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

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.

Charleston, SC

The new window a/c unit over a hatch

I love Charleston.  I've visited here several times for work and never tired of wandering this historical town, exploring old cemeteries, sitting down on a bench in the park, visiting favorite restaurants and trying new ones, and taking tours.  However, this visit was a little bit of a let down.  I've sat on it a few days and I'm going to publish this blog largely unedited.  Better luck next time:

Sunset in McClellanville

McClellanville to Charleston:  The shrimp boats start heading out about 5:00 am with their bright spotlights shining on deck.  I hear the line from the movie Forrest Gump "shrimp creole, shrimp po boys, shrimp gumbo."  I'm up early but I let the Captain sleep too late.  He's moving slow and for the first time, I'm disconnecting shore power and doubling back lines while he wanders off the talk to our dock neighbors (?!)  It's just above low tide and they're drawing straws to see who's going to leave first.  The singlehander on the Leopard 38 "Southern Cross" drawing 3'9" shoves off first (yep, there may be one of these in our future), followed by us and the trawler "Traveller" from Sarasota last (also heading to Charleston!).

We have a quiet stretch of water today.  A few dolphins are spotted and every once in awhile you get a whiff of the ocean.  We have 10 kts of wind on the nose so the cockpit is very comfortable.  Our new snack is trail mix (almonds, raisins/dried cherries, and M&M's.  (Add gf pretzels to the grocery list) to go with our cold-brew coffee.  For the first time, we are hearing chatter from Jacksonville?

Finally got some crab legs at Hyman's

We arrive in Charleston harbor and pass by Ft Moultrie and Ft Sumter on the way in.  We dock at City Marina and quickly run for the nearest air conditioning.  (Which was catching the marina shuttle downtown to eat at Hyman's).

Is this going to take long?  That's where I take a nap!

Charleston Day 2:  We rented a car to do errands.  The Captain caved first.  OK, I was thinking it but he said it first.  "Let's go to Lowe's and get a window air conditioner."  He's not sleeping well and every one is getting a little grumpy.  We went to Lowes, Whole Foods (lunch at the salad bar, larabars, ginger beer), Trader Joes (nuts & dried fruit) and Harris Teeter's for a big grocery run.  Captain was too pooped to walk next door to Starbuck's when we were done.  The time it took me to unload groceries, he had the air conditioning running.  (If you want to know where the coolest spot is, ask the cat).  Our first shipment from Amazon shows up with new cushions for the helm seat.  I whip up a new batch of yogurt (without making the boat even more miserable).

"Gonna need a bigger boat."

Little Loose from Mooresville, NC?

Day 3 Sat:  We take the shuttle into town for the Charleston Museum and a tour of the Heyward-Washington house.  Lunch at Black Bean.  Retire to the boat to sit in the air conditioning.  Another Amazon box shows up with a second new helm seat to match the first.  The Captain makes a local shrimp & mixed vegetable stir fry.  Went down to the marina bar for dessert and watched part of the US Open.

Charleston Museum

Heyward-Washington house

Day 4 Sun:  Father's Day.  The Dad scrubbed  down the exterior while I disassembled a few of the settee cushions so I could throw them in the washing machine.  We took the shuttle downtown for the Dungeon tour, but it was closed so we walked along the waterfront before heading over to Fleet Landing for lunch (recommended by the shuttle driver instead of the pub off of Urbanspoon.  Score!)  We walked around some more hoping to get some more errands done, but head back to the air-conditioned boat empty handed.  (Neither kid called.  Bummer.)

Day 5 Mon:  We stayed an extra day to wait for our mail that didn't get shipped so it's errand day.  Laundry, groceries, West Marine, (Starbucks!)

Some art for the boat...

