Week 39 ~Thunderbolt, GA to St John’s (with a stop in New Jersey for the Memorial Day Weekend)

Sunday, 5/21/23 ~ Thunderbolt to Beauford, SC
Today:           47 miles          8.1 hours          S/M 536.3
Total:        1341.3 miles      255.9 hours
 

   We were up and out by 8am. The temps were in the high 60s and the clouds were rolling in. The Causton Bluff’s new bridge is in operation. The old, broken bridge is still not completely open. The northwestern span is only 80% up. Caution is still necessary when passing through. By the time we were at the Savanah River, we could see the rains around us. We had gone a mile or so further before we were thankful for the enclosure. The heavens opened up. It caught a number of weekend fishermen / boaters in the open console boats. By the time we were by Skull Creek, the rain had stopped, and the skies were lightening.

 

  

Tillie on watch approaching the Causton Bluff Bridge 

Old bridge not fully in the up position and an osprey took advantage to build her nest.

Homes near the Bridge & a Southern Magnolia in bloom

 

Views approaching the Savanah River

 

 

South and North land points on the ICW crossing the Savanah River 

 

Red 48 close to shore, but in the deep water & the rains came

     We were tied up in Beauford around 4ish. After dinner, we walked with Tillie over to Killian’s for ice cream. She walked terribly, but we still got her a cake cone since she can’t have dairy. Once back, we read for a while before heading to bed, even though the skies were still light. Tomorrow will be a long day.

Monday, 5/22/23 ~ Beauford to St. John’s, SC ~ for 11 Days
Today:         63 miles          10.5 hours          S/M 472.6
Total:      1404.3 miles       236.4 hours

Skies began to clear and we caught a late sunrise

     Skies were once again overcast when we cast off lines at 6:45. With the temps in the low 60’s and the northeast winds around 15, it was cold and raw. We were able to make the bridge for the final opening prior to 7am. We didn’t want to be delayed 2 extra hours waiting for rush traffic period (7 – 9 am when the bridge does not open) to end. The day is long enough as is. Add to that, we were against the current most of the day, so we had an extra-long day. The breeze was perfect for sailing . . . IF we were south bound. It remained pretty much “on our nose” for most of the day. Too much tacking to make any progress via sailing.

Began the day behind 4 other sailboats

Watts Cut and Asheepoo Cut and River were very senic

 

 

. . . and a small pocket cruiser

     CHEROKEE was the dredger working in an area just north of the Asheepoo Cutoff, an area notorious for quickly slitting in. This dredge was larger than we have seen on the ICW and took up most of the deep water. Passing was done with caution.

 

                           This is the only way to appreciate the legnth of the dredge system

 
     While underway, Pete did check on the bilge and found it with a significant amount of water again. The manual switch didn’t work, but the float switch works. It just doesn’t seem to get power all the time. More investigation is needed and soon.

 

Hey, guys, Could you speed it up a little?!

OK! I feel better now!

   We fought the current for most of the day. Since we started early, we arrived on the Stono River around 4:30. Coming into St Johns Yacht Haven, Steve was there to catch lines with another dock hand. The promised paperwork for our stay has not yet arrived in my email. The marina is switching electronic reservations from MoJo to Dockwa and it is still in the early stages. “E” is handling the conversion, so she is swamped. No worries, we will eventually get a bill.

     Tillie didn’t make it to land once again. She tries to hold it until she gets to grass. The dock was christened on their way to the parking lot. Once back, we needed to remove a bunch of thistles and burrs from her paws. Thankfully, none were between her paws.

Tuesday, 5/23/23 ~ St John’s ~ Day 2

     Chores needed to be done onboard as well as Pete having a full day of work. The day passed pretty fast. Oh yea, he checked the bilge again and the pump is working. Curiouser and curiouser!

Wednesday, 5/24/23 ~ St. John’s ~ Day 3

     Pete was able to get a great car rental deal. The only negative was that it would take a good 40 minutes to make the loop around Charleston, to pick up rental car. Traffic was unbelievable! It crawled at 3 mph for miles. Pete was under time constraints due to 2 conference calls. Once back, I had to do laundry, prep and pack. By 9 pm, we were packed, the car loaded with all except last minute items, and boat was just about ready to be left for the long weekend.

Thursday, 5/25/23 ~ St John’s to Hamilton, NJ (by car)

     Up at 4:30; left at 5:15 am. That included closing all the through hulls. It didn’t take long for Tillie to go back to sleep. We have a dog blanket that covers the back seat as well as the back rests of the back and front seat, with stabilizing the straps around the head rests. That leaves a sling with no support between the back seat to the backs of the front seats. This is Tillies favorite spot not only for sitting, but especially for sleeping.
 

The Annapolis Bay Bridge

   We had no issues with traffic until northern SC, but then we started loosing 2 hours. There was an accident in SC that closed 95 South. As we were passing, they were trying to upright a tractor trailer that was wheels up on the side of the road. Of course, the “Ooo-Aha Squad” (gapers) in the north bound lanes slowed things up considerably. Nearing DC, traffic really slowed. It was after 2 so people were leaving work and heading out for the weekend early. We finally arrived at Greg and Jenn’s by 7:30: 14.5 hours of travel instead of 12!


Friday, 5/26/23 ~ Day 2 in Hamilton, NJ ~

     Jenn and Greg left for work around 5-5:30. I volunteered to so the food shopping and food prep. I made large portions of Tortellini Salad, Potato Salad and makings for a Garden Salad. 

Tillie loves the freedom of the fenced-in back yard. It was great to sit out there with her and just decompress. After dinner we watched the rest of the Netflix Series: The Medici. It was excellent, but somehow, we missed the first season. I know we will watch the entire series again.

   

Tillie and Buns come to an understanding & 

a friend I met when walking this morning
 

Saturday, 5/27/23 ~ Day 3 in Hamilton, NJ ~ The Family Gathers

     My sister Deneen, Joe, Julia, her boyfriend, Dylan, and Shelby; my brother Wayne, Matteo, his girlfriend, Vivian, and Nikki, (who came in from Italy for the week); along with Debi and Mom joined Greg, Jenn, Heather, Pete, Tillie and I, to enjoy Greg and Jenn’s back yard. Chris and family had booked their reservations for camping in Shenandoah National Park for the long weekend back in January. Debi’s Jess and Chels had a conference in Orlando, but will celebrate with everyone at Deneen & Joe’s on Monday. Jason started his new job and had to work this weekend. My sister, Steph and her family bought tickets to fly to NJ in July, BEFORE this weekend reunion was organized. The tickets were past the refund date. So, we will get to see them the first week of July.

Pics from the Party ~

 

  

     Great food, fun, family, and perfect weather. Jenn decided that since we had the perfect dessert, an Ice Cream Cake, we all needed to sing “Happy Birthday” to my brother-in -law, Joe. Needless to say, his confused face was priceless. His birthday is in October! The party continued well into the night. The fire pit is wonderful since sundown also lowered the temperatures and the Italian contingent stayed for the night.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~       K & P