Salty Tales of the Cheeky Monkey III Part 8 Seas the Day!

Stuart, United States

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 13:50:00 -0400

Eau Gallie, United States

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:50:00 -0400

After a fun reunion with the Clavelles last night, we’re off to Eau Gallie Yacht Basin, a real original! 🎶 And it don’t look like I’ll ever stop my wandering 🎶 Cast off at 7:30AM and immediately confronted a massive dredging vessel blocking our path who refused to answer his radio. We chose the path further from the contraption and fortunately had plenty of water to navigate. Planning a leisurely trek today through one of the most scenic sections of the Intracoastal, Haulover Canal. With moderate temps and plenty of active marine life, we’re anticipating an enjoyable day! Listening to an exciting rescue by the coast guard on the radio. Seems the coast Guard and a Captain Dan thirty miles out in the Atlantic received a mayday call to the coast guard who then discussed sending a rescue aircraft out of Jacksonville to locate the vessel in distress! Now the coast guard is calling us!!! They want to know if we heard the original distress call as well, but we never heard the original mayday, only the coast guard responding to it. Wow, whatever next? Sure hope they can find them in time! The Coasties received the distress call at 12:49PM without a vessel name and it’s now 1:23PM with no more information forthcoming, even though they reached out to several mariners, including us, for help. Seven miles to go on today’s journey. Guess we’ll see what happens, if anything! So nice to know they’re out there and ready to help! Landed in lovely Eau Gallie Basin about 2:30PM, just in time for Martin to catch the Hull City game!! A great day all around! 🎉

First light at New Smyrna Beach as we prep the Cheeky for her day’s travel.

Curious, cool blue streak in the sky this morning!

Sun is trying hard to make an appearance on the somewhat lonely Indian River this morning.

So incredibly calm this morning. The only disturbances emanating from the many manatee families and playful dolphin everywhere! Spectacular!!

Looking back over Cape Canaveral National Seashore.

In the biodiverse Haulover Canal, palm trees and pine trees are neighbors!

Not another bridge! 🙄 At 22 ft, thought we’d get under this one, but why take a chance? Haulover Bridge tender was a bit grumpy about it though. Watch out for crab pots galore as you exit the canal and stay close inside the channel as it’s super shallow just outside!

Nothin’ but blue skies and calm waters on the Indian River today. Quite different from our last visit when the high winds and short chop waves of this open stretch kicked our butts!

Slow cruise, so relaxing I fear the Cap is nodding off! 😳

Inside the Eau Gallie Basin, a gentleman uses this odd sunken mast as a resting spot when the bird nearby takes flight.

The Eau Gallie Yacht Basin. It’s beautiful here! Looking forward to visiting the funky town nearby too!

After an excellent tip from the dockhands to try dinner at Pineapples, we strolled back through the quiet neighborhood of Eau Gallie to the yacht basin. If you ever find yourself in the area of Melbourne, it’s well worth a visit to Pineapple’s third floor deck overlooking the Indian River. Sweet! The food and drinks were wonderful too! 👍👍

There’s something magical about this place!

Up before the dawn overlooking Ballard Park from our evening’s berth in Eau Gallie Yacht Basin.

The main faces of the dock. Last night looked magical, this one looks Christmasy!! 😀

New Smyrna Beach, United States

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:50:00 -0400

Set off at 7:30AM after Martin successfully changed a fuel filter that may have caused an alarm to go off just as we went through the Bridge of Lions yesterday. Great! We’ll see if that’s the issue when we start to run fast. So far, so good! 👍 Ran into a bit of a snag with our iPad no longer working with Aqua maps, although luckily Bob423’s tracks still displayed. The best trick is to make sure you pre-download all your maps while you’re on Wi-Fi. Even though I did this previously, the ones we needed today were not available. 🫤 Never one to be deterred by technology, it took me awhile, but finally got it squared away with Verizon chat and am back to using my phone as a hotspot to keep our maps updated. Seems somewhere along the line (in one of my brilliant plan updates), my hotspot perk no longer applied. 🤷‍♀️ Word to the wise boater using Aqua Maps or any other nautical apps on their iPad on the water, make sure you’ve somehow got accessible roaming available before you leave the dock! 🎼Come on and take a free ride, yeh, yeh, yeh, yeh 🎼Current just switched to a nice pull (rather than a push) as it does when you near an inlet. Eight miles from Ponce Inlet and we’re already picking up 2-3 kts with our “free ride!” 👍 An added benefit are the occasional manatees and dolphins! Managed to catch the 2PM George Musson Bridge which allowed us to pull in safely and get tied up by 2:20 at New Smyrna Marina. It’s noticeable warmer down here!