Our trip to Charleston was anti-climatic.  It's my second favorite city behind San Fransisco and Captain had never been here.  I knew he would love the history and of course, the food.  However, we had a couple things against us.  #1 there aren't any great marinas in Charleston.  They are all exposed to the current of the river, so tricky docking and possibly uncomfortable rolling.  (Another boater stayed at the maritime marina on the other side and said it was so bad, they left after 30 minutes!)  Also, all the docks were expensive, at least $2/foot.  I was willing to pay that to stay 4 days, so I picked the nicest looking marina with the best reviews (with the MegaDock for MegaYachts.  Another mistake.  We are the smallest boat here.  No really.  Even the tenders for the yachts are 30+ ft!).  I wasn't happy with my choice.  While heading across the bay, I contacted them on the radio, hoping to get our docking instructions so I could start prepping lines & fenders.  She said to call when you get closer (we had an aerial pic, and ended up on the far, outer face dock which could have been relayed).  After the second call, of "call when you get closer,"  I handed the mic over to the Captain and did my usual (all 4 lines and all 4 fenders out--in case when need to make a last minute change.  A fellow boater tells us he had the same problem).  A very nice dock hand met us and grabbed a forward bow line (the current runs parallel to the dock and can take you right past, even at slack water) but when I turned around we had just missed a 60 ft yacht's BBQ grill on the stern railing.  The Captain's fast throttle/wheel work cleared him by a foot.  A visit to the office concreted the fact that the young customer service lady and I were not going to be friends.  "Closest restaurant with air conditioning?"  "You'd have to take the shuttle and it doesn't leave for 40 minutes."  I should have verified because I later discovered there were several restaurants within walking distance and it was a safe neighborhood.  I left the Captain to handle things. 

It's a large marina and I'm sure keeping bathrooms clean is difficult, but the showers were unsatisfactory.  The first was dirty (I can rinse out a shower and been known to carry a bottle of bleach cleaner with me.  No problem.  The water pressure in the afternoon was useable but weak.)  The next (attempted morning) shower had absolutely no water pressure--you could barely wash your hands.  The afternoon shower was better water pressure but all hot water (water tank on the roof, maybe?), moldy curtain and the usual--curtains too short and narrow so water all over the floor.  After that, I showered on the boat.  Again, disappointing.  We've had cleaner and nicer showers at free marinas, so all I could see was $$$.  The laundry room was adequate.  Three washers and 2 large commercial dryers (not sure on the math there?)

Oh, and even the Captain complained about the slow to unusable wifi that made paying $2/ft all the more annoying.

The marina did have a free shuttle into town and the dockhands were all very nice, dropping us off and picking us up wherever we wanted since they weren't too busy.  I love the architecture here and house tours are a must to learn about why the many houses sit "sideways" on the lots (taxes were paid by square footage on the street) with porches on the side (no a/c in the summer), the front rooms were used for business and you weren't supposed to pass through the archway into the back of the house without an invite from a family member.  The houses are situated to catch the breeze and windows strategically placed to pull the breeze through.  Even beds were designed to be pulled away from the wall to catch the river breeze coming in the windows.  Walking through the old church cemeteries and peeking through fences at the private gardens are great strolling opportunities.  Again, too hot.  The Captain said Charleston reminded him of New Orleans.  Yep, I couldn't place the smell.

Perhaps our expectations were too high.  Or we've come to prefer the small towns that surprise us with hospitality, home-cooked food and everything we need within 2 miles of the downtown waterfront.  If you live on your boat, Edenton, Oriental, and Georgetown are the gems.

Shorts hops in 95F!

Carolina Beach to Myrtle Beach:  It's supposed to be 90F today and it's a Saturday which means a lot of recreational traffic on the ICW.  We pull our line in off the mooring ball for an easy departure (and yes, I got the whole pennant back in the bowl!  5 extra points from the Captain!)  After some advice from the harbor master, we had timed our departure with the falling tide on the Cape Fear, which is the opposite of the tide on Snow Run (there are multiple inlets in this area, so the tide changes every 15 min or so!)  Snow Run in a made-man 1.6 mile canal and the current is wicked as we sweep under the bridge, however, the fishermen don't seem to mind!  We make the turn onto the wide, busy, Cape Fear River and unfurl the genoa to motor sail for the next hour at 7-8 kts (wind & current helping us).  The crazy procession of boats has begun:  

