Leg Highlights

Note: For additional information look for the underlined links which take you to other websites

Leg 1

	We will embark from SeaBird's home port at Longboat Key Moorings and head south on the Gulf to Venice, where we will take the Intracoastal Waterway past Boca Grande to South Seas Plantation, one of Florida's premier resorts.
	Okeechobee Waterway Running from Ft. Myers to Stuart, Florida, this 125 mile canal includes 6 locks and crosses Lake Okeechobee at the middle of the state. This is a scenic and interesting route that ranges from "jungle cruise" to small town America, to upscale waterfront suburbs.
	St. Augustine - The oldest town in America; touristy, but quaint, the most attractive drawbridge in Florida. Built by Henry Flagler as a destination for his railroads.
	Kennedy Space Center - Worth a tour, lots of new additions and interactive exhibits in the past decade.
	Fernandina Beach - A quaint waterfront town that has not be savaged by tourists. A couple of good restaurants.
	Jekyll Island - Home of the rich and famous. Formerly a private island hideaway.
	For more info go to Ships Log-Leg 1 of NE Passage trip

Leg 2

	Beaufort, SC - The first of the Beaufort duo, pronounced bue (the other in NC is pronounced bo). This one is right on the water and has a waterfront park. It's fun to visit and there are some good casual restaurants overlooking the ICW and the park.
	Savannah - What can I say. Home of the famous "Midnight" book. We can even take a cemetery tour if you're so inclined. Dinner at "45 South" will be a treat.
	Charleston - A really interesting and colloquial town, good restaurants and and nice harbor that includes Ft. Sumter. Bring a cannon and we'll lob a shell at it as we leave the harbor.
	Wilmington, NC - A neat waterfront, plus we get to tour the battleship North Carolina, which is well worth the visit.
	For more info go to Ships Log-Leg 2 of NE Passage trip

Leg 3

	Wilmington - See above.
	Beaufort, NC (the bo from above) On par with its South Carolina cousin but a different setting entirely. Interesting shops and bars; we mad a bad choice on restaurants the last time but won't make that mistake again.
	From Beaufort we take Adams Creek Canal, the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound to Cape Hatteras.
	Cape Hatteras - Famous for always managing to be in the path of hurricanes. The Cape also sports Kitty Hawk, where some famous flyer did something. We'll see a bit of open water on this stretch.
	Manteo, Roanoke Island, NC - The oldest English settlement in North America and birthplace of Virginia Dare, the first white child born in America (although she will not be on the welcoming committee at dockside). After leaving Roanoke Island we'll cross Albemarle Sound.
	Elizabeth City, NJ - Known for it's hospitality to boaters, it's at the south end of the famous Dismal Swamp. If we're lucky Fred Fearing, Grand-Pooh-Bah of the famous Rose Buddies, will invite us for wine and cheese.
	The Great Dismal Swamp - A fabulous journey back in time through a wilderness. Lots of birds and a few bugs, but a great experience.
	Norfolk - Home of the largest naval base in the world. The Nauticus maritime museum is fun and there is usually a missile cruiser at the dock that is open for public tours. Also a number of really good restaurants.
	For more info go to Ships Log-Leg 3 of NE Passage trip.

Leg 4

This will be a coastal run across the entrance to Chesapeake Bay and up the coast of Virginia, Maryland and Deleware to Cape May, New Jersey, with a one night stop in Chincoteague Bay. The run from Cape May to New York City will also be offshore with a stop at Atlantic City. We will run at 14 knots rather than the usual 9 knots on this leg. This run is for the true seaman, one who doesn't mind a little wave action and who revels in the feel of salt spray in his teeth. The good news is we can run on auto pilot most of the way which leaves more time for eating, drinking, or rail ralphing, as you're so inclined.

Leg 5 (Crew list closed - Mrs. Bird aboard)

	New York City! Our berth is on the New Jersey shore directly across the Hudson from Manhattan - a mega view, especially at night. There is an excellent Italian restaurant at the marina.
	The Hudson River Valley is abundant with history, including the Vanderbilt and other old mansions, old river towns and West Point, where we will stop for a tour.
	At Troy, NY we head west on the Erie Canal through rural New York State past Utica and Cold Springs Harbor, to near Syracuse where we will head north on the Oswego Canal to Oswego, NY on the shore of Lake Ontario.

Leg 6

	From Oswego, NY we will cross Lake Ontario to Prince Edward Bay, Ontario. This is an open water run of about 5 hours. We will cruise through The Bay of Quinte to Trenton, Ont. and the beginning of the Trent Severn Waterway, a 237 mile waterway with 44 locks and a lift of 600 feet. Begun in 1840, not completed until 1920, it is a major Canadian destination for pleasure boaters and tourists.
	From Trenton the waterway winds its way through many lakes, rivers and canals to Port Severn, on the shore of Georgian Bay and Parry Sound.

