This destination is for you Ron & Margo! Even though we didn't plan on being here. But with skinny water heading into the marina we had reservations with at McClellanville, (we saw five feet of water at the entrance), so we headed 30 miles further south to here. It made for a long, chilly day but it's a nice place to have to be. No time for sightseeing here as we move south to Charleston, about 12 miles . Isle of Palms is pretty!
Traveling Sunday proved to be a little tense as the water levels on the ICW in spots was quite low. Looking at tide tables has become part of the daily routine when planning the following day as to what time to leave and the necessary time to arrive. We saw 7.1 feet of water and held our breath. Both South Carolina and Georgia are not dredging the ICW well. The Great Lakes makes life easier.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Heading South (where's the warm?)
Thanksgiving was a quiet day at the marina so took advantage of the laundry facility, took long hot showers and then a nap. Dinner was salmon, potato and veggies followed by cheesecake. It was a good day.
The next day we left early morning with the decks of the boat rather frosty. Cleared multiple fixed bridges and a couple of swing bridges. The shoreline is a real estate tour. Big, beautiful homes with docks and boat lifts at almost every one of them but very few boats. Perhaps they have been put up for the winter. There are folks who live in northern SC who go south for the winter which kind of cracks us up because we feel we are in the south! But where's the warm? Natives of the area say this weather is quite unusual for this time of year with temps much lower than they are used to having. We can only wonder if the news is correct in saying this weather is the 'new normal'. However the travel along the ICW today was balmy, sunny and the most enjoyable day we've had since Hurricane Sandy. Along our way we look up and see a beautiful eagle perched on top of a tree. We docked at Bucksport Marina about 30 miles south of Myrtle Beach. It is on a bend in the ICW, very quiet, 30+ acres for Chester, nothing around except an adjacent campground with 4 campers, a restaurant/bar on site that closes at 9 p.m., and one other transient boat.
Saturday morning we leave for Georgetown SC. We were the only southbound boat for this passage. Quiet day with sunshine and there's that chill once again! The Waccamaw River is sided with cypress swamps, the water is the color of tea and we are informed our bow will have a brown moustache! The water depth is good on this stretch. There are numerous fishing boats with their fishermen in the nooks and crannies of side rivers. We arrive in Georgetown and head to their 'boutique' downtown. It reminds me of Frankfort MI only three times the size. We see signs in storefronts that boast that they have 'Carolina Rice'...hmmm, time for a little research.
We come back to Journey and turn on the heat....
The next day we left early morning with the decks of the boat rather frosty. Cleared multiple fixed bridges and a couple of swing bridges. The shoreline is a real estate tour. Big, beautiful homes with docks and boat lifts at almost every one of them but very few boats. Perhaps they have been put up for the winter. There are folks who live in northern SC who go south for the winter which kind of cracks us up because we feel we are in the south! But where's the warm? Natives of the area say this weather is quite unusual for this time of year with temps much lower than they are used to having. We can only wonder if the news is correct in saying this weather is the 'new normal'. However the travel along the ICW today was balmy, sunny and the most enjoyable day we've had since Hurricane Sandy. Along our way we look up and see a beautiful eagle perched on top of a tree. We docked at Bucksport Marina about 30 miles south of Myrtle Beach. It is on a bend in the ICW, very quiet, 30+ acres for Chester, nothing around except an adjacent campground with 4 campers, a restaurant/bar on site that closes at 9 p.m., and one other transient boat.
Saturday morning we leave for Georgetown SC. We were the only southbound boat for this passage. Quiet day with sunshine and there's that chill once again! The Waccamaw River is sided with cypress swamps, the water is the color of tea and we are informed our bow will have a brown moustache! The water depth is good on this stretch. There are numerous fishing boats with their fishermen in the nooks and crannies of side rivers. We arrive in Georgetown and head to their 'boutique' downtown. It reminds me of Frankfort MI only three times the size. We see signs in storefronts that boast that they have 'Carolina Rice'...hmmm, time for a little research.
We come back to Journey and turn on the heat....
