4/18/2010

Out of Wrightsville, NC, northbound for the, yes, north. Of course, we missed the bridge opening. Not because we weren't prepared, but because the tide was much higher than predicted & we couldn't get under the bridge. It's not like limbo, Chuckie, we can go down to 19'+/- and that is it. Lady said, "I have 18', captain" and that was that. 45 minutes later we were underway. 60 miles and 7.2 hours later we were in Swansboro, NC at Dudleys Marina. Some of you, those who have been following this blog, for instance, may remember our previous visit. I mentioned Clyde & Elvis. To the left is Elvis. Clyde was under the desk in the office & I couldn't get his picture. Maybe tomorrow; altho' I understand that he doesn't come in until the afternoon, so that may have to wait until another time. Weather was cheerfully sunshiny, but quite cool. Brilliant colors, blues in the sky & water, whites in the sand & wakes; all in all a gorgeous day to be out & about; particularly on the water. Our route took us thru Camp Lejune's firing range; inactive today, but still a reminder that people that belong to someone are training to go in harm's way. A sobering thought. Bless 'em all.

Then there were the marketing devices employed to get the boater's attention. Right to the point! Get 'em in the door & get the $$'s. And here I was looking for fuel price info; silly, silly me! Anyway, we got to Dudley's Marina; found the fuel dock, got tied to it in a semi-respectable manner, refuelled, paid the bill & took the courtesy van into town for groceries. Remember the cars & vans that came out when seatbelt use was a paramount thing in the regs. You know, Chuckie, the ones that would sit passively in front of you until you shut the door and turned on the ignition. Then, holy cow, they would instantly and determinedly rush for your throat like a swift anaconda, not stopping until you were pinned to your seat for the duration. Well, this was one of those; however, the anaconda portion has died, to be replaced by a screeching, rattling, crone like apparatus groping for your neck and enveloping your chest in a tentative hold until the ignition is turned off. An interesting experience; you gets what you pays for!

Also met an enchanting persona on the docks this evening; kind of exotic; thought I'd share the image with you. Tomorrow's leg will be another leap northward; 40, 60 miles, not sure just yet, but we'll keep you posted as we go along. Weather is supposed to hold for the majority of the week, so maybe we'll luck out. We have some large bodies of water to deal with, & it would be nice if the winds were calm and the seas manageable. From the docks of Dudley's Marina in the historic city of Swansboro, NC, we bid you a pleasant good night, send you our wishes for a good week, and happy trails until we meet again; same site, different day. Be safe.

4/17/2010

Winnndy, this morning, boyyessirreebob. White caps on the river, boats pinned to the dock. I watched a nice shiny new Mainship 39 pull away. Lots of bow thrust to get the bow out, leaving the stern to run along the dock until the dinghy nose got to the piling. Talk about wide eyes; the crew on that boat was as sure as I was that there was going to be a crunch; nope, Chuckie, missed by the skin on those old teeth of yours. Scooter, on the other hand, had no problem.

So, up the Cape Fear River to Wrightsville Beach, NC. A short run with the intention of going ashore to walk the beach, etc. Not to be today, too much wind & wake induced chop to feel comfortable in a 10' dinghy. I know, wuss's don't get'er done. This anchorage is like a major 4 ring circus; 3 engined go-fast boats blasting by a 60mph, Grady Whites zipping by while everyone tries to look into the cabin windows. Meanwhile we, the objects of their scrutiny, are trying desperately to hang on and keep things from breaking in the resulting rocking & rolling. The milk jug actually flew out of the refrigerator today on one roll. I suspect that the town may put some restrictions in place after someone gets hurt, but not until then. Big Sportfisherman's center, with all the attitude & arrogance that goes along with that genre. Big money is a grand thing, I guess. Seems like it can distort so much in so little time.

Interestingly enough, a 40 year old Grand Banks 32 pulled in next to us this afternoon. This model Grand Banks was the reason Marshall built the Californian 34 LRC, the model line that Scooter belongs to. Just a tidbit of nautical FYI stuff, Chuckie, do what you will with it.

With the day winding down, Scooter's crew sat down to partake of the evening cocktail and slow down hour. Usually some crackers & cheese, this evening's repast was a bit more enticing; so much so that I felt a pic might be appropriate. Dinner was a shrimp, bacon, & swiss pizza followed by the rest of the pineapple upside down cake. Amazing, eh! All the captain does is drive the boat; looks like the real kudos for the happiness on this trip go to the cook. Hooyah!

