And so it goes.....
We've been tied to the dock at the Charleston City Marina since mid February. We'd been house hunting and having the occasional visitors; Tara and her friend Mary came in March for her birthday; then Chrissy and Pia stayed for ten days and coined HD as a "house boat". Indeed it has been just that. But we never DID get a plant, like some of our "neighbors"!
When we arrived in February we had the first of three contracts for a historical home SOB (South of Broad) so the captain put an ad on the website "Sailboats by Owners For Sale, knowing there have been four or five sister ships listed for sale for over a year, so not much likelihood of selling anytime soon.
While we were in contract on our second home in Charleston a very nice man emailed me saying he was interested in HD. Seems he was retiring and moving from Columbia, SC to the coast and had his eye on our Tartan 4300. Sounded like a re-run of where I was a few years back. He comes and looks at HD... wants to give us a deposit; our house contract fell through due to mold issues and the crew flew to London for a month of Pia time.
On our return a deal is struck for the purchase of an 18th century home on Church St. and the sale of HD. The inspections for both are approved, the test sail is a success ( 7.4 kts in a 15 kt wind with help from the river current), and tomorrow we will be officially homeless for a month.
When the first mate suggested the name Happy Destiny for our new boat I suppose we envisioned having good times at whatever destination we were in which did happen mostly. Now that our adventure is over it seems that HD actually delivered us to a new home in the city we chose, Charleston, after visiting options from Maine to the Bahamas.
We feel good in transferring a boat in better condition than we received it three years ago and to be moving to a totally rehabbed 1784 home SOB.
For the captain this has been a dream come true of sailing the ICW and East Coast. Ever since childhood and listening to my romantic Uncle Jack talk of just such a trip, I had it as a "to do". So here's to you Unc, thanks for the suggestion.
So as we savor our last day on HD with the cleaning complete, the crew enjoyed waiting out the rain to move to our new home for the week, Mainstay Suites in Mount Pleasant. Listening to Sirius Radio and playing on our Macs in the warm, cozy surroundings of our home for the past 26 months, we wondered if we would be as comfortable in our house SOB.
Closing on our new home is now scheduled for 31 July and so we are truly homeless for the next month. We have failed for the past 2 years to gain any sympathy for our plight, since we did, in fact, still have HD as our home.
We are looking forward of taking this more authentic plea to Hawaii for ten days while witnessing Tyler and Camille's wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel, Maui. Doubt we'll get much sympathy there either! Then, seeking local empathy while we are back in Charleston for two days over the 4th of July weekend to change clothes, we'll have to rummage through our 5x10 storage unit to gather some warmer clothes before going to London for comfort until closing day. Poor Opa-Gigi! Homelessness never felt so good!
However, with our trip over the true meaning of the name is becoming more clear. We have arrived at a happy place to live. Seems our journey took us to more than interesting landfalls. This crew member has learned more than refined sailing skills and for this I am grateful.
As for the first mate…I have been "stretched" (in a good way) over the past two years... going from knowing absolutely NOTHING about sailing or navigation to at least enough knowledge to "take the helm" from the Captain when he was nearly delirious after an overnight sail into Charleston harbor. I have laughed and cried, sometimes on my knees. I have been rocked and rolled and slammed against the walls from one side of the cabin to the other by waves that were "supposedly 3-5ft". I have cooked some of my best meals EVER on HD, many times heeled over so far, I had to wedge myself in between the sink and the stove and hold onto the pots on the burners! I've been on an extended "honeymoon", getting to know my new husband up-close-and-personal-24-7, and although it hasn't always been easy…I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I am, however, excited about the next chapter on land!
