Sunday, my 62nd birthday. Anchor up by 8:40, at Wrightsville Beach. Been a long time since we’ve been ashore here, but it’s usually a good stopping point. Hustling to make sure we make the 9:00 bridge. Saw some folks doing yoga on paddle boards-very cool. Cloudy, interesting skies but no rain. Wind E 10ish. Anchor down by 2:35, Mile Hammock Bay, on Marine Corps Camp LeJeune. Threatening skies all day-check out picture of Larry anchoring. Then the rain started. At least I got to sit on my bean bag chair on the upper deck for a little while, just enjoying the marsh and the sky views…Larry grilled burgers….grill is on the upper deck, so he grilled in the drizzle. Whole rainbow as we ate in the back porch. My birthday gift from Mother Nature. We both got up at 1:25 am …..beautiful full moon coming up and out from behind the clouds, calm, all the buoy lights flickering out in the channel, could hear the ocean roaring. Beautiful night!

Monday. Anchor up 8:35. Another beautiful day. A school of small fish jumped out of the water in unison…..had to wait for a bridge to open….then, the inlet….there is the ocean we heard roaring last night…..a dolphin or porpoise jumped completely out of the water…..I kidded that it must be an escaped performer form Seaworld. Then a few hours later, a skate jumped out of the water three times consecutively…..odd. Tied up at Town Creek Marina, Beaufort, NC by 3:15. (AICW mile marker 202).This is a great marina. We always stop here. It’s also vet stop for Lizzie….

Tuesday, vet appointment. She had wellness check, bloodwork (early issue screening), shots and ears cleaned. It’s like bringing your child in with dirty ears to the doctor….I felt like a bad mom-but ear wax was deep…..then we brought back Italian from our favorite Italian restaurant here. Laundry got done.

Wednesday, food shopping and ready to leave tomorrow. When we arrived from shopping Larry noticed Lizzie was having an eye issue. One eye is less dilated than the other…..back to the vet. Now she is on prednisone! I am concerned. She has had eye issues before but not like this and it has been one and a half years……

Thursday, little shopping, more stocking…..Lizzie not better….I do not want to leave. The next three nights we will be anchoring out in the hinterlands of NC. Don’t want to be too far away from a vet. So we walked to downtown Beaufort for my birthday steak dinner at Ribeye. Simple and good. Then we stopped by a park to listen to some live music. About 3 miles round trip.

Friday, Lizzie still the same. So we switched to a weekly rate instead of daily rate. This seems to always happens here…..usually weather issues….I had to do condo board work most of the day, then went shopping.

Saturday, Lizzie still the same. Very minor improvement. I am concerned. We walked to the Beaufort Cafe for breakfast then visited the local farmers market. Larry got some popcorn, kettle corn, his favorite. I met a dog named Flora, a Great Pyrenees dog. Larry called me over and said “Flora, meet Flora”.

This trip has been filled with concerns with Mom, then Larry, then Mom again, now Lizzie……

Is it my turn next?

Sunday, anchor up at Awendaw Creek, SC, at 7:50. Beautiful calm morning. It’s a good feeling to get moving on nice days….always a high, grateful to be on the water. Great cloud banks. You have to be a weather lover to be out here…..dolphin or porpoises….a pod. Little one did a belly flop…. while I was at the helm. We made it by McClellanville, always short water, area known for depth issues. Today we travelled at high tide/full moon and only 11 feet depth…..wouldn’t want to be here at low tide. Easy ride to Georgetown, SC. Settled in at marina by 1:15 ( AICW mile marker 403).

Monday, our day to spend in Georgetown. Breakfast at Thomas’s Cafe. It’s been remodeled and looks good. Did not loose too much of its charm! Then we walked to Piggley Wiggley supermarket. I shopped in town and Larry brought groceries back to boat. Anything to get out of shopping! Once back, dealing with Mom stuff….she is finally going home. Constipation caused dehydration…..I am overwhelmed. Thank God for a woman named Marlen. She is a God send! She keeps telling me not to fly down, not serious, but she visited mom daily and sends pictures…..a picture is worth a thousand words. I monitor tests via hospital portal and speak to doctors as often as I can. I am concerned she might be weak-Marlen assures Mom is fine. After the dust settles ( yes, you must deal with life situations while on board-world doesn’t stop), I decided to go back and buy a bronze ring I saw and get some ice cream for me and a chocolate praline for Larry. Then laundry and recycling. We are finding fewer marinas recycling lately…. so we store “clean recycles” in our dinghy, which hangs on davits off our stern, upper deck. We take out trash daily too. If at anchor, then we store that too in dinghy. Anyway, we find a recycling bin right near the boat.

