Hi everyone,
We are chugging along southbound on the Margarita; our destination is Stuart, FL. Enjoy!
Last night I read the quote, “In the end, we all become stories”. I love that. It’s so true…
Last Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, Ed and I flew out of New Haven, directly to Willington, NC.
We tried the new airline Avelo. We couldn’t get an Uber out of Manchester, so we had to drive
ourselves. It was a Sunday and traffic was mild.
We got to the airport, and the plane was super clean and the crew couldn’t have been nicer to us. We had to fly into Wilmington, NC, then rent a car and drive to Moorhead City, to the Boat Basin Marina, where we left the boat back in October due to our insurance.
When we went to Enterprise to get our reserved rental car, we found out we had rented it for the next day by mistake and they had no cars left. We walked over to Avis to see if they had any cars, and it was awesome, they rented us a brand new minivan and it was $100 dollars cheaper, a win for us and we were ahead of schedule.
I told you when you have reservations, things some times don’t work and why we never make
them. I cracked up.
We had to drive an hour and we had to find a grocery store on the way for our supplies.
On the way, the remains of the full moon were rising in the horizon, and it was so cool, it was brilliant, red and huge.
Due to the state being so flat down here, you really could capture a cool viewing and it was incredible.
We arrived at the boat at 10. And the wind was howling, and it was cold. Got on the boat and all was perfecto, relaxed a little before bed. Slept like a Rock.
Ed always asks me, “How does a rock sleep?”
Sound…!
Morning came quick, and we had to roll, we dropped off the rental car, jumped on the boat and
started our journey Southbound.
When the sun sets in the winter months, it goes down really early and it is pitch black. So our days of running are shorter. We run 6:30 to 5:30.
We anchored out in Church Creek, NC. The first night.
It was magical- pitch black skies and tons of stars, no light pollution, no people, just you and the
stillness of the night and the sounds of nature.
There are so many rivers that wiggle and wind to the north and south, finding their way to our
mother ocean. It’s pretty incredible when you see how the water creates these beautiful landscapes. The dolphins are always with us, along with the majestic eagles, ospreys, terns, and so many other birds. It’s so beautiful.
Every morning, Ed was up in pitch darkness, waiting for his “girlfriend”, called “Dawn”.
Then he would say, “Meg, there she is…”
You would catch a tiny line of first light in the distant horizon, and were off again…
When we arrived in Savannah, GA, we needed diesel and water, and I wanted to go out for their local shrimp they are known for. We love the town of Thunderbolt, it has a cool vibe.
Well, Ed went to take a shower to go out, but had little water pressure. I mentioned to him that we lost the prime. He explained to me he installed a brand new water pump before leaving Mystic. He said, “We’re not going out now, I have to change out the water pump. This is going to take me an hour and it’s going to be very late.” I was bummed.
Well Ed changed the pump, in 20 minutes! Anyone that works with Ed knows that he only works at one speed- lightning speed!
New pump, flowing fresh water, and ready to rock and roll…!
Then he says, “Meg, come on, let’s go, I’m out of here”, and he leaves…
He always does that to me, he calls me “his ball and chain” because I move too slow….
It all worked out though, it always does.
Well the early morning, as I mentioned, came very quickly. Ed had all of the lines ready for me to depart, and he said, “Meg, I don’t want you on the bow, it’s sheer ice. I’ll get that line for you.”
The temp was 34º and cold.
We got off fine and we were greeted by my favorite friends, the dolphins, eagles, and ospreys. It
was a breathtaking morning of natural beauty, and seeing the steam rise off of the water was so
cool.
The colors of the sea grasses of the lush golden rod, the marshes so clean and clear, the moss on those Savannah trees, like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. They make a ton of movies in Savannah due to the landscape here.
I see how all of the artists must have captured those colors of inspiration looking at this
landscape. It truly calms your soul and fills your heart with love when you look at the beauty of nature. The white sandy beaches with no one living on them… only our four legged friends and other animals that roam the islands.
On the way to Fernandi, FL, we saw our nuclear, trident dock with the men and woman on the
top of the sub. It was huge, massive, and unreal to see how large it was.
Wow, these men and woman keep our USA safe and free, and how blessed are we all to live here?
We are hooking up with our friends Mark and Deb today in Cocoa, then on to meet our friends
Brad and Lorraine.
What an amazing journey.
We are still chugging along slow and steady, like a sea turtle…
Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
I truly know how grateful and blessed we all are.
Sea you soon,
Love,
Meg and Ed