Family Time Fun 

 

by Kathleen, 11/2/12

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is spending time with my family, just lying around eating and of course, playing games and doing puzzles. We frequently do a Christmas puzzle over the Thanksgiving weekend to start getting us in the mood for the holiday, but we also always play lots of games. Some of my very best Thanksgiving memories are playing Trivial Pursuit with my Mom and Dad after an early dinner while football played on T.V. in the background. Sensory overload? Perhaps, but we always had a blast and laughed and talked, which didn't necessarily happen as much if we weren't playing a game. Making my family play a game was a great way for us to actually pay attention to one another. If we didn't play a board or card game after dinner, Mom got too busy with cleaning up dishes, Dad would start reading, and I would try to get out of helping clean up to go play on my fancy, new Apple IIe (o.k., so I'm old), and even though we may all have been in the same house, we weren't really spending quality time together.

Another thing those days taught me was that not all games are for all people. My Father hated Scrabble, which was always a favorite for my Mom and me. Usually I could always talk them into playing Trivial Pursuit, but I, being young, couldn't ever compete. There were other games over the years that my family loved, but it was challenging to find just the right game to make everyone happy. For that reason, I thought I'd share with you some of my family's current favorites. My husband is legally blind so it makes playing certain board games challenging for him. Here are some of the ones we play most often!

Wits & Wagers Family



Wits & Wagers is a well-loved and highly awarded series of trivia games, that make the genre fun even for non-trivia nuts by adding in a mechanic that lets you bet on other players answers. In this family-friendly version, the betting is simplified by giving each player a large meeple and a small meeple to divvy up among guesses they think are the best. Containing kid-friendly questions, dry-erase boards and markers, and wooden meeples, Wits & Wagers Family is an easily travelling version of the classic game, and great for all generations!

To me, this is a much more fun trivia game than Trivial Pursuit ever was. It gives kids a chance of possibly winning while maintaining the fun of trivia games. I would think kids of about 5 or 6 and up could play this. Even younger could play on a team. There is also a new version, Wits & Wagers party, which would be good with slightly older kids (maybe 10 and up).

Qwirkle 

A great abstract strategy game, Qwirkle uses wooden tiles with different colored shapes that players arrange in lines – either by shape, or by color. There are rules that make placement sometimes challenging, and the winning player is the one who can make the most scoring lines of tiles and keep the other opponents' scores low.

I love this game. It is like Scrabble with shapes and colors. We began playing this as a family when my son was about 4 years old, but it is still a regular for our family and on game night with friends. All ages and skill levels love this game and it can be easily adapted for younger children. It can also turn into a pretty strategic game when played by adults. It won the Spiel des Jahres last year (German Boardgame of the Year award - like the Oscars of boardgames), even though it was created by an American woman.

Tsuro

A beautiful, simple game of tile laying strategy, this game is especially easy to learn for new players. This game is fast and easy, with enough strategy thrown in to make it fun for even hard-core gamers. This is one of the favorites in Labyrinth's aftercare programs, and is regularly played and won by children as young as 1st grade! You are building a maze of paths and trying to remain the last person on the board. It plays in about 15 to 20 minutes, and can support 2 to 8 players which is one of the reasons it is a party favorite.

Ticket to Ride

In Ticket to Ride, players collect cards of various types of train cars that they then use to claim railway routes in North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who fulfill Destination Tickets – goal cards that connect distant cities; and to the player who builds the longest continuous route.

Although this one is a little tough for my husband because he can't always see all the cities on the board, he still really likes it. This is one of the very best games to introduce friends and family to Euro-style board games. It is pretty quick, definitely less than an hour, and easy to learn. I would think that a child of about 7 or 8 who has experience with games could play this, but it does take a bit more concentration and may be better with slightlyolder kids or adults.

Rummikub

This is a classic that I learned from my grandmother. It was my favorite all through high school. It is kind of like the card game Rummy, but soooo much more fun with lots more perceptual reasoning. My husband and I are both pretty good at this game, somy child has had a hard time competing, but he is now starting to get it. We do have to help him. This is definitely the one that makes my husband and I the most competitive. It can get ugly!

Two by Two

The floodwaters are rising and the animals need to board the ark!

In this deceptively simple game, players move their boats around a steadily deteriorating landscape, matching pairs in order to rescue stranded animals.

Animals that are rare at the end of the game are worth more points than those that are common.

This is a new family favorite and we will probably play it this Thanksgiving. It is simple and the animals are cute. I love trying to get the super rare unicorns. We frequently read the Shel Silverstein poem, The Unicorn, before or after playing. It has always been one of my favorite poems.

I'm sure you can imagine, as the owner of a game store, my family and I play a lot of games, but these are some of the ones we return to again and again. My son and I have a lot of other favorites that we frequently play, but when my Mom heads to town we are more than likely to bring one of these out. If you'd like to have a new game for the holidays, stop by and talk to our knowledgeable staff. We can help you find a game that is just right for you and your family. We also have a huge selection of jigsaw puzzles and travel games.

Have a Pirate-themed Game Night!

