Pensacola, Fl - Feb 12
Lynn and I set off from New Orleans to visit Pensacola's National Naval Aviation Museum. There was a bit of confusion on my part regarding the info on their web site. When we finally arrived at the Air Force base, we were told that the Museum was no longer open to the public. You may remember this s...
New Orleans, LA - Feb 10/11
Our Hotel Provincial in the French Quarter Eating beignets ( "ben yays" ) at the famous Cafe du Monde established in 1862. The Saint Louis Cathedral is the oldest Cathedral in North America, founded as a Catholic Parish in 1720 along the Banks of the Mississippi River On the shore of the Mississippi...
Panama City Fl - Feb 9
From Jacksonville, we decided to take the scenic route along the Florida Panhandle to Panama City, our overnight stay. On the way we stopped in Apalachicola ( "appa latch a cola" ). This was a place that was recommended by one of our fellow boaters at the marina. It didn't disappoint. After strollin...
Jekyll Island - Jan 23
Sherry and Trent MacIsaac came down to visit us in Jacksonville. We were the first stop on their 2 week Florida road trip. We decided to visit Jekyll Island in Georgia which we passed on our way down the ICW and wanted to see what the island looked like from land. First stop was The Jekyll Island Cl...
TPC Sawgrass - Jan 22
On our way back from St. Augustine, we travelled up hwy 1A1 along the coast past Ponte Vedra to visit the home of the PGA Players Championship TCP Sawgrass course. We were not sure if we would be able to get in, but no problem as a lot of tourists come through. The staff there was very helpful and g...
St. Augustine - Jan 20
Lynn and I decided that we needed some time away from the boat and staying in a hotel for a couple of nights with the approaching cold weather coming was a good idea. We decided to head to St Augustine which was one of the places we wanted to visit anyway. St.Augustine is the oldest city in the US....
Stockton Park -Ortega Jan 13
A short bike ride from our marina, Stockton Park is absolutely beautiful. We had to pass over the bascule bridge on the Ortega River. We had to pass through it when we first arrived at Marina at Ortega Landing You can see our marina in the background You can see the skyline of the city of Jacksonvil...
Amelia Island FL - Sunday Jan 12
The unseasonable warm weather ( 29C ) continues in Jacksonville. Lynn and I decided to head out to Amelia Island which is on the border of Florida and Georgia. Having our vehicle here now makes this kind of quick trip a possible ( 45 minutes ). Wonderful place to visit on a beautiful day. Having our...
Dec 16 - Jacksonville Florida
AFTER 1756 MILES TRAVELING AT 6 MPH, WE FINALLY MADE IT TO OUR DESTINATION IN FLORIDA - MARINA AT ORTEGA LANDING!! At the crack of dawn, we decided to leave the free dock. The current was just starting to run. The more we were to delay the worse the current would get so we decided to leave immediate...
Dec 15 - Free Dock at Sisters Creek
It was a very cold evening and we experienced a lot of condensation inside FBG. Wiping the ceilings, walls and windows down with a towel helped. It was a beautiful morning with not a cloud in the sky. As we were heading out of our anchorage area, we could hear a whinny sound coming from shore. Turni...
Dec 14 - Cumberland Sound, GA
Saturday Dec 14 Leaving again at first light, we set off in calm conditions until we got into St. Simons sound. The wind was coming out of the west and we began seeing some good wave action as we passed by beautiful Jekyll Island. Enteringinto St Andrews Sound the winds picked up with gusts up to 30...
Brunswick GA Day 2 and 3
Day 2 Walked through town today and caught a few cool photos of some older buildings. The town is laid out with squares similar to Savannah but they haven’t been kept up. We saw quite a few derelict buildings crying out for some TLC and walked through some sketchy areas of town while searching for A...
Brunswick GA
It was a long 44 mile day. Sunrise just before we departed for Brunswick GA. As we were leaving the anchorage, a couple of pelicans showed up looking for handouts. This happened just as I was lifting the anchor out of the water. We suspect they thought I was a local crab fisherman pulling out my cra...
Crescent River Anchorage
Today we did our first anchorage on this trip. Thanks to our friend Earl who encouraged us with the anchoring practice in Port Dover, it was a success. Lynn was really stressed about anchoring. When we approached the spot where we wanted to anchor, Lynn at the helm controlled the position of the boa...