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Weather
Never thought I would complain about too much wind. Coming out of Morehead City, and where did it get that name, we battled high winds and current. Who thought you could sail/motor-sail on the ICW? Also had to watch the buoys, chartplotter and depth sounder at all times. Made one stop and then to Wrightsville Beach. Sat for an extra day to let rain and winds, 20s and 30s kt subside. Working our way down on the Cape Fear River , past Southport, with an overnight at St James Plantation Marina (Just thought the name sounded good) back on the ditch. We came into North Myrtle Beach yesterday. Decided to stay here for Thanksgiving.
The ICW got very pretty yesterday, with lots of scenery and a wider ditch. We are taking our time as most of the marinas in Charleston are full for the weekend.
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| Barge on Cape Fear River |
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| Chartplotter: green represents marshes |
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| Good Deals?????? |
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| Would you keep your boat here? |
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| Fixer up-er |
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Morehead City & New Bern Trivia
On February 10, 1938, two partners, Tony Seamon and Ted Garner, opened a fresh seafood market on the Morehead City waterfront. A small building had been rented from Charles S. Wallace for $5.50 per week with the understanding that no beer or wine would be sold and that the premises be kept clean and neat. The name "Sanitary Fish Market" was chosen by the partners to project their compliance.
We couldn't help but wonder "Sanitary Fish Market" ..? A very popular restaurant with people always wondering about the name. Is this the whole story? :)
New Bern was founded in 1710 and was a Swiss settlement. The people named it Bern after the capital of their home Switzerland. Bern actually means "bear". In 1979, the city started a revitalization of their city called the Swiss Bear project. Thus the bears throughout their town along with several artistic galleries and shops.
We couldn't help but wonder "Sanitary Fish Market" ..? A very popular restaurant with people always wondering about the name. Is this the whole story? :)
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| Sanitary Fish Market |
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| Good food |
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| Lu couldn't resist |
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| Bear |
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| New Bern |
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Morehead City
For the Nicholas Sparks fans, I feel like I am part of a new novel of his! This is his stomping area. He lives in New Bern NC and his stories are centered in the area we are now cruising: New Bern, Oriental, Morehead City, Swansboro, Wrightsville Beach. And yes the area is as intriguing and romantic as he makes them sound.
This is down river a bit ... not on open water and we notice the ketch on shore. (again we miss our good camera and the lenses!)
Leaving Whittaker Marina at lower tide than upon arrival, we kissed the channel bottom and needed to work our way off. Tides can be a pain but they are inevitable. Very hazy morning as we glided through the markers back into the ICW. We entered Adams Creek toward Morehead City with one Nordic Tug. It's a quiet morning with little boat traffic. The beginning of Adams Creek is lined with an upscale real estate tour.
On approach to Morehead City one can take a left to Beaufort or a slight right to Morehead. Also there is an approach here to head out to the Atlantic Ocean. Journey will stay on the ICW for a few more miles. As we turn to Morehead City we are greeted by a pod of dolphins who continue to play in the marina waters during our stay. Will we ever tire of seeing dolphins?!
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| Shrimpers |
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| Pelicans |
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| Oriental |
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| ICW Mile Marker 200 |
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| Up Adams Creek |
On approach to Morehead City one can take a left to Beaufort or a slight right to Morehead. Also there is an approach here to head out to the Atlantic Ocean. Journey will stay on the ICW for a few more miles. As we turn to Morehead City we are greeted by a pod of dolphins who continue to play in the marina waters during our stay. Will we ever tire of seeing dolphins?!
Oriental Bound
Dowry Marina at Belhaven NC is not close to anything but what a beauty. The location is country, the buildings like on a seashore and well maintained. The road leading into the marina is lined with pines with minimal streetlamps making it eerily dark when walking Chester at night. Beneath the feet is the pine needle crunch and the smell is heavenly! Felt we could only spend a night since the sunshine & warm weather keeps calling. The next hazy morning we head to Oriental. The forecast is a sunny mid-70 day.
