Georgetown to Long Creek (10 miles north of Charleston)

The wind continued to howl all night, but when we awoke at 0530 (ancient bladders do it to you) things were a bit calmer.  As I headed up the dock to the bathrooms, I spotted what looked like a bird pooping frenzy on the dock.  Turns out it was foam that had splashed up through the slats of the dock!

All looked calm from the top of the dock, but back out at the end of the dock the foam and all the floating flora from yesterday wedged itself  alongside the dock and Fritha's bow.

The tide really rips past Georgetown Landing docks and on out through Winyah Bay on it's way out to sea, so we left before 0700 to catch what we could of the outgoing tide.  We left the dock with Just Desserts, a Whitby 42 we have been seeing and hearing ever since our second night in the Chesapeake.  We finally met them this morning as Dan helped them shove off.  We stayed within a half mile of them all day as we continued through the "low" country along the SC shore.  The strong (up to 24 knots at times) wind from the north brought a very cool start to the day, but things warmed up by noon and we rolled out the jib (part way) and rolled up the leeward side of the enclosure.  Dan had fun with the dolphins and his camera today.  After frustrating attempts over the past few days he decided to try the rapid shoot feature and got some results:

We are planning on heading out to the ocean when we leave in the morning.  It should be a 20 hour trip (from sea buoy Charleston to sea buoy St. Simons) so we won't have to rush out of here in the morning. We don't want to arrive in the dark!

We anchored around 1400 and because of the strong current, we found we were lying to the current not the wind.  This creek is about a mile off the ICW and the entrance depth was 71 feet!  Luckily we found a spot that was 14 feet, but with 6 foot tides, we wouldn't want to go any shallower. The creek offers good protection from wakes, but not from wind.  Nothing but grasslands between us and the ICW.  The boat we accompanied all day can be seen moving on down the way as we set anchor.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Osprey Marina to Georgetown Landing Marina

Between the rain last night and recent high tides, the river was full of floating greenery.  We had it with  us all the way to Gerogetown. We enjoyed a continental breakfast at Osprey before setting of a little after 0800.  We spent the whole morning trying to decide our next destination.  Dan was very worried because the inverter/ charger had given up the ghost, at least the charger portion had stopped working, so the only way to charge our batteries is to run the engine... plugging into shore power or using the Honda generator no longer would work.  We have a new one being shipped to Jay's in St. Augustine, but he felt it left us too vunerable.  We finally decided to stop in Georgetown and try to find a battery charger that would enable us to use the Honda as the power source and connect the charger directly to the batteries is we had to.







We arrived at Georgetown at 1330, got fuel and tied up between two
very different boats.  The schooner's transom was something to behold.




 We asked and called around and figured our best bet was Walmart, a 2.5 mile bike ride away. We dragged our bikes out of the forward cabin and set off around 1430 and with the help of our iPhone GPS found Walmart and the battery charger.  We decided the road to Walmart was too busy so Dan "mapped" a new route home which took us by the downtown area along the Harborwalk and past the site of the recent fire that took out at least three buildings less than a month ago.  It also took us past the shrimp marker so we stopped and picked up a pound of fresh shrimp for dinner. Once again we barely blinked and the sun was already down.  Dan still caught a nice picture.

The wind is howling as I write and we're supposed to wake up to chillier weather, but we can't complain.  It has been a great trip so far. ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Southport, NC to Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

Earliest start yet.  We had 63 miles to go and wanted to reach Osprey Marina at a reasonable time. By the time we left at 0650 the mega-yachts had already departed!  During the morning we were still near the coast and experienced strong currents both with us and against as we passed several inlets. Some were rough, and some were just nerve wracking because the cautions about shoaling and shifting channels demanded such close scrutiny to make sure we staying on the right course.  We have found that the "magenta line" (the center and preferred course of the ICW) on our chartplotter is amazingly up to date.  We took our data chip home and updated it online the day before we left home.

This inlet was even rougher than it looks here.  

Around 1100 we crossed the line into SC and moved away from the marshy inlet area of NC.  The Pine Island Cut, a 28 mile section of the ICW was the last part of the ICW to be completed (in 1937.) Instead of following a meandering river through lowlands, engineers chose to cut a deep straight ditch through higher country.  This changes the scenery as the sides are steep and high.  It's also the land of bridges, many 65' high, but several swing bridges that require and opening.

We also passed under several power lines and this cable car that takes golfers across the "ditch".

We seem to be traveling with several boats that go about the same speed we do, so we pass and are passed by them as we choose different spots to stop for the night.  We also see an occasional noteworthy vessel like this old Trumpy, SS Sophie.   The other two are gambling ships that go out just far enough offshore to let passengers lose their money.

The day proved to be the warmest so far, so we rolled up our sides an enjoyed the pleasant ride.  We made it to Osprey by 1600 and received their famous welcome and welcome package.  Lots of logo items, but also a fair amount of food and other necessaries.

