North Carolina to the Chesapeake Bay

 6/20/2026

Hello!

Update:

We are in Gloucester Point, Virginia at the York River Yacht Haven marina. We stayed in Beaufort for several days, watched the last day of the Big Rock marlin fishing tournament while anchored across from downtown and then moved to a dock the last two nights. It’s a little too hot for us to be at anchor. Beaufort is such a nice small town, with tons of restored historic homes. I saw several I would like to own. North Carolina has a rugged coastline with high winds and coarse sand dune islands that look like they could move overnight to a new place. Very different from the sweet easy beaches of the Florida west coast that I am accustomed to.

Our goal is to be in New York City for July 4^th so we are moving north whenever possible and not sightseeing. One of our friends watching on the Garmin tracker asked if we were on vacation or “a delivery.” Well, it’s a delivery. We are stopping for weather or mechanical issues only. Once we get to New York, we will start the pleasure trip again. 

In Beaufort we befriended another sailboat, Nordik Light. We sailed together on Tuesday the 16^th out in the Atlantic to round Cape Hatteras. Nordik Light had taken the trip many times, so we were happy to accompany them. The winds were very light and the rounding went smoothly. After getting through the shoals and finally turning north instead of east it was after midnight. I came up on watch to relieve Al. This is when a series of issues began that caused Al to work on the boat the rest of the night. It was nothing serious, but it all had to be done.  

We arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in daylight. At the bay entrance there was a lot of large boat traffic, plus several naval warships. The Coast Guard had announcements on Channel 16 every 5 minutes about live fire drills and safety zones around the Tall Ships moving in for a parade. Once we got in the bay, things settled down and we proceeded to our planned stop at Gloucester Point on the York River. We docked the boat at 5:30 pm on the 17^th. 

Older Cruising Boats

The next part will explain how we manage to deal with the mechanical issues that invariably come up. Cruising boats like ours can be compared to a house or a city. There are systems for generating electricity, distributing electricity, holding water, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, lighting, diesel fuel storage, a steering system and autopilot, navigation GPS systems, the sails, rigging and lines for sailing plus the all-important and beloved diesel engine. Almost everything is custom and fortunately Al can fix almost all the systems. Take these systems, put them all on a vessel that vibrates, rolls and flexes as it moves through the water and plus everything is slightly damp all the time; so things need attention frequently.  

Al started working on the boat issues before we arrived at the marina. The marina staff said they had a diver who could come to the boat the next day, great!  We arrived at 5:30 pm and happily saw a restaurant at the marina. We had both been up most of the last 48 hours. Walking up the dock a diver and his helper were working on a boat. They were not the diver the marina contacted but we stopped and chatted for a bit and took their card just in case. 

A wild and windy day at Gloucester Point / How we keep this boat going

As predicted, the winds were very high on Thursday June 18^th. That’s why we were not traveling but coincidentally there was also boat work to do. Our boat was still in a bit of disarray from the passage, and we were tired, but the repairs had to get started. Al rolled out of bed at 7 am and started on a fuel filter issue. As soon as businesses started opening, he contacted a diesel place to get an alternator part. Amazingly, Trans-Atlantic Diesel where we purchased our Cummins diesel engine, was in the next town. After several calls and e mails, they agreed to deliver the part. Al also had a cold, so we did a telehealth call with BayCare at 8 am and had antibiotics called in to the local CVS. We were being blown on to the outside T dock by the winds gusting to 32 knots, so we needed to add fenders and adjust the lines early in the day. A small sailboat was on the T dock in front of us and they looked very uncomfortable, bouncing around.  

I took an Uber to CVS and back for the antibiotics. During the ride Al called and said that someone had hit our boat. He was down below and could not come up quickly to see the boat that hit us. As I walked down the dock back to the boat a man following me called out saying “I hit your boat. I am so sorry, the wind caught my boat, and I thought I could make the turn.”  He came on board and we discovered he was on a trip on his sailboat with his 12-year-old son and his son’s friend, also 12. When he left the T dock in front of us the winds were so high it was very difficult to maneuver.  We chatted for a while and decided to talk later.  