A gorgeous morning on the Mantanzas River for the slow 57 mile trek to New Smyrna Beach, where we’re planning on joining up with our old Jersey friends, Bonni and Steve who now live in FL. Can’t wait to see them!

Four bridges to negotiate on this jaunt from Saint Augustine to New Smyrna Beach. We could just barely eeek out getting under the Crescent Bridge at 21/22 feet with our antenna down, but we decided not to risk it. The bridge tender was very accommodating and opened it right up, nice!

The ocean is just on our left during this long, straight section of the ICW and you can see how whipped up it is out there today, no thanks!

Now here’s a poor fellow that needs Tow Boat US!

With bridge #2 for the day (L.B. Knox) in our rear view mirror, we’re on our way! Gotta love these bridges on demand in Florida! Twenty-four miles to go!

Number 3, yippee! Main St Bridge, Daytona.

Love the way they decorated the bridges underneath in Daytona’

Bridge #4 and no more, we’re there, NSB! 👍

Early morning in New Smyrna Marina. 🎶 I was up before the dawn and I really have enjoyed my stay, but I must be moving on 🎶

Saint Augustine, United States

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:50:00 -0400

Somewhat gloomy start to today’s trek, casting off about 7:10AM as we head to Saint Augustine on the inside. Noticed several larger boats heading towards the ocean, but we know the Cheeky’s limits (and ours!) and have opted for the safer route. Sea Buddy will be joining us on our travels, but we beat them out of the gate and have not heard from them yet. At present speed of 8.7 kts, we’ll comfortably get to our destination of Saint Augustine by mid afternoon. There are definite benefits of going slow beyond saving fuel. Just witnessed a bald eagle swooping down right off our bow and snagging an unlucky fish in his talons as he flew off with his feast! Amazing! Seventeen more miles of a slow meander to St Augustine Municipal Marina on a sunny Sunday afternoon with many friendly boaters passing by. All good, except when we passed the local dock and dine (in low idle at 5 kts!) and got yelled at by over anxious diners. 🫤 Expect to reach our destination by 2PM, a bit late for the last tour of Flagler College, which we heard was worthwhile. Hope to catch it in the Spring upon our return. Also, our favorite restaurant in town, the Floridan, is now closed and moving to a new location. 😥 Fortunately, Martin made a delicious shepherds pie for dinner last night and we have leftovers! 😊 Fortunately made it to the 12:30PM opening for the Bridge of Lions in St Augustine, just in time to secure two last tickets to the Flagler College tour at 2, yippee!

A spooky sight greeted us this morning. 😳😜

First palm trees spotted in Florida!

It’s not all a pretty sight on the waterways. America is hard at work everywhere you go!

Auto pilot is the bomb!! 👍👍 With the current at our backs and a light southerly wind, we’re in mosey mode for the day, no rush at all!

Decided to let the Cheeky do her typical quick blast off away from the crowd while we could. Seas ya later! 😂 There’s a lovely stretch of ICW just below Fernandina that allows you to run for a good 20-30 minutes before you have to slow down for populated no wakes zones. You may want to take advantage! 😉 Sea Buddy decided to follow our lead and is now flying up behind us. 😂

There goes Sea Buddy, see you in St. Augustine, we’re back in slow Sunday driver mode.

Huge naval ship under repair near Jacksonville. Two active gun boats regulate boat traffic nearby.

Made it in time after all to tour the recommended, former Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, now known as Flagler College. It’s a one hour tour for only $20 and a ten minute walk from the municipal marina if you’re interested. This is the main lobby of the former Ponce de Leon Hotel.

👍 Here’s the ladies parlor, which boasts the largest collection of white onyx in the western hemisphere displayed in this fireplace. The blue ceiling was also the first use of the now famous Tiffany blue. Clearly, this place is OTT!

