After 25 incredible years, we made the bittersweet decision to sell our beloved home-on-the-sea, FUJIKO. With mixed emotions, we bid farewell to a vessel that has been an integral part of our family's life. Our 1998 Island Packet 40, Fujiko, has been an unwavering...

After 5 days of fast sailing through New York, CT and Long Island Sound, stopping in Port Washington, Port Jefferson, Westbrook CT, Stonington CT, we rounded the corner of Point Judith Harbor of Refuge, we could see the Newport Bridge from 5 miles out, we knew we...

From Annapolis we decided to make the longest day sail on our trip, a 66 NM run up Chesapeake Bay, through C&D Canal, then anchor on the northern end of Delaware Bay for the night. We motor-sailed through Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. The Chesapeake and...

Yesterday was Claudia's birthday and we had planned on sailing to Norfolk VA and celebrate the special day with one of the many fine restaurants in the city. Then we were going to hangout with our friends Ro and Steve (whom we met last October). Unfortunately at...

Today we docked at RE Mayo dock in Hobucken, NC, a commercial shrimp boat dock; a huge bargain at $16 per night, it's a self-service barebone dock with nothing except to tie up your boat. Most free docks we've stayed in are probably in better shape than this dock,...

Sailing down the east coast in late-October into November is not a lonely jaunt. You’ll have lots of company.  Every other cruiser and snowbird who is hopping down toward the islands is often making the same stops you are. Which means you’re all looking for similar...

Heading north on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in early spring, we had hoped for warmer weather at each destination. After all, the plan for slowing down our cruise of the East Coast is to stay behind the cold temperatures all the way home. But Mother Nature...

After a 44 hours passage from the Bahamas to Fort Pierce, then another 28 hours overnighter to St Augustine, we were exhausted and ready for a long and needed R&R. We arrived in St Augustine just past noontime, picked up a mooring from the city marina and...

We have finally reached the six months milestone since we left our home and started our adventure in September of 2022, we think it's time for another look back. Leaving the Bahamas for the States, we stared out at the open sea, we monitor the changing color of the...

With the beautiful weather forecast predicted for the next few days, we started our 230 NM, 44 hours passage from Spanish Wells to Fort Pierce, FL. The route will take us through the northern part of the Eleuthra, passing through Egg Island Cut, sail towards the...

The route from the Glass Window Bridge to Spanish Wells goes through Current Cut, which (as the name implies) has a strong current, so we had to time our trip, leaving at 7 AM, to catch the slack tide. When we arrived at the cut it was pretty underwhelming,...

We left early today for The Glass Window Bridge, a very narrow and spectacular spot between the Atlantic Ocean and the Eleuthera Sound, where the ocean has eroded through the land and created a giant opening. The narrow bridge connecting the land has been built and...

We have just totally loved Eleuthera - it might not have been perfect blue skies everyday however this island has certainly won us over with its beautiful people, lovely anchorages and lots to do and see. The crazy thing is that we weren't sure that we were going...

The weather forecast for the following few days predicted front passing through with wind clocking from east to west gusting to 30 knots. Many anchorages nearby are not protected from the westerly direction, so we decided to go big and head 50+ NM towards the...

We crossed the Tropic of Cancer today, the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. The Tropic also passes through George Town (spelled with 2 words), the capital of the Exumas, located on Great Exuma Island with...

Our sailing exploration of the Exuma chain of islands is nearing an end, but not before we knock off another Bahamas bucket list item: swimming with a mermaid. Many small islands of the Bahamas are privately owned, and one of those islands is Musha Cay owned by the...

If you’re waiting to fulfill any life goals until pigs fly, heads up: There are swine swimming in the Bahamas already. Before leaving Walderick Wells Cay, we expected 36 hours of high winds and were fully prepared to hunker down on our mooring until a 70 ft motor...

Walderick Wells Cay is the headquarter and is in the heart of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The park is a no-take zone by land or sea, so no fishing, lobstering, conching, or shelling - and its efforts are paying off. The only unnatural object is the Park...

After a couple of days at Normans Cay, we were ready to move on and head south to Shroud Cay, the beginning of the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  The park was established by the Bahamas National Trust in 1958 and is a no take zone which means all of the land and water...

A few years ago, we saw a Netflix documentary about a fraudulent super music festival in the Bahamas called "Fyre". Never in a million years we would have imagined coming to the location of this festival, an elaborate hoax music festival that was scheduled to take...

