Slowly but surely making our way south...

From the Isle of Hope Marina we continued down the ICW in the freezing cold winds. We have a Waterway Guidebook that we have been reading religiously to find the safest courses to follow and the best marinas to dock at overnight. It led us to Halfmoon Marina on Colonel Island with the promise of good ol' southern hospitality. That is exactly what we found. It must have been our lucky day; we arrived Wednesday (Jan. 21st) evening as a beautiful sunset was on display. As it turns out Wednesdays are Halfmoon poker night at the marina, which happens to be the local hangout. So, we had just enough time to secure our lines and get out of our foul weather gear before the bonfire on shore was roaring and everyone within a 5 mile radius was pulling up to enjoy themselves. A bonfire! We had a wonderful evening-chitchatting with the locals, warming our hands and sharing stories. People offered us their hot water showers, home cooked meals, cars, and basically everything the island had to offer. I received blessings from a lovely witch/Indian princess (thank you!) and what do you know? The very next day the weather started to warm and the sun came out!

We made our way to the Golden Isles Marina in St. Simons, Georgia. There, we were able to do some laundry, get a good night's sleep and plan our course for the next couple days. Although, we are quickly discovering that plans matter not. Nothing has gone according to plan and I think one of my biggest lessons will be learning to go with the flow, literally and figuratively. On Friday, we awoke to the warmest temperatures we have seen yet and decided to take advantage and maximize our mileage south. We headed offshore and raised the sails! Woohoo! After listening to the motor for one solid week and painstakingly navigating the Waterway, it was an amazing relief to hoist the sails, set the autopilot and simply enjoy the sounds of the wind and the waves.

We covered about 40 miles offshore alternating between strictly sailing and motor/sailing when the winds died down. We were trying to make good time and steadily go at it at about 5 knots because it was supposed to get cold again that night and Fernandina Beach was our goal for the day. Eight miles away from our destination, the transmission linkage broke. That means we were unable to put the motor in gear, neither forward, neutral nor reverse! Had we been in the Waterway when this mini-disaster occurred, we would have been in major, serious trouble. (Interestingly, since we left Charleston the words "We are in major trouble." have been spoken every single day.) As it was, we were able to still make headway with the sails up while Chip took apart the binnacle and jury rigged the transmission linkage with twisted paperclips and needle-nose pliers. He finally managed to muscle the transmission into forward gear, we lowered the sails and held our breath hoping that the watery diesel situation would hold out long enough for us to make it to Fernandina Harbor Marina. It did and we rolled in just after sunset.

And, here we are. The transmission linkage broke on Friday and by Saturday morning the marina sent someone down to diagnose the damage. The parts have been ordered and should be in tomorrow (Tuesday, the 27th). The earliest we will resume our southern trek will be Wednesday, assuming all goes as planned. Not likely! Chip has had a few days to inspect the water leakage situation and believes he has it fixed now-prayers please. If we have to be broken down anywhere, I am delighted it is in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island in Florida! It actually feels like we have covered some ground and gone somewhere. It is warm here during the days-between 60 and 70. We are docked one block away from the historic downtown area, which is very eclectic with great restaurants, coffee shops (I'm sitting in one right now), old taverns, book stores and tree lined streets. We are meeting interesting people along the way, making connections, and having drinks and dinners with new friends. Last night we had dinner on our boat with a salty sailor, Ken Liddiard, who has sailed single-handed around the world on a boat with no motor! He brought pictures of his adventures and wine; we had a grand evening soaking up his knowledge and enjoying his seize-the-day perspective.

I think I'm just starting to really understand the saying "It's not about the destination, but the journey." as it relates to everyday life.
-Caitlin

And away we go...

It's really hard to know where to begin! I feel like so many things have happened since we last posted. We were insanely busy the two weeks between New Year's and go-day with preparations. Every waking second of every day was spent buying supplies, food, wrapping up loose ends in Charleston, and anticipating our needs for the next 41/2 months. We finally got our act together and decided to have one last hoorah! with our friends and family the Tuesday before we departed. We gathered at Coast in downtown Charleston and had a little bon voyage shindig! Thanks to all you lovely people who came to party with us-love you!

Go-day was January 16th. One of Chip's good friends, John Michael Barclay, came into town from Alabama to lend a helping hand on the first leg of our voyage. So, we finally set off on an unusually chilly morning. I waved a teary goodbye to my darling Mama, my brother, Hunter, and charming Charleston. I will miss you all!

So, now we're sailing. But actually not sailing, motoring. The weather gods have not been on our side one bit. It has been way too cold (lowest temps. for this time in 20 years!!) with high winds and rough seas. We can't even consider going off shore and sailing. Navigating the Intracoastal Waterway has been immensely beautiful and challenging in so many ways. The first night was possibly the worst night I have EVER experienced. We anchored in the South Edisto River and at about 3am Chip discovered we had drifted ashore, hard ashore. The anchor had dragged due to strong currents and high winds. By about 6am not a drop of water was touching our boat and we were heeled over 50 degrees, seriously. On top of this, it was 18 degrees outside and winds were blowing at 20 knots. Misery. All of these seasoned sailors say "If you ain't run aground, you ain't been around." I guess I've been around now! Alas, the tide came in and we drifted off land before noon, and before Sea Tow had come to our rescue.

Needless to say, we were all struggling to recover from a freezing, sleepless, uncomfortable night so we decided to dock the second night in Beaufort, SC. Using shore power we were able to use our space heaters and survive to see another day. It is amazing what a hot shower, a good steaming meal and deep sleep can do for the body and soul! I woke up feeling confident and ready for whatever may come. That's the good thing about an unexpected near-disaster, it makes you feel tougher!

We motored the final stretch of South Carolina's winding waterways and decided to spend the night at Riverstreet Market Dock in Savannah, GA. John Michael had to catch a plane the next day (Monday, the 19th) back to his life, so we hit the town for a little treat after our painfully cold day on the water. Delicious oysters, crawfish, and pralines! Originally, we planned to stay one night and continue south, but due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday the swing bridges were closed and there was no point in trying to go anywhere. Two days in Savannah! I, for one, loved the opportunity to sleep in, have a leisurely shower and stroll around the city with sweet, little Chili. Before bedtime last night, we listened to the weather report. The temperature dropped into the twenties and it was raining quite a bit yesterday. Naturally, there was a chance of snow this morning! Thankfully there was no precipitation for our departure from Savannah.

Today, about two hours into our trip south from Savannah, the motor sputtered out and died just as we were about to pass under a swing bridge. We had to quickly drop anchor and drift over toward a marshy bank. Chip is proving to be quite handy and knowledgeable, thank goodness. He worked on the engine for about an hour, draining diesel, trying to get to the bottom of our issues. Seems as if water somehow made it's way into our diesel tank (it was raining cats and dogs in Sav.). After draining the contaminated diesel out and putting new in, the engine worked! So, we were on our way, but thought it would be wise to find a marina to spend the night ASAP and investigate the watery diesel. The temperature will be in the teens tonight and we simply must have a heat source. And, here I am. In my toasty boat, with internet access (yeah!) at the Isle of Hope Marina. And, here is my hope. I hope that this voyage makes a turn in a positive direction right now! A little bit of luck would be wonderful...

ps-forgive the pictures not being in order, I'm new at this!
-Caitlin