June 09 - Georgia, SC, NC, Virginia and Maryland

June 3
We have spent the last two days visiting Savannah, Georgia and we are enchanted by the South. We are now heading towards Charleston. We stayed in the Isle of Hope marina. The people in Savannah were wonderful to us. One day, while waiting for a bus, a woman stopped and brought us to a local grocery store, so that we would have a better choice of buses. She said that she « knew her cruisers », bu their disheveled looks and backpacks, and always tried to help them out. I guess that with the girls we aren’t too frightening. We then took the bus into Savannah and spent the rest of the day wandering around downtown. Even our bus driver was an absolute sweetheart. She got so carried away telling us where to go and what to see that she missed a bus stop….ooops! In the late afternoon, we took a ghost tour by horse drawn carriage. Apparently, Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in the entire United States. It was a pretty way to see the city and the girls were thrilled by the horses. Afterwards, we took a leisurely stroll down to the waterfront, looking for a restaurant. We went towards the Pirate Haus, which is known to be haunted, but the elegant ambiance in the evening didn’t really go well with our attire, so we ended the evening at a hamburger place in downtown. Our taxi driver back to the marina was with someone who grew up in the area and who had worked on his daddy’s shrimp boat until he was about 18. He talked about the area and interesting things for us to see the next day in our rental car. On Tuesday, we went to the Crab Shack on Tybee Island. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was a lot of fun. With our tummies full we headed towards the lighthouse. Unfortunately, it is closed one day a week, and we just happened to choose the wrong day. We decided to head to Hilton Head, for some outlet shopping instead. On the way, we stopped and bought some South Carolina peaches and local vine ripened tomatoes at a local farmers markets….YUM! The shopping in Hilton Head was fun, as always, and after dinner, we came back to the marina. One thing we love about being in a marina (in addition to the obvious laundry, flush toilets and hot showers), is the fact that we frequently meet other boaters also traveling on the ICW. In the Isle of Hope marina, we met a Canadian couple from Nova Scotia. They sold the area so well that we can’t wait to get there for a visit. We don’t know if we’ll make it during this trip but we will surely go there in the next few years. They said the coast is beautiful, the weather is clement (relatively so for Canada) and the people speak French and English. Sounds great!

The next day we left Georgia and ventured into South Carolina. I waved to Hilton Head longingly, as we passed the Harbor Town lighthouse and we continued on our way. Our next stop was Beaufort, SC (pronounced BEW-FURT). Beaufort is a charming little town. We walked around, went to the library, looked at the beautiful houses and enjoyed the waterfront. The girls loved the playground and were thrilled to meet kids their age. Afterwards, we went to a little restaurant, called Nippy’s, and had our first shrimp burger and shrimp dog. The food was great and the people even better. We definitely recommend this little restaurant to anyone looking for a good, quick meal, with great taste. One of the owners drove us back to our dingy from the restaurant because of pouring rain. We really appreciated it! We only had to get from the dingy to the boat, as so although we were drenched, we didn’t get sick because it didn’t last very long. This is definitely one thing we hadn’t factored in in traveling at this part of the country at this time of the year. It rains (usually storms with lightening, heavy winds and rains and occasional tornado / waterspouts) basically one day out of two. When you are living in a sailboat this is always an adventure, as most of what we do takes place outside of the boat (like eating, for example). We can eat inside, but with the heat from the day and the windows closed to protect us from the rain, its like eating in a sauna, so we prefer, when possible, to eat outside.

