We were waiting for parts to be delivered to us in Beaufort NC at the start of the month. They arrived on the first and we were able to fix our leaking water pump! It was very windy and the anchorage got a bit crazy in the afternoon. The current can be quite strong and it was affecting the monohulls and catamarans very differently. This had boats swinging in different directions and in a packed anchorage, some boats were getting very close to each other. We were spaced out safely and didn’t have any issues. Between that and the numerous dolphin sightings, we were very entertained in our anchorage.
The following day we headed south. It had been blowing a gale the past two days so we decided to take the inside ICW route vs going out into the ocean. We went past Camp Lejune and anchored for the night in a bay surrounded by military-owned land. We saw several marines on shore and a few marine boats and helicopters. The helicopters or osprey aircraft (we aren’t entirely sure what they were) circled overhead all afternoon and evening.
The following day we made it through the ICW to Carolina Beach. We picked up our first-ever mooring ball and stayed two nights here. Friends of ours who live in North Carolina had recently bought a beach house in Carolina Beach with plans to rent it out. A group of friends from Michigan was visiting them and the new beach house while we were there. It was great to see everyone and catch up. We were so happy that the timing worked out!
After enjoying our time with friends. We headed off on our first overnight passage in the ocean. We traveled 42 NM from Carolina Beach to Charleston South Carolina. The wind forecast was about 10 knots. We were hoping for more of a beam reach but it was pretty much dead down-wind so we sailed as much as we could. Most of the way we had to motor. Given that it was November, the sunset was at 5:30ish pm. That meant a lot of hours of darkness which made me (Erika) nervous.
Several hours after sunset, while Ryan was sleeping, there was quite a lightning show off our port side. The sky was clear overhead but after watching the storm for a while I was getting pretty freaked out. We were far enough off-shore that we lost Star Link and I couldn’t check the radar to make sure the storm wasn’t coming our way. After our autopilot turned unexpectedly I lost it and had to call Ryan up. At this point, I was having a full-blown panic attack. Ryan upgraded our Star Link plan so we could check the radar and once convinced the storm wasn’t coming our way I went down to sleep for a few hours. Ryan ended up staying up all night to finish this passage. We made it to Charleston and spent the entire next day relaxing and catching up on sleep.
While in Charleston we met up with another young couple from SV Mojo. They have cruised to the Bahamas before with their two cats so it was great to chat with them about everything we have to look forward to. We really enjoyed walking around Charleston but the anchorage was pretty rolly. Our original plan was to wait in Charleston for another weather window to jump offshore and head for Cumberland Island (at the Florida/Georgia line). The weather was not cooperating for the foreseeable future so we decided to continue down the ICW instead.
We headed south with plenty of dolphin sightings along the way. It was nice to find a quiet anchorage without any rolling or boat traffic buzzing by.
We enjoyed a night near South Fenwick Island which had nice trails to walk on. Also nearby this anchorage was B and B Seafood which sold their freshly caught shrimp for $8 lb. We watched the shrimp boats going by all day and it was nice to be able to enjoy locally caught seafood! The ICW in South Carolina is very pretty. You are surrounded by salt marshes and palm trees. We had some really great sunsets!
We landed in Beaufort SC and stayed a few days to take a break from all the travel. The weather was warm and sunny the day we arrived but then a cold front came through bringing high winds, rain, and much colder temperatures. We made the most of it and still enjoyed walking around town. The town is really pretty, full of antebellum homes and trees that are dripping with Spanish Moss.
After a couple of days, the weather still didn’t look great for jumping back out into the ocean so we continued south and into Georgia.
The wind was still up, it was cloudy and cold, for several days. The current in this part of the ICW is also quite strong with the tide peaking at 9 ft in the middle of Georgia. With the water moving by the boat quickly at night it isn’t exactly quiet. We were both feeling pretty worn out at this point. It was several days of zig-zagging through Georgia before we finally made it to Cumberland Island which is at the Florida-Georgia line. Once we made it there we waited for the weather to clear so we could enjoy the island before moving on.
The Island was a highlight of the whole East Coast trip so far. The hiking trails are beautiful and there is so much wildlife to see! We hiked the island for two days, taking time to enjoy the beaches and exploring the ruins of an old manor owned by the Carnegie family. We saw several armadillos, turkeys, and deer. The island is also home to wild horses but we only saw one on the beach as we were leaving the anchorage.
From there we headed just across the state line to Fernandina Beach Florida where we stayed for a few days. Making it to Florida meant we could finally slow down again. We caught up with friends aboard SV Keilani (whom we had met in the North Channel) and SV Mojo whom we met in Charleston. We enjoyed our time in our first Florida beach town and began organizing and provisioning for the Bahamas.
Our next stop was St Augustine. We had nice weather and were able to jump outside for a motor sail in the ocean. It was nice to be out in the open water again. The buildings in the historic part of town were amazing to see. We spent a full day wandering the streets and taking it all in before continuing south. Here we also had our first Thanksgiving aboard. While it wasn’t the normal, huge meal, we enjoyed it! We would have loved to spend more time but we had a marina reservation in Titusville so we could have a short re-set and see some family. We once again had nice weather to jump out into the ocean. We actually were able to sail for several hours of the passage. We also saw a giant ray leap out of the water!
We spent five nights in Titusville at the marina. On our way to the marina we had several miles in the ICW. This part of the ICW was really pretty and we saw plenty of manatees and dolphins. While at the marina, we got plenty of projects completed and cleaned the boat. It had been two months since we were at a marina. We took full advantage of the endless fresh water, laundry on shore and plugging into shore power to use all the power we wanted/needed. We had a wonderful time visiting with family for a few days (Erika’s mom and Chip flew down and her Aunt Nancy drove over for a day), walking the beach and the nearby. nature preserve. Thankfully our visitors had rented a car and didn’t mind running us around so we could fully prevision for the Bahamas where groceries will be much more expensive.
After all our visitors left we treated ourselves to a full day at the Kennedy Space Center. We toured the visitors center and took the bus tour around the launch pads and to the Saturn 5 and Appollo Center. It was really amazing to see everything and well worth the cost for the tour.
The following morning we slipped the lines and headed south, back our on anchor. West Palm will be our final destination in Florida. From there we will wait for our weather window and cross over to the Bahamas!
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2 replies on “November 2023 Beaufort NC to Titusville Florida”
What an amazing journey! Safe travels 🩷
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