Ahoy there, me mateys! Don't be a scurvy dog or blasted landlubber! Get ye to Labyrinth for some o' these beauties! They be the best pirate games ye treasure can buy!

NEW -  Pirates of the Spanish Main - A fast, fun and family-friendly card game for 2 to 4 players. During play, you want to steer the captains that you sponsor and their ships to treasure, but you need to be discrete about who you sponsor. If another player guesses which ships are yours, he gets to plunder half your gold!

Pirate Fluxx - The classic "Talk Like A Pirate" game - there is even a card that gives you benefits for talking like a pirate. By local game designer, Andy Looney, this is a fun and crazy game perfect for adults and families! 

Scallywags - A recent edition to our children's games section and a new favorite in our aftercare program. It is a light-hearted game in which players are swashbuckling pirates divvying up their booty. This can be played by pretty young players, probably 5 or 6 and up.

Loot - We love this pirate themed card game from Gamewright, great for kids aged 8 and up.

Merchants & Marauders - A gorgeous, somewhat complicated board game (best for adults and maybe some older advanced gamer kids) that is best for 4 players, but can be played with 2 to 4. In this game, you live the life of an influential merchant or a dreaded pirate in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. Seek your fortune through trade, rumor hunting, missions, and of course, plundering. The game features a unique trade system and a thematic combat system, allowing for critical decisions and intense excitement. Modify your ship, buy impressive vessels, load deadly special ammunition, and hire specialist crew members. Will your captain gain eternal glory and immense wealth - or find his wet grave under the stormy surface of the Caribbean Sea?

50 Secret Codes Activity Cards by Usborne Publishing

Labyrinth Kids: Game Reviews by our Younger Customers

by S., 8 years old

S.'s Rating: Four out of Five Stars

These cards are fun to play especially on long trips.  Say you are driving to New York and you have the spy cards in the back seat.  You could play with them and they would keep you absorbed for a long time.  They include directions on how to do the codes on some of the cards.  And some of the cards are mystery cards.  They include a brief paragraph and a picture on one side of the card and the secret code under the paragraph.  If they are a code card that gives directions on how to do a code, there is no paragraph long mystery about the code.  You just learn how to do that type of code.  I liked this game, but personally I couldn't solve any of the codes!!  I had fun trying, though. 

Store Notes:

This is one of a many new Activity Card sets that we have recently begun selling. We have found that there is a range of difficulty levels for the cards contained in each set. Here's is a brief description of the 50 Secret Codes from the manufacturer.

"A wonderful set of wipe-clean activity cards for aspiring code-breakers!

• Includes Semaphore and Morse code, "Grid code" used in the American Civil War, Egyptian hieroglyphics and traditional number replacement and alphabet switching codes.
• Each card contains information about the code, an explanation of how it works and fun coding activities.
• Includes a special pen to write on the cards."

If your child is a Labyrinth customer and would like to review a game to be featured on our blog, please contact us.

Tell Tale

Labyrinth Kids: Game Reviews by our Younger Customers

Patrick's
Rating:

This is a great game.
You should own it!
(see below for explanation)

by Patrick, 6 1/2 years old



How many times have you played it?

I don’t know. Twenty or thirty, maybe?

Who do you play it with?

My mom and my grandma, and my brother, kind of. Sometimes we play a round of Parcheesi instead.

What ages do you think would most enjoy the game?

Six, Five, Seven... Well, someone who’s about my age, something about six-and-a half. You know, about my age.

Do you think grown-ups would like it?

Yes! Because me and my mom, we’re playin’ it, PLAYIN IT!

Is it like any other game you’ve played?  

No. It doesn’t have a board game, and there’s no fighting, and no one wins or loses. It’s just a game where you can make up stories and more and more and more.

What kind of pieces does the game have? Cards, dice, tiles? 

Just cards and pictures on the cards.

How do you play it?

Well, you have to have any [number of] person you want, except one thousand. But you can have as many people as you like, unless it’s a bigger number.  You just pick a random card from the center, and start telling a story and basically you tell a funny story.

What is your favorite part of the game?  

I like that you get to make a silly story. You get to laugh and laugh and it gets weirder and weirder. And sometimes, you can get a girlfriend (in the story) while you’re playing it. And sometimes, she can be surfing on a wave. And sometimes, your friends can be shouting at each other. And sometimes you end up in jail. You can end up in a laboratory or in a haunted house.

What didn’t you like about the game? 

Nothing. I like it all. There’s no bothers about it: it’s just telling a silly story.

Anything else you’d like to say about this game? 

Go buy it!

Rating System

6 – You MUST play this game!
5 – This is a great game. You should own it.
4 – It’s a good game. I’d like to play it again.
3– This is an alright game. I liked it, but not everyone will.
2– It’s an o.k. game, but I don’t really want to play it again.
1 – I would not recommend this game.

If your child is a Labyrinth customer and would like to review a game, please contact us at kathleen@labyrinthgameshop.com. 

Finally...

For those of you who figured we must have sunk in Norfolk, I apologize for the lengthy delay in posting the final leg of our journey (for now, anyway).

