Stella Maris

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Updated 08/18/10 

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11/8/09 Last week, the Virginia coast was slammed with a major nor’easter storm that brought with it wind gust of up to 70 MPH and 20 foot seas in Chesapeake Bay.  Fortunately, we were docked in a secure marina located off the York River during the storm.  The surrounding area sustained serious flooding and damage.  The marina store and restaurant were also flooded. Since we were aboard a boat, the flooding did not affect us.  The worst part of this event for us was that we were trapped inside the boat for four days while the rain and wind blew above us.  I was beginning to worry about a mutiny on board.

The storm finally past on Saturday and we looked forward to getting out on solid ground.  We were hoping to visit Jamestown and Williamsburg.  Unfortunately, the storm caused more damaged than we had realized.  There were no cars available from the rental companies anywhere. The insurance companies had contracted out every available vehicle from every car rental agency south of Richmond to the Carolinas.  It would be another week before a vehicle became available and the weather was not getting any warmer.  It was time for us to pull up anchor and head south.

Luckily for us, while waiting off the York River, we met a gracious family from New Zealand.  Cameron, Leighia, and their two children were also anchored nearby aboard their sailing vessel Tranquility.  We took turns having dinner aboard each other’s boats and enjoyed each other’s company.  Hopefully, this was going to be a taste of the cruising life that awaits us once we enter the warmer climates. 

11/17/09  The November nor’easter’s damage had left many marinas without operable fuel pumps.  We were running low on diesel and we attempted to enter Wormy’s Creek marina to fuel up.  The dock master advised that the depth was sufficient and we had nine feet of water going into the creek (Stella Maris draws five feet).  After filling up the fuel tank and water tanks, we headed back out into the York River.  Halfway up the creek, in the middle of the channel, we ran aground.  Stella Maris was stuck in about five feet of water and the tide was rapidly dropping.  Fortunately, we had enrolled in Boat US and they came to the rescue.  I highly recommend that every boater enroll with such a towing program for a reasonable annual fee because the regularly priced towing bill would have cost us almost $1140.00.

Our grounding incident caused us to fall behind schedule as we journeyed south to Norfolk VA.  We entered the busy harbor at night under blustery winds and decided to be safe and anchor in nearby Willoughby Bay for the night.  We were tired, cold and stressed, and needed a good night’s sleep.  We spent the night anchored next to the biggest naval base in the world.  Navy helicopters and planes flew above us all night long.  In the morning, we awoke with a Navy patrol boat stationed a few hundred yards to our stern, no doubt keeping an eye on us.

The following morning, we traveled a short distance to Portsmouth VA, located across the river from Norfolk.  We passed by battleship row, where the Navy maintains its Atlantic fleet while not out on patrol.  Stella Maris gingerly motored past massive, high tech destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious naval vessels.  Lui was excited taking photographs of the vessels and aircraft that flew above us while Angelica practiced her gymnastics on the deck.  The next day, we were able to obtain a rental car from a mom and pop rental company and we ventured up to Jamestown and Williamsburg.  Both sites were well worth the visit and had much to offer.  Jamestown provided excellent hands on learning exhibits and displays.  Williamsburg is a living town that exists as it once had 350 years ago.  We could have spent much more time in Williamsburg and will definitely make an effort to return to in the future. 

1/30/10:  The clock ticks and we are further south, not as far as I had hoped to be.   The boat needed a few upgrades, and the boating community operates at a leisurely and unpredictable pace.  The Ben Sawyer Bridge, leading into Charleston S.C. was scheduled to be closed for repairs which would preclude our travels south.  We decided to find a convenient anchorage where we could wait for the bridge to reopen.  We decided to anchor in Beaufort N.C. a town which offered all the amenities that we would need.  Beaufort is a small southern community rich in history.  Many of the 100 -200 years old homes in the town were restored to their original condition and appear as they had in the past.  Beaufort was also a popular anchorage but it has very strong currents that changed every six hours with the tides.  Occasionally, a transient boater would set their anchor a little too close for comfort.  We set two anchors out, Bahamian style, and kept a close eye on neighboring boats hoping that they would not bump into us during the night.  On one cold and windy night, a Christmas boat parade proceeded along the front of the docks.  Dozens of boats, lit up with Christmas lights and playing music, promoted a cheerful Christmas spirit.  Forty degree temperatures and a stiff breeze did not deter the hula dancers from wearing their skimpy costumes as they swayed to the music on their illuminated tiki barges.  

Ordinary tasks that seem routine on land become quite complicated when you live on a boat.  If you need groceries, you have to take the dingy to the dock and then walk six miles round trip to the nearest Piggly Wiggly.  You then need to lug 75 lbs. of groceries back to the dock where you load them onto the dingy and ride back to the boat.  Then comes to task of unloading the dingy and storing the goods.  Food cannot be left in its original cardboard containers since boxes take up too much space and insects could be introduced into the boat.  Therefore, all boxed foods need to be removed from the box and stored inside of plastic zip locks before they can be stored inside the boat.   All cans are labeled on top with a marker because they are so tightly stored that it would be impractical to take them out.  Simple tasks like grocery shopping or doing the laundry can easily become an all day event.  While in Beaufort, I needed to purchase a microchip for the chart plotter.  A Goggle search showed that a West Marine store was located approximately five miles away from the docks.  I set out walking early one morning hoping to be back in time to get something accomplished on the boat.  Twelve miles and almost three hours later, I arrived at West Marine.   You can never completely rely on technology.   Thankfully, another generous skipper that worked at the store felt sorry for me and gave me a ride back to the docks.

Gale force storms and very cold weather have become routine.  Being Floridians, we were tired of the mundane heat and humidity and looked forward to enjoying cooler weather.  However, it didn’t take us long to understand why so many northerners flock to Florida.  This year has been unprecedentedly cold and we were in the thick of it.  While anchored outside of Camp Leguene N.C., I made the mistake of overloading the generator and caused a fuse to blow.  The temperature dipped to 20 degrees that night and the heaters could not be run.  It was so cold that we could see our breath while inside of the cabin.  For the next few nights, we wore several layers of clothes including a cap before tucking ourselves into bed.  We dreamed of reaching the Bahamas soon.

Stella Maris was equipped with a CNG (compressed natural gas) stove.  When the boat was built, it was considered an upgrade because CNG was believed to be the fuel of the future meant to replace petroleum.  It was especially popular with boats since CNG is lighter than air while LPG (propane) hypothetically would sink into the bilge.   However, CNG never became popular and is currently extremely difficult to find.  Finding CNG tanks for the boat was a challenge as well as expensive.  Finding it in the Bahamas would be nearly impossible.  We located a shipyard in Wilmington N.C. that could convert our CNG stove to LPG.  This meant that we needed to take a northbound detour up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington where we would dock and wait for the conversion.    After a week and a whole lot of greenbacks, we had a propane stove and could cook as much as we wanted.

On 12/18/09, we left Stella Maris docked in a marina in Charleston S.C. and drove to Tampa where we spent three weeks visiting family for the holidays.  Upon our return, the weather remained cold.  In the mornings, sheets of ice that had formed over night could be seen on deck.  At night, mysterious wakes would rock the boats in the marina.  The rocking motion would become so violent that anything that was not tied down would fly off of the counters and onto the deck.  At first, we thought that the massive wakes were caused by the large cruise ships and cargo ships that docked nearby, however, we later observed that was not the case.  We never figured out what caused the wakes, whether it was the current from the two converging rivers or ghostly submarines, but locals advised that these wakes were common throughout Charleston.

