Shear Madness

AUGUST 31^st 2010

Here’s a brief update on our trip so far.

Shear Madness departed from Palm Beach on Aug 23^rd with Bradley and our friends/partners John and Leanne on board. They arrived in Cape Canaveral that evening where I met them. On the 24^th, we had a happy hour for our friends in that area, then departed on Aug 25^thfor St. Mary’s GA. Had a great trip with ideal conditions. Found a lovely anchorage in St Mary’s but only stayed one night as Hurricane Danielle was on her way and we wanted to avoid her effects.

Shear Madness anchored in St. Marys, GA

Next stop Charleston, SC. Again, a smooth trip in ideal conditions.  After exploring the Ashley River, we decided to anchor in the Wando River, which has been great – comfortable and private. Visited Ft. Sumter in our tender, then visited the city and cruised 15 miles up the Ashley River (in the tender).

Today we had planned to depart for Southport, NC but Hurricane Earle has altered that plan! We are staying put in Charleston for a few days and will do some projects on the boat and play a little.

SEPT 3rd

It’s Friday and we are still in Charleston. We are planning to depart tomorrow to head north to the Chesapeake Bay – that trip will take about 50 hours, so we should arrive in the Bay sometime on Monday. Then we will make our way slowly to Solomon’s Island, another 20 hours or so.

We’ve been safe and comfortable here in Charleston as Earl has now made his way north. Seas out there are still a bit rough but by tomorrow should have settled enough for us to have a comfortable trip. This has been a great place to be “stuck”! 

Kathy and Bradley in the tender

SEPT 6^th

We have safely arrived in the Chesapeake Bay and are now anchored near Virginia Beach. It was an incredible trip!  Although we were anxious to get here, we knew that we needed to wait in Charleston until Earl was past. What a great decision! Not only is Charleston a GREAT place to be “stuck”, we had ideal conditions for the 50+ hour trip. Seas were calm and weather was perfect! We had several dolphins shows with dolphins coming to play on our bow.

Click to play the video below.

Sept 9^th

On arrival in the Chesapeake Bay, we anchored overnight near Virginia Beach. On Tuesday we traveled to Onancock, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, anchored Shear Madness, and launched the tender for a trip up Onancock Creek to the small town. After some exploration, swimming, and a great dinner, we hit the sack, only to be awoken around midnight in a rocking boat with 30 knots of wind howling outside. Our anchorage was not well sheltered and not comfortable, so we decided to move. This sometimes happens – you always need to be prepared to move in the middle of the night! At 2am, we pulled our anchor and headed across the Bay to Reedville, a 3-hour trip. Winds continued to build, reaching more than 35 knots and it was the roughest seas we encountered during the entire trip! But it was a short journey and we anchored in Reedville, well sheltered and comfortable. From there it was a short journey to Solomon’s Island where Shear Madness is now docked and ready for more adventures on the Bay!

Here are some more photos from the trip: