Life at the marina in Brunswick

Morning entertainment--sailing classes for the kids...

BRUNSWICK:  Well, we've entered a new phase of our cruising life.  Committing to a marina for a month is different from being on the move.  Days are a little more boring (and it costs more!)  The idea is to get some projects done while we're sitting (and run the A/C!), so I'll skip the daily details and give you the highlights.  (You can fill in the daily routine:  Coffee in the cockpit with Amelia watching the sunrise while the Captain sleeps in.  A walk or bike ride in the morning while it's cooler, usually involving an errand--grocery store, hardware store, liquor store, West Marine!  Back to the boat by lunch.  Chores, lounge, read.  Move to the clubhouse to watch the Tour de France.  Dinner on the boat.  Amelia's mid-evening nap in the cockpit.  Evening chores of dishes, laundry or showers.  TV marathon of Lost, Big Bang Theory, Walking Dead or a movie.)  The upside is having a regular exercise routine and not wondering about the next grocery/laundry stop.

It's still cheaper than living in a house.  We paid $432 for the month and approximately $60 for metered electric (home mortgage $1000)--that includes wifi (at our house $55), trash ($11), water ($23) and gas ($65)--propane grills provided on dock. Cruising expense of laundry is included which has been about $35/month and no boat fuel used.  No car payment/insurance/gas ($150+).  That's approximately an $872/month savings over life in our house (boat is paid for).  I haven't cut down our grocery bill much and we still each out twice a week but our travel budget is $0!

The Brunswick area is known for the golf courses in St Simons, Jekyll Island, shrimping, RORO (one of the largest ports for cargo ships importing vehicles that "roll on, roll off"), the papermill, being a hurricane hole, and a top-rated liveaboard marina with $1.50/ft transient rates (cheaper by the month).

Day 1:  With air conditioning, no anchor to check and nowhere to be, we sleep in to 7:30 am.  We lounge over coffee, breakfast and INTERNET!  Finally, The Captain heads to WalMart on one of the courtesy bicycles while I catch up on internet SHOPPING and business.  Later in the afternoon, we decided to run errands together--OK, Pam Pam Cupcakes for a GF carrot cake, no icing and the liquor store (Captain Morgan Blend --because they don't have Kraken--& Kahlua.  "I could put some in my coffee.")  We've gone from government regulated ABC stores in the Carolinas (limited locations and hours) to drive-thru liquor stores.  Wow.  

Wildlife report:  While the kids were taking sailing dinghy lessons today, one of the instructors fished a jellyfish out of the water next to our dock.  We also saw our first turtle.  He had a crab in his mouth that got away and he had to dive back down for it.

The Captain asked, "What will you blog about if we stay here for a month?"  Good question.  Maybe nothing, except turtles and cupcakes ;-)  Pasta Primavera for dinner (this will become the new staple).

Gonna sleep better while anchored out now!  Our new Mantus...

Day 2:  We officially sign up to stay for a month at the marina.  Captain heads out on the bicycle for an eye exam.  First Mate maps out a 4 mile walk (that happens to pass the Winn Dixie grocery store).  Our new #44 Mantus anchor arrives (Captain moves our #36 Manson to the port side to be our secondary anchor.  Waiting on new length of chain).

Sunrise at our new slip

Day 3:  We moved off the transient dock to a slip on dock 6.  The marina has 16 docks.  The good news is we are closer to the clubhouse.  The bad news is we are farther from the bathrooms and downtown, but we don't mind the exercise (just the heat!)  The Captain discovers one of the TV's in the clubhouse has DVR so he sets up a season pass for The Tour de France!  Dinner at Fox's Pizza Den (which has gluten-free pizza and The Captain's new favorite--calzones).  I'm gonna like it here.  Note:  it storms every evening at 5:00 pm.  Just work that into your day.

Laying in the middle of the cockpit allows her to keep tabs on everyone.  Annoying.

Day 4:  The cat has a new routine.  She waits by the companionway in the morning so she can go outside for a nap (sometimes she won't even wait for me to make my coffee).  The Captain wakes up and tells me he has a terrible toothache and aspirin isn't helping.  I do a quick google and hand him clove essential oil on a cotton swab.  He looks at me like I'm nuts but tries it anyway (that's how much pain he was in).  At 8:00 am, I try to call the nearest dentist, but they're closed on Fridays so I start going down the list.  I finally get him an appointment at 1:30 and he takes off on the bicycle to buy some orajel. It turns out it doesn't work any better, so he mixes it with the clove and admits it's just as effective.  (I took a lot of crap when I packed that giant ziploc full of essential oils!)

