January 15, 2006: Today we installed our new swim platform. (See pictures.)
February 2, 2006: Our bottom and running gear have been repainted.
We splashed this morning and returned to our slip to prepare for our cruise.
April 4, 2006 to May 10, 2006: We departed Melbourne on April 4th
and headed north on the ICW. The weather was fine all the way up to Jacksonville, and then the heavy winds started. After
staying four days in Jacksonville Beach, we anchored in the Brickhill River, and then the Duplin River, and next then
stayed at Isle of Hope Marina, just south of Savannah, GA. Since the dredging ended in Georgia, we really had to "play"
the tides. It cuts each travel day nearly in half, as we have to go at half tide, and stop and half tide.
From Isle of Hope we cruised to one of our favorite stops, Beaufort, SC. We visited
with boaters from "The Great Loop Cruising Association" who were having a rendezvous there. We visited our favorite
"people" restaurants, and our favorite "people and dog" ice cream store-- a favorite because they make a doggie sundae
for Rosie.
Next, we anchored south,(Church Creek,) and north,(Dewee Creek,) of Charleston,
SC and then visited Georgetown, SC where we stayed for several days waiting for tide and weather. Also, we went to some nice
reastaurants. (As long as we were waiting!)
On the next leg of our cruise we visited Bridge Tender Marina in Wrightsville
Beach, NC., Dudley's Marina in Swansboro, NC., and anchored in the South River near Oriental, NC.
Next stop was at another favorite, Dowry Creek Marina. Ted (the owner) immediately
informed us that he was preparing "Beer Can Chicken" that night. Everyone brought a side dish to the clubhouse, and Ted
cooked his "Beer Can Chicken" on the grill. (You don't want to know where the beer can goes!) Everyone that is at
the marina that night meets and greets each other, and we talk about our favorite subjects--- boats and cruising.
It's a great social event.
The next day was, to our great surprise, a good day to cross the Albermarle Sound,
and so we did.
Our next stop was Midway Marina in Coinjock, NC. We went to dinner with three
couples that we had met at Dowry Creek, then stayed five days waiting for the wind to die down, or clock around.
On the way, (actually, at Midway Marine,) we bought a small motorhome
from a dealer near Brewerton, NY! We've decided that the trip from Florida north is hard on us, and hard on Blue Moon,
so we're going to leave her at Brewerton, NY at Winter Harbor Marina in a heated building during the winter, and come
and go in the RV. We plan to use the RV when we're not cruising on Blue Moon. (The west coast of the US, and Alaska
are in our RV plan.)
As of May 10th, we are at Ocean Marine in Norfolk, VA. In a couple of
days (when the Bay lays down!) we'll head out on to the Chesapeake Bay, and keep on trucking north.
May 11 to July 24, 2006: We left Norfolk, VA and cruised up the Chesapeake
to Antipoison Creek where we anchored for the evening. The next day we headed up to Solomons, MD, one of our favorite locations
to hang out. Here we spent most of our time at Hospitality Harbor Marina where Rosie met Sunny.
Sunny is a Beagle that lives with Bill and Sarah, who own a neighboring sailboat.
The two of them started out playing on the dock, and later realized that they prefered the air conditioned comfort
of our boat. When Bill and Sarah were out on the bay racing, Sunny would come over and visit Rosie. The two of them had a
great time together.
Due to weather along the Erie Canal, we decided to store Blue Moon in Solomons
this winter. July 24th we hauled the boat at Spring Cove Marina for the balance of the year. We picked up
our Winnebago Aspect 26A motorhome the 14th of July and plan to tour the North
East USA the rest of this year.
We'll have to start a Motorhome web site soon.
That's all for now!
Bob, Vicki, and Rosie
