A Salty Night to Remember

  

   We drove through the night in shifts to get to St. Augustine, FL from Charleston, SC. At some points it was rather grueling (like when I had to drive), but mostly it was a dream come true (every moment I was not driving!). We caravanned with an amazing couple, following behind their gorgeous and extremely capable catamaran. I felt as though I knew these people by the end of the 32 hours we spent behind the Leap Of Faith (and I hope to get to know these people better in the future... as in, let's do it again, guys!).  We were anywhere between 30 and 50 miles off the coast, without Internet connection or phone service... which was all very foreign for people so used to being "connected."  Other than the intermittent radio interaction with the Leap of Faith, we were just two kids, three dogs (still have my parent's scallywag of a mutt), and a pissed off cat, traipsing through the great blue beyond.

The Leap of Faith, a 44' 2007 catamaran, fully loaded! She was one
of our favorite boats on St. John's Yacht Harbor, it was a privilege to
see her in action!

Told you she was a capable vessel! Check out those
 waves coming into St. Augustine!!  It was kind of fun!

  The Bridge of Lions coming into St. Augustine,
opening for us and our caravan catamaran, the Leap of Faith.

   While we were out on the wilds of the ocean, we both got to thinkin'... Jay pondered the other sailors who had traveled these waters before us; I let my mind wander to the depths below and the creatures lurking beneath us. Jay thought of the conquistadors and the explorers, while I considered the Kraken and the Megalodon.  All very profound and mostly sea worthy thoughts... but I prefer Jay's line of thinking!  Especially when I was out there, driving this monster of a boat, alone (or what felt like alone, as Jay was getting a few mo's of shut eye... not nearly enough might I add, he's a beast himself!  He's a great captain, truth be told, me hearties!), thinking of the beasties stalking us from below.... well, it was a freaky place to let the mind wander!  But wander it did!  I would see a splash in the inky night, the caribbean blue waters suddenly like black pillows for the soul, deep and dark... what is usually so bright and lovely becomes sinister in the pitch of night.  The splash would translate in my mind's eye to watered down disturbia, I would become jumpy and frightened.  Well, the only thing to be done was to change my mind's course just as I would do with me vessel.  I adjusted my heading, and thought of the rarity of the moment, the beauty of the dark of the night, and the serenity of the sea.  I found this ponderance much more to my liking!  I believe it to be a right of passage for a green captain to get spooked on his or her first nighttime ocean voyage, but it takes a captain worth his (or her) weight in salt to shake the spooks and get the job done!  I got the job done, folks.  Though, never will I pretend to be anything more than first mate, when Captain Jay handles Miss Betty with such aplomb.

   The night ride turned into our first sunrise while out to sea, and I believe us both to be hooked!

I was awakened by the captain in order to join him
for this most spectacular a view... I was not cross with
him for this request!


**************

And a sneak peak of the upcoming edition of Boating Off the Beaten Path~

Nothing says "Good Morning" like a pod of dolphins playing off our bow.

At first light

   I am going to miss Charleston madly, and it is hitting me hard right now.  I think because the departure continued to be postponed, I almost believed it was on a permanent delay.  Or rather, I was able to lull myself into a dazed denial of leaving this most precious city.  I will miss everything about my new favorite hometown (except for the mosquitoes and the no-see-ums, but that is it!  Everything else is totally and completely "missable."  I am forlorn.).  I will miss our dock neighbor's funny, little dog, Rocket.  This crazy terrier climbs trees and barks at the water hose when it is being used.  And I have grown more than accustomed to his little ticks, I have become fond of them.  I am going to miss the frequency of our dolphin encounters.  The Food!  I am so going to miss the food.  The live music here is incredible, not just the big acts that are drawn to the various venues, but the local artists are out of this world good!  I heart the Low Country and I am definitely going to miss getting to use the term Low Country so often.
  
   There is a safeness and a security as well, that I will miss.  The security of knowing where your home is, as my home will be traveling down the coast.  The security of having a vehicle to get to the store if I really can not fathom eating another bowl of macaroni and cheese (but who are we kidding?  If past experience has taught me anything about mac-n-cheese and me, it's that we get along just fine!).  At least Jay has a bike, I need to pick one up in St. Augustine.  Anybody selling a beach cruiser for a decent (like $20) price?
  
   Most heartbreaking, every time we leave a town, is saying goodbye to our new friends.  It doesn't get any easier either!  We have met the most wonderful people in Charleston!  I am truly going to miss our dock neighbors, Nelson and Ruth.  Two of the kindest, most thoughtful people we have ever had the fortune to come across!  And the guys that work at that marina are great fellas!  I hope they all stay in touch.  It was difficult leaving Mooresville, NC when we decided to delve into the shrimp boat conversion adventure, to leave friends I'd had for years.  But I trust in the longevity to make the friendship continue despite the distance.  It is even more difficult to make new friendships and leave the people with no reassurances as to the strength of the connection other than a few months of interactions.  But even if we never come across one another's path ever again, the enrichment I incurred in my life through getting to know these folks in our short time together, is priceless.