I had heard that the ICW through Georgia was shallow and not very well maintained and soon learned that every bit of it was true.  As we crossed the Savannah River into Georgia we ran aground at the border.  Fortunately, we raised the jib, swung the bow around and we were able to wiggle our way out with the current on our stern.  The rest of the route was painfully tedious as we carefully navigated in six to nine foot depths and tried to remain within the channel using derelict markers, some of which were located on land!  At one point, I observed another sailboat ahead of us that had obviously run aground.  A radioed the vessel and the captain advised that his vessel drew three feet and was hard aground.  As we approached closer, we could clearly see that a sand bar completely stretched across the channel making it impossible to cross at low tide.  Our only option was to turn around and anchor in the nearest creek and attempt a crossing early in the morning at high tide.

On 1/16/10, we entered Saint Augustine FL in a heavy fog.  As we strained to peer through the blinding fog, the first sighting was that of the massive cross which stands at the harbor’s entrance.   The sight was surreal and captivating, and it gave us hope that we were about to arrive safely.  Saint Augustine is America’s oldest city and the town was so inviting that we decided to remain there while we finished up the remaining chores that needed to be completed before we continued to the Bahamas.  We reinforced the jib, installed a water maker, tuned up the engine, repaired some plumbing, and ordered even more needed equipment.  It seems like we will never make it to the Bahamas. 

We also continued to learn more lessons in seamanship, such as not taking the dingy out when you will be beating into winds stronger than 15 knots.  After being cooped up inside our boat at anchor for a couple of days due to blustery winds, we decided to dingy into town when the weather seemed to calm down.  A southerly wind blew us comfortably to the docks where we washed three loads of laundry and took showers in the marina. On the way back to the boat, we needed to ride straight into the wind for nearly a half a mile.  As we entered the harbor, water started to come in over the bow and into the boat.  We traveled as slow as possible while maintaining enough speed to keep us on track, however, wave after wave of water made its way in over the bow.  At first, the water was just an annoyance but halfway through things started to get uncomfortable.  By the time we reached our boat, the dingy was half full of water.  Our laundry was completely soaked in salt water, as were Consuelo and I and all of our personal belongings.  The gas tank floated inside of the dingy and we later discovered that both of our cellular telephones were completely drenched and inoperable.  Another day, another learning experience. 

A While in Saint Augustine, our friends Felix and Lisa, and their daughter Briana, came for a visit.  They are veteran cruisers that took the same trip years before in their own sailboat.    We were also visited by my mother, sister, nephews and niece.  This was the first time any of them had had the opportunity to visit our boat.  We look forward to everyone visiting us again when we finally make it to the Bahamas.

03/01/10:  We continued cruising south down the eastern coast, stopping along the way in Titusville, Vero Beach, and Jupiter.  Another gale force storm was bearing down on the state and we spent a couple of nights tied up in Fort Lauderdale to wait it out.  Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America.  The New River meanders through the middle of the city past numerous mansions and mega yachts.  Our marina was within walking distance of Las Olas, a once ritzy area that is now run down and deteriorated.  The Fort Lauderdale area also has a multitude of bridges, making travel down the ICW painstakingly slow and tedious.  As a result of the numerous bridges, we opted to go out into the Atlantic and sail down to Miami.  For once, we were able to get the sails up and set the auto-pilot without having to worry about running aground or waiting on bridges to open.

Once in Miami, our final jump off point, we tied up to a mooring ball near Coconut Grove and concentrated on our final tasks before leaving the states.  We picked up our life raft and EPIRB, loaded up on provisions, and took Bones to the vet for his health certificate.  It was now a matter of waiting for the right weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.  Ideally, one should wait for winds from the south at less than 15 knots before crossing the stream.  A crossing under northern winds or after the seas have been stirred from a recent storm can make for very uncomfortable and dangerous conditions.  A narrow weather window appeared to be approaching and we relocated to No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne.  There, we would stage for the opportune moment to head out into the Atlantic.

