Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort, SC

Monday November 2, we timed our departure from Wrightsville beach so that we'd be travelling with the tide heading out and down the Cape Fear River. Well it was shortly after 6 am and we started to weigh anchor. Some of the sailboats had already headed out. We were both commenting how high the tide was along the Carolina coast. Prudent timing meant the Summer Wind was travelling well over 8 knots at less then regular engine power because the tide was running out with us. Upon reaching the bottom of the Cape Fear river, several sailboats headed out into the ocean for Charleston. Later we learned that, the trip for some was hairy. Our destination today was the St. James Plantation marina. We tied up, rinsed the Summer Wind down and did of course more laundry which took over five hours because the dryer didn't work properly. Enjoyed a lovely dinner that evening at the dockside restaurant Tommy Thompson's.

We were on the fuel dock by 7:30 in the morning. We received an updated notice on diesel prices and found out the fuel had gone up a significant amount. St. Jame's marina was the cheapest diesel locally 49cents/gallon cheaper, so we decided to top up at $2.49/gallon. Georgia and Florida showed a range from $2.90-$3.30/gallon. Our destination was Barefoot Landing at Myrtle Beach and we had the tide with us most of the time. What delayed us this day was the Sunset Pontoon bridge. This is a local one lane bridge that is literally a floating bridge which only opens on the hour.A new bridge is under construction so this time next year the pontoon bridge will be no more. As we were waiting for the bridge opening, a cruiser that we had never met had called on the radio and told us how much he enjoyed our blog and was looking forward for us to catch up. How about that! Thanks Bella Luna! Unfortunately we didn't get his name or email address.
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Early in the afternoon we tied up and noticed that Sea Pearl was pulling up in front of us. We went over to Sea Pearl and introduced ourselves and explained that we had friends in common. That afternoon Joe invited us over for cocktails where we had a lovely time meeting him and Salty his dog. Barefoot Landing marina is a fun stop for us, we love to walk around the outlet shops, check out what's playing at the Alabama Theatre and of course find good Ice Cream, very successful this time!

Wednesday morning at the sound of the first revved engine we were up and started our trek again. This trip goes through the Waccamaw river which is a narrow river that winds and the banks are lined with overgrown cypress trees and pine trees that have Spanish moss hanging from the limbs. Someone we had talked to said the Waccamaw reminds them of the movie Deliverance and we both chuckled. Although we do agree there is an eerie feeling. However we enjoy seeing the small turtles that seem to line themselves along the fallen trees.

Our destination today was Georgetown,SC. Would you believe they have Christmas garland and lights adorning the streets already? We checked out the local shops, found fat/free, sugar/free ice cream, although yummy , it just wasn't ICE CREAM and also a great price for fresh shrimp. Took our purchased shrimp back to the boat and watched a 1926 beautifully restored Matthew Trumpy named Freedom pull into the dock across from us. She had been under renovations for five years and her woodwork gleams. Found out she is the sister ship to the Sequoia which was the Presidential yacht for many years.

Thursday November 4th the captain had an interesting task of swinging the boat sideways and backing out of the slip. We were in a U shaped basin with boats in the front, side and an end of a finger pier jutting out behind. He backed out clearly without hitting anything. It was very impressive! Our destination today was Charleston City Marina. The day was long travelling but the wild life and scenery on the trip kept us entertained. Late afternoon the Captain upon arrival at the marina had to use his skills again, the current was running one direction and the wind was blowing opposite. It made for an interesting docking situation but the captain made it look elementary. After signing in at the dock office we came upon Mike, a cruiser we had met a couple of years ago. He remembered us well and invited us in to see his new Great Harbor 37. It was a very pretty boat with a galley that impressed me most because there was a full size fridge, just think of all the Publix trips!! The marina is also the home of our MTOA friends Bob and Helen. They had called to see if we needed anything and this time we needed to find a Quest for Dick's routine blood work. Bob offered to drive us and we took him up on his generous offer. Not only that we told him about our coffee pot, and he tried to help us hunt one down, unfortunately to no avail. Thanks Bob! We stayed two nights in Charleston so we were able to meet up with Joe and Renee. They came to our boat with their friends Howard and Lea and we all went to a lovely Italian dinner together. Thanks all we had a great time in Charleston!

