Boat Life

May 24 2023

From Stormy Waters To Tranquil Shores: Discovering Hidden Anchorages

Carolyn Beginnings, Boat Life, Fears, Life Experiences, Sailing, Sailing Education, Traveling, Weather, Zen Beginnings, Boatkids, Boatlife, Education, Learning, Moving, Sailing, Travel, Traveling

Hey there, adventurers! We’re back with another fun tale from the sea. Our week-long stay on Cumberland Island is over, but fret not, we’ve got an incredible three-day journey to share with you. Join us as we sail northward, encountering stormy seas, breathtaking sights, and hidden anchorages along the way. Get ready for an adventure!

Jason enjoying the open ocean

Racing the Storm, Witnessing the MV Golden Ray

As we bid farewell to Cumberland Island’s peaceful shores, we set sail towards St. Simon’s Sound. The ocean welcomes us with a soothing breeze, creating the perfect backdrop for our voyage.

Osiris loves watching the waves

Little do we know that Mother Nature has a surprise in store for us. Dark clouds loom on the horizon, and a storm begins to brew. With hearts racing, we maneuver our way to an anchorage, hoping to find shelter before the tempest arrives.

Storm clouds gather on the horizon

Before we reach our safe haven on Jekyll Island, we spot a magnificent sight—an enormous wreck known as the MV Golden Ray. Due to a miscalculation in it’s ballast they started taking on water while heading out to sea. They chose to leave the channel and ground the boat in the shallows to avoid blocking the navigation channel. It’s a humbling reminder of the power of the sea.

The wreck of the MV Golden Ray

A Serene Passage and the Sand Mountain Hidden Anchorage

Our northward journey continues, now traveling inland along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Unlike the storm yesterday, today is all about relaxation. We leisurely motor through the calm waters, taking in the scenery that unfolds before us.

Heading north up the ICW

The engine’s rhythmic hum sets the pace as we glide along. And then, like a hidden oasis, we stumble upon a remote anchorage we fondly call Sand Mountain. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen in Georgia—an island of sand nestled amidst the vast salt marshes.

Sunset in the Sand Mountain hidden anchorage

Embracing Morning Delights, Anchoring Under a Starlit Sky

The sun rises on the third and final day of our journey. We venture ashore on Sand Mountain, greeted by the warm morning light and the soft sandy shores. It’s a perfect playground for us to have some fun and explore.

Osiris checking out Sand Mountain as we approach

With sand between our toes, we bid farewell to this enchanting island and set our sights on new horizons. We motor up the ICW again. As the day turns to night, we navigate towards St. Catherine’s Island.

The boat heeling as we sail

Anchoring in the darkness poses a challenge we’ve never faced before. We navigate past bustling fishing boats to find a safe haven deep behind the island. Dolphins serenade us throughout the night, their playful calls whispering to us from the dark.

Deirdre enjoys driving the boat

Our three-day escapade from Cumberland Island to St. Catherine’s Island is a whirlwind of adventure, serenity, and unforgettable encounters. From racing against the storm to witnessing the MV Golden Ray and finding hidden anchorages, each moment reminded us of the untamed forces of nature and the sheer beauty that surrounds us.

Osiris enjoying the sunset by St. Catherine’s Island

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube page, where we’ve captured some moments of this incredible journey. And if you want to stay up to date with our daily adventures and exclusive content, make sure to connect with us on Instagram and Facebook and check out older posts here. So, my friends, let the currents carry you towards new horizons, and may every discovery leave a lasting imprint on your soul.

hidden anchorages and beautiful sunsets

May 17 2023

Uncovering The Secrets Of Cumberland Island: Georgia’s Hidden Treasure

Carolyn Boat Kids, Boat Life, Kids4Sail, Life Experiences, Minimalism, Traveling, Zen Atlantic Coast, Beaches, Boatkids, Cumberland Island, Ecosystem, Education, Georgia, Hidden Gem, Historic Ruins, Island Exploration, Learning, National Park, Natural Beauty, Nature, Remote Wilderness, Salt-Stunted Oaks, Tranquility, Travel, Traveling, Wild Horses, Wildlife

A Remote Wilderness

Cumberland Island is a hidden gem off the coast of Georgia. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we sail to this remote wilderness. The island can only be reached by boat, and with the ferries temporarily suspended, we are in for a unique experience. We find ourselves entirely alone, except for the incredible wildlife that greets us at every turn.

