Log 184; Day 535; November 7, 2009; Charleston, SC.

Thanks to JoAnn for taking us a tour of Myrte Beach and a great lunch spot

The next day, when we left Myrtle Beach, the sun was out, but it was a little cool. Deb said it was freezing.
I, on the other hand, planned for later in the day, when shorts and a t-shirt would be all I needed

A lot of the waterway near Myrtle Beach is a man made canal

Then it joins the Waccamaw River, and is deep and beautiful

The entire river is lined with trees

This is our dock at Georgetown...the boat behind us was heading to Florida as well.

The boardwalk in Georgetown is lined with interesting bars

And, of course, another picture of "us"

Leaving Georgetown, and heading to Charleston, the waterway is a mixture of wide open lowlands...

And narrow waterways with lots of docks in the water

As we got to Charleston, there were fisherman everywhere

When we got to our marina, they told us to go down this long waterway, with boats on each side

and then parallel park the boat in an open slip at the end
Not easy...but we were in good company

And finally...as I was writing my log this morning, a 55 foot boat was trying to leave, when the current got the best of him and wedged him between the dock and a boat in front of him. I watch them try to get it off for at least 15 minutes, and then I walked over to see if I could help. It took a lot of work to get the boat back into it's original slip, without hurting anything, or anyone.

Then once he was back into the slip, everyone agreed, the best way for him to leave was to back out

Which, after a lot of work, he was able to do

Finally...he left the harbor...without even saying "thanks". Interesting.

Log 184

Day 535

Saturday, November 07, 2009

7:20 AM EST

Location: Charleston City Marina; Charleston, SC.

Weather: 59 & bright sun...not a cloud in the sky. Heading to 73 today

Lots of mega yachts lining the docks here at Charleston City Marina this morning. We are tucked up near the end of a long face dock, in the middle of lots of activity. It’s a little cool out, but the sun is warming things up fast. Many yachts started leaving the docks at 6 am...still lots of migration south.

Myrtle Beach to Georgetown, SC...was an easy 60 mile run, and some of the prettiest waterway along the ICW. The northern part of the waterway is really a man made ditch that travels through the Myrtle Beach area, and has hundreds of homes, all with a dock on the ICW. It’s slow going, but very interesting. Then you drop into the Waccamaw River, and things change considerably. There are no more homes; the waterway widens a little; and it is lined with solid trees on each side. The waterway (in most areas) is also deep all the way to the banks, and very easy to navigate. It is just a beautiful 5 hour cruise. We arrived at Georgetown, Harborwalk Marina, just ahead of a crowd of boats. The chatter on the radio was very busy, as the marinas were trying to find spots for all of the folks looking for slips, and many were turned away. Why they do not make reservations is a mystery to me? Especially this time of year? After getting settled in our slip, and helping tie up a few boats, who came in behind us, Deb and I took a walk into town...just 1/2 block away. We were on a quest for a bar that had popcorn, and good draft beer...but no luck, so we came back to the boat. The rest of the afternoon was spent reading, and returning emails. We had dinner on board, and watched the movie where Eddie Murphy goes to Washington (can’t remember the name...but a good movie).

Georgetown to Charleston...is also an easy run. The first thing you do is head out in the Sampit River, and into Winyah Bay...which leads to the Atlantic. But, in our case, after about 3 miles, we make a hard turn to starboard (right) and join the ICW. The ICW in this area is similar to others, in that it is man made canals, that join several rivers to create the ICW. About the only real town you go through is McClellanville, SC. After about 55 miles of this, you come to the large Cooper River, and Charleston Harbor. To get to our marina we had to cross the Charleston Harbor and join the Ashley River. The City Marina is on the Ashley River, where it joins the Wappoo Creek...the continuation of the ICW. Once there, we got our slip assignment...which was a little interesting. Picture driving a car down a dead end alley, with cars (or boats) on both sides, and just enough room to drive down. About 3/4 of the way down, is a spot where you have to parrallel park. The good news is we made it without hitting anyone...but I can’t help but wonder what it’s going to take to back out of here We arrived at Charleston about 2 pm, and immediately started washing the boat. It did not have a lot of salt on it, but we did not wash it in Georgetown the day before, so it did need a good cleaning. After a complete cleaning, and checking in, it was almost 4 pm, so we settled in for cocktail hour; shrimp and rice for dinner; and watched the Mentalist, and Survivor.

