Mile Hammock Bay to Morehead City, NC.

Today:    33 miles, 5.6 hours, ICW

Total:     2468.4 miles, 384.9 hours

     It was another beautiful morning and everyone, but 3 boats, decided to leave at first light or shortly thereafter.  The breezes have changed to the NNW and have brought cooler temperatures with the change. 

Barrier island at Camp Lejuine

   

Bailey's safe place during the rocking

     It was an uneventful cruise with the exception of the smaller fishing boats, who like to pass about 10 feet from us at speed. 

     As we were in the northern part of Bogue Sound, the current was in our favor and we cruised at 8.4 for a while. This also meant that once we crossed the inlet, our speed would drop. It wasn’t a real concern a we needed to drop speed further to allow a tug and barge to reposition, then build up speed to head north.  This wasn’t a problem as we only needed to travel about 1000 feet before making our turn into the creek for Morehead City Marina.

     It was a relaxing evening after dinner and we plan to get a later start tomorrow as River Dunes is only 30 miles upriver.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P

Carolina Beach to Mile Hammock Bay, NC.

Today:    52 miles, 8.6 hours, ICW

Total:     2387.4 miles, 372.8 hours

Yes! it is a pink-hulled fishing boat!

     We were underway around 8 am, but we still have problems with the tablet turning off periodically.  We will have to investigate more once we are stationary in River Dunes. 

     I am constantly bewildered by the boaters traveling this section of the ICW (between Carolina Beach and Morehead City).  It seems the closer we are to the ocean, the more small boats are on the waterway.  The amount is not the problem; it is the fact that they are sometimes in their own world, talking or fishing, and are unaware of other boats in the ICW.  More annoying: They love to pass us with in 10 feet or so at fast speeds!  
     Today’s passing experience was the most surreal. . . We were traveling in a narrow area of the ICW. A south bound, 45-foot power boat was approaching at a slow speed.  We suddenly heard a double tap on a horn.  It was a 35-foot power boat coming north, at ¾ speed, and “threading the needle” between us and the south-bound boat. He wouldn’t answer his radio, he didn’t back down and he wouldn’t look at either boat as he passed.  There might have been 8 feet between the boats as he passed! Be aware of a blue-hulled, tan canvased motor boat called CAROLINA GIRL.

Unusual home in Wrightsville Beach

SUP boarders leaving "Brunelle's" Island ~
The one where they went aground and
lost their rudder in 2009

Wrightsville Inlet

Paul and SV CHECKERED PAST

A Skidoo with a custom windshield,
Bimini and cooler for fishing

Home is definitely pink and
currently empty

Colorful crab pot and floats

 

New Surf City Bridge
under construction

     There was also a 60-65 foot power cruiser. He didn’t call to say he was overtaking us.  When another sail boat commented on the radio, the captain of the motor boat said that he has been doing this for 4 years and it was the sailboat’s responsibility to check behind him!

   Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful.  We had to wait for the 3 bridge openings, but we tried to pace the boat so that the wait was minimal.  SV CHECKERED PAST was one of the boats we traveled with for a good part of the day.

     In Mile Hammock, we spoke with the owners of SV OSPREY, a 2003 Catalina 350, hull # 59.  They purchased it 2 years ago and have made the trip to the Bahamas, but needed to return home to work until a recent retirement.  They are taking her back to Norfolk and are looking forward to exploring the upper Chesapeake Bay. Perhaps we will see them during their explorations. 

Sunset at Mile Hammock Bay

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P

Myrtle Beach to Carolina Beach, NC.

Today:    53 miles, 7.1 hours, ICW

Total:     2335.4 miles, 364.2 hours

Inside the harbor for
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club and 2 other marinas

     We were set and ready to leave by 7:50 am. The current was with us to Little River Inlet, but that was only a couple of miles. Our speed went from 7.4 mph and dropped to 5.2 once we crossed the inlet entrance.

FV HURRICANE SHRIMPER making adjustments
Little River Inlet

   

     Last night, when checking Facebook, an Active Captain posting mentioned that Shallotte Inlet was recently dredged, and the marked channel is currently not a problem.  We made it though at low tide with plenty of water.  Lockwoods Folly Inlet is still tricky. We had no problems following directions that kept us close to the red buoys.

Bailey like to cross her legs

    Pete spent a couple of hours working.  I found that the tablet, which houses the Sonar Charts, kept turning off.  I must have rebooted it 8-10 times.  It is a little disconcerting, specially since we were traveling at low tide through Ocean Isle City.  
     While traveling though Southport, we were traveling at 9.2 mph.  Unfortunately, once we entered Cape Fear River, we battled the ebb current the entire way. Our speed dropped to 4.8 for hours!