Norfolk, as we said, Tom loves it, Barb, not so much. Tom loves the activity with all the ships, tugs, barges and pleasure boat traffic. That's pretty much what Barb doesn't like about it. When you have to share a channel or squeeze under a bridge with something the size of a city block or two, it can make you feel a little vulnerable!

The anchorage at Hospital Point is pleasant, and there is good holding, so that part we can agree on. But, when one of those freaky storms comes through (like the one that Monday night), that holding thing is really, really important. The storm went through Richmond, and headed straight for Norfolk. Hit us like a ton of bricks. We did have enough warning to set our storm snubber and 150' of chain, expecting crazy winds. We got them, and the waves that came up the Elizabeth River were even crazier. We were getting tossed and pounded by wind, rain, waves, and yes, even hail! The boat was being pushed by so many strong forces, we went around in a complete circle and spent a lot of time heeled over to the gunwales. There was no visibility because the rain was a solid wall. However, at some point, the rain slacked enough to see a bit, and then the boat behind us took a direct lightning hit to the top of her mast. Fortunately, this was a fast moving storm so we could find out quickly that everyone on the boat that was hit was okay. It knocked out their electronics, and Tom said the sparks were wild to see, but we were glad everyone held and there was not greater damage.



After dealing with our own personal little perfect storm, we were more anxious than ever to head to Deltaville Tuesday morning. So, we noted the weather, and even though it was going to be choppy, we started early and headed north. Didn't get too far because choppy was a misnomer. We couldn't get out of the Elizabeth River...the waves were just knocking us all over. So, back we went to Hospital Point and dropped the hook in almost the same spot we'd left an hour earlier. Tuesday was a beautiful day in Norfolk and it was a nice night as well. Wednesday morning we set off again, and, wonder of wonders, we made it up the river, up the Bay, past Thimble Shoal Light, past Wolf Trap Light, past Stingray Light, up the Rappahannock, and into Locklies Creek by around 4:30 that evening. Whew, it felt really good to tie up knowing we'll be staying put for awhile!

Maggie in her favorite cockpit seat

Maggie is happy to be a settled, which is reflected in her milder attitude. She managed well, a little huffy some days, but we're pretty sure she will not miss the rocking and rolling.









Don't know if the weather has been nutty where you are, but several of those violent thunderstorms have hit since we've been here, and we are very glad this creek offers good protection. Of course, the lightening shows have been illuminating, but, for now, we've not seen anyone else take a hit, thank goodness. Between the 100+ degree days and the stormy evenings, it's been quite a welcome back to Virginia.



We'll be taking a break now and trying to get through some of our huge list of maintenance, update and repair items. We are enjoying time with the family, reconnecting with old friends, and recovering from all the travel. It's been a lot of fun, a lot of work, and an experience we'll treasure for years to come. Not sure where we'll head next, but keep an eye on us, because we'll start to get antsy and plan a new journey in a few months!

Thanks for traveling with us!

Quarriors!

Labyrinth Kids: Game Reviews by our Younger Customers

David's Rating:

You MUST play this game!
(see below for explanation)

by David, almost 8 years old  



How many times have you played this game?
About 15 times

Who usually plays it with you?

My Mom and her friends

What ages do you think would most enjoy the game?

7 years old to 50 years old

Do you think grown-ups would like it?

Yes

What is the game about?

It is a dice game about monsters.

How do you play?

You roll dice. If you roll monsters, you can put them out. If they live, you get points. The first one to 20 points wins.

What is your favorite thing about the game?
Beating my Mom!

What is your least favorite thing about the game?
Nothing

What kind of person do you think would like this game?
Boys

Anything else you'd like to tell us?
It has lots of dice. No children under 3 should get near it. The game is a little hard to learn for 7 year olds.

Store notes:
Quarriors! is a game of Uber Strategic Hexadedron Monster Combat Mayhem! It comes with 130 custom dice. During the game you build a dice pool, and attack other players with your monsters. Games usually last about 30 minutes. "Officially" recommended for ages 14+. 2 to 4 players

Rating System

6 – You MUST play this game!
5 – This is a great game. You should own it.
4 – It’s a good game. I’d like to play it again.
3– This is an alright game. I liked it, but not everyone will.
2– It’s an o.k. game, but I don’t really want to play it again.
1 – I would not recommend this game.

If your child is a Labyrinth customer and would like to review a game, please contact us at kathleen@labyrinthgameshop.com. 

Stop and Go....

Ah, Alligator River to Coinjock, a great day, and, except for the weird bugs that attack this time of year, uneventful. They are called "fuzzy bills" and they are apparently what we know as blind mosquitoes. They look a lot like mosquitoes, they are aquatic, but they don't bite. They do, however swarm by the thousands and attach themselves to any surface out of the wind and direct sun. All the enclosure and both sail covers were covered with them and they went halfway up the mast. We had to shut ourselves in the cockpit as much as possible to keep them away. They would fly behind our sun glasses and up our noses. PESKY!



We made good use of the water and electricity at Coinjock...hosed down the boat, drowning the majority of the fuzzy bills, and wallowed in the cool air conditioning that night! It was a pricey stop with fuel, dockage, electricity, and a dinner out, but we enjoyed it.



