Log 132; Day 359; May 15, 2009; Beaufort, SC.

This is the main dock at Southport...these are 2 north bound transient boats at the fuel dock. They both passed us later in the day, on our way to Swan Point.

The ICW runs right alongside the Atlantic Ocean north of Southport. These fisherman are just off the ICW channel...and that truck is on the Atlantic Beach

You can also see that just off the channel is is very shallow...not a place to day dream

On our way through Wrightsville Beach it was very busy.

This is Swan Point Marina...not much to look at, but a welcome sight after 8 hours on the iCW

The wind was blowing so hard, I took the flag off the light stantion because I was afraid it would shake the stantion so much, it might damage the light bulbs

When we left Swan Point early on Thursday morning, the sun was just coming up

If you look closely at the picture of our chart plotter you can see the black boat, with a cross on it in the center (which represents the position of our boat at that moment). Just to the right of that is the sand bar we hit when we came through here in 1992. Instead of going straight up the channel, Steve turned right and headed for the other channel. The side story tells it all.

This military vessel was in the harbor at Morehead City, SC

In the Buefort Channel there was this military craft, and if you look out in the haze you can see a very large militay ship sitting out in the Atlantic

The town of Beaufort, SC has a big red bus that gives tours of the town

Deb found a cemetary where Cival War soldiers are buried

After the rain came through, there was an awesome sunset. It looked like something was on fire

This picture was taken from our boat, as we sit in our slip in Beaufort, SC

Log 132
Day 359
Friday, May 15, 2009

8:30 AM EDT
Location: Beaufort Town Docks; Beaufort, SC.
Weather: 70 degrees with rain; forecasted to rain the next couple of days

I just got back from having breakfast (biscuits and gravy...not that great) at the local cafe, just a few feet from the bow of our boat, here in Beaufort (Bo-fort). It’s raining here this morning, and the radar shows lots of rain to follow. The detailed forecast says there is a good chance of rain until tomorrow afternoon. We are docked right downtown, about 200 feet from the main street. Very nice southern town that we have visited before, and really enjoy.

Wednesday...we left Southport, on the Cape Fear River, at first light on Wednesday morning. They had predicted strong winds, and they proved to be right. Just about 1/2 mile from our marina, we joined the Cape Fear River, and between the outgoing tide, and the strong winds, it was not a lot of fun to be out there. In just a few minutes the boat was wet, and covered with salt, and we pushed against the tide (and the wind) up the Cape Fear River for almost an hour, before turning a little NE and following the ICW in more protected waters. I had hoped we would be out of the wind, with easier going...but I was wrong. The ICW is so close to the Atlantic at this point (check the picture of the truck sitting on the beach) that the strong easterly winds blew over the beach and hit us hard, and it was like that all day. At about 11 am we passed through Wrightsville Beach, SC, and I almost stopped because I was tired...but we kept on going. We reached Sneads Ferry, SC, and our marina (Swan Point Marina) at about 2 pm, and I was ready to stop. The winds continued to howl from the east, and I even had to go take the flag off the top of the boat, because it was flapping so hard, I was afraid it would shake the light pole and damage the running lights. We also realized the wind had caused our dinghy cover to rip, and so I ended up taking it off, and storing it on the boat. After washing the boat, and checking in, we realized we did not want to stay more than one night at Swan Point (in the middle of no where, and more of a boat yard than a marina) but the weather did not look good, with wind and thunderstorms predicted for Thursday. When we went to bed, we figured we may not get to decide if we want to go...the weather may decide for us.

Thursday...up at 5:30 and quickly checking the weather, I determined we had a window to go the 46 miles to Beaufort before the rain and storms hit. The wind was still blowing out of the east, but not as bad as yesterday, and it was predicted to reach a high of 20 mph at Beaufort, but not until 2 pm. We could be in our slip by 11 am if we left right away, so I went and woke Deb (she’s amazing...I wake her, and tell her the story, and she says “let’s go”) and 15 minutes later we were leaving the dock, just as it was getting light out. The trip to Beaufort was much easier than the previous day. The winds were not as bad, and the waterway not as narrow...or shallow. After a fairly easy ride, we reached Beaufort at about 11am. Getting into our slip was a little tricky, because the tide and winds at the Beaufort were both strong, and the width between dock was not that big, but we got in with no damage to our boat, or our ego. We even had a fellow Looper (Darling) come over and said “I’m impressed...I couldn’t have done that”. After getting tied up, we checked in, and then walked into town for lunch. After lunch we washed the boat, just in time before the rains came, and it has been raining off and on since then.