The haze burns off quickly and it is a beautiful day = peel off layer #1 of jackets and gloves. We head down the Pungo River which is uneventful even with an earlier warning of possible stumps and logs in the ICW at mile mark 99.5 The Pungo River joins Goose Creek (about 125' to 300' wide) and getting closer to an area of known shoaling. We cruise along about 6 knots following five other boats when Journey lunges forward and dips her bow ... we are aground. It's soft so we back off, move to the left of the channel and are on our way. With 5 boats ahead of us, why are we the ones who run aground?! Deeper draft or 6" off course?
We dock at Whittaker Creek in Oriental. Oriental is called the 'sailing capital'. Its where a large majority of circumnavigators end up. It is a town of 900 people and 2000+ boats at least. Marinas everywhere you look. Friendly people, fun restaurants. We rode our bikes to the hardware store, post office, thru town, dinner at M&Ms, grocery store and back. Dark and quiet! The whole town is 1/2 mile long and maybe a couple blocks wide. Everything that we've read about Oriental in the boating realm, we anticipated a much bigger place. However the marinas did not disappoint.
Our really nice camera is sitting at home, oops. We miss our lenses.
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| Looking back at Dowry Marina, Pungo River |
The haze burns off quickly and it is a beautiful day = peel off layer #1 of jackets and gloves. We head down the Pungo River which is uneventful even with an earlier warning of possible stumps and logs in the ICW at mile mark 99.5 The Pungo River joins Goose Creek (about 125' to 300' wide) and getting closer to an area of known shoaling. We cruise along about 6 knots following five other boats when Journey lunges forward and dips her bow ... we are aground. It's soft so we back off, move to the left of the channel and are on our way. With 5 boats ahead of us, why are we the ones who run aground?! Deeper draft or 6" off course?
We dock at Whittaker Creek in Oriental. Oriental is called the 'sailing capital'. Its where a large majority of circumnavigators end up. It is a town of 900 people and 2000+ boats at least. Marinas everywhere you look. Friendly people, fun restaurants. We rode our bikes to the hardware store, post office, thru town, dinner at M&Ms, grocery store and back. Dark and quiet! The whole town is 1/2 mile long and maybe a couple blocks wide. Everything that we've read about Oriental in the boating realm, we anticipated a much bigger place. However the marinas did not disappoint.
Our really nice camera is sitting at home, oops. We miss our lenses.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
North Carolina yea hoo
Well, the problem with the heat/AC system is still with us. The inlet thru the hull keeps clogging. We have been considering hauling the boat and fix it once and for all. But one more idea was suggested first....try running a hose down and pressure wash from the inside out. Seems to have helped it quite a lot. Will try it again a few times before resorting to a haul out. We walked up and bought an electric heater...nights are in the 30's...burrrrrrr.
Headed south again. Spent the first night in Coinjock. Even went out to dinner at the only restaurant which happens to be at the marina. It was so cold on the way down.....I know, but this is true. Forties and windy. After Coinjock it has gotten better. See pictures. Came across the albermerle Sound today. Winds were up to 2-3 sometimes. Dead flat and calm. We are on the Alligator River and the sun is shining. Tomorrow on to Belhaven. Yeah, I never heard of these places either. Lots of boats moving south.
Headed south again. Spent the first night in Coinjock. Even went out to dinner at the only restaurant which happens to be at the marina. It was so cold on the way down.....I know, but this is true. Forties and windy. After Coinjock it has gotten better. See pictures. Came across the albermerle Sound today. Winds were up to 2-3 sometimes. Dead flat and calm. We are on the Alligator River and the sun is shining. Tomorrow on to Belhaven. Yeah, I never heard of these places either. Lots of boats moving south.
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| Convoy after bridge opening |
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| Shivering |
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
hurry up and wait
As related in the last post, we tied up at the city wall in Great Bridge, va. Nice place and nice people. But, as we are winding down Fri night, the Generator is running to run the heat. After the gen quits we discover a leaking injector line. Damn. When we get up the next morning, it is cold. So we move to the marina on the other side of the bridge. BUT, it is Sat...nothing open until Mon. As this is by far the best place to get repairs, we decide to stay. Monday I order the line. One left in existence. Now the over night shipping got goofed up so Wed. But being we are plugged in, it is warm place. Wed it comes in, installed, bled and running. Now about where we are.