He heads off for his appointment and I decide to check out the library (not much of a magazine selection and wifi doesn't work) and adjacent coffee shop ($1.89 for an excellent cold-brew coffee).  The Captain comes back with antibiotics and painkillers but the dentist didn't even look in his mouth since he has crowns, so he refers him to a specialist.  We walk up and watch today's stage of the Tour before he goes down for his afternoon nap. 

Day 5 Sat:  Still no word from the canvas shop, so we order a Sailrite sewing machine  (See "Fabricating" a main sail cover or "The Captain sews")

Sun July 12:  Captain still has a toothache and it's starting to wear him down.  His lymph node is swollen and it looks like somebody punched him in the jaw.  If he sneezes, he doubles over.  Not good.  We spend the day reading, watching the Tour and napping.  It's HOT, even with the a/c on.  I cut up a cooler to insulate ports/hatches (Can I borrow your knife?  "Look at you making stuff!")

Sunset off the end of our dock

July 13 Mon:  I got the Captain an appointment at the specialist at 1:00 pm.  (Finally.  Amoxicillin doesn't work on him and the Hydrocodone made him queasy.)  On the way over, somebody hit him while he was riding a bicycle!  Now he has a scraped knee & elbow to top it off--and some new prescriptions.  He's bummed he's not getting anything done and hates it when I leave to walk into town without him.

A new friend at the marina is learning to sail and starting to do small sewing projects for other boaters.  We took a morning walk so I can teach her all the names of things that need canvas.  We'll be making regular trips to Joann's together.

Sunrise from the trampoline

Captain feeling better (we have talked about how swollen his jaw his, so that's a good sign).  We went out for breakfast.  Bicycle parts show up so he's outside taking things apart.  We meet Larry from Bequia Chief who's making bungs for his teak deck (you read that right--MAKING the bungs from teak strips--there's 600 on his boat!)  SailRite shows up--"At least it's high tide."  The girls at the marina have learned our names--"Dang!  You get a lot of packages!"  

Special report: "Fabricating" a main sail cover (or The Captain Sews!)

View through our old dodger (side piece)

This blog post needs an introduction.  The Captain was an aircraft mechanic in his former life.  One of his many specialties was fabricating ie. creating a repair or making a replacement part.  The following tale is about our adventure into canvas work after our phone inquiries went unanswered.  If the idea of my Captain sewing makes you uncomfortable, substitute "fabricating" for the word "sewing."  (Actually, in the sailing world, men sewing is quite common.)  

We knew when we bought the boat, that the canvas would need work.  The "windshield" or dodger plastic was in bad shape and difficult to see through.  This wasn't a problem, because on a nice day, we folded the middle part of the dodger up to take advantage of the breeze.  However, in the rain, forward visibility quickly went to "minimums".  We also closed it up at a marina or at anchor when it rained to keep the cockpit/electronics dry (which was a lot in July).  However, every time you moved the zippers, little pieces of plastic flew out and the seams were disintegrating.  

Part of the reason for stopping for a few months was to address the canvas.  However, after 2 weeks, our phone calls were unanswered.  I pulled the trigger & bought a Sailrite sewing machine (with zig-zag stitch for possible future sail repairs), a main sail cover kit (because it looked like a good starter project & had directions), 10 yards of marine-quality Sunbrella canvas and a spool of Tenara thread (highest quality UV thread--usually the first thing to give out on a canvas job).  Back to the blog...

Nav station/sewing room on our catamaran

Day 1 (July 17):  The sewing machine arrived at 10:30 am.  It took me all morning to get it put together, bobbins wound and threaded.  The Captain peeked around the corner and said, "What is that knob?  What is that knob?  How do you reverse?"  Then he snuck out into the cockpit with the roll of black Sunbrella canvas.  "Do we have a yard stick?  Did I see a chalk pencil?"  I stopped to measure some fabric for a pillow (because I was going to use the excess to practice) when I lost my spot at the sewing machine.  "I'm ready to sew my grill cover!"  I stood by dumbstruck as he said,  "You don't understand how much this is like what I used to do," comparing it to measuring/cutting/welding metal, and drilling holes in $5 million dollar airplanes.  Apparently his Mom taught him how to sew (so he could make a kite), and with a little help from me (I read the book), including "here's the seam ripper" he was off and running.  (Apparently not as intimidated by the new expensive toy as I was!)  With the British Open on in the background, and a beer within reach, he successfully covered the grill "by the end of the day even if it looks like a sock on a rooster."  Then a friend's sewing machine broke, so we headed up to the clubhouse for happy hour, and to see if we could lend a hand. The Captain began one of his new careers as a sewing machine mechanic ("Tell me what this does, and this, and this.  Hey, grab me a beer.  Gonna need my leather-man and some safety wire.")