Flagler College, formerly known as the Ponce de Leon Hotel, was built back in the gilded age of 1887 by Flagler who made all his money with Rockefeller selling Standard Oil.

Can you spot the Cheeky from afar? Hint: it’s smack in the middle!

After visiting Flagler College, once the hotel of the rich and famous, we stopped at a fun, little recommended place called Tini Martini. Can’t believe I actually joined Martin drinking one and lived to tell the tale! 😜

More info on the ICW at the municipal marina.

Starting to wonder sbout all these pirate ships outside our window!

The Cheeky in all her blazing glory at 6:30AM as we prep for departure.

Here comes her Captain! 😉

Fernandina Beach, United States

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:50:00 -0400

Slept under the stars on a rare night with the porthole open, wonderful! Actually felt safe enough to do that here in our friendly, little neighborhood of Stuart bound boaters. In another rare and unusual moment, we’re actually up and waiting for first light with the engines running, ready and willing to brace ourselves for whatever the Atlantic brings our way. After checking and rechecking the forecast, fishweather, and friends, we’ve decided it’ll be fine to take on the predicted 2.5 footers with virtually no wind (5kts) coming from the southeast. Fred (and Carolyn) who hosted a splendid cookout last night on Casablanca, and Chris from Yup next door, generously got out of bed at 6:45AM to help us cast off the lines. Much appreciated! Destination Florida! ☀️ With the Dolphins leading the way, we chose the shortcut out of Palmetto Bay Marina to the ocean, keeping the flashing green marker to starboard and showing 13 ft deep at high tide we were fine. Several fishing boats much smaller than us are also headed out. Always nice to have some buddy boats! Arrived in Fernandina Harbor Marina at 12:20PM with an easy docking on the inside end. We could even fuel up from this spot, nice! Time to clean up, shower up and check out this cute, historic little town, sure to be decked out for autumn 🍂 🎃🍁 even though judging from all the boating activity around here it’s more like summertime! 😉

Aye, Aye, Mateys! Watch out fer me laddo! 🏴‍☠️

Well earned miles of smiles !

Sunrise over Broad Creek as we cast off!

Beautiful morning!

Ready and waiting for first light!

Looking in the rear view mirror as we depart Palmetto Bay. 😢 Safe travels to all our friends till we meet again!

The Cheeky’s Captain focused at the helm. Tybee Inlet is notoriously long and takes forever to clear before heading south.

Martin stopped long enough to snap this pic in the sunrise. 7AM, not my finest hour, but the sunshine helps! 😂😂

Roughed up a bit for a short time and the Cap suggested I sit it out downstairs, to which I happily agreed! 👍

Ahh, this is more like it!

Always seems to be a sailboat in our nav path this morning!

Keeping an eye on this one as we cruise by!

Waters churned up as we broke St Mary’s Inlet with the incoming ocean swells and the outgoing tide. Careful!! Gotta love the Cheeky’s power!

Just crossed the Florida state line, we made it!! 👍👍 Four more days till Stuart!! 😊

Fernandina Beach’s famous paper factories (and accompanying odors!) greet us as we cruise the Amelia River to the Fernandina Harbor Marina.

Pirates docking just outside our door as the Captain relaxes, blimey!! 😂😂🎃🍁

Finally feeling like we’re on vacation after nine days! 😊

Bounty captured, the Captain relaxes! 😉

Nightfall over the Amelia River at the Fernandina Harbor Marina, a popular spot for sunset viewers.

