Sailing Adventures
Beaufort, NC (pronounced: bow-firt)
Sailing from Fernandina, Beach FL to Beaufort, NC achieved a couple of milestones for us. It was our longest single passage yet at 360 nautical miles (414 miles) over three days. It was also the passage where we crossed our first 1,000 (1150 miles) nautical miles of sailing since we started this cruising thing. We […]
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
If you remember this song titlle you are probably around my age or older. Ok, maybe it wasn’t Georgia, but we were just across the river from Georgia and “The Night the Lights Went out in the Town Across the River from Georgia” just was not as humorous. And there is not a song […]
Saint Augustine – Part Two
In St. Augustine, we learned all about coquina. Coquina is a porous limestone available in North Florida. It was used by the Spanish as a building material during their control of Florida. The original homes in the area are built with coquina blocks and are covered with concrete or stucco or their era. The outer […]
Saint Augustine – Part One
My mood has past and the sun is shining in our world once again. We love St. Augustine. St Augustine Florida claim to fame is they are the oldest city in the USA. This year, St. Augustine celebrates 450 years as a city. If you are here for any length of time, more than 30 minutes, […]
Dream Big
One of the best deals in Ft. Lauderdale is the water taxi. The fare is $26 per person for an all day ticket. For us, this was less than renting a car, no worries about parking, no worries about traffic and okay to have a couple of glasses of wine with the evening meal. In […]
This Stinks!
“This stinks!” was the common phrase uttered after leaving Key West. While sailing motoring from Tampa Bay to the Dry Tortugas, the winds were too light to sail and we were forced to listen to the diesel engine for 32 of the 36 hour trip. When leaving the Dry Tortugas for Key West, we had […]
Key West – Again
Have you ever sat in a bar or restaurant while a band set up? Our initial thought was, oh rats, it’s going to get loud. We were drinking our adult beverages waiting for our food to arrive watching the set up and listening to the standard “check one two three” over and over. Then, they […]
Ft. Jefferson – The Dry Tortugas National Park
If you look at a map, about 70 miles west of Key West Florida, in the middle of nowhere, you will find The Dry Tortugas National Park. The park consists of 7 small islands and is the southernmost tip of South Florida’s coral reef tract. This represents the third-largest barrier reef system in the world […]
The Dry Tortugas
About 10 years ago, Cindy and I came to the Dry Tortugas during a long weekend in Key West. A friend suggested we take the high speed ferry from Key West to Garden Key which is the location of Ft Jefferson. During the tour of the fort, I remember looking out one of the windows […]
Sailing South
Our first stop after leaving the marina was top off the fuel tanks. Cream Puff holds 158 gallons (US) of diesel fuel. This is used to power the engine and generator. The engine is used in cases where wind is nowhere to be found or for tight controlled maneuvering. The generator gives us all the […]
Gone Sailin’
Early this morning, Cream Puff slipped her mooring lines as we embarked upon our new life as full time cruisers. What is a cruiser? There are many definitions of a cruiser; see Cindy’s post for her explanation about the different ways people can travel by boat. For me, a cruiser has always been a sailor […]
Fun With Friends
Both Cindy and I agree perhaps the hardest part about going sailing is leaving good friends behind. And, I mean good friends. Friends who show up at our boat and bring a bottle of wine for everyone on board. Yes. Very good friends! We have talked to our friends, whom by now I’m sure are […]
A Little Bird
This is really amazing. So here we are about 18-20 miles offshore. We are making our way into Tampa Bay. The winds are easterly, blowing away from the land. It is almost dark. All of a sudden a little bird crashes into our boat. We normally see gulls and the occasional hawk this far our […]
Key West
We recently took a trip to Key West for some key lime pie. To read about our stormy adventure, our dancing with the stars, fine food and to view some brilliant pictures, please click here.
Dog Island – It Wasn’t Meant To Be
At this very point in time our plan was to be at Dog Island for a few days. About a week ago, while on Cream Puff getting things ship shape for the trip, I came down with the crud. And, being the kind sharing person that I am, I passed it to Cindy. Between the […]