It was my sewing machine's fault. Just as we were winding up our projects in preparation to leave Brunswick, Georgia, the last piece of on-board equipment to break down was my trusty Pfaff 1525 sewing machine. It got shaky, couldn't loop thread properly, gave some ominous clicks, and then spat out a couple tiny bits…
St. Augustine's historic district is historical. And very photogenic. There was a time when northern Florida and southern Georgia were the border zones of Spanish occupation to the south, pressing on the British occupation to the north. St. Augustine was a Spanish colony back in the day, and the Spanish were sitting pretty with their…
I'd recommend everyone visit St. Augustine, even if you must do it by land. The historic district is fairly compact and almost everything is within walking distance of everything else. The area is full of centuries-old buildings, many dating from the Spanish Colonial era. The structures' restoration and maintenance seem to have gone very well.…
MS here. Thanks to GB, all of cyberspace is now current with much of what has kept us away from bloggerfying. I now find myself with an awesome combination of semi-connectivity, mostly-sufficient battery power, and random narrow windows of opportunity (!!) to actually write a thing or two. I will use the approach that Zen…
GB did an excellent job replacing thru-hulls.They are SOLID, baby. Too bad the toilet irreversibly packed it in as soon as we left the pier. Looks like it's "bucket-and-chuck-it" time on The Fox until we reach Brunswick. I pity the fools what anchor near us. m
The approach upriver from St. Simons Sound all the way to Brunswick Landing Marina is pleasantly deep and well marked. That's what comes from having a commercial port that in years past was also a hurricane hole for the US Navy. The one bridge span under which you must travel – the Sidney Lanier Bridge…
The US East Coast has a high boating population. You'll see them in power boats of all sizes; catamarans; bass boats, canoes – and even a few conventional sloops. There are numerous East Coast cruising guides – so many, that a 40-foot sailboat like ours cannot hold them all. Amongst the online cruising guides (convenient,…
July 9, 2011: It was late afternoon as we reached the St. Simons sea buoy and the beginning of the deep, well-marked, five mile long approach in to St. Simons Sound. The breeze had picked up to the high teens/low 20s, a low chop developed, and small rain squalls appeared here and there in the…
July 8, 2011: We left Fort Pierce inlet at sunrise after a calm but drizzly night at anchor. Skies were overcast, wind was light, no nearby lightning cells. We sailed about 9 miles offshore to pick up a 2-3 knot current assist from the mighty Gulf Stream. We rode north on the Gulf Stream for…
As far as we can tell, during this era of climate change the best time of year to travel along the US East Coast is Memorial Day (last Monday in May, for you non-US readers) through Labor Day (first Monday of September). I'm not saying the East Coast weather is "lovely" during this time –…