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St. Augustine Florida (est. 1565), December 16, 2024
On December 7th, we slipped lines in Charleston, SC, bound for St. Augustine, Florida. This was another 30-plus-hour, 200-nautical-mile overnight passage that showcased the unpredictability of maritime navigation. As we left Charleston, our friends Anne and Jim arrived on their boat, Tilia. The photo above shows how small Tilia is relative to the passing freighter….
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The Holy City of Charleston, December 6, 2024
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world” Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. After the long night, we arrived in Charleston channel on a crisp December 1st morning. We rounded Fort Sumter, passed the Charleston waterfront,…
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Night Passage to Charleston, December 1, 2024
On Kailoa, particularly during an overnight passage, we are totally in sync with the planet’s rhythms, which generally go unnoticed in our land-based lives. A sunset signals the coming of darkness at sea, and last night was one of those events. Our 220-mile passage took us around Cape Fear, past frying pan shoals at about…
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Happy Thanksgiving Day from Kailoa, Beaufort, NC, November 28, 2024
We are hunkered down in Beaufort, NC, listening to the wind howl in the background, feeling very far away. Being on Kailoa differs from the traditional holiday festivities of turkey roasting in the oven, pumpkin pie, football, and family gatherings around the table. Our thoughts are with our family in Maine, Massachusetts, Illinois, Idaho, New…
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Reflection: Overnight Passage Hampton, VA to Beaufort, NC, November 26, 2024
“The best-laid schemes of mice and men Go oft awry,” ~ From to a Mouse by Robert Burns Beaufort Harbor, NC. We spent our first night (Nov. 23, 2024) on Kailoa before our departure Sunday morning. As final preparation we pulled the detailed charts, re-read the cruise book section on Ocracoke Inlet, and entered several…
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November 23, 2024: Picking a Weather Window, Hampton VA
With nearly 2 weeks provisioning and readying Kailoa for our first leg south our thoughts have turned to picking a weather window for departure. We have been watching the weather every day for the last 2 weeks and have estimated that the best departure window is tomorrow (Sunday) at 0700. We have no choice but…
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November 18th, 2024: Hampton Roads, The Peninsula
We arrived in Hampton Roads, VA to crisp fall temperatures and the Beaver Moon. Hampton Roads is among the world’s largest natural harbors that is also known for being the northernmost major East Coast port of the United States which is ice-free year-round. Hampton Roads is part of the Virginia Peninsula bounded by the York…
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November 11th, 2024 Detour to University of Delaware
A Trip Down Memory Lane The drive from Marblehead, MA to Hampton, VA along the dense I95 corridor is about 12 hours or 630 miles, so we made a pit stop at the University of Delaware, our alma matter. It was here that we first met in 1976 during our freshman year at a sailing…
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At Home in Marblehead, November 10th
After securing Kailoa in Hampton, VA for safe storage during hurricane season, we returned to Marblehead in August. The 2024 hurricane season was reported to be significantly above average with 18 named storms. Most notable were Hurricane Milton which caused widespread damage in Florida, and Hurricane Helene which caused a record $53 billion in damage…
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Leg One Completed-summary
Leg One Completed: Marblehead MA to Hampton VA is complete just as hurricane season heats up. We plan to return in November to sail her to the Bahamas. Over the last several weeks the trip anxiety has dissolved as we developed a rhythm of working seamlessly together. The days of practice have become easier in…