Richmond Hill GA - Kilkenny marina day2
Greetings from the first mate! Today I had a chance to pull out my sewing machine and do a few repairs as well as a small project. During our stay at Lady’s Island Marina I asked the onsite canvas maker if he had any scrap marine fabric and he kindly offered me some, free of charge. So, I made up a...
Richmond Hill GA - Kilkenny Marina
A nice simple run this morning. Got a little chilly even though it was 18C today. Many beautiful homes just outside of Savannah on the ICW. It was a very twisty path going from one river and creek to the other. It was so bizarre seeing some of the sailboats ahead of us going in completely different...
Savannah GA, Thunderbolt Day2
When we opened the companionway doors in the morning there was a surprise in the cockpit. A box of half a dozen Crispy Kreme donuts! I had forgotten that when we registered upon arrival that I had checked the box "donuts delivered to your boat in the morning". What do the health conscious Davies fam...
Savannah, GA - Thunderbolt Marine
Another gorgeous sunny day, around 15C but it felt much warmer as we were going downwind. When we finally arrived in Thunderbolt GA ( near Savannah ), Lynn took out her Willie Nelson CD ( yes we still use those ) and played "Georgia on my Mind". Felt great to arrive in a new state. Today we watched...
Hilton Head Island Windmill Marina Day 2
Our first evening In Windmill Harbour began with a gorgeous sunset, then we walked over to the South Carolina Yacht Club, which was on site for a buffet dinner at members prices; $15.00 for a four course meal. The prime rib was done to perfection. Day Two had us venturing into Hilton Head to catch...
Hilton Head Island, SC Windmill Marina
Short but fabulous trip into Hilton Head Island from Beaufort. It started out as a very cold morning at 3C but sunny. Lynn and I were properly dressed, so we were not cold. All the Canadian boats ( 3 of us ) waited together until 9am to have the Lady Island bridge open for us to continue our journey...
Beaufort SC - Lady's Island Marina Day 3
Greetings Everyone, It was an extremely noisy night last evening on the boat as the winds picked up and howled through the rigging. We were forced to listen to fenders violently rubbing against the dock, the dinghy bouncing around on the davits, water splashing against the hull and random deck hardw...
Beaufort SC - Lady's Island Marina
When traveling on the "ditch", one of the important aspects of our journey is to research what lies ahead. Are there bridges that we have to wait for, when do the bridges open, are there any shallow areas that we need to be aware of and plan for? Today's trip was about shallow water. According to th...
Bohicket Marina - Day 5
Busy and fun day at Bohicket Marina. They held a customer appreciate day with free food, music, fire pit and smores for the kids. A lot of people from around the area joined in the fun.
Bohicket SC - Day 3
Greetings from the first mate! Yesterday we had a wonderful crock pot roast beef dinner with all the trimmings. The boat smelled sooo good after coming back from our daily trip to Freshfields. What an awesome name for a village. The place is hopping as families begin to gather for the holiday. We sa...
Bohicket Marina - Day 2
Today was about visiting the nearby town called Freshfields Village which is a walk of around a 1/3 of a mile. The young guys at the marina said "oh ya there are a few things at the local strip mall". Well this is far from "a strip mall". This is a totally planned village community that reminded us...
Bohicket Marina
It was a long way to go "not too far" today. Left just after sun-up this morning and meandered our way through all of the winding creeks and rivers of the ICW south of Charleston. Many sailors bypass the ICW south of Charleston to Florida because of the constant winding of the path. Sometimes your c...
Charleston SC Day 2
It was a wonderfully sunny and warm today ( over 25C ). As I was walking back down to the boat from the marina building, some people were looking out over at the harbor. There was a large navy type vessel being maneuvered around by a couple of tugs not that far from where we have the boat. As I look...
Charleston, SC
During an early morning start just after sunrise, Lynn was putting away the fenders and lines and all of sudden she excitedly squealed. At first I thought something was wrong but a dolphin had just come right up to the boat beside her and diving in and around the bow of the boat following us down th...
McClellanville SC - Leland Oil Co Marina
Another gorgeous day on the water. Lynn got to see her first dolphin on this trip ! Yay! We had to maneuver through some narrow channels that up until a few weeks would have been difficult for FBG with her 5+ feet of draft to get through. Fortunately the US Army Corps of Engineers have dredged the I...
Georgetown, SC
What a wonderful day for Lynn's first day back on the move. We caught a strong current in our favor and got to the Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown by 1pm. A nice, easy 33 mile day. The marina location here is great. We can step off the boat and walk straight into town. They have a cute boardwalk alo...
