Anchored South of Georgetown, SC

Brrr. Took Jazzy for a walk along the bulkhead this morning and it was a mere 45 degrees. Time to dig out the Under Armour!  It’s even colder when you’re moving on the water, so I was glad I had it onboard.

We left Barefoot Landing at 7:20 a.m. under sunny skies. As Chuck was pushing the boat out and hopping on, his foot caught on the petcock on the dock for the water and he got his pants and shoes wet.  Not fun on a cold day!

As we went along the ICW, there was a mist vapor coming off the water.

Right off SM 364.5, there is a new bridge. We saw the Socastee swing bridge open at 9:47 a.m. and we were a little more than a mile away. But by the time the other boats got through, we were half a mile away so the bridge tender called us and said keep coming! We thought we were going to miss it. It is on demand, but they’re not going to open it every 5 minutes, so we were thrilled!

At 10:20 a.m., we pulled into Osprey Marina for fuel. The entrance was narrow off to our port and there’s a floating dock with room for boats to pull on either side. The fuel pumps were actually on a stationary dock overhead and they handed the lines down. Weird. They were having trouble pumping out another boat and by the time they got to us, a 43’ trawler was coming in. We hurried and put in our measly 10 gallons of fuel, I ran up and paid, and we pulled out as they were pulling in. We had to squeeze between them on our port side and a 42’ catamaran that was tied to a pier on our starboard.

At marker 67, we saw a string of electric poles in the middle of the water. You seem some strange things here in the south!

We spent most of the day in the Waccamaw River and had planned to anchor in Georgetown, but we arrived there at 3 p.m. and wanted to get closer to Charleston so we can spend a little time ashore there tomorrow afternoon.

We passed a steel plant and a paper mill in Georgetown and the sulfur smell from the paper mill was nauseating. It brought back memories of camping with my family when I was a kid and we couldn’t wait to get out of town and away from that smell!

We pulled into Minim Creek on the west side a few minutes before 5 p.m. and dropped anchor. It’s desolate and peacefully quiet here, so we hope to get a good night’s sleep.

It was cold all day and we have our 0 degree sleeping bags ready for tonight, as the temp is supposed to dip down to 45. Tomorrow should be sunny with a high of 61. I want the warm weather back!

Tomorrow: Charleston, SC

The mist coming off the water because of the temperature change.

One of many new mega houses being built on the ICW.

The fuel dock at Osprey Marina. Lady M
on the left is the trawler we passed.

Lots of these plants growing in the Waccamaw River.

Electrical lines in the middle of the water.

Jazzy Girl is my electric blanket. LOL.

Setting the anchor at Minim Creek. 

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Tonight's sunset at Minim Creek anchorage.

We’re at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach!

We left Joyner Marina at 7:20 a.m. and soon entered Snow’s Cut. It was bright and sunny, but only 59 degrees. Brrr. The sun felt warm on the port side of the boat, though.

The Cape Fear River can really slow you down or push you, depending on which way the current is going. We started at 7.3 knots. The wind was in our faces off to starboard. We saw a small boat dragging for shrimp. The main sail was a little help. The tide was coming in, so we were fighting it all the way.

Soon our speed over ground was 5.2, but speed over water was 6.3 with 17-19 knots of wind. Sometimes the current slowed us down to 4.7 SOG. The Fort Fisher Ferry in Manns Harbor, NC, pulled out as we were going by. There was 22 knots of wind in our face with SOG increasing to 7.6 later in the day. We thought we had four 65’ bridges to pass through today, but there was a new bridge since the last time we came through, at M349 and the pontoon bridge was replaced by a 65’ bridge.

I finished reading Bad Boys Do, by Victoria Dahl. Great book. I’ll have to look for more novels by her. I love that I’m having time to read. I never get time to read at home, so I’m enjoying reading all these books!

We crossed into South Carolina at 2:35 p.m. We requested an opening of the Little River Highway Bridge and had to wait more than 15 minutes for a trawler to catch up. Ugh.

We pulled into Barefoot Landing at 4:50 p.m.  Our friends Joe and Sandy McConnell, former dock mates at Viking, relocated down here when they retired. They picked us up and took us to dinner at T-Bonz Gill and Grill for a delicious steak dinner, but not before we made a stop at Burlington Shoes, where Chuck bought a pair of sneakers and I bought two pairs of boat shoes.

Tomorrow: Anchorage near Georgetown, SC

This morning's sunrise.

The Fort Fisher Ferry in Manns Harbor, NC.

One of the many cool bridges we went under today.

Looking up...

Sea Thunder, a tourist boat sponsored by Monster Drinks, breezed by us.

This bridge replaced the pontoon bridge that was here on our last trip.

One of several swing bridges that we had to wait for an opening.

The new bridge that was added since our last visit near SM 349.

Chuck with our friends Sandy and Joe McConnell. So great to see them!