After Beaufort, we headed up the coast towards Charleston. We arrived in Charleston on Friday night, and were thrilled to find some friends we had met in the Bahamas, Chantal and Frédy who are traveling on their catamaran Micromégas. They had been there for almost a week and were waiting for a weather window to continue their journey. We were thrilled to see them and were able to spend the day with them on Saturday, getting a first glimpse of Charleston. Our first stop was to see a civil war submarine (apparently the first to go into battle), called the Hunley, which sank as soon as it achieved its mission of sinking the enemy ship. The funny thing is that it had already sunk twice before on test missions, taking the entire crew with it both times. I guess that third time really wasn’t a charm for this vessel, which was truly destined to sink. The boat was actually brought up by Clive Clussler and they are in the process of slowly studying it. They almost left it at its final resting place because they were afraid that it might disintegrate. Luckily, that was not the case and we are able to see it from afar (it is in a big holding tank full of water and you can only peer in from above). Afterwards we went to Magnolia plantation on the outskirts of Charleston. Magnolia was a rice plantation . We took a tour of the slave quarters, with an interesting description of their life at the time of the plantation. The family is actually still in contact with descendants of some of their former slaves (many of who continued on working at the plantation once they were freed). We also visited the house, and learned about its history and the fact that it had been rebuilt 3 times. The grounds were gorgeous, with lots of peacocks, ponies and many beautiful flowers. On Sunday, our friends took off and we visited downtown Charleston on foot. We visited the low country Children’s museum, complete with a life size shrimping boat, which was a hit with the girls. We also visited the Joseph Manigault house, which was an urban plantation. The house was beautiful and had also been through many transformations (including a period as tenements and Military headquarters), with much of the original house layout and even moldings miraculously remaining intact.

Our next stop was about 3 miles from Georgetown, SC, in a quaint little anchorage. As the sun was setting, there was complete silence and it seemed that it was one of the most peaceful places on earth. However, once the sun set, we had the worst mosquito infestation that we have had since leaving France. There were so many mosquitoes in our nets that we couldn’t sleep because of the horrible buzz. When we were finally able to kill them mortalities were staggering! J We had planned to stop in Georgetown the next day, but as it had a wood pulp factory and the wood was blowing the wrong way, the stench made that impossible. We therefore continued our trip up the wacammaw (?) river towards Myrtle Beach. This stretch of the ICW is known to be one of the most beautiful. The cypress trees with draping Spanish moss and the birds were just amazing. Almost by accident, we decided to stop in a marina, called Osprey Marina. We didn’t even realize that we were actually in Myrtle Beach. Once again, we were truly delighted by the marina, where the staff was wonderful, and the bugs were non existent. We particularly enjoyed talking with one of the staff members, Sherry, and hope to see her and her son William (who is the girl’s age) in France some day. We also met a couple, Dick and Carol, who is doing the same trip as we are, up to Block Island, in a power catamaran. We had a nice evening with them and look forward to seeing them later in our trip. We also took the girls to the beach in Myrtle Beach and really enjoyed it. We are very grateful to our driver for taking us there! The next day we left hoping to make it North Carolina. We did…kind of…. We anchored in South Carolina, in Calabash creek and went into the nearest town, Calabash, NC. We didn’t even realize that we were in North Carolina until we saw it written on the shrimp boats in the harbor. Calabash is a shrimping town, with excellent seafood restaurants on the waterway. Atkins, beware, tho’, because this is NOT a low-carb town. Everything was fried (I had never eaten a fried oyster before, but I loved it). My two side dishes were baked potato and hush puppies (yummy with whipped honey butter!!!!). We think that it was a dry county, as there was no beer on the menu, but we may have just been in the wrong restaurant. I ordered unsweet tea (sweet tea makes my teeth hurt…sorry to all of my Southern friends, but I just can’t get used to it!). It was yummy, and although it took three days to digest, I loved every bite!

