Advertisement
Published: November 19th 2010
Build them high
As you can see the houses on the outer banks in NC are built quite high as protection against the action of the water.November 5 – November 16, 2010
Since our last blog entry we have stopped at quite a few places and explored – it has been great to have the chance to do this as we keep reminding ourselves that we are want to take time explore the various towns along the way as well as meet new people and catch up with those we have known before.
Our planning worked out well when figuring the tides and currents from Beaufort, NC as we got through the various bridges that only open on a schedule and arrived at Wrightsville Beach, NC about the time we thought we would. In reading our guidebook it mentions that we should turn left into Mott Channel to get to the anchorage that we wanted to stay at the first night. When we made the turn there was a large powerboat stopped in the middle of the channel. Bob called him on the radio to ask his intentions and he told us he was aground, so we naturally went into reverse in a hurry and quickly found that there was a better channel to traverse farther down which we did without incident. We got settled in the
The beach was beautiful
The Wrightsville Beach was impressive even though it was quite cold that day anchorage and again are seeing familiar boats that we have either heard talking on the radio or have actually met up with before. We took the dinghy ashore and explored the beach area. For those of you that have not been here before there is a beautiful beach here which was had quite a few brave surfers riding the waves. We also had a chance to take a nice long walk to stretch our legs as we don’t get much in the way of leg exercises on Tsamaya. We moved to a marina (Seapath Yacht Club) the next day to make it easier to meet up with our friend, Sharon and to get delivery of all of the packages that we had sent to her. It was like Christmas when Sharon arrived at the boat with all that we had bought – now the work will begin again with installations. It was great getting a chance to catch up with Sharon as Janice didn’t have a chance to talk to her much since we both retired from Cornell and aren’t riding on TCAT 21 anymore. We even got a chance to meet her daughter and son-in-law that I’ve heard about
It was great catching up
We had Sharon over for dinner and she and Janice appear to be having a good time catching up. for years. Thanks Sharon for all your help – we really appreciated it!
Being at Seapath Yacht Club in Wrightsville Beach was not only easier for receiving guest and packages, but it really helped in having a courtesy car at our disposal to buy those always needed supplies when working on projects. We had ordered 2 new 135 watt solar panels and Bob installed those while here. The two that we had were 75 watt each and one of those moved to the top of the davits and the other we haven’t decided on so that one is in the “garage”. One problem we have been having is that our belts on the engine had been “chewed up” since putting on the new alternator so Bob has been working on adjusting it without success. One of the packages we just got delivered was 10 more belts “just in case” so guess what – Bob was able to make the adjustment correct this time (finally got the magic formula of how many washers were needed to line everything up) and the belt is doing well. Guess it will be good to have this many spare belts!
Another package that was delivered
The fall colors
Some more of the fall color we have been seeing – it almost reminded us of being on the Erie Canal to Sharon was a great pair of binoculars that Janice just won from Weems and Plath. They are a great company that produces excellent navigational tools. The president spoke at the GAM that we attended in Annapolis and there was a drawing for a free pair of binoculars which Janice won. We are so happy to have them as now we each can have our own pair set for our own eyes without changing the focus. We found out that binoculars are not easy to share when your eyes are not the same! Thanks to Weems and Plath we now have our own pair.
One task that we have every evening is to sit down with the computer and figure out the next day’s travels taking into consideration the tides and currents as this helps us determine what time we should leave in the AM, what time we should arrive at the various bridges and when we should be setting anchor or coming into a marina. We are getting the hang of this as it has really been working out quite well the last few days. Just didn’t realize how much time this takes – it has become an evening
Follow the leader
We are still playing follow the leader on many parts of the trip as some parts are narrow channels ritual to work on it. We have been trying to plan a few days ahead so we can set up reservations if we need them at marinas or figure out where we might be able to anchor. We try to aim for moving approximately 50 -60 miles a day (this can take us anywhere between 7-10 hours)
We definitely keep playing hopscotch as we met up with two boats that we had been with before at the St. James Marina. They had excellent facilities and only charged a $1/foot which was a great deal. It was also nice catching up with both boats to see where they have been since we last saw them and where they were heading. We are always picking up great tips of places to stop along the way south from those that have done it before.
Part of our trip through South Carolina has been on the Wacamaw River which has been one of the areas we have enjoyed the most. It is mainly cypress forest with lots of Spanish moss and wildflowers. We have seen turtles and even bald eagles in the area. We knew we couldn’t make it to another large town so
The ocean is right there
The ocean is right there at some of the inlets into the ICW like this one. called Bucksport marina which is on this river but in a very isolated area. We found out that they were closed, but were also letting people tie up to their face pier for free – the price was definitely right. When we got there we met a few people from the area and found out that the marina was recently bought by a large corporation and they are making major renovations to the place and plan on re-opening in the spring. They have great plans for the place and we wish them well. We did take a walk while here and found that there is a very large sod company that is in combination with the water treatment plant – what a clever idea. We were told that there were only about 300 people that live in Bucksport but we never did find a village on our walk – just a few houses. As the crow flies it is not far from Myrtle Beach, however, by the river it took us about 2 hours as we wound our way through cypress swamps.
Many people we met suggested we should visit Georgetown so definitely took their advice and we were happy
Proof that we have been seeing them
Bob was able to catch a couple of the dolphin that had come to the surface - we always enjoy seeing them & we always take them as a "good sign" that we did. This area was known for its rice production which hit its height just before the civil war. They have an excellent rice museum that tells about the growing of rice in the area as well as a general history of this region. They do a nice job of covering the topic and giving you an appreciation of the process that was involved. As it was Veterans Day they also had a parade so definitely stood along the street watching with the rest of the townspeople. It was an all American veterans day parade complete with marching bands, various veterans groups and even junior ROTC high school groups. To top off the evening in Georgetown we found there was a place to buy shrimp right off the boats so had to do that. They were excellent and at $6 for 3 dozen you can’t beat the price or freshness.
On Nov 12th we traveled from Georgetown SC to just a few miles north of Charleston. On the way there we had sightings of 4 bald eagles but couldn’t get photos to prove it to you. We knew we couldn’t make it to Charleston by dark so planned on
A cypress swamp
A swamp really can be beauiful with the spanish moss & cypress trees stopping at an anchorage that was recommended in our Skipper Bob anchorage book (that really is the name, we didn’t make it up). In the description it states that this had the best wind protection and also was picturesque. Well, we got here and it definitely has the picturesque down, but best wind protection was not something we could see as we wound up anchoring among fields of grass. It really is quite a sight to see sailboats turn off the ICW into a channel with fields of golden grasses on either side to anchor. We decided to follow their lead and are doing that for tonight. We were pleasantly welcomed to the channel by a couple of dolphins merrily traveling by the boat. It still is quite the thrill. As we stopped to anchor about 2PM we have had some time to rest, read our books and just enjoy the scenery. The temperature will drop to about 40 tonight so have put up our enclosure for the evening. Luckily during the day it has been warming up to about 70 degrees, but when we are moving it still feels cool. Tomorrow we head into Charleston to check it out.
That could be any of us
We saw this sailboat stuck on its side in the ICW. We heard later on the VHF radio that he was asking all power boats that were going by to give him as much wake as possible to try to help get him out of the mud. That is definitely not sailboats want from powerboats but this was an exception. We made it to Charleston and were all set at the marina by 10AM so had time to get into town to start exploring. As it was Saturday they had a great farmers market that we had to check out. One thing we always find in common at any farmers market we go to – there is plenty of great fresh food, but that it is also is a great social event for the community which brings everyone together. We also walked through much of the downtown area just exploring the various neighborhoods. Charleston definitely has a large number of excellent museums as well as a great aquarium, but as we had limited time we decided to go to only one. We decided to go to the Old Slave Mart Museum. It covered the period of time when there were large numbers of slaves sold within the Charleston and surrounding area. Fortunately back in the 1940’s the WPA program put reporters and photographers back to work by interviewing many people that had been slaves. These documents and recordings were used throughout the museum which provided first hand experiences and stories. The Charleston City Marina was not close to the historic
Anchoring in a field of gold
This is a sailboat anchored in a field of grass – luckily the channels through them are deep enough for a safe anchorage. We have done the same a number of times. area, but it had a shuttle van that would take anyone downtown every hour and then pick you up when you call them. In Charleston the aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown as well as the submarine USS Clamagore are located at Patriots Point. In checking we found that there is a water taxi that can transport you from the downtown area over to the museum. We took advantage of this as it was a great way to get there. We again ran into people that we had met in Wrightsville Beach so spent the day going through both of these vessels with Hank and Cece from Mayalisa. They are power boaters but we didn’t hold that against them! We found out that Hank had been a Peace Corps volunteer, worked for USAID and has lived overseas quite a bit, therefore had some common experiences with us. It was fun spending the day together with them. Coming into marinas that have a means of transportation really is a plus.
On leaving Charleston we headed toward Beaufort SC but planned on stopping to anchor out part way there. We went to Mosquito Creek and it was well named as we couldn’t sit out
Flowers in November
We are still happy to see plants flowering in November back in the evening as the mosquitoes were definitely in residence. In the morning we headed further south as we had reservations at Port Royal Landing Marina just south of Beaufort SC. This was one of the first overcast days we have had. The current was with us for part of the trip and then it worked against us, but by then we were able to put our sail up again to help offset that. The wind actually got up to 16 knots with gusts to 18 knots so got some great help until we had to change direction and finally had the wind on our nose. By that time the current helped us stay at speed. The last bridge we had to go through was one that was to open on the ½ hour and hour. We got there just in time for the 10:30AM opening, but were told by the bridge tender that he wasn’t opening until 11AM so we had to go around in circles waiting for the opening. We understand the balance the bridge tenders have to have with the driving public, but we now understand how trying to stay in idle in a boat with
It really is cold
The days had been so cold we really needed gloves. We couldn’t find any of Bob’s so he actually wore his wool socks! We now bought a heater for the boat and gloves so the warmer weather was a guarantee! a strong current can be difficult. We made the 11AM opening and got to the marina in very strong 20 knot winds. Luckily there was someone at the marina to help catch the lines. After lunch we borrowed their vehicle and drove into Beaufort SC to explore. Back at the boat the wind has not cut down and the wind and current are in opposition, therefore it is something like being on a bucking bronco – it should be an interesting night for sleeping! Then up tomorrow AM and on to Isle of Hope which is near Savannah, Georgia.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.066s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 12; qc: 32; dbt: 0.0327s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
