By Rich
Traveling east of Nassau toward the Exumas, one once again finds a vast expanse of open ocean with depths no greater than 15-20 feet. It makes for quite a sight to see the shadow of one’s boat skimming over the top of the sand for hours on end. Continue reading Cruising Destinations In the Exumas
By Rich
Those crossing from Florida to Bimini will want to choose a weather window to avoid northerly or northeast winds. The Gulf Stream runs from southwest to northeast in this part of the ocean, so southeast or southerly winds make for a much smoother ride. We only partially succeeded in scoring such a window when we crossed last December, which resulted in a bit of a lumpy motor sail at the start of our trip. Continue reading Cruising Destination: Bimini
Editor’s note: the Drivin’ South category of blog posts details our trip from Annapolis, MD to Fort Lauderdale, FL along the Intracoastal Waterway. Because many of the themes covered in earlier Drivin’ South posts repeated during the second half of our trip, we’ve decided to create a single post to cover the journey from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale with the highlights and lowlights summarized.
By Rich
Highlight: Hidden Harbor Marina in Brunswick, Georgia.
Continue reading Drivin’ South: Highlights Between Charleston, SC and Fort Lauderdale, FL
By Rich
The trip from Cat Island to Charleston is a relatively easy single day run. I encountered plenty of shoaling as I left Cat Island but enjoyed extremely scenic views while navigating between them. Continue reading Drivin’ South: Cat Island, SC to Charleston, SC
By Rich
There were three legs to this trip which are best consolidated into a single entry in the interest of brevity. My first stop was the Southport marina in Southport, North Carolina where I spent a day and a half getting an oil change, a cooling system service and doing laundry while hiding out from a bit of spirited weather. Southport Marina was a very good place to stop – I’d highly recommend it.
Continue reading Drivin’ South: Wrightsville Beach, NC to Cat Island, SC Single Handed
By Rich
At the conclusion of this leg, I arrived in Wrightsville Beach in a state of elation that is difficult to describe. I was on an emotional high not because everything went right during the trip, but because a bunch of shit went sideways on me in a big way, and I found that I’d stood up to all of it. Continue reading Drivin’ South: Beaufort to Wrightsville Beach Single Handed
By Rich
For those heading down “The Ditch” from the Chesapeake, the intracoastal waterway really begins with a passage through Norfolk Virginia. Here travelers will enjoy the awesome spectacle of our nation’s Navy warships. I got an extra treat by enjoying a sunrise timed just perfectly as a backdrop to my photos.
Continue reading Drivin’ South: Hampton Virginia to Coinjock Single Handed
By Rich
The evening of Sunday, October 23 found me feeling a bit anxious about Monday’s forecast. As I sipped my evening scotch I listened to the weather over the VHF and looked online at Sailflow. The very same 20-25 knot westerly winds that I could hear whistling unrestrained through my Sabre’s rig were forecast to persist the next day – at least until 11am or so. At that point the forecast called for the winds to clock to the right and to moderate. If I left at dawn – which was necessary if I was to ensure a pre-dusk arrival in Hampton, Virginia – I would be leaving the tight Tangier inlet in a brutal chop and would need to beat straight into that same steep chop for 4-5 hours before the wind moderated and I could reach under more civilized conditions. Continue reading Drivin’ South: Tangier Island To Hampton, Virginia Single Handed
By Rich
On Sunday, October 23 I had a wild beam reach from Solomons Island to Tangier Island. I set a full main and jib shortly after sunrise and briefly worried that there may not be enough wind to make it to Tangier before dusk under sail alone. Boy was I wrong. Continue reading Drivin’ South: Solomons To Tangier Island Single Handed
By Rich
With a gale forecast to fill in during the evening, I was in a bit of a rush to make Solomons Island well before dusk. I caught a wonderful sunrise after leaving Lake Ogelton and TURNING RIGHT (south) instead of left (to haul out) for the first time since we’ve owned the boat. SO EXCITED.
Continue reading Drivin’ South: Annapolis To Solomons Island Single Handed
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