Myrtle Beach to Georgetown, NC

Today:    51 miles, 7.25 hours, ICW St. M 402.9

Total:     590.2 miles, 87 hours

Osprey Marina's Transient Dock

     Clear Skies and cool temperatures greeted us this morning. We were up and away from the dock by 7:40. As we passed Osprey Marina, we saw the brand new transient dock. It is impressive…and long!  We stayed there on our trip north as part of our original cruise.  They were great.  While at The Barefoot Landing Marina, Kitty, of SV TAMUR, spoke with Osprey and asked if they had transportation so that she could pick up a few provisions.  The gal at Osprey stated that Uber could be called, but if Kitty gave her a brief list, she would pick up the groceries for her.  Talk about customer service!

The construction that closes
 the ICW on Fridays

     Thankfully, we didn’t need to leave on Friday.  Apparently, every Friday for the next couple of weeks, the ICW is closed below the Socastee Bridge so that the construction on the new bridge can proceed safely.  When we passed through that area, you can see that they are currently placing the I-beams for the road bead of the bridge.

     Currents were our main concern today.  We were against the current for the first few hours until we were on the Waccamaw River. Once the current was in our favor we were in the upper 8’s and even hit 9.2 mph until the current changed about 5 miles north of Georgetown. One noticeable observation on the Waccamaw was the turtles.  We saw groups of them on logs trying to absorb the available sunlight. Unfortunately, around the same time, clouds had begun to build so the sun was intermittent. The trees that line the river are pretty bare or brown.  Definitely, not as pretty as spring and earlier fall travel on this river.

Banks of the Waccamaw River

Turtles finding warmth in the fall

School bus ferry

Cypress roots

Bank of the Waccamacaw
further downriver

FV CAROLINA GIRLS
heads back home

FV BLACKBEARD

     In the past, we have always docked at Georgetown Marina, which is on the Pee Dee River on the outskirts of town.  Today, we went to Harbor Walk Marina.  It is right in the old town. Apparently, they just opened.  The floating docks, the shed for the fuel dock are all new.  It is a short walk into the quaint old town.  Since it was Sunday, we opted for an early dinner at the Big Tuna since most places in town close by 5 on Sunday!  We enjoyed sitting outside, watching and listening to the thousands of black birds on the island across the way.

The Big Tuna Restaurant's waterfront dining

   Once back, we spoke with some of our dock neighbors.  The couple from Boston had a Shannon motor sailor.  I must admit, it is one of the stranger sailing vessels we have seen. Strange, but according to her owner, she’s comfortable, stable, and with 12+ knots of wind, she is a good sailing vessel.

     The cloud cover made for a less than impressive sunset, but the atmospheric feel in the harbor was wonderful!

