Peck Lake

We are anchored in a little bit of heaven at Peck Lake. It's actually a wide spot on the inter-coastal waterway which the charts and guide books say you can't get into, but you can. We arrived here in the early afternoon. After lunch we launched the dinghy and took a short ride to the sound side beach. A very short walk across the island takes you to a beach only accessible by boat. It is a part of the Hobe Sound National Seashore. Terrific swimming in warm and very clean looking water. This stop is much better then the Jensen Beach anchorage of two years ago.

Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving meal even though we were at the last table called. But the food was still plentiful and the table company just great. Here is Carol talking it up with Libby Mills and Darick Ottow.

The temps were in the mid 80's and I took advantage and went for an ocean swim. Water temp of 75 felt just right. Tomorrow I plan to bike over to town for propane and breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen. It's about a 20 mile round trip and I will need the exercise after that meal.

Vero Beach

We are enjoying a sunny and warm time at Vero Beach. We have met up with a few folks from our 07/08 winter and are enjoying making some new cruising friendships as well. Today was a day to do a little Publix shopping, lunch at Kelleys Irish Pub, a bike trip to the beach, an ocean swim for George and of course a dish of ice cream at the Boardwalk Ice Cream parlor.

We are looking forward to the Thanksgiving feast and will share a picture of two from the meal.

Dragon Point

We are anchored comfortably in one of our favorite spots at the end of the Banana River in Melbourne, Fla. This is our third stop here and it has been very windy each time, but the protection is excellent. We went a little farther than planned yesterday and we dropped the hook at 9:45 this morning and are enjoying one last quiet day on the boat before landing at Vero Beach which will be a busy one week stop for us.

Presently there is a high pressure system stalled out in the Atlantic which is pumping in a brisk east wind, clouds, and occasional showers. But all is comfortable in our sun room and Carol is working on her cross stitch and practicing the Dulcimer. Chicken French and a nice bottle of chardonnay are on the menu for tonight

Jacksonville, Fla

We spent a very nice two days with former NC neighbors Jim and Ann Freeman and their dog Dinah. It was the first time off the boat and sleeping in a land bed in three weeks. We also took the first of many beach walks of the trip -very nice

Amelia Island, Fla

We spent yesterday anchored in Bells River across from Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. Bells offered a nice anchorage and we spent the day exploring the town of Fernandina Beach. Fellow cruisers have always recommended Fernandina Beach as a stop, be we have been put off by the heavy industry along the waterfront. This time we decided to give it a try. It was as advertised! A really nice old town with quiet streets and beautiful old homes. While walking the streets you are completely unaware of the large paper mill and other industry just a short distance away. After lunch at a fine restaurant and a long hot shower at the marina, we returned to our boat hoping for a quiet evening aboard. Unfortunately the railroad and papermill noise prevented that.

Georgia ICW

Lots of cruisers berate the Georgia intercoastal waterway because of it's twists and turns and few places to land and walk the dog. We however love the diversity and the many sounds that allow for sailing. This trip through we have been blessed to be in phase with the tidal currents and have made great time. The weather so far on our trip has been mostly ideal. Cold nights and sunny days which warm the cockpit early in the morning. Today we left a peaceful anchorage in the Federica River which runs along St Simons Island. The little fort is Ft Federica dating from 1730 and was the center of a settlement started by James Oglethorpe to halt the advance of the Spanish in the region. This picture was taken during the cocktail hour last night. The second photo is of the anchorage near the Cumberland Island National Seashore. It was taken during the cocktail hour this evening. Cumberland Island is just north of the Florida / Georgia border. Tomorrow we will be exploring the historic town of Fernandina Beach Florida.

Still in Charleston

Today is cold and windy so a good day to catch up with the Blog. We have had three beautiful warm and sunny days here and have made the most of them. We took a tour of the Calhoon home- truly amazing place with great formal gardens. We did the carriage tour yesterday morning and learned some new facts about the city history and saw some new sights including the old city jail. It has been turned into a school for the construction trades and the students are restoring the structure.

The highlight of our day yesterday was a cooking class. This class was run by the Maverick Kitchen Store. (Our favorite Charleston Restaurant SNOB is a Maverick establishment) Anyhow the lesson was fish and shell fish with 5 terrific dishes which we students helped prepare. I liked them all but my favorite was the Mini Lobster Quiche.