The day before our anticipated crossing, our new fresh water pump blew up.  Receiving replacement parts or even getting another replacement pump from the manufacture would take weeks to arrive.   We turned around and raced back to Miami, where we scurried to find another pump.  Fortunately, we were able to find a pump and I was able to replace it without any leaks or complications in record time.  We then rushed back to Key Biscayne and restaged as night fell upon us.  Weather forecast for the following day predicted ideal conditions.  If we missed this window, we would surely be stuck in Miami for at least another week. 

On 2/23/10, we arouse at 4:30 in the morning, ready to head out into the Atlantic.  A thick fog enveloped us, drastically reducing visibility and forcing us to remain put.    We wanted to leave as early as possible so that when we arrived in Bimini, the sun would still be high enough overhead to enable us to see the underwater reefs.  By 6:00 A.M., the fog began to clear and we headed out into the Atlantic.  The seas were still a little bit stirred from the recent weather but the swells were smooth.  Once we entered deeper water (700+ feet) about an hour out, the seas became flatter and we were in for a smooth ride.  As the water continued to get deeper (2700+ feet) it turned into a deep dark blue.  We turned on the auto pilot and steered for a course that was about twenty degrees further south than Bimini in order to compensate for the Gulf Stream’s northward current.  We continued for almost eight hours on a calm and beautiful day.  The passage turned out to be much easier than I ever imagined.  Since there were only about five knots of wind blowing from behind us, we had to motor all the way.  I couldn’t believe that we ended up motoring all the way to the Bahamas in a sailboat!

After almost eight hours of motoring the deep blue sea, we arrived at Bimini.  The entrance into Bimini was both mesmerizing and terrifying.  As we approached land, the water depth quickly rose from thousands of feet deep to the double digits.  The water changed color from a dark blue to several different shades of pale blue.  The bottom of the ocean was clearly visible and marine life such as starfish and stingrays were clearly seen.  Also visible was what appeared to be a minefield of coral reefs.  The harbor markers that appeared on the charts were nowhere to be found.  GPS coordinates were equally useless since the shifting sandbars made them outdated.  Finding out way into the harbor had to be done the old fashion way, with Consuelo standing at the bow as we poked our way in and prayed that we would not hit a reef. 

Bimini provided the change in latitude that we had been seeking.  We arrived on a hot tropical day.  It didn’t take long to get into the Bahamian state of mind; no problem Mon, be happy.  The Bahamian people are simple and extremely friendly.  It was the perfect environment to decompress and go from a state of doing to a state of simply being.  We didn’t waste any time to begin enjoying what the Bahamas had to offer.  Fresh conch, lobster, and fish were easily obtained.  Every day, we enjoyed conch salad, conch fritters and conch chowder.  Of course, these were washed down with cold Kalik beers and tasty and inexpensive Bahamian rum drinks! 

4/15/10:  On the 1^st of March, we departed from Bimini and set off for the Berry Islands, which are located about 80 miles to the east.  This entailed crossing the Bahama Bank which is relatively shallow with the average depth of about 15 feet.  Several areas had coral reef heads protruding from the surface which called for careful visual navigation.  Along the way, we deployed a shiner off of the stern to try our luck fishing.  This resulted in catching two large mackerels and a small tuna.  After reaching the northern Berry Islands, we tucked away in a very secluded and well protected marina in Great Harbour Cay.  Strong southerly winds were expected for the next couple of days.  The harbor’s entrance consisted of a very narrow cut through the side of a rock mountain.  Had it not been for GPS coordinates, the concealed entrance would have been nearly impossible to find. 

Our stay in Great Harbour Cay introduced us to what life on many of the islands in the Bahamas was like.  The islands are supplied by mail boats that come once a week to deliver mail, food and supplies.  If the weather is bad, the mail boats don’t come.  This makes finding fresh produce and perishable foods unlikely.  When you do find them, they are usually of poor quality and overpriced.  Other commodities such as fuel and hardware are also limited. 