We finally made it to North Carolina on the 12th of June. We went through the last pontoon bridge on the Atlantic just as we entered the state of NC. That evening, we ended up in Wrightsville, right near the beach. The girls were thrilled. I was happy for the beach, but the groceries were becoming are little critical, and their « grocery » in town didn’t have much more to offer than a 7-11. We did however, get to eat boiled green peanuts for the first time, and although they were out of a can, I really enjoyed them and will buy more if I find them. I have to admit that I was a little wary of boiled peanuts, and hadn’t tried them yet, but the fact that there were directions on the can (to heat them, for example…something I certainly wouldn’t have thought of) and that one of the people I met said she really liked them, made me anxious to try. The girls also really liked them. The vote is still out for Sébastien (but he doesn’t like Jello, so there’s no accounting for taste, eh ? J). Wrightsville was beautiful and I am very happy to go to the beach on this side of the Atlantic, because the beaches are wide, the sand is soft and the water is warm. However, navigating or even anchoring in Wrightsville and/ or the ICW for that matter in this part of North Carolina is really not fun. In Georgia and most of South Carolina , the boaters were relatively courteous, slowing down for us as they passed, respecting no-wake zones, etc. Ever since we hit Myrtle Beach, and on into NC, people have been incredibly rude on the water. We have seen a number of smaller boats almost flip over, because of the wake of the larger boats. It is definitely survival of the fittest and its unfortunate because it makes boating a lot less fun and more dangerous. We are hoping that this will get better as we head up the coast.

Last night, we anchored in a military basin, which is considered an official anchorage, near camp Lejeune. At 7:30 pm, an army officer came by and told us that the anchorage was officially closed for the next three weeks and that we would have to move. So, as a very ominous storm approached, and we were less than an hour from sunset (and 3 hours from the next official anchorage) we headed out to find another anchorage. Another boat suffered the same fate, and so we followed each other to a new anchorage. Of course, once we anchored, the sky opened up and the rain fell in sheets. We had invited the other boat to come over for a drink, which they did when the rain let up. Their names are Peggy and John and they are originally from Rhode Island and are making their way up the coast just as we are. We will probably also see them again, en route and if not, at least hope to meet up with them once we arrive in Rhode Island.

Today, we arrived in Swansboro, NC. It wasn’t our official destination, but as we were passing it about noon, we decided to come in and have lunch . Because of the bad weather (again!) and the fact that there was a supermarket nearby, we decided to stop here for the night, as well. The town is quaint and worth the stop. The big news of the day is that Marie lost her first tooth …literally…she woke up from her nap with a big gaping hole…we think that she must have swallowed it. The tooth fairy came to the boat, and as requested brought some money from the Bahamas as well, because they have prettier money, with dolphins. She also brought a quarter from IOWA, where Marie’s Godmother lives. The girls are making a collection of quarters from the 50 states, with Sébastien’s help. We will head to Beaufort, NC tomorrow morning.

June 15th
Today we arrived in Oriental,NC. We tried Beaufort, but were only able to do a « sail by » as there wasn’t enough room for us to anchor and we didn’t want to pay for a marina. We therefore added four hours to our trip and ended up here instead. This may have been a happy coincidence, as we couldn’t get the motor to turn off when we arrived. We even tried the emergency switch, which had been installed at the request of our insurance, in case of an engine fire, and found that that didn’t work either (another example of poor work done by the people who worked on the boat before we left France… frustrating!!!). Anyway, although we were finally able to get it to turn off, after Sébastien messed with the engine, we are going to try once again tomorrow morning, before leaving, because Oriental is the « sailing capital of North Carolina », and would probably have someone who could fix it if indeed it is really broken. Never a dull moment when you live in a sailboat!

June 16th
We are now in Dowry Creek, and basically our neighbors are birds, frogs and mosquitoes. It is very peaceful here, but there isn’t a whole lot here. I wouldn’t mind having a house around here, but its frustrating in a boat because you just can’t get out and do anything. We still have no phone reception. Oh well.