A rainbow off the bow, over Cumberland Island

On our very first night, we find the perfect spot to anchor our boat to the southwest of the island. We hop onto our dinghy and make our way to a sandy beach. The untouched beauty of the beach is awe-inspiring, with towering erosion banks and enchanting driftwood trees. Our kids have a blast on this natural playground.

Exploring the beach after the rain.

We later learn that the mud flats approaching that beach are an important part of the habitat and best left undisturbed, so we don’t land there again. Instead, we use a dock farther to the south for the rest of our explorations.

Ferry dock at the south end of the island.

Wildlife Encounters

During our week on the island, we see many creatures including: sea stars, deer, armadillo, manatees, countless birds, and the island’s famous wild horses. The kids even try to adopt some hermit crabs from the beach!

Deirdre watching the wild horses.

The island is home to around 150 horses, making it one of the few places in the United States where wild horses can still be found. They are believed to have descended from horses brought by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. The horses have adapted to the island’s unique environment and climate over time, becoming feral and thriving in the wild.

Wild horses wander the island.

Exploring the Island’s History

We stroll among the crumbling ruins of the island’s former mansions.. Several wealthy families built grand mansions on the island in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The isolation and harsh environment eventually made it difficult to maintain these large estates, resulting in their abandonment.

A bird flies over some ruins.

Today, no one lives on the island. The National Park Service manages Cumberland Island, which is now a protected national seashore.

Walking to the beach

The Unique Shapes of Salt-Stunted Oaks

We love the salt-stunted oaks that decorate the island with their unique shapes. The salt makes it difficult for the trees to absorb water, causing them to grow more slowly and with a distorted shape. The major branches of the trees tend to grow along the ground, creating a characteristic “candelabra” shape that is both beautiful and eerie.

Salt-stunted oaks decorate the island

A Beachside Adventure

One of the highlights of our trip is walking across the island to visit a beach on the Atlantic coast. We traverse past the important mud flats, salt-stunted oak forests, and towering palm trees before reaching the sand dunes and the Atlantic coast. Each of these habitats is vital to the island’s ecosystem. It’s a rare opportunity to be able to experience such a variety of habitats in one walk.

Osiris on the beach

Our time on Cumberland Island is incredibly grounding. The peacefulness of this place has a way of soothing our souls. And oh, the sunsets! They are absolutely breathtaking, painting the sky with vibrant hues of orange and pink. The isolation we experience here is a welcome break from the stress of the time. Cumberland Island truly is a hidden treasure, and we feel incredibly lucky to discover its magical allure.”

Rana in the anchorage.

We’ve created a video capturing some of the calm beauty of this trip, which you can watch on our YouTube channel. Join us in uncovering the secrets of Cumberland Island and experiencing the beauty and tranquility of this hidden gem.

Jason on the beach

You can also read about how we got here in our older blog posts and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and adventures.

Walking under the oaks.

We’ll be back with more exciting adventures soon! Until then, keep embracing the salty spirit, my friends.

Deirdre in the dinghy in the fog.

May 10 2023

Sailing Journey From Jacksonville To Cumberland Island

Carolyn Boat Kids, Boat Life, Sailing, Traveling, Uncategorized Adventure, Boating, Boatkids, Boatlife, Cumberland Island, Jacksonville, Moving, Nature, Ocean, outdoors, sailboat, Sailing, Travel, Traveling, Women Who Sail

Ahoy, friends! Gather around and let us tell you about our sailing journey from Jacksonville to Cumberland Island, from a while back. We bid farewell to Sisters Creek Free Dock and set sail into the vast, open ocean on a calm overcast morning in June.

Deirdre drives us out into the ocean.

Deirdre takes the helm as we head out of the inlet, but quickly having had enough of the sea spray and salty air, she promptly buries her face in a book.

