Charleston, SC

Spent a great day in Charleston on April 15 with a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city and two great meals (see Jon looking very content after a great meal at the Hominy Grill). Charleston is a beautifully historic town with lovely homes festooned with overflowing window boxes.

Chesapeake Bay - Yorktown and Sarah’s Creek

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Upon returning from visiting Stephanie, we prepared to leave Norfolk for a long-anticipated cruise of the Chesapeake Bay.  We have been looking forward to this part of our journey and have less than a month to enjoy this extensive cruising area as we need to be in New York City by the first week in June.  We will work our way up the west coast of the bay so that we can build in a trip up the Potomac River to Alexandria, VA and Washington D.C. where we lived for several years and have friends we want to visit.

As we left Norfolk’s huge harbor, we encountered this cruise ship that did a complete 360 degree turn on its axis. What a sight that was!

The Chesapeake Bay is a huge body of water and truly a cruiser’s paradise.  There are over 3000 miles of shoreline to explore.  Forty-eight  rivers empty into the Chesapeake and more than a hundred tributaries branch off from them making for limitless opportunities for exploration.  There is everything from tiny villages to historic towns to large cities along this majestic bay.  We intend to visit as many as we can on this and the return portion of our journey.  The challenge is to decide which ones to visit and which to pass up for another time.

Our first stop on the western shore was Yorktown on the York River. There we spent a few hours exploring this historic town, where the British surrendered to the Colonists ending the Revolutionary War.  Yorktown has scenic  battlefields  and a museum with a small re-enactment area. 

The  most interesting part of our visit was the Waterman’s Museum.  There, we were fortunate to meet the gentleman who had been involved in restoring the museum which is located in an old house with amazing wood paneling.  He walked us from room to room as he updated the docents and us on the contents of each room and the history of the Chesapeake waterman.

We were docked at the town dock which had a sweet little beach adjacent to it.  It was a very hot day (in the 90’s) and it was a surprise to see so many people sunning and swimming in the middle of the week!  We chose to cool off with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  Always a treat!

Jonny took the opportunity to use the empty town dock to assemble our portable dinghy which always attracts people to witness this odd vessel.  For those who haven’t seen it, our Porte-a-Bote is a 10 foot long flexible dinghy that rows well (which is why Jonny wanted it), holds a decent sized engine, and can get up on a plane and travel about 13 knots (15 mph).  The most amazing thing about it is that it folds up to the size of a surfboard and can be easily stowed on deck or transported.  We will be towing it for this portion of our trip as we expect to find many quiet anchorages (gunkholes) where we can row and motor.

We planned to anchor this evening in Sarah’s Creek so we took off for about an hour’s trip to this quiet anchorage on the York River.  It’s such a treat to anchor out after being in a marina for several days.  The peace and beauty that surrounds us at these places is very restorative and one of the great pleasures of our journey.

Beaufort, SC

Arrived in Beaufort on a cloudy and threatening day (but no rain) after crossing the Port Royal Sound. This was our first fairly big sound (about 4 miles across). Some whitecaps, but nothing that our trusty Zendo couldn't handle with ease. Arrived at Beaufort's Downtown Marina which was a perfect location for our first visit to this lovely town. Had an amazing dinner at Griffin's Market, owned by an Italian couple. The 4 course prix fixe meal was the best Italian food we've had since we were in Tuscany - and the restaurant didn't even have a sign above the door!

Next day, we shared the marina's courtesy car with a couple from PA to do a grocery and hardware store run. Spent a couple of hours walking the beautiful shady streets of Beaufort ogling the historic homes including the one featured in "The Big Chill." This is a very charming town!

Georgia Coast

Anchored in two different sites before arriving at the Downtown Marina in Beaufort. First anchorage was off of the South Altamaha River. Dinghied over to Mud Camp Charlie's at the Two Way Fish Camp for a typical and tasty fried seafood dinner. Dinghied back amidst a beautiful sunset and got some nice shots of Zendo for our boat cards. Next night, anchored on the Vernon River after crossing two of the shallowest sections of the Georgia intracoastal waterway. Fortunately, we made it through the with no mishaps! Vernon River anchorage was very nice - across from some lovely homes and a beautiful open marsh.

Departing Jacksonville Beach!

After many months of planning (and hours of loading the boat), we finally left Jacksonville Beach for our 7 month adventure aboard Zendo up the east coast. Many thanks to Alex Costas who came by for our send-off!

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We left Beach Marine at 9:30 a.m. and headed for our first anchorage in Cumberland Island, GA. The weather was crystal clear and we arrived at about at 2:30.  At various points along the journey, we had dolphins playing across our bow which we took as an auspicious sign!  

 

We had a lovely dinner of crab cakes and mushroom risotto on the aft deck while watching a beautiful sunset. It doesn't get much better than this!

 

Loading the boat

 So far, Zendo has absorbed everything we've loaded loaded onto her.  We're sure we have "way" more than what we need!

We've moved aboard!

Jonny's brother, Andy, and his partner, Ed, came to help us move. They brought our little guy, Mocha, for one last visit before we leave. Thanks, Andy and Ed, for taking care of Mocha and Katie while we're away. They couldn't be in better hands!