Myrtle Beach NC - Day 5
Hi Everyone! It’s sad to say goodbye to our secluded little marina here in Mrytle Beach. The Osprey folks offer boaters a comfy lounge area to hang out in and free continental breakfast all for $1.00 per foot for the first three nights then 26 cents a foot after that. Our most expensive dockage was...
Myrtle Beach SC - Day4
The rain has stopped finally. Lynn and I took a drive down to the boardwalk area of Myrtle Beach. Kind of "Coney Island meets CNE ". A little tacky but I am sure it would be great to be here on a hot day. We sat in these high chairs on a nice sunny day, drank hot chocolate ( with an apple fritter )...
Myrtle Beach NC Day 3
Lynn is back on board ! Picked her up from the airport last night. It was rainy and windy today so we did a little grocery shopping and went to see the movie "The Good Liar" with Helen Mirren. Highly recommend the movie! Nice to have a car. I took our boat neighbors who happened to be from Quebec, o...
Myrtle Beach , SC
Arrived today at Osprey Marina where Lynn will meet back up with FBG and I on Friday. Jon will head back to New Jersey after doing a little site-seeing in Charleston. Temps got down to -1C last night. No snow and the wind chill wasn't as bad as I thought it would be since the wind was at our back fr...
North Myrtle Beach SC
Now officially in South Carolina ! Another straight-forward day of travel. I did see more dolphins which I took a video of but I can't post on this site. They don't have support unless you it posted on Youtube or Vimeo. I may post it on Facebook. One thing I forgot to mention in my last note was som...
Southport NC - Cape Fear
Woooo Cape Fear. We just landed where the 1991 horror film Cape Fear was based on. Apparently they changed the name because the name Cape Fear didn't do much for property values. The ICW in this are is very tricky to navigate. It was another beautiful day, sunny and warmer then yesterday. The trip w...
Surf City , NC
We started out at 5:45 am before the sun came out. It was 4C with a windchill of 0C. Navigating in the dark was a bit scary. I would stare down at my marine gps app and use it to guide us out into the channel but also using a flashlight to actually see the marker posts on the water. We got through t...
Spooner Creek Day 2
What a change in weather from yesterday. Going from shorts to long underwear was not a fun thing to have to do. We turned it into a relaxing work day on the boat and then we "Ubered" over to a local Italian restaurant. High winds are to continue until midnight tonight, but sunny skies will be back f...
Spooner Creek Marina , NC
This was an easy day for us. It was sunny and 24C ( I am wearing shorts ! Yay ). Saw my first dolphins on this trip. One of the two schools we saw actually passed underneath FBG. So cool. Pictures below show a view from the marina that we are staying as well as a few remnant boat disasters from Hurr...
Oriental NC
We left in good time. It was sunny and windy but at our back so we put up our jib and motor-sailed down to Oriental NC. On the way we went through Pamlico Sound and river. This was actually an area that Blackbeard the pirate adopted as his home waters. The governor of NC at the time ( 1718 ), Alexan...
Belhaven NC
We had a mix of conditions today. It was warm 23C and started out with an easy run across the Alligator River to the Alligator River / Pungo River canal. Once in the canal ( which is quite similar to the Erie Canal in some ways ), we encountered boats that wanted to pass us. Now this isn't normally...
Alligator River Marina
With the time change, we left a little later than we had hoped. Under beautiful sunny skies, we crossed over Albemarle Sound. Winds were light, so the waves were not as bad as we thought they might have been. As we crossed the sound, we could see in the distance ,Kitty Hawk which was where the Wrigh...
Coinjock NC
We are officially in North Carolina. It was an absolutely beautiful day here. The trip was really not about crossing large bodies of water, but going through canals, which had 1 lock ( 1 foot drop ) and 3 lift bridges. They were relatively straightforward and didn't pose any problems. The biggest ch...
Portsmouth / Norfolk VA
Our last night in Baltimore was certainly interesting. Earlier in the day, the weather networks here were stating that a heavy thunderstorm warning was in effect and there was a tornado watch imposed. Boy did the rain come down. Torrential!. Later strong winds came tossing us around on FBG until the...
Baltimore Day 3
This was another day to get a few more jobs done, but not until after I walked along the waterfront to visit some historic ships in the harbor. One of these was the USS Constellation. It was the last sailing ship to be commissioned by the US Navy in 1854 before the advent to steam driven ships. It w...
