Change of plans

Yesterday and today we have been in the company of many more sailboats than we were over the weekend - fellow cruisers heading for Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and other points south. Much of the channel through this part of the Intracoastal Waterway is so narrow - not unlike a two-lane road - that boats will radio each other if they want to pass, so the increase in traffic definitely has an impact.

Last week we got word from our insurance company - which has had the policy of making absolutely no exceptions in this regard - that they have given us the go-ahead to travel south of 35 degrees latitude before November 1. Yesterday we were en route to Oriental, NC to get the official approval, but Wayne was able to talk to them by cell phone and get the written confirmation via satellite phone and email while underway. Don’t you love it when technology works?  This impacts our plans in a big way: instead of traveling nonstop from Oriental, North Carolina to Miami, we have time to stop in Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA.

I may have already mentioned this (it's hard to remember what I’ve said in the blog and what I have only said in emails), but we have a deadline of making it to Punta Gorda, Florida before Thanksgiving because two of our kids (Michael and Suzanne) and their families are coming to visit. I want to get there the weekend before Thanksgiving at the latest to allow us time to regroup, catch our breath, and get the house opened up and ready for company. Being able to head south earlier should allow us more than enough time.

Morning at the beach (Shackleford Banks)

A big disappointment in North Carolina is that we are not able to go to the Outer Banks because of shallow water. With that in mind, we decided to skip a planned stop in Oriental, NC ("The Sailing Capital of North Carolina"), and go all the way to Beaufort tonight. From there we can take a water taxi to Shackleford Banks, Cape Lookout, etc., which will give us a small taste of the Outer Banks. When we leave Beaufort on Wednesday, we will leave the Intracoastal Waterway (weather permitting) and sail the Atlantic to the Cape Fear Inlet, which returns us to the ICW.

We plan to arrive in Charleston Friday or Saturday; the best part is that my Mom and her friend, Mary, are planning to drive up from Winter Haven, FL to visit us for a couple days! We are so excited about that. (You can’t back out now, Mom - it's on the blog.)

Gary DeSantis of Sailor's World Marina on Lake Minnetonka in MN - a good friend and the dealer from whom we bought the boat - plans to join us in Charleston and will probably sail all the way to Miami with us.

Disclaimer: all plans are subject to change based on weather, winds, and what-not, including the whims of captain and crew. 

By the way, Gary and we have a beautiful and well-maintained, freshwater Island Packet 37 named Wind Dancer for sale. We can personally vouch for the integrity of both vessel and dealer (and present owner of Wind Dancer, obviously).