     We plan to leave a nautical twilight in the morning. We have a lot of miles to cover with a very challenging, skinny waters in a number of places, so it will be an early night.

~~~ /) ~~  K & P

The week in North Myrtle Beach

Monday, 11/6

     This morning was very busy.  Pete worked with George via phone, while I took my 2-mile walk. When I got back to the boat, we untied the lines and moved to the main dock for fuel and pump out.  Pete continued to work under the gun until about 2. Then it was time to organize and pack before the driver from Enterprise arrived to take Pete to get his rental car.

     While Pete was working, a gentleman stopped by. He though we might have engine problems and offered assistance as a diesel mechanic. He lives here at the resort and we chatted for a while.

     I spent the afternoon updating and uploading the blog.  I had to get it done while Pete was still here, and I had the internet access through the JetPack, which travels with him for work.  Even though the marina advertises internet service, it works only on the main dock.  They are getting a better system later this month, but that doesn’t help now.

     Around 4:30, Pete left for Charleston airport, 2 hours away. Shortly after he left, I was checking my phone and saw that our daughter-in -law, Kelli, gave us a heads’ up that our good friend, Carolyn, fell in her garden and broke her hip.  I was able to speak with Carolyn and she is going to have surgery in the next day or two. What a bummer! Even though there are hundreds of miles separating us, I will be there for her as she was there for me earlier this year.

Tuesday, 11/7

     After Bailey and I took our walk, I spent most of the day reorganized things. I cleaned up photos on my phone and organized other folders, then continued on the computer.

     Pete’s flight left at 6:50 this morning, which meant that he has been up since 4 am Eastern time.  He made a mistake choosing to fly economy and he couldn’t even reserve his seating choice.  As a result, both legs of the flight were miserable; middle and window seats, when he prefers the roomier isle seating.

     Around 4:30, I as I walked Bailey, I met Kitty.  She invited me to join them for cocktails aboard SV TAMURE. Kitty and Scott are from Norwalk, CT.  They have circumnavigated the world twice, plus completed the Atlantic Circle. They had such wonderful stories to share (including being aboard their 32-foot sail boat during the strongest hurricane recorded in Fiji in the 70’s and working with the indigenous peoples of South America.) Joining us was Mike and Tina of SV CHEROKA, out of Ontario. They were the couple who helped us into the dock at Belhaven. This is their first cruise. As they entered the US, they found themselves (and his brother’s boat) heading down the Niagara River and, yes, towards the falls a few miles downstream!  They turned around once they realized their mistake, but with a 10 knot current they couldn’t make headway.  They had to use Tow Boat. The other couple were Elaine and Jeff, from MV ANEGADA DA VIDA, Greenwich Bay, RI. They have cruised the east coast a few times and they hope to make it back to the Bahamas after the first of the year. The two hours went very fast and an enjoyable time was had by all.

     I returned to PEKABU to fill the water tanks and to reheat my dinner. After dinner, I talked with Pete.  Today was long and intense, and tomorrow will be more of the same.  Pete and George their business and I am sure that the solution they wind up with will be great for their client.

     Bailey has been taking the same stick for a walk since Sunday.  Today, she exchanged it for one that had been pulled from the water and been placed on our dock.  She’s so proud of her sticks! As to her ears, their eruptions seem to be cyclic.  The ears improve and then get worse.  The vasculitis, according to the vet, feels a bit like pins and needles.  Her shaking of the head from time to time, breaks off large pieces of scab, exposing new, raw areas.  Right now, we seem to be in a declining period.  She is so good about taking the pills and allowing the application of the cream twice a day.  I just wish it would clear up.

  

Wednesday, 11/8

    We had some rain and wind overnight.  During our walk, I checked with the dock master to see if my external storage has arrived.  I finally max out the terabyte of storage on my old portable hard drive. It hadn’t yet, but today's delivery should be sometime after 11. 

    I had offered to help TAMUR and CHEROKA cast off, but they left a little before 9.  It seems a lot of boats are trying to get farther south before the rains come tomorrow. These two a heading down to Osprey Point Marina to wait out the weather.

     Kyle, the dock hand, had stopped around 11 with my package.  I spent most of the day organizing photos in LightRoom. It was just the tip of the ice berg.  I want to cull out tons of duplicate and poor photos, and organize them in LR database. I am hoping once we are docked for the 2 months in Riviera Beach, I will be able to make a sizable dent in the work. 

     I was even able to catch up with some friends and one of my sisters today. I miss Pete, but when he travels, I seems to be more productive.

Thursday, 11/9

     Set my alarm so that I could walked Bailey before the heavy rains came. Good thing I did. We were back to the boat only 20 minutes when the heavy rains came. Knowing it was going to pour all day, I thoroughly cleaned the boat. Poor Bailey, she couldn’t find a good spot to stay out of my way. Things out of place, were placed where they belong so I was moving all around the boat all day. Since I have also been successful using up the leftovers and small food items in the fridge, it was a good time to defrost it.  It might have been a poor day to be on the water (only 2 boats headed south, and no boats was added to the marina) but it was a very successful day on board.