Side story...in 1992 we were coming up the ICW, heading to Beaufort, delivering a friends 43 foot Vista (a Taiwanese Motor Yacht). On board with us were Steve and Chris Thoke (good friends for many years) and Terry and Jeanie Ruhland (Deb’s sister and brother in law). We were 10 days into a 2 week trip, delivering the boat from the west coast of Florida, to Philadelphia. Steve had been bugging me to drive the boat, but I kept telling him the waters were shallow and tricky. It was early in the morning on a bright beautiful day, and Steve, again, asked if I wanted him to drive. I looked at the charts, and looked ahead to see miles of very easy waterway to navigate, so I said “yes...you drive, and I’ll go get a quick shower”. When I came back up we were just going under the bridge that connects Morehead City to Bogue Banks (a couple miles SE of Beaufort), and there were markers everywhere. Steve was running wide open, and asked which way he should go, because the markers were confusing, and he was not sure which one was the channel (check out the picture of our chart plotter as we went by there yesterday). I told him I was not sure, because I just come up and had not looked at the charts. Steve made a quick decision to turn right, and head for a marker, and 5 seconds later, we hit a sand bar, and came to a complete stop, feeling like we had torn the complete bottom off the boat. What happened after that was a very interesting story in itself, but the bottom line was this: we were towed off the sand bar and into a marina; both shafts and props were bent (beyond repair according to some at the marina); we borrowed the a vehicle from the marina, took the shafts and props to Bucks Prop shop, and had both fixed by 10 am the next morning; we were leaving the marina by 2 pm that same day. It was a $4000 lesson, and a story we have told for the last 17 years.

From here...we plan to stay in Beaufort one more day, then leave tomorrow and head 22 miles to Oriental, SC...at the southwestern part of Pamlico Sound. We made reservations for 2 days in Oriental, but now, I don’t think we will stay the 2nd day, because the weather and winds are forecasted to switch to the NNE and blow 20+ mph, and you do not want to be on the Pamlico Sound with strong NE winds. My thought at this point is to head to Belhaven, SC, on the Alligator River and then see what the weather does later next week. The next big body of water we need to cross is the Albemarle Sound, and it can get nasty with stong winds, so we’ll just wait and see. At this point we are only 203 miles from Norfolk, VA, and 350 miles from Baltimore, where we want to be by June 13th. So we have plenty of time.

Today...it’s still raining, and looks like it will rain off and on all day. I need to go in the engine room, and check the water in all the batteries, as well as do some engine checks. Deb is doing some cleaning now, so maybe after we get done we will put on the rain coats and take a walk around town. I’ll bet they have a great cheeseburger somewhere within walking distance.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 131; Day 357; May 13, 2009; Southport, NC.

The next 3 pictures are of a pontoon bridge on the ICW. The bridge actually sits on that platform with the house on it, and it swings out of the way every hour when boats need to go through.

You can see the actual piece of the bridge on the pontoon

When the boats clear they will hook up the bridge to the road again

There are a fair amount of shrimp boats along the waterway

Our dock in Southport Marina

One of many homes built in the 1800's in Southport

Deb's hair spot in Southport

Not much to look at...but a nice stop for a beer

They said 5 guys pulled up in this boat, just before it sank. They're all in jail now.

Deb...hanging out with the locals

Just past our marina is the Cape Fear River...in the backround

Log 131
Day 357
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

4:45 AM EDT
Location: Southport Marina; Southport, NC
Weather: 67 with NE winds @ 10; Forecasted 75, and windy today (NNE @ 15 to 25)

Still a fairly full moon out this morning. It’s dark, but the sky looks clear, and I can see a few stars out. The winds are already gusting a little, as I can feel the boat shift in the slip. Southport Marina is almost full, as many transient boats are here, some coming in just before dark. Lots of captains running the boats hard, to get them up north for the summer.

Getting here...it’s a 37.3 mile run from Myrtle Beach, SC, to Southport, NC. Most of the ICW is deep, and the navigation if fairly straightforward. The charts and guide books point out several shoals along the way, and I was very careful in those areas, but did not really find the shallow spots they were talking about. But, we also made the run on a rising tide, so that helped (from a depth standpoint). There is only one bridge along the way that we needed to worry about and they call it a pontoon bridge. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but the bridge sits on a pontoon, and once an hour (if there is any boat traffic that needs to get through) they pull the pontoon over with a cable, and the whole bridge moves to one side. Amazing. The good news is they are constructing a very large bridge to replace it...I’m assuming it will be 65 foot vertical clearance to allow sail boats to pass under. It was at this bridge that several boats stacked up...all waiting to go north bound. 2 of these boats were big trawlers (45 to 50 feet), and they were a real pain for us to travel with them. We kept getting in one another’s way, because they would go slow and I would pass them, then they would speed up, and want to pass us. Finally I just slowed down to let them pass, and stayed behind them. One of them (Terralee) did not pay much attention to no wake areas, and you could hear (on the radio) folks hollering at them in many areas. Another one (Lady M) ended up behind us, and followed us to our marina here at Southport. We arrived about noon.

