Flags of Fort Sumter

…which is in Isle of Palms (just outside (and north) of Charleston)). It’s a beautiful little anchorage and we’ve been alone for the most part. As I write this post we are into our 6^th day anchored here. We’re busy checking off some of the maintenance items from the list and HB is looking pretty good. Saturday we move her into her slip at the Cooper River Marina (about 7 miles from here in North Charleston). She’ll stay dockside for 30 days. We have an early Monday morning flight to Pennsylvania for a two week stay. Looking forward to this visit back to “terra-home”! It, too, will be a busy trip as we will take full advantage of resources (marine supplies etc.) which we have in York and Baltimore. Not to mention getting Emily packed and ready for her big move. We have now decided to haul the boat somewhere between Charleston and Oriental, NC in route north to the Chesapeake in June. The bottom is covered with growth and our cruising speed (through the water) is slowed by this growth. A slick bottom will speed our journey and consume less fuel. We anticipate leaving Charleston in early June with arrival in our “home waters” in late June. Once again, I can see a “schedule” pressing us north. Oh well…..one does need incentive don’t they? Our next post will be from York. Stay tuned!

 

PS – It’s now Sunday and we moved to the marina yesterday. Unfortunately we can not access their WiFi here (due to technical issues). We also had a rude awakening when we determined that I (knucklehead Randy) booked PM flights instead of AM flights. Of course in this new age of travel US Air wants $150.00 per ticket to change the flights (the original tickets were only $134.00 each…go figure!!) so we’re stuck with departure at 7:52PM with arrival in Baltimore at 11:44PM!! I think I’m ready to turn the boat south and east again! I’m feeling stressed !! J J J

 

The common area and pool in EM's backyard (Palm trees and all).

In Geechee (*) dialect  that means she’s soon to become a "Cumyeah”   (come here). That’s what they call those who move into the area. If your born here you’d be a “Beenyeah”  (been here). The acquisition team succeeded in finding a great 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath townhouse in a nice part of town. She will actually be living in the West Ashely section of Charleston. That puts her about 15-20 minutes from the beautiful beaches of Folly Beach in one direction and downtown Charleston in the other. Looks like move in date will be around May 15^th. Pat will fly home to help with the move back here. Now, with this important milestone settled, we can say that we’ll stay here in Charleston for 4-6 weeks. That way we can help Em get settled, get HB refit and enjoy all that Charleston has to offer. Then we’ll head up to the Chesapeake for the summer. That’s as far as the crystal ball can see as of now. That’s OK…..life is good and we’re very comfortable. Congratulations Em! NOW GET A JOB!  :) :) :)

(*) Click here for more on Geechee

Funny Pic of the Day (schumbodie pawease pash medawine)

Raymond and Chez Pat on HB at Charleston Maritime Center.

.....no it's Raaaymone (aka) Ray Lamb! He shows up here, in Charleston after our sundowners, and lightens up our evening with good cheer. What a great surprise. We had a great dinner and caught up on the happenings of the last eight months.. Then, after many laughs (and a couple of drinks), Ray took a cab back to his hotel to insure his attendance at his business meeting tomorow. Boy that brings back memories of "days of old' and the life we left behind! Good luck Ray....

No this isn't Charleston. Using older photos until we capture something interesting.

We made Charleston on Saturday and have spent time familiarizing ourselves with the infrastructure (buses, groceries, marine supply, apartments and housing etc.) since arriving. It's actually warm again and very pleasant. This is a vibrant city and there is no end to the entertainment and dining choices. We have taken a temporary slip at the Charleston Maritime Center right on the Charleston waterfront. We can walk several blocks and be in the heart of the waterfront district. As mentioned previously this is the beginning of our new "Metro" phase of the journey :) You know....me sipping expresso at the cafe wearing a beret!! Anyway we 've pre-selected 40 possible apartments/homes to check out while Em is here. We will narrow the list down via telephone once the "selection team (Em, Amy, Pat and I)" get together. Then it's off to see, firsthand, the short list. Should be an interesting day!! No luck, yet, in finding a long term slip allthough we have some leads to check on. We are back in the "rat race" (for just a little while). More later.....

Pat and R2 with Robert (lucky bastard who's now made it to Puerto Rico with his lovely wife Trish). Just kidding....congrats to them for getting beyond the Bahamas!!

...we're in Beaufort, SC as of today (Friday) and we'll arrive Charleston tomorrow late afternoon. We will look for a temporary slip for HB and stage all of "refit" stuff from there. Em and Amy will meet us there next Thursday. Looking forward to a busy and productive stay in this beautiful city. Who knows? It could even become "home" for us someday. The future looks bright and is still filled with endless possibilities. Great to have choices! Oh, by the way, did we mention we "may" be getting a dog!! That's right. Pat has worn me down (and I do miss Tanner and Lilly (especially Tanner)). Here are the specs: starts it's life (with us) as a puppy, doesn't shed, not yippy, poops tootsie roll size turds, easily trained, swims ashore by itself (like Kabril used to). OK, how hard can that be? SERIOUSLY....I think we're getting a dog! Stay tuned!

