Beaufort, North Carolina to Florida

A few weeks ago we were enjoying a lovely ride up the Neuse River in North Carolina when Sharon got a phone call from her Aunt Gale (just after we passed Gale Creek) who with my uncle was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary (amazing!) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  They had that perfect beach week weather that so many of us were enjoying late October.  They went in search of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to get a glimpse of what it looked like.  Gale said it looked like a creek.  Yes - that is what the ICW looks like most of the time.

We have been meandering the creeks and rivers of the ICW since late October.  It has been a lovely ride.  After three fairly lazy days in Beaufort, North Carolina, we made our way south.  Each evening, we found a remote creek in which to drop the hook.  Then, we got out the computer and checked the Active Captain website for information regarding shoaling in crucial areas, missing navigation markers, bridge opening times, etc.  We weren't as diligent doing this until we transited Mason Inlet just south of Southport, NC and hit a sandbar hard in the center of the channel.  It was a yikes moment!  Sharon was driving, (as she often does) and had slowed down as she approached the inlet, where it is typical that sand bars build up from the rush of water in and out of the inlets from the ocean.  We had 2 knots of current with us, so we were getting pushed (also not unusual) and bam!  We were hard aground!  We backed up, spinning the boat on the sandbar, heeled hard over from the current's push and finally got the boat to move.  Whew!  But the worry of course is what damage might have occurred to the boat.  After that, we started checking the notes on Active Captain religiously.  It has paid off!  We take the risky areas at high tide, we go slow, we take the advice given by others who have been through it. And we've been adding our own comments on this great crowd source website in order to help others.

Here are some typical scenes along this section of the ICW - click to enlarge them:

The beauty of the ICW through South Carolina is amazing.  Photos, though lovely, still don't do it justice.  We found some gorgeous spots to drop the hook and enjoyed starry nights, gorgeous sunsets and sunrises and beauty as far as the eye can see.  We wish we could take you all with us to see how peaceful and special it all is.  One night while anchored in the Coosaw River, out there all by ourselves, everything open to enjoy the night air, we all of a sudden heard this wooshy breathing.  It was a dolphin (or two) coming up for air over and over again, just next to the boat - probably night fishing!  These amazing things happen all the time on our travels.

The damage casued by Hurricane Matthew, however, was everywhere. Here are a few pictures:

Evidence of the destruction from Hurricane Matthew is everywhere.  Myrtle Beach has an area of very low lying homes along the ICW that still had flooded yards and you knew the homes had flooded.  Charleston Maritime Center, where we love to stay, was closed due to damaged docks.  Because so many places all along the waterway were affected by Matthew, marinas were filled to capacity in Charleston when we got there.  We ended up staying at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina across the river from downtown Charleston.  Though this wouldn't have been our first choice, it was a nice choice.  There is a water taxi and free hotel shuttle that take you across the river to town.  It is close to the Shem Creek area where there are several nice restaurants and a long boardwalk where you can walk out into the marsh.  There is a beautiful new pool at the marina.  We only stayed four days, but it was a good stay.  We enjoyed an evening with friends Jim and Cynthia on Neverland, dining together at Blossom.  It is always good to see them and share stories.

The pool at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina

We left Charleston on Tuesday, November 1st, and made our way south on the waterway.  As we were motoring up the channel to take a left to get back onto the waterway, we saw this symbol on our chart plotter.  Both of us looked overhead and listened but saw no helicopter.  Maybe a drone??  Interesting.

See that little picture of a helicopter?

We enjoyed one overnight at anchor and then we pulled into Wexford Plantation on Hilton Head Island where we spent a couple days with our friend Karen at her lovely home.  She is always so gracious and welcoming and it was fun to check out the galleries and gift shops, enjoy a couple yummy meals and walk around her beautiful community.  As always, thank you Karen.  It was great to share a bit of time with you.