June 25th
Today, we reached mile 0 of the Intracoastal Waterway, and we are now in Norfolk, VA. We have done a lot in the last few days. On the 17th of June, we arrived in the Alligator River Marina, which is, as many had written on the internet, a Shell station, in the middle of nowhere. We had to wait an entire day to get a rental car. Our American cell phone did not work at all and our French one only worked if you stood really still in one place in the driveway, and the wind didn’t change directions. It was almost as bad as South Caicos, and we were in the US! Luckily, once we had our car, we felt like we were back in civilization fairly quickly. We spent the weekend in Greensboro with my brother Alan and his wife Kim. We still love Greensboro, and think that it’s a great city and were happy to be back! Sébastien and I were able to get away Saturday for our official 10th wedding anniversary to a great bed and breakfast and out to dinner at a restaurant called Lucky 32, while Kim and Al took care of the girls. This was actually only our third evening out without the girls since we started the trip in October. It was wonderful to just be a couple and not have to cut anyone’s food or go to the bathroom 6 times in the middle of the meal! We really want to thank Al & Kim for keeping the girls as well as my dad and step mom and my mom for their thoughtful gifts which made our anniversary extra special! On Sunday night, we headed back to the Alligator River Marina. The Alligator River Marina is near the Outer banks of North Carolina, which aren’t near much of anything else. On Monday, we visited the Outer Banks. It is definitely worth the trip, but I would suggest renting a place there and staying for a week. The landscapes are breathtaking. Our first stop was on Roanoke island to see the representation of the ‘lost colony’ . I was afraid that it would be a little like an amusement park, but it actually ended up being more like a permanent reenactment, with various actors around the area who explain life in the times when the colony existed. It was very well done, and we learned a lot about the settlement and life in colonial times. Next we headed to the official outer banks. As I said, the scenery was breathtaking, with sand dunes, and with the shallow ocean just beyond. We were able to go up in the tallest lighthouse in America, Hatteras lighthouse, on the end of Hatteras island. We also saw our first drive-thru beer store, which was an old garage, which probably had done oil changes in its former life, and was now a place to get your beer. It was an odd concept. On the way back, we decided to go via Elizabeth City, a place we would be going through in a few days by boat. It looked a lot shorter on the map than it was in reality, and turned out to be about two hours out of the way. The countryside was nice, but it made the cornfields in the Midwest that seem endless not seem too bad. It was a very long trip back and although we thought the Outer Banks were lovely, we wouldn’t want to live there.

We finally left the Alligator Marina on the 23rd of June in the afternoon, after finally turning in our rental car (and now that I know where the rental car lady was coming from, I am surprised that we had a car at all….remember Elizabeth City?). We didn’t go very far, but were happy to be on the « road » again. We finally did make it back to Elizabeth City , but only stopped briefly, and decided to head to our next destination, as we really wanted to get through the Dismal Swamp Canal today. Last night, we slept next to the Dismal Swamp Canal, basically in the middle of the ICW. This was ok, as there was no one else there. It was a little eerie, actually. We had put the fan on inside our boat, because it was so hot. At one point we stopped it, because we heard all kinds of odd noises around the boat and feared that someone was coming upon us in the night. We discovered that it was actually all of the wild animals in the forest around us. It was how I would imagine a night in the jungle sounding. We decided to turn the fan back on, so we could sleep peacefully.

Today, we went through the Dismal Swamp Canal. We also went through our first and second lock (one at the beginning and one at the end) and went on a US Warship. Let me explain. The Dismal Swamp Canal was started in 1793, and hand dug by slaves borrowed from plantations in the area. The beginning and the end are not at the same water level, and therefore you need to go through a series of locks to get in and out of the canal. This was actually easier than we thought. The canal itself was very scenic, but we did hit a number of fallen tree trunks, which were just below the surface. I don’t think that any permanent damage was done. When you leave the canal, which is very bucolic, and you feel like you’ve been thrown back a few centuries, you are « plopped » out into the harbor in Norfolk. The contrast between the two is staggering. You leave this pleasant canal, where you have been for the last 5 hours and enter into Norfolk, which I believe is one of the busiest commercial and military harbors in the world. It is a world of tug boats, barges, and military vessels of all sizes. We anchored at hospital point and headed over to waterside across the bay. There is a building there called Nauticus and our lock operator at the second lock had also served as a tour guide and had mentioned that we should go to Nauticus, because the first two floors were free and we could visit the USS Wisconsin. This is how I came to be on a US Warship. When we arrived, it was five minutes to closing, but they let us on., so all I can really say, is that it is very big and very grey (apparently the grey they used is a peacetime grey). It was quick but I enjoyed it and the maritime museum seemed very interesting also, even though, that too, unfortunately, was also very quick, because it was also closing. This evening we had a fellow boater, Jay, over for cocktails. We had met him at the lock this morning, and he talked us through our first lock and gave us our first flyswatter, which is one of the most useful inventions for someone traveling by boat on the ICW at this time of the year. The horseflys and dearflys are abundant and they are nasty little buggers! We had great cocktails with Jay and hope to catch up with him again in New Jersey. Tomorrow we are going to head towards Williamsburg.