After departing the Berry Islands, we made a two day sail south to Nassau.  There we stocked up on provisions before heading further south into the remote islands of the Exumas.  Our first stop in the Exumas was at Allen’s Cay.  As we attempted to maneuver through the coral reefs into the harbor, a seaplane landed in the harbor skimming over our mast and squeezing between a half dozen other sailboats that were already anchored.  The stunt pilot offloaded a passenger into one of the boats then took off again between the clutter of boats.  Allen’s Cay is also the home of numerous indigenous larger iguanas.  After landing on the beach, these prehistoric creatures come out of their caves in the corals and approach expecting to be fed.  Angelica courageously met them on the beach and quickly learned that they enjoyed eating bread but not orange peels.

As we continued to travel south through the Exuma Islands, a stalled cold front produced strong westerly winds.  We hunkered down for three days awaiting the passage of the front which relentlessly produced strong surges and uncomfortable conditions.  It was unlikely that we were going to be able to enjoy exploring the multitude of pristine cays in the Exumas under the current weather conditions so we decided to beeline it south directly to George Town.  George Town is located in a large well protected harbor and is known as the mecca for cruisers.  Upon our arrival, there were approximately 300 boats anchored throughout Elizabeth Harbour.  Here we would spend the next month and a half.

Life in Elizabeth Harbour, starts off with going to organized yoga on the beach in the mornings.  The rest of the day consist of reading, exploring the islands, sunbathing, boat maintenance, and worrying about what’s for dinner.  Lui and Angelica have met numerous other kids from all over the world.  They expedite their home schooling so that they can spend the rest of their time “hanging out” on the islands or on other boats with their friends.  Twice a week, there is an ARG (Alcohol Research Group) meeting on the beach where cruisers bring their research material and mingle.  Family Island Regatta is scheduled for mid-April.  This is an event where sailboats from all over the Bahamas come to town to race and partake in week long family festivities.  We will continue to endure the hardship of living in George Town until the end of the regatta and then it will be time to continue further south.

August 18, 2010:  The crew of Stella Maris fell into a routine in Georgetown and ended up spending six weeks anchored there.  By the time we pulled up anchor to leave, barnacles and all sorts of sea creatures had made a home of our rode.  Georgetown had a large population of cruising sailors living in the bay including the most children and teenagers we had encountered thus far.  Our children made close friends and the thought of leaving port and separation from them haunted Angelica.  Their typical day was spent juggling homeschooling then spending the rest of the day waterskiing, snorkeling, hiking, and playing volleyball among other activities.  At night, the kids would watch a movie or play on the X-Box.  Since our boat was the one with the X-Box, our forward cabin became a game room for up to ten kids at a time. 

Georgetown had just about everything we needed, although everything was exuberantly expensive.  A limited amount of fresh produce arrived once a week.  In the meantime, one had to settle for outdated frozen meats and canned goods from Exuma Market.  Laundry was done about once a week at the local Laundromat and cost about $40.00 to do it yourself.  WIFI access was gained by purchasing a WIFI password from a Rastafarian whose primary source of income appeared to be from the sale of pigeons.  After walking a couple of miles to his “pet shop” and finding it closed as usual, one would then hike over to his humble abode where you would usually find him sleeping.  One could then purchase a password good for a week which usually only worked about 30% of the time.  A common observation among North Americans was that the Bahamians had no sense of entrepreneurship.  The Bahamas is abundant with economic growth potential which is hardly even tapped into.  The Bahamian government discourages foreign business ownership in order to allow its citizens the opportunity to establish their own ventures, but the natives seem to have no interest in doing so.  But then again, we didn’t come here to find more work did we?  We’ll just kick back enjoy the island’s beautiful scenery.

After leaving Georgetown, we sailed south to Conception, a small uninhabited island designated as a national park.  Wildlife was abundant, and large sharks and colorful fish could clearly be seen under our boat.  Angelica tossed pieces of chicken fat overboard and several six to seven foot lemon sharks circled our boat all night waiting for more. Unable to continue our sail to Rum Cay because of the winds, we decided to continue our journey south along Long Island.  Long Island was truly long, a sliver of land about  80 miles in length whose coastline seemed to have no end in sight.  We were becoming bored with the Bahamas and longed to reach the Dominican Republic where the familiar Latin culture and food awaited us.   Our first long cruise started on 5/6/10, when we sailed 55 hours straight and reached West Caicos. 