Great Visit with my friend, Mike Loch in Wilmington, NC

Ryan sent me a text that Jazzy's "passport" arrived from the Bahamas, so he's mailing it to our friends, Chrissy and Carl in Stuart, in case we decide to cross to the Bahamas.

Before leaving Swan Point Marina, I went up to the bath house and saw they had a good-sized laundry facility. Wish I had thought to throw a load in yesterday. We don't have a lot, but it crowds the bathroom. Darn!

We pulled out of our slip @ 7:15. Much of the ICW was canal-like today. We were looking @ houses to our starboard and the back of houses that were facing the ocean to our port.

We were moving @ 7.5 SOG. At SM 260, we saw the bridge open. It only opens on the hour and we missed it. So we waited for the 10 a.m. opening. Next was the Surf City Highway Bridge at 11 a.m. We arrived at the Figure Eight Island Bridge at 12:35 and it opens on the hour and half hour, so we went through @ 1 p.m. The current was against us and really slowed us down. We were 3/4 of a mile away when we saw it open @ 12:30.

The Wrightsville Bridge was our last for the day, with a 2 p.m. opening.

My friend, Mike Loch, an old printer friend of mine from my days @ Atlantic Cape, had made us a reservation at Joyner Marina. After he got off work, he came and sat on our boat and chatted for an hour. Then we all went to dinner @ Gibby's, where we had fried shrimp. Mike took us to Food Lion, where I did some major shopping. Thanks for your hospitality, Mike. We hope to see Joan on our way back.

Tomorrow:  Barefoot Landing, Myrtle Beach

Going through another swing bridge.

One of the many beautiful homes on the ICW.
What do these people do for a living?

Another neat bridge.

One of the many inlets to the ocean.

Joyner Marina where we stayed overnight.

It was great to see Mike again!

Provisioning at Food Lion.
And I found room for it all!

New Owners at Swan Point Marina in Sneads Ferry, NC; MUCH Better!

The captain let me sleep in until 6:50 a.m.  I was grateful for the extra sleep, but hate having to rush. I made coffee, took Jazzy for a little walk and trash run, came back and made breakfast and we pulled out of Beaufort, NC, at 7:20 a.m.

We planned on anchoring in Swansboro, but arrived there at 11 a.m., so decided to keep going. Our SOG was close to 10 knots, but when we made the turn as Casper’s, we were fighting the current and slowed down to 5.9. We decided to make a reservation at Swan Point on the south side of Camp Lejeune.

We saw several pods of dolphins while going through Camp Lejeune.

At 2 p.m., we called Swan Point for fuel and our slip number and it’s now under new ownership by Evelyn Hobbs and her daughter, Tina Turner.  They have owned the marina for a year and a half. Prior to that, it was closed for a year (we stayed here last trip in 2009). They no longer sell fuel, so we went next door to New River Marina, got fuel, then turned around and went into Swan Point. The current was swift, so the skipper had to “gun it” to get into the marina. Tina and her sail repair person, Robin, took our lines and got us settled in.

Evelyn and Tina have made improvements to the bathrooms (I got locked in the last time we were here!) and have spruced the place up quite a bit. I was dreading coming here because of our experience last time, but I'm glad we came back. They are doing a nice job of cleaning the place up. They have free WiFi and it's fast! Tina even stopped by our boat to see if we needed anything when she was leaving for the day and left her cell phone number in case we need anything. Now THAT's service! If we come south again, we’ll be sure to stop.

We split a porterhouse steak for dinner with home fries and cucumber salad (my first attempt and it was pretty tasty!)

Tomorrow: Wilmington, NC

This morning's sunrise.

Another pretty shot.

Going down the ICW this morning.

A military boat in Camp LeJeune.

One of the many pods of dolphins we saw today.

The skipper waiting for fuel at New River Marina.

The new owners have spruced up the Swan Point Marina.

This homemade sailboat pulled up next to us. Pretty neat!

Left Anchorage; Fueled up in Oriental and Pushed on to Beaufort, NC

Last night I added Sirius Internet Radio while in our anchorage in Belhaven, so I can get it on my phone to listen to the Notre Dame games while we’re anchored out without running the boat battery down. It’s a good thing I didn’t upgrade my phone before we left. I still have unlimited data and will lose that when I upgrade. Chuck was happy to listen to the game last night.

Brrr. It was cold this morning….just 59 degrees. We pulled anchor and by 7 a.m. were on our way to Oriental, NC. We were hoping to anchor there. The forecast was for 65 degrees and cloudy.

We left the Pungo River at 9 a.m. and entered the Pamlico River, which led to a canal. We went through Goose Creek and Bay River to the Neuse River. There was 14 knots of wind in the Neuse River, so we sailed for a while. We saw lots of shrimp boats, both docked and heading out.