Hilton Head Island, United States

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 13:50:00 -0400

Up at a brisk first light, which was meant to put us in a good position to change course and beat the ocean waves today predicted to be 2.2 ft until late morning. We had to wait a bit for Sea Buddy parked in front overlapping our lines, but no worries. Once Buddy was free, we watched with bated breath as he unfortunately underestimated the strong currents at Charleston City Marina and narrowly escaped a collision with a massive vessel nearby! That certainly woke us up! Fortunately, we’ve been at the city docks before and Chris Carver had long ago taught Martin the trick of backing into the current for a successful and smooth departure. Thanks, Chris! Gotta love my Captain for taking note! Broke the inlet and started our long trek down the channel towards the Port Royal Sound about 10:10AM. The waves roughed up a speck with the outgoing tide and incoming winds increasing, but nothing the Cheeky couldn’t handle. Soon, we’ll pick up the Intracoastal again to our destination of Palmetto Bay Marina, having saved at least 3-4 hrs by braving the ocean waves. 👍 Slow cruising down the ICW and will reach Pametto Bay by noon. Been hearing all about the king tide (extra high) down the eastern seaboard all week, but it’s not helping us today as we are arriving at low tide and actually need to double back around an island on the channel to get to our final destination. There’s a handy little shortcut that could get us there more quickly, but reading 1 to 2 feet on the monitor, we’d be using it at our peril and we’re so close there’s no need to risk it! Instead, we’ll learn from the Ferryboat Captain’s deft maneuvering of the short cut at low tide for next time! 👍 Day 2 - Palmetto Bay What a pleasant spot for a rest! With good friends nearby in Casablanca, Way to Go and Yup we’re easily set for a ride to the shops to replenish, have a chance to clean up inside and out, and even use the free laundry! The peace and quiet of this place is lovely, I can see why they like it and spend much of their summer time here. All good! 😊

First light at Charleston City Marina.

Sunrise over the Atlantic, a rare occurrence for this first mate, however if prompted by the prospect of stronger winds and growing waves, you better believe I’m the first one up for coffee !

So far the waves are behaving as predicted. 🎉

A lone sailboat was our only buddy this morning!

Aww, it’s so nice to be on the dock for two days straight with all our Stuart buddies. What a surprise! We knew at least 4 would be here, but it turned out to be more like 10 counting us!! 😊 (Plus, The Good Life is on its way, and will be here soon. Sadly, we’ll miss them.😢) Had a delicious dinner of Parmesan cod at the Black Marlin nearby with lots of laughs and stories to tell. Before we got there, they had all been drinking and dancing for two nights straight (after getting over COVID) and were so wiped, they were perfect companions for our travelers’ fatigue. We both need a day’s rest and these playful dolphins just outside the door are the ticket!

Kickin’ back on the sofa, enjoying the view!

The Cheeky Monkey III beautifully clean again!

The big excitement of the day was watching the shrimp catch come back to the dock on Yup’s smaller boat, named Maybe. 😆

Unfortunately, they only caught enough for one shrimp cocktail! Guess no shrimp dinner for us after all! 😜😂

They look pretty creepy close up before the heads get ripped off! 😳

Dory, our faithful Stuart mascot last year, was enjoying them too!

Charleston, United States

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 16:00:00 -0400

Good morning, Mates, and we’re off! Our plans to leave at 7:15AM were waylaided a bit by the Captain’s slight sleep in and since I’m never the first one up, that suited me just fine! 😉 Cast off at 7:50 instead and are now roaring towards the tiny, tricky entrance to the ICW from Georgetown to Charleston. You need to go beyond the actual entrance just to see it!! Beyond that, there are may shallow edges that can catch you out at a moment’s notice thus, I’ll need to get my eyes off this contraption and help the Cap steer straight. Fortunately our late-ish start has us following Sea Buddy again for now, so no worries, although it looks like they’ve vanished from view down the mysterious ICW turn! 😂😂 No problem, the Cheeky will catch’em up, we always do! 😉 Sure enough, caught up to Sea Buddy who fortuitously alerted us to the several pesky crab pots that lingered straight on in the channel! 😬 We’ve decided not to pass our buddies, as we have a shortish day today (only 28 miles remaining) and there’s really no rush. Also, happily there are no low bridges blocking our way today - hurray! On the ICW, it pays to be a pocket yacht with a short draft (3.8) and under 31ft tall! 👍😉

Several less lucky boaters dot the landscape here.

Many thanks again for all your well wishes for fair skies and calm waters. Looks like they’re working!

Beautiful part of the country here.

Captain in his element!

Loads of shrimp boats out for a fresh catch!

Welcome to busy Charleston Harbor!

Here’s our Sea Buddy who has been traveling with us since Beaufort, NC.

I spy the Cheeky Monkey from the T.Allen Legare Bridge, can you? Hint: its near the biggest yacht!

Martin toting back our wares from town under a cool mossy tree

Sunset over the Ashley River at the Charleston City Marina.

