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