Tuesday/Fri Nov 13/16 2018

B & B Shrimp to Port Royal, SC

Today:       27 miles        3.4 hours          ICW St M “539.4 ”

Total:      720 miles    117.0 hours

     The shrimp boat left at 5:30 this morning.  ODEN’S SPEAR started his engines at 7:15 so we were up for the day.  The cloud cover was still with us and there’s no winds.  That also means that the No See Ums are out in force.  There must have been hundreds inside the enclosure, and they loved to bite, especially along the hair line.  We couldn’t wait to get under way. Thankfully, they mostly dissipated once we were traveling.

The fog . . . as it was lifting!

     Port Royal landing Marina is a very nice marina, about 2-2 ½ miles south of Beauford and almost next door to Paris Island Marine Base.  The current is strong so the harbormaster likes to assign slips at the time of arrival to coordinate with the ebb or flow currents.  We had arrived closed to slack with the flow just beginning making fueling and docking a little easier. The marina is located in a cute waterside development. Homes that look like small cottages (which probably have much more square footage than expected) with individual personalities.  A great place to walk with the dog.  During the day, you not only hear the jets from Parris Island, but also their target practice with the on board guns.

Port Royal Marina

Growth along the docks

       

     Pete worked most of the afternoon and the heavy bands of rains returned around 4.  After dinner, we just chilled, read and watched TV.

WEDNESDAY, 11/14/18 ~ Pete only put in a few hours of work this morning.  He had work related mail that needed to be forwarded, so he checked to see how far St. Brendan’s is from here.  It is only 3 hours!  Guess who rented a car and retrieved the mail?!  I took advantage of him not working on board to start some overdue, heavy cleaning.  By the time he returned for dinner, I had the salon and forward cabin, cleaned; ceiling, all the woodwork, and floors; cleaning and reorganizing the stuff on shelves. I hope to do the same to the head and rear salon in the not too distant future.

     Since we were both busy most of the day, Pete suggested Berger King for dinner since we had the car. After dinner, Pete finalized his plans for the jump from here to Florida.  He has been monitoring conditions as well as strategizing. With Fernandina Marina closed, it would be a few more hours to St. Augustine.  The window that he has been watching that was supposed to occur next Monday, in actuality, will happen Friday/Saturday.  Bailey cannot handle a 20+ hour jump.  I will need to rent a car and get a pet-friendly hotel in St. Augustine.  We will return the car tomorrow, then request a rental for Friday and whether to not to do a one way or round-trip rental with a second round-trip rental from St. Augustine.  We will discuss options with Enterprise when we return the car tomorrow. According to Bring Fido.com, many “pet-friendly” hotels have weight restrictions and/or additional fees. We were able to make reservations with La Quinta in St. Augustine, pet-friendly with no pet fee. Now we just keep our finger crossed that the weather window holds.

THURSDAY, 11/15/18 ~ We still have the car until noon.  Pete suggested to take a ride to view Historic Beaufort.  I am so glad we did!  As we drove through the main street shopping center, ALL the stores were occupied!  Neither one of us could remember the last time we saw an entire row of stores occupied!  Most were already decorated for Christmas, and I forgot my camera!  With all the traffic it wouldn’t have helped to get photos of Main Street.  BUT, it would have been great for all the Antebellum Homes.  The area is beautiful.  If we had time and access, I would love to someday, take the walking tour of the historic homes.

St. Helena Church Cemetery:

        

     The time passed much too quickly and soon we needed to return the car.  Pete knew that there was a Jersey Mike’s near the rental agency, so we picked up lunch before returning the car.

     Both of us took advantage of the quiet afternoon to read and relax.

~  ~  ~  /) ~ ~ K & P

St. Johns to B & B Shrimp, Green Pond, SC

Today:       44 miles        6.8 hours          ICW St M “512”

Total:      693 miles    113.6 hours

     We left at 8, with partly cloudy skies, cool temps and light breezes.  The sun didn’t remain for long.  The air became more raw as we traveled and the rains hit within 3 hours. Before they did, Pete went forward and placed plastic over the windless to prevent the leak.  For most of the trip we encountered bands of rain, which continued through the night, but NO leak!