The Captain sews :-0

The first finished project--a grill cover

Day 2:  I'm up early to head into town with a friend that has a car.  The Captain helped me move a picnic table over underneath a tree near our dock so we'll have somewhere to work later.  Next thing I know, he's unrolled the sail cover kit and started cutting.  I can't watch.  (I'm still contemplating my first hatch cover.)  By the time we get back he has fixed my friend's sewing machine and sewn half of the sail cover hem (16 ft boom, two-sided cover with a double hem is 64 ft of hem).  He finished a majority of the project/sewing before 3:00 pm.  I "rough in" a hatch cover before bedtime.

Cutting into the $200 Sailrite Main Sail Cover kit...

Two-sided sail cover for a 16 ft boom with a double hem is 64 ft of hemming...

Checking the fit...

Day 3:  The Captain got up early and marked out where the fasteners need to go and where to cut for the Dutchman lines.  He finishes up the details in a couple hours and throws it over the existing main sail cover.  He's waiting for the two Dutchman zippers.

Attaching fasteners to the sail cover.  Yep, that's a rock

Sail cover (waiting for zippers) with matching grill cover

I hop on the sewing machine and finish a second hatch cover.  When I look up, he has take the starboard quarter of our dodger off, laid it on MY 10 yards of Sunbrella and started tracing.  (He tells a passerby, "Because the canvas shop didn't call us back.  I'm having fun.")  While I'm out admiring my hatch cover, he's back on the sewing machine sewing a hem.  We prep a $500 order of accessories, plastic, phifertex (for window coverings), grommets and zippers.  (We're right at what the Captain thought we would pay the canvas shop--with a sewing machine that's paid for or could be resold.  I say it would have cost twice that much--and we've learned a new skill with the ability to do our own repairs.)

A "naked" hatch

Hatch cover provides shade & protects the glass from UV

Before:  Dodger from the outside

Tracing the dodger starboard side piece

The Captain has added to the First Mate's duties: ordering sewing supplies, loading bobbins/threading the machine & seam ripping.  I vetoed the second two and added "cleaning up the freaking mess" (Seriously, do you want thread in the bilge?  You can always threaten them with strainers or "the bilge.")  Two more hatch covers are measured out and marked for sewing (waiting on dacron leech line).

Roughed-in starboard side piece awaiting the plastic

Day 4:  The Captain heads out early, with coffee still in his hand, "before it gets so dang hot," and has the starboard piece of the dodger back in place (for troubleshooting).  The port side came down, was traced, cut, hemmed and put back up.  He's waiting for the plastic (which you sew on top, then cut away the canvas and hem).  It looks a little funny, but you can tell it's going to look FANTASTIC when it's done.  He takes the rest of the day off to watch the end of the British Open.

STATS:  Grill cover at West Marine $60--less than a yard of Sunbrella $20.  Sail cover kit $200--purchased already completed from Sailrite $400. Hatch covers at West marine $70--approximately 1/2 yard Sunbrella = $10/hatch cover (8 hatches)

Anchorage to Brunswick, GA

We'll see this bridge on the horizon ALL DAY!

We wanted to cover the 40 miles that would take us all the way into Brunswick, so we were pulling up anchor by 7:30 am to catch the rising tide.  It was a nice cool morning with a low overcast and a breeze (and didn't heat up until after 2:00 pm--88F feels good after 95!)  The biting, Georgia horseflies didn't reappear until about 9:30 am, and when I found the second fly swatter, it was GAME ON!  The Captain had several bites around his ankles from yesterday, and now was "only going for the trophy flies, not the little ones."  My specialty became swatting them out of the air, but you have to hit them at least twice or they get up and fly away.  BASTARDS!  (Trying to hold a fly swatter in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, while at the helm and navigating Georgia rivers is a little tricky.)  And yes, navigation is a little tricky here.  We have a chartplotter and Garmin Blue Chart on my iPad, but the route into the Isle of Hope/Savannah was a little confusing and the arrival into Brunswick is also a little confusing.  The ICW is marked as a pink line, but the morning competition is to see who can get closest to our actual mileage after loading a route (this morning, it took the Captain 3 tries.  Don't worry.  He doesn't read the blog!)  

We did get in a little motor sailing as we headed up the Sapelo Sound.  We turned into a 1.5 kt current so both engines were running full power.  That should give us 6 kts, but we were only doing 4.5.  The First Mate suggested unfurling the genoa since we had a 90 degree crosswind, perfect for a beam reach with 5 miles before the next turn.  We jumped up to 5.3ish!  ("I was thinking the same thing."  Yeah, but I said it first, so I get credit for that one!)

Wildlife report:  one monster fish jumped out of the water--at least 2 ft long.  A mama and baby dolphin.  In the Sapelo Sound, the largest pod I've seen yet--at least 12.  Oh, and the pelicans are back.  Love the pelicans.  

More shrimp boats!

And shrimp boats--this Missouri girl is fascinated by the shrimp boats and many of them wave before I do (because I'm taking pictures!)

First Mate is at the helm as we enter St. Simon Sound.  In my former life, we used to fly into St. Simons airport.  I've been hearing airplanes and as I peek around the end of the island, I can spot the tower of the airport.  I can clearly visualize this Sound from the air.  It was the first thing you could spot as you joined the instrument approach--to a short runway I HATED!  I also recall, our friends on Kintala anchoring right under the approach path as they headed north.

We spotted the Brunswick Bridge at 10:30 am in the morning.  We weren't sure what it was, but after some zig-zagging, passed underneath it at 2:30 pm.  With a 185 ft clearance, it's the biggest one we've seen.  (And of course, we're thinking, "Does it have a bike lane?  I want to ride across that!")

We hail the marina on the radio and get excellent instructions to an inner slip.  Sherrie meets us on the dock and not only grabs lines, but also put on a spring line before the Captain shut off the engines.  Our new marina SOP:  shore power connected, a/c installed, check in at the office, head for the nearest pub, nap.

8 ft low tide--good workout (bonus rainbow pic)

High tide--best time to haul laundry

I have mixed feelings as we near Brunswick.  It's fun to revisit places that I used to fly into. However, our secret hope was to make it all the way to the Bahama's before our insurance/hurricane deadline of July 15th.  The good news is we had fun exploring on the way down the coast.  The bad news is we didn't make it to the Bahamas.  The Captain had Brunswick on the short list of places we could stop if we didn't make it that far.  It's a hurricane hole.  It's a highly rated liveaboard marina.  They also have a lift and boatyard if we decided to haul out and do some bottom work.  However, the longest we've sat in one place was Oriental, NC for a week.  We both usually get antsy after 2-3 days, UNLESS there is something to keep us occupied.  Well, they have wine tastings 3 days a week, free beer keg on Saturday and "the rest is on the activities calendar."  There's an activity calendar?!  I was shocked when the Captain grabbed it out of my hand!  So we pay for 2 days and walk through town (several restaurants, library, bakery with gf, health food store, coffee shop with some chain stores within biking distance) and check out the showers.  By morning, we've decided that we will probably stay a month (which could become 2).  I immediately start shopping for all the things that we couldn't get shipped in less than 5 days--our normal mail stop.  (New anchor on the way!)  I was also getting a little frustrated because it's hard to cook on a boat when it's 85F inside.  With the a/c running, I could make muffins!  Free laundry (that's just crazy).  Most importantly, the Tour de France is on.  If we can't get NBC sports, at least we've got some fast wifi to stream the recaps.

We'd been advised to skip over Georgia.  With all the zig zags, it's significantly shorter to go offshore.  Also, there are very few marinas/provisioning stops between Savannah & Brunswick.  However, the winds still aren't in our favor (blowing hard out of the south, great if you're headed north). We are also interested in seeing Jekyll Island, St. Simons and Cumberland Island.  

Sunset at Brunswick marina

STATS:  Total time 7:15, total mileage 37.8 nm, avg speed 5.2

Spending the 4th of July "in the middle of nowhere"

Redbird Creek anchorage

Savannah to "a remote anchorage south of here" & my birthday:  The moron at the Office Max gave the Captain the wrong ink cartridge (I even sent him with a picture), so I'm up early showering, grabbing the crew car and running more errands (because the Captain says he doesn't like driving anymore.  From the guy who didn't want to sell his Mini Cooper.  Starbucks!) before our scheduled 10:00 am departure.  We leave on schedule (a/c off, cable tv disconnect.  BOOO!) with the Captain at the helm.  More zig-zagging down rivers and cuts today and we make our way towards Brunswick, GA.  The big news was passing through Hell's Gate, a shoaling area that is only 3 ft at low tide.  Many ICW'ers plan their arrival around this section, which is shallow even for us.  (We'll pass a Benetteau going the other way that, according the our chartplotter,  appeared to run aground in Hell's Gate!)   

As we approach Redbird Creek anchorage, the Captain decides the throw a frozen pizza in the oven for lunch while we're still moving (and we've got a guaranteed breeze through the hatches).  When we dropped anchored, I reminded the Captain to put an float on the anchor, "because Fatty said so."  This helped me visualize where the anchor was and was even more educational for the Captain.  "The anchor isn't where you think it is when you swing around with the current."  It's rarely in front of the boat.  In Georgia, we're seeing 8 ft tides and and our anchorage is constantly on the way up or down.  Our new saying is, "Where in the world is the anchor now?"