Tuesday, cast off at 6:45. Tides/currents wait for no one. Already very warm. We also get underway early before wind picks up and makes departing more difficult (protects the paint job too). Today we did the Waccamaw River, a favorite, actually one of Larry’s favorite during the whole trip. Ran out of fuel in one tank and Larry had to change over. We were heading to fuel up anyways….. he then had to prime engine. It started! I was so excited I questioned him when he yelled to shut it off….I thought perhaps he didn’t hear it-silly me-he was in engine compartment…..guess I drenched him in diesel…..he was pissed. We traveled that last couple of miles to Osprey Marina for fuel. While in the office paying, I picked up a couple of Mrs. Fields ice cream filled cookies ….. a peace offering and a cool treat on a hot day. We then tied up at Barefoot Marina (AICWmile marker 354). We walked to Barefoot Landing (an outdoor mall and entertainment area) and walked back, in the rain. We ended up eating at the new grill at the marina. Quite good, actually. And reasonable.

Wednesday, cast off at 6:30. The wind changed at the last moment and helped us off the dock. Very nice morning. We traveled through the Rock Pile, at low tide. Great photo opportunity but a little more caution required on the Captain’s part. Arrived at South Harbour Village Marina by 1:30 ( AICW mile marker 311). This is our first time at this marina. Near Southport (but a 5 mile walk), but easy on off transient dock. Ate dinner at the grill right at the marina. Sat out in the screened porch, nice view and nice breeze.

Thursday, alarm woke us at 5:00. Looked at weather channel online….tonight is going to be stormy, some storms severe. We would be anchoring out tonight. Not worth it, decided to spend another day here. Very windy, SW 25. Not a good day to tackle the Cape Fear River. So today was a cleaning, painting day, boat chores. We had a very strange amber, red, tiered sunset.

Friday, ditto. Did go to dinner at grill and a quick walk around. The interior of the state getting the severe weather…. we seem to be threading the needle…..not complaining.

Saturday, up at 5:00, depart at 7:00. Storm blew through so departure was delayed until 9:30…..flexibility so important on a boat. You hear over the years of men who ignored weather and went out there, then their boats were up for sale. A friend just told me of this happening recently to someone they know……We crossed the Cape Fear River (or Cape Rosie, as we refer to it) easily. Not much traffic: a freighter and a ferry. Anchor down at Wrightsville Beach (AICW mile marker 283). Lots of small boats running around causing wakes…..mental note, don’t anchor here on a summer, weekend night…….

Sunday found us still in Beaufort, SC.

We walked to a Huddle House for breakfast-never been to one before and it was a quick walk from marina. Good coffee and sourdough toast, not commonly available at breakfast joints. An older gentleman came in and sat down near us, alone. A conversation struck up…..we both thought he was in late seventies……turns out he was only 69, a year younger than Larry. Larry looks really good for his age-fellow couldn’t believe Larry was a year older……back at the boat, I sat out in back porch to paint and watch storms…..Larry watched a Bruins hockey game…..poor man had to hold the antenna over his head to receive the channel……….that’s team spirit!

Monday, Mom is back in the hospital-nothing serious but at her age anything is concerning. I want to stay here, airport an hourish drive. Weather holding off so we walked to Beaufort downtown (we stay at Lady’s Island, across the bridge). Lunch at Plums. A must for me. I had my usual Biarritz sandwich, Larry had gumbo and an oyster po’boy.

Mine usually comes with a side salad and a hot bacon dressing. No more. Must ask if dressing is even still available-I wouldn’t mind paying extra for salad and THAT dressing. We walked around town, visiting shops and galleries. Then the sky got very threatening….Larry said don’t worry….We walked back over bridge fast….I watched the sky the whole way…….

Tuesday was a rain day. I got some serious painting done….

Wednesday was a ‘sit” day. Rain off and on, some very heavy. Some thunder and lightning too. I had to attend a condo board meeting via phone. Larry watched a Bruins hockey game-they lost. No Stanley Cup this year.

Thursday, dealing with mom issues and got my food shopping done-prepping to leave.

Friday, we are off! Departed at 9:00. Not a smooth departure….wind had us pinned to dock. But we made it. Beautiful day, NNE 10-15. Skinny water in several spots, meaning depth. No issues, just required a watchful eye and careful navigation. Saw a pair of loopers (doing the circumnavigating the eastern half of US and part of Canada )on a jet ski…. we fly our gold flag, meaning we completed loop once. So, they slowed down to say hi and then zipped off. Good to see. What an adventure. Anchor down at Church Creek, AICW mile marker 488, at 4:00. I sat out at night, on the porch, listening to a very sweet bird. Sounded a bit like a loon, but not typical loon sound…..

Saturday, anchor up at 7:10. Truly a gorgeous morning, cool morning, E 10-15. Went by Charleston….I always look for the old homes at water’s edge. Today, a cruise ship was docked nearby…..not sure I appreciate the contrast so close together. Got a whiff or two of a paper mill …. too far off to be Georgetown…..I assume there are others. We had to maneuver around dredges and many small boats out on a Saturday…. and skinny water depths to add to the chaos….anchor down by 2:50, Awendaw Creek, AICW mile marker 435. Early stop because the next few miles are among the shallowest part of the ICW. We’ll take it in the morning, at high tide.

Sunday, we stayed at Brunswick. Went to an early outdoor concert. That is part of the fun of cruising, enjoying the local events of the places we stop to visit.

Monday, I went into town (3 block walk) for coffee with Patty. She and Fred are the folks we met last year. Lazy day. That evening laundry and Larry watched another Bruins’ game.

Tuesday, we left Brunswick at 7:15. Partly cloudy, nice, S 5-10. I brought a crab aboard with one of the fenders I pulled up. Larry, my hero, threw it back overboard. I don’t like to pick them up. We got to enjoy morning dolphins……we also took the cut to go by Fort Frederica. It somewhat parallels the ICW. Now we are in the savannas of Georgia. On one spot, a lonesome tree, no other trees for miles around….. someone posted a sign “lonesome tree”. Thunder and lightning by 4:48. We anchored in Birthday Creek (AICW mile marker 611) a favorite, very secluded. We were anchored by 5:30. Again, no trees for miles…..when the current changes, you can hear the water rushing by the hull….depending on the mood, soothing or annoying!

Wednesday: anchor up by 8:30. Easy ride, even as we went thru Hell Gate. It was high tide, no issue. Went into Delegal Creek Marina (AICW 601) by 11:00. Borrowed the golf cart for a trip to Publix and lunch at the local pub. Larry ordered a healthy salad, so I gave him half my burger……I went for a walk along the path by the creek. Thunder in the background. Rain and lightning by 6:45……it’s going to be a week plus of this. Plus the heat.

Thursday, rainy day on board. We did manage a walk in the morning prior to the rain. I wanted to cook pulled pork in a crock pot but didn’t want the heat below so I set it up in the pilothouse to cook. I went up there to clean up and boy, it smelled good. Did not see any wild boars on the island across the creek this time.

Friday, cast off 6:30. Trying to get somewhere before storms. Got a great picture of an osprey with a fish. It was low tide and still going out. Suddenly, 4,3,2,1, gently plowed onto mud. Larry was able to back us off. Left some bottom paint, red, looked like chum or a shark attack in a movie. Seems that a green channel marker was not there. Soon came the attack of the green head horseflies! Thank goodness we turned the corner and the breeze picked up so they diminished. Today we were passed by a survey boat, a first for us. Heavy rains as we passed Port Royal Sound. This is where waves were splashing over us in December, on the trip south. Arrived at Lady’s Island Marina (AICW mile marker 536 ) about 3:15….. pouring rain and thunderstorms. Mary, the marina manager, helped us tie up. Of course we are on the furthest dock from her office, she was soaked. Then more thunder and lightning as I cleaned up the pilothouse. I had to clean up all of the fly carcasses, 25+, killed with “409” during the last leg.

Saturday, walked to Publix and lunch at Rancho Grande, huevos rancheros, really brunch at 3:00! Very good. I went antiquing while Larry went back to the boat. Heavy rain, thunder, lightning……Think we might stay here until this weather changes…..

Sunday: anchor up at Daytona, 0840. Late for us. Anchor had dug in. Larry had to wipe his legs and arms down with a wet towel. He was covered in mud (and he had just taken a shower)….Yuck……Another gorgeous day, but very hot. We tied up at Marineland Marina (AICW mile marker 796) by 2:00. Air conditioner on immediately. While at anchor, we get a breeze because always facing into the wind. At marinas, we turn the air on. Most of the time not facing into the wind…..

