After comfortable sailing in Chesapeake Bay, things are getting exciting again. We have to round Cape Hatteras once more. This time, however, we will be our own worst enemies, not the capricious cape.

Until we find out, though, we’re spending our waiting time in Norfolk and off Fort Monroe. That’s where our anchor failed us in spring, causing us to drift toward a wall in a thunderstorm. Fortunately, apart from a tear in the light wind sail, which the storm unrolled single-handedly, everything turned out fine. We also lost a line that served as a shock absorber for the anchor. This time, it took its toll, too, and we sacrificed a cell phone.

In Norfolk, we head to a dock in the marina. As the days grow colder, we visit the impressive military port and take trips to historic Williamsburg, a large open-air museum from the colonial era. We visit zoos and test the new espresso machine. Despite the onset of winter, we have a good time.

Cape Hatteras in slow motion

The conditions for the jump to Beaufort are favorable — at least according to the Windy app. We had counted on good sailing wind at the start, followed by less wind off Cape Hatteras, which would allow us to comfortably round the corner. However, the wind is slow, so we start the engine. We’ve barely covered ten miles when the fuel gauge drops significantly. We should have definitely made a detour to the fuel dock. Now, the question is whether we’ll make it at all. Drifting helplessly at the cape is not what we dreamed of. So, to save energy, we motor along agonizingly slowly, and the journey becomes a nerve-wracking test of patience. Finally, the long-awaited wind arrives, but it’s coming straight from the front, and it’s rough. We shouldn’t be surprised. After the calm comes the storm. Everyone knows that. Tacking into the nasty waves causes us to lose more time and patience. We’ve rarely been so happy to arrive and see a fuel dock.

We already feel at home in Beaufort and are looking forward to a second visit. Suddenly, there are lots of German sailors around us again, and we are meeting new people.

Further along the southern states

We definitely want to see Charleston. So, we’re heading there directly from Beaufort. We imagine Southern charm, good food, and historic sites. We got all of that. On top of that, Amazon lockers are once again filling up with replacement parts.

Even though Charleston lives up to the travel guides’ promises, we have to move on. The later we arrive in the Bahamas, the less time we will have there. At least, if we want to be in Panama by February. With favorable weather, we would sail there directly from Charleston. Actually, we don’t necessarily want to go to Florida. But the weather situation is too unstable and the Gulf Stream is still relatively far from the coast. This makes planning the tour difficult.

So we continue on to St. Augustine, Florida. We race down the coast with a nice, onshore half-wind course. Before reaching our proclaimed destination, however, we notice that the inlet into the harbor can be treacherous. Our arrival there coincides with the peak of ebb tide, which meets with 30-knot winds. That’s too risky for our liking. We change our plan and head for Jacksonville instetead. This is no fun either, because although the inlet is easily navigable, just as we arrive, cargo ships are coming in from all directions through the narrow channel between two water-battered stone barriers. We circle around in the waves, waiting. It’s rocky, and our “passage hair” is getting messier. Thoroughly shaken up, sleep-deprived, seasick, and in a very bad mood, Nikola’s crew rushes to the anchorage with the tide. The sight of big cargo ships and pilot boats rushing past us just a few meters away throughout the night takes some getting used to.

The next day, however, we finally reach St. Augustine. It welcomes us under better circumstances and with lots of dolphins. Nikola is now lying calmly and we relax our minds and legs on the beach. The warm temperatures still feel very strange on our skin. We take advantage of the supermarket in Vilano Beach across the bay and optimistically begin stocking up on provisions for the Bahamas, where supplies are available but the selection is limited and the prices are high. Maybe we’ll be able to make the leap to even warmer climates from St. Augustine. But first, we enjoy the retro charm of the small surfing village and St. Augustine.

In any case, St. Augustine is embracing the Christmas spirit, and we are happy to be here. It’s a pretty town with Spanish colonial history and architecture where industrial magnate Henry Flagler also left his mark.

There is an additional tourist highlight in winter. The “Night of Lights” spectacle attracts thousands of visitors. When darkness falls, the entire town glows and sparkles with countless lights. This more than makes up for the lack of German Christmas markets. From our mooring buoy right in front of the promenade, we are in the heart of it all. For those who find the nighttime atmosphere insufficient, there is also a long Christmas parade during the day.

By now, we have realized that Christmas here is all or nothing. So, we enjoy the summery Christmas atmosphere and pass the time until we continue our journey, taking advantage of all the amenities available.