The Captain makes chicken stir fry for dinner served with my favorite Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc.  No renting or streaming movies out here so we broke down and bought a movie at WalMart--American Sniper.  Lows are in the 70's this week, so there was a nice breeze in the hatch over our berth.

Day 1:  A slow day.  Lounging in the cockpit to read.  Captain removes the last of the life line covers.  Lunch is leftovers.  At 3:00 pm, we start the generator, crank up A/C and retire down below to continue rewatching Lost.  Tuna wraps for dinner.

Day 2 4th of July:  I think the Captain is getting a little antsy.  There is a lack of wildlife here--no dolphins, no alligators, no pelicans--and as much as I enjoy remote anchorages, no people watching.  He does some research and decides we could dinghy 2.8 miles up to the Ft. McAllister Historic area.  They have a boat ramp and activities for the 4th.  (It took us a total of 3:30:  30 minute dinghy ride, walked over to and around the fort for 2:45, then 15 dinghy ride back with the tide).

First Mate hijacking a boat at the Fort

The Captain at Fort McAllister

We are following the Civil War history south and again, this Fort is unique.  An earthen fort that protected Savannah, it held off the Union Navy (longer than Ft Sumter) and finally fell to Sherman's Army (although how they made it here through the marshes we don't know).  I'm still fascinated to learn about the Naval side of the war.  This Fort was later bought by Henry Ford, who started the preservation and now belongs to the State of Georgia. There are even several references throughout the museum and in the film, about how bad the bugs were (they call them sandflies, we call them no-see-ums).

The Captain is under the impression there was supposed to be food, so I stop at the Museum and ask ("No, just kettle corn.  We try to keep it authentic."  "OK, just these two frozen snickers bars then...").  He was also hoping for ice, but we're at least 30 minutes away from the boat so....

As we near the boat dock, my iphone anchor alarm goes off.  We scramble to the dinghy to find the cork fell out and it is 1/4 full of water.  (Another interesting psychology experiment.  2 people stop and offer to help, the rest just stand and watch.)  With the current in our favor, we're back to Odin quickly (right where we left him)--the alarm still going off below while the cat sleeps.  I guess false alarms are better than the previous app that NEVER went off, even when we were dragging.

We hang out in the cockpit reading until I request the generator & A/C so I can cook dinner.  Red Beans & Rice in the pressure cooker.  Big Bang Theory marathon while the afternoon thunderstorms roll through.  We're in bed early, but can hear (not see) fireworks nearby.

Crescent River anchorage

Redbird anchorage to Crescent River anchorage:  We decided we're bored and ready to try a new anchorage, despite the holiday weekend.  We have 70 miles to Brunswick so the Captain picks an anchorage approximately 30 miles away and we eventually pull up anchor about 9:10 am.  Part of the reason is our anchor float disappeared yesterday afternoon and the curiosity is killing us.  I say it's gone.  Captain says it's wrapped around the anchor chain.  I bet him dinner.  He's correct (I took it gracefully & heated up leftovers!).  We decide, as educational as that was, it was also a little risky.  That float could have "tripped" our anchor and caused us to drag.  We'll try monofilament and a fishing float next time.  The biting horse flies are out in earnest this morning (even the DEET spray and citronella candle don't deter them), so the First Mate stays at the helm for 2 hours while the Captain kills as many as he can.

35 kts on the river

We spot a the biggest pod of dolphins yet, at least 12, as we near St Catherine's inlet.  Around noon, we see three more sailboats and realize we've been off the grid for several days.  Cheese and crackers for lunch.  We arrive at our anchorage and after a little back and forth (wind vs current, are we too close to the crab pots or the bank?), finally drop anchor just inside a row of crab pots.  As soon as we get settled in a storm rolls through, and then the Captain says, "look at your radar.  It's getting really black over there."  Yep, we a decent size storm rolled through.  We saw 35 kts and white caps on the river (and yes, we were far enough from the bank, but we dropped an engine in the water, just in case).  The best part was that it cooled everything off and as soon as we could open hatches, I climbed into bed--until the Captain said, "Rainbow."  I peeked out the hatch and considered laying back down when I heard, "Sunset."  Dang it!  I'M UP!  (Full rainbow that I couldn't get a picture of and then a partial second rainbow.  It hung there for several minutes!)

Crescent River rainbow

Sunset at Crescent River anchorage

Follow along our path

Several of you are following our actual route.  Here's some tips:

We mark all of our stops on a google earth map (You can zoom in or out.  This has so much detail, we use it to check out marina layouts and anchorages.  Once, we spotted some shoaling near where we were anchored!  We also amuse ourselves my trying to see if any of the boats in the picture are still there.  Yep, we have a lot of free time!)  This is not "live", but I try to keep it updated as soon as I get to some wifi:
Odin's track on Google Maps

(If we have cell phone coverage):  When we're moving, we "check in" on Odin's Facebook page every hour or two, or as we pass something of note.  (If we post "passing", you can click on the name in bold and this will usually get you to a map where you can zoom in or out.)  This doesn't require a Facebook log in for now.
https://www.facebook.com/svodinthewanderer

(If we don't have cell phone coverage):  We have an Iridium GO we'll be using to post our position.  Stay tuned for more info.