At 1:30 p.m., we pulled into Oriental Marina and Inn for fuel. We stayed there last trip. But it was early, the sun had come out and it was beautiful. I wanted to keep going, so we called Beaufort Docks to make a reservation, fueled up and pulled out for Beaufort.

We saw several pods of dolphins today, but I didn’t get a good picture. I read Chuck Barris' book titled, Della, A Memoir of My Daughter. Sad, sad story, but a good book.

Chuck put on Sirius Radio and we listened to the Eagles game, then switched to the Patriots game.

We arrived at Beaufort Docks at 5:20 p.m. We saw wild horses on Carrot Island while approaching the harbor.

I took Jazzy for a walk to check in. Then Chuck took her for a longer walk, while I took a shower. I walked to the little grocery store (not much there) while he took a shower. Then we walked up and had dinner at Ribeye’s. I had an a la carte grilled boneless pork chop and the unlimited salad bar. Chuck had two skewers of grilled shrimp with baked potato and Texas toast. Delish!

Tomorrow:  Camp LeJeune, NC

One of many shrimp boats we saw today.

Another shrimp boat. Wish I had some fresh shrimp!

Oriental Marina where we got fuel and left for Beaufort, NC

My Marilyn passed us on the water. They are docked here too.

Look real hard and you'll see the one dolphin picture that I (almost) captured.

AIWW Railroad Bridge, next to the
Beaufort Channel U.S. Rt. 70 Highway Bridge. 

A large tanker docked.

Renegade...neat looking boat.

Beaufort Docks restaurants and shops.

Anchored in Pungo Creek, SM136 on ICW

I woke up at 4 a.m. to the sound of pouring rain. I catnapped after that until the alarm went off at 6:15 and handed the VHF radio to Chuck to listen to the weather.

We booted up the computer and looked at a few weather sites. There was a big band of rain coming through, but it looked like it would be gone by 7:30 a.m., so we put on our rain gear. I ran to Miss Wanda’s store and grabbed two breakfast sandwiches, while Chuck disconnected the electric and got ready to go.

We pulled out at 7:20 a.m. and requested an opening of the Alligator River Bridge. A trawler was a few mile markers back, so the bridge tender held up the opening until he got near the bridge.

I opened the dodger because the skipper couldn’t see with all the rain. It was going to be a wet morning.

There was lots of debris in the river and canal. We saw a few trees floating and Boat U.S. was actually towing a tree out of the river.

I read The Bridges of Madison County (great book!) I had never seen the movie, so I really enjoyed the book.

We had planned to anchor at Pungo River SM 127.5, but pushed on to Pungo Creek at SM136 and anchored at 3:30 p.m.

Since it was such a damp day, I’m making homemade chicken soup for dinner to warm us up.

Tomorrow: Oriental, NC

Tonight's anchorage

Anchored in Pungo Creek SM 136

Miss Wanda's Alligator River Marina

Friday, Oct. 18:

The alarm went off at 6:15 a.m., Chuck pulled the kellett and the anchor and we were off by 7 a.m. We pulled out the main sail at 8:20 to take advantage of the 16 knots of wind. Near Coinjock, at marker 116 the opening in the ICW was very narrow and it looked like you were entering a little creek. Strange.

At 9:50 a.m., we passed Statute Mile 50. Only 34 more miles to go to Alligator River. I called to make a reservation, which wasn’t needed, because we were only the third boat in the marina when we arrived.

We entered the North River at 11 a.m. Winds were 9 knots from the North and it was COLD! We entered the Amermarle Sound at 11:45 a.m., SM 65.

We pulled in Miss Wanda’s at 3 p.m. for fuel, then into slip #8.

The other Sheet Music that we had heard hailed on the radio was there! It’s a beautiful 45’ Morgan, blue hull. I LOVE blue hull boats! We talked to Mike, the owner, who is moving her south with his wife’s uncle. Then his wife and kids will fly down and take her to the Bahamas.

When he named her Sheet Music, he looked on the Coast Guard site and there was only three other documented boats called Sheet Music, us being one of them. What are the chances of two of them being in the same marina at the same time?!

Mike is from Havre de Grace, but his boat hails from Oriental, NC.

I made ham steak with crushed pineapple, mashed potatoes and green beans from my brother’s garden that I had in the freezer.

I finished reading Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs. What a powerful book. I have one of his heartsongs books that my friend, Kathie Clark, gave me many years ago. I think it’s the first one.  I knew he was a special young man and a peacemaker, but I was unaware of his severe health struggles and all he accomplished in his short life. It should be required reading for everyone.

We took advantage of hot showers in the bath house, had a drink on the back deck and walked around the grounds. Jazzy got to play on the grass where she played with her buddy, Sailor, last trip.

Tomorrow: Pungo River anchorage at Mile 127.5

The captain taking down the radar ball so he could open the head sail.

Miss Wanda's Alligator River Marina

The other Sheet Music, a 45' Morgan from Oriental, NC.