As I have learned, the Atlantic Yacht Basin is the premiere boatyard coming down the east coast. There are separate buildings for the wood shop, fabrication, etc. Now what is really cool is the in the water storage. it is all covered! And on three sides. These boats from probably 100+ ft down to 30 are all stored basically inside, but in the water. And we are talking acres here. See the website, it is amazing. atlanticyachtbasin.com. Look at all the buildings. Now a 70 footer came in from outside for a water pump repair. sitting in front of us.
Check out the pics.....I call it eye candy...or boat porn.
These beautiful boats store here ...including the presidential launch, the Sequoia. Lots of high end boats.
As I have learned, the Atlantic Yacht Basin is the premiere boatyard coming down the east coast. There are separate buildings for the wood shop, fabrication, etc. Now what is really cool is the in the water storage. it is all covered! And on three sides. These boats from probably 100+ ft down to 30 are all stored basically inside, but in the water. And we are talking acres here. See the website, it is amazing. atlanticyachtbasin.com. Look at all the buildings. Now a 70 footer came in from outside for a water pump repair. sitting in front of us.
Check out the pics.....I call it eye candy...or boat porn.
These beautiful boats store here ...including the presidential launch, the Sequoia. Lots of high end boats.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Slow Go but Going
Survived Hurricane Sandy without any injury or fright. We shove off at first light and meet several other boaters doing the same heading South to hopefully warmer climate. It is chilly, we are layered with clothing including hats and gloves. Nothing is finer than a hot cup of coffee once under way.
We travel along the ICW adding boats to our caravan as we go: Mama boat hailed the bridges for us and we all followed her being the good little boaters that we are! We did encounter some wait for bridges to open on the Interstates and busy areas during high commuter traffic. As we wait, the boaters get to know each other a little bit until the signal of the bridge opening. Then we trail each other to the next bridge. The wait cramps the timeframe so we did not get far. We are only 12 miles into the ICW!
After locking through the Great Bridge Lock, we see fellow boaters from Catskill on sailboat Autumn Borne! The decision whether we should stop or not for the night is made when we see them. Dean and Susan watched over our boat in Catskill while we were home for a month this summer. Would you believe we lacked for nothing to talk about?! It amazes us how the world of cruising is a small one. (and Great Bridge Chesapeake VA has a Panera!)
IT IS COLD evenings and nights. The generator is not to be parted with when on a dock w/o electricity for heat! However, Friday night it stopped. Mark has discovered a fuel line leak which will need repaired. We go to bed to stay warm. This morning we weren't sure if it was steamy coffee or our breath we were seeing. It actually ended up being both. Saturday (today) with the 9 a.m. Great Bridge opening we move to a marina and plug in for heat. Of course with it being Saturday, marine shops are not open. Monday morning we are on it. Must get south!
We travel along the ICW adding boats to our caravan as we go: Mama boat hailed the bridges for us and we all followed her being the good little boaters that we are! We did encounter some wait for bridges to open on the Interstates and busy areas during high commuter traffic. As we wait, the boaters get to know each other a little bit until the signal of the bridge opening. Then we trail each other to the next bridge. The wait cramps the timeframe so we did not get far. We are only 12 miles into the ICW!
After locking through the Great Bridge Lock, we see fellow boaters from Catskill on sailboat Autumn Borne! The decision whether we should stop or not for the night is made when we see them. Dean and Susan watched over our boat in Catskill while we were home for a month this summer. Would you believe we lacked for nothing to talk about?! It amazes us how the world of cruising is a small one. (and Great Bridge Chesapeake VA has a Panera!)
IT IS COLD evenings and nights. The generator is not to be parted with when on a dock w/o electricity for heat! However, Friday night it stopped. Mark has discovered a fuel line leak which will need repaired. We go to bed to stay warm. This morning we weren't sure if it was steamy coffee or our breath we were seeing. It actually ended up being both. Saturday (today) with the 9 a.m. Great Bridge opening we move to a marina and plug in for heat. Of course with it being Saturday, marine shops are not open. Monday morning we are on it. Must get south!
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