We make the turn off to the ICW and pass Southport.  Looks like a fun town (but the dock space was expensive)--maybe next time.  We sneak through a narrow channel at the Folly while a power boat goes around next to us.  Lots of spoils on this stretch (shallow, narrow parts of the channel).  Sunday is full of jet ski fishing boats, and it's HOT.  We couldn't fit onto the free dock (thank you pontoon boat, for parking SMACK in the middle of a 70 ft face dock) so we continue on to Marina at Grand Dunes.  We were expecting a face dock but they have a slip for us (being blocked by the 2 rental pontoon boats "that they will rent to anybody with a credit card."  Grrrr.)  It turns out there is a wicked current coming off the river that swirls as we enter the slip & it got ugly.  I'll skip the details, but no boats were (structurally) damaged, the dock hands were AMAZING.  They also confirmed it has been very low water because of lack of rain this year.  Captain headed for the nearest bar before I could get the hatches open (which turned out was NOT air conditioned--open air bar.  YIKES)  We'd been mostly comfortable all day--drinking lots of water (with NUUN electrolyte tablets) and dunking bandanas in the ice cold water in the cooler.  However, as soon as we stopped we were HOT.  I even wet down Amelia in the sink so she wouldn't overheat (she went straight for our berth and laid down on my side.  Yep, she was MAD!)  Later, Daddy coaxed her into the cockpit where she laid down on the cool floor and swatted at a few bugs.

STATS:  Total time 10:05, total mileage 55.8 nm, avg speed 5.5 kts

Myrtle Beach to Bucksport:  We decide to reposition (and try to put a few miles behind us).  Despite our best efforts, the current tries to kick us sideways again before we can clear the slip.  I guess that's why they have such nice padded piers?!  By 8:00 am we were motoring the 15 miles down the ICW to Bucksport Marina (air conditioned Captain's lounge with cable TV because our A/C is still broken).  The Captain comments on the nice peaceful morning which lasted until about 10:00 am when the pontoon boats, water skiiers and jet skis begin to reappear!

We pull into Bucksport Marina before lunch.  The manager and another deck hand help us tie-up, fuel, walk us forward to pump out and then we motor back over to a slip.  For $33/day ($0.75/ft + 6/day for electricity)  Cheap!  We are at a dock with water, electricity, laundry, bathrooms, a good restaurant and an air-conditioned lounge--which is good because it's supposed to be above 90F today.  I'm concerned about the cat and we considered sneaking her up to the lounge but someone else has their dog in there, so we take turns going back to the boat to check on her.  We find a nice low spot in the hull for her to sleep, put a fan on her (she doesn't like) and lay a wet microfiber bandana (buff) on her which she tolerates.  Then Daddy starts balancing ice cubes on the bandana and she seems to like that.  

As we travel, the accents change, the water changes color and the bugs change.  All of a sudden, we're in wasp territory but they're slow and you can swat them right out of the air.  I even see a bumblebee (I allowed him to go on his way).  Our favorite are the HUGE dragonflies.  Captain wants to catch a few a put them down below because they eat other pests but they have a short life span.

This is a busy recreational area on a weekend.  The marina does a good business selling fuel and the restaurant is a big draw.  At least it's more peaceful to watch the melee from the dock instead of out on the water.  They are hyped about a big drag boat race coming this weekend and are expecting 4-5000 people!  It's difficult to sleep despite the fact our berth is the most comfortable spot with a fan, but it drops to 75F just before sunrise.

STATS:  Total time 3:22, total mileage 16.5, avg speed 4.9 kts

Day 2 Bucksport:  We stay another day because of the heat, even though it is cooler to be moving on the water and we don't have much of a breeze at the dock.  The only other transient leaves early and we have the marina (and lounge) to ourselves.  I manage to boil some pasta early in the day and we spend the afternoon in the air-conditioned lounge.  A local tells us the island across from the marina is called alligator island and if we shine a spotlight over there at night we can see their eyes and hear their croaks (as we watch kids & fishermen swim off the dock & a power boat with a water skiier in the water).  Hmmm.  That's why I don't swim in water where I can't see the bottom!  We decide to do another short hop tomorrow and for the first time, phone calls to the marinas ahead of us are full, but we secure a spot (at the most expensive, of course).  They ask our boat name and my name which is unusual in the marine industry, so I give them extra points for that.