If you want more information you could also join ActiveCaptain.com.  We use it for waterway alerts and reviews of marinas/anchorages.

Also, the ICW is marked on nautical charts as a magenta (it's really pink) line.

The Captain uses a Simrad chartplotter with Navionics software as our primary source of navigation, however: 

• We also have Maptech Chartkit paper charts for the ICW, that we previously used for planning:  Amazon link to Maptech Chartkit
• The First Mate uses the iPad Garmin Blue Chart app for planning and for live access to ActiveCaptain alerts (the app is free and as I recall, you can purchase charts for around $30).

If you follow our Facebook page, you'll notice the blog isn't "live."  It's usually 2-4 days behind.  It takes awhile to edit & add pics, which requires decent wifi.

Hope you have fun following along!

Hilton Head & Savannah

A little shade while motorsailing

Beaufort to Hilton Head Cooper River Anchorage:  We get a slow start today, since we were waiting for the tide.  The Captain deliberately left the dinghy in the water and the kayak untied so he'd have something to slow him down in the morning when he got antsy (he said it folks!)  The Captain releases the lines from the mooring ball and the First Mate takes the first leg.  It's a nice cool morning with little traffic.  We have the tide in our favor so we are motoring with one engine at idle and still doing 5 kts.  We clear the first bridge and unfurl the genoa.  We realize the genoa is shading the trampoline up front, so we take turns sitting in the shade up on the bow, with a breeze coming up through the trampoline.

Anchored near Hilton Head

We cross a couple big rivers and inlets as we weave our way to Hilton Head island.  The dolphins arrive and continue to make appearances and we make our way to an isolate offshoot to anchor for the night.  Two dolphins stay and play just off the shore while we get settled in (I lost track at 12 and we see our first tail flap!).  Buffalo chicken sausage and broccoli are cooked on the grill.

Craig is reading the Fatty Goodlander book, Creative Anchoring so most of his sentences now start with, "Fatty says...."

STATS:  we passed over 900 miles!  Total time 5:51, total miles 28.8, avg speed 4.9

She didn't notice the bird sitting on the dinghy davit, but the flag is fascinating

Hilton Head/Cooper River to Savannah/Isle of Hope marina:  The anchor is up and we continue motoring down the ICW.  More zig-zagging through various rivers and cuts today but still relatively remote.  At one point we see only 4 ft of water (that wouldn't work for a monohull!)  The tide is up to 7 ft so now we have to worry about whether the current is with us or against us AND if there are any shoaling spots that would affect us at low tide.

We're in Georgia!

Causton Bluff Bascule Bridge

We pass Bonaventure Cemetery from the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil on the way into Savannah.  We arrive at Isle of Hope marina at slack current, so docking is easy (but the spot is EXACTLY 36 ft!)

The a/c is hooked up, and we borrow to courtesy car to head out to Your Pie (because they had gf pizza--Hippie no spinach or tofu extra mushrooms), WalMart and back (when cabin reaches 77F, I put on a sweatshirt!)

STATS: Total time 4:38, total mileage 20.3, average speed 4.4

Your Pie in Savannah.  GF Hippie, no tofu, no spinach, extra mushroom

Day 2:  It's our 3 month anniversary of living on the boat.  To celebrate, I defrost the fridge and My Captain, Oh Captain goes to West Marine, then to buy a coax cable so we can watch cable TV while we're in marinas (we're surprised how often that is available at the dock).  We make a BIG grocery run to Publix (Yeah!) and grab more pizza from Your Pie to go.  I spend the afternoon organizing groceries and then do laundry.  The boat boat gets a wash down and water tanks are refilled.  Then it's cable TV in the air conditioning.

This is a nice little marina which is why we're leaving.  They're throwing us out because they are booked for the holiday weekend.  We didn't get a chance to walk through the tree lined neighborhood or check out the Wormsloe historic sight.  They have bicycles to borrow that we didn't even use (shocking!).  Good stop (but no sidewalks--use the car or bicycles). 

Beaufort, SC ("Bless your heart.")

Anchored in the middle of nowhere

Charleston to anchorage:  Today, we are headed for "nowhere."  It's 66 miles to Beaufort, SC so we decided to split the difference and anchor at one of the multiple recommended anchorages in the middle.  We pulled away from the dock at 7:30 am only to realize the second bridge doesn't start opening until 9:00 am.  Dang.  We both missed that.  So coffee & breakfast while sitting in the middle of the river.  At least it's slack current.

