It's November 21st and we're back on the boat, back on our way south and, at the moment, anchored on St. Pierre's Creek in South Carolina. We've been having some very windy weather the last few days, so have been tying up to marinas more than we had planned. However, this is a very quiet and beautiful spot for the night and the wind has calmed down.
Our last blog was posted October 21st from Slade Creek in North Carolina. The next day we sailed across Pamlico Sound to Orient and up the Neuse River to New Bern. We rented a slip at Northwest Creek Marina, did boat chores, had that dinner with friends and drove home Friday. We babysat our granddaughter, Olivia, Saturday night and then spent most of the following week keeping appointments with doctors, dentists, hair cutters, seeing friends and grandma got to see Olivia's Halloween parade at school where she was dressed as Cinderella. The following weekend we took Olivia to see a local Halloween play, Bunicula, about a rabbit who seemed to have some creepy eating habits. The play was in Northport so after the play we gave Olivia the choice of going to a playground or looking at the boats at Northport village docks. What do you think she chose? Looking at the boats with grandpa!! The next day we had a big birthday lobster and oyster feast for two of our grown children. Emily was sorely missed at this celebration, unable to get away from graduate studies at Brown, but we did manage to eat her lobster in her absence.
On Monday, November 11th, we drove back to New Bern, intending to set out Wednesday, but were delayed by that blast of arctic air from central Canada. So we used the two days to get provisions, fuel and to settle bills for dingy repair and a new enclosure for the boat's cockpit. So we set out Thursday, Nov. 14th, after the small craft advisories were past. There was frost on the sail covers and steam coming off the Neuse River in the 27 degree morning air. Only the new cockpit enclosure kept us from freezing, so we appreciated it right away. That night we stayed on a dock in Moorehead City and walked to a hardware store, looking for micro fleece shammies for wiping the new plastic windows. Lynn found them and turned around to speak to Sally, only to find her roaming the aisles with a gleam in her eye that only a true shopper has, seemingly excited about the hose clamps and crescent wrenches.
November 15, we headed south on the IntraCoastal Waterway (ICW) on the way to a marina we had stayed in in 2010, Harbor Village Marina. On the way we went aground at Brown's Inlet, hitting a sandbar at over 7 knots, ending up sitting higher than usual in water 4.5 feet deep. Our boat needs 5' 2" deep water to float, so you can see the problem. This spot turned out to be a frequent eater of boats and the Boat US towboat was right there, just around a corner, so we were towed off within 20 minutes. Good thing we have the unlimited towing insurance. Might need it again along the way.
November 16th we continued along the way and didn't hit any sandbars, which is good. Lynn was getting a bit annoyed at how the speed boaters ignored boating rules about how close to come, how much salt water to spray on you and whether or not to come zooming directly at your bow or to stop and fish in the middle of the channel that you can't go outside of because it's too shallow for a sailboat. But that night we tied up to a marina in Holden Beach, almost directly under the highway bridge (see photo) and the people there were so sweet that Lynn had to apologize to himself for having bad thoughts about the North Carolina boaters. One lady gave Sally a ride to the market in her golf cart and three good old boys just back from fishing gave three lovely black sea bass to Lynn, with instructions on how to fillet them and how to cook them with the skin and scales still on. They were delicious!
November 17 we moved on southward, into the Waccamaw River area, a real wilderness. Several days of wind gusting to 30 knots was forecast, so we anchored in what was described in one of the most widely owned and used books, Skipper Bob's Anchorages, as extremely good wind protection, very good holding (the anchor holding on to the bottom). This small creek behind Richard Island is called Cow House Creek. It was just as described, very quiet. Could hardly tell it was blowing all that much. But the weather turned out better than predicted, so, on the 18th, we moved on 20 miles to a dock in Georgetown, Harborwalk Marina, which had excellent protection from the northerlies that were blowing. On the way, we were boarded by 5 young Coast Guard officers. They were friendly, but inspected the entire boat, including all of the bilge spaces under the floor. It seemed that they were practicing for characters who might have illegal stuff under the floorboards. But we passed all the requirements for a boat of our size (life preservers, fire extinguishers....) (see photo).
When we got to Georgetown, we hired a diver to check out the bottom of the boat for any damage from that hard grounding in North Carolina. He reported extensive gouging on the keel metal. So the next day, we had the boat lifted out of the water at a nearby boatyard, Hazard Marina, in what is called a short haul, see photo. We saw that there was no damage at all, aside from some paint scraped off the front of the keel. The good old boys in the yard decided that Captain Lynn is a bit paranoid, kidding I hope. Better safe than sorry when it comes to boat safety and seaworthiness. Also, at Hazard Marina, we met a true old salty sailor the locals introduced as Mad Dog. He had a beard down to the middle of his chest and immediately grabbed Lynn and started telling his tales of the sea, including running from women, several times, to New Bedford.?. It was hard to get away, a bit like the poem, The Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner, but we managed.
On the 20th, we tried to go outside into the ocean to sail, but it was, again, blowing too hard, so we went back to the ICW. Again, we tried to anchor, this time in Dewes Creek, which was described as having excellent wind protection and holding, but turned out to have no wind protection at all. So we went on a couple of miles and stayed on a dock at Palm Island Marina. There we decided to give ourselves a treat and go out to dinner. We mostly have been cooking on the boat. We had a delicious Southern meal of blackened Maui Maui, collard greens and cheesy grits, along with a meeting of the Executive Board of Southern Belle (the Captain and the Boss). Issues having to do with fears and frustrations and cold, blustery weather were addressed and everyone felt better.