June 27th
We arrived in Yorktown, VA yesterday evening. This is a great little town, with a beautiful waterfront, known as Riverwalk. Last night, just as we were arriving, they were starting to set up for a free « shag » music concert. Shag dancing is similar to the « rock » which we dance in France, so Sébastien and I were thrilled to « cut a rug » on the dance floor in the middle of the street., after an impromptu picnic on the green. This morning we went to the farmer’s market on the same square as the dancing last night. This location is wonderful….Very central to everything! We were able to buy fresh fruits and veggies - it was almost like being back at my market in France. I was thrilled! Afterwards, we took a free shuttle to Williamsburg, which is 12 miles away. The shuttle is run by the National Park Service and links Yorktown (where the English surrendered in the American Revolution in 1781) to Williamsburg and to Jamestown. We spent the day touring Williamsburg, and learned a lot. The big surprise is that the redcoats had landed for this weekend and we were able to see them throughout the town, doing various activities. We were also able to see their encampment, complete with tents, and everything needed for their daily lives. We saw the women preparing the food and embroidering. The town is very authentic, and the tours in the different buildings were very informative and I now have a much better idea of life in colonial America. I think that Sébastien probably had the most fun of all of us, because he had never had this version of American history He was completely enchanted, and I’m thrilled that he and the girls are able to see American history « come to life » during this trip! Tomorrow we continue our journey towards Washington, DC, where we will spend the fourth of July with some friends from the states and some friends from Switzerland.

June 29th
Once again, we are checking out different medical facilities for Obama’s healthcare system. About four hours away from our destination Marie came upstairs with a crooked arm and tears…, yes, another broken arm! Aren’t we excited? Our original plan was to arrive in Solomons, MD for the night. We had met a couple, Maggie and John the weekend before in Greensboro, at our Bed & Breakfast and we were hoping to see them again, possibly for cocktails. Instead, we called Maggie in a panic and asked if she could recommend a way for us to get to the emergency room. After spending her weekend in MA and driving all weekend, she was exhausted, but she came and got us at the marina, and took us to the hospital emergency room, and stayed with us until Marie was ready to go home at almost midnight! In short , she was our guardian angel and really made dealing with Marie’s newly broken arm much easier. For this, we can’t thank her enough! In addition, we discovered a little piece of paradise, which is only 56 miles from Washington, DC, called Solomons Island, and we fell in love. The area is a sailor’s paradise, and we met a number of wonderful people. If we could figure out a way to move there, we probably would, because we just felt as if we had found the place we needed to be. Of course Marie’s arm was an ordeal…again….but this time less expensive than in the Bahamas and a very positive experience!

May 09 Here we come USA..Florida and into Georgia, via the Intracostal Waterway (ICW)

May 16th
A lot has happened in the last few weeks. We left the Bahamas at the end of April. We went to The Grand Bahama Yacht club in Lucaya first and then onto West End to anchor the night before leaving. The yacht club was fabulous and the anchorage in West End was nice too. Our final night in the Bahamas, two spotted dolphins came to say goodbye to us, just like on our last day in the Turks and Caicos. It is even more special when it happens at a time like that.

