Beaufort, SC at Lady's Island Marina

                                                                                  

                                                   Leaving Charleston Harbour

                                                                               

                                                              Low Water!

  Now that we were in water with constantly shifting sand dunes it was imperative that we time our passing of the known obstructions with some tide as a buffer, or risk hitting bottom and possibly bending a propeller. This is not as easy as it sounds because the currents in the bay and rivers affect your speed and therefore the time at which you will arrive anywhere. So, you check the tide charts for the many shoaling areas and the active captain reports on who has recently passed each area and what problems they encountered. Most importantly, what other reviewers suggestions for avoiding the shallow areas.
     One of the boaters reported that the area around Slann Island was the least well marked ICW from Biloxi, Mississippi to Norfolk.  Indeed, the markers were far apart and seemed to be placed on the shallow water so that you couldn't stay close to them.  At one point there is a very wide sharp S curve that almost bends back on itself and I didn't see the next marker. When I saw the depth dropping on the depth finder I stopped, realized my mistake and spotted a tug pushing a barge in the channel behind me! We waited for the tug to pass than eased back into the channel fortunately not going aground."
     We pushed the throttles up to try and maintain a 10 knot speed and headed into the last major shoal about 30 minutes before low tide.  Beth kept her eyes glued to the depth finder while I focused on staying in the middle of the last markers.  She reported, " 5 feet, 4 feet, 3.5 feet, 3 feet and with an increasing crescendo in her voice.... 2.9 feet! There is an offset in my depth finder but 2.9 feet is usually where the props touch bottom.  We both cringed waiting to hear the props dig in.......but nothing!  "2.9...2.9...3....3.1.....4.....We passed the shallows!
     The next major hurtle was going to be getting into the dock at Ladies Island.  The wind had increased to 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots and we would be arriving at dead low tide. We rounded the last marker to head into the channel and we were very relieved to see that even at low tide we had 6 feet of water below us.  One of the marina managers was waiting on the dock to help us land. Approaching slowly I had to ease past a large motor yacht, but the wind was pushing me toward the yacht and the immediate dock ahead of the yacht. The manager was pointing for me to push out and Beth was waving for me to move out, but I couldn't because that would have brought the stern of the boat in toward the other motor yacht....I held my breath and kept on my course passing the other yacht within inches .....and landing the bow of the boat up against the forward dock.  Fortunately the dock was edged with rubber and left only a small mark on the bow, but we were in.  On further discussion with Beth (Ahem!) it might have been wiser to head further up and further out from the other boats and let the wind place me on the dock.  The problem is Doc's Holiday has no side thrusters and therefore I have no control at slow speed if the wind is blowing on the side of the boat. his allows  the wind to push me at whatever speed  into the dock. My only recourse is to get as close to the dock as possible before I cut the power. Like all of life, sometimes there are just no good solutions and one has to do the best they can.
                                                                         

                                                       Sunset at Lady's Island

                                                                            

                                                           Sunrise at Lady's Island
                                                            

Charleston,SC

     I think the last day of cruising for Danny was the best. Not only did we have a bright sunny day with enough breeze to be comfortably cool navigating from the upper helm but it was fun when nature began to play with us.  Danny spotted fish clearing the water surface by 3 feet and several different bird species such as red headed pelicans, snow geese, ducks and osprey.  However, his biggest thrill came when he spotted a pod of Dolphins headed directly for the bow of the boat. We watched as one turned and jumped to position himself at the very front of the pod of 4 already riding the bow wave. They played with Danny. First rising to the surface so that he was looking directly down their blow whole than turning their heads from side to side looking up with an alternate eye each time he waved his hand at them. This didn't happen just once but on several occasions as we traveled through the somewhat open bays and in the channel.

                                                                           

                                                                                 

     Shoaling was now becoming significant.  About 2 miles from our destination at Toler Marina, Active Captain showed significant shoaling, meaning 3 foot depths where other cruisers reported having to go out of the channel or hit bottom. We slowed down and tried to keep close to the markers while jet skis and small runabouts buzzed by us taking  what little water depth we had and creating wakes that affected our depth sounder. Additionally, boats moving toward us wanted their half of the narrow shallow channel out of the middle. We stood our ground and forced them to go around us.  As we went over the last very shallow area I felt the boat slow down and tip to the port side. Instinctively I pushed the throttle forward to get more thrust to get us over the soft sand.  Stopping would have us sitting there until the tide went all the way out and we would not float off for at least another 45 minutes or more after bottoming. We slid through and enjoyed 4 to 5 foot depths all the way to the bridge. They had just completed a dredging of the channel into the marina so our depths their were 7 foot minimum.  Whew! We made it.  However, from now on we would have to pay closer attention to the local tides, stopping an hour before low tide and not leaving until at least an hour after low tide.