     Pete and George are taking the red-eye home tonight.  Pete has already accepted that he will not get any sleep as he has the middle seat again.

    When I took Bailey for her final walk, the rains finally stopped and the air is crisp, clear, and clean.  If it were warmer, I would have loved to open the hatches, but I’m not crazy.  It is supposed to be in the low 40’s by morning.

Friday, 11/10

     Bailey and I resumed our longer morning walks. Once back, I defrosted the freezer.  While it was defrosting, I made up a quick reference sheet of all our stops on the cruise, including miles including notes on inlets from which we might be able to “jump” for ocean passages as a way of shortening the travel time.  We planned to be in West Palm Beach by Thanksgiving, However, with my medical appointments in Florida being over 2 weeks instead of 4 days, it pushed things back.  Weather delays as well as Pete trip to California have also pushed things further behind.  Once Pete has recouped and slept, I let him to do calculations to see if it is possible. We can’t do jumps if they are longer than 12 hours due to Bailey.  She is not trained to take care of business on board.  Even if any are feasible, it will depend on the weather when the time comes for the jump.

     I went over and started 2 loads of laundry, then jumped into the shower.  It is wonderful to have water over head when washing hair!  When I returned to the laundry to switch the loads into the dryer, I was joined by Shirley.  They arrived earlier today. She and her husband live in Toms River, NJ, joined the “dark side” about 2 years ago. They gave up their 30-foot Hunter for a 32-foot Juneau Swift Trawler, traveling between the Chesapeake and Fort Meyers, FL.  Not a bad way to travel.

      As I took Bailey for her before dinner walk, we passed the gate for A-Dock.  There was a beautiful young boxer at the gate definitely wanting to play.  The gate is at the top of a flexible ramp that attaches to the floating dock, and sits about 10 -12 feet lower than the gate. There is no space to play. As we continued our walk, the boxer ran along the cement capstone of the sea wall.  It is only 18 inches wide and I was worried that she would fall.  Thankfully, nothing bad happened and we returned to the boat. Knowing Pete would be home by seven, I made sure dinner would be ready

     As predicted, Pete didn’t sleep on the flight last night.  Before sunrise, George drove him to the marina to pick up our car.  He then started driving south on 95.  Thankfully, he missed all the traffic.  He drove to Charleston, deposited our car at the airport long term parking and retrieved the rental car from Monday. (Our car will stay in long term parking until we get to Florida.) He was here at the marina by 7. After a hardy dinner, he made himself comfortable on the couch and napped until it was time to head to bed.

 Saturday, 11/11

     It was 34 degrees at 7 this morning. The coldest we have experienced this fall.  Hopefully, the next few mornings will be a bit warmer.

     Pete was able to sleep until 8.  The plans were to stop for groceries and West Marine before returning the rental car by noon.  Pete suggested that we go out for breakfast.  He knows that it is my favorite meal to eat out.   Besides being delicious, somehow it sets the tone for the entire day. We were able to do everything planned and Pete returned the car by 11:50. Unfortunately, there was no staff to drive him back to the marina, but a customer offered to drop him nearby as he was coming that way. It was a longer walk than he anticipated from Route 17 back to the marina, but it gave me time to stow all the provisions and clean up by the time Pete arrived back at the boat. 

     Thankfully, the marina was OK with us staying another day. When I went up to pay the balance, I was pleasantly surprised that we owed $17.20 for the extra night’s dockage.  The discount now kicked in for the total number of days.

     It was a nice relaxing afternoon of reading and updating the blog.  Pete read for most of the afternoon until the temperature began to drop. Once inside, he did the engine checks, tried to repair the printer, which no longer prints in color, and cleaned out 2 flashlights where the batteries corroded. I am sure that after dinner, we will call it an early night.  We will be departing for Georgetown shortly after sunrise.

Staying in Myrtle Beach

We both enjoyed the extra hour of sleep since the clocks turned back last night.

After breakfast, we took advantage of the heavy dew, clouds and comfortable temperatures. Pete scrubbed the exterior of the boat. I did some chores down below and then went up to dry the cockpit and enclosure.  I also cleaned the cockpit cushions. Pete enjoyed watching most the Eagles/Bronco Game on CBS. During the 4^th quarter, coverage suddenly switched to the Ravens’ game without explanation. I don’t think he has seen a full game yet this season.  Good news, Eagles dominated and won 51to 23!  They are having an outstanding season so far.

I spent the day prepping photos from our travels and getting the blog ready to post.  The Wi-Fi is terrible here.  We were told that by the end of the month, the new digital Wi-Fi should be up and running.  With everything ready to post, I will us our Jetpack tomorrow and post everything before Pete leaves.

Well, time to walk Bailey a final time, so good night.