The town...Southport is a nice small town. It’s a 4 block walk to the main street, and all along the way you are passing homes that were built in the 1800’s. Many (actually most) of them have plaques on them telling who the original owner was, and what year they were built. It was surprising to me that most of them look to be in very good shape. As we were walking main street Deb saw a hair salon, that said they welcomed walk ins...so that is what she did. She decided to get her hair cut, and I walked to a place called Ocean Outfitters (a great place with lots of Columbia type clothes). I also walked the town and found the 2 local hot spots restaurant/bars. One was called Fishy Fishy (semi nice spot on the water with decks over looking the docks. And Provision Company...a VERY rustic spot that sits on the water, and is definitely a spot where the locals hang out. We had a beer there, and listened to everyone tell one another how smart they were. Back at the marina (which by the way, is fairly new, and very nice) we worked on some boat chores; had meat loaf for dinner; and watched 2 episodes of 24. Southport is definitely a nice stop.

Today...we are going about 65 miles up the waterway to Swan Point Marina in Little River, NC. It’s interesting...most folks think the east coast line goes north and south, but if you are following the coast (and the ICW) when you are in the lower states you travel NW, and as you get to the Carolinas you travel NE. In some cases (like today) we will be traveling almost east. You don’t really think about it (or care) unless you spend all day looking at maps, and charts, like I do. Anyway...to get there we will join the Cape Fear River, which is just about 1/2 mile east of here, and head NE up that river, before veering off and following a long “ditch” of protected water up to Little River, NC, The good news is we are at low tide, and so the tide will be rising and pushing us up the river for a while. The bad news is the wind is coming from the NE, and will be blowing directly against the tide, and that is never good. I want to get out of here as early as possible, before the winds get even higher, later this morning.

Well...it’s not quite light out yet, but the eastern sky is beginning to show some signs of light. The wind continues to gust a little, and I am anxious about what the conditions on the Cape Fear River will be. As soon as I finish this log, I will be getting the boat ready to head out. It should be a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 130; Day 356; May 12, 2009; Myrtle Beach, SC

While out in the dinghy Sunday we met this Intracoastal Cruise Ship. There are not a lot of these, but we do see a few.

The Barefoot Landing parking lot was full of bikes with tents and activities everywhere

Deb on the sidewalks of Barefoot Landing

While we are in the south, I always like to see if we can find good BBQ...and we did

Log 130
Day 356
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

6:00 AM EDT
Location: Myrtle Beach Yacht Club; Myrtle Beach, SC.
Weather: 51; Clear, with slight NE winds. 70’s with NE 10 to 15 forecasted

A cold front came through yesterday, bringing rain, and much colder temperatures. It was muggy, and in the upper 70’s yesterday morning, and by afternoon the humidity had gone away, and it was in the 60’s.

Sunday...Deb and I jumped back in the dinghy and went about 8 miles south to Barefoot Landing Marina. The weather was awesome, and it was a great ride. I was surprised how little traffic there was on the waterway, but decided it was because we left at 10:30, and most folks were not out yet. Also, Mothers Day could have kept a few off the water. Barefoot landing is really not a marina...it is a outlet mall, with restaurants and bars. While Deb took a look around, I found a place for lunch, and watched the boats go by. We also discovered that the parking lot was full of bikers...and that this must be bike week in Myrtle Beach (similar to bike week in Daytona) because we were seeing motorcycles everywhere. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ICW, and a great ride back to our marina. Back at the boat, Deb went up and did another couple loads of laundry, and I watched the NASCAR race I had taped on Saturday night at Darlington. For dinner, Deb made some great Mexican food, and the movie was our final recorded episodes of Lie to Me.