                                                                           

      Danny contacted his relatives and will be disembarking from Doc's Holiday to return home. He has been an immense help in us getting this far. Not only did he finally get the hang of keeping the boat in the middle of the channel but he helped with lines, power cords, docking, engine repairs, and cleaning the boat from stem to stern.  He even brought and cooked a moose meat dinner for us! With his pleasant nature we shared old stories about old times, had some great belly laughs (his laughs bigger than mine because he has a bigger belly!) and created some new stories.  Danny thank you.  It has been 3 weeks of challenges and fun; and thank you Susie for letting Danny be Danny,and  allowing him to join us in this adventure. To show our appreciation we have arranged for a nice waterfront hotel room in Portland for you both to stay when you pick him up.
     Just to prepare Danny for his homecoming, we took him out to a local restaurant called Salts 22. It was time for Danny to experience his first taste of oysters and she-crab soup. For those of you up north that do not know about she-crab soup, it is made from crab roe (eggs) and not only is very tasty but should extend the aphrodisiac properties of the oysters. Happy Homecoming, Susie! 

                                                                           

                                                        First time oysters for Danny.

     Beth raved about the Blue Crab Cakes with Carolina Slaw and grits and I savoured the delicately prepared swordfish.  Danny and I just had to have the creme brule for desert. Satiated, we used up some of the calories walking the mile and a half back to the yacht club. We took Spencer and Sophie for a long walk and began the preparations for the next days cruising. Danny wanted to stay to help us get away in the morning so we arranged a ride with Toler Marinas harbor master to deliver Danny to his Aunt, just 3 miles away.

                                                                             

                                    Signs along our walk (we went under this bridge)
                                                                                 

                                                                                      
                                                                             

                                                Sunset at Toler Cove near Charleston

                                                                                      

Southport to Osprey Marina in Myrtle Beach and on to Jeremy Creek and McClellandville, SC

     Not writing the blog daily has its disadvantages in that the idyllic cruising weather seems to blend together as one gets into the rhythm of the smooth water, clear sky and hum of the engines. If miss a day things meld together, but sometimes there is just not enough time to get done. This addition covers two days.
      Passing by beautiful landscaped lawns adorned with architecturally modern homes one could not help but guess at what business, occupation or illegal activity in which the owners must be involved. Never the less, despite the cries of recession and "no money", these homes attest to the fact that somebody in the good ole U.S.A is doing very well.

                                                                             

                                              Passing Big M Casino boat in the ICW
                                                                                               

 

                                                                                 

                                                                                    

                            Strange structure along the ICW at the 3 miles of "Danger Rocks"


                                                                                 

                                                                                   

                                                                      Pirates!!


                                                                                 

                                                                                
                                                        This ones for you Molly!

                                              Myrtle Beach Gondolas over the ICW

                                                                              

Sophie trying to stay cool in the SC heat....guess its time for her summer cut now that she is not up North.

     We turned off the I.C.W into the entry to Osprey Marina and at idle speed entered into an idyllic setting.  Completely surrounded by woods, this marina had been an old stone quarry that had lived out its bounty and was converted into a marina. Very well protected from wind, wakes and current it provided solitude and safety.  New floating docks held almost 300 boats, not just because it was only $1.00 per foot but there was easy access to the bustle of Myrtle Beach or one could just enjoy the natural surroundings of woods, Osprey gliding over head, and the large number of turtles swimming around the boat.