He said, "No one's home."

     There was a dredge in the middle of the channel about ¾ of the way to B & B.  Pete called to the dredge to verify safe passage.  The response was “They are off. It’s a holiday (Veteran’s Day)!”  The dredge was marked with the black diamonds, so we had no problems passing on the correct side, but there was equipment down in the water and a person was babysitting the equipment.”  Hummm. . . .

A wide load approaching
 ODEN'S SPEAR

     Shortly after we passed the dredge, two more boats did the same.  When I looked back, I saw a smaller cruiser, MV ODEN’S SPEAR, looking to be surrounded by a 63’ catamaran, MV CUTE CAT.  It was rather amazing.  We had heard the two boats talking earlier.  Apparently, the catamaran was under new ownership and the crew bailed in Charleston, so he wanted to follow others along the ICW.  ODEN’S SPEAR could only take him as far as Mosquito Creek.

     We arrived at B & B to find ODEN’SPEAR also tied to the dock.  This is the first time that we have encountered another boat that we didn’t travel with.  I got his email so that I can send the photo of him and the cat once it is processed. There was supposed to be a 3^rd boat, but I guess they opted top either continue on to another marina or stay put until the rains clear tomorrow, because they never showed.

Erosion on the banks of Mosquito Creek

     When paying for the dockage, I also requested 4 pounds of shrimp.  When I cleaned them, it was closer to 7 pounds! Once cleaned and packaged into dinner serving sized packages, they went into the freezer.  Of course, one package didn’t make it.  Shrimp is what’s for dinner!  I had searched for new recipes last week and picked up the makings when I provisioned in St. John’s.  I apparently confused the ingredients from 2 recipes, so I modified the recipe to include everything.  The Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp also included baby spinach, fresh basil, asparagus tips, cherry tomatoes onion, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, and half & half. Oh yea, salt, pepper, corn starch and Italian seasoning. Served over pasta, dinner was really good! 

     With the rains coming in waves, we needed to time Bailey’s walks, but managed to stay dry for the most part.

~  ~  ~  /) ~ ~ K & P

Isle of Palms to St. Johns, SC

Today:       16 miles        3.3 hours          ICW St M “456.8 ”

Total:      649 miles    106.8 hours

THURSDAY, 11/8/18 ~   We were able to sleep in!  We were up at 7:15 and under way by 8. Before we left, I found some dampness under the forward mattress when making the bed. Since I had found some moisture under the cushion of the starboard sofa yesterday, I rechecked that as well. Apparently, we have 2 leaks; one from the anchor windless and the other somehow through the cubby hole, not the windows.  The mattress and cushions were elevated or moved to dry, while stuff from the cubby hole were cleaned and dried before departing the dock.

     We had the current with us as well as high tide. It was definitely favorable, as Florence created more shallow areas closer to the Ben Sawyer Bridge. 

    Heading up the Charleston Harbor, we saw the foreign cruise ship with the strange eyes and mouth on the bow. She is a European cruise ship and cruises the east coast ports for a week at a time.  We had seen her in Norfolk while we were there.

     We were early for the 10:30 am opening of the Wapoo Creek Bridge.  We called in requesting the opening, then Pete danced in the current for about 15 minutes.  10:30 came and went and at 10:35 Pete called the bridge again to see if there was a problem. She must have been preoccupied, forgot and was a wee bit embarrassed. She immediately opened the bridge without returning radio communications and never responded to our “thank you.” Oh well, we were on our way.

     Elliott Cut is always interesting.  Two years ago, when we had the strong current with us, we did 11 mph!  Our hull speed is only 7, so we were cruisin’!!!  Today, it was against us and the best we could do was 4.3 mph.

     Once thru the Cut, we make a turn to port onto the Stono River and the ¼ mile to St. John’s Marina.  “E” was there to help dock.  He and his staff are super, which is why we look forward to coming here.  Oh yea, the showers are my second favorite, the 4 sets of laundry machines inexpensive ($1.00 / load!) with plenty of table space for folding, and there is a free loaner car for provisioning or going to a restaurant! The only negative is the strong currents, which usually make docking and leaving “interesting.”

