Almost there

We got off the dock in Port Royal just before sunrise to make sure we arrived at Church Creek before sunset. It was a long day on the ICW with many shallow stretches to get through.  Church Creek was a calm anchorage and made for a good nights sleep on our last night before we head home on our last stretch.  The last 30 miles home required perfect timing to be able to get through the Wappoo Creek Bridge and time the tides.  We were also racing against time as stormy weather was once again breathing down our necks with rain and winds in the afternoon.  Could not of asked for a smoother day, our timing was perfect, we pulled into the Cooper River Marina at 12:30pm.  We were greeted by our Son in-law, followed by our daughter.  Very exciting since we had not seen them since February.  Once situated we cracked a bottle of champagne to celebrate our return.

Journey comes to a end

Ever since we bought the boat 11 years ago we always talked about how some day we would sail to the Bahamas.  As life would have it we were focused on jobs, family and just your everyday commitments but when we decided it was time to retire and start a new uncharted chapter in our lives “some day”. Was here.  We did not waste any time, we retired the end of December and spent the next month preparing for our adventure that started on February 6 when we cut the lines and headed south.  It has been a world wind experience of challenges, successes and great rewards.  We sailed in bad weather testing our skills (learning new ones), anchored in uncharted territories, met so many new people (now lifetime friends), learned to be minimalists (in so many ways) know that we can successfully live together in small spaces (without killing each other) and that we are great partners that work better together as a team than apart.

May 25, 2023

We just had the adventure of a lifetime that I'm sure we will be talking about for months/years to come.  We are not sure what our next adventure might be, we do know that whatever it is (if by sea, land or air) if we are doing it together it will be epic just like this one.

We traveled 1875 nautical miles, seeing the bluest and clearest water ever!

 

Feb 6 Depart Charleston, SC to Steamboat Creek, SC

Feb 7 Steamboat Creek, SC to Port Royale, SC

Feb 8 Port Royale, SC to Bahia Blue Marina, GA

Feb 9 Bahia Blue Marine, GA to Wahoo River, GA

Feb 10 Wahoo River, GA to Back River, DoBoy Sound, GA

Feb 13 Back River, DoBoy Sound to Jekyll Island, GA

Feb 14 Jekyll Island, GA to Jacksonville, Fl “free dock”

Feb 15 Jacksonville, FL “free dock” to St. Augustin, FL

Feb 18 St. Augustine, FL to Daytona Beach, FL

Feb 19 Daytona Beach, FL to Titusville, FL

Feb 20 Titusville, FL to Melbourne Harbor, FL

Feb 21 Melbourne, FL to Vero Beach, Fl

Feb 23 Vero Beach, Fl to Hobe Sound, Fl

 Feb 24 Hobe Sound, FL to Lake Boca, FL

Feb 25 Lake Boca, FL to No Name Harbor, FL

Feb 26 No Name Harbor, Fl to Bimini, Bahamas

Feb 28 Bimini, Bahamas to Great Harbor Cay, Bahamas

Mar 5 Great Harbor Cay, Bahamas to Whale Cay, Bahamas

Mar 7 Whale Cay, Bahamas to Nassau, Bahamas

Mar 10 Nassau, Bahamas to Allen’s Cay, Exuma

Mar 12 Allen’s Cay, Exuma to Hawkbill Cay, Exuma Land Sea Park

Mar 14 Hawksbill Cay, Exuma Land Sea Park to Warwick Wells Cay, Exuma land Sea Park

Mar 17 Warwick Well Cay, Exuma Land Sea Park to Staniel Cay, Exuma

Mar 23 Staniel Cay, Exuma to Black Point, Guana Cay, Exuma

Mar 26 Black Point, Guana Cay, Exuma to Little Farmers Cay, Exuma

Mar 28 Little Farmers Cay, Exuma to Little Darby Island, Exuma

Mar 29 Little Darby Island to George Town, Exuma

Apr 9 George Town, Exuma to Little Farmers Cay, Exuma

Apr 10 Little Farmers Cay, Exuma to Black Point, Guana Cay, Exuma

Apr 13 Black Point, Guana Cay, Exuma to Cambridge Cay, Exuma Land Sea Park

Apr 15 Cambridge Cay, Exuma Land Sea Park to Shroud Cay, Exuma Land Sea Park

Apr 17 Shroud Cay, Exuma Land Sea Park to Highbourne Cay, Exuma

Apr 20 Highburne Cay, Exuma to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera

Apr 22 Spanish Wells, Eleuthera to Egg Island, Eleuthera

Apr 23 Egg Island, Eleuthera to Lynyard Cay, Abaco

Apr 24 Lynlard Cay, Abaco to Elbow Cay, Abaco

Apr 25 Elbow Cay, Abaco to Elbow Cay Hope Town, Abaco

May 1 Elbow Cay Hope Town, Abaco to Man O War Cay, Abaco

May 2 Man O War Cay, Abaco to Great Guana Cay, Abaco

May 4 Great Guana Cay, Abaco to Spanish Cay, Abaco

May 8 Spanish Cay, Abaco to Great Sail Cay, Abaco

May 9 Great Sail Cay to West End Grand Bahama Island

May 10 West End Grand Bahama Island to Ft Piece, FL

May 11 Ft Pierce, FL to Vero Beach, FL 

May 13 Vero Beach, FL to Titusville, FL

May 14 Titusville, FL to Daytona, FL

May 15 Daytona, FL to St. Augustine, FL

May 18 St. Augustine, FL to Atlantic Beach, FL

May 19 Atlantic Beach, FL to St Catherine Sound, GA

May 20 St Catherine Sound, GA to Wahoo Creek, GA

May 21 Wahoo Creek, GA to Thunderbolt, GA

May 22 Thunderbolt, GA to Port Royal, SC

May 24 Port Royal, GA to Church Creek, SC

May 25 Church Creek, SC to Charleston, SC (home)