Is this for real?!

Honestly, in my life I cannot remember ever doing what I did to start my day . . . okay, so it's cold outside and we don't run the heat at night because it causes condensation and uses up precious gas cylinders that we don't have in abundance.  I woke up this morning at anchor off Cumberland Island and felt so cozy.  I actually grabbed my book and started my day leisurely working my way further into a good read.  Seriously, I've NEVER done anything like that!  And with that single act, my life now feels different!



It really has been a fine day.  Cumberland Island has always been playing in my imagination.  I've heard about it over and over and saw it as we passed on the highway, but until today, I've never made it there.  We had a nice, slow pace getting going and had to use some area of our brain that apparently wasn't easily accessible when trying to put the silly harness on the dinghy motor (but that's a story in itself!).  Finally getting settled, we dinghy-ed over to the Sea Camp Dock and headed out to see what this island had in store.
 


Here's the thing - if you haven't been to Cumberland, it's definitely worth the trip.  A beautiful, natural escape with wild horses, beautiful beaches, wonderful walking trails and friendly guides - Cumberland was a complete joy of a day.  We hiked out to the beach right away and walked a couple miles finding some of the prettiest shells I've ever seen scattered in every direction.  I even learned how to find whelks under the sand, a particular treat.  As we walked inland to catch a guided tour, we found the remains of an amazing mansion from the Carnegie days on the island.   It's always fascinating to see the remnants of life gone by.  We wandered the trails, met some folks along the way and truly felt like we were away from it all.







All along, I've heard that the biggest joy of cruising is meeting the people and making new friends along the way.  I must say that I was feeling that maybe we just weren't good in that category but today told another story.  We saw again a couple we met briefly at the dock in Jeckyl Island and met several other cruising couples through the day.  Everyone is so different and so interesting, the sailing community is definitely made up of adventurous types!  So today we got to know Kev and Judith, Michael and Lori and Jerry and Kathy.   We're excited to continue these and other friendships as we continue on. Tomorrow it's on to Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach, a favorite spot of ours over the years.  Can this be real?

Day 3 - NOT at Sea!

After a cozy and very cold night tied up at Jeckyl Harbor Marina, we woke well rested after almost 12 hours of sleep.  Since we had easy access, we did some housekeeping and put a couple loads in the washer at the marina while we went for a walk into the historic district.  Jeckyl Island has either made great strides in being a cute island town or we just didn't take a good enough look at it when we were here so many years ago!  Anyway, it's CUTE.  After laundry was finished, we further ventured out on the marina's bikes and made it almost entirely around the island through parks, gold course, beach, campground . . . a little bit of just about everything.

Biking through the woods . . .

Since we had stretched the rules on leaving the marina (yup, even marinas have "check out" times) we pushed back off just after 1pm.  The new cockpit enclosure does a really great job of acting like a greenhouse and it was lovely in the cockpit as we headed down the intercoastal toward Cumberland Island.  I've always heard so much about Cumberland and have been excited to be anchoring there for a visit.  I don't really know many facts about it, but it's a nature preserve, noone lives there, and there are many great things to see - wild horses, other wildlife and old ruins from days gone by.

We have been doing really well at keeping our course and watching our marks to avoid an unnecessary "stops" (aka running aground).  Unfortunately, when we arrived at the chosen anchorage, the river entrance had shoaled and was not recorded as such and we ran swiftly aground just after making the turn.  UGH!!!  Okay, not to worry, the tide was rising and we started drifting within the following 15 minutes.  We continued up the river only to be stuck once more not 10 yards further up!  We powered around in a circle and headed OUT OF THERE as fast as Moonshadow would go! 

This is where Laurie began to get really nervous . . . there was no other recommended anchorage within the next 12 mile stretch and we were an hour from sunset.  Oh, the joys of the unexpected!  So, what choice was there?  You just can't make a sailboat go faster than she'll go nor can you just drop anchor in the middle of the intercoastal waterway . . . so we headed toward the next anchorage hoping for the best.  We can navigate in the dark with new instrumentation but it's not a great nor welcome idea.  Thankfully, we arrived at the anchorage just as the sun dipped below the horizon and we managed to anchor before the dark settled in.

Today's Sunset

So, let's see, what are some highlights of the day - biking through the trees, another successful push off of the dock, actually seeing the wild horses on the bank of Cumberland Island as we motored by,  (neat knowing they're some of the only truly wild horses remaining in the US), seeing all the nice comments on facebook, warming the cabin tonight by baking cookies . . . but the BEST is the full moon shining on the water in one direction while an amazing sunset was off the other side of the boat - yup, another glorious day!