Her Hermione is showing

Meanwhile, Osiris dutifully keeps watch on the waves, ever vigilant for any signs of sea creatures. Jason and I work together to hoist the sails and catch the wind, feeling the exhilaration build with each passing moment.

His favorite part of boating

We continue on, enjoying another day of sailing, taking in the sights and sounds of the ocean. Even Puppins, our furry first mate, takes a nap while we sail – is there anything more adorable than a dog snoozing on a boat?

napping pup, sleeping dogs, sailing journey

Princess Puppins takes a nap

As we sail into St. Mary’s Inlet, we can’t resist a stop at Fernandina. Even from the boat, we are greeted by some impressive mega yachts and a cruise ship on the horizon. We scan the area and find a good spot where we can anchor when we return at the end of the week for provisioning.

cruise ship, sailing journey, Fernandina

This one is a baby cruise ship!

As we continue north towards our intended destination, we suddenly hear a splash! Our foghorn has fallen off the boat! It had been a foggy morning when we left, and we needed it for safety reasons. Thankfully, we quickly spin the boat around and use our trusty boathook to retrieve it from the water.

The sails billowing, and the open ocean

Soon enough, we anchor at Cumberland Island for a week of adventure. But we’ll save those stories for another post – trust us, it involves mud, manatees, and wild horses!

Jason on the bow

Thanks for joining us on this trip down memory lane, friends. We hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure on the open ocean, and we can’t wait to share more stories with you soon. If you want to read more about our sailing trips, be sure to check out our previous posts here. And don’t forget to connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to stay up to date on our latest adventures. Fair winds and following seas!

Jason and I at the helm

May 3 2023

Setting Sail on a New Adventure: Dolphins and Sunsets

Carolyn Beginnings, Boat Kids, Boat Life, Following Dreams, Kids4Sail, Life Experiences, Sailing, Traveling, Weather Adventure, Dolphins, family-friendly, Nature, Ocean, relaxation, Sailing, sunset, Travel

Setting off on a new adventure

We embark on a new adventure from St. Augustine on a cloudy June morning, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. The whole family is on deck as we set off through the Bridge of Lions. After months in lockdown we are headed north for hurricane season and the start of a new adventure.

Our journey begins! Passing through the iconic Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, Florida as we set sail for new horizons.

A refreshing change in weather and scenery

The day starts with a light drizzle, which keeps the heat down and makes for a refreshing change from the Florida sun. As we navigate out of the Ponce De Leon Inlet the water is a bit choppy, but soon calms down once we are in the open ocean.

Jason keeping a sharp lookout on the horizon with his trusty binoculars

Embracing the freedom of the ocean

We take advantage of the peaceful conditions and open up the sails. We relish the sound of the wind in the rigging and the feeling of being miles away from anyone else. The sense of freedom is exhilarating as we cut through the waves, making our way north.

The world is a beautiful place, especially from the bow of a boat.

An unforgettable encounter with playful dolphins

Later, as we enter the Jacksonville Inlet, we are struck by the vastness of the river, which seems to stretch out endlessly before us. A pod of playful dolphins joins us and seems to enjoy the company of our boat. Watching these beautiful creatures frolicking in the water is a magical moment for all of us.

Making friends with the locals 🐬👋

Just around the river bend

We make our way upriver to the Sister’s Creek free dock, where we decide to stop for the night. It is a peaceful journey, with the kids enjoying the ride and soaking up the views of the water.

Osiris watching the water

Finding peace and tranquility at Sister’s Creek

The kids are thrilled to find a nearby park where they can play and burn off some energy. Meanwhile, we take a moment to relax and soak up the peaceful surroundings. Afterwards, we cook up a quick dinner on board and settle down to watch a truly breathtaking sunset.

Docked and ready for the next adventure – Rana and crew at Sister’s Creek free dock

A breathtaking sunset to end the day.

We drift off to sleep feeling content and grateful for the experiences we have shared. We look forward to the journey ahead, little knowing of the adventures yet to come.

Sunset viewed from the cockpit

We invite you to continue following along as we navigate our way north for hurricane season. There are plenty more adventures and challenges along the way, and we can’t wait to share them with you. So stay tuned, and let’s keep sailing together! Check out our YouTube page with some clips from this trip. Or check out some of our older blog posts here.