Our crossing went very well, and the weather cooperated mostly. We had been worried because all of the guide books talk about the Gulf Stream and say that the crossing can be very tough. The weather was in our favor and all went well. We reached Lake Worth Inlet around 5 pm and my mom’s cousin, John’s house around 6:45. We were thrilled to see John, Annie, his girlfriend, and her grandchildren. We called customs and then enjoyed a well earned glass of wine. We had a great time the first few days with John and Annie visiting West Palm Beach and the surrounding areas and going to Sunfest (a local festival with live music, art, etc.). We quickly got reacquainted with the pleasures of living on land. We also did some stock up shopping and were able to get the alternator replaced. The following week, we visited the Everglades National Park and the Alligator Farm. We were all able to hold a baby alligator and Sébastien got his first experience with a snake and we took our first airboat ride. We also visited Robert is Here, a fresh vegetable and fruit stand, where you can order the most amazing key lime milkshakes in the world. On Thursday, May 7th, we went to Orlando to meet my mom for a wonderful trip to Disney World. We had a great time. I hadn’t been there since I was a teenager and neither Sébastien, nor the girls had been to the one in Florida. We visited animal Kingdom on Friday, the Magic Kingdom on Saturday, Epcot on Sunday and Disney Hollywood Studios on Monday. My mom had reserved a hotel in the resort, so travel to and from Disney was easy and no stress. We also had a meal plan, and were able to eat yummy, well balanced meals most of the time. On Sunday, to celebrate Mother’s day, we went to one of the French restaurants. Although the menu was a little strange (lobster bisque followed by mac and cheese or a croque monsieur, which is like a grilled cheese with ham), the food was excellent and so was the service. In the evening we went to an Italian restaurant, and were able to have the last seat on the terrace, with a fabulous view of the fireworks. On Monday, at MGM studios, we were able to see the tail of the Space Shuttle, which has just been launched. We were all exhausted from 4 days at Disney, but we had a wonderful time. We went back to John’s house on Monday night. On Thursday afternoon, much to my chagrin, we left to continue our trip. Now that we have been in the boat for a few days, I’m doing better. I really liked being with John and Annie and their dogs and cats. I really liked having air conditioning, a real fridge, a real shower and flush toilets. We also made our plane reservations, so I know that I will return with the girls to France on the 13th of August. Hopefully Sébastien will be able to join us, if the boat has already taken off. Yesterday to go from West Palm Beach to Fort Pierce, we decided to go outside, instead of staying in the ICW, the Intercoastal Waterway, which was originally put in place during the civil war. We decided to go on the outside because there were a number of bridges between the two that you have to call to open and they are frequently on restricted schedules, and our trip would have probably taken much longer. Getting in and out of the inlets was difficult, but the rest was fine. Of course, the wind was supposed to be 13 knots and instead got up to 21 knots, and the waves were also much taller than expected, but the trip went well. The most exciting thing is that we had a group of 6 spotted dolphins, which stayed with us for almost 15 minutes, playing with the boat. They were beautiful and this time, I was able to take some pictures. We also saw two sea turtles, but they were too camera shy. And last night, when we were anchored, a small spotted ray did his flying fish act next to the boat and although we have no pictures, he was beautiful. Today, we are in the ICW, as the conditions on the outside were too rough to go out. Since we only had one bridge that we needed to call for opening (the others were all higher than our mast), it wasn’t too bad. The trip has been leisurely, with a light breeze and little traffic, and even some dolphins who followed us for a few minutes. We’ve seen some beautiful houses and some interesting birds. I personally, enjoy having a boat which is flat and batteries which will be fully charged at our arrival! Tomorrow is Sébastien’s birthday.

