After transiting the busy New York Harbor, we anchored in the Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Our plan was to get south to Brunswick Landing Marina in Georgia where we would leave the boat and head to Fort Myers for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

We stayed a few nights in Atlantic Highlands and then moved the boat to the Sandy Hook anchorage a couple miles away. We did this to position us for an offshore passage to Delaware Bay. Once again, the wind forecast was incorrect which made for a miserable passage on the Atlantic. It was swelly with the wind hitting us in the beam most of the day. The cloudy and rainy conditions kept Sophie and I below in the main cabin which actually made things worse. With a forecast of squalls from Hurricane Helen approaching Cape May later in the day, we decided to duck into Atlantic City. We entered the marina around 5pm with thick fog that looked like pea soup. We enjoyed 2 nights rest at the Golden Nugget Marina before heading offshore again in better conditions for Delaware Bay. Once we got into Delaware Bay, we anchored for the night before heading through the C & D Canal to Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Bay

Once we were in Chesapeake Bay, we made a couple stops to see some friends. Our first stop was Bohemia River, where we anchored outside Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbour and dingyied into shore to visit with our buddy boaters, Tanya and Jay of SV Minx. After catching up, we spent one night anchored there before heading to Middle River to see our friends Tony and Nancy. We tied our boat up to our friends dock and had a great evening catching up.

After our visit in Middle River, we took a couple days to cruise south on the Chesapeake. We anchored at Poplar Island and then Ingram Bay before making it to Hampton, VA. From Hampton, we cruised through the busy seaport of Norfolk and got through the Great Bridge Lock and Dam before grabbing a spot on the free dock for a couple nights. After provisioning and laundry, we were ready to head on through the Carolinas.

North Carolina

From Chesapeake City, VA, we took 3 days to get to Moorhead City, NC, navigating the North River, Albemarle Sound and the Pamlico River. After a night or two in Moorhead, we continued the ICW grind south to Carolina Beach where we picked up a mooring ball. This being our first time in Carolina beach, we explored the area, local sights and Good Hops Brewing. With a weather system approaching, we left Carolina Beach and headed to South Port were we got a slip at Safe Harbor South Harbour for a couple days.

South Carolina

Once the weather system was behind us, we took 2 days to cruise south on the ICW to Georgetown, SC. We love Georgetown and its small town charm so we always make a stop here. Once anchored, we headed to shore to check out the Wooden Boat Festival that was happening at the time. We also got to meet up with our dear friend, Beth, who lives in the area. We’ve known Beth since our days at Snookbight Marina on Fort Myers Beach. She and her husband, Ned, used to stay on their boat there in the winter.

From Georgetown, it was 3 days of cruising the ICW to make it to Beaufort, SC, where we spent a couple days doing laundry and provisioning.

Georgia

After 2 days cruising the ICW and stopping to anchor at Possum Point on the Vernon River and Dolbow Island, we finally made it to our destination, Brunswick, GA. Once we had Blue Turtle in the slip, it was time to relax for a few days. We attended the Brunswick Landing Marina Halloween party and visited Silver Bluff Brewery.

Blue Turtle was still for sale, although we had little interest while up north which is why we wanted to get her south for the winter. We planned to leave her in Brunswick while we visited with family over the holidays. Since we were planning to be land based, we needed to purchase a car. So, after 3 years cruising full time with no ties to land and no car, we finally had some wheels!

Atlantic Highlands to Atlantic City, NJ = 77 nm
Atlantic City, NJ to Delaware Bay (anchorage) = 73 nm
Delaware Bay (anchorage) to Bohemia River = 42 nm
Bohemia River to Middle River = 31 nm
Middle River,MD to Great Bridge Lock & Dam (Chesapeake City, VA) = 177 nm
Chesapeake City, VA to Moorhead, NC = 167 nm
Moorhead, NC to Carolina Beach = 79 nm
Carolina Beach to South Port, NC = 15 nm
South Port, NC to Georgetown, SC = 84 nm
Georgetown, SC to Beaufort, SC = 118 nm
Beaufort, SC to Brunswick, GA = 127 nm

TOTAL miles to date: = 8,110 nm