Here's the thing...50 miles from Coinjock, NC to Norfolk, VA. Not a bad day, but we travel between 5 and 6kts every hour, let's just use 5.5kts for ease. At Coinjock (Mile 50) boats are docked end to end with about a foot between them, so our plan to leave by 6:30am had to be pushed to whatever time either the trawler in front of us or the one behind decided to leave. The trawlers have bow thrusters so they can move sideways like a crab. So, we were able to get out about 7:00am when the Grand Banks behind us left. Now comes the puzzle. If you can figure it out so that we don't kill half our day waiting or traveling at ridiculously slow speeds, you WIN!



Mile 20.2 bridge opens on the hour and half hour



Mile 15.3 bridge opens on the hour and half hour



Mile 12.0 bridge opens on the hour only



Mile 11.3 lock locks on the hour and unlocks approximately on the half hour



Mile 8.8 bridge opens on the hour only



Mile 5.8 bridge opens on the half hour only and not at all between 3:30 and 6:30, and one last glitch...there is a railroad bridge immediately before this last bridge that may or may not close for trains and having no predetermined schedule.



So, math whizzes, what 'ya got? What we got was a lot of stop and go!



Well, it did take awhile, but we made it, amd even managed to hit the Gilmerton (Mile 5.8) before it shut down for 3 hours. Tom loves Norfolk...so much to look at and watch. Barb, not so much...the tugs with barges and ships everywhere make her a bit edgy. But you'll have to wait for the next post for our Norfolk experience...we seem to be trying to end our travels with a big finish!



Thanks for traveling along.

Rumbles and flashes!

Funny thing, the last two days we have not been able to get any phone service, but we have been able to pick up 3G for wireless. So, thought it would be a good time to blog a bit.



We just completed two uneventful (that's good news) days on the ICW. Last night we were in a favorite anchorage, Slade Creek. We have never seen another boat anchor there, but it is wide with plenty of water and has always been a pleasant anchorage for us.



Today was a short day to the south end of the Alligator River. It consisted mostly of a 20+ mile stretch of, what must be a man made, canal between the Pungo River (wish I were making up these names, but I'm not) and the Alligator River. The canal is straight, not too wide, not too narrow, devoid of any trace of humanity, doesn't carry a strong current or dramatic tide change, and would be lovely except for the fact that after the first couple of hours, it gets really boring! Takes about 4 or 5 hours to travel it so you have to take shifts like on an overnight to keep from dozing off. Okay, it's not that bad...it is pretty and it's an easy passage.



Besides, you know what happens when you complain? We do!



So we get all anchored and set in to relax and enjoy the evening. Saw a few ominous looking clouds lurking, but afternoon thunderstorms are not unusual, so, not to worry. By yiminny if those few clouds didn't turn into one, no, two, actually, up to three now major thunderstorms. It got dark except for the lightning striking around us, and loud...wow! You just knew after the big streak of lightning there was going to be a huge clap of thunder, so you'd draw up your shoulders and cringe waiting for it. Still, one of those big ones can shake you 'til your teeth rattle. With each squall, the shore, only a few hundred feet away, completely disappeared. Before we decided to disconnect everything because of lightning, we measured 32knt winds. Not devastating, but took us by surprise.



Evidently wifi is not that strong, so maybe this will post tonight, and maybe not. Oh, well, it's worth a shot. Thanks for sticking with us!



So, a day late and a dollar short...it decided not to let us post last night!

Last offshore day this trip!

Last minute this morning we decided to go offshore from Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort NC. It was a good day. It was a long day...about 11 hours.



As the predictions showed, the waves increased as we neared Beaufort so the last few hours were a little rough, but not too bad. The channel, however, was a nightmare. Tom says the worst we've experienced. Barb thought it was on a scale with Charleston the last time we entered there, but Tom was at the helm both times and he said this made Charleston look like a cakewalk! It really didn't help matters that we arrived at the time of day that every sport fisher and head boat was returning from offshore as well!



But, we're safe and snug at Town Creek and saved a day of travel while missing a couple of difficult spots in the ICW. Who could ask for more? Well, we might ask that the Navy warship we were trying to stay clear of might have stopped changing his direction so that he was barreling toward us at 20kts no matter what course adjustments we made! Good thing is we didn't get close enough for him to send out the patrols to shoot us, and he waited until we were finally clear of him to get on the radio and tell everyone to stay out of his way! They were doing helicopter landing exercises so were changing course for wind direction.



Tomorrow, back to the ditch...yay! Not many skinny spots left and we're in the home stretch now!



Thanks for traveling with us!

Progress... it's not all pretty, but it is progress!

Inch by inch we're making our way. Tuesday we had some notable advances...we passed the 200 mile marker (200 miles from Norfolk), we entered North Carolina, we traveled up the Cape Fear River (slowly, as the flow was slow and the ebb was persistent), and we anchored at Wrightsville Beach (a favorite spot) where we stayed an extra night, walked the couple miles to Harris Teeter for a few grocery items, walked down to the beach to see the ocean, since we can't seem to get the boat out there, ate pizza (yet again) and ice cream and just enjoyed stretching our legs.