Mai 21st
Today we are on the way to Daytona. We ended up spending Sébastien’s birthday in the boat. I guess this is appropriate. In the evening, we got out in India Atlantic(?) and walked around. The next day, Monday, we went to Titusville. It was a cute little town with very friendly people. We tried to walk around to find a place to eat, but there wasn’t much open by the time we hit town. Since Monday, the weather has been very uncooperative. Heavy rains and heavy winds. Not great weather for navigating. On Tuesday, we left for New Smyrna Beach. I started my spa treatment.: first, with the early morning mud bath, while lifting the anchor. I followed with a light, whispering sub-tropical rain while waiting for the bridge to open and ended with a cleansing heavy tropical rain, with heavy winds when we anchored. Needless to say, I didn’t realize that it was a spa treatment for which I should have worn my bathing suit, and so I got the pleasure of selecting four different outfits in a 24 hour period. The fun continued into the evening with heavy winds (37 knots), sleeting rain, tornado watches and flash flooding. Given the weather (and our lack of sleep), we decided to stay in New Smyrna yesterday. About three in the afternoon the rain seemed to calm down to a trickle, so we decided to go on land. The girls hadn’t been off the boat for over 36 hours (and neither had we), so we thought that it would be nice to get out and run a little. We tried to figure out where to dock our dingy and finally settled for a dingy dock in a private residence, which we thought was closer to stores and restaurants than it really was. We started our adventure by tying off to a dingy dock which was literally under water. This should have been a clue (remember what I said about flash flooding warnings). We continued walking around the neighborhood, hoping to find a way out to stores or restaurants. As we walked, we saw water fowl gathered on the …uh…lawn, which had been temporarily transformed into a pond. Many of the sidewalks were also underwater. And of course, about 6 minutes into our walk, the heavens opened up and we were drenched. We decided that wet for wet, we might as well continue. We walked for a while and realized that it was really only a residential neighborhood and that there wasn’t much to see. In addition, Marie who has been fighting bronchitis, was starting to chill a little (despite the water being relatively warm). We turned around and headed back, getting strange, amused looks from passerbys in their warm, dry vehicles. When we reached the dingy dock, which was even a little further under water, and the dinghy, Marie proclaimed « This was the most fun I ever had going to a pool ». Ah, the wisdom of youth…she certainly looked as if she had gone swimming, completely dressed of course. We went back to the boat and changed into dry clothes (our boat is humid inside and out from all of the wet clothes we are trying to dry). Afterwards, the rain really calmed down and we went to the other side of the ICW to the little downtown of New Smyrna Beach. Of course, once again, it was closed because we arrived so late (almost 6 pm) but it was charming and it was nice to walk and remain dry. We then treated ourselves to a dinner at a restaurant called Jason’s Place. I had ginger sesame seared tuna. It was delicious. Now we are on our way to Daytona (actually to Port Orange, a city right before Daytona, because the marina is much less expensive). We will try to get Marie’s cast off and will also rent a car to go see Henry Young , from my mom’s side of the family, in Tampa. Henry has followed our trip faithfully from the beginning, and I am looking forward to meeting him after corresponding with him for the last year. Henry and his wife and little girl did a similar type of trip a number of years ago and spent a year as well. I remember my mom telling me about his trip and thinking that it was amazing, but could never happen to me. I guess that you should never say never. Anyway, the rain continues today. I am very glad that I over packed, because I am finding clothes that I had forgotten that I have…..which is a good thing because otherwise I would have run out of dry underwear and other essential clothing items.

May 27th
We are now in Ferdinina Beach, and will officially leave Florida tomorrow. The last few days have been wonderful. We spent time in Port Orange next to Daytona, in a very nice, small marina, called Seven Seas marina, which is apparently the least expensive marina on the entire East coast. The owner and his staff were very friendly and helpful. We arrived when there was major flooding going on, so it was a little complicated, but that seems to be the story of our life, and this year. Many of the major roads were closed, so getting from one spot to another was definitely a challenge. Apparently they never have weather like that. The people from Daytona seemed to take it as well as possible. They kept a sense of humor about it and also seemed to help one another out. It was nice to see. On Friday, May 22, after a doctor’s appointment, we went to Tampa to see Henry Young. Henry, who had never actually met us before, was a wonderful host. He is currently doing historic restoration on his bungalow. He took us for a walking tour around his neighborhood to show us what some of his neighbors had already done to their homes. We ate in a restaurant, which was in a house which had been moved (because the city wanted to tear it down), restored, and turned into a restaurant. Next door, in another house owned by the same couple, was a spa, which I went to on Saturday morning, as a late Mother’s Day gift to myself. We had a wonderful time visiting with Henry, seeing his home and neighborhood and seeing Tampa for the first time. We went back to Daytona on Saturday afternoon. When we took our rental car back to the airport, a man named Darren offered to drive us back to the marina. He was getting a rental car because his four cars and two houses were under water…as he put it « I always wanted lake front property , but this is a little much ». He had never been on a sailboat, so we invited him aboard for a little tour. I think that he was surprised that you could live in a space that size on the water. He was a really nice guy, and said that he hoped to go to France one day…perhaps we’ll see him again. We left on Sunday morning to continue on our journey. We arrived in St Augustine on Monday, Memorial Day. We spent the day visiting the historical area, including the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the US and the Catholic cathedral, which is significant because St Augustine is apparently where American Catholicism was born. St Augustine was a beautiful city, rich in history and we really enjoyed our day. Yesterday, we spent the day sailing to Ferdandina Beach. We hadn’t meant to come the entire way in one day, but we made great time (sometimes going at 7.5 knots), and decided it would be nice to have an entire day here. This city is also charming, and one of the most peaceful places I think that I have ever visited. Once again, we ate in an old house which had been restored. The other houses in the historical district are absolutely stunning. In France, I get a lot of comments about the fact that the US doesn’t have much history. This always irks me. Indeed France is a much older country, but we do have a lot of wonderful history in the US, which is just as interesting and just as important in understanding our country as it is today, and I am happy to be able to share some of it with the girls.