No I haven't turned the corner....it's just my good friend Les and I after a couple of "fashionable adult beverages"!

We are currently in Fernandina, Florida awaiting our tax return so we can do our part to continue funding this mess of an economy we're all living in!! Once it's mailed we'll head north to Brunswick or Savannah, GA. Then it's a final run to Charleston to meet Em (can't wait to see her). Weather is a bit dreary here (overcast and cool). We had tornado warnings, high winds and torrential ran last night. HB got a great fresh water rinse (that's a good thing). So that's it for now.....you can go back to sleep now....

This sucks!!!!

Woke up this morning to a clear, sunny and windy FORTY SIX DEGREES!! What in the hell are we doing in this cold crap! Guess it was wishful thinking to believe we would avoid cold weather on our return north. We dug out the jeans, socks, sweaters and donned our foul weather jackets. Hopefully this won’t last too long. We’ll be in Cocoa Beach late this afternoon. Tomorrow we’ll continue north to St. Augustine where we will head offshore to make good progress going north toward Charleston. Springtime weather please come soon!

Kathy made a "memory frame" from shells and artifacts collected on the "miles" of beachcombing we shared while in the Exumas and Abacos. Thank you Kathy".

...actually 33 if you count the year we lived together prior to actually tying the knot. It was the seventies you'll recall!! April 2, 2009 marked 32 years. We celebrated it over steak and lobster with Les & Kathy (Rag Top) and their friends (Connie & Bob) here in Florida (they just moved here 30 days ago). It was a memorable evening and we smoothly entered into another year of bliss!! 

Here is a link to Pat's Anniversary Gift......It's a NEW Dink!!! Some will recall that we purchased a "new" dink in the Bahamas. That was, actually, just an interum fix until we could get to Puerto Rico or, as it turns out, back to the states. The Bahamian government extracts a 45% duty on all purchases. That would make it a very expensive purchase. Anyway...she's a beauty. The engine cowling is in the process of a "makeover" too. More later....

Our last anchorage in the Bahamas.....spectacular isn't it??

We’ve been asked about our plans for this next leg of our journey (over the next few months) and where we’ll be and when. The only answer we have is “we simply don’t know yet”. We do know that we’re heading to Charleston, SC to meet Emily on April 23^rd. She is coming down to look for an apartment. Once that is done we’ll be able to better plan our next step. We have a wedding in Alabama on May 30^th (nephew Kyle) which Pat, Zach, Amanda and Emily will attend while I “dog sit” in Charleston. Yep..that’ll be me. The “Metro Guy” walking his two little dogs (with a plastic bag in hand). I’ll wyle away the morning at some sidewalk Café sipping espresso in my new beret. Ahhhhh the “new me”….NOT! Sorry about that…as you can see I’m still easily distracted. So, continuing on, we have to catch up on medical “stuff”, annual haul out (to paint the bottom) and other miscellaneous boat projects (all which can be done anywhere). My guess is we’ll be hanging around Charleston awhile and then venture up to the Chesapeake (via Ocracoke) sometime in June. That’s as far out, and definitive, as we can be just now. As always “subject to change”. We’ve been back for 72 hours and we’re already in “sensory overload” so we’re heading slowly north and will seek out quiet anchorages to let all this settle in.  “Slow and easy” is the rule. Life moves on……..

Post Script - We moved up to Vero Beach this morning and will be on a mooring ball awaiting our mail to arrive from York. 

New Pics Here (all captions will be completed once we get a faster connection)

A bucket full of lobsters (48 actually) which are now in the freezer.

Poooohrrrr Little Rondy!!!! Cry me a river!$#@!!!!

Ok, Ok, Ok.....so I wrote that last post after a few cold Kaliks and being two sheets to the wind......we'll....maybe three!! Fact was it was a touching moment. Wah Wah  Wah...

Anyway.... I was going to delete it but realized it, too, was part of the journey. So we'll let it stand.

Much has happened since I wrote that and we are actually sitting in Lakeworth, Florida. We arrived here this morning at 03:30 after a 19 hour passage from Great Sale Cay, Bahama. We had a couple hours sleep and are now out scoping the area for the things we need (new phone, dink etc. etc.). We will most likely be here for a couple of days and then start moving north. We are going to meet Emily in Charleston on the 23rd. Lot's to report as it's been a very eventful week. Too much for the moment but will post more soon. We're off to the "megalopolis"!