Let's see, when we chatted last, we were on our way to Charleston...killer day! It was a long tense day with so many shallow challenges, all recommending waiting until half tide on a rising tide to tackle. In case you are not familiar with tides, can't be done and make any headway. So, we hedged our bets and ran most of them at low or near low and saved our rising tide for the big ugly, the Dawho River! We arrived near there just about at the peak of low tide. So, after contacting our ever faithful friends at TowBoatUS for local knowledge, we found a little spot off to the side and anchored for a couple of hours to get a few more feet of water under us before Dawho. TowBoat did tell us they had someone near the entrance to the river just in case that didn't work out for us. By the time we cleared that, both of us were wound pretty tight...Tom's shoulder was cramping up and we were exhausted. Ready to ease on into the Stono River just south of Charleston and set the hook.



But what to our wondering eyes should appear...not a jolly old elf and 8 tiny reindeer, but dozens upon dozens of Saturday river revelers all in one place on the Stono River between us and our anchorage! There were people swimming, standing in the water, zipping up and down and around in small boats of every shape and color...the beer was flowing freely, lots of hooting and giggling, and very little watching out for anyone else. All of this fun was happening next to a bridge we were heading under when (as if someone blew the whistle for "everyone out of the pool!") scores of boats swarmed for the ramp on the other side of the bridge. Only 3 boats can go out at a time, so the rest of them just meandered slowly (or totally stopped) in the channel in front of us or zipped around throwing fair sized wakes in all directions. Well, that frayed Barb's last nerve...just sure someone was going to get pulverized at any moment! Thankfully it was a good anchorage and a good night.

One small corner that was under the net - Tom

smashed a handful before we puled it off

Whew, out of Charleston, and another day of skinny water. It was another tense day, but we made it through and anchored in a favorite spot...only 1 other boat around the bend. Beautiful and peaceful evening until the point when the most mosquitoes we've ever seen in one place descended on us. We had the bug net over the cockpit, but they were vicious. So many got inside we are still killing them 3 days later. Hundreds were trapped in the net when we took it off the next morning.





Our hope from there was to do an overnight offshore, and everything looked good the night before. But the next morning, winds and waves were predicted to increase and it was a new passage for us, so we made the decision to continue inside on the waterway.

Elephant out for a stroll by the boat ramp.

Had a beautiful easy day after the mosquito attack, through a lovely part of the ICW. For some reason, the current was with us all day, and the only thing that slowed us down was an elephant! Seriously, how cool is that! We didn't really mind slowing down for a good look and even radioed the boat behind us to make sure they didn't miss it.

  

Scratching an itch!

Golf and an amusement ride!

If golf is your thing, you may like the course that's split by the ICW. You have to ride across the ditch in a gondola...we caught this one going by with the bags hanging off the side.

Cozy duckling

Stayed overnight in a marina for the first time this trip...more fuel, more water, boat hosed down, pizza delivery and fireworks to top it off. All in all a good day! And, a warm fuzzy moment...a baby duck in an exhaust pipe. Mom was nearby, but distracted with the crackers folks were throwing her way.

We called this goat island

Tuesday was not a bad day, but another long one. It is a veritable zoo along the ditch. This time it was goats! No alligators this trip, but wild horses in GA, an elephant in SC, and goats in NC...what awaits us in VA?











I promised a couple of pics from our good offshore day...the only one that came out was the shrimp boat. Makes me think of the Flying Nun! These guys travel in packs of about a dozen, and at night they're kinda' freaky looking! This was a beautiful day in the ocean...almost looks like a lake!

Graceful from a distance, gangly up close!

Tomorrow...what will that bring? Maybe an offshore day (think we've decided to continue inside), an ICW day with all good things (would be nice), or another skinny water tense day (hope not). In any case, we appreciate your hanging in there with us!

Georgia?

I think we left you in Georgia, well, finally, we actually left Georgia today! Woo-hoo! Let's see, we only spent seven days getting through GA...at this rate, we'll be in VA by, say July? UGH! As usual, the best laid plans....



There is no accounting for weather. After the dreadful day we spent offshore from Jax to Cumberland Island, we were really hoping for a good weather outlook to have a good experience offshore. It just didn't present itself. We actually headed out the St. Mary's channel and had to turn back it was so rough. As for the ICW not being an option in GA, sometimes there's just no other way. So we have been inching our way through the shallows, one low spot after the next. We did manage to go offshore one day, from St. Simons Island to Doboy Sound...altogether about 36 miles, but we avoided Mud River which is a messy little spot to get through. It was a beautiful day and restored our faith a bit in the offshore experience. Have some pics that will follow.



I could list the "CAUTION" spots we've had to traverse, but it wouldn't mean much to most of you following along with us, and it would make this a very, very, very long post. Suffice it to say that we have spent every day checking tide charts, reading updates online, consulting guides, timing distances and holding our breath through one skinny spot after another. Some days start at 5 am or shortly thereafter to try to catch the tide, others (like today...along with the early start) include motoring around in circles for 2+ hours waiting for a bridge to open or anchoring for a couple of hours waiting for the tide to come in to a known problem area.