Bucksport to Georgetown:  We leave at 8:00 am hoping to have the current in our favor.  We enter a wide, 20-30 ft deep, peaceful, beautiful section of the Waccamaw River.  We see fish jumping out of the water and several osprey nests (on the marker bouys).  We travel for for 1 1/2 hours without seeing another boat (not even a fishing boat).  I'm on the first shift, so the Captain takes a book up to the trampoline to read (yep, the retired guy is finally relaxing).  These are my favorite parts of the trip.  If it wasn't so hot, anchoring out in an offshoot of the river would be a nice way to spend a few days.  It's going to be another hot day, but we have a 5 kt breeze (from the boats forward motion), are in the shade of the bimini and have several water bottles in the cooler.  Seriously, fishermen family & friends, we saw several 12"+ fish jump out of the water and I heard a slap behind the stern that had to be a monster.  We saw very few fishing boats in the desolate stretch of water.  Clearly they know we don't have a fishing pole.

You never know what you're going to see on the ICW.  We pass a steel schooner anchored outside a marina.

Our arrival at Harborwalk Marina's face dock is almost boring, with the current in our favor and Chris the dockmaster to grab our lines.  The marina is hopping and we wave him away as his radio crackles with two more arrivals.  $1.75/ft +  $5/night for electricity and an air conditioned office where you can see your breath.  We're informed by the Weather Channel it's a record high of 100F.  Of course it is.  Amelia now glares at you if you don't drop an ice cube on her bandana every time you walk by.

Georgetown is a cool little town.  It's very historic with a few interesting museums including a rice museum & a free maritime museum. It's popular with cruisers because there is very little between Myrtle Beach to the north and Charleston to the south.  The downside is it's too long a walk to the grocery store in this heat, but the first restaurant we stumbled into for lunch was excellent.   Wild Fish Grill with shrimp & grits for me and Shrimp & Clam scampi for the Captain (this dish will be his new benchmark--"Not as good as the Scampi").   

There are at least 8 transients in this tiny marina, all apparently cutting their days short because of the heat.  A few have mechanical issues.  I've counted 2 cats (not including Amelia), 2 dogs and a bird (dove?) among the pets.  We had seen what appeared to be a white dove sitting on the railing of the trawler in front of us and discussed how odd that was.  Next thing we know, the sailboat diagonal to us (who we will later learn also has a cat!) is handing him back to the ketch behind us.  She stops to chat and takes him home.  Later, we try to coax Amelia into the cockpit because there is a breeze, only to discover the bird has hopped over and is sitting up on our bimini.  Cat inside!  CAT INSIDE!  Then the dog off the boat across from us appears.  Amelia is staying inside this evening.  It's still hot when we go to bed, but by morning we have a nice breeze and 80F feels very comfortable as we sit in the cockpit drinking coffee.

STATS:  Total time 4:57, total mileage 24.8 nm, avg speed 5 kts

Georgetown to McClellansville:  By the time we shove off the dock at 7:30 am, at least 3 boats have already left.  As we enter the Winyah Bay, we unfurl the genoa to take advantage of the 10 kt wind off our beam while we motor sail the 5 miles to our ICW turn off.  There is a wicked cross current here--at least a 15 degree crab correction.  We're pointed at one shore and drifting over to the other!  (BIG GATOR off the starboard side!)

We turn down the Estherville Minum Creek Canal and the Captain retires to the trampoline for a morning nap.  Another normally open swing bridge has replaced the ferry here.  I had no idea there were so many different kinds of bridges?!

I learned a few tricks while playing with my Garmin/ActiveCaptain app and in the process missed a shoaling & strong current call out to the Captain.  "Be careful back there!"  Gator off the starboard side.

As we neared McClellanville, we are close to a shallow ocean inlet.  We have numerous dolphin sightings (including 2 groups of 2 in the marina that evening) for a total of 12 in one day!

This town is one of our favorite stops.  It's a small marina, off the beaten path, and at low tide there is only 4 ft of water at the dock.  Many ICW'ers pass it up, despite there only being 2 marinas between Georgetown and Charleston.  We have a beautiful, tree-shaded walk into town for lunch (and air conditioning!) and have a "top three" meal at T.W. Graham's of grilled shrimp, coleslaw, homemade tartar sauce and red rice for me/fried okra for the Captain.  (Homemade pimento cheese spread to go.  "What's for dinner?"  Cheese spread.  "That's not dinner."  It is when you eat the whole tub!)  Honestly, I'd advise other boaters to anchor out and dinghy in to eat here.  It was that good.  

Overheard in the cockpit:  "90F in the shade with a breeze isn't that bad."  And if you throw the ball for the lab that lives at the marina, you'll have a friend for life.  I didn't know a dog could back up that fast and my first throw landed in a bucket.  Couldn't do that again if I tried.

STATS:  Total time 4:59, total mileage 24.1, avg speed 4.8 kts

Pilgrimage to Oriental

Ocracoke Anchorage

Hey Jacek, does this look right?

Ocracoke Day 2:  We reconnaissance the dinghy dock and the Captain drops me off for my morning walk.  When he returns, he's too hungry to go back for the bikes, so we walk to lunch at Ocracoke Bar and Grill (spiced local NC shrimp, over veggies and rice with cheese and a long island iced tea). It's a fun town. A quirky, hippie town with a dry sense of humor. ("No outside drinks.  Don't make it weird."  "No ice cream."  "Don't even think about docking here.")  Back to the boat for naps and a kayak.

Princess Amelia

Amelia has decided that she likes her water with a wedge of lemon in an insulated tumbler on the table. Thanks for asking. Great

Local clams from Jolly Rogers

We dinghy over to Jolly Rogers for drinks (& our first plate of fresh clams.  YUM!) then walk to the Seafood Market for some fresh mahi to throw on the grill (also learn figs grow well on the island and fig cake is a specialty here.  YUM!).  After dinner, the coast guard announced a weather warning, possible gusts to 60, so we (and everybody in the anchorage) headed out to bring all loose items in--kayak on deck, dinghy into davits and triple check anchor bridle. We sat in the cockpit and watched the storm roll in, with a good lightning show and light rain. However, just when we thought it was over the winds picked up to 25 gusting to 35. By now, the Captain felt pretty good about our anchor so we slept like babies, snuggled under blankets with the hatches open. 

Our dinghy tied up next to the big boys.  All boat & dinghy departures and arrivals are based on the ferry schedule.

Day 3:  A lazy morning turned into baking almond flour banana nut muffins, mixing up some bloody mary mix for later (I swear), a dinghy ride in to town.  The Captain went for a bike ride.  A local walked me over to a friends coffee shop after I balked at buying espresso from the ice cream shop. I visited the book store across the street and bought a book on Blackbeard, who according to legend, was killed just outside the Ocracoke Inlet. As I headed back to the dinghy, I run into my husband has found the owner of the PDQ sail boat at the National Park Service dock and we stop to chat for an hour or so. 

We learned a new trick from watching the 65 ft yacht next to us. Tie the dinghy painter foward on the boat and let it trail back to the steps. That's TONS easier. More boats from Oriental come in, but most head to the dock. I make mediterranean pasta salad for dinner, and we run over to the Community Market to grab dessert (lot's of organic and gluten-free options without extra mark up.  I hid the Walker's gf shortbread cookies)

Dang.  That's easier.  Why didn't we think of that?

Amelia took a nap  Hey, get out of there!

Maybe she's taking so many naps because she's getting into the RUM!

There's a live band at two of the waterfront bars so we sit on deck and listen to the dueling bands. When we go in for the night, we can still hear the band from Jolly Rogers from the comfort of our settee. 

There it is!  The Atlantic Ocean!