Yesterday...the morning started out beautiful, with warm temperatures. I decided to wax the stainless rails on the boat, and took off any signs of rust anywhere on the stainless. We also have a stainless anchor (it’s probably not real stainless, but looks like it) and it has some small rust spots on it, so I took Nerve-Dull and cleaned it up...it looks like new. Because it is hard to get supplies at some places, we decided to rent a car at the marina, just for the day, and run some errands. We went to the post office; liquor store; West Marine; Home Depot &Wal-Mart. As Deb put it...”we are good for another month”. We also used the GPS to help us find a cool BBQ spot for lunch. The rain came through while we were shopping, but cleared up by about 2 pm. Deb made some kind of crab cakes for dinner, and we watched the final episode of The Great Race.

Today...we’re not in a big hurry this morning, but when Deb gets up (usually 7 or so, when we’re not in a hurry to shove off) we’ll fire up the boat and continue to head north. Today’s trip is only about 30 miles NE to a town called Southport, NC...just north or the border between NC and SC. Southport is an historic town that dates back to the 1700’s and (so the cruising guide says) is a nice stop. From a schedule standpoint, we are in great shape, so we will take our time the next week or so, and plan to be in Norfolk, VA, (346 miles from here, and the most southern point on the Chesapeake) by late next week. There are a couple of tricky spots between here and there, that you have to watch the winds closely because they can make some of the “sounds” kick up a lot, but otherwise it’s just a matter of watching the depths, and making sure you stay in the channel. Great cruising.


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 129; Day 354; May 10, 2009; Myrtle Beach, SC

Our lunch spot on Saturday took us to Poo's...and they were having a biker rally

Lots of great looking bikes at Poo's...folks from all over the SE

Hard to tell from this picture, but the water in this area is a dark brown (like tea or coffee), I think it comes from the decay of the trees in the water. This is the ICW just north of Myrtle Beach, SC

Here is a "what's wrong with this picture"? Look at the bird STANDING right next to a boat that is tied to a foating slip. How deep in the mud must his props be?

The entrance to Myrtle Beach Yacht Club is marked with a Light House...very nice stop.

This is Myrtle Beach Yacht Club as you enter the harbor...in the center of the picture (way back) is Headquarters.

Deb's favorite spot on the boat...where she loves to read. She would spend all day here if she could. Log 129
Day 354
Sunday, May 10, 2009

8:00 AM EDT
Location: Myrtle Beach Yacht Club; Myrtle Beach, SC.
Weather: 72; clear; and no wind. Heading for the mid 80’s with light winds today.

Another beautiful morning. Crystal clear; perfect temperature; no wind. This day was made to be on a boat.

Yesterday...after a relaxing early morning we uncovered the dinghy and decided to run up (and down) the ICW and look for a lunch spot. We are located just north of the main area of Myrtle Beach, in an area called Little River, and we found about 6 places to eat along the water (in about a 4 mile run), but some of them did not have a great place to tie up the dinghy. After going back and forth on the waterway, we decided on a place called Poo’s. They had a small marina in back of their place, and I tucked the dinghy in between 2 boats that did not look like they had moved in a long time. Once we got to Poo’s, we found out they were having their annual bike rally, and the place was crowded with bikers from all over. One Harley was nicer than the other, and everyone was in a festive mood. To look at some of these folks, it can be intimidating...but they all seem to be very nice. And...the food was very good (hot dogs and chicken wings) and the beer was ice cold. A great dinghy stop.

Back on the water, we spent the next hour or so, just riding along, looking at the different homes, and the different places to stop. Myrtle Beach is certainly a boating area...and there were lots of boats on the ICW...all seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. At about 2 we were back at the boat. It was very warm, and we had the helm are closed in and the A/C on, so it was nice inside. To take advantage of the marina, Deb decided to do a couple of loads of laundry, and also jump in the pool (while she was waiting for the laundry). I sat in the A/C and watched the NASCAR (Nationwide) race I had taped on Friday evening. Dinner was a big salad...and the movie was 2 episodes of Lie to Me.

Today (Sunday...Mothers Day)...sitting on the back deck writing this log, the sun is warm, and the slight breeze coming in the side doors is just awesome. Deb made me pancakes and bacon for breakfast, and now she is reading her book, in her favorite place on the boat (the picture says it all). It’s so nice, you just don’t want to think about doing anything else at this point...but I’m sure that will change. Our plan is to, again, jump in the dinghy and head down the ICW (back where we came from) and go to a place called Barefoot Landing (about 8 miles). It is a place with lots of shops; restaurants; and entertainment. They also have a marina, but it is right on the ICW, and we decided we did not want to deal with the wakes that the passing boats would leave, so we passed it, and came up to Myrtle Beach Yacht Club (great place). So...we are going back by dinghy, to see if we missed anything.


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob