It has turned out to be a very interesting, sometimes frustrating, summer for us. Twilight Time had been ”on the hard” having some repairs done. When she was ready, in mid-July, we returned from our home in CA to North Carolina. It was our expectation that we were going to cruise from NC north into the Chesapeake Bay, then on to CT in August. Unfortunately, Captain Harold decided that he did not have time to spend aboard Twilight Time until late September.
We decided that we never again wanted to be in a position of being dependent on someone else’s schedule to do and go where we wanted. So in early August we began a 2-week, intensive course at the Annapolis School of Seamanship.
It was an unbelievable amount of information and initially we did not think that our (older) brains could handle it. We spent every day in class for 8 hours and then every night studying for another 4-6 hours and much time wondering what we had gotten ourselves into! But in the end we both passed the Coast Guard exam required to get a Captain’s license. Before you congratulate us we have to remind you that there are many other Coast Guard hoops to jump through! For example, First Aid/CPR classes, TWIC cards including fingerprint/background checks, physicals (passed) drug testing (passed). The list goes on.
Meanwhile, we are having a good time in North Carolina, working on the boat (there is, of course, no end to projects.) and we have been working with another captain on some very specific maneuvering practice.
We plan to return to CA mid-September then in early October head to Maui for 6 weeks or so. Life is good!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Carolina Beach NC to Beaufort NC
In Carolina Beach we moored out and friends and Power Squadron buddies of Harold's came to pick us up, bring us to a cocktail party and then to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant. Very pleasant evening. We enjoyed mooring out - so much easier than docking - no messy lines!
I think our writer (CC) failed to mention that we went softly aground in some very skinny water on the way to Myrtle Beach. No big deal, no damage, just a little shell shock. Then between Carolina Beach and Beaufort we went aground again, more seriously, because we had to be towed off by TowBoatUS (nice to have that policy.) More shell shock. We may have caused more damage because there is a new vibration at about 1500 rpm. We'll have it checked later this week. Hope it's not too expensive. The writer just needs to make it clear that in both cases she was below decks. The reader will have to figure out who was on bridge at the time.
We are back in Beaufort, our boat's original home, and the marina even saved our slip for us. First night back Bobbie came to pick up Harold and we all went to No Name Pizza - how we've missed it! We arrived here in time for \ Tropical Storm Andrea, and while we had some fierce winds most of the rain came while we were asleep so we didn't even notice. Everything was tied up tight.
The Captain and the Commander have been doing routine maintenance, changing oil, fan belts, filters, etc., while the Admiral takes care of the more cosmetic aspects of boat ownership - polishing rails, cleaning the windows and Isinglass curtains, swabbing the deck, etc. Even so, we are loving every moment!
We are staying here another week (with a side trip to Ocracoke, if the weather cooperates) and then going back to CA for 3 weeks.
I think our writer (CC) failed to mention that we went softly aground in some very skinny water on the way to Myrtle Beach. No big deal, no damage, just a little shell shock. Then between Carolina Beach and Beaufort we went aground again, more seriously, because we had to be towed off by TowBoatUS (nice to have that policy.) More shell shock. We may have caused more damage because there is a new vibration at about 1500 rpm. We'll have it checked later this week. Hope it's not too expensive. The writer just needs to make it clear that in both cases she was below decks. The reader will have to figure out who was on bridge at the time.
We are back in Beaufort, our boat's original home, and the marina even saved our slip for us. First night back Bobbie came to pick up Harold and we all went to No Name Pizza - how we've missed it! We arrived here in time for \ Tropical Storm Andrea, and while we had some fierce winds most of the rain came while we were asleep so we didn't even notice. Everything was tied up tight.
The Captain and the Commander have been doing routine maintenance, changing oil, fan belts, filters, etc., while the Admiral takes care of the more cosmetic aspects of boat ownership - polishing rails, cleaning the windows and Isinglass curtains, swabbing the deck, etc. Even so, we are loving every moment!