Day 4:  We load up both bikes in the dinghy and head in (another first). We run into our PDQ friend and Misto (Nautitech 44) and stop for another chat before biking out to the beach. After you pass Howard's restaurant, all the traffic goes away and the bike path starts. We cruise by the airport and turn into the beach parking. For a holiday weekend, it isn't too crowded and the Captain contemplated a dune buggy with a beach permit could quickly get you you're own stretch of beach here. We take a short walk, dip our toes in the Atlantic, pick up a few shells and decide to try to get closer to the inlet. Back on the bikes and we find a vehicle access road not on the tourist map.  It's at least another mile to the beach, and the bicycles don't quite make it all the way, so we leave them by the side of the road and walk it.  We see the spit, so we head down the beach.  The sand is soft, but walking up to the water isn't an option since everyone is fishing (fishing rod racks on front and back bumpers).  We both finally stop when we realize we aren't making much progress, and climb a dune.  THERE IT IS!  The inlet.  Way cool.   We take out our water bottle and Larabars and have a little picnic on the sand dune before heading back.  Of course, the wind shifted and picked up so we are riding into a head wind, so we bail for cold drinks and lunch as soon as we reach Howards, then a quick stop at the market, the hardware store (our new fav hobby, browsing the hardware store) and liquor store ("just in case...")  We received an invite to the Neuse River Sailing Association social at 3:00 pm, so we have just enough time for naps.  We have another nice evening breeze, that keeps the bugs away and makes sleeping very comfortable.

Abandoning the bicycles to walk up to the inlet

Amelia took a nap.

Ocracoke to Oriental:  We had originally planned on leaving on Sunday because of weather.  However, it was tempting to stay until Monday and sail back with the big group from Oriental, including the other PDQ.  We have a few rules and they are 1)  we don't have a plan.  We don't need to be anywhere 2)  Never change your plans for other people.  SO, we decided to go with the favorable weather forecast of 5-10 kt easterly winds and pull up anchor, just in time to drop behind the 7:30 ferry departure, along with two other sailboats.  It's a little rough coming out of the Ocracoke channel, but calms down as we get farther out and get both sails up.  I spot two dolphins in the distance an ethereal, spiritual, commune with nature that always brings a tear to my eye (yes, I'm a girl!)  "Crab pot.  Nope, that's a bird--nope, that's a crab pot!"  However, we end up motor sailing with less than 10 kts of wind with a few jibes.  As we turn up the Neuse River, we see more sailboats with their sails up than we've seen in the last 2 months!  They're everywhere!  How exciting.  As we near the channel for our marina we hear someone aground and calling Sea Tow.  We were given explicit instructions--rub the paint off the red markers.  Shoals on the green side.  Got it.  We dock with moderate success--only one try, stern to and I jump off the back step onto the dock.  Our fellow transient comes over to grab a line.  The Captain can't quite walk to bow over to the dock without the wind catching it and blowing it back out, but he successfully throws me a line and we're secured.  As we relax in the cockpit with cocktails, we watch a small dinghy run around right next to us.  Departing could be interesting.  

Amelia took a nap.

Much like our visit to Annapolis, stopping in Oriental is a "must" for sailors.  It's the sailing capital of North Carolina and the sailboats outnumber the people (4000 boats to 800 people?!) 

Stats:  Total time 8:03, Total mileage 42.4 nm, average speed 5.3 kts (motor sailed with 5-10 kt winds)

"Our most ambitious sail yet..."

(Is it a marina or a gas station?)

Edenton to Alligator River Marina:  We're off the dock by 7:00 am and the First Mate has the sails up as soon as we clear the channel marker.  We have a direct tailwind so we jibe back and forth across the Albemarle Sound for most of it's length.  I managed to pop down below to make a bagged chop salad for lunch, which just made us sleepy.  I was getting pretty good at managing the sails by the time the wind dies--about 1:30 pm, just as the day heated up.  A few thunderstorms formed behind and ahead of us, but they all missed us.  We motor into Alligator River Marina, at the base of a bridge and is also a gas station on the highway.  Every town and marina has it's own character, and like the rest, this one fascinates us.  It turns out they DO have the best burgers and cold beer after a hot day.  

Stats:  Total 8:40 hours, total mileage 44.6 nm, avg speed 5.1 kts (sailed length of Albemarle)

The ICW guidebook says the Alligator River is a "22.4 mile area with extremely limited shore access in deep muck and cypress swamp...Insects and snakes (some poisonous) abound and help is not readily available."  Sounds like fun.

