Washed Ashore, Yet Again

 

Fulmar in her permanent slip at Brunswick Landing Marina.

No, we didn't have a terrible accident and we haven't run aground, at least not literally. Fulmar has just returned to her homebase in Brunswick, GA, and her crew is transitioning back to a land-based life. This chapter of our adventure has come to a close.  We were out for almost a year.  In that time, we didn’t get quite as far afield as we initially planned, for a variety of reasons. But we had the type of experience that we were looking for. 

Our entire trip, reaching Ft. Pierce, FL in the south and Oxford, MD in the north.

Not only did we end up staying closer to home, we also spent virtually all of our time on inshore waters: the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Chesapeake Bay, and the sounds of North Carolina.  This change of plans came about mostly because Loki turned out to not be such a fan of ocean sailing.  He loves being on the boat, but he doesn’t like ocean waves.  Rather than torture the poor dog, we decided to scale back our plans.  One thing we’ve learned over the years is that if one member of the crew isn’t having any fun, then nobody else is, either.  Even if that unhappy crew member is a dog.    

Our tour of Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds in North Carolina

In other words, with all these changes to our plans, this was a pretty typical cruise on a small boat.  You can plan all you want, but circumstances always get in the way.  You can either roll with the punches or stop cruising.  And there really is a lot to see and do on the coastal waters of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast US.  So we were happy to stay on the “inside.”  We stopped at 23 nature preserves and historic sites, and passed through countless others.      

Our route through Chesapeake Bay.

Our trip by the numbers

• Days:  317 
• Miles traveled: 2,900 (a very leisurely pace)
• States Visited: 6
• Overnight Stops: 88   (see list below)
• Unique locations visited: 60 
• Overnight stops at anchor: 25 (28%)
• Overnight stops on a dock: 52 (59%)
• Overnight stops on a Mooring: 11 (13%)
• Avg Miles/Travel Day: 32 (55 maximum)
• Average Speed: 5.3 knots (6.1 MPH)
• Max Speed. Sailing: 7.4 knots (8.5 MPH); Motoring w/ a 3-knot Current: 8.5 knots (9.8 MPH)
• Gallons of Diesel Fuel Used: 290 (for Fulmar’s engine)
• Gallons of Gasoline Used: 15 (for dinghy’s outboard motor)
• Pounds of propane used: 70 (cooking)
• Electricity generated by our solar panels: 243 kWh
• Parks & Nature Preserves Visited: 65
• State Forest: 1
• State Parks: 3
• Coastal Preserves: 4
• Wildlife Management Areas: 4
• National Battlefield: 1
• National Monuments: 2
• National Seashores: 2
• Nat’l Estuarine Research Reserve: 3
• National Wildlife Refuges: 3
• Municipal Parks: 42

We’re planning some upcoming posts about our favorite stops, the gear that made our lives easier (and a few things that were chronic nuisances), and some reflections on what we observed as scientists and conservationists. 

Now we need to go make some money so we can get back out there again.  In the meantime, we’ll be having some shorter-term adventures.

All of our stops, in chronological order.

Start: Brunswick, GA

1. Jekyll Island, GA

2. Cumberland Island, GA

3. Fernandina Beach, FL

4. Sister's Creek, Jacksonville, FL

5. St. Augustine, FL

6. Palm Coast, FL

7. Bethune Pt., Daytona, FL

8. New Smyrna Beach, FL

9. Titusville, FL

10. Melbourne, FL

11. Vero Beach, FL

12. Ft. Pierce, FL

13. Vero Beach, FL

14. Melbourne, FL

15. Titusville, FL

16. New Smyrna Beach, FL

17. Daytona, FL

18. Palm Coast, FL

19. St. Augustine, FL

20. Pine Island, FL

21. Fernandina Beach, FL

22. Brunswick, GA

23. Broughton Island, GA

24. Kilkenny, GA

25. Ramshorn Creek, Daufuskie Island, SC

26. Hilton Head Island, SC

27. Beaufort, SC

28. Steamboat Creek, Edisto Island, SC

29. John's Island, SC

30. Isle of Palms, SC

31. McClellanville, SC

32. Georgetown, SC

33. Socastee/Osprey Marina, SC

34. Myrtle Beach, SC

35. Carolina Beach, NC

36. Mile Hammock Bay, NC

37. Swansboro, NC

38. Beaufort, NC

39. South River, NC

40. Oriental, NC

41. New Bern, NC

42. South River, NC

43. Hobucken, NC

44. Bath, NC

45. Washington, NC

46. Hobucken, NC

47. Ocracoke, NC

48. Belhaven, NC

49. Alligator River, South Lake, NC

50. Coinjock, NC

51. Great Bridge, VA

52. Portsmouth, VA

53. Yorktown, VA

54. Deltaville, VA

55. Urbana, VA

56. Urbana, VA

57. Reedville, VA

58. Solomons Island, MD

59. Oxford, MD

60. Cambridge, MD

61. Solomons Island, MD

62. Reedville, VA

63. Deltaville, VA

64. Hampton, VA

65. Great Bridge, VA

66. Coinjock, NC

67. Alligator River, Deep Point, NC

68. Belhaven, NC

69. Hobucken, NC

70. Oriental, NC

71. Beaufort, NC

72. Swansboro, NC

73. Mile Hammock Bay, NC

74. Carolina Beach, NC

75. Southport, NC

76. Grand Dunes, Myrtle Beach, SC

77. Waccamaw River, SC

78. Socastee/Osprey Marina, SC

79. Georgetown, SC

80. McClellanville, SC

81. Isle of Palms, SC

82. Charleston, SC

83. Steamboat Creek, Edisto Island,SC

84. Lady's Island, SC

85. Ramshorn Creek, Daufuskie Island, SC

86. Isle of Hope, GA

87. Kilkenny, GA

88. Duplin River, Sapelo Island, GA

End: Brunswick, GA

Loki on watch.  Notice Fulmar's brown "ICW mustache" caused by tannins in the coastal waters, a sure sign that this boat has logged a lot of miles on the inland waters (and that it deserves some long-overdue TLC).