Saturday November 5th we rose early in anticipation to head out. Unfortunately the current was running tremendously so we had to wait a few hours for it to settle because the captain needed to do a 180 degree turn to head out of the marina. That day we went to one of our favorite anchorages Tom Point Creek. It's a very quiet, secluded anchorage that we both enjoy. During the night we couldn't even tell if we were on a boat, there was no rocking or swaying. Watch the video below, note the current running against the boat, this is indicative in the Carolina's and sometimes Georgia.
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Sunday November 6th we weighed anchor and headed out for our last stop for a few weeks. Our destination today was the Lady's Island Marina in Beaufort,SC where we'll be leaving the Summer Wind over the holidays. One of the things we did first upon arrival was check the weather online. We knew Hurricane Ida was making her way somewhere up the Gulf Coast. It's a good thing this was our last travel day because Ida was making treks and our marina was booked solid. Out came the bikes for a quick small reprovisioning at Publix. We also gave the Summer Wind a much needed cleaning on her decks and bimini. Not all was work, our friends Eileen and E.Don from Shangri-la took refuge at Lady's Island. So we've spent a few days reuniting with them. We also had a great time aboard Shangri-la with Chris and Ginny from Ginny C.

Summer Wind is the sister ship to Shangri-la

Today is Thursday, we're still feeling the remnants from IDA the wind is howling and the rain at times for the past couple of days had been very heavy. We're getting things prepared for our drive back to New Jersey tomorrow. Our trip home will be highlighted with a stop in Arlington for a couple of days to visit with the Flynn's, Dick's middle daughter.

This is Dick and Elle wishing all a wonderful Thanksgiving! See you in December.

"NORTH CAROLINA''

Tuesday October 27th, our day began early with fog, cold, and again mass exodus. Early morning was the 'window' of opportunity to go down the Albermarle Sound. We had thought we could possibly go to Manteo, NC, unfortunately by the time we reached the mouth of the sound , yep, the wind had kicked up 10-15 knots and there were gusts above and the sound wasn't very friendly. We had 2-4 foot seas on our forward starboard quarter, if we took the turn east to get to Manteo they would have been beam seas and that would have definitely been a very rough ride. As it was the captain was always reassuring, saying 'only one more hour'. The sound would be narrowing down and we'd be in the Lee of the land. Later we headed down the Alligator/Pungo canal and slowly made our way to Dowry Creek Marina. It was a very long day travelling, but we wanted to be in a marina for the night because the forecast was thunderstorms and high winds. We spent two days in Dowry Creek with many other cruisers. Dowry Creek is a great marina that has a loaner car which enabled us to do a basic reprovisioning and fill our empty propane tanks. The marina also has a wonderful captain's lounge for cruisers to hang out together, a good way to wait out the weather.

Thursday October 29th as the beautiful sun was rising we untied our lines from the dock and headed out. Our journey today took us across the Pamlico River which was very calm and up the Neuse river. The Neuse was a little choppy, but nothing that gave us great concern. Our destination was Adam's creek which is a great anchorage. That evening we shared the anchorage with many sailboats. Our night there was worrisome. Michelle had told us about Barry's race event and it wasn't until early morning that we were reassured everyone was alright.

Friday October 30th, we weighed anchor and started our trek down Adam's Creek. As the morning wore on we were able to take off our jackets and then change from sweats to shorts and tees!!! Our destination today was Spooner's Creek an anchorage that we enjoy because we're surrounded by beautiful homes and we're only 3 blocks away to the local Super Walmart! Our coffee pot had broken so we were on the hunt for one that fits on the boat, it had to be less then 12 inches tall. No luck, oh well, guess the percolator will still have to do!

Saturday October 31st, Happy Halloween! Our destination that day was Mile Hammock Bay. Its a wonderful anchorage at the Camp Lejeune marine base. The marines allow cruisers to anchor there if they are not doing any training. Well, lo and behold we shared our anchorage with Ginny C among many (20) other boats.

Early the next morning we rose shortly after 6 because of time change, and noticed that we were close to the last to leave. Weren't we supposed to get an extra hour sleep? Our stop today was a jam packed anchorage in Wrightsville Beach. After dropping the dinghy down to go ashore, where we found most of the shops closed for the season, especially our favorite ice cream store. We took a leisurely stroll along the shore and enjoyed watching the surfers trying to catch a wave. They were all dressed in wet suits which told us the water was definitely cold. The temperature was dropping so we swiftly headed back aboard the Summer Wind and watched more sailboats jockeying for a spot to drop an anchor.

Our next trip down the Cape Fear river.

to be cont'd.