We are staying here another week (with a side trip to Ocracoke, if the weather cooperates) and then going back to CA for 3 weeks.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Charleston SC to North Myrtle Beach SC
Charleston City Marina is a very interesting place, and good for people watching as well as boat watching. Some of the boat names are amusing:
Some of the yachts in are very impressive and we are dwarfed by our dock mates:
Probably because in my last post I mentioned the great weather, yesterday it changed on us. We left Charleston about 0900 and within an hour started to see dark skies to our west. As soon as Carol took the wheel the rain came, and came, and came. It was hard to see anything in front of us and we just had to rely and the chartplotter. Lightening, thunder, the whole bit. It finally stopped a couple of hours later, for a while. Then just as we came into Myrtle Beach it started up again. Not as heavy as before but still enough to get us all wet. There are no photos because we are way to busy to take pictures.
But as you can see, there is a calm after the storm and the gift of a rainbow.
Today we are headed for Carolina Beach and the weather is good, so far.
Some of the yachts in are very impressive and we are dwarfed by our dock mates:
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| This photo does not do these boats justice. They are probably 3 times our size. |
Probably because in my last post I mentioned the great weather, yesterday it changed on us. We left Charleston about 0900 and within an hour started to see dark skies to our west. As soon as Carol took the wheel the rain came, and came, and came. It was hard to see anything in front of us and we just had to rely and the chartplotter. Lightening, thunder, the whole bit. It finally stopped a couple of hours later, for a while. Then just as we came into Myrtle Beach it started up again. Not as heavy as before but still enough to get us all wet. There are no photos because we are way to busy to take pictures.
But as you can see, there is a calm after the storm and the gift of a rainbow.
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| A double rainbow after the storm, North Myrtle Beach SC |
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Fort Pierce FL to Charleston SC
with stops in Melbourne FL, Palm Coast FL, New Teakettle Creek, Beaufort, SC.
We left Fort Pierce on the day before Memorial Day, May 26th. The evening before many of our dockmates combined a Saturday night cookout with a little going away party for us. We have made many friends there and as you can see by the following, they are quite a group.
We spent that night at the Melbourne Harbor Marina, and enjoyed one
of our favorite restaurants, The Mansion. It is a most interesting
place, with room after room of beers, wines, liquors, a deli, food
gifts, etc. Then we had dinner on the rooftop overlooking the ICW. The
food is wonderful. If you ever get the chance and are in the area,
you'll be glad you stopped there.
The ICW traffic on Memorial Day was unbelievable, mostly crowded by jet skis trying to jump our wake, lots of small boats buzzing about like mosquitos, and larger boats as well. Carol was so distracted by all this activity that she missed a marker and we almost ended up going out the Ponce de Leon inlet near Daytona Beach and into the Atlantic. Wouldn't be so awful to go on the outside but there were 6-10 ft seas that day.
After an 8 hour run the next day we spent the night in Palm Coast (an unremarkable place where a restaurant is a good walk.)
We stayed over for 2 nights in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. We really like the town and besides, we all needed pedicures or manicures. There we enjoyed a really excellent dinner at a restaurant that Harold's cousin Becky had recommended: Joe's 2nd Street Bistro.
BTW, all this eating out is partly for professional reasons, as Harold's latest enterprise is working as a restaurant critic for a couple of local newspapers in the Morehead City area. He also does some restaurant critiques for Claiborne Young's Waterway Guides. And these boys both LOVE their food.
The following night decided to anchor out at a secluded spot on New Teakettle Creek. It's very peaceful out there, not a building in sight, now and then an isolated house or hunting cabin. The stars are amazing and the only sound is (unfortunately/fortunately) our generator running. We are always amazed that one can go for miles and see nothing but marshland and woods, especially in Georgia. Of course, that's why the area is called "the lowcountry" because so much of it is at or below sea level and so cannot be built on.
We spent the next night is Beaufort, SC, another lovely coastal town. Carol's choice of restaurant was not such a hot pick.
We are now in Charleston for our second night at the Charleston City Marina. MANY megayachts in. We didn't realize that this week was the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, so downtown is packed with people and restaurants were very busy. So last night Harold's friends Cindy and Ed took us out to one of their favorite places, the Sunrise Bistro, on St. John's Island, nearby Charleston. Today they took us to breakfast, shopping, Trader Joe's and West Marine. It's nice to have friends in some of these stops, since at many marinas you are not nearby grocery stores, etc. Carol did find a fold-up bicycle for $40 at a nautical swap meet (she's probably the only one of the crew who can ride it, however.)
We left Fort Pierce on the day before Memorial Day, May 26th. The evening before many of our dockmates combined a Saturday night cookout with a little going away party for us. We have made many friends there and as you can see by the following, they are quite a group.
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| Their wives/significant others refuse to pose with them. |
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| Upon our departure, our dockmates gave us a warm, sincere sendoff. |
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| Rooftop Dining at The Mansion |
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| Another lovely day on the ICW |
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| Mal's next boat will be a fixer-upper. |
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| Condos along the ICW |
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| St Augustine |
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| Black Raven, Pirate Ship in St. Augustine |
The ICW traffic on Memorial Day was unbelievable, mostly crowded by jet skis trying to jump our wake, lots of small boats buzzing about like mosquitos, and larger boats as well. Carol was so distracted by all this activity that she missed a marker and we almost ended up going out the Ponce de Leon inlet near Daytona Beach and into the Atlantic. Wouldn't be so awful to go on the outside but there were 6-10 ft seas that day.
After an 8 hour run the next day we spent the night in Palm Coast (an unremarkable place where a restaurant is a good walk.)
We stayed over for 2 nights in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. We really like the town and besides, we all needed pedicures or manicures. There we enjoyed a really excellent dinner at a restaurant that Harold's cousin Becky had recommended: Joe's 2nd Street Bistro.
BTW, all this eating out is partly for professional reasons, as Harold's latest enterprise is working as a restaurant critic for a couple of local newspapers in the Morehead City area. He also does some restaurant critiques for Claiborne Young's Waterway Guides. And these boys both LOVE their food.
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| Crew in Fernandina Beach |
The following night decided to anchor out at a secluded spot on New Teakettle Creek. It's very peaceful out there, not a building in sight, now and then an isolated house or hunting cabin. The stars are amazing and the only sound is (unfortunately/fortunately) our generator running. We are always amazed that one can go for miles and see nothing but marshland and woods, especially in Georgia. Of course, that's why the area is called "the lowcountry" because so much of it is at or below sea level and so cannot be built on.
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| Fishing at anchor - no luck. Note that Mal does not need a rod. |
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| Sunset, New Teakettle Creek GA |
We are now in Charleston for our second night at the Charleston City Marina. MANY megayachts in. We didn't realize that this week was the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, so downtown is packed with people and restaurants were very busy. So last night Harold's friends Cindy and Ed took us out to one of their favorite places, the Sunrise Bistro, on St. John's Island, nearby Charleston. Today they took us to breakfast, shopping, Trader Joe's and West Marine. It's nice to have friends in some of these stops, since at many marinas you are not nearby grocery stores, etc. Carol did find a fold-up bicycle for $40 at a nautical swap meet (she's probably the only one of the crew who can ride it, however.)
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| Carol's new toy |
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| "Slow down! You're throwing a big wake!" |
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| The Commander and the Captain. |
Sunday, May 19, 2013
A "Moving" Experience
We realize that we have not been keeping up our blog recently (and many of you let us know, too) but we had to leave the boat mid-March to go back to CA. We sold our house in Half Moon Bay and actually managed to move out of it in 2 weeks - not easy given the amount of stuff it turned out we owned. After many 12 hour days we moved out and into half of a duplex that Mal owned in Sunnyvale. So we went from 3500 sq ft to under 1000! It's actually smaller than our boat. But we think we will be very comfortable there. Sunnyvale is a nice city and we are in walking distance of downtown, shops, restaurants, farmers' market, etc. Mal's daughter Candace and granddaughter Renata live in the other half of the duplex, and the rest of the family is nearby. Of course, if you know Mal you can imagine the difficulty he has had giving up his large garage for one that cannot fit even one car. But he is managing to adjust.
While we are away we are having new windows put in, a new roof and exterior painted. It will be like a brand new house when we return.
We are now back in Fort Pierce, awaiting the return of Captain Harold, who had back surgery while we were busy moving. He hopes to get clearance from his doctor to go cruising again next week, and we hope to set out for NC by the 26th.
