From Charleston to Beaufort

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Steve Spear, my companion for the fifth segment of the cruise, arrived on the 14th of May and we had breakfast together before we took the courtesy car from the marina to a drug and a grocery store to re-supply the Marilsnick and my personal pharmacy. During the early afternoon I briefed him on the boat and was impressed with his sailing knowledge. He will not have to be reminded to store the lines and take in the fenders once we are underway. Steve spent the afternoon and evening with an old friend in Charleston while I rested and prepared the route.

The Marilsnick also received a new dinghy, which hopefully will be financed at least partially by State Farm, my insurance company. It is sitting on the deck and sometime, hopefully when Skip and Barbara come aboard, will be taken into the water for the first time.

On the morning of the 15th with calm winds at slack tide I started the engine. It died right away and no attempts to get it going were successful. Another sailor, who stood by to assist us with the lines called his partner. This fellow was familiar with diesel engines. He soon found the air relief valve and pumped out the entrapped air that must have remained in the fuel line after the oil change the day before. The engine started right away and has not given us further grief.

With the help of our friends on the pier, who gave us a little push it was easy to get out of the relatively tight spot at the dock. During Ken’s time we always made detailed plans for the docking and undocking and that helped me in my docking endeavors later. We left the confusing waterways of Charleston and after thirty minutes or so found the entrance to the ICW. The bridges were no problem and we docked in the marina of Isle of Palms already around 10:30 AM. The marina was small but strategically located so that we could explore the island with our bicycle. The distance to the Atlantic Ocean and to the white beach was not far and we satisfied our curiosity what the world looked like on the western side of the ICW.

Traveling with Steve was easy. He was attentive and asked when he had doubts about something. He quickly learned to use the autopilot and the navigation system.

The best times with my new companion were the hours of discussions about politics, cultures, business, religion and other topics, in which we were both interested. Although we discovered many differences we challenged each other with opposing views.

Steve is a great listener and he has many persuasive arguments. The most important thing for me to explore was his way of thinking so that I better understood how he ticks. He worked all his professional life in the business sector and many of his professional decisions were made based on efficiency and cost. Nevertheless he also sees the emotional costs that accompany such decisions.

Steve demonstrated that he is a good cook by cooking a delicious spaghetti sauce.

We traveled through one of the longest communities on the ICW, Myrtle Beach. Supposedly there are about 120 golf courses in the vicinity. A few of them were along the ICW. Some of the houses were tastefully designed, in others construction had been halted. One of the condominiums with the adjoining marina opposite our dock supposedly was in bankruptcy. At night there were only few lit apartments in this complex.

Our favorite Marina was the Osprey Marina. It had nice bathrooms with showers, efficient Laundromats and most friendly attendants. It was the smallest spot into which I ever had gotten the Marilsnick to fit. The dockhands were patient and gave good advice regarding the distance I could approach the shore as we departed.

Another favorite Marina was the Coquina Marina. At the entrance was a lighthouse. We wondered why a lighthouse was needed at the ICW or at the entrance to a marina. A retired obstetrical nurse was running the place. She was friendly, maybe even too friendly. She did not stop providing us with information.

Leaving Coquina we passed a few huge ships that obviously do not cruise on the ICW: they traveled into the Atlantic, where the guests could frown their gambling habit.

Southport, our next stop we reached after a long run on the ICW, which by now after about 600 miles has become a little boring. The area was marshy, had many shoals and also several bridges, that had to open in order to let us pass.

The city of Southport must have thrived during the end of the 19th century and many buildings of the time have been lovingly preserved. Since it was a Sunday we decided to attend church. The nearest one was a Southern Baptist congregation. The people were most friendly and the hymns reminded me of my exchange student year in our Christian Church in Puyallup. However I must admit that I missed the Lord’s Prayer and a confessional statement, especially since the minister had preached about faith.

We passed a wider portion of the ICW near Wilmington with several barges and other commercial vessels. With the help of radio communication we stayed out of their way and finally threaded the Marilsnick into a narrow portion of the ICW taking us to Wrightsville Beach. Our harbor attendants advised us to stay close to one side of the channel since we traveled during a low tide. We made it safely and stayed for a couple of days.

Wrightsville Beach is a tourist town adjoining Wilmington. It has many little ports and several bridges that go up and down. We re-supplied the Marilsnick for the last time. I am running out of Bloody Mary mix all the time.

In the meantime I had discovered that my blood pressure was on the high side (180/100). Fortunately Marianne had insisted that I purchase a blood pressure machine. The new medication that Dr. Blackburn had prescribed was not doing the trick. I was able to reach him and he called in a diuretic and some potassium. The next day the blood pressure had come down to 165/100.

It was fairly easy to get the medication since our Marina had a courtesy car. So we could do all our shopping at leisure. The next day I even replaced my broken Casio watch with a new one from Walmart.

The next couple of days we were confronted with bridge problems. The Wrightsville Bridge supposedly had a vertical clearance of 20 feet. However when we approached it first thing the next morning it was only sixteen and the Marilsnick with the mast down needs at least eighteen. We had to wait for 45 minutes for the next opening. So up and down the ICW at idle speed we went until the opening.

During the next bridge it became even more critical. At least ten boats were waiting for the opening, thus it became pretty crowded in an area that was shoaled inside the line connecting two green markers. For a moment the Marilsnick was stuck but the engine combined with the bow thrusters got us going again.

We had planned the approach to the last bridge most carefully. We were there at five minutes before the opening and contacted the bridge master. He offered to open it right away since between 7 pm and 7 am he could open it on demand. We thus did not even waste five minutes. How lucky did we get?

Our last marina before out destination Beaufort, SC was the Swan Point Marina. It was not much of a marina. The age of the boats in the harbor and their condition could have told us that. We docked anyway and stayed only one night. During the late afternoon distant thunder caught my attention. It turned out not to be weather related. Near Camp Lejeune, the Marine training ground, target practices were held. A war ship about 25 miles off the coast was shooting off heavy guns.

The military presence was also felt in our marina. Several of the large Coast guard inflatable boats with a machine gun installed on the bow came to refuel. The next morning we passed early and uneventfully through the ICW area belonging to Camp Lejeune. We were lucky because it closes sometimes for several hours.

We traveled 41 miles before we reached Beaufort, NC our segment destination and the location of the next crew change.

The navigation into the port was tricky and I almost entered a wrong arm. Steve was a great help during this episode and obviously during the whole trip. I was lucky to have found someone who not only picked up new knowledge quickly but was also such an agreeable companion. There was not the slightest friction between us. He knew the docking procedures well. He was a good cook and his specialty was Hamburger helper, a meal to which he introduced me. It is not a Deanna Dally type of a meal but it hit the spot on the boat. After at least a cup of strong coffee in the morning he was ready to go. He read a lot and did not mind that I liked to go to bed early. One night when I had cooked I felt a little sorry for him since he had an extraordinary amount of dishes. He also was interested in the route, in possible shoaled areas and in the preparation to be at the bridges at the right time. I could not ask for a better mate. Hopefully it will not be our last cruising adventure.

On the 29th Skip and Barb Williams from Gig Harbor will join me and Steve will return to Puyallup.

Friday, May 28, 2010

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