Georgetown, United States

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 16:00:00 -0400

Left the dock at a comfortable 7:10AM as the sunshine finally decided to join us! 😊 Seven calm hours on the ICW to Georgetown suits me just fine as opposed to Sea Buddy’s decision to brave the ocean. We can swap stories once we both reach our destination for the night. Safe travels out there! Inside, we’ll have to negotiate three bridges, plus the granite cut, but that is so preferable to the relentless pounding of 3-4 ft waves for five hours straight. In addition, south of Southport is a very pretty stretch of the ICW, made even more so by the morning sun at our backs. Very happy the Captain agreed! Been a nice, slow, relaxing cruise for much of the day through waterside neighborhoods, but once you pass through the Socastee Bridge, it’s wide open river cruising, beautiful and much appreciated! Should arrive in Georgetown before closing at 5:30PM at this fine Cheeky speed! Wheee! Another wonderful benny of coming down the Waccamaw River is the Wacca Wachee Marina I noted on last spring’s trek and alerted Martin to this time. At 2.95/gal, it is without a doubt the absolute least expensive fuel on the east coast! We needed 200 gals and saved several hundred dollars, both going trawler speed today (out of necessity due to so many no wake zones) and Wacha Wachee’s bargain diesel, awesome! Lobster to celebrate, anyone? 😉

Sunrise over the the ICW near Oak Island and Hickory Point.

Ominous dark clouds lurking.

Slow cruising our way south, nice and easy at 8 kts. 👍

Golfers on the shore at Myrtle Beach.

Jet skiers and kayakers too, they got it all going on here, still summer!

Even floating casinos! This guy is pulling a Steve, hanging on the side of the boat! 😂😂

Danger! Rocks! Wish us luck in the cut! 😳 Whew! Made it even though some speed boat came at us at about 20 mph the other way, forcing us slightly to one side. 😬

The old River Belle lives on in NC!

Love this stretch of the Waccamaw River! We’ve paid our dues all day avoiding Cheeky wakes and this is our reward!t 👍👍

Arrived in the lovely town of Georgetown, SC at 4:15PM, after a nine hour trek on the ICW.

Can you spot the Cheeky’s Captain chillin’ in the cockpit?

Sunset over Harborwalk Marina!

Southport, United States

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 16:00:00 -0400

We’re finally free! Woke to a soaked set of lines and slippery docks, but nothing that we haven’t dealt with before. With our sights set on a somewhat easy day of cruising on the inside, minus the bridges and dreaded “cut,” we should spot Southport by late afternoon. So far, we’re following Sea Buddy’s tail and as long as he knows where he’s going, we will too!! 😂😂 That’s ordinarily a dangerous thing to assume, but Sea Buddy’s Cap and Martin have spent hours over the last few days chewing on this route so I’m pretty confident they both know where they’re headed. 🤞We cast off at 7:15AM and Beaufort, NC to Southport, NC should be about an 8 hr trip going roughly 8-22 kts, as the ICW allows. With gray skies greeting us ahead, let’s hope it doesn’t turn into fog! As expected, we left Sea Buddy in our wake hours ago after the Onslow Beach Bridge episode. Guess the CMIII and crew were naturally built to lead! 😉😂 Expect to reach Southport just around the corner by 4, in perfect time for a quick cleanup and dinner. 👍👍

Work boat hanging west of the channel as we depart Beaufort to Southport on quiet waters.

Fisherman with his nets out in the channel, 😬 careful!

We’re currently stuck on the ICW at 9:40AM at the Onslow Beach Bridge near Camp Lejeune, which has had a terrible reputation over the past year for being open for only one hour from noon to 1pm, the reason being that they are building and constantly testing a new bridge! We’ve just heard that they hope to get us through by 11AM, which means we’ll be idling here for over an hour. If these lights start flashing, we’re in deep shit as the sign says, “Live firing in progress when flashing.” Whatever next?!! 😳😬

Still hanging at the Onslow Beach Bridge, going on two hours, and the boats behind us are lining up big time! 😬

As the lead boat next to the Onslow Bridge we’re being crunched in line now with at least a dozen boats behind us and the wind is picking up. No, Captain you cannot go downstairs to the bathroom anymore!