If you are looking for unspoiled nature and turquoise waters, the Exumas are generally considered the "Holy Grail" in the Bahamas. And that's our next destination where we will sail 40nm southeast from New Providence's West Bay anchorage to Highbourne Cay,...

We left Bond's Cay and motored-sailed towards Chub Cay to take shelters at a marina 15 NM out. The wind storm is forecasted to start late today and blow hard for the next 3 days. Entering the marina was a bit chaotic since many boats had the same idea, and we all...

Another day, another anchorage at the beautiful Bonds Cay in very quiet weather, but that won't be the case soon. Weather forecast for Friday and Saturday calls for strong front passing through with winds gusting to 40-45 knots. This is a great place to hangout...

We can only admire the courage and skills of early explorers that navigated these waters without the aid of a high-quality GPS plotters.  The small anchorage between the larger Hoffman's Cay and Devil Cay and behind the smaller White Cay was our second stop in the...

Brigitte Bardot used to skinny dip here. Right on this beach. Or maybe the one next to it. No one is quite sure. No one can remember. Bardot used to come to Great Harbour Cay when the island was the Next Great Destination in All the World when this tiny island in...

When planning a sail to the Bahamas, cruisers put a great deal of effort into planning the Gulf Stream crossing. For good reason, of course. The distance is significant, often requiring an overnight sail, and that river of current sure makes route planning tricky....

Days before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, the civil rights activist spent time in Bimini, Bahamas. It was there where he would write his final speech. "Swim, eat, drink, work, read, talk, read, fish, fish, swim, drink, sleep." That's Bimini, summed up by a...

It was New Year’s Eve and we were ready to go. Our plan was to nap for a few hours at 8PM and leave at 1AM, but the adrenaline from the excitement got the best of us; we ended up staying up for the Miami fireworks. Not a bad tradeoff. At 1AM, we tossed the mooring...

If you think your professor from your hardest class is tough, try taking one from Mother Nature, the toughest of them all. She usually gives the test before the lesson. If she used a textbook, the page for sailors would include a line that says, “Never cross the...

Like it or not, Christmas is over and New Years is a few days away. We've reached the end the first part of our adventure; we've traveled the entire Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and we're about to embark on an adventure to the Bahamas. Our journey began in early...

We’ve had a great deal of fun this past four month, collecting and sharing sailing and sailors’ stories from near and far, and we thank you all for your support and your involvement. Your calls, messages and comments are the wind in our sails, the rudder that...

We arrived at Delray Beach city marina after an early morning running of a Gauntlet of bridges from our North Palm Beach anchorage. During this stretch, we started noticing the transformation of boat sizes and houses. We are no longer seeing typical houses with...

"Why bother with these painful bridges? Why not just go outside?" is the question many of our fellow sailors asked us. Simply answer is because we wanted to cross the ICW off our list and visit as many ports and towns on the eastern shore of our country as...

In an effort to outrun a forecasted storm arriving on Thursday afternoon, we left Titusville Marina Wednesday morning for a long 50 NM run to Sebastian Beach anchorage, this allows us to make a shorter run on Thursday morning, a shorter passage to Fort Pierce....

After spending a week in Titusville, we were ready to move on. But there was one more thing we needed to cross off our list. A few years ago, one of our dear friends Maureen has moved from Boston to Orlando with her husband Patrick in search of warmer weather and...

While not everyone considers Disney World a nice or relaxing vacation destination, we enjoy coming to Disney World and throw away our grown-up hats for a few days. Since we only had 3 days, we chose Epcot, Hollywood Studio and Animal Kingdom to spend our time. The...

While getting ready to leave for Disney in the early afternoon, we checked the NASA launch schedule and noticed the Space-X's Falcon 9 is scheduled for a launch to deliver 40 satellites into the orbit at 5:30 PM today. We quickly rearranged our schedule to stay for...

After spending 5 days on a mooring, we left St Augustine for a quick 20 mile trip south. Since we desperately needed to fill our freshwater tank, we stayed at a quiet Palm Coast marina and gave Fujiko a complete washing down. Next day we sailed 40 miles down to New...

If you think the Sunshine State is all about theme parks and frying on the beaches, you probably haven’t been to St. Augustine. Discovered in 1565, by Spanish explorer Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, he named the city after St. Augustine, the patron saint of brewers....