Today...we plan to make it a lazy morning, and then head to downtown Charleston to meet another boating couple (Bob and Charlotte on Foreign Exchange) for lunch. We have never met Bob and Charlotte before, but they know our friends Andy and Mary on Good News, and we have crossed paths several times, and spoken on the radio. So...we decided to meet for lunch, while we are both in Charleston (although, at different marinas).

Tomorrow...is Sunday...and a day of rest. Or...a day of football and racing.

Monday...we plan to continue south, with our first stop being Beaufort, SC (pronounced Bu fort), and then Hilton Head.

Also...

· Deb and I want to give a special thanks to Deb’s Aunt JoAnne, for showing us around Myrtle Beach, and buying us lunch at a terrific spot.

· I also want to give a “shout out” to Pam at Wells Fargo Advisors. Pam works with Gary Hedge (a very good friend, and our financial advisor) and is an avid boater, and hopes to someday go cruising. Gary will sometimes pass along my logs to Pam, so she can have an idea of what this life is like. Go for it Pam!

· As we were cruising the waterways the last couple of days, I have called a number of my friends to tell them how much fun we are having. Not really to rub it in...just to remind them. As one of my friends told me...this work thing is WAY overrated. We are very fortunate to be able to do this...and the good thing is...we know it, and are thankful each day.

· We’re on track to be in Florida, and at Cape Coral the first week in December.

As another friend said...”Life is good on The Tour”

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 183; Day 531; Norember 4, 2009; Myrtle Beach, NC.

Along the waterway, south of Wrightsville Beach there are many places where the ocean and the ICW come together

But, still, the waterway is narrow...this is a boat dredging the channel as we enter the Cape Fear River

Along the way there are hundreds of homes on beautiful property

And plenty of property decay as well

About 7 miles from Myrtle Beach is the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge

Hard to believe, but this pontoon takes the bridge and moves it aside, so boats can pass (click here to read about it)

As we got close to Myrtle Beach we could start to see golf courses

But we also saw boats left abandon on the side of the ICW

This is the entrance to Myrtle Beach Yacht Club

And the view from our stern as we sit in our slip

Log 183

Day 531

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

5:35 AM EST

Location: Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, Myrtle Beach, NC.

Weather: 56 degrees and no wind...going to be 70 and sunny today

It took a little longer to warm up the helm area this morning, as it is only 52 degrees out. I could work on the computer and write these logs from the salon, which warms up easy, but somehow that does not seem right. I love sitting on the back deck...no matter what the weather. Speaking of weather, we have got a fantastic high pressure system over us for the next 5 to 7 days. All the forecasts, for the places we will be, show a bright ball of sun. It also shows light winds for the next few days...great for cruising.

We’re sitting at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club this morning, which is in one of the most northern parts of Myrtle Beach. We have stopped here a couple of times before, and we really like it here.

Getting here...turned out to be a very nice cruise. As I sat on the back deck yesterday and wrote my log, it was very cloudy and cool, and did not look to be a nice day. But, as the morning wore on, the clouds went away, and it became very sunny. The wind also died down. We ended up leaving the slip at about 7am. Even though the current was against us, I knew, that before too long, it would turn, and we would get some help.

(Side note: A couple of interesting things about cruising in this area. 1) because there are so many places where the ocean enters the ICW, you are switching back and forth between having the current with or against you. If you think about an outgoing tide...if you are a few miles north of an inlet, the current pulls you along, as it tries to go out. As soon as you reach the inlet, and keep heading south, the tide is now against you. And, this same thing is repeated several times, up and down the ICW. With the same rpm (say 1100) you go from 11 mph to 8 mph...and this can make a huge difference. 2) While you think you are going south...you are actually going west. If you look at a map of North Carolina, the most SE tip is Southport (where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic) and from that point, to Myrtle Beach, is almost due west. Hey...it’s interesting to me...ok?)