Finally!! Success!!

Runnin’ with the big boys now!

Snow’s Cut is a man made canal that takes you from the Masonboro Sound area to the Cape Fear River. It’s easy going, unlike tomorrow’s cut” near Myrtle Beach which is solid granite and will take out your props in a heartbeat.

Water graffiti, really?

This section of the ICW heading towards Wrightsville Bridge is full of playful dolphin and quite near the ocean, which is whipped up today. Sure glad we’re not out there!

Beaufort, United States

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:00:00 -0400

Aurora, United States

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 -0400

Sights set on Dowry Creek today in Bellhaven, which is so small it doesn’t even register on the app, ha,ha! Originally planned to stop at Coinjock, but it’s so calm I convinced the Cap to go for it and cross the Albemarle today. Had the Great Bridge info that we received from the Great Lock tender last night been correct, we could have possibly crossed the Albemarle and the Palmico Sound today and holed up in Beaufort for the rain. However, we were advised that the repairs on the Great Bridge would only allow us through at 12:20 today, hence our delayed start. If all goes well, we’ll most likely cross the Pamlico Sound in the rain tomorrow, but the waves should be OK if we set off early. This stretch of the Intracoastal is all quite a delicately timed dance on the water and can honestly be a bit nerve wracking, but hey whose complaining, the sun is shining and the railroad bridges are finally all open! Onward! 👍 Made it to Dowry Creek Marina in Bellhaven NC today, again just in the nick of time as the lovely harvest moon rose over the Pungo River. The Albemarle was not as smooth as we had hoped, with 3-4 footers and a very short chop making it somewhat uncomfortable. However, we finished the day with a gorgeous run down the Alligator River Canal, which we had all to ourselves. Tomorrow’s day promises to be a little less intense, although the Palmico is still to be conquered. If all the predicted storms come true, looks like we’ll be holed up in Beaufort, NC at least until Saturday morning. Time for a rest! 👍😉

Alligator Canal sunset, simply marvelous!

Just the two of us for miles!

The Cap heading down the canal, keeping a lookout for alligators, haven’t seen one yet!

Not a soul in sight at sunset on the Alligator Canal as the Cheeky roars to her destination, wake be damned! 😂😂

Watch out for construction at the US 64 highway bridge after fighting your way across the Albemarle Sound. The bridge tender will also require your boat documentation so be prepared. A 65ft er is being constructed as we speak, maybe by Spring?

Bypassed one of our favs, Coinjock, beelining to Bellhaven.

Seas ya later!! In true Cheeky fashion, we’ve blown off all the other boats in line and are now leading the pack. 😂😂 We can’t actually go anywhere anyway since the Great Lock and the coordinated Great Bridge right after the lock will not open until 12:20 and it’s now just 11, but it feels good to be free of the monster boats behind us and let’s face it, the nippy CMIII has a Jersey reputation to uphold! Uh oh, time to speed up! We just heard there is a new lock opening at 11:20 and other boaters have advised us to take it since the huge boats behind us will supposedly use up all the lock space at 12:20. 😳 What’s the difference anyway! We still have to wait for an hour or more after the lock until the Great Bridge opening at 1 (remember, if you miss that one, you’re shit out of luck until the next one at 7pm). What a crazy fiasco full of misinformation from all sides, which only adds to the fun!

We made it, along with a multitude of other boats, it’s packed!

Martin busy tying up at the lock.

The Lock Master let us stay here from 11:00 to nearly 12:20, which is good to know. We were here so long, the guy next door washed his boat!

Holding our current position in front of the Great Lock Bridge for the 1 pm opening which isn’t easy with this lot behind us. We don’t have pods or outboards that can hold you in place, hence more delicate maneuvering required on the Captain’s part. Thankfully, Martin is a cool headed pro and the Cheeky is a responsive machine! 👍

Arrival by moonlight in Bellhaven at my favorite marina, family owned Dowry Creek. Unfortunately, our buddy, Elvis, who always took our song requests has moved on to brighter lights, but at least for now, this place remains uniquely authentic.

A lovely evening over the Pamlico River at Dowry Creek Marina.

Cheeky Monkey III performed brilliantly today!