Osprey is definitely one of the top of the 50 frugal stops!  Besides $1/foot and the goody bag, there is complimentary breakfast available up in the office.  I have been hearing a gentle pitter patter of rain on the cabin top - - - hopefully it will clear by morning.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Wrightsville Beach to Southport

Short day today.  We only went about 30 miles.  We had hoped to stop near the NC/SC border, but it turns out there isn't anywhere to anchor and the only decent marina we could find is closed on Tuesdays!  Southport Marina was our choice.  We arrived at 11:30 and sent out the SPOT signal and right away got an email from Robby and Carol suggesting we try the Moore Street Market for lunch, so off we went. Lunch was good and I decided to wander around town while Dan rushed back to talk to a mechanic about our aging and ailing inverter/charger.  As soon as I returned...another email. This time from a Catalina buddy, Gerry Helldorfer, who has been following us-maybe TOO closely!  A few days ago, he alerted us to a cool iPhone app that transmits an AIS (Automatic Identification Signal) that can be followed on the website www.marinetraffic.com.  So, of course, I downloaded the app and have it transmitting our position as we travel each day.  Well, today, I forgot to turn if off when we tied up here and headed off into town with my phone in my pocket.  Gerry's email was titled "Busted!" and he asked how our trip around town was.  (This isn't the same as the "live map" Sam has set up at the top of our blog page---both use cell signal to track us, but the AIS app puts you on the map with lots of other yachts and commercial vessels.)

Here we are tied to the inside of the fuel dock at Southport Marina - - - that is where we were tied up until 4 mega-yachts arrived between 4 and 5 and still another was due needing 1000 gallons of fuel.  The dockmaster offered to cut our bill in half if we would be willing to move to a slip to free up space at the fuel dock.  I love a bargain and we gladly moved to "D" dock for the night.  We decided we could take advantage of our windfall and go out for dinner. We tried the Fishy Fishy Cafe.  Enjoyable, but nothing special.  Tomorrow we will make it to SC and hope to get to Osprey Marina, south of Myrtle Beach.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Swansboro, NC to Wrightsville Beach (SOUTH of the bridge)

For those of you who have slogged through all our blog posts, you might remember the significance of a certain spot just north of the Wrightsville Beach Bridge.  That's where we ran aground and with the help of Towboat US pulled off our rudder!  The tide was lower as we passed "Brunelle's little island, so it was much more noticeable, and a palm tree still graces the site.

We also enjoyed watching a pair of dolphins' antics as three of us jockeyed about waiting for the bridge to open.  I especially like the otherworldly effect the sun gave their glistening bodies and spray.

                                                                                                                                                                              We started the day with a call to the Marine Base at Camp Lejeune and were assured there would be no activity along the ICW today.  That didn't preclude a few sights and sounds (from a slew of vertical take-off planes) to remind us where we were.

A good bit of the day was spent worrying about Green Marker 61A.  We had a call from a former Catalina 400 owner before we left the Chesapeake warning us about this spot where the Brown's Inlet has caused so much shoaling you have to be very careful to follow the buoying.  We also read about it in several of our guide books and noted that there were 56 comments in Active Captain about it.  We also listened to lots of chatter from all the boats that preceded us through the area.  With all our foreknowledge we made it through without seeing anything shallower than 10.9 feet!  I decided to "spell it out" for you on the picture Dan took.  Note the green day beacon on the left side of the picture and the red nun to the right.  The new buoy 61A is farther to the right than the nun!  You'd think you should follow the dotted line, but no, out and around did the trick.

As soon as we went through the Wrightsville Beach Bridge. we tied up at the Bridge Tenders Marina. 

As soon as we were tied up, we took a walk to West Marine for a few small items.  It turns out the West Marine is in a shopping center with a Harris Teeter!  Our first visit to one of our favorite food stores on this trip.  Dan wanted to get a picture of me in front of the store... not gonna happen.

Dinner aboard with fresh produce from Harris Teeter.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

River Dunes to Dudleys Marina, Swansboro,NC

We're back on the way again, our stay wasn't one of the 50 frugal ICW stops, even if we did get one night free, but it is still a favorite.  We waited out the dreaded cold front that never really struck, and had fun doing it.  We puttered around aboard and ashore and even got in a visit with niece Amy Bliss and her beau, Steve and his daughter Brianna.  They met us for lunch at M&M's cafe in Oriental on Saturday and then joined us for a short sail out into the Neuse River to let Amy get her feet "wet" again.

The Neuse was kind to us this morning and we motor-sailed all the way to Adams Creek.  We were away from the dock at 0630 (new time) but weren't the first out of RD's basin.  A teeny boat with two VERY young Canadian guys beat us out.   We passed them about half the way up the river.  The name of their craft was Knotty Buoys, which I think could be translated to Naughty Boys!

In contrast, we were passed by Aphrodite, a 74' "commuter yacht originally built in 1937.  I had read about her fantastic career, starting with whisking her first owner from his home on Long Island to his wall street office while he showered, dressed and read the paper.  It "served" in WWII, became a camp for disadvantaged boys, was abandoned, found, restored at Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine, and look at her now!



The trip through Bogue Sound looks easy if you look at a map (that doesn't feature depths), but it is a nerve wracking trek through a very narrow channel with what looks like vast amounts of water all around!

The bottom picture shows a VERY shallow path out to the ocean.

Just as we entered Adams Creek that leads down to the Beaufort/Morehead City area we spied our first dolphin of the trip.  We tried several times during the rest of the day to catch a picture and finally got a half decent one just before we reached our marina for the night.

I should mention that Dudleys is also on the frugal list. It is only 75 cents a foot and electric is included!  We didn't venture into their showers or bathrooms, but with the temperature dropping to 39 tonight, we're glad for heat!

We had dinner aboard and did facetime with  the grandchildren.  Night falls quickly when daylight savings time comes to an end, so we missed the actual sunset and had to settle for the afterglow. I did blow my conch horn at sunset just cuz.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D