Though I said this wouldn't be done, after reflection, decided that it would be easier to post weekly summaries rather than try to remember (I'm getting old!) everyone I want to send emails to.
This blog will be our story of traveling the Great Circle from Miami Beach Fl, up the Hudson River, through the Erie Canal, across Lake Ontario, through the Trent Severn Canal, the Georgian Bay, North Channel, down Lake Michigan, across to Chicago, to the Illinois River, the Mississippi River to Cairo then onto the Ohio, Cumberland and into the Tennessee River, up the TN River to the Tenn-Tom Waterway, down the Tenn-Tom to Mobile, home for the holidays, then on to our berth in Miami Beach.
We started our Adventure April 2nd from Miami Beach FL with our friends, Rick and Joan Bullock, aboard to Charleston. While uneventful, Mother Nature prevented us from traveling outside. Other than 2 days, we have been on the ICW. Nice but slow. We made a few stops along the way, including Cumberland Island and Savannah. On Cumberland, we saw a gaggle of Wild Turkeys (name of our boat) but no wild horses. In Savannah, we tried to have dinner at Lady and Sons (of Paula Dean fame) but were unable to get a decent time for a sitting. The town is laid out around many lovely parks (reminiscent of Denver) and is noted as the first planned city in the US. We loved the antebellum homes and old live oak trees covered with spanish moss.
We reached Bohicket Marina after 10 days of cruising where we dropped Rick and Joan off. They live on John's Island on a golf course. We were here nearly 3 years ago and how the landscape has changed. Of particular note, Freshfield Farms. A must for anyone traveling through here. It is near the intersection from John's Island to Kiawah Island noted by a traffic circle. Not only is there great shopping but it has a grocery store to die for! If I would have bought everything I wanted to, the boat would have sunk! True to a fine grocery, there was a Starbuck's.
After two days of visiting and meeting their newest grandson, Jackson, we headed to Wilmington NC and the Wilmington Marine Center where we are currently at the dock. Mother Nature had again been displaying her curious nature hitting us with 35-40 kt winds with gusts to over 50 so we tied up in North Myrtle Beach for the weekend and tried to wait her out. Monday brought continuing winds so, since we were somewhat protected by traveling on the ICW, we left the dock and headed to Wilmington. All was fine until we hit the Cape Fear River at Bald Head Island. Here, the tide was going out and the wind was howling making for unruly seas. So, we buttoned all the hatches, put on our weather gear, and headed up river to the Marine Center. It was a fun ride, for sure! And you know it was a bad day when there weren't any other boats on the water! But, with our travel angels at our side, we made it here safely.
This blog will be our story of traveling the Great Circle from Miami Beach Fl, up the Hudson River, through the Erie Canal, across Lake Ontario, through the Trent Severn Canal, the Georgian Bay, North Channel, down Lake Michigan, across to Chicago, to the Illinois River, the Mississippi River to Cairo then onto the Ohio, Cumberland and into the Tennessee River, up the TN River to the Tenn-Tom Waterway, down the Tenn-Tom to Mobile, home for the holidays, then on to our berth in Miami Beach.
We started our Adventure April 2nd from Miami Beach FL with our friends, Rick and Joan Bullock, aboard to Charleston. While uneventful, Mother Nature prevented us from traveling outside. Other than 2 days, we have been on the ICW. Nice but slow. We made a few stops along the way, including Cumberland Island and Savannah. On Cumberland, we saw a gaggle of Wild Turkeys (name of our boat) but no wild horses. In Savannah, we tried to have dinner at Lady and Sons (of Paula Dean fame) but were unable to get a decent time for a sitting. The town is laid out around many lovely parks (reminiscent of Denver) and is noted as the first planned city in the US. We loved the antebellum homes and old live oak trees covered with spanish moss.
We reached Bohicket Marina after 10 days of cruising where we dropped Rick and Joan off. They live on John's Island on a golf course. We were here nearly 3 years ago and how the landscape has changed. Of particular note, Freshfield Farms. A must for anyone traveling through here. It is near the intersection from John's Island to Kiawah Island noted by a traffic circle. Not only is there great shopping but it has a grocery store to die for! If I would have bought everything I wanted to, the boat would have sunk! True to a fine grocery, there was a Starbuck's.
After two days of visiting and meeting their newest grandson, Jackson, we headed to Wilmington NC and the Wilmington Marine Center where we are currently at the dock. Mother Nature had again been displaying her curious nature hitting us with 35-40 kt winds with gusts to over 50 so we tied up in North Myrtle Beach for the weekend and tried to wait her out. Monday brought continuing winds so, since we were somewhat protected by traveling on the ICW, we left the dock and headed to Wilmington. All was fine until we hit the Cape Fear River at Bald Head Island. Here, the tide was going out and the wind was howling making for unruly seas. So, we buttoned all the hatches, put on our weather gear, and headed up river to the Marine Center. It was a fun ride, for sure! And you know it was a bad day when there weren't any other boats on the water! But, with our travel angels at our side, we made it here safely.
Here, we are getting our 800 hour engine maintenance done. This maintenance is extensive including cleaning of all major engine parts and search for any potential engine issues. Afterwards, we'll go to another marina where we'll have our props rebalanced and alignment done. Hopefully, we'll be ready for the Loop without concern for major engine issues.
Meanwhile, as you all know, I am not at all fond of cold weather. So far, we're still wearing long clothes and warm jackets. There have been a few days of "warmer" weather but nothing where we can drive the boat from the upper helm station. And, after reading blogs of past adventurers, it doesn't look like this trip will be much warmer until mid-July. The good part is that we'll have less sun exposure which will make my kids happier.
Sidney continues to loose his hair in massive quantities meaning I have to vacuum everyday at least once. What would we do without him? He doesn't mind boating as long as there isn't any big water. In these parts, Steve is always careful to remind me to watch out for alligators!
Time out: We'll be here for a while. Seems we have leaks in our injector pumps. Always something! Don't know what this means in terms of time delay but for sure we'll be here until next week. Bummer!! Our only concern is getting Steve to Norfolk to catch a plane to OK on May 17th...it's Bull Sale time at the Ranch. Guess we'll have to rent a car to go shopping and revisit Wilmington!! Oh well.......
Until next time, thank you for sharing our adventure. We'll try and keep you posted on a weekly basis, and include appropriate pictures from time to time but will be dependent on WiFi availability. Canada, in particular, is going to be a dead space unless we find marinas with wifi capability. Hope you enjoy.
Meanwhile, as you all know, I am not at all fond of cold weather. So far, we're still wearing long clothes and warm jackets. There have been a few days of "warmer" weather but nothing where we can drive the boat from the upper helm station. And, after reading blogs of past adventurers, it doesn't look like this trip will be much warmer until mid-July. The good part is that we'll have less sun exposure which will make my kids happier.
Sidney continues to loose his hair in massive quantities meaning I have to vacuum everyday at least once. What would we do without him? He doesn't mind boating as long as there isn't any big water. In these parts, Steve is always careful to remind me to watch out for alligators!
Time out: We'll be here for a while. Seems we have leaks in our injector pumps. Always something! Don't know what this means in terms of time delay but for sure we'll be here until next week. Bummer!! Our only concern is getting Steve to Norfolk to catch a plane to OK on May 17th...it's Bull Sale time at the Ranch. Guess we'll have to rent a car to go shopping and revisit Wilmington!! Oh well.......
Until next time, thank you for sharing our adventure. We'll try and keep you posted on a weekly basis, and include appropriate pictures from time to time but will be dependent on WiFi availability. Canada, in particular, is going to be a dead space unless we find marinas with wifi capability. Hope you enjoy.