After arriving in West Caicos, the weather decided to be uncooperative and locked us into port again for another week.  We docked at the friendliest marina we had ever encountered, Southside Marina; where the dock master, a British expatriate named Simon, took great care of his guest.  The Turks and Caicos Islands are former British colonies just like the Bahamas, but very much more developed and opulent.  When Simon drove us to the local grocery store for provisions, Consuelo and I thought we had entered the Disneyland of all supermarkets.  The store rivaled those found in the states and for a family that had been deprived of elegance and abundance for several months; it was truly an exciting experience to go shopping for groceries.  While at Southside Marina, we encountered Harry and Linda on catamaran Kuhaela once again.  We had originally met them in Georgetown several weeks back, but they departed a couple a weeks before we had in route to the DR.  In Caicos, we also met Steve and Sue aboard s/v Loose Change, and John and Medi aboard  s/v Katemba.  We would spend the next several weeks “buddy-boating” with the crews from these vessels as we continued our journey south. 

On 5/19/10,  all four vessels departed the Turks and set sail for Luperon, DR.  After patiently waiting around for days, every available weather source predicted an acceptable weather window for making the jump south.  As it turned out, every weather source was off base and we encountered 20 – 32 knot winds and six foot seas.  The wind was on the nose, and we had to steer for the Haitian coast for a close haul.  Upon reaching the lee side of the island, we motored  towards Luperon, where we ended our 23 hour passage.  Thus we started out the month from hell.  The diesel engine fuel pump and injectors had to be rebuilt which required us to tie off to a so called marina in Luperon that had no amenities.  One truly gets a sense of living in a third world country in the DR.  The government provides electrical power which results in electricity being available for only 3 -4 hours a day, and at insufficient voltage.  Government official board your vessel at will and  shamelessly solicit money and refreshments.  Cruisers are required to pay a litany of fees and “despachos” are required just to move your boat from one spot to another.  The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country with high towering mountains and lush vegetation that is a pleasure to explore but the constant begging and cajoling from people and government officials becomes overwhelming.

The Dominican Republic had some of the best fruit drinks we had ever tasted.  Fruits were abundant and available from street side venders throughout the island.  While waiting on the engine repair, we rented a vehicle with Harry and Linda from Kuhaela and drove to the capital of Santo Domingo for a weekend.  All those years of playing Mario Cart finally paid off as I drove our dilapidated clunker through the mayhem of Santo Domingo traffic.  We were amazed to see how a three lane highway was actually used as an eight lane highway, and were astonished to watch passengers hanging out of vehicles as they frequently slapped the side of adjacent vehicles and yelled at them to get them to move.  While in Santo Domingo, we visited the first Catholic Church built in America (which was closed to the public upon our arrival because a politician was attending mass).  We also walked the streets were Columbus and subsequent conquistadores lived and prepared  for further conquest throughout America.

The memories from the DR are plentiful and we accomplished one goal we had hoped for:  exposing our children to a radically different culture and a more simplistic and humble existence.  They  learned to appreciate their privileged backgrounds and were now ready to move on to someplace else that had electricity.  We continued our travel beating to windward down the coast to Samana, where we stocked up on more fresh fruits and vegetables, and spent some more time seeking despachos.  On the evening of 5/31/10, we set off for Punta Cana in what was expected to be decent weather.  The seas unexpectedly grew and the metal car connecting the mainsheet to the traveler sheered into pieces.  This caused the boom to go free and it began to swing wildly from side to side as I attempted to secure it in rolling seas.  Four attempts to tie the boom down were made as the previously used lines chaffed and broke.  The eighteen hour trip was exhausting and only made worse when Consuelo broke her foot while attempting to tie off to the fuel dock in Punta Cana.

