Son (and daughter in law!) of Sun of a Sailor Writes a Guest Blog Post

When I was about 14, my Dad took me sailing in Florida for the first time. We were on the 24’ vessel “Green Ayes,” and we tooled around the Intracoastal Waterway for about a week. What I remember most from that trip is that I was a surly teen who spent most of the time in the dark boat cabin listening to Green Day, and getting sea sick on day 1. I also remember watching my Dad and knowing even as a teenager that he was truly in his element. During an insane lightning storm, as I cowered in the cabin, Dad was on deck in his foul weather gear singing the theme to Gilligan’s Island. About 20 years later, here we are. While some stuff has changed (we’re on Green Ayes II not Green Ayes I, and we’re all a little greyer), we still share the same spirit of adventure.

Kendra and I arrived to Cape Canaveral to find the boat well outfitted and Dad already well on his way to a base tan. We spent the day  chilling out since Kendra and I took an overnight flight from Seattle. That flight was our “redeye” by air, and we would have three additional redeyes by sea over the next week. We explored the waterfront at Cape Canaveral, having dinner outside in the rain at the quintessential waterfront Tiki Bar, Grillz. The next day, as Blalock and I slept, Dad got up and got us out  before sunrise to head towards Fernandina. Poseidon didn’t reveal himself on day 1. Instead, we had calm seas and had to motor most of the way. It made for a nice introduction to offshore boating and overnight sailing.

Dad talked about Fernandina a bit in his last post, but I’ll say it’s a very quaint and pleasant town minus a sobering papermill aroma. Being in the south, we had to have BBQ for dinner. The next morning, we departed early for Savannah. This time, Poseidon gave us 15 knot winds and 3 foot seas… and some queasiness. That said, ginger gum saves the day! We managed, and had a great trip overnight up to the mouth of the Savannah River. From mouth of the river, it was about a 3 hour motor west to the amazingly beautiful city of Savannah, GA. The highlight from this sail was definitely the pod of dolphin that caught onto our boat’s current, and followed us for 10 whole minutes, including a cute little calf!

Trolley Tour in Savannah, GA

Savannah is awesome. It’s a gorgeous city, and was one of the only cities in the south to not be burned by the Union in the Civil War, so it retains it’s colonial architecture. It’s quintessential deep south: Spanish moss on live oak trees, cobblestone streets and park squares, and y’alls flying all over the place. We enjoyed the luxurious Westin Resort marina, and we lucked upon some phenomenal Cuban food for dinner. The next day we took a full layover day in Savannah, enjoying a trolley tour of the city, and pizza and swimming at the resort.

Spanish Moss on the Live Oak Trees in one of the many public squares in Savannah

Our final leg of sailing brought us North to Charleston, via the Intracoastal Waterway near Hilton Head Island, and then via the ocean. Seas were again pretty raucous, but the more favorable wind direction got us cruising with speeds up to 9 knots! We sailed our 3^rd overnighter of the week, taking turns at the watch, enjoying the stars, and managing the nighttime boat traffic on the ocean.

This morning we arrived in Charleston, SC, where Kendra and I will leave Dad with his next crew. It’s been an awesome trip! Great food, awesome sailing, and adventures that were new to all three of us. Cheers to my Dad for having the guts to cruise for a year! And bon voyage! See you in the Caribbean in the fall.

Grouper, Cuban style! With Tostones and Rice. An accidental find, the best kind!