Here is the last three years voyage in pictures:
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| Prague Marathon before delivery of HD |
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| HD first guest |
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| Winter getting ready |
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| Our Chicago friends in Holland Michigan for day sail May 2011 |
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| One of the bascule bridges |
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| Sturgeon Bay and the reigning golf champions |
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| Learning to relax under sail |
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| Beautiful Lake Michigan |
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| The perennial lake flies |
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| Mackinaw Island |
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| Our Cleveland friends |
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| Working the locks |
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| Hudson River visitors |
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| NYC visit with Greg August 2011 |
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| Our friends in Weston, Ct. Summer 2011 |
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| Lilia & Tara's Boston visit |
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| Learning to relax |
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| Our friend Peter; Newport, Ri |
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| And along comes Sophia |
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| Tyler, Camille, crew and the last Cameos in captivity |
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| The Ensleins in Deltaville, Md |
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| Deano |
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| Meeting Pia for the first time London October 2011 |
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| Side Trip Sorrento Italy October 2011 |
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| Heading south in the ICW; obviously too late |
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| Thanksgiving Beaufort, Sc |
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| Still refining the skill |
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| Christmas 2011 Naples |
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| Our friends Mary and Al Naples 2011 |
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| The Span Family, St. Pete Christmas 2011 |
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| Bahamas viewing the Super Bowl outside projected on a sheet |
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| 7 DAYS, 7 times 7; 7 |
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| Either the Hudson River or the Bahamas |
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| Our friends on a remote Cay |
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| Didn't know it then but it was better than the visit with the pigs on Staniel Cay |
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| Jon and Nancy Newman Spankies |
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| Posting in Bahamas National Reserve |
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| Our SSB weatherman, Chris Parker, Georgetown, Bahamas |
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| The birthday girl's visit to Bahamas |
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| Pia's first visit to HD |
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| Our Exumas restaurant owner friends |
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| After 300 NM sail from Bahamas to Charleston at Five Loaves |
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| In Gulf Stream 100NM from shore at 11 kts |
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| Ah Charleston |
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| No words for this |
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| Chicago side trip April 2012 |
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| The college graduate May 2012 |
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| The late Joe Hauer and his wife Barbara, Southport, NC. Fall 2012 |
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| Bald Head Island |
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| Beaufort, NC Mother's Day 2012 |
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| Trae's graduation Air Force Academy May 2012 |
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| Williamsburg, Va |
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| Easton, Md |
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| The Tall Ships Baltimore Harbor Spring 2012 |
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| St. Michaels |
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| Annapolis |
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| Hoboken |
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| Sailing into NY Harbor June 2012 |
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| London side Trip July 2012 |
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| Maine with TONE August 2012 |
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| Guests enjoying First Mate harvested and prepared mussels, Maine |
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| Ali happy on HD |
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| Rockland Maine September 2012 |
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| Unsolicited Momento from Maine |
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| Provincetown; Need I say more |
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| Martha's Vineyard |
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| One Year old crew Annapolis October 2012 |
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| Mother teaching daughter new skill on way to St. Michaels |
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| St. Michaels |
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| Crabin in matching Topsiders |
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| Visiting Margaret Pine Knoll Shores November 2012 |
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| Won't miss this! |
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| Reindeer Run Charleston November 2012 |
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| Kudu's Charleston crews favorite |
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| Prepping for Hurricane Sandy Portsmouth, Va |
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| 3 generations Tara's White Coat Ceremony West Palm January 2013 |
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| Forgot the gate combo Charleston March 2013 |
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| Tara's Birthday dinner |
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| Tata's second Birthday on HD w/ Mary March 2013 |
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| Sophia's third visit to HD March 2013 Charleston |
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| Grits & Shrimp Charleston March 2013 |
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| While mom's in NYC |
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| Our little sailor found mamas Dew stash |
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| Catherine's visit to HD Charleston |
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| Pretzel/apple break London side trip May 2013 |
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| BUS! |
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| Horsey |
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| Wee |
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| Clearly child abuse |
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| Pia's animal friends after nursery |
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| Gigi, Pia and foo foo return home |
Did I mention we are blessed.
Wishing you all the same as we together trudge this road to Happy Destiny.
Love,
The Crew