Life goes on while on board. Several people, not familiar with the cruising lifestyle, state that it’s not work, it’s a constant vacation. Well, cruisers have to deal with the same issues folks who live on land deal with daily. Homes have issues-boats have issues, sometimes more so than houses. Medical situations pop up everywhere. Last week it was my mom. Now it’s Larry. Larry has had melanomas in the past. Today, his left cheek has a large raw area that even the marina manager here told him looked like a melanoma! He had had one just like it, on the same place. Even had pics to prove it! So, we are going to St. Augustine and Mayo Clinic here we come. Larry has a great doctor at Dana Farber, Boston. I texted pictures and the response was to take him to the Mayo. It’s a holiday weekend. It will have to wait until Tuesday morning.

Monday, Memorial Day, left Marineland at 7:40. We usually depart on our own-unless dealing with nasty currents or high winds. On the way in yesterday, the marina hand is telling me to throw the the line. I knew I was too far away, not enough line and wind against me. Of course, fell short in the water. Sometimes, the marina hand insists on taking the bow line first (front line) while I am below, in the stern (back) with a line. We have a bow thruster…..not a stern thruster soooo Larry has control of the bow not the stern. The stern has to be tied first. Sometimes, Larry or I have to explain all this while docking! And the bottom line: the captain is always responsible for his boat. If it’s banged up, the marina is not responsible. Back to today’s trip……lots of dolphins feeding and peacefully swimming. Wow, pink pelicans, a first for us. We arrived early, by 9:30, at St. Augustine (AICW mile marker 778). We got here so fast, I was in the shower when Larry slowed the engine. Had to hurry and dry, get dressed, all in time to man my station for tying up. We went for a late walk, dinner and hockey game at Chadsworth. Seems like a few New Englanders go watch sports at this bar…. we discovered it during a Patriots game, last December. Now, the Bruins.

Tuesday, picked up the rental car and coordinated with the Mayo Clinic. We had a big lunch at Metro Diner. All plates there are huge. I always get the Monte Christo sandwich-it’s sinfully good and bad for you. It was so big, well, I managed to finish it. Larry had a chopped steak and enough mash potatoes to feed a family of four. He didn’t finish them……we did some shopping and driving around St. Augustine. While driving a residential back road , we encountered the “joining tree”. It’s a huge oak tree with a huge palm tree that took root between two split sections of the oak. Both seemed healthy.

Back at the boat, I was painting in the back porch, all enclosed and Lizzie the cat joined me. My toughest critic. The marina at St. Augustine has many birds on its docks. Because of our screens, the bird was next to me and didn’t realize I was there until I moved-we startled each other. That bird complained/ squawked for a good minute.

Wednesday, Mayo Clinic appointment. Larry got his biopsy. We shopped and returned the rental car. We went back to Chadsworth for the next Bruins game. We were joined by the crew of Sabrina, a gorgeous yellow Manatee.

Thursday, I got up early and went for a nice walk, over the bridge and the sea wall. We departed St. Augustine by 9AM. Lovely day but hot. This heat wave is pretty nasty. Long day, great run. We actually anchored off Cumberland Island, GA (AICW mile marker 710) by 6:30. 68 miles. Yep, out of Florida, with a day to spare. Light dinner, sandwich and salad-too hot for a heavy meal.

We had great news today. The biopsy report is: Basal cell carcinoma. They suggested he let the area heal and have it addressed at August Dana Faber appointment. We had a contingency plan of getting a car in Brunswick, GA and driving back to Mayo Clinic. Thankfully, not needed.

Friday, anchor up at 8:30. We had a very pleasant night because the wind was blowing down the hatch over us. Still blowing strongly. I noticed my water garden ( yes, I have a small water garden and a small dirt planter on the upper deck) was in bloom. My water hyacinth was blooming. The down side, the breeze blew some dirt away from my herbs and I have to sweep up. Swept in one direction-very windy….Still need my greenery. Since we got Lizzie, I can not have plants or fresh flowers below…..real or fake, she will nibble on either.

Saw some interesting stuff today. A helicopter was picking up what appeared to be pilings, and bringing them to a different island. While we were going by Jekyll Island, a dredge was working. We had to squeeze by, the depth read 1 foot, which means 4 feet and we need 3.2 feet. One of those “gulp” moments. Arrived at Brunswick Marina by 2:30. We leave the ICW and travel for about 5 miles off the ICW.

Saturday, sat. We walked around town…visited the farmers market, then Larry went to marina lounge to watch the hockey game. We met some folks here that we had met last year. Since then, they had acquired a gorgeous trawler. More folks going to the dark side (a power boat vs a sailboat). Very nice seeing them and catching up.