We are in Florida now

No blog posts for a while means that we have been having fun, traveling, or doing chores.  Tonight is miserable, so it is time to get caught up.

Since leaving Georgetown, SC we grabbed an anchorage in Whiteside Creek.  A pretty little spot in the marshes just north of Charleston.  We awoke to all sorts of sea birds around us.  There were Egrets, Pelicans and Great Blue Herons all around us.

Whiteside Creek gave us an easy run into Charleston, SC.  Time for some tourist fun.  We took advantage of the marina shuttle and caught a ride into the 'slave market' district.  Charleston is full of history, so we decided we needed a guided tour.  What better way to tour a city than horse drawn wagon.

A full hour tour around Charleston with stories of hurricanes, British settlement, civil war and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Charleston definitely was a key city is the shaping of this nation.  We also learned that the 'slave market' was not where the slaves were sold, even though that definitely happened in Charleston, it was an open air market were livestock was butchered on premise.  This lead to a rather powerful odour, as such the slaves were often the ones sent to do the provisioning for their owners.  Thus, the slave market.

Still wearing too much denim and fleece for our liking we decided to push still further south. The forecast was favourable for an outside (ocean) run, so after a couple days in Charleston we decided to push on.  Five in the morning we were off the dock and slowly pushing out to sea, dodging a couple of cargo vessels along the way.  Next stop the Savannah River and Hilton Head, SC.  It was such a nice day out on the ocean that I really wanted to push on, but the next inlets that I was comfortable with were all a good distance away, so we arrived in Hilton Head early mid-afternoon.  I guess I hadn't promoted Hilton Head very heavily, not 100% sure that it would be a stop for us.  Kerri was very impressed and was off shopping in no time.  Macara and I spent the afternoon in beautiful little playground.

It was a beautiful sunny, Sunday afternoon when we arrived in Hilton Head and the harbour-front area was packed.  When you fly a Canadian flag as proudly as we do, it often means conversation with other Canadians.  Before the boat was washed down, we had talked with people from Sauble Beach, Parry Sound and Hanover, all short driving distances from our hometown or home port back in Ontario.  It is a small world.

One good day at sea gave us the desire to try it again.  The forecast was similar, but the day did not turn out the same.  We left Hilton Head on a falling tide and the breeze was ever so slightly more on shore.  I excused the chop at the inlet as being due to these conditions.  A boat much larger than us did not and turned around.  We pushed south hoping to see better conditions, but we did not.  Soon, my crew were expressing their displeasure.  Being only about 10nm from the inlet I offered to turn around, 15 seconds of that proved not to be the answer.  South it was going to be.  But, now was the time for me to pull out my insurance plan.  While we have been treating our sportfish like a trawler, we do have the horsepower  to fix a lot of weather problems.  Today would be one of those days.  A short while after putting the boat up on plane, there was a lot less grumbling aboard my boat.  

Next stop... St. Simon's Island.  To tell you the truth, I never really saw the island at all.  Knot Yet was due for some maintenance.  Oil changes and fuel filter changes.  Sad, but true, that turned into a two day affair when you need to take a trip into town, in the middle of it all, when you find out you don't have anymore generator oil filters onboard.  I have got filters now, 8 of them.

A couple evenings on the dock in St. Simons introduced us to some interesting people and we were offered some good travel advice.  So, the next morning when we all left, we took a slightly different route off the ICW down a creek that brought us more alongside Cumberland Island.  As much as I like the ports along the east coast, I am really enjoying the wild life and scenery in between. The ever present dolphins at just about every inlet off the ocean and all the new birds, the different trees and on Cumberland Island, wild horses.  A sighting of wild horses surely would be a treat.

Here are some shots of the gulls that followed us from St. Simon Island south.

Our advice was to turn off the ICW and travel down the Brickhill River through the marshes and closer to Cumberland Island.  We would be sure to see horses that way.  Day 1... nothing.  We anchored as we were told and planned to dinghy to shore and find a path across the island to the seaside beaches.  The bugs were insane!  And within no time the weather started to worsen, maybe tomorrow.  

The view from our anchorage.  The following morning would have these trees littered with Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills and Egrets.  The light just never did any of the images justice.

Be sure to view this at full resolution

The Brickhill River is not much more than most of the creeks that we have anchored in.  The difference here is there is a 10' tide.  And I am glad I set up on low tide so that I could see all that was around me, it sure looks different a high tide.  At low tide, you are definitely down inside the banks of the river.  At high tide, the water spreads everywhere creating a big marsh making it harder to know where you should be.  Ten feet of tide creates a heck of current as it rises and falls.  Rather than force my anchor to reset every 6 hours, I set an anchor for each direction.  Add to this about 20knots of wind and you do not sleep that deeply, wondering if you're ground tackle is going to hold you for the night.