~~~ /) ~~ K & P

Carolina Beach to Myrtle Beach, NC

Today:    51 miles, 9 hours, ICW St. M 348.2

Total:     539.2 miles, 79.75 hours

Up again at first light for an early departure.  We were underway by 7:15 again and watched the full moon set.

Daybreak over Carolina Beach

Moon rise emerging out of Snow's Cut

The 9+mph current

 We anticipated, based on our research, that we would have the 2.3 mph current against us heading down the Cape Fear River.  As it turns out, we had the current heading west through Snow’s Cut.  We hit 9.2 under the bridge.  Though there was shoaling on the western end of the Cut, we still had about 10 feet at high tide.  Once on the river, we managed a decent 6.7 mph even with the flood tide.  Pete noticed two tugs heading to the ship docked at Reaves Point, a military installation.  We kept our eyes on the ship to see when she powered up.   We were about 1.5-2 miles south of the ship when the Sheriff's boat came alongside, requesting us to keep to the green side of the channel and wait until the ship and the Coast Guard boats pass before continuing our journey.  As the ship approached, the USCG small boat parallel us at about 100 feet as the ship passed.  The machine gun was manned, and eyes were on all directions from the boat. A larger 50-foot USCG boat was bringing up the rear.  That machine gun was also manned.   As the ship was a little over a mile south of us, a small, 10-foot fishing boat was heading full speed towards the ship’s aft.  The Coast Guard cut him off and stopped his forward progress.  He sat there the better part of 10 minutes before resuming his course.

The Black Eagle with an escort

One of the USCG escorts

Pelican Perch

PEGASUS with Tow Boat US

Unfortunately, we heard one of the bridges us calling towboat for a sail boat hard aground at the New River Inlet. We also heard PEGASUS call out. They dropped anchor in the channel in Southport.  They have fuel in the bilge and are waiting for towboat. This has not been a good trip for them.

Sunrise yoga in Southport

Fishermen at the Inlet

Once again, strong currents
at the inlet

We passed through Fowley’s Inlet just past high tide.  Depths were good (17 foot +) and the current strong. Pete had to slow down as we were doing 10+mph approaching the inlet.  Of course, once south of the Inlet, we had the current against, but the ride is beautiful.

The winds continued to slowly increase out of the north for most of the day.  Unfortunately, the ICW is very difficult to sail with all the curves and angles.  However, on such a beautiful day neither one of us will complain.

Tired fishing boats

Unique deck in Holden Beach

Horse and riders along the banks

Unusable marina!

Homes come in all colors!

We seemed to catch extreme low tide most of the way down from Shallot’s Inlet. Combine normal low with full moon and things get interesting.  We finally began to fight against the current just north of Little River Bridge and managed 5.3 mph for the last 2 ½ hours of our trip.  That low tide was very dramatic once we entered the Rock Pile.  Some of the rocks were about 3 feet above the water. As we were navigating through one of the narrowest parts, a north bound, 50-foot, fast boat charged up the ICW and within 5 feet of us doing 30+and rocked our boat!

THE ROCK PILE ~

He was only 15 feet from our boat in the center of the channel!