We had a nice day on the water.  We saw few other boaters.  We had a nice breeze.  When we arrive at the anchorage we have the place to ourselves.  It's serene marsh with a breeze and we are rewarded with a beautiful sunset.  One trawler will join us in the evening.  It's cool enough to get a decent night sleep with a breeze blowing  in the hatch.    

STATS:  Total time 6:36, total mileage 31.8 NM, average speed 4.8 kts

Another bridge

Beaufort Bridge

Anchorage to Beaufort, SC:  The Captain raised the anchor (yep, it was "set" good!) and the First Mate took the first shift.  Today's route is very windy and full of shallow, narrow cuts that connect several rivers.  It's a peaceful, scenic day on the water with only the occasional fishing boat.  It's forecast to be over 90F again, but we have a nice headwind to keep us comfortable (Amelia never moved from her spot on the settee because we left the hatch above her open).  First mate failed again.  I neglected to notice the swing bridge was before, not after the mooring field.  We slowed down for 45 min to time our arrival.  This made it a little warmer in the cockpit in the middle of the afternoon but still tolerable.  A call ahead on the radio confirmed which mooring ball we should shoot for.  It was an easy pickup (although another different setup:  mooring ball with pendant attached underneath with two floats and plastic protecting the pendant from barnacles) but I forgot to set up a line for the bridle and the Captain quickly came up and helped tie us off.  On the way back, I see a trail of bloody toe prints.  Apparently when he ran up on deck barefoot, he cut himself.  Where are your SHOES?

Hemingway's

The dinghy is immediately deployed, we check in at the marina office and are directed to the nearest air-conditioned bar called Hemingway's (that we passed up and had to back track).  It's 3:10 and they just quit serving food and the bartender doesn't know how to make a Hemingway/Papa Doble.  Don't worry--she was nice about it and we taught her!  We receive a message on Facebook, that a friend used to fly out of Beaufort when he was in the Marines, which reminds the Captain of the movie The Great Santini and the author Pat Conroy. We settle up and step outside, only to be standing in front of a bookstore with a Pat Conroy poster.  I purchase his cookbook.  We end up at Luther's for dinner, and the Captain grabs my book and start reading.   We return to the boat and begin to contemplate our mooring ball.  For some reason, a combination of current and/or wind has us sitting 90 degrees to the mooring.  We take drinks out to the trampoline to study this and after swapping out the bridle (no effect) we give up and go to bed.  I was awakened at 1:30 am by distant lightning and after checking the weather on my iphone, decide to head out on deck to tidy up.  Kayak flipped over so it won't fill with water, canvas "windshield" closed to protect the cockpit, sun shade stowed and throw a few loose items down below.  When I turn around,  Amelia is in the cockpit with me.  Dang it!  Get back in there.  "OK, OK Mom.  Don't have a heart attack.  Gheez.  I thought we were hanging out."

I don't know what to say about this.  He wanted to make the blog?

This mooring ball will drive us crazy

Day 2:  About 5:00 am, the lightening is closer and it starts to sprinkle, so we both head out to recheck everything.  The Captain goes back to bed, but when it starts pouring I give up and get up--it's loud in our berth when it rains.  Did dishes, checked Facebook, made coffee, watched us swing around in the wind.  (Before bed, the Captain had put on a new band-aid but couldn't find it in the morning.  While opening up the canvas, he said, "Found it!  And it's covered in cat hair!"  Ewh.)

It's cooled off after the rain, so I make a breakfast scramble then off to borrow the courtesy car ($140 worth of West Marine gift certificates are burning a hole in his pocket).  He comes away with 2 new spark plugs & a cup holder--this West Marine doesn't have the anchor shackle he wants either.  I make a quick run into Piggly Wiggly and we're back to the marina for showers.  We head back home for lunch.  In the heat of the afternoon, we dinghy back into town for ice cream and air conditioning (ie. book store).  Amelia's new fall back spot when it gets warm is now the spot right in front of the companionway.  If you get up from the salon or step in from the cockpit, you won't see her.  Watch your step!

A gorgeous French bluewater sailboat shows up.  They call the marina and ask the price of a mooring ball.  They wave off as a storm approaches and anchor next to the mooring ball field.  We go down to eat and come back to see them pick up a mooring.  OK.  Then while messing with our bridle, we look up and they've left the mooring ball and gone out to reanchor.  Interesting.  Better than TV (well, there's only one TV channel here so we don't have TV)

The Captain has been complaining about the small propane tanks for our grill only making about three meals.  While sitting outside reading this afternoon, I discovered the problem.  He lights the grill and walks off.  After about 15 min, I said, "How's my dinner coming?"  CRAP.  Yep, there's your problem.