April 26 2023

Reigniting the Spark: Our Renewed Commitment to Water Adventures

Carolyn Beginnings, Boat Kids, Boat Life, Following Dreams, Sailing, Traveling Adventure, Boating, Dolphins, Family, Hurricane season, Jacksonville, Nature, Ocean, Sailing, St. Augustine, Travel

Hello friends, we’re back to our water adventures! After a hiatus from blogging, we’re thrilled to announce our return. Over the past months, we’ve embarked on unexpected journeys and we’re now ready to get back to what we love: sharing our exciting and unique water adventures with you. We can’t wait to reconnect with our readers and update you on what we’ve been up to. Stay tuned for more updates and new content!

Chasing the horizon, sailing towards new adventures.

We have a lot of catching up to do, and we’ll be sharing our past experiences as well as new ones with you. From our daily routines on the boat to our favorite destinations, we’ll be posting every week. Whether you’ve been following us for a while or are new to our blog, we’re excited to have you join us for the journey.

Nothing but calm waters and endless horizons ahead.

We are eager to get back to sharing our experiences with you and we hope that you will continue to follow along with us. Thank you for being a part of our journey and we can’t wait to reconnect with you through our stories.

Anchored in paradise, surrounded by the beauty of the sea and the warmth of the sunset.

We will be aiming to post every Wednesday. Can’t wait? Check out our other blog posts here while we work on more for you! Or check our our social media pages on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Fair winds and following seas,

Carolyn, Jason, Deirdre & Osiris

Making memories and living our best life on the water with our crew.

February 16 2021

A boat, so much more than the sum of her parts.

Jason Boat Life, Following Dreams, Sailing Following Dreams, Sailing

What is at a boat’s core?

As I sit here amongst the field of other boats rocking and swaying with each gust of the wind and change in the water, I finally see the very core of what a boat is. When I was a new boat owner, I thought that the core was all of the work I would need to do to keep her afloat. A boat builder might say the core is the layers of fiberglass, wood, or metal that make up the hull. A spectator might see the beautiful colors and shape of the sails as she glides past and believe that to be the core. All of those views contribute to what makes a boat but now I see that at the true core of a boat is…

Freedom

A boat offers unbridled freedom to any sailor willing to cast off. So much so that when we are not sailing, we must lash our boats down to fixed docks or trailers. Even while moored to a fixture a boat still dances around as much as she has the ability. She longs for the opportunity to move with the wind and seas and break free from her bonds.

Can’t Hold Them Down

Even as we bring them in to their land based temporary homes, they become increasingly more disagreeable. As we slow to a crawl and carefully ease them into their slips, they favor the wind and waves more as if to fight the chains of oppression they will soon be bound by.

History Will Tell

It is this unpredictable freedom that has both terrified and tantalized sailors for thousands of generations. The suggestion of lands and adventures in far off places combined with a partner that shines brightest while cutting through the seas and riding the wind, sailors never stood a chance.

February 1 2021

Our New Home has PIRATES and Chocolate!

Carolyn Beginnings, Boat Kids, Boat Life, Homeschool, Life Experiences, Traveling, Uncategorized Alcazar Hotel, Black Raven Pirate Ship, Castillo de San Marcos, chocolate, church, explore, Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, Florida, Florida History, Henry Flagler, history, learn, Lightner museum, museum, pirates, slow travel, Spanish, St. Augustine, tourism, Travel, Whetstone Chocolates

Our New Home

St. Augustine is a beautiful city with a hopping local scene and a lot of history. There are even pirates on our dock! We read about the history of St. Augustine, then we went out to explore our new home! There is a lot of beautiful of architecture, a variety of museums and even chocolate! To see how we got here check out our last post!

I think our neighbors might be pirates!

St. Augustine is Old!

It was founded in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Aviles and is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. St. Augustine has been under Spanish, English and American control since it’s founding. We spent a great deal of time walking around town just reading about the history of the local buildings.

Statue of Juan Ponce de Leon the Spanish discoverer of Florida.