Adventure into the Dismal Swamp

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One week, two nor'easters and the Summer Wind was able to finally leave Solomon's area. Early Tuesday morning we rose with enthusiasm to finally be heading for warmer weather. The sun was shining and the Chesapeake was much calmer then she had been for the past week. Early afternoon we tied up at the Regatta Point marina in Deltaville,VA and both of us went to work. The laundry was tended to and various chores on the Summer Wind needed to be addressed and a trip to the local West Marine. We made great use from being docked at a marina, but by the time night came we snuggled down to watch a movie and fell asleep!

Wednesday October 21, we headed back down the Chesapeake and joined the long train of cruising boats. As we were passing sailboats and powerboats, we were waving, and received the same jubilance and smiles from other cruisers who also had been delayed. At the mouth of the Chesapeake river, we came upon a warship that we later learned was returning from deployment in Afghanistan. Hampton, Va ,our destination that day was also the home of Hampton University noted for the first black college of the United States. This area is enriched with history from the Revolutionary war, the British war, the beheading of Blackbeard and the emancipation of black slaves. Our stop was the city pier which was a free night that we received at the Annapolis boat show. Upon walking the docks we came upon a couple on their boat Ginny C that we had past a few times. We started chatting and the next thing you know we're heading out to dinner together. Thank you Chris and Ginny for a delightful evening.

Portsmouth was our next destination but before leaving we found fuel at an "economical" $2.24/gallon. So we fueled up and headed up the Elizabeth river to the Portsmouth basin. This is a great stop for us because we had the chance to meet our friends Barb and Sam Shakespeare for a wonderful dinner.We were able to see Portsmouth's historical district and enjoy Norfolk's waterfront. We visited Nauticus which is a Nautical museum which displayed a tribute to the life of Carl Brashear and USS Wisconsin. For those of you that don't know, Carl Brashear was the first black deep sea navy diver and earned the rank of Master Chief. He not only broke the racial barrier but lost the bottom of his limb and returned to active duty as a disabled diver. His record of servitude was inspiring, impeccable and honorable. If you'd like to learn more about Carl Brashear we suggest you rent the movie "Men of Honor".

Our next leg of our journey took us down the Dismal Swamp. We had read and heard so many wonderful things about the scenery from fellow cruisers who had 'done the ditch'.The ditch had to be completed in two days since there are two locks which only have 3 hour scheduled openings. In the first lock, we were able to sit and chat for about a half hour before the opening. Wow, this lock was nothing like the Erie Canal. The doors slightly open and the water rushes in and the Summer Wind was of course up front by the doors so needless to say we were surfing! After the first lock there is a lift bridge that the lock master also has to drive down to lift. So all the boats sat patiently waiting for the 'bridge tender/lock master to open the bridge. We wonder how many people in automobiles would have this type of patience. The Dismal Swamp was absolutely beautiful, the leaves were just starting to change to their autumn colors. We crossed the North Carolina state line and came upon the welcome center. This is a state park that provides free dockage which is long enough for four good size boats, however 'rafting' is expected. By the time night came we were four boats long and three boats wide. There were two catamarans 23 feet wide in our group. It made for a very interesting night with meeting new cruisers.

Early the next morning as soon as one person started to untie it seemed that most of the boats decided to leave. Of course that made an interesting wait at the next timed bridge and the second lock. This lock was somewhat small and we didn't think we were going to fit because each side was full. But lo and behold we rafted inside the lock. We were a little nervous about being tied to a sailboat in the lock, but the lock tender took his time lowering us back down the 8 feet, we hardly noticed. Our destination that day was Elizabeth City. Click on the video below or use the link to see full view, believe it or not, we're being lowered. http://picasaweb.google.com/dilass9

Elizabeth City offers 14 free slips for the night, no electric but there is water. The talk over the radio was whether the slips would be open or would we all be anchoring out for the night because the weather was deteriorating and the next body of water was Albermarle Sound which could be nasty. Well we arrived at the docks and everyone found a slip. We stayed there 2 days in rain, wind, and cold. We hardly noticed because we were busy doing laundry again and our friends Mike and Jane came with their son and we all went out to a great Tex-Mex dinner. The following day the townsfolk gave all the boaters a wine and cheese party with roses for the ladies. This is a lovely tradition carried on by the town in honor of Fred Fearing who did it all the time. He passed away 2 years ago.

So next is Albermarle sound so stay tuned........