A South Carolina Low Country Boil

Day 3 Fri:  We head into town early for a carriage ride, lunch at Plum (my first Low Country boil since we arrived in SC) and quick run to Kmart (distilled water for the batteries and seafoam for the fuel tanks).  We retire to the boat to lay under fans in the afternoon heat.  While dinghying back out, we see Tow Boat bringing the French sailboat back to to reanchor.  Interesting.  The wind picks up and we move into the cockpit for afternoon reading.  Amelia joins us for her greenies from Dad and to get brushed by Mom.  Dinner is raspberry smoothies.  An episode of Lost and Big Bang Theory followed by a very comfortable nights sleep--nice breeze, no rain, minimal mooring ball noise.

Amelia takes the helm  "Where are the keys to this thing?"

Day 4 Sat:  The little Cape Dory 22 next us has a fishing skiff come over and help them move to a mooring ball.  Guess the engine doesn't run?  Then they head back out to some floats he left--apparently his anchor was snagged or maybe his only engine, an outboard went overboard?  We don't know what happened because we dingied in for showers and another West Marine run (Captain's salon fan went out.  Emergency!)  We spent the afternoon opening and closing hatches as three different storm cells moved through although it never actually rained (because the Captain went out and sprayed the decks down with soap, therefore NO RAIN!)  Not as hot today, so Pasta con Broccoli for dinner.

Angel Oaks that touch the ground and grow back up

The Big Chill house

Day 5 Sun:  We stay one more day to avoid being on the ICW on a Saturday.  We're also trying to time our next few stops so we aren't in a big town during the 4th of July (crowded anchorages, lots of drunks on the water).  It's even cooler this morning, only 77F when we get up, so we dinghy in for a walk.  The Captain swings through the bagel shop and then we walk around the point to see more of the houses from our carriage ride.  The Captain wants to see the Big Chill house and we find it nestled back from the road, behind a big gate facing the water.  I bet it's a beauty.  We are getting behind on our film list.  We need The Great Santini, The Big Chill & Forest Gump (we'll skip Prince of Tides since I'm not a Barbara Streisand fan and the Captain didn't think it was Nick Nolte's best film).  Barbara Streisand story:  she requested the military cease flying over her movie set (during the Gulf War).  They ceased for the day then sent 2 F-4's over her house at 2:00 am with afterburners.  Apparently, the origin of the phrase, "That sound you hear is the sound of freedom."  Baahahhhahha. 

For the last several days we've been "sailing" on our mooring ball.  It's actually pretty funny to watch from shore.  It looks like Odin is out for a day sail and he floats around in the current and contrary wind.  However, an interesting thing developed when I walked forward to the bow one day and saw the mooring ball, which had floated back and was sitting against our hull (the bumping sound is annoying) was sucked under our hull (and was now between the hulls which isn't a big deal, but really loud when it hits the hull right next to your head when your asleep!)  The boss didn't seem too worried.  We tightened up the bridle, tried taking off the bridle, then tried a different bridle set up until finally he rigged a riding sail from a tarp ("Quit Horsing Around" by Good Old Boat).  I was skeptical, but after 3 tidal changes the mooring ball hadn't been sucked under the hull.

A beautiful private garden

Beaufort, SC is a great stop.  Lots of history, lots of great restaurants, a good town to wander through on a walk, a good bookstore, coffee shop and ice cream shop.  (The only downside is the grocery store is 2 miles so the courtesy car of dinghy in the bikes).  Highly recommend.

I'm not a big clothes shopper.  However, the women here look so fashionable and "breezy" walking down the street in 95F heat.  Apparently anyone can pull off sleeveless and low cut with the right clothing.  I actually popped into a boutique or two (but it will be Savannah, before I buy my first "gauzy", sheer sleeveless tank top).  Now I just need to even out the farmers tan.  I already have some cute sandals.

A beautiful Beaufort, SC sunset

Recommended reading:  Anything by Pat Conroy.  Good Morning, Lowcountry! by Harriet McLeod.

Movies:  The Great Santini, Prince of Tides, The Big Chill, Forest Gump. (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, if you want to prepare for our visit to Savannah, GA)

Low country boil (Frogmore Stew):
6-8 oz unpeeled shrimp per person
1 1/2 ears corn per person
5 oz Hillshire kielbasa per person
Old Bay seasoning)
(Don't add potatoes.  It will make the shrimp too slippery to peel)

Cook in a big pot with roughly twice the volume of water as ingredients.  Add Old Bay seasoning.  Boil sausage and corn for 12 minutes.  Add the shrimp or cook separately for 2-2 1/2 minutes.  Drain.