Playing at water's edge

Shoal very close to the channel

    We reserved a mooring ball in Carolina Beach through the DOCKWA App because we didn’t have time to drop anchor as planned.  The trip up Cape Fear River really delayed our anticipated arrival in Carolina Beach. Since Pete had to be on an hour conference call at 4:30, I made the reservation at 4 and we grabbed the mooring ball at 4:20!  The conference went well and we spent peaceful evening on the mooring.

Carolina Beach's mooring field

     I received an email from Donna, SV DEEGEE V.  They will be in River Dunes next Wednesday and if we are still there, might we get together for dinner.  We will be there and it will be nice to catch up with Donna and Ed.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P

Georgetown, SC to Myrtle Beach, NC.

Today:    60 miles, 9.6 hours, ICW 
Total:     2282.4 miles, 357.1 hours

Beautiful morning in Georgetown

The Paper Mill

Reflections of Route 17 Bridge 

     According to the current information, we should have only had an hour push up the Waccamaw River before the current would be against us if we left Georgetown by 8 am.  Instead, we had the current pushing us up river for the entire ride. We were doing 7.2 mph, which is much better than the anticipated 5.5!  We slowed down the closer we got to the to the split into the “ditch” south of the Socastee Bridge, but we were still traveling 6+ mph.

Trees along the banks

      There is such a big difference between traveling this river in the fall verses the spring.  On our trip down, the trees were leafless, the forests grey-brown and silent.  Spring brings many of shades of green, the sweet scents of new growth and spring flowers, lots of nests with ospreys, eagles and storks minding their broods, and turtles enjoying the sun. They can be found warming themselves on any logs or stumps they can climb upon.

Nesting Storks and Osprey

     

My Favorite Old Tree

12 Turtles sitting on a log!!!

   

Raising the soil level
 for new development

  

The edge of the channel against
part of the Rock Pile

     We were unable to get dockage at Barefoot Marina & Resort. There is a tremendous amount of construction on the eastern side.  They are creating a huge entertainment center with lots of new stores and restaurants.  As a result, there is no longer dockage available for cruisers.  The docks at Barefoot Landing Marina will only be available for guests on boats staying a few hours for the restaurants. So, Pete was able to get dockage at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club.  We have passed a marina that has a light house at the entrance.  The entrance is deceiving.  It curves into a large basin that houses 3 marinas, and lots of boats.  Being only 4 miles north of Barefoot, it is still convenient, with great staff, well protected and very reasonable.  With Active Captain discount, it was a $1.00 per foot!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P

Charleston to Georgetown, SC.

Today:    66 miles, 10.4 hours, ICW

Total:     2222.4 miles, 347.5 hours

MY ELYSIAN as we were leaving Charleston

A collapsed building

Another dredging "city"

     We were underway by 7:40 am.  There was no rush this morning as we had to wait for the 9 am opening of the Ben Sawyer Bridge.  It will not open on weekdays between 7-9 am and 3:30-6:30 pm.  We were the second of 3 sailboats that made the opening. Unfortunately, it was low tide and the first boat went hard aground about a ½ mile north of the bridge. He said he would wait to float off with the incoming tide. The boat behind me passed and pushed his way through the skinny area.  We touched bottom, backed off, then found enough water to continue. We found out later that it took anther 2.5 hours for the tide to rise enough for the first boat to continue on their way. We tapped bottom again passing through Isle of Palms and then at Red 86 I went wide into what I though was deeper water according to the sonar charts, but ran aground.  Thankfully, we were able to back off.

Isle of Palms

A Ketch that is high and dry!

     Pete had work that took up the morning and part of the afternoon, so I really enjoyed this part of the ICW.  The scenery is beautiful and a number of inlets, where there is always a chance to spot of dolphins. Of course, all the inlets control our boat speed.  If the tide is going out, one side of the inlet will increase our speed (1-2 miles per hour) while the other side of the inlet slows us down by the same amount.

Within 15 feet of the muddy
bank, but still in the channel!

     McClellanville is always a concern.  It has notoriously skinny water a low tide.  Now, with the sonar charts, we know where the deeper water is, and we made it though at low tide, with no problems! The current finally stayed in our favor for the last 3 hours of our day.  As we made the turn from Estherville Mimin Creek Canal onto Winyah Bay, we were doing 9.2 mph!  The current gods were kind and stayed with up until we were docked in Harborside Marina in Georgetown.

Friendly clouds above the banks of the ICW

Dolphins!

       This is a great marina.  It was rebuilt and just reopened last fall.  It is right in town, $0.25 less per foot than Georgetown Marina and the current isn’t nearly as strong.  They are still working and expanding the docks to accommodate more boats.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P