Downtown

Downtown is a very quaint area rich with history and also modern charm. We enjoyed browsing the local art galleries and finding some beautiful churches and buildings many of which were funded by Henry Flagler.

Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church built 1889

Henry Flagler’s Influence

St. Augustine in its modern form primarily exists because of Henry Flagler. Most of the beautiful churches and hotels in town were funded by him. He even had railways built to allow people to travel down to Florida and all the way to the Keys. He viewed Florida as an ideal destination so he made it one!

The Lightner Museum formerly Flagler’s Alcazar Hotel

Impenetrable Fort

The kids have become more interested in Spanish as we explore the strong Spanish influence here in town. They really enjoy visiting the Castillo De San Marcos, a fort built to protect the Spanish trade route to South America. The fort was made out of a locally occurring shell limestone called coquina. Coquina turned out to be impenetrable to cannon balls and thereby protected the fort from pirates and invaders!

Castillo de San Marcos

There be PIRATES in these here parts!

With all of that Spanish gold traveling past, the area was well known to Pirates! Just across from us on the dock are the Black Raven and the Queen Anne’s Revenge pirate ships. It has been fun to get to know the pirates and we have learned so much about pirates here they may need there own post!

The Black Raven pirate ship

Fun for Kids too!

With all of the historical charm and modern boutique vibe, St. Augustine was surprisingly interesting to both kids. We arrived in town just in time for O’s 4th birthday and we had a great time celebrating at Adventure Landing a local fun park.

Osiris and Deirdre racing go carts

Tourist for the Day

We decided to play tourist for the day and took a Red Train tour around town. The tour was full of interesting facts and let us hop on an off visiting different local sites. This is a fun way to see around town especially if you are visiting by boat and don’t have a vehicle. We particularly liked the Whetstone Chocolate factory tour and tasting!

Osiris was very excited for the Red Train Tour!

Sharks!

The kids found sharks teeth on a local beach and learned some fascinating things about them. For instance you are much more likely to find black sharks teeth than white. The black teeth are fossilized and there are many more of them in the sea than freshly lost white teeth.

shark, teeth, shark teeth, sailboat, origami,

Shark teeth from the beach

With so much to see and do, St. Augustine is worth a longer visit. We look forward to spending much more time here!

January 11 2021

St Augustine, welcome to the oldest city…Part 2

Jason Beginnings, Boat Life, Kids4Sail, Life Experiences, Sailing, Sailing Education, Traveling, Uncategorized, Women Who Sail Boat Life, Bridge of Lions, Castillo de San Marcos, Kids4Sail, Oldest City, Schooner Freedom, St Augustine, TowBoatUS, Women Who Sail

Join us on our boat as we journey down the Intercostal Waterway to the oldest European city in North America.

Almost like home

It had been more than a year since we had moved aboard Rána and now that we were on our journey to St Augustine we found ourselves back at the vary same marina we started.

Be sure to check out part 1 here.

Palm Cove Marina is a reasonably decent place along the ICW (Intercoastal Water Way) with some standard amenities and a swimming pool. We had stayed there for 2 weeks at a time over several months when we first bought the boat but before we sold our house. We got pretty familiar with the area so it felt good to be back.

Palm Cove Marina

I like the green one

With only one night at Palm Cove Marina, exploring wasn’t top on our priority list but going for a walk seemed in order. We passed by a business that we had seen many times before but honestly weren’t sure what it was for. Our best guess is a high-end car dealership. This place seemed to collect very nice cars. Osiris especially loved seeing these awesome machines.

AMG GT R

Calling it a night

After our walk we went back to Rána to get a good night’s rest. We had completed the first leg of our first real journey. All of us had a feeling of accomplishment and pride that is hard to match. Still there was a lingering stress for the day to come.

Rána

Preparing for day two

We had been warned about how difficult the St Augustine inlet area was. Just about everyone we talked to said it was one of the worst and was constantly changing. We heard horror story after horror story of people running aground as they came in or out. This did not help our anxiety at all.