We finally arrived at 4:45 and secured to C Dock on the southern end of the marina.  Once secure, I had some minor chores below and Pete sat up above finally having time to enjoy a good book.  He suddenly called down to me and said that I had to see what’s heading north.  As it turns out it was not one, but two 1000-foot plus dredging “trains.”  The first was a tug, pulling the barge with the dredging machine, another barge with a three-story housing probably for the power, 2 other barges with extra pipes and equipment.  Two smaller work tugs were positioned to keep the “train” in the center of the channel.  The second “train” consisted of the main tug, a barge with equipment and over 600 feet of pipes and floats, once again also being assisted by 2 work tugs. Had our arrival at The Barefoot Marina been delayed another hour or so, I cannot imagine what we would have done once we met them in the Rock Pile. The thing neither one of us can understand is why they did not call out a security periodically to alert south bounder boats of their presence and give the boats a chance to decide how and where to proceed.  We hope that traffic was held north at the Little River Bridge, where there are places to pull off of the channel safely.

THE DREDGING TRAIN ~

We will be staying here at The Barefoot Marina for the next week. Pete flying out to California for business next week.  Bailey and I will stay here to get in some good walks and explore some of the shops across the way.  Probably a bike ride to the grocery store for some minor provisioning.

Well, time to cook dinner so I’ll say good-night.

~~~/) ~~  K & P

Mile Hammock to Carolina Beach, NC

Today:  48 miles, 7.5 hours, ICW St. M 295.1

Total:   488.2 miles, 70.75 hours

Our view aft

  

Our view forward

We were up, dog taken to shore, dinghy and anchor up by 7:15 this morning. As we headed south from Mile Hammock, I looked back.  Not only was PEGASUS and CHRISMA behind us, but the rest of the boats from the anchorage!  We went to Channel 17 as PEKABU made its way using the weigh points.  It was disconcerting to head into a point of land. While Pete navigated, I called out our progress and total depths every minute or so.  Everyone followed safely including the rest of the boats.

Timing is difficult for the 3 bridges we have to make today. The first 2, Surf City and The Figure Eight bridges, open every half hour, but the third, Wrightsville, is only on the hour. As result, we slowed our speed so we didn’t have to wait too long. It is amazing how fast and close the small boat pass us.  Some are less than 10 feet!  But, then there are the big boats, who are very considerate; come up quietly besides up us and do a slow pass. It was low tide for most of the way south from Wrightsville Beach, so everyone tried to stay to the middle of the channel. 

Hard aground. . .

Near this are where BRUNELLE
went aground a few years back

Kids waiting for the bridge opening

Pete had made reservations for the Carolina Beach Mooring Field using the Dockwa App.  There was a confirmation, but there was no “reserved” on any of the moorings. We wonder what would have happened had the mooring field been full. The moorings themselves are great.  There is a cup on top of the mooring balls, where the line is kept.  The line itself is about 2 inches thick with a large, 6-inch, stainless thimble. It would be nice if Annapolis had a similar setup in their mooring field instead of the smaller line and plastic thimble.

The rules

Stranded jellygfish

View north on Carolina Beach

View South

Very happy Bailey

Once secure, the dinghy was lowered and Pete, Bailey and I headed for the dinghy dock and the 2-block walk to the beach.  On the beach, we saw a small wedding party heading back after the ceremony.  There were lots of dogs walking with their humans and lots of empty beach.  What a beautiful beach and day!  After our walk, it was back to the boat to make dinner and clean up.  Pete fell asleep right after dinner, but I managed to stay awake until 9.  Pete took the dog to shore one last time and we called it a day.


~~~ /) ~~  K & P

Morehead City to Mile Hammock Bay, NC

Today:  42 miles, 6.25 hours, ICW St. M 244.5

Total:  440.2 miles, 63.25 hours

Very interesting First Light
wile leaving the marina

We were up and out by 7:15. We wanted to make sure that we could catch slack tide as we crossed the Beaufort Inlet.  In the past, we have had the current against as we tried to cross the inlet and traveling at 3.5 mph is no fun.  Thankfully, 7:30 am was the magic time.  We crossed the inlet doing 7mph and once south of the inlet, and the currents changed, we were doing 8.7!

Lighting on the western shore

The watercolors of dawn!

