April 24 2015
After five days staying at the friendly Candlewood Suites hotel in Bluffton, South Carolina, waiting for our car to be repaired, we were beginning to feel quite at home. Our forced stay in this lovely part of the U.S. east coast - know as `The Low Country` because of the many inlets. marshes and creeks that spread like tentacles across the low-lying countryside. - had given us a perfect opportunity to become tourists in a part of the country we would normally just drive through. However, all good things must come to an end.
At 1 p.m. on Thursday 23 April we picked up the car and set off for our trek north to colder climes. The drive went well, and we spent one night in Mooresfield, just north of Charlotte, North Carolina. The drive through the mountains was lovely as the roadsides were ablaze with red bud trees and magnolias. But the further north we came, the more sparse the leaves and blossoms became. Our border crossing at the Peace Bridge had no hold-ups, and we were encouraged when we saw gardens filled with daffodils, blue grape-hyacinths and crocuses as we drove into Niagara-on-the-Lake. The temperature was 5C!
Each day has been filled with sunshine since we arrived back, but cold. On Sunday we drove into Toronto to see Louisa, Steve and the boys. Now we shall be busy getting northern Vectis ship-shape for launch time.
Our plans for next winter are already laid, with maybe a small variation from this year. But you can be sure that the Abacos, lovely Hope Town, and all the great boating friends we have met over the years, will be the main feature!
Monday, April 27, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Our Adventures continue both on land and sea!
April 19, 2015
This part of the blog is being written on land. We are in what is called the 'Low Country' of South Carolina, and will probably be here for a few more days. But I will continue with the watery part of the blog before getting to the reason for our sojourn here just north of Savannah.
After spending a very nice Easter in West Palm Beach, we motored up the ICW to spend a night anchored at Peck Lake, just south of Stuart. The next morning we made our way up the St. Lucie River to pick up a mooring at 'Sunset Bay Marina'.
We've stayed here before and love the riverwalk into the old town, which is filled with quaint shops and cozy restaurants. We met up with Craig and Carol, who were docked at Manatee Pocket on 'Whisper'. We had a delicious dinner with them at the marina's 'Sailor's Return' restaurant. The following day Deke and Chris and Deb and Fred picked us up to go for lunch, and to see where they live and keep there boats. This is also in the Manatee Pocket area of Stuart. We had a good time re-living our adventures in the Bahamas.
We arrived back at Harbortown Marina on Friday 10 April and enjoyed a few days of beach weather and a few busy days of getting the boat ready to be hauled out on the 17th April. It was extremely hot, so we worked in the mornings and spent the afternoon swimming at the Inlet Beach Park.
Haul-out day came, and our plan was to set off directly after we had seen 'Southern Vectis' safely sitting on her 'jack stands', and drive for six hours to get a start on our return trip to Ontario.
We almost made it too! However, just north of Savannah our car broke down. Luckily, when all the warning lights started flashing, we were just coming up to an exit off the extremely busy I95 highway. We took it and found ourselves in a quiet country road with not a house in sight. After that it was plain sailing...or rather waiting and towing. An AAA tow truck eventually found us and dropped the car at a repair shop and us at a very nice hotel. And here we stay until the electrical problem on the car can be fixed. We are just outside Hilton Head, in a town called Bluffton. Today we rented a car and explored the historic area of Bluffton and tomorrow we will explore Beaufort, of which we have heard such a lot from fellow sailors.We expect to be back in Niagara-on-the-Lake some time later in the week - car permitting!
This part of the blog is being written on land. We are in what is called the 'Low Country' of South Carolina, and will probably be here for a few more days. But I will continue with the watery part of the blog before getting to the reason for our sojourn here just north of Savannah.
After spending a very nice Easter in West Palm Beach, we motored up the ICW to spend a night anchored at Peck Lake, just south of Stuart. The next morning we made our way up the St. Lucie River to pick up a mooring at 'Sunset Bay Marina'.
We've stayed here before and love the riverwalk into the old town, which is filled with quaint shops and cozy restaurants. We met up with Craig and Carol, who were docked at Manatee Pocket on 'Whisper'. We had a delicious dinner with them at the marina's 'Sailor's Return' restaurant. The following day Deke and Chris and Deb and Fred picked us up to go for lunch, and to see where they live and keep there boats. This is also in the Manatee Pocket area of Stuart. We had a good time re-living our adventures in the Bahamas.
We arrived back at Harbortown Marina on Friday 10 April and enjoyed a few days of beach weather and a few busy days of getting the boat ready to be hauled out on the 17th April. It was extremely hot, so we worked in the mornings and spent the afternoon swimming at the Inlet Beach Park.
Haul-out day came, and our plan was to set off directly after we had seen 'Southern Vectis' safely sitting on her 'jack stands', and drive for six hours to get a start on our return trip to Ontario.
We almost made it too! However, just north of Savannah our car broke down. Luckily, when all the warning lights started flashing, we were just coming up to an exit off the extremely busy I95 highway. We took it and found ourselves in a quiet country road with not a house in sight. After that it was plain sailing...or rather waiting and towing. An AAA tow truck eventually found us and dropped the car at a repair shop and us at a very nice hotel. And here we stay until the electrical problem on the car can be fixed. We are just outside Hilton Head, in a town called Bluffton. Today we rented a car and explored the historic area of Bluffton and tomorrow we will explore Beaufort, of which we have heard such a lot from fellow sailors.We expect to be back in Niagara-on-the-Lake some time later in the week - car permitting!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Back in Florida.
Easter Sunday - April 5, 2015
Our last days in Hope Town seemed to fly by and then, suddenly, it was time to cast off. On the afternoon of Monday 30th March we waved a fond farewell to Ben & Margaret on 'Diva', and other friends at the Hope Town Marina, and made our way cautiously out of the harbour with 'Camp David' following close behind. Ron & Jane waved as we passed them entering the harbour on their new Albury run-about.. They would be staying for another three weeks. Lucky things! We will miss them and all the fun we've had this year.
Our trip back went smoothly, but the days seemed, and were, long. We had decided to cross through 'The Whale' that first afternoon and anchor off Green Turtle. The Whale crossing was a little bumpy, with four foot swells, but it went well, and we had a very peaceful night at anchor. Our trip across the Little Bahama Banks, with depths of 12 foot or less, was smooth motoring with no wind on the first leg to Great Sale Cay, but a little rougher on the second leg as an 18 knot wind got up during the night. Of course the wind was on the nose, so no sailing for us! Our group of three boats - Southern Vectis, Camp David and Whisper - slowed down to ensure the tide was high enough to pass through the shallow short cut of Indian Rock Passage.
Luckily we had made a reservation at 'Old Bahama Bay Marina' at West End as it was packed. We have never seen it so busy. We were given the last docks! By 7:30 a.m. the next morning most of the docks had emptied as boats set off on their long passages either west across the 'Stream', or east to Great Sale and Green Turtle Cay. All the weather gurus were right that day as there was hardly a ripple to be seen for the 54 miles of our Gulf Stream crossing to Lake Worth. Once anchored we even beat our earliest record for 'Boaters Bedtime' and were fast asleep before 7:30 p.m.! The days had been very long and very hot, and it was a relief to look forward to some quieter days to come.
Now we are anchored at the north Lake Worth anchorage. We have met up with Martin and Sigita on 'Jumasi'. They spent the winter in the Keys this year. Last night we had an Easter drinks party on board 'Southern Vectis', and today we went for a delicious and decadent Easter Brunch at 'Sarah's Kitchen'. The weather is lovely, and the forecast is good for the week, so we are planning to head north up the ICW tomorrow and try to get a mooring at 'Sunset Bay' in Stuart for a few days. We are due back at our dock at Harbortown Marina, Fort Pierce, on April 10th.
Our last days in Hope Town seemed to fly by and then, suddenly, it was time to cast off. On the afternoon of Monday 30th March we waved a fond farewell to Ben & Margaret on 'Diva', and other friends at the Hope Town Marina, and made our way cautiously out of the harbour with 'Camp David' following close behind. Ron & Jane waved as we passed them entering the harbour on their new Albury run-about.. They would be staying for another three weeks. Lucky things! We will miss them and all the fun we've had this year.
Our trip back went smoothly, but the days seemed, and were, long. We had decided to cross through 'The Whale' that first afternoon and anchor off Green Turtle. The Whale crossing was a little bumpy, with four foot swells, but it went well, and we had a very peaceful night at anchor. Our trip across the Little Bahama Banks, with depths of 12 foot or less, was smooth motoring with no wind on the first leg to Great Sale Cay, but a little rougher on the second leg as an 18 knot wind got up during the night. Of course the wind was on the nose, so no sailing for us! Our group of three boats - Southern Vectis, Camp David and Whisper - slowed down to ensure the tide was high enough to pass through the shallow short cut of Indian Rock Passage.
Luckily we had made a reservation at 'Old Bahama Bay Marina' at West End as it was packed. We have never seen it so busy. We were given the last docks! By 7:30 a.m. the next morning most of the docks had emptied as boats set off on their long passages either west across the 'Stream', or east to Great Sale and Green Turtle Cay. All the weather gurus were right that day as there was hardly a ripple to be seen for the 54 miles of our Gulf Stream crossing to Lake Worth. Once anchored we even beat our earliest record for 'Boaters Bedtime' and were fast asleep before 7:30 p.m.! The days had been very long and very hot, and it was a relief to look forward to some quieter days to come.
Now we are anchored at the north Lake Worth anchorage. We have met up with Martin and Sigita on 'Jumasi'. They spent the winter in the Keys this year. Last night we had an Easter drinks party on board 'Southern Vectis', and today we went for a delicious and decadent Easter Brunch at 'Sarah's Kitchen'. The weather is lovely, and the forecast is good for the week, so we are planning to head north up the ICW tomorrow and try to get a mooring at 'Sunset Bay' in Stuart for a few days. We are due back at our dock at Harbortown Marina, Fort Pierce, on April 10th.
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