November 26 - 27, 2012 Over night in the Atlantic!

Monday, November 26 – Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Beaufort, SC to St. Augustine, FL – 195 SM

This started off great – NO ALARM CLOCK.  We heard One With The Wind on the radio and learned that they too were planning to go outside.  It’s always nice to have a “buddy boat”.  They had talked with Chris Parker, a weather guru, and gotten a report that it would be a boring trip on the outside, boring is good for me.  We called Tom and Marlene and asked if they would watch over us.  They had our “flight plan” and we would contact them in the morning when we came back in. 

We left Beaufort, SC at 9:40 and left the ICW at 11:10.  We went out of Port Royal Sound and headed for St. Mary’s Inlet, Georgia.  We had the current going with us and perfect conditions.  We hadn’t gone far when Susan Ann hailed us and wished us well (they are a power boat and travel much faster than we do and were at the marina with us in Beaufort, SC).  They too had decided to go outside for a while because the conditions were so favorable. 

We were traveling with One With the Wind and Cheers. Cheers is a much smaller, slower boat and they ended up going in to St. Mary’s.  We talked with them some during the night but didn’t have them in sight.   

Going out Port Royal Inlet

 

We got to see how handy AIS is when we were sharing the water with the “big boys” (large commercial ships).  There were 5 or 6 of them heading in or out of Savannah and it was hard to tell if they were coming or going and they all looked like they were coming at us.  I went down below and relayed the AIS information to Jim.  He checked them all on the radar and our instruments were correct and none of them hit us.  That’s a good thing.

Once we were in the Atlantic Ocean we changed our plans and headed to St. John’s Inlet, Florida.  The conditions were so good that we would have gotten to St. Mary’s Inlet too early.  We had a beautiful day and night on the water.  As the sun went down I got some good pictures of One With The Wind.  We also had a beautiful full moon.   We didn’t put the sails up, as there was no wind but I’m in favor of that rather than too much wind.  The autopilot was handy but when on “track” it got a little fussing, “auto” seemed to work better.  We took turns at the helm and sleeping in the cockpit.  It was a nice night and only a pillow and light blanket were needed. 

One With The Wind as the sun was setting.

This was a significant leg of the trip.  We were 15 to 20 miles offshore and out of sight of land for the majority of the trip.  It allowed us to skip the entire state of Georgia, which would have been about four days of travel.  It’s also longer than we’ll be out to cross over to the Bahamas.

We arrived at the St. John’s Inlet around 7:20 am and continued south on the ICW to St. Augustine, FL.

Didn't realize that Tow Boat US came in GIANT  size. 

They were headed out St. John's Inlet as we came in.

 

We arrived at the Bridge of Lions for the 1:00 opening (could have made the earlier opening if we adjusted our speed earlier but we were following OWTW so kept their pace).  We finally met Rick and Chris from OWTW in person at the fuel dock, we have been “traveling with them” since Mile Hammock Bay, they came by when we were aground but couldn’t help out since they draw 6 feet.  We took on fuel 21.484 gallons at $4.19/gal = $90.01796.  We also took on water.  We had “pumped out” at sea.  We stayed in St. Augustine for 7 nights (pay for 6, get one free, $120 + 7.24 tax)

We settled on Mooring Ball #62 at 1:45.  This ball was on the very far side of the mooring field.  Turns out we were right next to Eleuthera II, near Maria and Hafli.  We had finally caught with Ken and Nancy.  The “gang” stopped over to see us on their way back from walking around town.  Ray was not feeling well so he stayed on his boat and slept.

Once we were in St. Augustine we realized that we have arrived!  We went from jeans and sweatshirts to shorts and tee shirts.  It’s nice to be in Florida and with friends.

The Bridge of Lions - St. Augustine!!  We are in FLORIDA!!

November 25, 2012

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Charleston to Beaufort, SC – 67 SM

We left Charleston at first light, 6:35 and headed to new waters for us.  We started with Elliot’s cut which has a nice current and was uneventful.  One With The Wind was ahead for us and called back when they heard us on the water to warn us about skinny water at the south end of Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff, they weren’t kidding.  We were by ourselves most of the day and then just as we were debating whether to drop the hook and have lunch and wait for the tide to come up, Panasea (a catamaran we met in Charleston, Gwen and Steve from Alexandra, Duke Street) came up behind us.  We asked if they would like to go ahead of us and scout for us and they did.  It doesn’t get any better than this.  It also kept us from running aground and blocking their way.  We got through but measured 6 ft at the south end of the cut, we draw 5 ft.  We were glad to get out of there. 

Always interesting things to see along the way, these were some Army ships!

 

When we approached Lady’s Island Bridge I hailed the bridge tender to let him know we were coming.  Well, didn’t he start opening the bridge so we had to “put the pedal to the metal” to get through and not hold up traffic.  We’ve never had a tender open a bridge so quickly.  Jim ended up backing the boat in nicely to the slip where we would spend the night, another show off move in strong current that looked good.

We arrived at the Downtown Marina of Beaufort ($1.85/ft) at 3:30, got squared away and took a walk into town and had some ice cream.  We walked with the two couples from the boat behind us Susan Ann; Joe said he was going to have some “Irish ice cream”.  One With The Wind was out at anchor and came in to meet us when we were on our ice cream walk, one of these days we’ll get to meet them.

The Downtown Marina of Beaufort and anchorage at sunset!

 

I made stew in the crock pot since we would be plugged in all night.  We checked the weather and planned our trip for the outside tomorrow, conditions look perfect.

November 23 - 24, 2012 Charleston

Friday, November 23, 2012 – Black Friday

Minim Creek anchorage to Charleston City Marina – 53 SM

We left at 6:25 and followed Betty Jane to Charleston.  McClellanville was unnerving as the tide was very low but we made it through.  It’s nice traveling with other boats in front of you who can let you know when the water gets thin. 

Won't do McClellanville at low tide again!

The Ben Sawyer Bridge ended up not being on the hour and we were hanging back waiting for the 1:00 opening when the bridge tender called us and asked us to put our oars in the water.  We didn’t realize Black Friday was considered a holiday and they open “on request” not on the hour. 

We arrived at Charleston City Marina at 1:45 and were all tied up and tucked in by 2:00.  We took on fuel – 21.68 gallons - $89.52. Priorities, priorities, priorities, we showered and took the shuttle to the Apple Store (remember the iPad?).   It’s a good thing I didn’t tell Jim it was Black Friday, or he wouldn’t have gone, but we did save $76.  It was quit crowded in town but we did manage to by an iPad and all the fixings to go with it.  We walked back to the marina, enjoying the town.

Ravenel Bridge 



The Holy City 

 

As we were leaving the dock to go to town Jim noticed Desert Star, Eric and Bonnie who had come to our aid when we ran aground.  He invited them over to our boat for a drink and to share stories.  Bonnie brought us a solar lamp that she made with a mason jar, it’s pretty cool. 

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Charleston City Marina

This was laundry day again.  We went to Harris Teeter’s for groceries, had lunch at Salty Mikes and waited for Katie and Kelly (our nieces, who live nearby) to arrive.  Katie came and we took the shuttle into town.  We went to the Apple store with a couple of set up questions and walked around and waited for Kelly to come.  Then the three of us walked around for awhile in the shops of Charleston.  Jim took the 5:00 shuttle to join us and we went to Mello Mushroom for dinner.  This is one of our favorite places from four years ago when they had jazz on Monday nights.  Good memories with Tom and Marlene.  Kelly left, she had some previous plans with some friends and Katie hung out at the boat.  She helped us learn a little more about the iPad.  It was great seeing the girls.

Charleston City Marina – 2 nights $202, $88 + $13 (50 amp).

 

 

                     Kelly and Katie

 

 

 

 I didn't get the phone call about wearing a stripped top!

