It's been a long, long time!!

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Lydia Fell

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Aug 20, 2021, 12:03:28 PM8/20/21
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I don't even know how to start.  Sometimes there's only so much to say about cruising; sometimes, I feared, it would get boring to read.  But last summer, we left Vero Beach, headed for Nova Scotia as usual (which means in our language that we're just heading North), and had a grounding in Beaufort, NC inlet.  Of course, it was dark, and too late to come into an inlet where various storms had ravaged the Inlet and caused the channel lights to be moved.  And I thought ....

Well obviously, I couldn't remember.  We went aground at right angles to a building sea (Isaias) and it might have been the most frightening thing I've ever been involved in on the boat.  The fact that I couldn't remember (and I'm 8 years younger than Skip) was a serious heads up, and caused a great deal of anxiety and fear on my part.  In the end,  we were surrounded by wonderful people, who came to our aid and helped us get into a yard which was full from the Storm.  I can't say enough about Tow Boat US in Beaufort NC, or Ed and Sue Kelly who loaned us a much needed car for a month.  Or the wonderful cafe that we ate in twice a day where the waitresses who served delicious home-cooked meals were sweet and cheerful and always happy to see you.

In the end we had a fabulous trip back to Vero, stopping off for 3 weeks or more to see my daughter and family on Johns Island, with access to the Stono River.  And then we sailed to Beaufort, SC where we met up with some old sweet friends who were evacuated to the school we stayed in when Hurricane Matthew came through there.  And we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Skip's youngest and family in Fernandina Beach.  We had a super sail back to Vero and my anxiety was gone.  Great!  

We left this summer to go sailing and to meet up with a buddy boat who got to St Augustine via the ICW, which we're allergic to (7' draft, so much to focus on!) and came up the outside in rain and squalls and hard sailing.  We enjoyed a wonderful week in St Augustine together, seeing the sights, doing laundry and food (thank you, Bill Goebel who is one of the cruising hosts there) and waited for a weather window to go with our with our buddy boat who were newbies.  We decided on a passage overnight to St Marys Inlet which turned out very wallowy and later, squally which was a tough trip for everyone.  But we're here, anchored off Cumberland Island, one of my favorites and a first for our buddy boat.

We nearly had the island to ourselves; there was only one other boat anchored.  If you've never been to Cumblerland, I can't say enough about it if you like nature, wild horses, pristine beaches, gorgeous maritime forests and history.  I'm grateful that places like this have been preserved for us to enjoy.  The Carnegie family lived here, undoubtedly the most "famous" family, but other families started the building of the Greystone mansion, which is now in ruins.  The grounds are absolutely beautiful; I couldn't help imagining growing up on that island, as many children did, riding horses and playing on the beach and running through the woods.

In a couple of days, we'll go in to Fernandina Beach where we'll enjoy more history and that beautiful little town.  You can catch a bus to the grocery store and get all your needs met there - wonderful stop.  

And then, we'll head north, where more adventures wait.  Until then, stay safe, be blessed.

Love, Lydia



--
"If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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