After our wild ride from Samana, we spent three nights in Punta Cana waiting for the perfect weather window to cross the notorious Mona Passage to Puerto Rico.  That opportunity presented itself on 6/4/10.  The boarding militia finally showed up to give us clearance to leave the county and we were all set to go except for our dog.  Bones needed to pay a $10 departure tax before we could leave.  We waited for several hours for the Agriculture official to arrive and collect the departure tax and were beginning to worry that we were going to miss our weather window.  After much deliberation about leaving beforehand and risk going to a Dominican prison, I persuaded a coast guard official to let us depart after giving him $20; $10 for the dog and $10 for him.

The Mona Passage was a piece of cake as we motored in a dead calm and actually needed to slow down in order to arrive in Boqueron in daylight.  Consuelo was treated at a hospital in Puerto Rico and was now hobbling about in a cast and crutches.  To make things more challenging, our generator also broke down and we had no air conditioning in the stagnant heat of Boqueron.   A black cloud continued to follow as more problems and challenges plagued us.  We decided to sail to Salinas where we would tie up to a marina for a month and catch our breath and recover.

Salinas was a welcomed respite.  A small town nestled in the massive mangroves on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, this town offered friendly people and every convenience necessary.  We spent a month stationed here getting the boat back in shape, finishing homeschooling, meeting friendly people and watching the world soccer cup (go Spain!).  We decided to spend hurricane season in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Salinas provides the best hurricane cover for boats and we could  return there within 24 hours if we ever needed to seek shelter.  Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island have proven to be the best cruising grounds we have encountered thus far.  The natural settings are spectacular and civilization is close by.  We plan to cruise these waters until mid-October and hope that we are not threatened by any major storms.  If all goes well until then, we will continue island hopping south to Grenada.

The last several months have been a whirlwind of activity.  For months we traveled across the country in search of the perfect boat.  Annapolis, New Orleans, Charlotte, Charleston, Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa. These are some of the many places we visited during our sojourn. We were in search of a three cabin cruising sailboat that would accommodate my wife and two teenage children as we traveled into distant horizons. We found the right boat tucked away in a quiet little marina in Pasadena, Maryland.  She was a 1990 Catalina 42 that we would name Stella Maris.

In September, we emptied out our house, placing some things into storage and giving away others.  We got rid of even more stuff and packed the rest of our belongings into our car and trailer. We then drove north to Maryland and moved into our new home.  It took several days to figure out how to move four people, a dog, and everyone's belongings into a 42 foot boat, but somehow we managed to do so without sinking it. We were then joined by Jeff and Jean from Antigua Marine, who helped us learn the intricacies of our new abode.  We sailed Stella Maris down the Chesapeake Bay and up the Potomac River, where we settled into a marina in Washington D.C.  There, we would work on the boat to get her ready for our journey south.  We also took the opportunity to visit many of the incredible sites that Washington D.C. had to offer.

While in Washington, we visited the White House, the Capitol, the Smithsonian Museums, and most of the major monuments.  We saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Magna Carta, the First Dog, the House of Representatives and the Senate in action, and many more interesting sites and events.  The month of October flew by before we realized it.  There was so much more to see and do, but it was getting cold and it was time to sail south.

On November 2nd, we left D.C. and sailed back down the Potomac River. The journey was an incredible experience as we anchored in creeks along quaint little towns, marveled at the brilliantly colored autumn trees, and ate a whole lot of crab. We are currently nestled in the York River adjacent to Yorktown. Today we visited the Yorktown battlefield where the Revolutionary War was won. We plan on visiting Jamestown and Williamsburg later this week. The visits coincide with our kid's history lessons as they are both studying early American history.  Our journeys through this part of the country have enhanced their homeschooling experience and heightened their interest in American history.  We look forward to many more enriching experiences.