Capsize in St Augustine Inlet

TowBoatUs to the rescue

Before leaving we spent a lot of time looking over the charts for the inlet. It seemed simple enough but with all the stories we had heard we weren’t sure. We decided to call TowBoatUS to ask about the inlet. They were kind enough to put us in touch with a captain that works that inlet. After talking for a few minutes, he reassured us that it really was not too difficult if you pay attention. He suggested that most of the people who run aground are the ones that go off course while they make a sandwich instead of driving. He mentioned that just the fact that we were asking suggested we were more likely to be successful.

St Augustine Inlet

Watch out for those currents

In our research of the area, we did find out that the St Augustine Municipal Marina, where we were headed, was prone to high currents which makes for more difficult docking. We found out that the slack tide (the moment when the tides are between going in and going out so the current is near zero) would happen at around 3PM the day we wanted to come in. With that in mind we picked our disembarking time from Palm Cove so that we would get to St Augustine just in time.

St Augustine Municipal Marina

Day two

We woke up early and took the dog for a quick walk then hurried to get the boat ready. We pushed off the dock and set out on our second day. For the most part the day was pretty easy. We made great time and ended up near the St Augustine inlet much sooner than we had expected. To be sure we went through it with the best chances of success we decided to spin circles to kill some time.

Palm Cove to St Augustine

Crossing the inlet

When the time finally came, we made our way through the inlet area despite all of our nervousness. As we crossed the area where the ocean comes in and meets the ICW it got somewhat choppy, the wind picked up, and it didn’t help that it was pretty busy with other boats.

Carolyn at the helm

Well, that wasn’t so bad

With a small bit of luck and a lot of preparation we were able to get past the inlet with nothing more than a lot of unnecessary fears. As it turns out it was pretty easy to navigate. Once past, we had to stop and wait for the Bridge of Lions to open.

Bridge of Lions

Our last bridge

The line for the bridge was fairly long and included at least 6 boats on our side of the bridge and several more on the other side. After what felt like hours, the bridge finally opened. We slowly made our way through the bridge then contacted the marina for a slip assignment.

Schooner Freedom going through the Bridge of Lions

Welcome to St. Augustine

The St Augustine Municipal Marina was very helpful and easy to work with. They told us which slip to use and had a dock hand available to help us in. Since we had waited for slack tide the current was near zero which made our docking very easy and without incident.

Tying up

When we got settled, some friends from our previous marina joined us. It took us 2 days to get to St Augustine in our sailboat. It took them 45 minutes to drive there. For them it was a quick trip, for us it was an adventure.

For more check out our Instagram and Facebooks pages.

November 17 2020

St Augustine or bust…Part 1

Jason Beginnings, Boat Kids, Boat Life, Following Dreams, Kids4Sail, Sailing, Traveling, Women Who Sail Kids4Sail, Palm Cove Marina, Sailing, St Augutine, Women Who Sail

The Adventure Starts (Slowly)

We set off from our home for the last year and half in the Ortega River. Having no idea what to expect, we planned out the trip as well as we knew how. After watching the weather for a few weeks we picked a weather window that we felt comfortable with. Under motor power our boat can only travel at around 8mph. This means that the 45-minute car ride to St Augustine was going to take us more like 20 hours in our slow boat. Since we picked a low wind weather window it meant motoring the entire time.

Skipper Carolyn!

The Ditch (ICW)

In the interest of being safe, we decided to avoid making the whole trip straight through. We didn’t feel comfortable with traveling at night just yet. Our route did not have us going out into the ocean this time. Instead, we would be following the St Johns river and the ICW (Intercoastal Water Way). This is a winding path that is often narrow and shallow. Making it in the dark seemed like a bad idea for us just starting out.

Ortega River to St Augustine

First Stop

Since we were not going to make the whole trip in one-shot, we found a small marina called Palm Cove just off the ICW in Jacksonville. This place is about halfway between the Ortega River and St Augustine so it seemed like the perfect place to go. It also happened to be the marina we took possession of Rána at so we had an idea of what to expect. We also knew that we could only get in through their channel at high tide or we would run aground.

Palm Cove Marina (Jacksonville FL)

Seeing the Sights

The first half of our trip involved motoring through downtown Jacksonville. It was amazing seeing the high-rise buildings and massive bridges as we crawled past. Going only 8mph really gives you a lot of time to look around and enjoy the view! It sure beats driving at 70mph and missing everything.