                                                                             

                                                                                 

   

     There was a vast area of well manicured grass and fields for Spencer and Sophie to enjoy but what really got them excited was the heard of goats pastured in a large area near the marina entrance.  Sophie cocked her head from side to side constantly sniffing the air trying to figure out, "What are those things! Spencer growled and when he barked, the goats jumped away and wandered to the other side of the field...great fun for Spencer.
      The other problem with writing two day blogs instead of one,  is that on reflection sometimes what stands out most is the things that went wrong.  I don't want the tone of the blog to look like we go from problem to problem.....but sometimes it seems that way.  As we tied up to the dock I shut down the port motor easily but when I tried to shut down the starboard motor.....NADA!  It wouldn't stop....just kept on running despite pushing the shut down button and turning off the key.  I ran down into the engine room and flipped the air box off, starving the motor for air, thus forcing a shut down. On top of that there was an unusual clicking noise coming from the engine sounding like a non-functioning pump.  On inspection there was motor oil down the front of the engine, along a cross member and under the motor that neither Danny or I had noticed before. " Was this going to be the end of our cruise?" was my immediate thought.
     Fortunately, there was a diesel mechanic available on site and an hour later we had our answers. The motor wouldn't shut down because the solenoid had a loose ground wire and the oil leak was one that has been there since I purchased the boat.  Since we didn't clean it up routinely it accumulated and looked a lot worse than it really was. Additionally, because the oil accumulated it dripped down on to a fan belt and caused the unusual noise as the fan belt turned.   I set about cleaning things up while Danny washed the outside of the boat and cleaned out the anchor locker.
     All was well, so after showers we enjoyed grilled sausage (Danny style---boiled first to extract the grease) and Caesar's salad with the compulsory pre and after dinner cocktails.  Here, life takes a slower pace.
     Staging ourselves for Danny's dropping off point in Charleston, we planned on sleeping in (Ha! Ha! much to Beth's chagrin, this meant  5:00 for me) . We had a leisurely breakfast of good ole fried Bologna, eggs, toast and coffee than walked the dogs, puttered on the boat, and left around 11:30.  Mainly the delay was to allow us incoming tide to get around and over some shoals on the way to Jeremy Creek and a quaint fishing village at McClellanville.
    A shrimp boat followed us over the very shallow  3 foot bar at the entrance, which we manage to clear without bumping. The attendant at Leland Oil and gas dock helped us get secured.  He then informed us that,  " There really wasn't much to do here but there is a fresh fish market which would be closing half an hour from now, and the  one local restaurant wouldn't be open until Thursday...not much business at the first of the week round here!"
   We were happy to just settle in with mesquite smoked grilled steaks sizzling on the barbecue as we cooled off with a couple of frosty Bud premiums. Looking around we could see several shrimp boats serenely floating next to their docks in the reddening sunset. The sky was clear and although somewhat humid for us Canadians, the fresh breeze kept us cool on the upper deck while the air conditioners did their job cooling off the inside. This is cruising.
  

Swansboro to Southport. NC

   It was a  great cruising day from Swansboro to Southport, NC.  Leaving the slip at daybreak allowed us to use the extra foot of tide to hug the dock and avoid the shallow bottom a Dudley's Marina. As the sun slowly appeared on the horizon behind us we easily came up to our cruising speed of 9.2 knots and headed into the ICW.
    Much less traffic meant that the only thing we would have to slow down for were the timed openings of the bridges. (Which, of course we didn't have timed very well!) It was relatively easy for us to slow down to kill an extra 30 minutes or hold position in a channel waiting for the bridges to open.
     In parts of the ICW we could see beyond the rim to the open Atlantic. I briefly pondered the thought of  the easier cruising on the outside...ie avoiding shallow obstructions and other boats but the thoughts of the very likely possibility of "mal de mer" were enough for me to resolve to just handling the vicissitudes of ICW cruising.
                                                                         

 Wrightsville, NC......this sand bar with the palm tree and parking meter was covered in water when we passed by in 2012.

                                   Wrightsville Beach.....lots of Boats and summer activity

     Most of the ICW in the populated areas is lined with beach homes with docs and small boats on lifts at the end of the docks. Danny quipped, "Gee, I bet if you put a bucket with water in it, somebody would try fishing it!"
                                                                       

                                                   Casting in very shallow water
                                                                                 

                                                                                    

                     These 2 were picking up ???? clams and putting in the floaty                                                                                  

     One of the interesting areas we passed through was Camp Lejeune. This is a live firing zone for the armed forces which they shut down during their exercises. Passing through we could see old troop carriers  or tanks spaced out on the island as if they had been destroyed trying to land. There is no question, these fellows are good because they practice all the time.
                                                                       

      
                                                                                 

