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Annapolis to Charleston SC

NOTE: We are working on blog updates as we try to document our cruising adventures for the 2018-2019 season. Our most current postings are always on our Facebook PUBLIC page. You do not have to be on Facebook to look at a public web page, all you need to do is click here: https://www.facebook.com/svIslandSpirit/

We departed Annapolis MD in October, as we always do, on the Monday of the boat show. After a very fun time with our Island Packet Yacht Owners Association daily lunches at the Fleet Reserve, we sailed away. We enjoyed promoting the new Island Packet 349 as we shot hundreds of photos and published them to the internet for all to view. Turns out,  we helped to sell the first one and we are very proud of that fact. Congrats to Steve, we are very happy for you!

Our run down the Chesapeake Bay was fantastic with code zero sailing and making our normal harbors along the way. First, we stopped in Solomons to have a technician verify our latest radar problem. The result was that a new dome will be waiting for us in Hampton. This stop was made much more fun when Ron and MaryAnn of IP380 CAVU met us on the docks to help us and take us out to breakfast!

Next up was Virginina, with an anchorage in Deltaville and then Hampton City Docks. Unfortunately, we were running directly into Hurricane Michael. Lucky for us, we prepared for it in the water with the shelter of a 6 story parking garage upwind. While in Hampton, we were invited to attend  Rick and Jean’s wedding on the bow of their Island Packet Yacht, IP38 SPINDRIFT. This beautiful event was one of the highlights of the season. Notice the beautiful post-hurricane weather. Sooooo much fun and such a privilege to meet their families and to share in their joy!

Departing Hampton, we moved south to one of our favorite places, the South Ferry DockPortsmouthmouth, where we linked up with longtime buddy boat IP350 KISMET, Laurie and Jim. We went to the Commodore Dinner Theater and saw the movie A STAR IS BORN. What a great stop this was.

Next up was the world famous DISMAL SWAMP. This is one of our favorite sections on the ICW. It is a photographer’s dream. Here are a few of my favs.

That is Hayden standing by the anchors, with the tannin-colored water cresting in a little wave under our bow.

From the Dismal Swamp. we pushed hard for Oriental, NC, where we were invited to spend a few days at an IP owners dock. This was a great rest. Thank you so much John and Cyndi of IP380 CHARDONNAY.

We enjoyed a great surprise running into Dave and Kim of IP320 ANDIME while meeting Dave and Suzy of IP 37 CAY PARAISO. IPs are everywhere!

Now, it was time to hit the ocean at Cape Look Out and sail offshore for Charleston, SC. This is a 2-day passage and the winds were perfect and the moon was out, but WOW was it cold! We bundled up and set sail for sea. Here are a few photos pushing for Charleston, SC.

Those are red lights in headlamps for our night vision.

Safety harnesses are mandatory offshore.

Now we can take a break, as we ALWAYS spend a week in Charleston, SC. WHY? Because it is a dream city to sail into, especially if you dock at the Charleston Maritime Center. This places you nearly on East Bay Street in the heart of the action. We love staying in the Maritime Center. Charleston is a great American city. Here are a few photos:

The view of the Ravenel Bridge on the Cooper River never disappoints.

 

Fun with Dave and Kathi of IP40 Knee Deep.

 

Glad to meet Gerry and Nancy, our Italy trip friends, and their longtime pals.

 

So proud of my cousin Diane and Tim’s son, Chris, who is a Google security expert.

 

After a ghost tour at the Old City Jail, we went in search of beer with the crews of KISMET and KNEE DEEP.

 

Laughs and a great meal with Blaine and Janet, formerly of IP40 CHARBONNEAU.

 

Stylin’ on the waterfront in downtown Charleston, SC.

This concludes our update blog from Annapolis MD Oct 8th, 2018 to Charleston, SC Oct 30, 2018. Remember, we are posting live updates to our Facebook Page:  please use the link above to follow us.

We have been blogging for over ten years and this is a great way for us to archive what we have done have and where we sailed. It is also a way to share photos of our friends and our great sailing adventures. Thank you for sailing along! 

Hayden and Radeen in Turks and Caicos, waiting for the next weather window to move onto Puerto Rico.

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Season 2018-19 Begins

Our summer at Saltbox 13 flew by and it is always a comfortable retreat and change of pace and activity from the cruising lifestyle.  We find the contrast of life on land vs life on a boat to be so interesting. On the boat, we live off solar power, wind power and a 100 amp alternator and a little diesel fuel. We make fresh water out of salt water, we walk for all groceries. At home, we live in a passive solar home but have endless water (38 gal/minute well) endless power 120 volt, 24/7 internet, cable TV, cars, bikes, and a large Weber grill. Life on land is soooo easy, life on a boat is soooo simple. The contrast is interesting and we enjoy both equally.

Required selfie as we start off in Annapolis MD 2018

Our first two weeks aboard find us in Annapolis Maryland as we stow and store all the items we moved onboard. We are adjusting to living without a car for the next 8 months. We are working thru the yacht systems, some need repairs, some need adjusting. Solar and wind are working great, and we have found once again, our new B&G 4G radar is not working AGAIN. So we are focused on that major system which allows us to sail offshore safely at night. We need to fix it as we are heading offshore 5 days after the boat show!

Living on the mooring ball for a week off the Annapolis Yacht Club

We spent one rainy week on mooring ball 50 in Annapolis and then a fun 3 days at the Seven Seas Sailing Association SSCA gathering at the Maryland Yacht Club in Rock Creek, near Baltimore. Now we have moved back to Annapolis where we are attending the sailboat show, as we have done for over 25 years. We really enjoy seeing so many cruising friends and Island Packet Yacht Owners. We created and host lunches at the Fleet Reserve at the 2nd-floor roof tent every day from noon til about 2 pm. It is a great way to meet up with buddies. We also look at all the new gear and rigging ideas, most of which we either have or don’t need. We go to seminars and learn new ideas and hear about other sailors’ adventures. It really is a great way to spend a long weekend. We can’t imagine missing the Annapolis Boat Show.

We along with Whiteaker Yacht Sales host our IPYOA.com Noon Lunches

So, we will return to blogging and we will share our photos and adventures once again. Our destination this year is the Caribbean Sea once again, but this time we will push onward past Puerto Rico and make it to Grenada by May 15, 2019. There we will haul out and store the boat from June 1 to Nov 1 for hurricane season. Between now and then, we will have much to share and many photos to capture. Thanks for sailing along.

This is the way we made it to the Caribbean last year, here we go again

This time, we WILL push onward and make it to Grenada for storage. 

Our New 2018-19 cruising map is active here. It will be updated as our boat moves. We use the Garmin InReach tracker and the Spotwalla service to archive our trips. This way you can always see where we are. It is interesting to see the creeks and rivers we run and the ocean passages we will make.

https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=1b7bf5bb462b62d758&hoursPast=0&showAll=yes

Hayden and Radeen.…docked at the Boat Show, let the FUN BEGIN again!

Radeen and Hayden, Oct 3, 2018, at dock, Annapolis Boat Show time