We Make the Break

You know, when you plan for anything long enough, there is always that thought in the back of your head that maybe it will never actually come to pass . . . SO . . . we were excited when David, Gretchen, Hal, Cindy and Patty showed up on the dock on Tuesday to see us actually leave the dock!  Of course, when they arrived, we were trying to resolve all of the issues that had cropped up from the first minute (you know, little things, like the engine not starting!). After a not too long delay, we did make the break and headed out to begin the adventure.

We're off!

We did some last minute detail work on our way out of the harbor and made the turn into dynamite hole from the shipping channel.  We were met with a great surprise right off the bat.  With abnormally strong winds from the south and an outgoing tide, dynamite hole was all confused water.  Rob and I agree that we've never been in water that BIG ever before.  Our best estimate was over 12 foot waves and it was almost impossible to tell exactly what position we were in from one second to the next.  Of course, I was thinking "and WHY did I want to do this?!:"  Moonshadow's bow was crashing over huge waves and it was all we could do to keep her on course.  Of course that means that we were just that much more relieved when we made it through in one piece!  I must say that it was a true testament to my stowage skills!  Not an item broken in the lot!

Best seat in the house!

The plan was to sail as far as we felt comfortable with and seek shelter as needed.  It looked like the weather was going to hold through the night and we decided to continue the journey knowing we'd need to get in in the morning with a major storm approaching mid afternoon.  The weather was mild, the sun shone and the breeze was light but entirely from the wrong direction and we spent the whole day on a major roller coaster ride.  Thanks to Bonine, my new best friend, neither of us got seasick!  (Great stuff for anyone prone to seasickness)  The moon on the water was amazing and I was surprised at how well I could just sit and take it all in . . . being the busy body that I am. 

After a long night of very little sleep, lots of thinking, charting, staring at the gorgeous moon - we headed to the first good inlet after sunrise to be sure not to be caught in the storm that appeared to be arriving earlier than expected.  We made it to the Jeckyll Island anchorage just as the clouds came ripping in.  After 3 attempts to set the anchor in silt, and with this massive storm starting to blow, we pulled to the marina dock and have been happily tied up here as the winds howl and the rain pelts the boat.  So after a hot shower, a little food, a beer/wine toast to a good first step, I'm thinking this could be okay . . .

Sunset at Sea.

Other notes . . .  I saw my first ever "in the wild" shark - and it was a big one - with it's fin cutting the water just like in the darn movies!  Then today we saw a bald eagle, just as you please!  We ate sparingly for the most part with the waves and all but I did manage to make Rob an abbreviated version of Thanksgiving with fresh baked sweet potatoes (thanks, Lois Randall!), the last of the turkey and freshly made waldorf salad.  Seemed like it was right having Thanksgiving on our first night out!

Well, the sun has just set in all its glory, the wind blows and I sit all cozy wondering what tomorrow will bring.  One thing I know is that no matter how good this all gets - without having those I love out there thinking of me, this wouldn't mean a thing.  Here's one to you!

One Week and Counting

Forgive me for my ramblings but this is mostly being done to practice working with this blog before we head out . . .

We're a week away and busily preparing for what we hope to be an uneventful departure next Monday.  The rain's coming down so it's a great day for re-assessing every nook and cranny aboard to ensure that only the most useful and necessary items remain for the voyage. 

The final work on the electrical panel, wind generator, engine vent is being accomplished and I'm in the throws of creating the list of provisions I'll be bringing aboard in the next day or two.

After an amazing Thanksgiving with our sons and their girls yesterday, the reality of being away for the holidays is settling in . . . but life's most exciting adventures always come with some form of compromise.  My beautiful kids, our families and all of our good friends . . . you will be sorely missed.   Of course we do have that forward stateroom that will be waiting for guests!

Awaiting the Day

Well, it looks like we're officially preparing to leave our home waters in early December and head where the wind takes us.  The first step in staying in touch is to figure out how to create a blog . . . and here we have it!  Funny, but after a year of getting ready, creating this page brings it all home more than any of the sanding, varnishing, scrubbing, repairing and installing that we've done.
So to bring you up to speed, after both winning our battle with cancer in 2005 and 2006, we felt it was time to start living each and every day after 25 years of hard work in our business.  Rob's big dream was always to go cruising on a sailboat and that became our first goal.  We've sold the ice cream and coffee portions of the business and purchased Moonshadow in March of 2010.
Officially named Nanina when purchased, our girl was renamed Moonshadow early on.  In keeping with the old Cat Stevens tune, she reminds us to always find the positive in each situation and keep moving forward.  We brought her up from Fort Lauderdale in June of 2010 and have been hard at work restoring her since.
We are just about ready with the final electrical systems being installed now and the watch will begin after Thanksgiving for the best day to untie the lines.  We look forward to sharing our journey with you.  Come along for the ride!