Update from Moonwave – April 2015

The last update from Moonwave already dates a while back – a lot has happened but not a lot to tell. We spend the last months on Roanoke Island in the beautiful Outerbanks, North Carolina on the U.S. East coast.

We got some warranty works done and did a couple of improvements. One of the items that got changed are the salon windows. The view out of Moonwave’s salon is now more transparent and clear due to the new safety glass that replaces the acrylic that was installed before.

At this point I want to thank all the workers at the Gunboat yard in Wanchese for their support and assistance. We really enjoyed to work with the waterfront team and we know that they will be missing the Wednesday morning sweet treat aka brownies and muffins ;-) We met lots of lovely people in the Outer banks some of them we call our friends now.

Mid of March we finally left beautiful Wanchese and the Gunboat yard, a couple of months later than originally promised/planned and our first stop was Hampton, close to Norfolk, Virginia. Where we also stepped the mast and got ready to sail more south. Here a thanks to Bluewater Marina and Yard time for the stay.

If you ever have the chance to do the ICW (intercostal waterways), it is really beautiful ride between Wanchese, NC and Hampton, Virginia – with the mast lying on the deck. Lots of interesting bridges and beautiful landscapes. I agree with Matt that the pictures of the different bridges would make a great coffee table book as they almost all open in different ways. The arrival next to the big navy base of Norfolk is also pretty impressive – lots of “real” gunboats with huge guns ;-)

With the mast back up we were ready to leave the cold weather. On our departure we had white snowflakes against the black sails. We had a great trip down from Virginia to the Bahamas with a smooth crossing of the Gulfstream. The sailing and wind conditions were very versatile – we love sail changes – from really calm seas and wind up to 57 knots of true wind speed, we had everything in between.

But we already knew beforehand and from last trips that Moonwave just sails great and handles the different sea states and wind conditions extraordinary. It is pure joy to sail on her – and the dolphins also enjoyed playing at her bow.

Upon arrival in the Bahamas we are now focusing on finishing some projects that were not done during our stay in North Carolina and than we will be enjoying the crystal clear water of the Bahamas before heading north again to New England for the summer.

More news to come soon with updated cruising schedule for the next months. We didn’t make it this winter but next season we will be definitively rocking the Caribbean. 

Please enjoy some more pictures in our gallery  from the trip south. And as usual, please don’t hesitate to contact us if any questions.