We are celebrating several things today! In addition to leaving GA, we stopped for fuel and water. This may sound fairly commonplace, and generally would be, but, although we had plenty of fuel, we had not filled the water tanks since leaving Jax. WATER WAS LOW! Hot showers are available again! It was Nirvana! We set foot on land (well, docks anyway) for the first time in 10 days, rinsed the salt off the dodger, unloaded the huge bag of trash accumulating and residing in the dinghy, and chatted with some very helpful marina workers. Of course, being so out of practice, Barb did try to fill one water tank that was not technically a water tank. It started with a "W" so who looked closely enough to know it was the waste tank. Filled up really fast! No real harm done, but we will need to get to a pump out to take care of that soon!



A few missteps along the way just keep it interesting, right? With all the information, updates, charts, guides, and electronic marvels, some things just can't find a category to fit into. How one could miss the ICW entirely and head up some limited channel would be one of those. Tom ran below for a few minutes and left Barb at the helm. While trying to decipher just where the turn came in for the approach to the bridge, she realized that Tom had us headed up a channel that was not part of the ICW. Turns out, the electronic marvel totally neglected to mark that part of the ditch, and, if not for the paper charts and a little curiosity, we would have had a very different outcome to our day! Tom recalls that being an issue 5 years ago in the same spot...only difference is that we didn't have the updated electronic marvel then. Of course, that recollection came after the fact.



Today we managed to hit every single skinny spot at nearly low, or low tide. It was a tense day, but we actually made it through all of them. If Jupiter aligns with Mars tomorrow (and pigs fly), we may make Charleston. We'll be starting very early, but will probably have to wait for the tide to turn at Dawho River, making it pretty nearly impossible for us to make Charleston. So, keep your fingers crossed for us...we need all the help we can get. Meanwhile, we are looking for good offshore days that coincide with our proximity to a useable inlet...talk about pigs flying!



Are we having fun yet? Some days you have to laugh to keep from crying, others are just too crazy for anything but a good laugh. Keep smiling, and thanks for traveling with us (even though you may have gotten the better hand in that deal).

And again we wait...

We can really pick 'em! Weather has decided not to be our friend right now. From Exchange Island we went 12 whole miles to anchor at Blount Island (still in the St. Johns River). We determined it was best since we had 25 knot winds and 3' seas in the river! Met up with another boat there who said the Coast Guard suggested he not go offshore that day, so we didn't feel too wimpy not pushing on. Well, next morning, off they went on a long leg to Charleston, much further offshore than we planned since we were just going as far as Cumberland Island (St. Mary's GA). It should have been an indication of the day to follow when we were pulling up anchor and our depth went to 5'8"...since we draw a full 6', that's not something we like to see. Barb just couldn't seem to get the boat moving but we seemed to be slowly drifting into a bit deeper water. Finally dawned on her she hadn't engaged the transmission. We hope things were better for our fellow traveler further out, since it was probably one of the worst, if not the worst day we've had! The reports called for NE winds 10-15 kts with 2-4' seas. They got the wind direction right. We had steady winds over 25 kts, which was not really a problem. Seas, however were a problem! They were at a minimum, 6-7' with some swells well over that, and they were coming close together at an angle that restricted the direction we could proceed. We needed to go north to north-northeast. With those waves we were fighting rolls gunwale to gunwale and going into or in front of them just set us straight out to sea or right back to land. As we crashed into wave after wave, the water was swamping across the bow and against the enclosure. Our secondary anchor was pushed out of its cradle, and had it not been tied off and the chain clamped would have been swinging loose against the boat. Tom persevered and little by little worked us north. We ran with our running lights because it was dark and squally all day as well. What a miserable day. Barb was ill, and no help with the helm, Maggie was wedged into her carrier, trying to maintain her dignity (she fared better than Barb) and Tom was exhausted, sore and hungry by the time we made Cumberland Island. But, we did make it! Forgot to turn off the running lights until we went to turn on the anchor light. Just as well since we then checked the status of our lights and the starboard (green) was out. Tom replaced the bulb and all is working again. We're not sure what it's like out there today but the reports show a bit more favorable in the next few days. It's a drizzly calm day inside this protected area and we are staying put for now. Did a lot of weather surfing and route crunching last night to add plans C, D, and E to our original plans A and B. Since going inside through GA is not really an option, keep your fingers crossed for calm seas for us! Bet you're glad you're snug at home, but thanks for following along with us!

We're off!

Farewell and fond memories, Jacksonville, until our next visit!



Rained like crazy this morning, but cleared up just before slack tide so we were able to ease out of our slip, tie up at the fuel dock, top off the tanks,and even get all three miles down river to Exchange Island in nice weather! That we weren't expecting! Now that we are all snug at anchor, the weather has again caught up with us and it's raining cats and dogs. It's a good day to sit in the cockpit and read. Looks like we may have a bit more wind than we had hoped for our offshore tomorrow, and a chance of chunkier seas, but we'll see how it goes. If it's too much, we'll come on back into the St. Johns and wait it out. Each day holds a new adventure.