We are really enjoying the ICW. The scenery is beautiful and it’s a wonderful way to discover a part of the US that I know little about. Yesterday, we saw our first shrimp boats, and today we had a huge plate of peel and eat shrimp - yummy! Tomorrow, we will leave Florida and head to Georgia to Cumberland island, where apparently we will see wild horses, loggerhead turtles and possibly even an armadillo or two. It is part of the Georgia National Seashore, and should have great trails and a beautiful beach.

May 29th
Yesterday, we arrived in Georgia, at Cumberland Island, which is a national park. I realized yesterday that we have visited 4 US national parks in the last three months (in the USVI, Puerto Rico, the Everglades in Florida and yesterday in Cumberland island), and that we are extremely lucky to have done so. Cumberland Island is beautiful. When you walk through the forest to the beach, you pass through a dense forest of tall old oaks, with branches that come down to meet you, covered with Spanish moss. It feels like something out of a magical, mythical forest and you are sure that a unicorn will appear at your side. Five minutes later you enter into a world of sand dunes, covered with grass, where you can see wild turkeys and wild horses. And three minutes later, you are on a 20 mile long, wide sandy beach. We also took a tour of the Dungeness ruins. Dungeness was originally owned by a General who served under George Washington. Later it was owned by the Thomas Carnegie family, before becoming a National Park. The house that remains is from the Carnegie era and is interesting to see, even though it was destroyed by fire a number of years back. On our walk back, we saw a wild turkey and a number of very friendly armadillos. We also met a family, with a little girl named Julia, who is Marie and Constance’s age. They were from Augusta, GA, and Julia showed the girls how to look for shark teeth and gave them their first shark tooth. The island is covered with shark’s teeth, because the sand that is dredged from the ICW is deposited on the roads of the island.

We anchored near a nuclear submarine base last night. The park ranger who gave us the tour of the Dungeness ruins said that they never know officially when a submarine is going out to sea, but you can tell by the helicopters, coast guard boats and other boats which swarm the area. Her information turned out to be very useful, because last night, we saw a submarine leave the dock while we were anchored and this morning when we went by the submarine base, and were just barely able to get through (they closed the ICW behind and let us through, luckily), because they were getting ready either to put another submarine out to sea, or to welcome one back. It was a little scary to have all of the coast guard boats around us, with the helicopter flying overhead. We were glad to understand what was going on.

Today we visited Jekyll Island. It was very hot outside, and the walk was long, but the visit was nice. The beach was beautiful and the historic downtown, with the millionaires homes tour, was interesting to walk around. We had hoped to get to the Turtle Center to learn more about the loggerhead turtles, but we arrived too late. We did however find freshly squeezed lemonade and butter pecan ice cream, so we were all thoroughly sated! J