Right after he left the diver arrived with his father. We had called the guys we met the night before because the other diver was not around. The diver found a minor problem and fixed it. I think I was trying to take a nap at this point. Shortly after I started resting another man came aboard and followed Al down the stairs. He was with Trans-Atlantic diesel and wanted to see the set up as he delivered the alternator part. I think I again tried to take a nap right after he left. Throughout the whole day the wind was blowing like mad, it was cloudy and gray and Al was running a fuel polisher that was giving off a constant loud sound.

During dinner that night at the marina restaurant again, Al said to me “So are you all rested up now?” To me it was a hilarious question. Compared to Al, I’m sure it appeared that I had a restful day. But these last few paragraphs are really to show Al's skill and knowledge in managing a boat. Without him there would not be much of a trip. For some reason, this all works for us. We like to work hard, and the payoffs on a trip like this are worth the occasional workday or two. We are now friends with the man who hit our boat. He is a dedicated boater and very interesting person. The young men with him were a pleasure to meet as well. However, I am looking forward to this “delivery” to be complete and the fun to start again.

I think that should be it for today. 

Thanks so much for reading! 

Love and Peace,

Fran Lima

 

Moving up the East Coast

6/13/2026

Hello!

Update: We are in Beaufort North Carolina, anchored behind Fort Macon State Park. We are working our way up the coast toward the cool weather of the northeast and need to take every chance to move northward. Our stay in Charleston was short. The Charleston City Marina was huge. So big that you can call for a golf cart to pick you up from the boat and take you to the parking lot. They have a daily shuttle to West Marine, and the shuttle will drop you off or pick you up anywhere in the city of Charleston. The boats matched the marina. We looked like a little dinghy there. Large yachts were staying there or came and went daily to get fuel and pick up charter passengers. We were able to have a quick visit with my niece, get to West Marine and do laundry before an opportunity to move north came up. Our passage from Charleston to Beaufort NC took two nights. The winds were high and right behind us the last part of the trip. We transited the inlet to Beaufort at 2:30 am on Friday June 12^th and anchored behind Fort Macon State Park at 3:30 am. We are looking at options for the next step. We can either go up the intracoastal or sail in the Atlantic around Cape Hatteras. The weather will be the deciding factor.

Some impressions from the past few weeks: 

Marinas and docking:

When you decide it’s time to stay in a marina it’s easy. Just call them on the VHF radio or by phone and make a reservation. Getting the boat in the slip is another matter. Our boat is quite old-fashioned in terms of maneuverability. It has one engine and no thrusters. Most power boats and many sail boats these days have at least two engines plus bow and stern thrusters to push the boat sideways. This is where Al’s experience and skill come in. He started boating before double-hulled boats, thrusters and joysticks were common.  All captains must consider the wind, current and dock characteristics plus the specific ways their boat performs to dock a boat. Docking at the Conch Inn and Marina, Marsh Harbor Bahamas required Al’s skills plus an experienced dock master. We pulled into the marina at noon. The wind picked up right before we approached the slip, blowing broadside to the boat. Al  had to increase the engine power to keep the boat moving straight and not get pushed sideways. The mooring lines were ready on the bow, midship and stern and we knew the dock would be on the starboard side of the boat. We entered the slip and I threw the dock master the bow line. He immediately said, “I’ll take the midship line next.” He tied the bow line off to a piling, came to get the midship line and told Al to put the boat in reverse. The extra power needed to get in the slip with the wind blowing was going to slam our bow into the dock. Reverse! Captain, Reverse! We were both yelling. It worked, and we did not hit the dock. But the wind was blowing our stern sideways and dangerously close to the boat next to us. The dockmaster tied off the midship line and jumped on our boat. He made a large loop in the stern line, stood on the back of the boat, threw the loop into the wind and lassoed the piling on the first try. Then we could pull the boat over, so it lay straight in the slip. After that feat, the pressure was off and we finished tying the boat up. The dock master’s skills were impressive. He was also very personable, calling me “Boss” when he gave me instructions while we were docking. What a pleasure it was to meet him and spend time at that marina.