Leg 7 (Crew list closed - Mrs. Bird aboard)

	From Port Severn we will run along the Ontario shore of Georgia Bay and its 30,000 islands to De Tour Village, our last Canada port of note.
	Georgian Bay has many excellent anchorages, probably the most of any leg.
	From De Tour Village we will cross the northwest corner of Lake Huron to Mackinac Island, MI. Mackinac Island is noted for the fact that there are no motor vehicles allowed on the island. It is also the destination for the annual Mackinac Island sailboat race.
	The Grande Hotel, Circa 1887, is a principal island attraction.

Leg 8

	Beginning at Mackinac Island where we will spend the afternoon exploring and dining at the Grande Hotel, we will head across the northwest end of Lake Huron for the Michigan peninsula.
	Our plan is to run the eastern side of Lake Michigan, subject to winds and weather.
	Ports along the Michigan coast will include Harbor Springs, Leland, Manistee, Grand Haven, Holland and New Buffalo.
	The eastern shore is mainly high bluffs with many harbors and interesting towns.
	We will follow the southern end of the lake to Chicago, where we will have time for a night on the town before ending the leg.

Leg 9

	Following a truly exceptional dining experience at Charlie Trotters, we will head south through the Calumet-Sag Channel, transiting the Chicago area through a waterway used by considerable commercial as well as recreational boat traffic. This will give us good practice in barge avoidance techniques. There are 7 locks on the river which will lower the boat a total of 160 feet by the time we join the Mississippi.
	The Calumet joins the Illinois River southwest of Chicago. We will pass through Joliet and Peoria en route to St. Louis.
	The river stretches of the voyage will give us an opportunity to appreciate both a different life and times, as many of the river towns were among the earliest settled, as well as commercial river life today. Of course there are also the casinos, which have become a fixture on rivers over the past decade.
	The Illinois joins the Mississippi just north of St. Louis, where this leg will end.

Leg 10

	After dinner on the St. Louis waterfront, we will head down the Mississippi along the Missouri - Illinois border toward Cape Girardeau, transiting several locks enroute.
	The Mississippi should be running at about 3 knots which will give us a peed over ground of about 12 knots, enabling us to travel 80-90 miles per day, rather than the usual 60-70.
	At Cairo, Illinois we leave the Mississippi and turn upstream on the Ohio river, which will slow us down to about 6 knots, however we will only have a day on the Ohio before switching to the Tennessee River at Paducah and the start of some of the best river cruising in America, which will take us some 470 miles to Mobile, Alabama.
	This leg will wind up New Johnsonville, TN, in an area with several civil war battlefields.

Leg 11

	Should anyone have a hankering to visit Opryland this is your opportunity, since the arrival airport is Nashville.
	The Tennessee River and Tombigbee waterways south of Waverly pass through a plethora of scenic, picturesque and historical areas.
	We will cross the Natchez Trace between Tupelo and Florence, AL. A number of Civil War battlefields, including Shiloh, are within visiting distance from the waterway.
	The Tenn-Tom waterway, the largest Corps of Engineers project ever, is a 253 mile waterway through Mississippi and Alabama. It took 13 years to build and was completed in 1985. It drops 341 feet over 10 locks, the deepest being 84 feet.
	There are excellent restaurants and quaint small towns all along the way.
	Demopolis, where we end this leg was originally settled by exiled followers of Napoleon in 1817.

Leg 12

	Leaving Demopolis we travel along the Tenn-Tom waterway through what is described as "beautiful Alabama lowlands" leading to Mobile.
	Upon arrival in Mobile we will have a day to spend putzing around town, historic homes and the USS Alabama are among the worthwhile sights.
	From Mobile we will venture on to Pensacola, where we will tour the Naval Air Station.
	From Pensacola we will continue along the bays and waterways of the northern gulf coast to Panama City.

Leg 13 (Crew list closed - Mrs. Bird aboard)

	The Last Leg!
	This leg takes us along the northern gulf coast through Apalachicola, Carrabelle, Suwannee and Crystal River. (All of which I'm sure you are well familiar). Then of course there's Tarpon Springs, a quaint, albeit touristy, Greek fishing village north of Clearwater.
	A quote from Young's Cruising Guide might help you to appreciate the area: "There is something for every cruiser on the varied waters of the Northern Gulf. Those who enjoy anchoring off for the evening will discover a mind-boggling array of overnight havens, particularly on the Florida Panhandle". The Florida Panhandle is surrounded by some of the clearest waters water that this writer has ever witnessed, which, together with the beautiful white sand beaches of the region, make it all too easy to understand why some boaters forget to ever come home."
	A stop for a few hours at Egmont Key, at the entrance of Tampa Bay and a final night at my favorite local anchorage at DeSoto Point on the Manatee river are included in this leg at no extra charge!
	We end as we began at Longboat Key Moorings. And begin planning for 2001.