Thanksgiving in St. Marys, GA

St. Marys offers a wonderful opportunity for cruisers to get together.  We had a wonderful dinner where the town brings the turkey and ham, cruisers bring the side dishes.
We stuffed ourselves full of food then hit the park with our long lost friends (with kids) we met in the Bahamas S/V Perry.

Looking forward to seeing them again soon.

Waiting for the feast.

One of our contributions Pumpkin Cheesecake. Yum!

The feast.

Samantha, Nicholas, Mark, and Conrad (S/V Perry).

Finally the Beach

While visiting St. Catherine's we found a cool little island beach.

Getting Work Done

It has been just over a year ago that we bought our lovely boat.  She has served us well and kept us living the dream.  Not a day goes by that we don't notice something that could use a little work or touch up.  Slowly we are working our way through the list.

Today was one of those days to catch up.

Breakfast in the cockpit

Morning Hair

New fuel filter and carburetor cleaning for the dingy motor.
You couldn't even tell it took a swim in the Bahamas.  

New finish for the companion way teak.
Much needed after the old water tank took out a big chunk.

Searching for screws.  Who knew you would need a bottle full?

New fenders for the dinghy.

Sunset and drinks.
Hard to believe a place like this has a good wifi signal.

Our lovely screen to keep out mosquitos and no-see-ums.
I love this screen!

St. Catherines Sound, GA.

We left Sailcraft Service in Oriental bright and early on Friday the 15th to make our way out to the ocean at Beaufort Inlet for a 34 hour passage south to Winyah Bay, SC.  We were going to go all the way to Charleston but the wind was light and on our stern with the seas hitting us abeam causing the boat to roll uncomfortably so we decided to cut it short by 40 miles and go in while the sun was still up. Each day since then we've travelled 40-60 miles down the ICW and are currently anchored off St. Catherine's Island in Georgia.  We stretched our journey today to get to this anchorage because we knew there was an open wifi signal here which is surprising because it is in the middle of nowhere. Daddy loves his internet.

We'll hang out here tomorrow to do some chores on the boat and maybe get out to the beach for a while.

The new water tank in place

The cabinetry reinstalled

A nice king mackerel we caught on passage

Our girl lost another tooth

Final Day in the Boatyard

We finally have a working water tank.  Yea!
While we waited for the tank we got a lot of other details on the boat and dingy accomplished.  Tomorrow we continue south, still unsure of our final destination.

Sail-Craft Services is a wonderful boatyard.  Everyone was extremely helpful and kind.

V berth half painted.

Final product.

Our spot on the dock at Sail-craft

Nick loves helping Daddy.   Here they paint the dinghy.

Oops! White paint in the hair.

White paint cut out of the hair, made possible by a small Hershey's chocolate bar.

Nick's first time in the engine room.  

Mama painting away.

Couple of nights it got below freezing.  We were grateful to be at a dock with shore power.

Sam and Nick enjoyed putting their berth back together.

Paul cut holes in the top of the tank to we can see inside and clean it easier.

Final product.

Our new friends on Refuge.  Sam with Fallon who also just turned 7.

The crew. Kai, Sam, Fallon, Nick and Kayden.

Everyone enjoyed their time together and we can't wait to meet up with Refuge again soon.

Oriental, NC for Boat Work

We arrived in Oriental, NC on Monday and had the boat hauled on Tuesday.  The main purpose for our visit was to repair the bearing on the propeller shaft.  It has quickly turned into other projects.
We painted the bottom where it was looking a little thin, repaired the keel where we bumped the ground a couple of times, then we cleaned out the bow thruster.  It is amazing the thing still worked with all the barnacles growing on it.  The kids helped clean out the thru-hulls that were almost completely blocked.  No wonder our bathroom sinks weren't draining well.

I was the lucky one to wash the outside of the boat while Paul repaired the bearing.  Washing a boat is similar to washing a car except you have to use harsher chemicals and a lot of protective gear.
Nicholas and Samantha kept busy playing in rock piles and their toys.

After a lone trip to the grocery store Paul got the idea it was time to repair our water tank which has had a hole in it since we bought the boat.  We replaced it with two 55 gallon bladders but one got a hole in it so had to be removed (that is a story for another time).  So we were down to 55 gallons which didn't seem to be enough to keep us more than a few days especially if we wanted to shower or not.

Bald Eagle on our way down the intra-coastal.

Just after getting hauled.

Nicholas is a big helper for Daddy.

This is the after shot of the bow thruster. 

Before much needed bottom paint. 

Before the boat wash.

After the boat wash.

The rudder had to come off so we could remove the propeller.  

The water tank prior to removal from the boat.

Water tank after the removal and prior to the cut needed so it could make it out the companion way.

Now we are still in the boat yard at their dock waiting for a new water tank.  This has sparked Paul into remodeling action.  He has grand plans for some boat work and paint.  I painted the V berth today and now have to find a place for the kids to sleep while it dries.  Nicholas and Paul are going to paint the bottom of the dingy today.  Samantha is the supervisor.

In the meantime we have met two other cruising families.  One family has already left going south on their way to Granada.  They are really cool people and we hope to catch up with them.
Another family has three kids about the same age as Sam and Nick and we are having a blast hanging with them at the park when we aren't working.

Great Bridge, VA for Halloween

We are now past the official start of the Intra-coastal Waterway, Norfolk, VA.  While visiting Norfolk we went to see the Battleship Wisconsin and the Nauticus Museum.  Both were lots of fun for the adults and the kids.  After that we decided to make Great Bridge the place for Trick-or-Treating.

The kids kept their costumes a secret until just before dark.  Nicholas decided on Captain America "Cap" and Samantha was Super Girl.  We just went up and down 2 blocks right near the free wall we are tied up at and the kids were loaded with treats.

Yum!