    Once settled, we met our neighbors, Chris and Sabrina aboard SV THIRD WIND, a 3500 Tartan from Michigan.  This is their first venture south.  They are new long-term cruisers along with Buddy, their dog. Current plans are to continue south to Marathon, visit with friends, and then figure where to next.

     While I was cleaning, Pete spent 4 hours on the phone with the tech support from the KVH for the TV antenna and with the tech support for the receiver from DISH.  After checking and/or manually adjusting everything, the only thing that makes sense, is that the box (our second in 2 years) is bad and needs to be replaced.  We were told that we could take the box to Camping World, where they could test it to confirm it is bad.  Then it could be replaced as it is insured under the contract.  We though we got lucky. There is one in North Charleston (about 20 miles away!)  When Pete called, they confirmed that they do NOT test/service the DISH boxes.  We will figure out how we will proceed. . . tomorrow.

     After dinner, Pete was able to chill and read while I worked on the blog.  All the writing is up to date and on the web. Now, I just have to process and add the photos, then post the blog.  Fingers crossed that I can complete it tomorrow.

FRIDAY, 11/9/18 ~ I reserved the car to do grocery shopping this morning.  Pete dropped me off so that he could drive to Camper’s World, in North Charleston to pick up a new DISH receiver and then stop at West Marine for a few needed supplies.  We got it all done in the 2-hour time frame, but that didn’t leave any time to stop in at an optical store to have my glasses readjusted.  Thankfully, I was able to reserve the car again for tomorrow morning.

       Once home I was able to reorganize the food supplies and put them away.  Pete searched for the possible cause of the leaks.  The anchor windlass is still not water tight even though Pete replaced the gasket.  We still don’t know where the one is entering the starboard cubby, so the investigation continues.

      Last night, shortly after midnight, aa cold front containing some pretty strong storms rolled through the area with a lot of lightning and thunder.  When checking Facebook this morning, SV Simplicity, which made the jump from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, reported being struck and disabled by lightning. Deb and Hugh are ok, but they needed to call the Coast Guard, who came out to tow them from 35 miles out to the mouth of the harbor.  TowBoat assisted once in the harbor.  We spoke briefly to them this afternoon just to check to see how they are doing.  We will meet for dinner tomorrow so that we can get the full story.

     I was able to get a few small chores completed while Pete worked with the DISH tech to set up the new receiver.  We just chilled after dinner and enjoyed vegging out with the TV.  Of course, we lost all the programming that we had recorded and hoped to catch up on when we switched receivers.  The new one is a different model, so it can’t read the recorded programming from the last receiver. There went the season of Vikings!

 

SATURDAY, 11/10/18 ~ I was at Pearl Vision Center at 10 am.  Even though there was a steady stream of regular customers, the two opticians alternated, and spent the greater part of a half hour with me.  My glasses are finally properly adjusted.  I think having the bifocal line not equal on each eye was causing my daily headaches.  What a relief.  I actually wrote a Google review, because they were great. 

     We spent the afternoon just chilling and reading.

     At 5:30, we headed over to the Fleet Reserve Restaurant in Charleston. I had tried to make reservations yesterday.  They already we maxed out, but accept walk-ins. I am glad we arrived way early so that I could get our names on the wait list. Our wait time was an hour and 40 minutes.  Deb and Hugh met us around 7 and we were seated about 20 minutes later.  Dinner was delicious.  We all had different seafood dishes.  Deb had scallops with green beans; Hugh had Low Country Pasta (mussels, shrimp and fish): Pete, Fish n Chips, and I had Pan fried Tilapia with asparagus and fingerling potatoes, which was fabulous.

     As to SIMPLICITY’s adventure last night, the anchor has a chip out of it. They think that was where they were hit.  The alternator had a fire, that Hugh was able to dowse immediately. The engine would not keep running, so they had to sail until help arrived; The electronics and VHF are dead; the battery charger is fried, the freezer is “toast”. Tomorrow they will try to asses more of the damages.  Being the weekend, they will have to wait until Monday to get people lined up and the ball rolling. It will be a while before they will be able to continue their cruising.  I just wish there was more we could help them with.  Thankfully, Deb’s sister is near Myrtle Beach, so they have family not too far away.