The next day we motored passed Charleston and on to St Pierce creek. It was another very quiet anchorage. Along the way we have seen many Dolphins, but by the time I get the camera out they are gone. However, it is so exciting to see them!! We also have seen many pelicans. I love watching them, especially when they go SPLAT in the water trying to get a fish. I have also enjoyed seeing the Spanish moss hanging on the trees which are turning fall colors and are so beautiful, being out here has really brought us closer to nature.
We are now anchored at Bulls creek, another nice anchorage. We are about 20 miles from Savanna, Georgia, where we will go tomorrow. We plan to stay at a marina there and have dinner with a couple we met from a friend of ours in New York.
Well, this is our journey so far. I am very excited to be here, Nov 21, 2010 was when I flew home last time and we had to end our first journey.
Lynn and Sally
On Monday, November 11th, we drove back to New Bern, intending to set out Wednesday, but were delayed by that blast of arctic air from central Canada. So we used the two days to get provisions, fuel and to settle bills for dingy repair and a new enclosure for the boat's cockpit. So we set out Thursday, Nov. 14th, after the small craft advisories were past. There was frost on the sail covers and steam coming off the Neuse River in the 27 degree morning air. Only the new cockpit enclosure kept us from freezing, so we appreciated it right away. That night we stayed on a dock in Moorehead City and walked to a hardware store, looking for micro fleece shammies for wiping the new plastic windows. Lynn found them and turned around to speak to Sally, only to find her roaming the aisles with a gleam in her eye that only a true shopper has, seemingly excited about the hose clamps and crescent wrenches.
November 15, we headed south on the IntraCoastal Waterway (ICW) on the way to a marina we had stayed in in 2010, Harbor Village Marina. On the way we went aground at Brown's Inlet, hitting a sandbar at over 7 knots, ending up sitting higher than usual in water 4.5 feet deep. Our boat needs 5' 2" deep water to float, so you can see the problem. This spot turned out to be a frequent eater of boats and the Boat US towboat was right there, just around a corner, so we were towed off within 20 minutes. Good thing we have the unlimited towing insurance. Might need it again along the way.
November 16th we continued along the way and didn't hit any sandbars, which is good. Lynn was getting a bit annoyed at how the speed boaters ignored boating rules about how close to come, how much salt water to spray on you and whether or not to come zooming directly at your bow or to stop and fish in the middle of the channel that you can't go outside of because it's too shallow for a sailboat. But that night we tied up to a marina in Holden Beach, almost directly under the highway bridge (see photo) and the people there were so sweet that Lynn had to apologize to himself for having bad thoughts about the North Carolina boaters. One lady gave Sally a ride to the market in her golf cart and three good old boys just back from fishing gave three lovely black sea bass to Lynn, with instructions on how to fillet them and how to cook them with the skin and scales still on. They were delicious!
November 17 we moved on southward, into the Waccamaw River area, a real wilderness. Several days of wind gusting to 30 knots was forecast, so we anchored in what was described in one of the most widely owned and used books, Skipper Bob's Anchorages, as extremely good wind protection, very good holding (the anchor holding on to the bottom). This small creek behind Richard Island is called Cow House Creek. It was just as described, very quiet. Could hardly tell it was blowing all that much. But the weather turned out better than predicted, so, on the 18th, we moved on 20 miles to a dock in Georgetown, Harborwalk Marina, which had excellent protection from the northerlies that were blowing. On the way, we were boarded by 5 young Coast Guard officers. They were friendly, but inspected the entire boat, including all of the bilge spaces under the floor. It seemed that they were practicing for characters who might have illegal stuff under the floorboards. But we passed all the requirements for a boat of our size (life preservers, fire extinguishers....) (see photo).
When we got to Georgetown, we hired a diver to check out the bottom of the boat for any damage from that hard grounding in North Carolina. He reported extensive gouging on the keel metal. So the next day, we had the boat lifted out of the water at a nearby boatyard, Hazard Marina, in what is called a short haul, see photo. We saw that there was no damage at all, aside from some paint scraped off the front of the keel. The good old boys in the yard decided that Captain Lynn is a bit paranoid, kidding I hope. Better safe than sorry when it comes to boat safety and seaworthiness. Also, at Hazard Marina, we met a true old salty sailor the locals introduced as Mad Dog. He had a beard down to the middle of his chest and immediately grabbed Lynn and started telling his tales of the sea, including running from women, several times, to New Bedford.?. It was hard to get away, a bit like the poem, The Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner, but we managed.
On the 20th, we tried to go outside into the ocean to sail, but it was, again, blowing too hard, so we went back to the ICW. Again, we tried to anchor, this time in Dewes Creek, which was described as having excellent wind protection and holding, but turned out to have no wind protection at all. So we went on a couple of miles and stayed on a dock at Palm Island Marina. There we decided to give ourselves a treat and go out to dinner. We mostly have been cooking on the boat. We had a delicious Southern meal of blackened Maui Maui, collard greens and cheesy grits, along with a meeting of the Executive Board of Southern Belle (the Captain and the Boss). Issues having to do with fears and frustrations and cold, blustery weather were addressed and everyone felt better.
The next day we motored passed Charleston and on to St Pierce creek. It was another very quiet anchorage. Along the way we have seen many Dolphins, but by the time I get the camera out they are gone. However, it is so exciting to see them!! We also have seen many pelicans. I love watching them, especially when they go SPLAT in the water trying to get a fish. I have also enjoyed seeing the Spanish moss hanging on the trees which are turning fall colors and are so beautiful, being out here has really brought us closer to nature.
We are now anchored at Bulls creek, another nice anchorage. We are about 20 miles from Savanna, Georgia, where we will go tomorrow. We plan to stay at a marina there and have dinner with a couple we met from a friend of ours in New York.
Well, this is our journey so far. I am very excited to be here, Nov 21, 2010 was when I flew home last time and we had to end our first journey.
Lynn and Sally