For the next week, we kept up a pace of about 60 miles a day.  Up at 7am (we are happy that the time change has made it lighter this early), catching the favorable tides and hitting the skinny water at high.  The anchorages in Georgia are just as lovely as those in North and South Carolina.  Our biggest challenge in Georgia was transiting Jekyll Sound.  To stay on the waterway, you have to go pretty far out to the ocean and then make a hard right back West to get up into the ICW.  The wind was out of the Northeast, the water is shallow and we were taking fairly large waves broadside.  Fortunately, it was short lived and as soon as we made that turn, the wind and waves were behind us.  We were feeling happy we had not decided to head outside for an ocean passage.

The destruction of a marina on Hilton Head Island
from Matthew

Transiting Jekyll Sound 

Cumberland Island

Jupiter Light

We crossed the Florida line on Nov 6th.  Last Thursday, we realized we might have pushed the limits of our fuel tank.  The gauge at the ignition panel was getting achingly close to Empty.  The gauge on the fuel tank down below the floorboards was still between 1/4 and empty.  We each must have checked it every half hour to see if it was creeping towards empty.  We called one marina in our path for fuel but their docks were too damaged to sell fuel, so we had to go another 12 miles to Vero Beach.  Then, once we got there, we had to idle for about 15 minutes before the guy at the dock was finished.  We took on 74 gallons for our 90 gallon capacity tank (a little bit less than the fancy motor yacht that took on 2,000 in Beaufort!)  Wow!  More than 10 gallons to spare.  What were we chewing our fingernails for??!!

The next morning just after we hauled anchor and hopped back on the waterway, a slew of fishing boats blew past us - a race?!  Some had really cool paint jobs.  There must have been at least 50 of them.  The funny thing is that these guys barely leave a wake as they skim above the water, while a deep vee'd trawler makes you bounce and roll for several minutes when they pass you.  Everyone waved and seemed like they were out for some fun!

Over the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing time with our daughter and fiance', Courtney and Paolo, spending the holiday season in and around Boca Raton.  The water is bluer, the air is warmer, the sun is shining.  Greg's work has been all consuming and Sharon has been doing the driving.  A land break will be welcomed, but will be interspersed with sailing days.

'Til next time -

Southing again - Annapolis to Beaufort, North Carolina

We left Annapolis on a beautifully sunny day, with our friends on Neverland beating us out of the harbor.  As always, it is fun to see friends on the water and hear a familiar voice on the VHF radio.  Though the weather was sunny, there was very light wind, so we motored down the Chesapeake.  After an overnight stop in Solomon's Island, then another off the Great Wicomico River (south of the Potomac), both in Mill Creeks (we're now wondering how many Mill Creeks exist), we decided to take a side jaunt up the York River and visit Colonial Williamsburg.  Sharon lived there many moons ago and Greg had never been.  We found a quiet marina just south of Yorktown, called Wormley Creek Marina.  An Uber ride took us to the 18th Century where we spent the day gobbling up history.

The English Provincial Governor's Entry Foyer displaying his weapons

Beautiful details

Our guide

Woodwork in the Governor's Palace

The Palace

A protest over taxation decisions being made by Parliament

Sharon being punished....this happens all the time on the boat!

The Wren Building, William and Mary College

Continuing down the Bay, we made an overnight stop in Hampton City Marina (using a free coupon from the Annapolis Boat Show) and moved into the Intracoastal Waterway the next day.  Within the first hour, we noticed that the red "No Charge" light was illuminated at the ignition panel.  This means that the batteries are not charging.  Motoring is great for charging the batteries and heating the water.  Given that all the instruments are engaged and the frig continues to cycle on and off, we knew we needed to find the cause of this charging problem rather quickly.  So Greg sets to the task of trouble-shooting.  This means he checks all the stuff he already knows (loose or broken connections, loose belts) and when nothing indicates a problem, he hits the computer and walks step by step through the troubleshooting guide.  This can take a long time and someone needs to be at the helm constantly on the ICW.  Plus, it is impossible to check all trouble shooting items when the engine is running.  So, after we passed through Great Lock at mile 12, we pulled off and tied up to a dock so that Greg could continue his investigation.  Finally, it was determined that the alternator (only a year old and heavier duty than the old one) was at fault.  Fortunately, we kept the old one as a spare. We knew the batteries were powered up for the day ahead.  So, we took off from the lock and went to find an anchorage that would let us be still for the night so that Greg could swap the alternators.