Washington
When I was a kid, I was a real space junky. I followed the US space program religiously. I saved every newspaper article and stuffed them in a box. I still remember sitting in front of the TV in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. Well I took an Amtrak train from Baltimore to Washingt...
Baltimore Day1
On the way down the Chesapeake, we ran into a sudden squall. Just then the VHF weather alarm signal wailed and told us that the weather doppler had just picked up a decent sized storm for the area and that all boats are advised to seek safe harbor. After the first small squall, the wind up gusted up...
Chesapeake City
Jon and I left on Friday morning at 6:30am and sailed for 24 straight hours for over 140 miles to get to Cape May the southern most tip of New Jersey. We took 2 hour shifts during the night, rotating from the cockpit to our sleeping bags. It actually wasn't that bad. Even though I was tired, I wasn'...
Sandy Hook - Day 6
The start of the next phase of the journey will now have to wait until tomorrow. Just before we were ready to leave, I discovered that the marine toilet in the boat was not working at all. Not a thing to encounter at 4:30am, but that's the way it goes on this type of trip. We cannot travel if that i...
Sandy Hook Day 5
Well the plan on how we take the boat down to Florida has now changed a little,,.....ok a lot. Lynn had always been nervous about going on this trip but persevered anyway, through all its highs and lows. She thought she could fight through her fears and anxiety. There were moments where the uncertai...
Sandy Hook
The FBG crew left just before sunrise at 7am. The temperature was 4C so the Hudson River had a slight mist hanging over it. A surprising number of boats were also out at that time. The weather down to Sandy Hook, 60 miles away, was sunny albeit a little cool during the first portion. Tide and curren...
Haverstraw Marina - Day 3
We are alive and well! The storm did blow through as forecasted and it took its toll on some of the boats in the marina. A few suffered ripped foresails that were not properly wrapped.There were also reported power failures in the area, although we did not experience any issues here. There was wind...
Haverstraw Marina day 2
In preparation for the coming storm, I moved the dinghy off the davits letting it float near the front of the boat securely fastened to the dock. The "safety officer" also discovered that a couple of lifelines were tied to the pulpit rails with fiberglass tape. Completely unacceptable. We were able...
Haverstraw Marina
The short trip north to Haverstraw Marina was made on a beautiful sunny day. We settled in and relaxed for the rest of day and had the opportunity to speak with a few members of the marina about what their recommendations were for the route and stops to make.
Nyac, NY
We headed off from Half-Moon Bay marina with our 6% wine over to Nyac Boat Club and picked up a mooring ball which was inside of a huge mooring field of about 100 balls. Our last experience of picking up a mooring ball was in the British Virgin Islands. After some struggle we were able to snag and t...
Half Moon Bay
The leg from Kingston to Croton On Hudson was the most scenic spot that we have passed through thus far. From the odd midieval Bannerman castle to the intimidating looking West Point buildings, the high hills on both sides of the Hudson all made it seem as if we were traveling along the Rhine or the...
Kingston, NY
Hey friends and family, We arrived at Kingston City Marina today to a vibe that we have yet to experience. The marina is full of excited boaters enjoying the warm weather and the Columbus Day long weekend, lots of noise and tourists everywhere. A barrage of power boaters (Allan's not so favorite noi...
Catskill visit
We spent our "day off" wandering this beautiful little town. Some of the architecture here is quite grand and the town unlike what we saw on the Erie Canal, seems to be thriving. It reminds me of some of the little towns in the Muskokas.
Catskill NY - Mast Back Up!
It was a gorgeous day on the water motoring down to the Catskill area to have our mast put back up. We can now do this because all of the bridges are high enough to allow a masted sailboat to pass. The navigation channel on the Hudson River is quite narrow, so it was a little unnerving to pass so cl...
Shady Harbor Marina, NY
After clearing the Federal Lock in Troy on the Hudson River, we had a wonderful journey. Passing beautiful state buildings in Albany, huge tugboats and barges, we finally arrived at Donovan's Shady Harbor Marina about 24 miles from Waterford. Docking there is a bit expensive. They not only charge...
Waterford - A Day Of Rest
It was a day of rest for the crew in Waterford. A beautiful sunny day was spent walking around town doing chores. One of the jobs was to find another electric heater for the boat so as to not overuse Mr. Heater. After seeking help from the people at the Visitor's center, we still could not locate an...
