Rock Hall, MD; HOME

We arrived back home in Rock Hall, MD on Tue. 5/13/08. It is so great and yet so sad to finish this wonderful adventure. Our boat departed Rock Hall, MD on Oct. 29, 2007 via our delivery team of Ron & Paul. We boarded her in Fl on Dec 5, 2007 and have been living aboard since then. Now after 6 months aboard, we return to our home docks.


Upon arrival, we were meet by Ron and Mary Ann, our delivery captain (Ron), the one who made this all happen, and we celebrated with a fine bottle of Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Champagne!

What a wonderful life....

Reflections....

Top 7 Places from Fl to MD:

1. Wrightsville Beach, NC
2. Vero Beach, FL
3. Elizabeth City, NC
4. Portsmouth, VA
5. St. Augustine, FL
6. Dismal Swamp
7. Beaufort, SC

Things that Worked:

1. The enclosure is essential for enjoying the cockpit in rain, cold winds, fog, at anchor or sailing. We could travel in t-shirts and vests and never had on foul weather gear unless heading out on deck.
2. "Otto" is a must along with Chartplotter and GPS for navigation. No guessing where the ICW channel is. (Otto is out B&G autopilot)
3. The AB 10VL Dinghy is fantastic! The bow is high, the tubes are large, and the fiberglass floor is flat. This is your car, and with a 4 hp outboard, it has serves us well. Sure a yamaha 15 would be nice, but for ICW work, this has worked out well.
4. Lofrans Tigess Windlass is a powerhouse windlass with tons of pull and will nearly rip off the bow sprit before it will stop working! This windlass is $1,700 and worth 3 times that in the work it will perform.
5. Adler Barber Super Cold Machine, 12 volt air cooled, refrigeration has work perfectly now for 14 years! This unit draws 6 amps when on and it runs 50% of the time which is 12 hrs * 6 = 72 Amp Hrs per day. We use 100 amp hrs per day, but motoring up the ICW, this does not matter. When we stop for days on anchor, the 220 watts of solar panels produce 75 amps hrs per day, so we can ride on anchor for days. The refrigerator is great!

Final Random Thoughts:

1. The ICW is ten times EASIER than expected.
2. The ICW is more beautiful and more interesting than expected.
3. You motor 100% of the time with a jib out now and then.
4. Well planned meals are a must and one highlight of living aboard.
5. The ICW is less crowded than expected, where is everyone?
6. The ICW is not "scary" even after running into a sandbar and grounding for 3 hrs.
7. Taking a dock is nice but not necessary, we anchored most of the way.
   
8. The Dismal Swamp is spectacular, breath taking, a must see section!
9. Florida is NOT the best section of the ICW.
10. The Waccamaw Rive is the best section, but as Norm P. noted, "Myrtle Beach is the price you pay for this beauty."
    
11. Verizon Broadband connects 99.9% of the places along the ICW. It is a digital world.
12. We love living aboard.
13. So many places yet to discover, I can see us doing this many more times.

The Dismal Swamp Heading North, 2008

Our MAP of Florida to Maryland
March 2008 to May 2008
Once looking at the map
ZOOM in to see the harbors close up.
ENJOY