Meanwhile we have been enjoying the area. We took a few days' trip to the Keys (stayed in Long Key and visited Key West) and stopped in Fort Lauderdale on the way back to visit our friends Helena and Scott Cooper, our next door neighbors in Maui, who have moved there recently.
Hope that everyone recognizes that there are very few pictures of Carol. It has something to do with the fact that she is the only one who can seem to operate the IPhone or IPad camera. Lessons will follow.
While we are away we are having new windows put in, a new roof and exterior painted. It will be like a brand new house when we return.
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| Our new abode in Sunnyvale. |
We are now back in Fort Pierce, awaiting the return of Captain Harold, who had back surgery while we were busy moving. He hopes to get clearance from his doctor to go cruising again next week, and we hope to set out for NC by the 26th.
Meanwhile we have been enjoying the area. We took a few days' trip to the Keys (stayed in Long Key and visited Key West) and stopped in Fort Lauderdale on the way back to visit our friends Helena and Scott Cooper, our next door neighbors in Maui, who have moved there recently.
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| Long Key |
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| Lime Tree Resort on Long Key |
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| End of Route 1 in Key West |
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| Fort Pierce City Marina |
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| A brilliant sunset double rainbow. For a while we had thunderstorms every evening. In the background, behind Mal, the city is building artificial islands designed to protect the marina from hurricanes. |
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| T/T Twilight Time - lots of fun. Goes like a shot - 25 hp on a 12 foot RIB. |
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| At Archie's, one of our favorite beach dives. Great burgers, terrific shrimp/ |
Hope that everyone recognizes that there are very few pictures of Carol. It has something to do with the fact that she is the only one who can seem to operate the IPhone or IPad camera. Lessons will follow.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Melbourne FL to Ft. Pierce FL
We have finally arrived at our first real destination point of Ft Pierce. While we have certainly enjoyed our cruise down here, it is nice to be able to stop and settle in for a couple of weeks. (We are returning to CA on March 12 in order to move out of our Half Moon Bay house, which closes on March 29.) Captain Harold took off this morning for home and some needed R & R for a month or so. We will rejoin the boat sometime in April for the Bahamas leg of this journey.
We have finally arrived at our first real destination point of Ft Pierce. While we have certainly enjoyed our cruise down here, it is nice to be able to stop and settle in for a couple of weeks. (We are returning to CA on March 12 in order to move out of our Half Moon Bay house, which closes on March 29.) Captain Harold took off this morning for home and some needed R & R for a month or so. We will rejoin the boat sometime in April for the Bahamas leg of this journey.
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| An ordinary condo in Melbourne... |
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| But look at it's detail! |
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| Another lovely homecwith dock along the ICW |
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| And a bird's home. |
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| Mal finally got those camera-shy dolphins to pose while surfing our wake. |
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| Note the little tiny one, second from bottom, learning surfing skills! |
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| And a pelican's home, right next to our slip in Ft Pierce. |
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Beaufort SC (2/19) to New Smyrna Beach FL (2/24)
With stops in Hilton Head (2/20), Jekyll Island (2/21), Fernadina Beach (2/22)
and Palm Coast (2/23)
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| Georgia ICW |
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| Many markers have their own birds. |
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| Jacksonville at night |
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| Beautiful homes along the ICW south of Jacksonville... |
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| and these might be your next door neighbors- really! |
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| and on the opposite side is totally undeveloped. |
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| A very happy commander... |
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| but who takes her chores more seriously?? |
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| St. Augustine |
Meanwhile, we are happily cruising along, with every part
working as it should. Mal and
Carol learn more everyday, and we
have yet to be boarded by the Coast Guard. A couple of days ago we thought it was going to happen for sure,
since they had 4 boats tied up when we docked at Fernadina Beach. But they were just there for
lunch. That night we met Harold’s
cousin Becky and her husband Joel, who gave us a great tour of Amelia Island,
took us grocery shopping and then joined us for a nice dinner at Brett’s.
When we finally made Florida the weather changed
immediately. We left Fernadina at 11:30am on because a railroad bridge
just south of us was only open between noon and 1pm, So today we can only make it to St. Augustine. Once again, if you’re on a boat and you
have a schedule, you’re in trouble.
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