Total Miles Traveled 5544 since departing Green Turtle Bay, KY
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Our stay at the Atlantic Yacht Basin took longer than we had planned, and we wanted to be at Cocoa, Florida for Thanksgiving to visit with family, so we kept moving as the weather permitted this month.
We departed Chesapeake Virginia on November 4th and traveled 38 miles to Coinjock, North Carolina. This is our first time cruising this section of the Intracoastal Waterway and the restaurant at Coinjock is a must stop, featured in almost all of the cruising publications and boating forums for it’s famous 32 oz prime rib. I must admit, I was impressed, I ordered the 16 oz Mates Cut, almost 2 inches thick and melt in your mouth tender.
On November 5th, we traveled 53 miles to an anchorage on the Pungo River, then traveled 55 miles to the RE Mayo seafood docks on the 6th. We purchased fresh shrimp for the freezer, and had shrimp scampi for dinner….awesome.
We traveled 70 miles on November 7th to an anchorage at Swansboro, North Carolina. The Onslow swing bridge is under construction south of Swansboro with restricted hours for passage. The bridge delays have caused a congestion for the southbound migration of boaters heading south for warmer weather. Our first option for anchorage was full of boats, and only room for us at our second anchorage option.
On November 8th, we timed our departure for the bridge opening and traveled 16 miles to Mile Hammock Bay near Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. Mile Hammock Bay is located at the camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. This bay is in a restricted area, but anchoring is permitted without shore access. The occasional helicopter flyover, distant artillery explosions, and automatic gun fire can be experienced throughout the day. This is a protected anchorage from wind and waves and with 15-25 mph winds forecasts for overnight and the 9th, we decided to stay with 16 other anchored boats. One boat broke loose overnight and was run aground in shallow waters. Luckily it was a couple hundred feet from us as it passed by our boat before running aground.
We traveled 52 miles on November 10th to Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Our plan was to get a mooring ball for the night, but we’re finding that with the congestion of boats moving south, the anchorages and marina’s were full. The city marina had room for one night, so we were able to grab a few grocery’s, eat at the locals famous burger joint, and visited the beach.
On November 11th, we traveled 81 miles to an anchorage near Bucksport, South Carolina, then 31 miles on November 12th, to Georgetown, South Carolina. We stopped at Georgetown on our way north in May, a cool little town next to the marina with restaurants and shops.
On November 13th we traveled 47 miles to an anchorage near Charleston, South Carolina and continued on the 14th 55 miles to an anchorage near Green Pond, South Carolina, then on the 15th 61 miles to an anchorage at Bull Creek, near Hilton Head, South Carolina. It gets interesting timing 8-9 foot tidal swings when planning an anchorage.
Full Moon anchored near Hilton Head, SC
We weighed anchor on November 16th and traveled 77 miles to and anchorage on the Crescent River, then 53 miles on the 17th, stopping for fuel at Brunswick Georgia then anchoring at Jekyll Island, Georgia. Jekyll Island was one of our favorite towns to visit along the waterway.
Coastal South Carolina and Georgia are not our favorite cruising areas. Miles of salt marsh, no protection from wind, and 8 foot tidal swings. Oh, and coffee brown water.
On November 18th we traveled 28 miles, anchoring at Cumberland Island Georgia. We passed Kings Bay, the U.S. Navy’s home port for the Atlantic Fleet’s ballistic missile nuclear submarines, capable of being armed with Trident missile nuclear weapons. Our anchorage location provided a view of any submarines transiting the waterway to the base. We were fortunate enough to see one of them escorted into the facility. The waterway going to the base is closed to all traffic when any warships approach the bay.
Cumberland Island is the largest of the Sea Islands of Georgia. The long-staple Sea Island cotton was first grown here by a local family, the Millers, who helped Eli Whitney develop the cotton gin. With its unusual range of wildlife (Loggerhead sea turtles, several species of birds, feral horses roam freely, Armadillos, and Hogs) the island has been declared a National Seashore. We walked a 3 mile trail when we were here in 2017, a truly amazing island to explore.
We weighed anchor on November 19th, traveling only 8 miles timing the tidal current to dock at the Fernandina Beach Marina at slack tide. The marina is close to an inlet to the Atlantic Ocean and the current can be strong at the marina during tidal swings. Since there were multi-million dollar mega yachts at the marina, we like to eliminate any chance of control issues with wind or current when docking…...just sayin. 😕
We stayed at Fernandina 3 days due to a cold front passing through with 40 mph wind gust and 25-30 mph winds. This was a great marina and town to visit while waiting on the weather to settle.
We have arrived in Florida.
We departed the marina on November 22nd and traveled 49 miles to an anchorage at Pine Island, then on the 23rd traveling 67 miles to an anchorage at the Daytona Beach Memorial Bridge.
On November 24th, we traveled 48 miles to Titusville, Florida and docked at the city marina. We intended to stay here for a week but the marina only had room for 3 days. We took advantage of the slip available and visited with family at Cocoa, Florida. We had Manatee's and Dolphins to watch during our stay.
On November 27th we traveled 42 miles to Melbourne, Florida and docked at the city marina for a week to spend time with family and to celebrate Thanksgiving, and Moni’s mother Delores’s 95th birthday.
Happy Birthday Delores!
Our December plan is to continue south to the Key's or Bahamas, all depending on the weather.