SUNDAY, 11/12/18 ~ I timed it well, I had the laundry to myself.  I was able to do all 3 loads at the same time.  While waiting for the driers to finish, Deb and Gene from MV MISS DEB (who we met at Morehead City) were also checking out the facilities. They just arrived and will be staying a few days while meeting up with MV EASY LIVIN’ here at St John’s. They will be heading down to Port Royal sometime later this week.  We might see them there.  I told them of Pete’s plan to jump from Port Royal to St. Mary’s. Deb called later to let us know that they just read on Facebook that the mooring balls have been pulled and the marina at Fernandina Beach closed for reconstruction until next June.  Pete had seen it, too, and is looking to jump straight to St. Augustine.  It would mean no dealing with the winding waterway with its notorious, skinny areas between Fernandina and St. Augustine.  Looking at the week’s forecast, it looks like we will need to wait over a week for a weather window.  We will see. . . .

~ ~  ~  /) ~ ~ K & P

Georgetown to Isle of Palms, SC

Today:       55 miles        8.9 hours          ICW St M “456.8”

Total:      633 miles    103.5 hours

I was impressed when we saw this last night.
  It was nothing compared to what we found
 next to PEKABU this morning!

     Pete was already awake when the alarm went off at 5:30. The dog walked, the lights and electronics on, electricity off and disconnected, and just waiting for Pete and Bailey to return from the walk.  That’s when I had to clear the mat of floating plants and reeds between the boat and the dock.  There was a good 20- foot mat.  Unfortunately, the reeds formed a solid mess, that took quite a lot of time and energy to clear.  We even had to push the boat away from the dock so that the mat could float away from the boat. Thankfully, Mark came over to help us clear the mat and then cast off. Pete was able to use the 6.8 knot current and the steerage to maneuver the boat past the end of the dock and then head down river.  We were away by 6:30, just about 20 minutes later than we planned. We had a fleet of boats behind us.  Most of them were heading to the ocean rather than the ICW.

          Once off Wynnah Bay, we were still against the current.  We saw only 2 boats heading south on the ICW all day.  I guess it was the skinny water from above McClellenville all the way down to Charleston.  Florence definitely modified/silted in many areas that were passable last spring even at low tide.  Now, low tied might be a challenge.  Once again Navionics Solar Charts made knowing where the skinny areas were and finding the deeper water easier. Pete said it was a more intense ride, requiring a lot of attention to everything.  While passing a shallow area, we were narrowly missed the Corps of Engineers’ boat, which was surveying the area. We still don’t know why he didn’t change course.  He’s smaller, less draft, and more powerful than we are, plus as a licensed captain, he should have know better.

      Today’s wild life includes a pod of dolphins and 3 eagles.  At one point, Pete commented on the racket coming from a bunch of birds.  That when I saw an eagle in their mist.  They landed in the trees, while he tried fishing, but was unsuccessful.  He then joined them in the trees and the racket continued.

     Shortly after, Pete asked me to check radar. The clouds forward looked suspicious.  No sooner did I bring up the radar and see nothing, when the heavens opened up!  It took another 10 minutes to see the rain we were experiencing on radar.

     We were placed on the face dock at Isle of Palms Marina.  It is a great point to stop, but there is a lot of traffic.  Lots of smaller fishing boats as well as a ferry are constantly coming in or out of the harbor. The waves are usually small.  Just enough rocking to encourage sleep.  Not exactly what I need when I am cooking dinner or catching up the blog, and I suspect it will not occur once it is really sleep time.

     Well, Pete crashed and burned tonight, so I will take Bailey for her final walk.  I have the blog written.  Hopefully, since tomorrow will be a short day, I will be able to process the photos and post everything.  Just checked radar.  I have to go now, before the rains some!  (I made it back with about 5 minutes to spare!)

    It is time to wake Pete from his beauty rest on the sofa so he can go to bed!