Pete, once again was very focused on work all morning.  Thankfully, it was a pretty easy ride and another short day. PEGASUS caught up with us as we entered Camp Lejeune.  Brown’s Inlet once again proved tricky for PEGASUS, after a brief grounding, they followed the directions from last year (staying pretty close to western shore.) We dropped anchor around 1.  Over the course of the afternoon, 8 other boats joined us.

One of the many dolphins we saw

Helicopter and birds
over Camp Lejeune

Once again, periodically over the course of the afternoon and early evening, helos made their approach over the anchorage to the operations area.  We were invited for cocktails aboard PEGASUS, but I had to reneg.  I’ve had a nausea and cramping since lunch and would not be good company.  I figured out that I has the last of the Half & Half in my coffee this morning and it must have begun to turn.

New River Inlet is just south of here.  BOB 423 had an excellent, Corps of Engineers’ map, coordinates and directions.  Pete and Charlie discussed everything and decided we will leave at 7:15 in the morning.  Tide will be high, and winds calm.  Pete entered the coordinates as weigh points and he will navigate in the lead.

Sunset was spectacular. The moon’s rising came up through the clouds about the same time.  The full moon is tomorrow.

Sunset

Moon rise

Still not feeling well, we called it an early night.

~~~/) ~~ K & P

River Dunes to Morehead City, NC

Today:  34 miles, 5 hours, ICW St. M 203

Total:   398.2 miles, 57.0 hours

Broad Creek leaving River Dunes

SV CHRISMA
 also traveling Adams Creek

Heading to the Neuse River

With it being a short travel day, we slept in until 7 and on our way by 8:15.  While we were crossing the Neuse River, we were passed by 3 military small boats heading outbound.  As we neared Oriental, we had about 8 other boats join the journey into Adams Creek. I was at the helm for most of the day.  Pete is still slammed with work.  Transiting Adams Creek, we averaged 8.4 for a good deal of the time.  At both the top and bottom of the creek, were lots of dolphins.   At one point, a family of 3 (2 adults and a baby) surfaced about 10 feet in front of the bow and dove under the boat just in time.

One of the Views along Adams Creek

Juvenile Eagle

The two caution areas I had to navigate were well documented on Active Captain, but for the shoaling area on the Newport River, just before Morehead City, I asked Pete to take over as the directions were a bit confusing.  Once clear of the confusing area, Pete called Camp Lejeune to make sure we could transit through the area tomorrow.  Thankfully, there is no military activities that will stop our transiting through the camp.

The missing red
from the Newport River

One of the many shallow areas
and islands on the Newport River

We were docked by 1 pm, just behind Marty and Charlie, of PEGASUS.  We talked for a while.  They also took a dock in Belhaven just before the front came through.  Just as the winds hit, their boat healed and the aft line snapped!  They had to call the dockmaster at home just down the block, for help.  Manpower alone could not bring the boat closed to the dock.  Thankfully, it was a sailboat and the line was tied to the piling, then cranking the onboard winch was able to pull the boat back to the dock in that 40+ mph wind.  Turns out, they also had the chart plotter die in Oriental, and the anchor winch jam.  Hopefully, since that is 3, there will be no further problems.

After checking in, I started laundry. Then I took advantage and spent about 45 minutes brushing Bailey on the dock.  The amount of hair that come off of her was unreal. Hopefully, I will be able to keep the hair down onboard for a little while.  It also gave her a chance to say “hi” to everyone walking by.  I also met Tamara and Belle, a Chihuahua. She, her husband and Belle are heading north to Harrington Harbor with their trawler.  A new job has taken them from San Diego to D.C.  and they have been staging their trawler from the west coast to the Chesapeake.  They had a beautiful overnight passage last night from Charleston to Morehead City.

Surprising to find the Magnolia
blooming in November!

Fall decorations on a home
near the water

With only one washer and one drier, laundry was finally done around 5:30. Bailey and I took a long walk before dinner. After a beautiful sunset and dinner on board, I headed up the facilities to luxuriate in the shower and wash my hair. All that hot, pressurized water is sooo decadent!

Looking NW from our marina
close to sunset

Magnificent view from our boat!

~~~ /) ~~ K & P