'Til next time, thanks for traveling with us.

Hanging in Jacksonville...

WHEELS!



We've rented a car for a week and we are enjoying the flexibility it offers. Our friends have been very generous with their time and their vehicles, but we hate to wear out our welcome! We're getting everything set for the next leg of our journey. We've gotten the charts we ordered, printed up bookcharts for some areas where we just need reference info, replaced the jib sheets, started our provisioning list, and planned our preferred courses along with alternates. Still to do: enter waypoints into the chart plotter and set routes and alternate routes, restitch the canvas strip on the jib, purchase provisions, say our so longs, and finally, Tom's doctor appointment. Then, we'll wait for slack tide, leave the slip and top off the fuel.

Matthews Bridge from Exchange Island

Hart Bridge from Exchange Island

We'll stay the night at Exchange Island, and the next morning we'll go offshore to Cumberland Island. That is just a day trip, and usually pretty uneventful...we're hoping that's the case this time as well.







From there we plan to go offshore to Charleston, an overnight stretch. Two days in the ICW, then we'd like to go offshore from Winyah Bay to Wrightsville Beach, or if it looks good and feels right, on to Beaufort, NC. We're inside from Beaufort to points north.

South bank St. Johns at Jax

North bank St. Johns at Jax

We're sad to leave friends here, but ready to be on our way, get back to the Bay and see friends and family there!









We'll post along the way as availability allows. Weather and all other contingencies permitting, we'll be ensconced in a slip at Regent Point Marina before the end of the month. While there we have a whole laundry list of projects to complete before embarking on our next adventure. Thanks for following along!

Talk about weather...

Welcome to Jacksonville!



It felt good to get back to our familiar digs, but we didn't really welcome Beryl. Beryl, however, crashed our party uninvited. We are very fortunate that it didn't quite reach hurricane status, 60+ kts is bad enough! Anyway, we pulled down all the enclosure and bimini, removed all the cushions, wrapped the sails, secured all loose items, added extra lines, gathered a few things including Maggie and her necessities and headed for dry ground. The marina here has floating docks, which make a big difference in a storm, but they are in need of repair and some sections are a bit iffy. With the wind, storm surge and rough, choppy, rolling seas, going to land seemed the best course of action.



We spent a couple of nights ashore where we followed the storm and caught up on what comes on TV these days. Gotta' say, we're not missing much having no TV on the boat!



Our friend, Kathy, has ferried us all over the place, which has been huge, and our friend, Russ, has leant us his car for other errands...much appreciated. Being without a car is not too bad in good weather, but it's a bit more of a challenge in heavy weather. Thank goodness for friends! The high winds have calmed to a manageable level and we came back aboard Monday afternoon. Tuesday morning, even with the rain still pelting away, we put the bimini and enclosure back up. We feel whole again! In hindsight, I wish we had taken some pictures, but that didn't really even enter our minds at the time. The river is still swollen, choppy and bouncy, the winds are gusting a bit still, it's raining buckets, and there are all types of debris bumping by (mostly boards) but we're all tucked in, snug and dry.



We hope everyone had a nice Memorial weekend as we remembered those who sacrificed all to guarantee the safety and freedom we cherish.

A short stop before the Bay

Hello, there. We left Vero Beach Sunday, 5/20 and made it to Titusville. Beautiful most of the day, then the wind started kicking up around 24 kts. Before quite so much wind came along, we put the jib out to boost us along. Well, one of our sheets blew so that put an end to that for now. We'll replace the sheets in Jax. Waves were building as well and the Sunday boaters were busting it to get home. We found a good spot just south of the bridge so opted to anchor instead of picking up a ball at the Titusville Marina. The next morning we went into the marina to refuel. That place is just lousy with manatees! One was between us and the fuel dock, but moved on before we were ready to leave. They are not pretty, but very cool!



There are a number of shoaling areas on the way to Daytona, our next stop. We were really happy to hear a boat (with a 6' draft) in front of us calling TowBoatUS to ask for the better option in one area. We followed the advice offered (opposite of what ToeBoatUS told us on the way down) and communicated with Steve and Lynn on "Celebration" through several more areas of concern. At one junction, we almost took a wrong course, but Steve gave us some good direction and we proceeded on fine from there. We anchored in a lesser used spot in Daytona since we ran aground in the main anchorage there on the way down and the charted waters are not accurately charted. Good choice for us, and a nice night.



St. Augustine was our next stop and all went well. We caught up with "Celebration" there and took them a bottle of wine to say thanks for the help! They will be hauling in Deltaville to work on the boat some, so we hope to catch up with them there. This being our second stay on a ball in St. Augustine, we've decided we'll anchor nearby in the future. The current is strong there and if the wind and current are opposing, it's a bit of a battle with the mooring ball. We were keel hauling the ball and all the lines every few minutes for awhile and had concerns about the lines holding up. Fortunately, the wind settled and the tide changed and we were okay for the rest of the night.