Fernandina Beach, a city on Amelia Island, is on the coast of Northeast Florida as far north on the Atlantic Coast as you can get in the Sunshine State. It is the only United States location to have been under eight different flags - French, Spanish, English,...

Yes, Thanksgiving Day was upon us, and — though we rather be hosting the traditional turkey dinner from home with our family and friends, the next best thing is to spend it right here on Amelia Island. "What should we do for Thanksgiving?" was the question of the...

We finally made it to Florida but our grand entrance to the Sunshine State was not how we had envisioned. Weighing anchor in St Marys, we head for Fernandina Beach, FL, 10 miles away. Our plan was to pick up a mooring and spend a week to work on our teak and other...

One of the most rewarding things for sailors on the Atlantic ICW is exploring new places especially if those stops are directly on the ICW. But some of the most interesting places are a little off the "magenta line" (the dotted goto line on the navigation chart)....

Leaving Jekyll Island we headed for St Marys, GA, 30 miles away. An hour later, chugging along at our normal cruising speed at 5.5 knots, a 52' Canadian sailboat named "Cala II" steaming towards us on our tail. We quickly moved to starboard and let them past on our...

Few people have heard of Jekyll Island, Georgia. But huge, world-changing things once happened in this tiny spot – one of four barrier islands known as the Golden Isles. Today this former retreat for Gilded Age tycoons is a treasure trove of historic homes, nature,...

After eating our way through Savannah with delicious fried oysters, peach cobblers, shrimp and grits, pecan pies, praline candies and feeling our waistlines grew a few more inches, we desperately needed to get ourselves out of our food coma. Our savings grace is by...

During the Civil War, Savannah suffered from sea blockades so fierce that its economy crumbled. Saved from the fires set by Union soldiers throughout the Southeast, the city was offered by Union General William Sherman as a Christmas present to President Abraham...

When we decided to sail down the East Coast ICW and cruise the Bahamian waters in September, we knew the potential of running into some nasty tropical storms or maybe even one of nature's dreaded whirlwinds, but we studied the weather patterns and placed most of...

Hilton Head Island is one of South Carolina's most luxurious beach resorts destinations. Dotted with world-class golf courses, renowned restaurants, superb shopping and white-sand beaches as far as the eye can see, visitors find themselves with a surplus of...

After years in a harsh saltwater environment, it finally happened. The 25 year old anchor windlass (the electric motor driven device that brings our anchor & chains up and down) started making strange, wholly disconcerting crunching noises, then it stopped...

Tucked into winding, historic streets framed by natural foliage and centuries-old, moss-draped live oak trees, Beaufort is more than a hidden Lowcountry gem – it's a transformative destination that has charmed visitors since 1512. Even the name is pretty: Beaufort....

Yesterday one of our dear friends Leslie Koski texted us and said "The aerial shot of the channel you passed through today looked more like a dried up river bed in some parts. Glad you made it to what looks like deeper waters". Claudia showed me her message and we...

When it comes to cruising via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), the old saying getting there is half the fun is spot on. From historic towns and peaceful anchorages to big-city bustle and vibrant nightlight, there is so much to see and do along the 1,100-mile...

South Carolina's third-oldest city, following Charleston and Beaufort, Georgetown drips history like moss on a live oak. The area's first residents were native tribes, their names echoed in the surrounding bodies of water, like Winyah Bay. Europeans settled here in...

South Carolina may not be the longest stretch of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), but it certainly holds one of the prettiest sections. From the North Carolina border at Little River Inlet to the Savannah River at the Georgia border, the ICW runs through...

We left Carolina Beach with a blistering Northeast wind blowing 15-25 knots. Navigation takes us away from the ICW temporarily and turn into Cape Fear River. This stretch can be rough if the wind is strong. We planned for a short day for this. As the wind gusted...

Ask a local in Carolina Beach about the boardwalk, and you might hear that it’s bright and colorful and fun. And it is. Between pastel-colored buildings, flashing carnival rides, and local food, it’s an inviting destination for families. But you also might hear how...

This morning while having coffee and getting ready to depart Swansboro, I heard someone outside yelling "Help!". I quickly popped my head out the hatch and saw the sailboat docked next to me trying to back out of his slip but the bow was pinned against the piling...

Swansboro, NC is a small, charming community nestled along the banks of the White Oak River and the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway near Jacksonville, NC. At first glance, it looks like there isn’t much to do there. Main Street is just a couple of blocks long and...