Anyway...the ICW in this area is very straight forward. Most of it is fairly deep, and easy to navigate. From Wrightsville Beach, heading south to Carolina Beach, the ICW is right next to the Atlantic, and many times, you just look over a low sand dune and see the ocean. From there you follow Snow Cut (man made) and that takes you to the Cape Fear River. Follow that south a few miles and you make a hard right at Southport, and the ICW heads west. Along the way we only had one bridge that we had to be concerned about, and that is what they call the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge. I mentioned this on our trip north. This bridge is built on a pontoon, and every hour, they unhook the bridge on each side, and use a pontoon (a floating platform) to swing the bridge out of the way so boats can pass through (you can Google it and see how it works). As I described in my log yesterday, I set a waypoint for this bridge, and kept changing my speed in order to arrive for a 1 pm opening. It was close (we were the last boat to make it through the bridge) but we made it. From there...another 7 miles (now on the Little River) and we were in North Myrtle Beach. We arrived at 2; topped off with 180 gallons of fuel ($2.69 @ gallon); washed the boat; and were sitting on the back deck with a cocktail by 4 pm. For dinner, Deb made chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, and “the movie” was an episode of Castle.

Today...we plan to stay one more day in Myrtle Beach. Deb’s aunt JoAnne will be at the boat late this morning, and we plan to have lunch with her, and see a little of the area by car. And, it’s going to be a prefect weather day...70 and sunny.

From here...we plan to leave Myrtle Beach on Thursday, and head to Georgetown, SC...and end up in Charleston, SC for the weekend. After football, and racing, on Sunday...Monday we plan to head to Beaufort, SC and then to Hilton Head. We’re not sure from that point if we’ll head out in the ocean, and skip the ICW in Georgia, or follow the ICW, and maybe go to Savannah. We’ll see.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 182; Day 531; November 3, 2009; Wrightsville Beach, NC.

Traveling on the ICW from Beaufort, NC to Wrightsville Beach, NC the waterway can seem very big...

But, actually the channel is narrow, and can be hard to pass without getting very close
On the east side you are close to the ocean

and the beaches...

And on the west side you are close to LOTS of homes

You are also close to many fisherman

A couple of logs ago, I mentioned being docked next to Freedom...the sister ship to the Sequoia...we met her again in Wrightsville Beach

Our stop for the night was supposed to be Dockside Marina...but really it was a bar...with slips. note the sign that says "FUEL DOCK ONLY"

The log tells the story...but they ended up putting us at the fuel dock...where we stayed until morning

Log 182

Day 531

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

5:45 AM EST

Location: Dockside Marina & Bar; Wrightsville Beach, NC.

Weather: 54 degrees & light North winds

Sitting on the back deck this morning, there is no trace of light yet, but in a few minutes I should start to see some brightness in the east. We are sitting right on the ICW at Wrightsville Beach, NC. About a mile to the east is the coast, and there is a large beach community. But here, it is just marinas lining both sides of the ICW, and they are all full of boats.

Getting here...was an 86 mile run from Beaufort. Up at 4:30 yesterday, I was anxious to get going, and noticed that others were as well. My plan was to leave at first light, and I figured that would be about 5:45, so I wanted at least an hour to get ready. (Side note: If necessary, we could be ready to leave in just a few minutes, but I really enjoy the mornings, on the back of the boat, especially when we are cruising. So I get up as early as I can to make the coffee, plan the day, and watch the sun come up). As it turned out, I was not the only one with that plan. Normally delivery captains will leave at that time, but in this case 4 sail boats had that plan as well. So, when we untied the lines at 5:45, we were a part of 6 or 7 boats leaving the harbor, and others were not far behind.

I’ve discussed the ICW in these areas many times. It is a narrow road (of water) that is sometimes between very close shores, and other times in large lakes. Most of the time the channel is no wider than 120 feet, and no deeper than 15 feet. While I love traveling the ICW...it can be very stressful. You can not take your eye off the water for one minute. Those who do, will pay the price, and run aground. Almost every day we travel, you will hear someone calling Sea Tow, or Boat US, to get towed off a sand bar, or worse yet, get their boat towed back to a marina, because they have run aground, and damaged their boat. Anyway...our 86 miles yesterday was a nice ride, with no issues. Along those 86 miles we had to deal with 2 bridges that had to open to let us through. While this can be a pain to deal with, I have come up with a method to make it easier. What I do is put those bridges in my chart plotter as a “waypoint”...which is just a point on a map we are heading to. I put the waypoint exactly at the bridge, and “go to” that point on the plotter. What that does is give me exactly how far that bridge is away, and (at whatever speed I am currently running) how many minutes it will take me to get to the bridge. Because I know when the bridge is scheduled to open (like on the hour) I adjust my speed, up or down, so my chart plotter says I will reach the bridge as it is opening. Sometimes I have to go fast to make up some time...others I end up going at an idle for the last mile or so, to time the bridge so we don’t have to drive around in circles to wait for an opening. It does not always work perfectly, but most times it does.

We arrived at Wrightsville Beach at about 2 pm. I had called ahead to confirm our slip, and was told by Jeb (the dock master) that we would be docking right in front of a large sail boat that was on the face dock. When we got there I saw the sail boat he was talking about and pulled in front of him. While we were pulling in another guy (Brian) came out to help us. We asked him where he wanted us, and he said...right in front of this sail boat. After tying up, and washing down the boat, Deb and I walked in to check in. It was very confusing where to check in at, because this is also a bar/restaurant, and we didn’t see any marina office. When we went to the bar tender to ask where to check in at she asked us where the sheet of paper Brian gave us was...and was very surprised that he did not give us one. No problem she said, how long would did we want to dock for? Overnight? She seemed surprised by that, and then said, well...we’ll have to move you. What? She told me that we were at the fuel dock, and blocking others from getting gas. When I told her that’s where Jeb, and Brian, told us to go, she said “well...we’ll move your boat if someone comes for fuel”. She seemed even more surprised when I said “no”. To make a long story short...after a lot of conversation (with more than just the bartender, but neither Jeb, or Brian)...and her calling her manager, who said we needed to move...I told her we were going to stay where Jeb put us, unless Jeb came down and told me to put the boat somewhere else. We left the bar, and went back to the boat, fully expecting for someone to knock on the boat and tell us to move. But, that never happened. We stayed peacefully tied to that gas dock all night.

This morning...the sky is light now, but it’s very cloudy, so I can’t see any sun. While I have been writing this, a few boats have left their slips...but not as many as we normally see at this point. I just looked at the current flowing through here and it is against us, so maybe we’ll wait a little bit for it to change. We have about 63 miles to go to get to Myrtle Beach...our destination for the next couple of nights. The forecast calls for the clouds to go away, and for the sun to come out later, so I look forward to that. As much fun as cruising is...it always seems better when it sunny.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 181; Day 529; November 1, 2009; Last day in Beaufort, NC.

While we were in Beaufort, we took a dinghy ride around the area

This is a shot of part of the waterfront

As you to around Beaufort you go under a draw bridge and there is another large mooring area

They have some "special" kind of boats

And there was LOTS of fishing activity

We went out in the ICW, and behind the port of Morehead City, and found this waterway with lots of marinas and restaurants

We stopped at the one above...and tied our dinghy up right under our lunch table

Back at Beaufort Docks...the big boats were starting to come in for the night

You can see HQ in the center...the boat on the left (in this picture) is called Primma Donna and we plan on hooking up with them when we get to Florida

My log tells the story of the large boat in this picture Freedom...they came in about 4 pm.

Log 181

Day 529

Sunday, November 01, 2009

8:30 AM EST

Location: Beaufort Docks; Beaufort, NC.

Weather: 75 degrees, with light rain

Here’s what’s been going on the last few days...

Friday...spent the day doing chores. While Deb went to a laundry mat and did 8 loads of clothes (which took about 5 hours) I worked on the boat. I cleaned the strainers; did my engine room checks; fixed the Velcro on the side doors; put new stainless screws in the helm doors; and did some touch up spots of waxing that needed attention. The neighbors on both sides of our boat were also working on their boats, and both commented that “there’s always a boat list to be worked on”. I agree. The weather was almost perfect. Light winds, and mid 70’s. I started out with my jeans on, but quickly discovered that shorts were in order. During our work, we did find time to check out another cheeseburger place. The place was called Royal George Cafe, and advertised “the best cheeseburgers in Beaufort”. The menu said they were the oldest continually operated restaurant in Beaufort, being operated since the mid 60’s. Anyway...the cheeseburgers were $2.50, and I was a little concerned, but, they turned out to be the size of a McDonald’s cheeseburger...only better. The place was not much to write home about, but both Deb and I enjoyed the food. Back at the boat in the afternoon, I spent cocktail hour watching NASCAR race practice at Talladega, and Deb finished organizing all the laundry she had done. For dinner, we had pork chops (on the stove) and dressing that Deb and made yesterday. The movie was an episode of Mentalist, and The Amazing Race. Just before calling it a night (for me anyway) we heard a little commotion on the dock, and saw that a 100 foot yacht that had been on the T head of our dock, was getting ready to leave. We asked if they wanted any help, and they readily accepted. They were leaving for New York (which is a little strange for this time of year) which is about a 70 hour run out in the Atlantic.

Saturday...nice night overnight, with tempratures only dropping to 70. I didn’t have to use any heat in the helm area, as I went out to work on my computer. A little cloudy, but the sun is just starting to show itself in the eastern sky. The marina was completely full last night, and before first light boats were starting to leave. As I write this, it’s 7:10 am and you can see lots of activity on many boats...most of them getting ready to leave. If it’s like a typical day here, most of the slips will be empty before noon.

We spent the morning with light boat chores; cleaning isinglass; wiping down the boat; and some organizing. Deb was cooking chicken broth, and preparing to make chili. At 11 am we jumped in the dinghy and took a long ride around the area. Very cool. We ended up going all around Beaufort, and worked out way out into the ICW, and over the Morehead City. We found a channel behind the port of Morehead City, and that took us behind an island, and to a very cool area with marina’s and restaurants...which we took advantage of, and had some great flounder, while sitting on the dock, overlooking the dinghy. We were back at HQ by 3 pm to see all the boat activity, as the marina filled up for the night. This was quite a show. Every slip was filled, and (as we monitored the VHF radio) we could hear them turning away boats who wanted to come in. Several big boats came in as well. Including Freedom, who is the sister ship to U.S.S. Sequoia...a Presidential Yacht, put into service in the 1920’s. The difference is Freedom is privately owned, and in awesome shape. She is headed for Palm Beach to meet her owners. (We first saw Freedom when she was docked next to us in Newport, RI.). By 7 pm, all boats were in, and the show was over. For dinner we had BLT’s and sweet corn, and watched and episode of Survivor.

Sunday @ 6:15 EST (we’ve switched to standard time now)...I started untying boats before I had my first cup of coffee this morning. One of our neighbors, Bill, on Prima Donna was already running when I came up to the helm area, so I walked out to talk to him and help him with his lines. (side note: We found out Bill and Donna keep their boat on Sanibel Island in Florida, and we plan to look them up when we get down there, so Bill and I can go fishing) He found out this morning that he had a port running light (the red one) that did not work, so he waited until you could just barely see daylight, before he took off. When he did that, there must have been another 6 or 7 boats leave as well. It’s now only 6:15, and at least 10 boats are on their way south. Part of me wants to untie the lines and go with them, the other part is looking forward to a relaxing day watching racing and football. But, I do look forward to heading out tomorrow. We have about 18 days of cruising ahead of us to get to Cape Coral...and 36 days to get it done in. Our plan is to be in Cape Coral by December 7^th...but if the weather holds, we’ll be there sooner.

It rained overnight, and from the looks of the radar, the rain has just moved through, and that should be it for the day. It got to a low of 72 last night, and the forecast says that will be our high...in fact the forecast calls for a high of 68 today. Guess they missed that?

Back to boats leaving...it’s fun to see the patterns in a transient marina like this one. There is always a group of boats that seem like they can not wait to leave, and they have their engines running, with the radar turning, and running lights on, way before first light. As soon as they can they head out. The next group is about an hour behind them. They plan to leave early...but not at first light. The last group, leaves about 9 to 10 am...they slept in a little; enjoyed their breakfast; and wiped down the boat; then they untie the lines and head out. Chances are that many of them end up at the same place at the end of the day...they just arrive at different times. In case anyone was wondering...I’m in the first group.

Well, it’s now 8:15...and time to send this log. I’ve had a great biscuit and gravy breakfast aboard & walked into town to check things out. It just started raining again, not hard, but just a steady sprinkle. The temperature is now 75...so much for the high of 68 they forecast. Looking to the west, the sky looks nice, and promises to be a better day than predicted. In a couple of hours, I’ll have a Sunday bloody mary. In 3 hours, I’ll start the chili, and prerace activities will begin. This afternoon, I’ll be watching the race on TV, and the football games on the computer. Who knows...maybe I’ll even get a nap in. Life is good on Headquarters.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob