Swift

Top Ten Anchorages

Elliot Key, Biscayne Bay, Florida
After 2 years of owning Inde and 7 months of full time cruising, I have a series of top tens that I’ll be posting on Wednesdays. We’ll be talking about favorite upgrades, meals, destinations, and disasters. First, we enjoy a good anchorage more than anything else! Links to previous posts about each anchorage are included. 
Silver Lake, Ocracoke, Outer Banks of North Carolina
#1: Ocracoke: We came for a night and stayed for 3 weeks in the summer, returning for 2 nights in the fall. Home to great restaurants, coffee shops, beaches, clamming, crabbing, paddle boarding, watching sunsets and anchorage mates, watching storms and feeling fear. 
Arrival in Ocracoke, July 2016
Happy as Clams in Ocracoke, August 2016
Elliot Key, Biscayne Bay, Florida 
Elliot Key sandbar
 #2: Elliot Key, home to: getting away from the city, dark night skies, a sandbar, cove beaches, clear water, swimming, paddle boarding, staring. Watch out for the bugs at sunset! 
Elliot Key Anchorage
Cape Lookout, Outer Banks of North Carolina
#3: Cape Lookout: Horses on the beach, beautiful shelling beach, peace and quiet, stars, lighthouse
Cape Lookout Arrival, July 2016
Hastings Goes on a Bad Dinghy Ride
Hastings stalks the horses at Cape Lookout

#4: Biscayne Bight, Biscayne Bay, Miami: People watching, sandbar, lights of Miami. We're always amazed that we can see police lights on land and star fish, rays, and crystal clear water under our feet. We love it! 
Cape Florida, November 2016
Maiden Voyage, December 2014
#5 Washington, D.C. What a thrill to moor under the lights of DC! Where else can you take the metro and stare at your favorite Monet painting all day for free? Incredible! 
Potomac River Cruise, August 2016
Crisis in D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Fear of the city: Escalators in D.C.
Goat Island, Pasquotank River, North Carolina
#6: Goat Island, Pasquotank River, N.C. Otherworldly anchorage to ourselves between Elizabeth City and the Dismal Swamp. Amazing stars. Scene of Hastings confusing mill weed and grass with very wet results. 
Pasqoutank River: Hastings gets wet!
Pasquotank River and the Dismal Swamp
Pungo River, 5 miles north of Belhaven, North Carolina
 #7: Pungo River, north of Belhaven, North Carolina: Quiet anchorage to ourselves to watch afternoon storms.
The Storm: Pungo River
Mill Creek, off Ingram Bay, Virginia
 #8: Mill Creek, Virginia: Great sunsets, quintessential Chesapeake Bay anchorage. Every boat can find their own cove and enjoy the peace. 
Ingram Bay Anchorages
Breton Bay, near Leonardtown, Maryland, off the Potomac
#9: Breton Bay, near Leonardtown, Maryland. It doesn’t seem like much in the photo, but we were awed by the hillside! We dinghyed to Leonardtown and enjoyed a delicious lunch. 
Sailing Potomac River
Fishing Bay, Deltaville, Virginia 
Great sunsets in Fishing Bay!

#10: Fishing Bay. We spent three different stints here, for weeks at a time. We sweated, we froze, we dragged, we enjoyed wi-fi in the anchorage and the Fishing Bay Marina's courtesy car. 
Fear and Dragging in Deltaville, VA

This is the story of Matt, Lucy and Hastings, the crew of the sailing vessel Dulcinea, a 1985 Cabo Rico 38.

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9 comments

  1. The Cynical SailorDecember 15, 2016 at 5:03 AM

    Great list - maybe we'll make it to some of these anchorages one of these days.

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    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaDecember 15, 2016 at 12:04 PM

      We're only 8 miles from Elliot Key, but haven't made it there yet! So maybe we too will make it to our favorite Miami anchorages before we hop to the Bahamas.

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  2. LiesbetDecember 15, 2016 at 12:38 PM

    That's a great list, Lucy, and stuff that can turn into full-fledged articles if you are so inclined. The eastern seaboard has a lot to offer the cruiser. BTW, I now have Keen sandals as well, and by the looks of it, they might be the same color as yours... :-)

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    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaDecember 15, 2016 at 1:42 PM

      Matt and I were just talking about articles on Ocracoke and Biscayne Bay!
      I love the Keens... I wore them every single day for 6 months. I've now added a pair of Tevas in gray since I did get a bit sick of trying to pair pink sandals with everything.

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  3. LiesbetDecember 15, 2016 at 2:25 PM

    Funny... I got the Keens (B-Day gift), because my gray Tevas gave me a blister every time I wore them. Are yours behaving well? I should have sent you mine, since I am about to toss them! Although, your feet might be smaller. :-)

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    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaDecember 15, 2016 at 3:32 PM

      That's too funny! I've worn the Tevas quite a lot with no blisters, so I think they'll be ok. I'm an 8.5.

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  4. LiesbetDecember 15, 2016 at 3:57 PM

    Yep. Should have sent you mine, gray and 8.5! But, I have a feeling that there is a manufacturer's defect. Unfortunately, since I ordered them years ago and had them on the boat for two years rarely worn, I can't return them! Whenever the weather shapes up (in spring, I suppose), I'm looking forward to wearing my pink Keens! :-)

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  5. TheCambriansDecember 17, 2016 at 8:01 AM

    A great read, guys! And I love the pictures, especially the ones from Washington D.C. and Biscayne Bight. I'm just starting to take twilight photos myself and love the effect.

    Stephanie @ SV CAMBRIA

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    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaDecember 17, 2016 at 6:48 PM

      Thanks! The photos are by Matt, but twilight is my favorite time of day. So peaceful!

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