Back to the US

It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection. -Bhagavad Gita

Sunset Day 1 of our Crossing

Our crossing was pretty uneventful. We left Great Harbour Cay bound for Charleston, SC. It was a mostly beautiful downwind sail with a bit of motoring when it got light. The kids and I did 2 hour shifts starting at 8. Mike floated and slept when he could. The dog was a bit of a pain. He stayed by my side and even wanted to sleep with me when I went off shift.

Bullet Enjoying the Crossing

Dolphins Along For the Ride

Mikey decided to try fishing the first day. We caught two really big mahi. With a broken freezer, two vegans onboard, and 2 days left to go we decided we didn't want a fish smelly cockpit and threw them back.

Fish

Land Ho! Charleston

We arrived Charleston on the 3rd day. We pulled into the Marina at Patriots Point and where very happy to be on land. We met up with local friends, borrowed a car, did a ton of shopping and had a great dinner, Thanks Jo Ann. The day after we arrived we got our first COVID shots. With the crowds and lax rules we were very happy to finally get them.

Leaving Charleston was quiet the adventure. We were middle boat on a long dock. The current and wind were crazy. The captain of the boat behind us was gone and of course the owner couldn't drive his own boat. So after three tries we finally made it down the channel, full speed and made it out of the marina. There may have been a bit of yelling from other boats but no collisions.

Bald Head Island NC Sunset

Next up was Bald Head Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. We ended up staying here two nights because we loved Bald Head. Its a small vacation island with Cape Cod style architecture and no cars. We rented a golf cart to tour the island and did a hike through their tropical forest. We finished off our tour with Mother's Day margarita's and chips and salsa. Perfect. That night there was live music in the marina. Bald Head is a great vacation spot and I can't wait to come back.

Bullet is Done with Hiking

Next we overnighted to Beaufort NC. Beaufort is such a nice little town with a central marina. We enjoyed walking all the downtown shops and having beers overlooking the harbor each night at Dockside Restaurant. We met up with SV Kenai and friends from Texas. Our stay here was longer than expected as we waited for our weather window to round Hatteras. For those who don't know Hatteras;

The treacherous waters off the coast of the Outer Banks are known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, Over 600 ships wrecked here as victims of shallow shoals, storms, and war. Diamond Shoals, a bank of shifting sand ridges hidden beneath the turbulent sea off Cape Hatteras, has never promised safe passage for ships. In the past 400 years, the graveyard has claimed many lives, but island villagers saved many. As early as the 1870s, villagers served in the US Life-Saving Service. Others staffed lighthouses built to guide mariners. Few ships wreck today, but storms still uncover the ruins of the old wrecks that lie along the beaches of the Outer Banks.

Sunrise on our Hatteras to Ocean City, MD Passage

Needless to say we wanted a good window and to make sure we were prepared. We left on our two day sail on May 16th. Of course our forecast was completely wrong. All the usual forecasters that sailors used were wrong. Very wrong. We started off straight into the wind in 20 knots to work our way around the shoal. We ended up heading out to the gulf stream hoping for a better ride than those that stayed further in. The wind was high, the swell was large and it was cold. Really cold. Although once we reached the gulf stream it warmed up considerably. We were all very happy to arrive in Ocean City, MD.

We stayed on a dock with all sport fishers so we were quite the oddball. Lots of people stopped by to say hello and hear our story. Very friendly town. We got some groceries and propane and did the laundry then set off for Cape May, NJ.

Next up was Atlantic City. We were hoping to stay at the free docks at the closed Aquarium but it was a bit too shallow so we ended up at the Golden Nugget. We didn't do much at the casino due to covid, but we were treated to a live band until midnight. YAY!? We thenn had a very quick stop in Point Pleasant NJ and then it was off to NYC.

Sailing into New York City

Our trip through NYC is one we will never forget. We sailed into the harbor and right by the Statue of Liberty. Mikey was very excited to see the Staten Island Ferry (Spider Man Fan) We got amazing views of the new World Trade Center and the city. Next we headed into the East River headed to Long Island Sound. We had a very favorable current (very necessary) and moved quickly along the river under all the beautiful bridges. We saw the UN, Empire State Building, Riker's Island, La Guardia Airport, etc. Sailed through the treacherous Hell's Gate with its crazy current. All in all it was amazing. If you ever get a chance to take your own boat into New York harbor and down the East River, do it!!

Statue of Liberty

Anyone See Spiderman?

Hell's Gate Current is Crazy. You Definitely Want to Time this Right.

We finished our day in Port Washington NY which is on the Long Island side of the sound. A great harbor with stores in easy walking distance. Our trip up the east coast was quick but we loved all we got to see. We aren't sure how we feel being back, especially with the pandemic still raging on, its all a bit overwhelming. We miss the beaches, the lack of crowds, and the quiet simple life of the Bahamas.