Our visit to NJ allowed us to avoid traveling through Hurricane Ian. We used the time to visit family and friends, and to pack up the house we were selling in Toms River.

Once Ian was gone the weather had cooled (38 degrees!), and we enjoyed one last fire in the backyard before we moved back to our boat to head south toward warmer weather.

Off the coast of Atlantic City, we cruised through a pod of humpback whales. It was a very cool experience! Then we spent a night in Cape May.

In the morning we traveled past a variety of sailboats along the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal,

and made a quick visit to Annapolis, where they were setting up for a boat show.

Continuing south, we made a stop at Norfolk, and enjoyed the area by day

and by night.

We cruised the Elizabeth River with many other boats that were also heading to warmer places. Wanting to leave the pack and move more freely (and quickly), we only stopped for fuel in Coinjock and then continued south,

anchoring in the North river where we enjoyed both a beautiful sunset and sunrise (and got away from the boat traffic).

Waters were calm, so we crossed the Albermarle Sound and visited Ocracoke Island. It was a fun visit, as we explored the island by golf cart and met friendly locals and tourists.

The cemetery on the island included a section for British seamen who died when their armed trawler (HMS Bedfordshire) was sunk by Germans while defending the coast of Virginia during WWII. It was a touching piece of history.

In the morning, we followed the Ocracoke ferry along the twisty channel out of the harbor,

and cruised to Beaufort, NC, where we enjoyed the pretty harbor and local restaurants.

We cruised past a huge and colorful freighter on our way to Southport.

It was our first time visiting this adorable and delightful town.

We were having an enjoyable cruise down Little River, until one of the swing bridges broke. We floated for about 45 minutes, as other boats started gathering around us. We finally tied to an empty dock along with two other boats and heard over the radio that a new motor was being sent from Charleston. Repairs would take at least a few hours. (They took six hours, but we’re not bitter.)

We chatted with the other boats, checked in with the bridge tender, and watched a screaming match between a bridge mechanic and another man as we waited. The mechanic finally got the bridge to open and we quickly slipped through and continued on to Myrtle Beach.

We headed out in a very foggy sunrise to continue our travels. The fog cleared, and we saw several bald eagles along our route.

We then spent a lovely night in Charleston.

Eventually we worked our way down to Beaufort in South Carolina.

And then even further south to the Isle of Hope Marina, where we arrived during the town fair.

At night, we got a ride into Savannah and enjoyed a great evening running around the city.

A lovely visit to Jekyll Island brought us to the Florida border.

The weather was notably warmer (74 degrees), so we knew we were heading in the right direction!