We got the early opening of the Bridge of Lions before they closed for morning traffic and had a good day to Exchange Island where we enjoy anchoring before checking into our marina in Jax, as well as on nights before heading out of Jax. The dolphins were all over the place that day, jumping and tail flapping. One did a little backflip...it's belly was pink! Never knew they had pink bellies. We took our time this morning for a leisurely motor the 3 miles to River City Brewing Co. Marina, and managed to arrive at a slack tide. Tom backed us in beautifully and with Lee, our dockmaster's, guidance, all went smoothly. We're here for a busy couple of weeks, then we'll make our way to the Chesapeake Bay for awhile. We have air conditioning again! Woo-hoo! Nice to be back even for a short while.



We'll keep you posted as we head to points north. Thanks for traveling with us!

Back in the USA

You're a grand old flag, you're a high flying flag...

We're back in the USA!



We had made our plans to head north of the Whale and wait for a good window to cross the Gulf Stream. The window opened up sooner than expected, so we made our way quickly over to Great Sale to get into position to execute our strategy. Of course, we were without wifi and had only one source for weather, albeit a good one. Chris Parker broadcasts 6 days a week on single sideband. On Monday, he indicated Wednesday night/Thursday, even Friday should be great. By Wednesday morning, all that had changed, and if you weren't going to get across by Thursday morning (which may be a little iffy as well), your best bet would be to wait 2 or 3 weeks. Even at that, he said there was so much going on it was just a best guess for him what was coming. Well, we had considered a 2-day to Jax or an overnight to Ft. Pierce. So, Ft. Pierce was then the only option, but we had pretty much decided that was all we were up for this time anyway.



Time to execute:

We made a couple of judgement errors in deciding the best way to position ourselves for the crossing. Instead of doing it all at once, we decided to overnight at Mangrove Cay then anchor off Little Bahama Bank to wait for the right departure time Wednesday night.

Hard to tell, but this is the anchor chain
coming from under the boat off the port stern.

First error: there is a very strong current around Mangrove Cay and it was opposed to the wind (causing us to face into the wind with the anchor behind the boat) which at times was pretty stiff along with the thunderstorms. Even though it is more open water, we might have had an easier night on the East side of Mangrove, for the current flow anyway. The worst part of that night was when the lightning struck so close and the crack was so loud, I thought we'd been hit. Tom assured me we were okay, and the electronics were still working. It was pretty spooky though. All in all that was not too bad since we later heard from someone at Great Sale that they got beat up pretty badly with strong storms that lasted much longer than what we experienced.



Second error: don't try to anchor off Little Bahama Bank. Current - crazy, wind - crazy, waves - lifting the bow so high the dinghy slapped the water from up on the davits then slammed us back down so the next wave broke over the bow. Needless to say, our plan to nap so we would be rested for the crossing that night did not go well. And, with the change in the weather report, we knew we were going to have to leave Wednesday evening rather than really early Thursday to get into Ft. Pierce by morning and avoid what Chris predicted to be some ugly stuff coming that afternoon.



Still with me?

Anyway, we started our crossing around 6:30 pm because we couldn't stand it at the Bank any longer. That was earlier than necessary, but we planned to just take our time. The crossing was delightful...auto pilot held a great course, no storms, it was lovely. Until, that is, about 2:00 am when we started running across some massive ships with odd light configurations and we had some difficulty in determining their paths. One actually turned off all of his lights for a minute or two several times. We've not seen anything in rules of the road to explain that, but we took a wide detour around the big stuff. It was around that time, or shortly thereafter the US Coast Guard started issuing warnings every 30 minutes or so for all vessels to seek immediate shelter from the severe thunderstorms with strong winds and possible water spouts in the Ft. Pierce area and offshore. If that wasn't just the icing on the cake! Pitch black, big weird ships, thunderstorms, strong winds, and possible water spouts that we wouldn't have been able to see a foot in front of us! Plus the fact that even at low RPMs the Gulf Stream had pushed us along so that we had to stall so we could enter this unfamiliar channel in daylight. We found ourselves navigating around fish traps, going against the current, even going further north while waiting for dawn, all in that dark rainy night.

Vero Beach mooring field

Vero Beach from the mooring field

Daylight did finally arrive and we safely navigated a very nice wide channel and made our way a few miles up the ICW to Vero Beach. We are staying here a few days to decompress before heading to Jax.





Whew! That was a wordy report, and hopefully we didn't lose you along the way. We'll keep you posted on the trip up to Jax, then to the Chesapeake Bay.



Here are a few of the pics that didn't make the earlier posts...it was beautiful and fun!

Hope Town

We enjoyed Hope Town, and even though one boat broke loose one night, we felt very secure and slept well!

Sailboat off of Treasure Cay Beach

Treasure Cay Beach is so amazing with sand so white and soft it's hard to even describe.

At anchor No Name Cay

No Name Cay was a great anchorage. We were the only boat there and that's where we went ashore and found sand dollars.

Crazy old tractor at Nippers

This crazy thing has been there for many, many years. I'll bet it was fun to decorate!













The flowers are everywhere and the colors are beautiful. What a wonderful trip!



Thanks for traveling with us!