Romantically called Beaufort-by-the-Sea, the town has a captivating history that spans more than 300 years — from tales about the pirate Blackbeard to its use as a port in the 18th century for Spanish and French sailing ships. Today, Beaufort attracts visitors from...

Originally known as Smith Creek, until Louis Midyette, ended up here after seeking shelter from a storm, and became the village postmaster; his wife Rebecca found a nameplate of a sunken ship "Oriental" on the beaches of the Outer Banks and thought that name was...

Belhaven is a small town with less than 2,000 people living in the town, located right on the Pungo River. The Pungo feeds into the Pamlico Sound and the community maintains a historical and coastal connection. The Pamlico Sound separates the Inner Banks from North...

Docked next to us in Elizabeth City was a couple from Annapolis on a 33' sailboat. They are on a 2nd week of a 4 weeks south bound vacation but the wife told us that they're turning back tomorrow since the husband doesn't like cruising - she said her husband think...

The waters that connect Elizabeth City to the Pasquotank River were some of the waterways that the infamous pirate, Blackbeard once sailed. The town was frequented by the Wright brothers on their way to the Outer Banks. Elizabeth City is the home of three...

Millions of years ago it was completely under the ocean. In 1763, George Washington started a lumber company there. Today, thousands of people like us gather there to run through its history and beauty, and set their own personal history in the process. As the...

Warmest congratulations to our dear friends and our boating buddies Cheryl & Bobby, the parents of the groom on this special day. We're delighted that all went well for the beautiful wedding you planned for Chris and Diane on the waterfront of Narragansett bay....

Weatherman predicted rain for most of the day, so we decided to provision for groceries in the morning. We took advantage of the free transportation provided by the marina to a local Harris Teeter market. An older gentleman Steve from a boat named "Blue Moon"...

Norfolk began as trade hub starting with its initial settlement in the 1600s. Incorporated in 1705, it grew so rapidly that, by the time of the Revolutionary War, the British attempted to take the city intact. Instead, local patriots burned the city down, thwarting...

Researchers from the Australian National University experimented with playing high-frequency instruments for dolphins on the New South Wales mid-north coast, to determine if humans can communicate with the marine mammals through music.The results showed dolphins...

Today we finally exited the Potomac River and eased back into the Chesapeake Bay. Our next stop, Stingray Point, VA, where Capt John Smith's boat ran aground at the mouth of the Rappahannock river. While awaiting high tide to float the vessel, he and his men...

Yesterday we were saddened when we heard on our marine VHF radio from the United States Coast Guard Northeast searching for a missing man who set sail from Massachusetts late last month. Matthew Dennis, 22, left Salem on Sept. 22 in a white 28-foot fiberglass...

Two weeks of family time with our new granddaughter has ended. We needed to move south before cold weather arrives. Claudia had tears in her eyes as we painfully said goodbye to Shay, Kara and Ryan. I tried to comfort her but I know it didn't help much. During our...

Yes, it does take a village to raise a child. As first time grandparents, we tried to respect the boundaries on how much to help and how much not to. We sort of follow Ryan and Kara's leads and pitch in as much as possible. They also guide us by offering tips on...

Yesterday Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin declared a State of Emergency in advance of Hurricane Ian, which is expected to impact portions of Virginia starting on Friday, September 30. We decided to move our boat from Alexandria, VA across the river to Washington...

As we sailed up the Potomac River we thought the river expedition must be similar to the Hudson River experience, both wide body rivers of historical importance and both lead to major metropolis, NYC and DC. We reminisced our time spent with our dear friends from...

The wind piped up in the middle of the night. I got up to make sure that the anchor didn't drag. The anchor held nicely but I set the anchor alarm ⏰️ to be extra careful. I bought the software from Android store for this purpose rather than using typical anchor...

This morning was the coldest start we've had since our trip began in early September. Temperature was a balmy 51 degrees when we left the dock. We quickly motored out of Back creek, into Patuxent river then the Chesapeake bay. The trip from the mouth of the Potomac...

Barely a mile long and fittingly fishhook-shaped, Solomons Island was named in 1870 for Isaac Solomon, the Baltimore businessman who established its first oyster plant. At one time the island was separated from the mainland, but a 23-foot causeway now links the...

Our plan today was to go for Solomon Island for one day but since the weather forecast was vague for today and tomorrow with tomorrow being the worse of the two, we decided to book Solomon marina for 2 nights (freebies). We left Oxford at 7AM, hoping to get to...

