Bahamas Bound

  Jessica and I met up with Nelson and Mary from Blackbeards here in St Augustine and they gave us their car for the day. We brought Alli to the veterinarian specialist and they confirmed that she has some cancer in her foot bone, but it has NOT spread Into her body. We opted not to have surgery to remove her broken toe, because her liver and kidney levels are borderline being able to withstand sedation.    Jessica and I decided along with the OK from the veterinarian to simply increase the pain and inflammation medication and love her dearly. Alli is eating and drinking and seems to be feeling well. She is also starting to get used to walking on three legs. We took a stroll down St George st and saw the costume folks walking the streets. Then we towed a stranded couple on a dinghy back to their boat.

  We spent the night anchored outside of Jacksonville, Florida, and unfortunately, our dog Allie hurt her foot.    Jessica took a Uber to the veterinarian this morning, and we discovered that she has some cancer growth in her foot which made her susceptible to a toe injury.    We are in Saint Augustine now and are planning to have Nelson and Mary give us a ride to a specialty veterinarian Friday.    Jessica and I were able to celebrate her birthday by walking down St. George Street and having a nice meal at a restaurant that Aunt Suey recommended.    Of course I was able to finish my dinner, but Jessica has a large takeout box for snacking on tomorrow.   If 

  Jessica and I had a nice walk on Cumberland Island State Park, at the southern tip of Georgia. It was the final day of cool, cloudy, drizzly days so we stayed on board and made pizzas with Wanda‘s excellent homemade marinara sauce from tomatoes in her garden.. Today we made our way to the outskirts of Jacksonville, Florida. The sun came out, and lifted our spirits. Hoping for St Augustine tomorrow to be able to meet up with Jessica‘s aunt on Friday.

  Jessica and I took a day off from making miles south and stayed anchored at Jekyll Island. As I pumped rainwater out of the dinghy, Jessica did an excellent job driving the dinghy over to the dock.    Then we explored the village by foot and bike     that was a vacation spot for the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers.    Then we toured the sea turtle rescue hospital/museum and absolutely fell in love with these turtles, especially the babies. We spent the evening with our new friends Tim and Carolyn and played Mexican train on their lovely caterman.

One more day of sailing through the marsh land of Georgia. It’s got to be some of the most remote areas on the East Coast!    Absolutely beautiful, but it is nice when you see civilization again!    The tidal fluctuation and currents in the Georgia waterways make for some extremely sporty conditions. Jessica and Alli were able to take a nap in the V birth despite the super rolly seas. We made it to Jekyll Island, where we happen to be anchored near one of Regina‘s friends, so we dinghyed over and made some new friends.    After 12 days of good weather, the rain has set in. I am so happy to be going on this adventure with my soulmate. I love Jessica so much!

  Left Hilton Head this morning and picked up some fuel on the outskirts of Savannah. The wind picked up today so we had a sporty day sailing through the sounds of George’s very high fluctuating tidal rivers! Jessica and our dog Allie were troopers in the rolling seas! Thank goodness the seas were following us…it could have been worse.    We are anchored in the absolutely middle of nowhere cooking burgers and jalapeño poppers! 

  Jessica and I took a stroll in downtown Beaufort, South Carolina to see the historic homes and absolutely fell in love with this quaint town. Then we sailed/motored to Hilton head and then found this little dive bar on the side of the intercoastal waterway at Deufuskie Island.. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset and some good old french fries with our fish tacos . J

  Jessica and I picked up a mooring ball in Beaufort South Carolina. We spent the afternoon and evening with my aunt Debbie and uncle Ray. Debbie and Ray inspired me for doing the winter sailing adventure to the Bahamas when I was a teenager,  so it was neat to share part of our adventure with them!    They made us an excellent crockpot dinner and i was able to take a shower without boat wakes swaying me from side to side in the head! 

 South Fenwick state natural area, 

  We stayed in the Charleston area today (after anchoring in front of the Battery last night) and had a wonderful lunch with Jessica‘s Dad, Don and Trish. We ate at the iconic Fleets Landing restaurant and strolled around downtown Charleston. It has always been my favorite “city”.  

  Sailed ftom Georgetown to Charleston today. Entering the Charleston Harbour Jessica got a wonderful video of a dolphin coming up on the stern. Ended up anchoring adjacent to the Battery in downtown Charleston at the Peninsula.     Looking forward to seeing Jessica’s Dad and Trish tomorrow in Charleston! 

We absolutely fell in love with Georgetown, so we decided to take a day off from making miles south and spent the day anchored in the quaint town. We enjoyed the annual wooden boat show festival and tried the SC version of BBQ….it was OK, but not quite like good ole’ Eastrtn NC BBQ!    Ran into Glen from BSC youth sailing camp, as he is coaching the kiddos sailing down here in Georgetown now. We motored over to get diesel and water from the nearby marina and accidentally sailed through Glen’s youth regatta race course and got a stern “no-no” from Glen and the local Sherrif in the center console! 

  Left Barefoot Landing at 10 AM and observed the multimillion dollar mansions on the intercoastal waterway through Myrtle Beach. Then we were blessed with the absolutely beautiful waccamaw river, which was incredibly beautiful with its winding turns and bald Cypress, Gum and Tupelo trees.    We arrived at Georgetown at 5 PM and threw the hook. Took a stroll with Ali downtown and were absolutely blown away by the cute town which happened to have a wooden boat show this weekend. So far, this has been our favorite anchorage and we may elect to stay here again all day Sunday.