, and new bobstay we are back in the water! Took a short hop down to downtown Charleston for a week to check out the city – tons of fun, now we’re heading south again, currently in Beaufort for the next few days waiting out someRead more…

Uncategorized

New Years in Charleston

Once Vicky got back from Philly, we decided to get a hotel room in downtown Charleston for New Years eve, instead of spending it alone in the boatyard!  After a month of living on the boat on the hard it was a welcome change of pace.  Boatyard life really makes you appreciate little luxuries likeRead more…

boat work, lifestyle, Sailing

I Think We’re Done With the ICW

It’s been kind of hard to write a post since leaving Oriental, mostly because it’s much more fun to write about the fun exciting days of cruising than the crappy, everything-goes-wrong-broken-boat days of cruising. But that’s exactly where we are. The passage from Oriental to Beaufort was uneventful, and we spent a nice evening checkingRead more…

Sailing

On The Road Again!

After a week in Oriental, our engine was running like new thanks to the awesome folks at Deaton’s Yacht Services.  With our engine purring we set out to make up some time.  First hop was pretty short, just down to Beaufort.  We could have bypassed it, but I really wanted to check out the town.Read more…

boat work, lifestyle, Sailing

Stuck In Oriental

The trip from Bellhaven to Oriental was long, but uneventful.  We weren’t even sure we were going to make it in one day, but with some favorable winds and a bit of motor sailing we were making good time.  As we transited the Pamlico river, we passed a bustling seafood dock.  According to activecaptain, boatsRead more…