After visiting Baltimore and Annapolis, coming to Oxford, on the east side of Chesapeake bay, was a welcoming change of pace. A charming, tree-lined and waterbound village with a population of less than 1000, Oxford is one of the oldest towns in America and has a...

There's never a lack of entertainment onboard Fujiko. As we exited Annapolis and entered the Chesapeake bay on a clear and calm day. The only ripples on the Bay were generated from boats and ships. Claudia starts her Fitbit walking routine below while I yell down...

One other important task we needed to take care of in Annapolis is a rigging inspection. Our insurance agent threw us a curve ball after we left Newport, and said the underwriter needed a rigging inspection for our boat for Southern US and Bahamas coverages. We...

While sipping our morning coffee, the song "Reveille" was heard on bugle from the direction of the Naval Academy. It then was followed by the National Anthem. What a way to start your day! We have been to Annapolis a few times before, once as guests of Ryan &...

Home of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis has a fascinating history with narrow, tree-lined streets, intimate shops and terrific eateries. Founded in the late 1600s, it has more colonial buildings than any other city in the country. It makes a good case...

Blue Crabs have always been synonymous with life along the Chesapeake—Algonquian for “at a big river,” with archaeologists finding remnants of crab feasts from both Native Americans and early colonists. Today Claudia and I walked 1.5 miles to a highly recommended...

Charm city, The City That Reads, The City of Firsts; these are only some of Baltimore's nicknames. The birth place of the U.S. national anthem, what else would you expect in a destination that is richly varied in its characters and its attractions. There is so much...

Last night after dodging hundreds of crab pots, we were rewarded with a  most peaceful and beautiful anchorage off the Sassafras River. Now that we're in the Chesapeake, we're no longer stressed about places to stay. Unlike the NE, NY, and NJ, the Chesapeake has...

The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal may be the Rodney Dangerfield of canals. It doesn't get a lot of attention although it's one of the busiest canals in the United States. Most people outside of Delaware would be hard-pressed to find it on a map. It saves ships...

Despite Delaware's stature as the second smallest state in America, the Delaware River and Bay are kind of a big deal as the second busiest shipping channel in the nation. With cargo ships and tankers chugging tugs hauling or pushing barges that connects Lewis and...

Decidedly different and easily accessible, Cape May is a Jersey Shore destination deserving of special consideration & wildly recognized as the nation's oldest seaside resort. If your vessel is bounded to ports beyond the Jersey coast, it's not only a safe and...

Claudia was motivated to get an early start. Wanting to try her luck with Blackjack at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, she woke me up to get an early start. Getting out of Barnegat Inlet was again a challenge but not at all like yesterday. We quickly raised the...

New Jersey coast presents a headache for many sailboats with deep keels. Span roughly 150 miles of shoreline, there are only a few navigable entrances available. Traveling from NY, Barnegat Bay is the first port, 52 NM from Brooklyn. We set sail for Barnegat at...

Today's departure for New Jersey was delayed by Danielle, the first storm to achieve hurricane status of 2022.  After taking a leisurely, meandering journey across the open Atlantic before heading for Europe, Danielle churned up some heavy swells that would make...

City island to Brooklyn 32NM - We left City Island yacht club early to catch favorable current to NYC. A fresh hot coffee in hand we take on the infamous East River. The East River's reputation as a tricky passage is well deserved. Successfully running Hell Gate is...

Port Jefferson to City Island (the Bronx) (38 NM). Another 6:00 AM early start for Jim (while I slept in :-), hoping to arrive before stoms arrives. The trip was mostly uneventful. We passed by Execution Rock (as seen in photo), a rock pile in the middle of LI...

New London to Port Jefferson NY (52 NM). We weigh anchor at dawn getting ready for a long 50+ nautical mile day. Claudia stayed in bed while I started the engine; she likes to sleep in and take the second shift. We headed down Thames river towards Long Island...

Newport RI to New London (38 NM). We moored right next to the famous US Coast Guard tall ship Eagle, the only active duty tall ship in the American sea-going services. She was built in 1936, has 6 miles of rigging and 290 ft long (roughly equivalent to a football...

Our 2021 Summer vacation took us to CT and the Fork of Long Island called Shelter Island. Before heading to NY, our go-to place in CT on Fisher Island sound is the very best Ford's Lobster, the best seafood in CT with secret moorings; Ford's Lobsters was featured...