Waterford, NY
Well the FBG crew did it. We officially made to the Hudson River! Today was miserable outside ( rain, rain and more rain ). The crew was contemplating staying an extra day in Schenectady but it turns out that all of the interesting stuff sights are closed on Mondays. So we got into our serious rain...
Schenectady
The forecast was calling for rain tomorrow so we decided to push it today and get past Amsterdam and head to Schenectady. After a 41 mile journey we arrived at Shenectady at around 4pm. The temperature has warmed up a bit, however last night it was so cold I had to take out my "Mr Heater". After you...
Canajoharie
On the way to Canajoharie we stopped off for diesel and a pump out. The lovely owner there offered us free pumpkins to carry along on our voyage. Lynn has one sitting on the forward deck ( pictures to come later ). We hope to take it all the way to Florida. Suggestions for a name would be appreciate...
Little Falls, NY
After a very cold trip, the crew of FBG arrived in the beautiful little town of Little Falls, NY. The town has a boater centre where for $32, you get hydro, water, hot showers and a lounge to relax in. Everyone here was very hospitable. After a short walk to town and a wonderful dinner at the "Coppe...
Utica, NY
Yesterday Oct 2, was a big day. We crossed Lake Oneida. It is the biggest body of water on the canal, sort of like Lake Simcoe, but shallow which means that waves of 6 ft in height are not unheard of. Given that there was a 400lb mast laying across the deck, the crew had a little anxiety. Setting of...
Brewerton, NY
Another beautiful day on the canal. Bald eagles and swans were there to watch us go by. After 22 miles and 2 locks to pass through we were ready to settle down at Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton, New York. This place is great. For only a little over $30 we were able to get a boat slip with electri...
Baldwinsville, NY
Very cool day today having to wear toques and gloves. It was a long day, but we covered 48 miles! Once we arrived we explored Baldwinsville and finally discovered a liquor store!! With a 10% off Monday discount Lynn couldn't help herself ( see pic ). You have to understand that carrying a case of wi...
Lyons, NY
Today was a big " 5 lock " day. A little on the cool side havinging to wear fleece all day. Arrived in Lyons, NY at around 4pm. Time for a little relaxation and a steak dinner on our BBQ! Lyons NY is known for its manufacturing of peppermint oil. Lynn enjoying her galley and Alice lounging around
Macedon, NY
The goal for today was to go from Spencerport to Palmyra. We made good time in sunny weather. The canal was lined by steep layered rock walls that looked similar to the ones you see in the Niagara Escarpment. At lock E32 however, there was a mechanical issue with getting the lock doors open. After w...
Spencerport, NY
This morning after enjoying a hot shower we headed out for our first big grocery shop. With backpacks and hiking shoes we walked a mile or more....…uphill to Wegmans. Laden down with bags we hiked back and had a coffee break in town. Did I forget to tell you that Lynn found a TJ Maxx in the same str...
Brockport, NY
The day started out with a little rain and then having to wait for the lift bridge operator to show up. Many of these drawbridges share the same operator during a shift. Once a bridge has been opened and then closed, the operator has to then jump in their vehicle and drive to the next bridge along t...
Middleport NY
The Erie Canal is quite a marvel of engineering and has been such a pleasant journey for us. On a beautiful sunny day we ended up traveling 30 miles from Tonawanda to Middleport. We went though our first two locks, which compared to the Welland Canal wasn't such a big deal. A father and daughter tea...
Tonawanda
Finally a good weather window! RCR Yachts, the boat yard that we were going to use to take down our mast in Buffalo, seemed to be very busy. The appointment time was so late in the day that we would have to spend yet another expensive night in Buffalo, so we made a call to go down the Niagara River...
Stuck in Buffalo
Well we were supposed to have our mast taken down yesterday but the winds were 20 knots gusting to 24 and it as raining. Not great. We didn't want to spend all day stuck below in the boat, so we decided to take a self guided walking tour of downtown Buffalo. A lot of nice old buildings here to see,...
Buffalo NY
We left PD on Saturday morning ay 5:30am. It was still dark, but it was beautiful heading out of the harbour "chasing" two fishing boats out to harvest their nets. I took a photo of the sunrise as we passed by Nanticoke. The trip was uneventful for the most part. No wind at all but plenty of rollers...
Getting Ready
We now have a target launch date....Sept 21,2019 which just happens to be our anniversary ( oh my..39 years ). There are a few things left to do, but are all achievable. Plan is to head straight to Buffalo ( 60 nm ), but if we are getting tight for time, we will stop off at Port Colborne instead.