 ~  ~  ~  /) ~ ~ K & P

Myrtle Beach Yacht Club to Georgetown, SC

Today:      51 miles      8.2 hours            ICW St M “402.8”

Total:     578 miles    94.6 hours

     We once again woke to the sound of heavy rain on the cabin.  When we checked radar, there was only a tiny blue spot.  I have no idea where that heavy stuff came from.  Thankfully, it stopped after 15 minutes. 

Entry to the Myrtle Beach Harbor
with perfect lighting!

     As Pete walked Bailey, I went up to the cockpit to set up the electronics and caught a pretty sunrise sky.  As we were leaving the harbor from the marina, the light was perfect for the lighthouse that marks the entrance to the harbor.

We still have Spiders!

The Rock Pile at high tide ~

   

     The Barefoot Landing Bridge is an “open on request” bridge.  As we exited the Rock Pile, we called to request an opening.  The bridge tender asked if we could wait as there was a north bound boat approaching and would prefer to open for both boats.  We said “yes,” assuming that the boat near.  Instead, the boat was delayed in the marina and would not be available for a while, but there was another north bound sailboat about a mile away. So, we lost about 20 minutes waiting for the bridge, trying to be a nice guy.

     

     Once below that bridge, we began encountering a lot of debris.  A patio chair was floating upside down, mid channel.  There were also large logs and boards along with the smaller twigs and reeds.  It was hard to distinguish between them until we were close.  It made for a more intense ride for Pete as I couldn’t be another set of eyes. A migraine was developing. I needed to medicate and lie down.

     While passing through the area most affected by the flooding from Florence  we could see the high water marks on the homes. This area had 30+ inches of rain. Add to that, the waters from upstream throughout the area, funneled through this area.  It was reported that this area had 22 feet above flood stage! It was so sad to see the high-water marks on the homes as well as the destruction.

High water mark on the home

    We had the current with us for most of the day except from the Socastee area and south into the Waccamaw River for about an hour (7 miles or so).  Then we were cruisin’ in the high 8’s and low 9’s for the rest of the trip down the river.  Courtesy of the current gods, we probably shaved about 90 minutes off today’s journey!

Water mark on trees
 also denuded during Florence

On a happier note . . . We spotted turtles!!!

   

     Further down river, we came across 4 huge logs.  Who knows how many we didn’t see.  Thankfully, by that time my headache had receded, and I was able to help search for large debris in the water. We joined a couple of boats that were calling out the location of these logs.

Even Cypress trees are burned!

One of a number of large logs we spotted today!

    We had hoped to be at Harbor Walk in Georgetown, but they already were booked when we called yesterday.  So instead, we are docked at Georgetown Landing Marina.  It is the one with the very strong current and just a short distance (200 feet) from the end of the dock to the Route 17 Bridge.  It makes exiting from the inside of the dock very challenging . . . and guess where they put us. . . Yup! On the inside of the dock closest to that bridge.  Lesson learned! Next time make the reservation at Harbor Walk ASAP!!!

     Once docked, I met Mark.  He is single handing a 40’ Jenneau, SV RAG DOLL.  I really like that name. He prefers doing daily outside jumps.  We also ran into Larry from SV SANDY SEAS. He helped us leave Morehead City Yacht Marina, also in a challenging current.  He, too, will be doing an outside jump to Charleston in the morning.

          After dinner, we were discussing our strategies for Charleston.  We prefer to stay at St John’s Marina.  The staff is wonderful as are the facilities.  They also have a free loaner car and we need to do some provisioning.  I also need to see a vision center, where my glasses can be readjusted.  I think, because they are so cockeyed, I am straining my eyes, which probably created the migraine.  The problem is that the bridge schedules have changed.  The Ben Sawyer Bridge, just north of Charleston, is closed between 6:30 and 9 am and 3:30 until 7 pm.  So is the Wapoo. But where the Sawyer is on demand other times, Wapoo just went to only every hour on the half hour.  We could never make both bridges by 3:30 pm if we start out at first light.  Instead we will make reservations 1^st thing in the morning at Isle of Palms Marina.  Then we have freedom to pick and choose when we leave as it is only about 3 hours from Isle of Palms to St John’s. This way we are guaranteed to clear both bridges and dock long before nightfall.

     Once again, it is an early night as 5:30 will come awfully fast.  

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P