   Goodbye Charleston!  Hello warm weather winter!!

Make way

   The final preparations are made, and the weather is on our side.  The time has come.  We are pulling out of our beloved Charleston marina, St. John's Yacht Harbor, at first light.  We are excited as hell for the departure and as ready as we'll ever be.  It's a voyage of preparedness and the unknown.  Preparedness through preparations includes, but is not limited to:  we tested our lights, batteries, battery charger, GPS system, VHF radio, wine opener, and anything else we needed checked; we have stock piled food, water & wine; we watched Captain Ron again.  The unknown inculcates us with "wheres":  where we are going to make anchor (don't know yet), where the dinghy docks/public ramps will be (couldn't tell ya) & how close the food markets will be to where we make land (have to wait and see).  All the unknown is, at times, what I find most titillating... and at other times, the unknown is what I find most daunting.

   We plan to cruise towards the ocean and navigate on the outside (as opposed to the inside, as in the Intracoastal).  But, again, we'll see.  With no definitive plan other than a directional requirement of South, all we can say until we get under way is, we'll see! We'll see!

Guest quarters

Two pictures I thought might be of interest:

Inside the fish hold.  Eventually,this will be guest accommodations...
 aren't you all so excited about that??

There was still ice inside the fish hold when we bought the boat!
If the boat had not been purchased, she would have gone back to work
during the shrimpin' season.  But that was not to be her fate!

Amendments

Amendment #1) another killer good pizza in Charleston hails from Athens Restaurant.  Their crust and sauce is really quite tasty. We had a mushroom, sausage, & olive pie... I don't usually like mushrooms (these were good, not the gnarly canned variety) nor do I even like olives at all (these I have no excuse for liking other than I was feeling froggy & took a leap... it was fun, and worth it!).

Amendment #2)  We are leaving Charleston Sunday, October 23, 2011.  I am almost certain of it this time!

Top 5 things to do in Charleston

Angel Oak.  All these branches belong to one live oak!

Here's my top 5 things to do in Charleston:

1)  Eat at any of the amazing restaurants around the area, any of the local restaurants I should clarify.  Not a chain eatery, you can eat at Chili's anywhere.  When visiting some new, growing township with only chains, then it is understandable to stick with what you know... but when visiting an old, history rich city and foodie haven like Charleston, I advise you branch out!  As a matter of fact, there are far less chain restaurants here than there are local joints, so it's much easier to find your food fix at a non-chain.  You can get upscale, fine dining downtown (Toast has $10 bottomless mimosas for brunch); you can even score at strip malls, finding 5 star chefs who want to cook at smaller eateries after a prosperous career at the upscale places (try Starfish Grille); you can head down to Folly Beach and enjoy amazing seafood at any of the beachy restaurants; if you like barbecue you have got to try either Smokey Oak Taproom (1/2 price apps on Mondays), and/or Fiery Ron's Hometeam Barbecue (get the BBQ wrap- creamed corn, mashed potatoes, red cabbage cole slaw and your choice of pulled pork or chicken in a wrap, the employees and I recommend the pork!); JI's pizza on John's Island is the biggest pie around, coming in at 24" in diameter, it's big enough to feed the whole family; Andolini's pizza gets a lot of hype, it was pretty good; but the best, most creative pizza goes to New Moon Pizzeria & Pub on John's Island (we had the Hurricane when Hurricane Irene was coming up the coast... I know, I know, but we couldn't resist!); and for a great breakfast or brunch try Sweetwater Cafe or Early Bird Diner (the Diner has different stuffed french toasts, but only on Sunday. Oh, and they close at 3pm, just fyi!).

2)  Angel Oak tree.  It's the oldest living thing east of the Rockies.  It's a live oak approximately 1,500 years old, and it is Magnificent! It's free, and traveling down the dirt lane to get here is in and of it's self, a lovely view. One of the most awe-inspiring places I've ever been.  It has stood the test of time; it was a sapling 1,000 years before Christopher Columbus was sailing on the ocean blue.  Whatever else you plan to do in Charleston, go here! Period.

3)  Squeeze.  For the drinkers in the crowd, check out Squeeze, our favorite bar, located downtown. The martinis here are so delicious, from standard to the unique (they have their own pear, pineapple, and espresso infused vodkas!) and the bartender looks/dresses kind of like a pirate.  Love this place!

4)  Rainbow Row.  The colorful, historic houses in downtown Charleston make for a beautiful walk through the historic waterfront.  While you are sightseeing downtown, mosey on down to Battery Park, it's a gorgeous stopping point for your tour.

5)  Go for a boat ride and just see as much as you can by water!

Jib in Angel Oak's arch

Pre-voyage Pirating

  
   Watching a wee bit of Pirates of the Caribbean... because, you know, if there is nothin' we love more than a little good, old fashion pilferin' and plunderin', then we aren't ready for the great blue beyond!