ARRIVED BACK IN FERNANDINA. TIGER POINT MARINA 19th July 2015

Recovering from jet lag! Mum on the mend again.

Have been frantically getting ready to haul out.

Tuesday 28th July. hauled and washed... let the fun begin

Well the haul-out took a week and we had a reasonably leisurely time of it considering we did anti-foul and modifications to the stern tube flange. The heat was manageable because we jagged some decent weather over the weekend for below waterline work. The hull was pretty clean and a quick wet and dry saw it fit to paint. I put a bit of red lippy.... boot stripe for the yachties..... on the waterline. looks pretty.

All pretty in Red lippy.

Taipan was re-launched on the 4th of August and on the 5th at 3am we departed Fernandina for Savannah. Spent the night and the following day at Daufuskie Island Savannah before weather moderated in the late afternoon and we headed out towards Hatteras. It was a struggle!. The wind and current fought us the whole way and we finally gave up on Monday morning and headed into Beaufort, North Carolina. We were going to miss a suitable weather window for the notorious cape by 6 hours. We followed the radar images of the forecast storm the following day and were relieved we stopped. Followed Chris Parker's advice! Well done team! It would have been very unpleasant off Virginia Beach and in the entrance to Chesapeake had we continued.

Next we had to find a spot to leave Taipan and drive to Alexandria in Virgina to meet my brother and Jo before they headed back to Australia after touring the east coast in our trusty Cadillac. We put Taipan on a dock at Bock Marine and drove to Alexandria on Tuesday. We stayed with darling cousin Judith and husband Bob, for 4 nights full of fine food and family frivolity. More trips into Washington and a couple more of the Smithsonian Museums ticked off. We had fabulous weather and a great time. 

Return to Taipan on Sunday was arduous, with the terrible traffic it added 4 hours to the trip. Uuugh!. 

More pictures of Jacksonville and Fernandina 

WASHINGTON DC to THE BIG APPLE 1st October 2014

Back to Alexandria as base camp for adventure into DC. Judith and Bobs hospitality going to be impossible to beat and their home is only 10 minutes from a Park and Ride Metro station so it's easy to get to the big smoke from the apparent isolation of their place. No camping here and being fed like angels

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First cab off the rank was the National Museum of the American Indian. This Museum really needs a prelude because it's major focus is on treaties and the current situation. We felt we didn't get enough grounding. Perhaps the National History of America Museum or something would have been better first. The building is stunning and the Restaurant is great.

Day two we spent at the Smithsonian Museum of Space and Flight. Huge. Amazing.....

Tuesday made tracks to Elk Neck where we have camped 2 nights previously and it was again a nice camp. The squirrels dropped stuff on the roof early so we had a fairly early departure ... For us. We were on the road by 9 had to do phone recharge and stopped for a picnic by a river in some tiny town. Came sort of along the New Jersey coastline. 

Wednesday nite at Allaire state park in NewJersey.  Thursday saw an early start north. Lots of toll ways and lots of traffic. At one point we had seven lanes in each direction. All went well in till the George Washington Bridge which is double story affair and has lots of roads on and off splitting in every direction! Our Google lady couldn't keep up and we ended up getting in the wrong place...Hair raising!  But after a few tense minuits and a quick re route we were off again in the general direction of North! 

Once the pressure was off we stopped for coffee and decided to go back n do it all again! Found a camp ground right on Long Island and headed back into the fray! We achieved touchdown without further incident. Sheesh! Only about 3 hrs driving but we were stuffed when we arrived here.

Long Island at a Battle Row Campground, tenting for the next 4 nights. Cheapest accommodation in NY I recon... $25 per night! We will go to the city center for the next four days to explore.  That should be about all we can handle!!

We will catch a train in, it takes about 1 hour we are told. The station is 10 min drive from the camp ground. 

The leaves are starting to turn and it's getting cooler so we will head a little bit further north east after NY then start making our way south again or we will freeze in the tent!

Click here for more photos of Washington