(Alligator River Bridge--right after we hit a crab pot)

Alligator River Marina (ICW) to Belhaven, NC:  (Our first back to back day of moving) As we pulled out of the marina at the base of the bridge, we rejoin the ICW southbound.  We maneuvered around a few crab pots, and called the bridge tender on the radio.  I point out that the vehicle traffic has stopped, which is a sign the bridge is about to open.  The Captain looks up and begins to align us for the opening.  As the bridge begins to swing for us, we hit a crab pot.  Captain shut that engine down and turned the boat over to me, so he could pull the engine up and take a look.  Crab pot confirmed.  We drug it through the bridge and cut it loose on the other side.   Tempted to keep the buoy as a souvenir, we take a pic and throw it back in.  It's a criminal offense to have a buoy that isn't registered to you (and no we didn't get to see if there was any crab in the trap!  I'm still waiting for my big plate of Crab Imperial in exchange for negotiating crab pots).  

(Cutting off the crab pot and checking for damage through the port engine access)

(The beautiful Alligator River)

I was surprised the Alligator River is a wide, beautiful river.  The fun part of "going the wrong way," is the parade of boats we pass.  A beautiful ketch, a nordic trawler, a Lagoon power cat.  The bad part is the constant parade of boats.  Most of the sailboats are friendly and wave.  Many of the powerboats are friendly, calling us on the radio and waving, and a few power boats wake us so hard that a few things are found on the floor.  Otherwise, the water was smooth as glass.  You could go down below and think you were still at the dock.  We left a few hatches open and a fan on for the cat and it stayed pretty comfortable down below.  We share the helm off an on throughout the day as we navigate the canal connecting the Alligator River and Pungo river.  

As we exit the canal and enter the Pungo, a few rain showers start to form around us and we get everything closed up and rain jackets on just in time.  We were hoping for the free docks in Belhaven but due to some confusion and lack of information, we end up paying $1.00/ft or $41 for the night with electricity and water (but no bathrooms, showers, laundry or wifi). We share the dock with another sailboat, crank up the A/C and make chop salad for dinner.  A local, former cruiser stops by to give us a gift bag and offer us a ride to the store. A few more thunderstorms roll through and AT&T cell phone service is nil, so we start planning for our trip to Oriental (another first, we decided to keep moving for three days in a row).

(The Belhaven Town Dock--not the free one!)

Stats:  Total 8.49 hours, 47.4 miles, average 5.4 kts (motored)

(For my sister:  3 families of geese leading us out of the marina--I counted at least 12 gosling)

Belhaven to Ocracoke:  We have a weather window to make it across the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke Island instead of Oriental.  It will be "our most ambitious leg yet."  We realized, as we left the dock, that it is Memorial Day weekend, but wherever we go will be busy. It's a nice morning.  We're up early and leave the dock right behind the monohull for a parade of 6 boats heading back to the ICW. To our surprise, 2 of the boats turn south with us.  We unfurl the genoa and motorsail downwind for 2 hours (Captain ran the genoa line outside the lifelines, back to a pulley and up onto a winch, so we have a half-ass spinnaker set up) until we make the turn into Pamlico River/Sound.  We raise the main and take up a course of 130 that should take us all the way to Ocracoke.

(The genoa sheet run outside the life lines)

We start with a quartering tailwind, then beam reach to barely holding a close reach as the winds shift to an unforecast easterly wind. We do a few tacks off course, and finally give up--motoring the last 2 1/2 hours and negotiate the narrow entrance, complete with the biggest ferries you've ever seen!  I was informed later that a hat was lost overboard).

The anchorage is moderately crowded--but the most crowded we've done!  The anchor has a good set the first time and we swing between the two boats on either side, one of which is a 65 monohull (Mystique)--yes, that would be a "yacht."  The next morning, we start an engine to move forward so the guy behind us can raise his anchor--which is under our boat.  This is our most entertaining anchorage yet.  I can't begin to explain, but the Captain yells, down, more than once, "you got to see this."  We  have also developed a nervous tick about ferries and watching them arrive and depart becomes a new obsession.  

Stats: Total 8:50 hrs, total miles 47.2, avg speed 5.3 (motor sail 1/4, sail 1/2, motored 1/4)

(Anchored in Ocracoke)