We're Back!!!!

We arrived in Myrtle Beach on Sunday, January 16^th, after leaving a snowy and cold Boston.  We spent 3 days getting the boat ready, shopping and stocking up with food and liquor….I won’t say how much, but suffice to say it is A LOT!!!

We left early on Thursday morning, and spent the next two days getting our sea legs back.  We had beautiful weather, albeit a bit on the cool side.  But we have heat on the boat, and have kept very snug and warm. 

It is very quiet on the ICW this time of year.  Long gone are the flotillas of sailboats as most of them are already in Florida, waiting to make the crossing to the Bahamas.  While we loved having company on our way on October, it has been a huge bonus to have the waterway to ourselves…a completely different experience. 

On our way yesterday, we saw a bald eagle just 20 feet from our boat on the shore.  He was a sight to see, having just caught a fish.  He must have stood 3 or 4 feet in height, and we had to pinch ourselves to believe we had really seen him.  Of course, the camera was not ready, so alas, we have no proof to show you!

On this leg of our journey down the ICW, we encountered some of the most shallow water we have every crossed in our boat.  Auriga has a 5.5 foot draft, and we never thought we would think of 8 feet of water as “comfortable”.  Needless to say, we did ground a couple of times, but managed to get ourselves free through a combination of teamwork, rising tides, and general good luck! 

Tonight, Friday night, we are anchored in a lovely and quiet creek off the ICW, about 20 miles north of Beaufort SC.  We plan to spend the day in Beaufort tomorrow, visiting with our friends from Borden Light Marina in Fall River, Janet and Woody.  On Sunday, we plan to keep moving south.  We want to get to Florida (and the warmer weather) as quickly as possible.

Aloha for now, and we will get some photos and more updates for you in a few days.