Sunrise at Dowry Creek Marina. I literally could not stop taking these pics!

A happy Captain who doesn’t have to drive 12 hours today. Still can’t figure how he does this as he can’t drive a car for more than 2 hrs without falling asleep! 🤷‍♀️

I match! 😂😂

They’ve still got the old pirate ship at Dowry. Guess it’ll be there till it sinks!

Definitely seen better days!

Pamlico Sound, no sweat today on the waves, but those clouds ahead could spell trouble. Rain on the radar eight miles ahead. Feeling sorry for the sailboats and trawlers left in our dust who have nowhere to run. 😳

Norfolk, United States

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:00:00 -0400

Landed in Norfolk in the nick of time just before seven. Beautiful evening in a busy industrial harbor after a long, somewhat choppy day on the sea. Our calm seas lasted about an hour or two outside of Atlantic City, but soon turned into their usual 2-3 footers. Such is life on the open waves! 😊 Happy to be on solid ground again and ready for a night in the town after the Cheeky gets her well-deserved wash! Spent last night’s dinner planning our best escape route from the impending storms (including renting a car and driving back to Jersey for a week!), but that was all for naught because the Cap swore he checked fifteen forecasts this morning and made the call that we’re going forward. I’m all for that! The next complication is the conflicting information about the Great Bridge which is under repair and only open 3x a day (7,1 and 7). The Cheeky must be in line at 12:20 at the Great Lock or else! Wish us luck on this one, we’re going need it! 😉🤞 BTW, thanks so much for all your comments! We were happily surprised to see how many we already had, awesome! With any luck, heading off to cross the Albemarle today. Destination Dowry Creek Marina, Bellhaven!

Our neighbor for the night, the American Rover still stands tall!

Running with the big boys today in the Norfolk harbor.

The Cap still alert at the helm after an 11 hour jaunt in the Atlantic!

Rounding the bend of the eastern shore of Virginia to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into the Norfolk Harbor.

The fire continued to blaze as seen under the bow of the American Rover. Yikes!

This is the bridge schedule we’re dealing with today on our way to the Albemarle Sound crossing. It’s the most challenging on the trek! 🤞

Awoke to this massive fire across the Elizabeth River in Craford Bay. What next?!

US Navy hard at work, impressive!

The Cheeky Monkey awaits her day’s jaunt with the majestic American Rover behind.

Point Pleasant Beach

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:30:00 -0400

Waking up at 5:30 AM after five hours of sleep and spending eight hours jostling our way to Norfolk on the bumpy Atlantic was not in our plans today. 😒 However, according to Fishweather, this is as good as it gets for the foreseeable future and so with a definite deadline to our final destination we had little choice but to go. With the notion of my nice warm bed still fresh in my mind. I spent the morning canceling all the plans we did have for the next 10 days with many apologies and promises to reschedule. Our sights are set on Waterside Marina, a super spot in Norfolk, after a quick pit stop at Sunset Marina in Ocean City, MD for fuel. Hoping to break the inlet at the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge by 6, before dark at 7. Fingers crossed! 😊 🤞

Beautiful morning for a cruise to VA overlooking the bow of the mighty Slabjack in the Cheeky’s home port.

Ominous fog on Barnegat Bay. Let’s hope it burns off before we hit the inlet!

Our first large landmark, Barnegat Lighthouse. Oddly enough our Uber driver told us a story on the way to the boat about a 23 footer flipping in the Barnegat inlet yesterday afternoon. We are most definitely hoping for a smoother exit. 😉🤞 The Uber guy, then continued to tell us another story about how his dad almost flipped their 42 footer in the Barnegat Inlet when he was a teenager and said he would never go out of that inlet again!

Captain Martin ready for action at the often treacherous Barneget Inlet. The trick, which we learned from Towboat US, is to head north immediately after passing the rocks on the left. This will avoid the breakers that are dangerously appparent in the typically marked channel.

Wow! Look at this ocean! It doesn’t get any better than this, the Cheeky is flying! OC on the horizon. So glad we busted our butts yesterday to get all the gear on board. We made the right decision to “seas” today! 😉

Made it to OC, MD, woohoo, halfway to Norfolk! Ripping outgoing tide in the inlet, yikes! Time for a quick bite to eat!