Main Street Bridge (Jacksonville FL)

Look, the Ocean!

Eventually, we made it to the Jacksonville ocean inlet. Although we did not need to go out into the ocean, this was where the ICW met up with the St Johns river so we had to get pretty close. All of the inlets where the ocean comes into a river are notorious for being unstable. The water coming and going often has fast currents and causes the silt on the bottom to shift around a lot making shoaling. This meant that even though our charts said we should have plenty of depth under us, we might still run aground on one of these unexpected shoals.

Mayport Inlet (Jacksonville FL)

Running Aground

Just as we started making the turn south toward the ICW we saw a sailboat. I noticed that it had its sails open and also had smoke coming from the back, most likely from their engine. I didn’t think much of it at first but as we got closer, I started to realize that it wasn’t moving. This could only mean that she was grounded.

We were on a course that would put us right through where this sailboat was stopped so we quickly slowed down and turned to get further away. Just as we did, we felt it. Bump! Ever so slightly, we touched the bottom of the river with the bottom of our boat. We quickly reversed and moved away from the shoal. Seeing the stuck sailboat and reacting quickly saved us some possible boat damage and getting stuck. It didn’t help much with the pucker factor though.

Jason Driving

Doing Circles

Despite our nerves being completely wrecked, we made our way down the ICW with very little stress from that point on. We actually went faster than we had expected so we ended up in front of the Palm Cove channel about 3 hours before we could go into it. Since we had not successfully anchored at that point, we decided to just spin circles outside their channel. When the tide got high enough, we made our way into their channel and successfully docked.

Circling Palm Cove Marina

Palm Cove Marina

It was our first real planned trip as sailors and we felt great. We might not have known everything we could have and we made some mistakes but we did it and it was awesome! We would stay for just one night then be on our way to St Augustine in the morning.

October 19 2020

It’s Finally Moving Day

Jason Beginnings, Boat Life, Fears, Following Dreams, Life Experiences, Sailing, Traveling Sailing, Traveling

Why did we move to a boat again?

We finally decided it was time to change our boat life. It had been so long since we moved aboard Rána. Mostly, we had just been going through the motion getting used to this new way of life. We spent our time fixing things, trying to find places to store our stuff, balancing how much food can fit into the fridge, and fighting the never-ending battle of decay caused by living near the water.

Ash in the refrigerator

As long as we were staying at a dock our life was pretty much the same as living in a house, only much harder and in a smaller space. After a while this really made us wonder why we are doing it in the first place.

It’s about time

We had done the hard part of boat life for long enough. We decided to take our next step. It was time to make our floating home a traveling home. To that end we decided our first stop needed to be somewhat nearby. This would give us some experience without being too challenging.

We had been staying in the Ortega River in Jacksonville Florida. Not far, about a 45-minute drive, is St Augustine. At over 400 years old, it is known as the oldest city in this country. St Augustine was founded by the Spanish before the United States even existed so there is a great deal of history to be found. Since it was so close this seemed like the perfect place to try out traveling.

Flagler College St Augustine Florida

We called the marina in St Augustine and made our reservation to be able to stay in a slip. We were not ready for anything more extreme like anchoring overnight or using a mooring ball. All we had to do was make the trip from the Ortega River to St Augustine.

Cleaning time

It took more effort than we had expected just to get the boat ready to leave. We had settled into living at our slip so much that we had to rethink how everything was stored on the boat so nothing would fall and hurt someone.

Where are you supposed to keep the cat?

Once we finally got our plan together and got everything ready to leave, we had to wait until we felt comfortable with the weather. Being inexperienced really made us drag our feet. It was best for us to leave knowing we would have nearly perfect weather for our whole trip so that we wouldn’t have to deal with anything unexpected. That 45-minute drive would be a 20-hour boat trip since the boat only travels at around 8mph!

Saying goodbye to Ortega Landing

Eventually we decided to push ourselves and not let fear stop us. We said our goodbyes to the friends we had made and set off with fear and excitement.

Cruising through Jacksonville