We are unintentionally retracing the steps of our 2011 trip, visiting some of the same places, but 15 years later. What a difference 15 years makes. In the Abacos, most of the buildings and infrastructure were destroyed by hurricane Dorian in 2019. Now every marina is new, most of the houses are new, the stores are new, and there are large businesses dedicated to construction. There seems to be an air of prosperity that was not present 15 years ago. They are somehow maintaining a uniform style to the houses, hotels and restaurants and they do not seem to be building too much. One woman we met who has been coming to the Abacos for decades said that before Dorian the power used to go out regularly in Hope Town. Now the power never goes out because the entire power grid was rebuilt. The owner of Wally’s Fine Dining in Marsh Harbor said their restaurant had not been completely destroyed. The building has a sturdy old colonial feel to it, with Spanish tile floors and an archway separating the property from the street. It was very important to her that they restored the grounds and entryway exactly the way it was. She said people had been coming to her restaurant for generations and she wanted to preserve the original look and feel. She remarked that while many others were interested in updating, she needed to maintain tradition. I can see the importance of both. People had to rebuild and the Abacos seem to have adopted an attractive building style and color scheme. Many establishments show pride in keeping a clean and neat appearance. It was also wonderful to see traditions and history being preserved and honored.

I think that should be it for today.

Thanks so much for reading!

Love and Peace,

Fran Lima

 

Heading back to the US

 Hello!  6/6/2026

 Update:

We are on a passage from Marsh Harbor Bahamas to Charleston, South Carolina. My sister Helen Landmesser joined us on Monday in Marsh Harbor. We had fun running around the Abaco Cays. We rented a car one day to see Little Harbor and Cherokee Sound. She helped us prepare for this passage and is a great, experienced boater; she has joined us on Jade many times.

I’m thinking that we west coast Florida boaters like Al and I are just not used to the Atlantic because it seems pretty rough out here. It is a full body workout just fixing coffee. No need for the gym this week. There have been a couple moments I was asking myself, “Why do we do this type of travel?” Maybe I’ll have a good answer before this 4-day, 3-night passage is over.

Here’s what my sister has to say about the trip this morning as I write this: “The boat smells like truck stop!” We put fuel in the tank, so a little diesel spilled in the cockpit. The coffee preparation and drinking caused three coffee spills. One in the microwave, one on the cabin floor and one in the cockpit. I say we do need several more days to perfect all this and clean up our mess. Good thing we are starting to laugh about it.

Back to the questions. Something we are asked:

How are you and Al getting along with each other on that small boat?

A lot of people asked us this question before our first long cruise in 2011-2012. We did not even understand the question because we had not had issues getting along since we met in 1998. It was a second marriage for both of us, Al was divorced for just about a year when we met, I was single and dating for 8 years. I kept getting college degrees since I had not met the right man. For the first 10 years,  Al and I fully enjoyed his 31-foot classic sailboat Christine. We did two-week trips to the Florida Keys, Charlotte Harbor and Cuba plus extensively explored the anchorages near Tampa Bay.

However, the 2011-2012 trip brought out any and all fault lines in our relationship. Just this past weekend after a discussion about plans for later in this trip I said to Al, “Well, it’s nice that we can tell each other what we are thinking without the horribleness.” To me that sums up the difference between now and then. I think we all know what the “horribleness” entails, yelling, criticism, insults, not being completely honest, letting things build up so they are a huge thing. Yep, that’s where we were on the first trip. Even though we kept going and had a lot of fun the tension was bad at times. Thank goodness we learned how to get along because there is so much we enjoy about each other and so many similar ways we like to enjoy life.

I need to get this out on Starlink and prepare to take watch. It’s actually a very nice day, sunny, not super hot, just bumpy waves coming at us regularly on the rear starboard quarter. Soon, we will be in the Gulfstream and hope to pick up speed. The weather predictions are good for the rest of the trip. Al checks in with our weather router twice a day. And will keep working on our coffee making and drinking skills!

Thanks for reading!

Love and Peace,

Fran Lima