You all be safe, we'll catch you later.

4/16/2010

Long grind today; negative tidal flow, lots of traffic; took 9 hours to go 72 miles. Weather was good, cool, but lovely sunshine and great temperature. The pic to the left was taken going north on the Wacamaw River early this morning. Neat river in a lot of ways. This morning, all the birds that were chattering last night were also up & about. No owls this morning, but the turkeys were very active. Speaking of turkeys, there have been some requests to have a photo of Scooter's captain posted on the blog. shades of the toolman show, here he is, hard at work trying to figure out which way to turn the wheel . Actually, that would be the helm.

Onward. We are now in Southport, NC, a mere 310 miles from Norfolk, VA. Norfolk happens to be where mile zero is located. I don't know why, Chuckie, but that is where they put it!

Biggest problem that we have uncovered in this part of the journey is that we can't find the GPS data card for the Chesapeake. Uh oh; what are we gonna do? Point it North & press on, I guess.

Went to the Deadend Cafe for dinner tonight. Live entertainment, Jimmy Buffet songs on a live guitar with a helpful audience, good food, and the beer was cold. The distaff part of Scooter's crew was promptly recognized mere moments into the program; me; I just smiled. Old songs work for me as well, but I'm talking "Home on the range" old songs.

So, tomorrow, weather permitting will most likely be up to Wrightsville Beach, NC. Short hop, so we should have enough time to hit the stores & the beach for a bit. According to the forecast, rain may put a damper on part of that plan, but we'll deal.

Catch you later.

4/15/2010

Sleeping in a boat that is anchored in a strong current can be, quite literally, an eye opening experience. First, there is the constant gurgle as the current rushes past the boat. Don't get obnoxious, Chuckie, the bow is not always pointed into the current. Take our case last night. The wind was very strong from the NW, while the direction of the current was from the NE. In short, the wind on the stern kept the bow of the boat from lining up with the current. Result; a boat lying sideways in the current; much noisier than usual. Next there is the groaning and clunking as the anchor & chain take the strain. Occasionally, as in last night's adventure there is the BANG as the bridle disconnects and the chain pops straight against the stops. Those stories of how the water gurgling & the boat rocking help put you to sleep are somewhat suspect in my book. Oh, did I mention how dark it is in some of these places; Dark, man reaallly dark. Particularly if you are trying to see if your boat has moved.

Despite all the adventure of the night, we were up & in McClellanville early in the am. What was to be a short walk thru turned into a wander thru a neat little town that some of time has skipped by. Not much too it really, couple of seafood companies selling shrimp & assorted fish, a seafood restaurants, a bunch of shrimp boats, and a number of art studios. Lots of neat old buildings, lots of colorful plantings, none of them manicured, or trimmed to Longwood Garden standards; just relaxed & pretty. Nice place to visit again, we'll be back someday.

Pressing on from there we headed up the ICW, past the North & South Santee rivers, thru Winyah Bay, past Georgetown, and up the Waccamaw River. That, in turn, led us by Cowhouse Creek, Wacca Wache Marina, and finally, to Bull Creek. Deep, fast moving, it is more like a small river than a creek; matter of definition, I guess. I'm only sorry I can't put any audio into the blog; that technology is well past my pay grade. As the afternoon sunlight faded and the evening started sliding into night, the bird songs became almost rowdy; a raucous symphony of song, each one trying to outdo the other. Or, perhaps, just their way of celebrating the end of another day of survival, or joy, who knows for sure.

In our case, we had a beer, some shrimp and salad, some pineapple upside down cake, and called it a night. A gurgle by the bow, an owl call from the woods, and a cool breeze thru the hatch. I guess that would be enough to sing about, Be safe. Catch you later.

4/14/2010

Up and at it first thing today; a little sunglow in the air; yet cool enough so that there was mist on the water; and, thankfully, so that the critters were not ready to feed on flesh. We rumbled by Charleston on a rising tide, turned the corner into the ICW by Isle of Palms & promptly slowed to a crawl. Small craft advisories, cold, & lots of wind removing the water from the channel, Our original goal was to get to McClellanville, SC, get fuel, ice, etc, explore the town for an hour or so, then move North a bit & anchor for the night. As it turned out, we didn't get to the McClellanville area until 3:30. We decided to back things around some & anchored in Five Fathom Creek instead. We'll be up early, get into town and do all that stuff; then run the rest of the day almost to North Carolina. That is, of course, if the wind, tide & weather cooperate. Interestingly enough, when we came thru here early this year, we anchored in the same area. It was cold, cloudy & very windy then as well.

Well. tomorrow is another day. I am sure it will be full of surprises and excitement. Until then, be safe.

4/13/2010

Well, here we are again. Isn't it just wonderful being able to meet so often. Frankly, it is quite enjoyable to us, I hope it is for you as well. Good, fast day today. Lots of favorable tidal currents that boosted our speed immensely; I even saw a reading of 10.4 kts ( that would be a whopping 11.9 mph, Chuckie). We were, unfortunately, also being blasted by adverse winds. Didn't affect the speeds all that much, but it blew a lot of water out of the channels. That slowed us down a bit, 'cause I'd rather hit at a slow speed than going fast. One word reason: cheaper! We are currently about 20 miles South of Charleston, SC. Our goal for tomorrow is McClellanville, SC. Nothing much there, but we'd like to stop, get some shrimp, diesel, and ice. If that isn't possible due to shallow water, or some other obstacle, we'll head to the Santee River, or Minim Creek, tie the boat to the ground, and figure out what to do next.

We have come across an ugly, ugly thing on our northbound trip thru the waterways & marshes of the South. I've heard about this phenomenon, read about it, and even experienced it on a small scale. Frankly, in this day & age, I did not think this sort of thing would be allowed to exist. Only a mere 4mm in length, this critter can drive a person nuts in a matter of minutes; day or night, they are all over you. Open your mouth to cuss, they'll bite your teeth! can't swat them; you can't see them! Officially, they are midges: in real life they are no-seeums. The Yankee versions are quite mild, biting a chunk off now and then, but the southern versions operate in highly trained attack groups; gnawing off any exposed flesh on one side while going for the eyes & ears on the other side. The gyrations that sane people go thru; wild arm waving, knees pumping so the ankles can be reached; it is surely a sight to behold. Its like the dance of the demented! Then there are the chemicals. Ah, the sweet smell, & taste, of Deet. Funny, we spray it, with our eyes closed, on our body parts, then start the wild arm waving all over again. What will the human race do when we come up against something really big & bad?

Ain't life grand! On the serene side, we are sitting in a peaceful spot, surrounded by gurgling water, blowing dolphins, and enjoying a gorgeous sunset. Have a great day tomorrow; be safe, be adventurous & smile at someone you don't know. Catch you later!

4/12/2010

Today was a short day as far as travel distance & helm time: 6.5 nm & 1.1 hours running time. We went from Cowen Creek to Port Royal Landing Marina. This particular marina is just south of Beaufort, SC. Scooter tucked in among all the bigger craft with a minimum of fuss. Nice place, really. Has an eatery on the premises that serves cold drinks & decent food. Staff is very friendly & helpful. Also has a great exercise area for walking to & from the shower. Place is quiet, set in a neat little community. Some of the houses are built out over the tidal plain on pilings. Remember, this is an area of 8' to 9' tides. For those of you that might have been in the USMC, it is also just down the road from Parris Island. We acquired the courtesy car; a relatively new F150 & went shopping for motor oil, TP, groceries, the usual " keep the boat going"stuff. Part of the intention was to explore the historic district of Beaufort. I hate to be cynical, but these towns are all starting to look the same. Wood siding in pastel colors, on streets lined with live oaks, draped with Spanish moss. And tourists all over the place. I can't blame them, that 's what the market is all about. Draw in the $$;( lord knows people that own boats gotta have big bucks), by renovating the waterfront & shopping areas in a cutesy manner, populate it with trendy shops & sit back & count the dollars. I hope it all works, but I'm not overly optimistic. It is almost like everyone is trying too hard.
Tomorrow we are pushing further North towards Charleston, SC. The tides will not be in our favor in the morning, so I'm not sure how far we will get. I'm not even sure if we will stop in that fair city again. A frontal system is forecast to drop south in that area, bringing strong winds and lumpy seas to visit with us. We'll see how it goes. Be safe; we'll catch you on the flip side.