November 22, 2012 Thanksgiving Day

 Thursday, November 22, 2012 – Thanksgiving Day

Barefoot Landing Marina to Minim Creek anchorage – 61 SM

 

 

We left Barefoot Landing Marina at 6:40 and headed to Minim Creek (Georgetown had no slips available or didn’t answer their phones; after all, it was Thanksgiving).  It was okay to miss Georgetown because it made for an easier day tomorrow and gets us into Charleston earlier.  We arrived at the anchorage at 3:00 and set the anchor, there was a pretty good current, crab pots, and another boat (Betty Jane with two kids on board) to contend with. 

Once set, I proceeded to cook our Thanksgiving dinner.  We had chicken, real mashed potatoes, green beans and most important cranberry sauce.  It was a nice quiet night and a beautiful anchorage. 

This is where we saw the LONGEST two barges ever.  Later, Ken said that they met these barges (or others just like it).  We were glad not to be passing them on the waterway.  Where do you go when you come head to head with something like that?  The catamaran with us in Barefoot Landing Marina anchored across the creek from us.

 



Like the energizer bunny, it just kept coming . .



 

                                                                 and coming,

                                                                                      AND COMING!!

 

 

November 20-21, 2012

Tuesday, November 20, 2012  Owen’s “birth” day

Carolina Beach mooring ball to St. James Marina, South Port, NC - 15 SM

While there we will get fuel, water, ice, do laundry and take a walk.   

We were up at 5:30 – oops, I turned the wrong alarm on – and waited until 7 a.m. to depart.  There were north winds 10 -15 predicted but they looked more like 5 – 10, nice!  We went through Snows Cut and down the Cape Fear River with favorable current.  It was a very easy day, we arrived at 9:40 a.m. and it was great to be off the mooring ball and walk around.  We met a couple on Blue (Denise and Lad) who came in after us.  They too had spent the last several days on a mooring ball in Carolina Beach.  They had friends (Chausser) who stayed in a marina but their boat was too big for that marina.  We ate lunch at the marina, sat out in the chairs and walked around the “neighborhood”.  This was another 5 Star marina. It was a very nice place and only $1.05/foot. We got fuel in the boat and cans when we came in.  Jim backed to boat from the fuel dock into the slip, nice job, always cool when it works and you look good.  We pumped out, took on water, restocked ice and I also got laundry done.  It was a nice place to freshen up after sitting on the mooring ball for so long.

St. James Pictures

Looking out from the office

 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

St. James Marina, South Port, NC to Barefoot Landing Marina, SC – 45 SM

We waited for the tide to come up at Lockwood Folly and Shallotte Inlets (we’re learning to respect the tides a little more).  We left the marina at 10:30 and followed Blue and Chaucer; it’s always nice to have boats with deeper drafts in front of you.  They stopped at Doc Holidays, Jim wanted to stop there too but he wasn’t sure if they rebuilt Hooters yet.  It burned down four years ago before we arrived.  Poor Jim has never been to a Hooters and doesn’t have the tee shirt.   We went on to Barefoot Landing Marina.  We heard on the radio that One With The Wind was being towed back to South Port, Blue confirmed that they saw them heading north. 

We arrived at Barefoot Landing Marina at 4:25.  The marina was $1.25/ft including electricity.  They have 2 washers and dryers, good Wi-Fi, 2 showers each and fuel ($3.90 for diesel).  We did not take on fuel here. The place was very clean.

 

Keeping it all in perspective!

Yesterday's post was about the horribble boating day we had and the days that followed.  These pictures should keep our day in perspective.  You see all kinds of things along the waterway!  Life is Good (at least for us)!!

November 16 - 19, 2012

Friday, November 16, 2012

Mile Hammock Bay to Carolina Beach moorings – 51 Statute Miles



Today was an awful boating day.  We actually ran aground 3 times, once was my fault, the other times it was the ICW’s fault.  The first time it took us an hour to get off because someone stopped to help us (Desert Star – Eric and Bonnie from Annapolis on a sailing catamaran) and we ended up with a line wrapped around the rudder post.  A long story short, Eric anchored his boat, put on his wetsuit and went in the water to unwrap the line.  What was to be an easy day (only 51 statute miles) ended up being a BEAST as far as our nerves were concerned!