But - before we found an anchorage, after just passing through the last opening bridge for the day's travel, we noticed a 38 foot sailboat on the side of the waterway where he shouldn't have been.  When queried, he told us he was stuck.  Being good cruisers we offered assistance.  We motored to the front of his boat, he tossed us a line, we cleated it to our stern and tried to pull him off.  Of course, we couldn't budge him and ended up getting stuck ourselves!  After several attempts to move, both of us just kept spinning on our keels.  Then, we thought, why don't we try to attach the halyard to his dingy and see if he could get Dream Catcher to heel and lift the keel enough to move off.  No dice.  Then, the idea was to attach both halyards to a line and crank them tight, allowing both boats to heel and potentially lift the keels.  As Sharon said - it's always a good idea until it becomes a bad idea.  No budging of either boat and now the halyards were stuck in a groove at the top of the mast, not able to ease and detach from one another.  Finally, a call was made to TowBoatUS.  By this time, it was 5pm.  Sunset is at 6:30pm and we find that the TowBoat will be here in about an hour and fifteen.  So, Greg went up the mast to see if he can dislodge the halyard before the TowBoat arrived, or cut it if necessary.  Fortunately, we have this cool mast climber rig that makes this task reasonably easy.  And all it took was a tug on the halyard from the top to dislodge it and allow us to bring it down and detach from the other boat.  Whew!

At about 6:15pm TowBoat shows up, easily pulls the other boat off with his 225 horsepower motor, switches his line to us and does the same.  Also fortunately, just a month or so ago, Greg called and upped our coverage with TowBoatUS to unlimited towing coverage.  It could have cost nearly $1000! Another Whew!

Finally, off we go in the dusk light, spotlight in Sharon's hand as she stands on the bow and helps to spot the occassional unlit daymarks and checks for logs floating in the water.  We traveled over an hour in the dark in very close surroundings. But, the navigation equipment, several lighted buoys and markers, and a careful lookout got us to our anchorage unharmed. We had the hook down by 8pm and all was well.  Another waterway adventure!

Hauling Higher Porpoise off the bottom

Eddie from Tow Boat US - our savior!

After a good night's sleep, Greg swapped the alternator for the good one, we were charging again and off we go down the waterway.  The folks from Higher Porpoise, the boat we tried to help, passed us the following morning while we were still at anchor and said they had a restful night as well.  The next few days would be long days, motoring along in the warm sunshine and 80 degree temps, sweet and quiet anchorages along the way and finally reaching Beaufort, North Carolina by Friday afternoon.

This stump came up with our anchor
in the Alligator River

We love this sweet town with its boardwalk right along the docks, fun shops and good restaurants.  Since the weather turned cold we ended up staying three days, enjoying the luxury of a heated cabin which we only have while plugged into shore power.  Beaufort is a popular stop along the east coast - for those doing the waterway and those going offshore.  In the three days we've been here we have seen boats from Nantucket, Jamestown, Rhode Island, London, North Palm Beach and Annapolis.  We all compare stories and share thoughts about our destinations.  It is a fun life.  Thanks for sharing it with us!

'Til next time -

Sandy Hook to Annapolis with lots of land time

After a spectacular full moon rise on September 16th, we spent three days hanging out in the anchorage at Sandy Hook, New Jersey.  While there, we took the Seastreak Ferry back into the city, had a yummy breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, a sweet French bakery, visited the MET,  and finished the day with an adult beverage and a gorgeous charcuterie plate at the Pierre Hotel.  The Metropolitan Museum is an amazing and slightly overwhelming place.  We were there for several hours and only touched the surface.  We look forward to returning again.

Moonrise over Sandy Hook, NJ

Le Pain Quotidien Cafe upper East side

The MET

Finally, on September 20th, we fueled up and continued south.  We decided to just keep moving and since there was no wind and lots of clouds, we motored all the way down the Jersey shore, around Cape May during the night, into the Delaware Bay, and entered the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal by 1:30pm the following day.  After covering 174 miles we dropped the hook at 5pm just inside the Chesapeake at the mouth of the Sassafras River.  We were rewarded with a beautiful sunset and quiet evening (after all the fishermen went home).

The following day we motor-sailed to Annapolis.  By this time, we figured out that the work done and money spent on our refrigeration unit in Newport made no difference, so we placed a call to the owner of Sea Frost to find a tech in the area.  We got lucky and made an appointment with Nathan (son of the owner) the following week.  That meant a decision as to where to dock (or park for you landlubbers).  We decided to spring for a slip at Bert Jabin Yacht Yard - an iconic yard for sailors.  There must be over 500 boats here between the yard and the slips.  It is amazing.  And it is a very busy place.  The long walk to the heads and showers means you have to stay alert so as not to get picked off by a moving boat hanging in the straps of the travel lifts - there are three!  There are also cranes, pick ups and vendor vans allover this yard.  But, we were very lucky to be assigned to a slip far from this activity and near our good friends Pat and Eric Fulmer on Cutter Loose.

Dream Catcher tucked in Back Creek at Jabin Yacht Yard

The fun part about Annapolis, besides just being Annapolis, is that we have loads of sailing friends here; Fenwick Island is a couple of hours drive away, and we can retrieve Greg's car from Fenwick Island for the time we are here.  We enjoyed three weekends at Fenwick.  One with our friends Lori and Tom, intrepid drivers, who always seem to choose a rainy weekend with flooded roadways to join us in FI.  And one with Sharon's sister Pamela and dear friend Pat, who is really a sister, too.

While at Jabin's Yacht Yard we got lucky that the Patriots were playing Thursday night football.  We took the water taxi around to the Chart House in Eastport and the two TVs at the bar had the Orioles and Red Sox on one screen and the Patriots and Texans on the other.  How cool is that for a Boston sports fan?  The manager of the restaurant is from Lowell, Massachusetts AND Bill Belichik frequents the bar in summer!  Evidently his mother lives in town.  Motherlode for us New Englanders!  And both the Red Sox and Patriots won those games. Greg and Sharon had a very fun evening!

Nathan, the refrigerator tech, showed up the following day and repaired our refrigeration problem within a few hours.  It has been working great ever since!  Thanks Horton Marine Services! He even came back after a few days to check on things. Perfect!

We were invited to a lovely evening at our friends Jim and Cynthia's home, just across Back Creek from where we were docked, only 100 yards away.  They have a beautiful condo on the water with a  dock that keeps their Pacific Seacraft 34.  They spend about eight months a year on the boat in Florida, the Bahamas and the east coast.  In fact, we met them in Spanish Wells, Bahamas, in 2015. They are intrepid sailors and avid travelers.  Last summer they did a camping trip in the Southwestern US up to Colorado, visiting and camping in National Parks along the way.

We also visited the Naval Academy Museum, which is open to the public and very interesting.  Greg has been waiting for this for some time.  We visited seven years ago, but since that time it has been relocated and expanded in a new building.  We had a great time there learning how sailors and sailing ships dealt with the challenges of war and peace.

We had a great day at the Boat Show and saw friends Hayden and Radeen as well as other Island Packet owners.  We even got lucky to be able share some time with Eric and Pat from Cutter Loose.

Notre Dame vs Navy football

USNA Museum

Sharon, Jim and Cynthia

All in all, it has been a great few weeks with lots of social time, good weather between the storms, and good fun.  We have been safe and sound and positioned far enough north to be out of Hurricane Matthew's path.  Fortunately, all our friends are safe and sound with little damage to property.

Tomorrow, we continue south down the Chesapeake.  Jim and Cynthia on Neverland will be leaving in the morning, too.  We expect we'll be in touch along the way and possibly share cocktails and a dinner at anchor.   We plan to take our time.  But, we will be on the lookout!  With debris from Matthew, marina closures, and waterway issues looming in our path we will be extra cautious.

We will look forward to seeing friends along the way.

'Til next time -

Narragansett Bay to Sandy Hook with lots of fun and sunshine in between

After an easy, but no sail, passage from Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, we made the decision to hole up in our old marina - New England Boatworks - for the uncertainty that was Hermine.  Greg's brother, Jay and nephew, Jack joined us on the passage and we shared a nice meal in Newport before they headed back home.  It was great to have them on board.

Jack, Jay and Greg

Though Hermine hung around longer than we would have liked, the impact on us was moderate.  The marina is well protected inside high earth berms and a high hill on the northeast side - just where it needed to be for that storm.  The wind was brisk, but we saw no more than 35 knots on our instruments.  The rain was almost inconsequential.  Much different than what Florida experienced.  We took the time to do tons of laundry, work on the perpetual refrigeration issue, and Greg was very busy keeping up with his work.

After the seas finally subsided, we headed south on Friday, September 9.  Light winds down the Bay gave way to brisk winds as we neared Point Judith.  We hopped into the Harbor of Refuge and made our way up into the Point Judith Pond - a quiet anchorage near the oyster beds.  We have gotten to a point where we try really hard not to bash into heavy seas with wind on our nose, and those were the conditions if we had kept going down Long Island Sound.  Instead we enjoyed an afternoon of sunshine on the hook.

Anchor up next morning, a nice ride in calm seas and sunshine brought us up the Mystic River into the sweet town of Mystic, Connecticut.  Mystic is a fun town to explore and the highlight is the Seaport Museum.  Though we have visited before, we decided to do so again.  One highlight was a lecture at the Nautical Instrument shop where the resident expert explained celestial navigation in a way that was very easy to follow.  Greg has taken courses in this topic (many years ago) and appreciated the explanation and banter this gentleman engaged in.  Greg said it was the best description of how this arcane science works that he's ever heard.

Later we had a short exchange with the blacksmith/foundry worker who represented the role these people had in the seaport years ago.  We learned about the irons and steels that were common then, and saw thousands of old tools they hoard!

We had an enlightening half hour presentation at the Planetarium.  We learned that we would be able to see Mars, Saturn and Venus in the early night sky - at least until that full moon took over - and where to look to identify them.  He discussed the importance of the North Star, several constellations, the Southern Cross, and explained more about lattitude and longitude, which was fun after the navigation expert gave us his basics on this.  We also got lucky to be in town on Sunday night, so hit the local Margarita's to watch the Patriot's win their season opener at Arizona.  Go Jimmy Garoppolo!

Early Monday, we headed out through the Railroad swing bridge (the line that runs all those commuters into NYC) and enjoyed another beautiful day on the water.  There is not much in the way of anchorages as you make your way down Long Island Sound.  We chose Milford Cove, just off Milford, Connecticut expecting the wind would move West for the evening.  Not to be.  We had a very rocky night until about 3 in the morning, when the wind finally subsided a bit.  Whew!

Dream Catcher sailing Long Island Sound

A short 18 miles later, we cruised into Oyster Bay, past Billy Joel's Tudor mansion and dropped the hook just off Sagamore Hill, Teddy Roosevelt's Summer home.  Oyster Bay is on the north side of Long Island about 15 miles north of City Island.  It is amazingly protected with lots of room to anchor and a view of beautiful summer homes.  After a quiet starry night we weighed anchor and motored the short distance to City Island where we would  anchor until morning to catch the tides through the East River.  A strong thunderstorm blew through just about the time Sharon was preparing dinner.  Always a tad scary when you are living through it, we were happy the anchor held and it was over in short order.  The rest of the evening was clear and splendid.  The lights on the Throgs Neck Bridge reminded us of the Newport, Rhode Island bridges wearing their "string of pearls".  Laguardia was buzzing with lights that from our distance reminded us of lightning bugs on a summer night.

Billy Joel's mansion in Oyster Bay,
soon to be another's as it is up for sale

Thursday morning dawned clear and sunny as we hauled anchor and motored our way toward New York City.  We could already see the tall buildings in lower Manhattan.  It is very important to time your travel when transiting the East River.  The currents can run up to 4 knots, especially through Hells Gate - thus the name!  It is also one of the most exciting journeys imaginable with so much to see and photograph.  We passed 78th Street where Courtney lived after college.  We saw the raised walkway where we had taken our pictures during her move-in!  Her apartment was only a half block away.

The boat floated under nine bridges, Throgs Neck, Whitestone, past Laguardia and Riker's Island, under a railroad bridge, then Hellgate, Queensboro, the Williamsburg Bridge, the Manhattan, and finally the Brooklyn Bridge.  The current through Hell's Gate increased our speed from 5 to 10 knots!  By the time we reached the end of the East River (the waterway connecting Long Island Sound with the Hudson River at the bottom of Manhattan) the captain had dodged several ferries, large motor vessels, numerous tourist harbor boats, coast guard speed demons and NYPD boats.  At last we reached lower Manhattan where there is a helipad where we saw a half dozen commuter helicopters buzz in and out, and two constantly busy ferry terminals.  Then we rounded the lower point of Manhattan and headed across the Hudson to Liberty Landing Marina.

Hellgate Bridge

Our knot meter (speedometer) left is how fast the boat is traveling over water,
the right is how fast the boat is moving over ground.  The difference represents
the amount of current pushing us along.

Queensboro Bridge

Radio City

Brooklyn Bridge with Freedom Tower behind

Staten Island Ferry Terminal

We chose to stay in a marina for one night so we could visit the 9-11 Memorial and play a little bit in the City.  Liberty Landing Marina is in Jersey City on the Western shore of the Hudson River.  From this vantage point the view of the city is amazing!  You can hop on a ferry for $6 (senior discount), and 15 minutes later get dropped off right at World Trade Center.  One thing NYC does well is move people.  Ferries, buses, trains...it is an amazing process to watch.

The 9-11 Memorial is beautiful and somber and brought back many memories of that awful time.  One cannot help being so sad all over again.  It is, however, a wonderful tribute to all who perished.  Even on the Jersey City side, there is a memorial called Empty Sky that focuses on the place where the towers once stood and honors the New Jersey residents who lost their lives that day.  Soaring high above the memorial is the new and beautiful Freedom Tower with its spire pointing toward the heavens.  The second tower is still under construction and is about 1/3 of the way done.  A gorgeous greenway, office and shopping space, and a yacht basin where large yachts were docked all occupy the area where there once was rubble.  It was wonderful to see how beautiful it all is today.  We finished the day with a wonderful meal at the Liberty House next to our marina where we watched a nearly full moon rise over the city's magnificent lights.

Freedom Tower

Empty Sky Memorial

View of the city from marina

View from our dinner table

The next morning we headed out and got some great shots of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty then sailed south to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, dodging ferries, tankers and huge transport vessels.  New York Harbor is a busy and intimidating place where you feel as small as you feel in the open ocean.  Everything is larger than you!

Central Railroad of New Jersey, next stop after Ellis Island for immigrants

Ellis Island

Lady Liberty

We had planned to continue down the Jersey coast today, but winds and seas on our nose changed our minds.  So, we will be here in Sandy Hook, NJ for a couple days awaiting a better weather pattern.  Tomorrow, we plan to take the Seastreak back to the City and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Greg has never been and Sharon hasn't been for years.  We will let you know how our travel goes from here.

'Til next time -