     We passed several marinas and as I was patting myself on the back for getting diesel fuel for $2.18/gal, Danny spots fuel for $1.98/gal! For those of you avoiding boating because of fuel costs..HA! HA! Look around there is reasonably priced fuel and marinas available.
                                                                             

      The sunny day had us navigating from the upper helm in a nice cool breeze. Rubber necking around at the homes, farms and bikini dotted beaches distracted me from following the navigation buoys but the real reason I went out of the channel was because I was fiddling with the map plotter....Honest!  I had just asked Danny to take over the helm.  He was eating an orange and couldn't grasp the wheel in time. Looking up to see we were out of the channel he quickly wheeled back toward the centre line and I felt the prop bump.  We carefully brought the boat back up to cruising speed.....Whew! No Vibration.  Later when we got landed at Southport Marina, we used my newly acquired fish camera to inspect the props.....No Dings!

                                                                                   

                                        Doc's Holiday sitting pretty at Southport Marina


     This marina is well maintained with new docks, a dog park, and within walking distance of some interesting restaurants overlooking the water. We saw a crowd lined up at the Yacht Basin Provision Company.  The receptionist told us it was a 30 minute wait or we could try to find a place at the bar, took our name and directed us towards the beer cooler to get what we wanted on the honor system.
Beth got a beer while Danny and I went to the bar, ordered two rum and coke with lime and grabbed three seats when a couple got up to leave. We were in within 10 minutes.  The cooks were hollering out for pick up ...for waitress to come deliver the food because it was ready. They  were surprisingly fast....we had our food before we finished our cocktails.  Fresh yellow tuna for Danny and me and fresh caught shrimp for Beth.  They were so busy that when I received the bill, the only charge on it was for Beth's beer. I waited to get the waitresses attention and had her correct the bill to pay for the meals. The food was good and I certainly didn't want the waitress to have to come good for the bill.
     We had covered 80 miles and hoped to do the same tomorrow as we were now pushing closer to Charleston, Va where Danny would be leaving us to return home to St. Stephen, N.B.
     
    
     
   


   

Oriental to Swansboro, North Carolina

     Rising early, we idled out of the shallow anchorage and headed across the Neuse River toward Morehead City.  An easy bright cool day made the trip easy to follow the well marked course all the way.  We watched as a couple of early risers passed us several times going from one fishing hole to the next and several cruisers passed us going up toward Pamlico Sound.
    We turned at Morehead City to begin the long ICW ziz-zag down the coast along Bogue Sound. The bay was filled with people out in their boats. Lots of boats and lots of inexperienced people and a few complete dummies! One fellow blithely putting along alone,  pulled directly across in front of me. When I honked the air horn he turned and looked directly up at me waving for me to slow down.. !!!!! I was only going 5 knots....Dummy!...learn the Rules of Navigation.  Another, with a boat full of people raced up from my stern, cut in between me and the green buoy we were hugging prior to going through the "cattle gates" of a bridge....then slowed down not more than 30 feet in front of me.  His eyes widened when he looked over his shoulder and realized that the big boat, now behind him couldn't slow down and he hit the throttles to avoid a collision.
    The worst of them  though, were the dummies dragging their children behind them on inner tubes. Some of these were grandfathers that just wanted to have fun on the water with the kids but didn't have the sense to take them to a safe place for not if, but when they fell off.... They should not be in a  heavily traveled shipping channel! Not only can the big boats and trawlers not slow down fast enough to avoid running over kids in the water but there is always the testosterone laden Sea Ray and Sports Fishers who were swamping everyone in the water. They absolutely would have trouble avoiding kids in the middle of the channel at the speed and carelessness that they routinely travel.

                                                                               

                           Guy in the sound fishing........his dog waiting for the catch!


    My final rant about "dummies on the water" is the young kids in kayaks floating just beside the shipping channel waiting to ride the big boats wakes. They couldn't have been more than 8 to 10 years old and no, they weren't idiots.  They were just kids wanting to have fun.....Their parents are the dummies for not making them wear life jackets.  Far from shore, I guess they could have held on to their kayaks if they fell off.....but  I ask, "What are your parents thinking!!"
    Yes it was Sunday, so maybe next Sunday we will just stay in port so I can avoid more grey hair.
     We entered Dudley's Marina in Swansboro, tanked up with fuel at $2.18/gal and stayed for the night.  Shallow water would have us moving early tomorrow to avoid low tide.

                                                                           

                                                      Sunset on Bogue Sound