There were also 3 bridges that we had to time.  The 1^st and 3^rd bridges open only on the hour so it’s quite a long wait if you just miss one.  The 2^nd is on the hour and half-hour so not too bad.  We were able to adjust our speed so we didn’t have too much time to wait at the bridges but Wrightsville Bridge (the 3^rd one) was not fun.  The current was really running fast, Jim had to turn the boat around and face into the current and put it in gear to keep from going backwards.  We were happy to get through there.

We picked up a mooring ball at 5:20 and were greeted by the mooring field attendant and his grandson, what a welcoming greeting they gave us.  We each had a couple of good stiff drinks, a good meal, listened to some good music and went to bed. 



Here are some of the notes of the problem areas we encountered.  Bottom line, next time; don’t try to go through here when the tide is down.

Just past SM 225, markers "G45" and "R46" favor the red side, ignore the small Bogue Inlet Marker "R20"

"G61A" - favor the red side of the channel

New River Inlet - We ran aground - it was my fault, stand off the reds and if there is an incoming tide don't let the current sweep you over. 

New Topsail Inlet (soft grounding and were able to back off fairly easily, still hard on the nerves) - "G99A" - stay slightly left of center - we had a shallow draft boat scout a passage for us after we hit the bottom and my notes aren't real good for this area.



After Wrightsville (soft grounding again just before this marker, where the heck is the deep water???) - "G129" stay close to the green markers

We were going through all of this while the tide was low - I would wait for mid- to high tide if you can.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Carolina Beach mooring ball

Well, we’re on a mooring ball in Carolina Beach ($20/night) and will probably be here until Tuesday morning unless the weather changes.  The winds are heavy today and heavier tomorrow and Monday.  We decided to stay here and I can do some knitting, not a bad thing J.

I’m hoping to make these couple of days productive in working on the Christmas stockings I’m making and getting our blog going.  We’re going to try making my phone a “hot spot” so we can use the laptop for Internet.

When we get to Charleston we plan on buying an Ipad, which will be fun.  I hope Charleston still has the Apple Store.  Bob confirms they do, on King Street.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Carolina Beach mooring ball

We’re still here, waiting for the winds to die down.



Monday, November 19, 2012 – Happy Birthday Jimmy

Carolina Beach mooring ball

We’ve been on the mooring ball in Carolina Beach since Friday evening.  The winds have been howling.  Yesterday was to worst day for the weather, the winds were gusting to over 40 mph.  Jim stayed in the salon all night watching the wind speeds.  It’s hard for him to sleep when he worries about the boat.  Me, I went to sleep, when I woke up in the morning he told me that he hadn’t come to bed, I asked him how the batteries were this morning and he said they were fine, he had run the generator last night.  I didn’t hear a thing (imagine a lawn mower being started up in your bedroom – not really that bad but you get the picture). 

The temperatures haven’t been too bad; we wear layers and stay pretty comfortable.  I spent some time Saturday in the cockpit, the enclosure blocks the wind and the sun was shining so it was pretty pleasant.  We are very close to shore but wouldn’t even think of putting the dinghy in the water to go ashore, it is much too windy and we might not get back.



We were thinking of leaving today but decided to hang in here one more day as tomorrow’s wind prediction looks better (North winds 10 to 15 mph – today is 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph).  Tomorrow’s trip will be a short one, only 15 statute miles to St. James Marina in South Port, SC. 

This situation has been great for knitting.  I have ALL 6 CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS DONE.  I’m really pleased with how they turned out.  When I post this to the “blog”, which I’m still working on, I’ll include a picture of them.  They will be mailed as soon as I’m someplace that I can mail them.

We did turn my cell phone into a “hot spot”, now we can access things a little easier than looking at my little bitty phone screen.  We have 2 GB for $20 with no contact through Verizon.  You can cancel it anytime and your usage/ bill is prorated.  I think it’s worth a try.

Happy Birthday to Jimmy – Hope you have a great day!!

 

Windy and Nasty is a great time for knitting

 

 

 Gloomy mooring at Carolia Beach - looking south

 

 

                                                                         Looking NORTH where the wind came from

 

At least the Captain had his Sweetie to keep him company!