More wind and rain and our plans for exploring Cumberland Island had to be cancelled.  Regrettably, we pulled anchor and gave up on our idea of finding wild horses on the beaches.  Then a little good luck came our way.  Shortly after making way, 3 horses made their way down to the river to feed.

We are now in Fernandina Beach, FL.  Our plan was to pick up a mooring ball and move on again tomorrow.  The weather outside right now sucks!  We took a slip instead.  

The cool thing is that we are now in Florida.  We plan to spend the next month and a half in Florida.  That's worthy of a fishing license.  While picking up supplies in St. Simon I did manage to make a little side trip to a tackle shop.  Not exactly the right tools for the job, but I brought along a couple of salmon rods and they are now loaded with fresh line and I picked up a couple lures.  Soon I will be blue water fishing.  Here fishy, fishy, fishy.  Sushi anyone?

It's chilly, let's keep moving south

Our last day waiting out all the weather associated with Hurricane Sandy was Kerri’s birthday.  Admittedly, with all our preoccupation with the hurricane, Kerri didn’t get her usual birthday treatment.  Having said that, Macara and I did our darndest to make it a special for her.

Birthday decorations

The following day we had another special day that needed dealing with, Halloween.  Unsure when we were going to get out of River Dunes Marina, we had already booked the courtesy vehicle for the evening.  But, we were told not to get our hopes to high for Trick or Treating in Oriental, NC.  Wednesday morning saw the winds settle to just 20 knots.  Winds low enough that plenty of boats started to depart.  Twenty knots of wind can still make for miserable conditions on the water.  Today we are gifted with a wind direction that is right on the nose.  Knot Yet cut right through the waves, it might as well been calm.  I love this boat!  A good seaworthy boat may be a pleasure all day long, but docking is still a chore with all that breeze and a tidal current.  It wasn’t pretty, but I got her in eventually.

Beaufort, NC was our Halloween destination.  Little did we know that Beaufort was so proud of their halloween festivities.  We were told over and over, go to Ann Street, you will be impressed.  And we were.  These people take Halloween seriously and they make it fun.

Macara the Pirate. 

Beaufort revellers

On the way to Beaufort, we had some visitors along the way.  Sometimes dragging a bit of wake is a good thing.  We had three dolphins sit on our our starboard stern for about 5 minutes.  You will not hear me say this very often, but they were too close for the lens that I had on.

Playing in our wake.

Wanna see my blow hole?

The weather is still a little chilly, so we keep pressing on.  Southport, NC, then anchor near Topsail Beach, NC before you know it we are south of Myrtle Beach, SC. 

On our way past Little River, NC we are treated to glimpse of their resident wild goats.

Little River wild goats

Finally, a nice day, so we take a break.  On a beautiful Sunday afternoon that almost hit 80ºF we found a spot that is popular with cruisers and locals alike.  Thoroughfare Creek, off the Waccamaw River.  We picked it for its depth and short distance off the ICW.  We had no idea how nice the beach would be be or it’s local history.  Sandy Island, which we are anchored next to, is home to a Gullah community.  In short, Gullah language and culture is a derivative of the West African slaves that were brought here to work the rice plantations.  Neat history, Google it and check it out for yourself.

Thoroughfare Creek

Once again it is raining... and cold!  Up ahead there is a 5 mile stretch that we need to traverse at high tide.  High tide is not until about noon right now.  Our best choice is to head to town, Georgetown, SC.  Groceries, beer, wifi, it is time to take care of somethings and replenish the cupboards.  It's a short trip, we are only on the water a couple hours.  

To all my sailing friends, you have been misrepresented once again.  In a nice wide section of the Waccamaw River, I was slowly overtaking a sail boat.  Before my wake reached the sail boat, I hail him and offer a slow pass.  Without so much as a thank you, he sharply points out that I am not flying my American 'courtesy flag'.  I took the easy way out and apologized and stated the lanyard had recently broke and that I had plans to repair that as soon as I got to port.  I know what flags I should be flying.  The words had no longer left my lips and I was steaming.  "What a jerk?"  "Who does he think he is?"  Yes, etiquette dictates that I fly a courtesy flag while flying my Canadian flag.  And, on of all days, it is the US election today.  Still, it is a little over the top for my liking.  I wouldn't dream of correcting somebody else over the radio, especially after courtesy had been extended my way.

And now for the great part of the story.  This is how Karma works, but rarely this fast.  The next boat to over take my new 'friend' is about a 70' Motor Yacht moving way to fast for the close confines of a bridge.  He smokes Mr. Flag Etiquette with about a 3.5ft wake.  Once again the radio is chiming with the proper etiquette for over taking sail boats, complete with a sarcastic "thanks for the wake."  It was all I could do to keep myself from cheering over the radio, but it sure made my day.  Sometimes good things happen to good people.  And sometimes, the opposite happens.

Finally, a couple of left over tourist shots from Ocracoke, NC.  You know, the ones that get forgotten in the other camera.

The second most famous pirate in Ocracoke, NC

The Ocracoke lighthouse.

Sandy update

I fully expected to have some gory pictures showing the wrath of Sandy as she pummelled us with her fury.  Lucky for us, it never really happened.  We saw 40 knots of wind this morning, but that was about it.  We are so well protected here that the show was not all that impressive.  I am okay with that.  In a perverse way, I am a little disappointed.  I am a self-confessed weather junky.  I love to witness mother natures power, as long as it has a happy ending.  I will have to take comfort in the fact that we were never really in harms way.  It isn't over yet, we are still forecasted to see an increase in intensity again tomorrow as she begins her new path to the North-West.

We definitely got to play the game.  I spent most of the day Friday tying more ropes, stripping down all exterior items.  I removed all the flybridge windows.   I removed the dinghy and tied it up at another dock, upside down like everybody else.  I filled the engine room with all sorts of accessories that may get blown around.  We put together an evacuation kit, just incase we decided the boat was no longer a place that we wanted to be.  But, in the end, all our preparation was just that, the right thing to do.

Today, we just put in time as we watched the wind blow.  Stuck here.  The only difference now is the suspense is all gone.  We now know what Sandy was going to look like for us.  As the day wore on, the club house started to fill.  Some took in a Sunday football game, others playing board games.  Gone was all the anticipation.

Macara and I had even put some markings on one of our pilings.  The National Weather Service had forecast the possibility of a 4'-6' storm surge.  We had markings 6' up the piling.  We got 1 foot.  I thought we might as well make this a learning opportunity.  I guess the words will have to do.

It doesn't look like we will be moving anytime soon.  Most people have resigned themselves to the fact that it will probably be at least Wednesday or Thursday before we start moving again, but are happier with the notion that we are safe.

Go away Sandy.  You brought me no joy.

Good luck to all that still expect her to visit.

Sunday is fun day.

We have made our choice and now it looks like we are stuck with it.

Hurricane Sandy has got us surrounded.  We can't head north, that is where she is predicted to make landfall.  Somewhere just north of Chesapeake Bay is where the weather guys are saying she will hit.  Heading south would be rolling the dice.  Getting into South Carolina would have put us further from the eye of the storm, but between here and there are a lot of bridges.  A lot of these bridges that don't open if wind speeds are greater than 30mph.  If we found ourselves between bridges with no place to hide, that would be game over.

So, we have made our choice, River Dunes Marina (http://www.riverdunes.com/).  Let me say, there are worse places to wait out a storm.  Check out the menu!

Us and 397 other boats.  River Dunes is a 400 slip marina and as of when we pulled in, there are only 3 slips left.  If anybody asks you if it is too soon to hide from a hurricane, the answer is, it is never too soon.  I am very glad to be in and have my spot.  I had envisioned being up some mosquito infested creek, this is much better.  For those back home, it is very much like Cobble Beach, without the golf course.

This is our hurricane hole...

Zoom out on our location widget to get the big picture of where we are.

Here is the weather map that helped us make our choice.  Heading back north isn't a good choice.  Being further south would have been nice, but it is getting too late to try that now.

With the current forecast, we are expecting winds from the North or North-East.  Our slip has our bow facing that direction.  That is a good thing in my mind.  Tomorrow we will tie up the boat the best we can and strip down all exterior items that may become loose.  This is our first tropical storm, but if all things are equal, we have seen winds this strong before.  It just a matter of being prepared.  Just in case the weather guys have it wrong.  That would never happen???

On the fun side, we spent the last couple days in Ocracoke, NC.  A known hideout of Blackbeard the pirate.  Eventually, the location of his death.  We dinghied around in Teaches Hole and saw the tree line that he used to hide the masts of his ships.  This morning we rented a golf cart and toured the village, picking up provisions and taking in the sites.  Hopefully, on the way home we will get a chance to visit Ocracoke more thoroughly.

Mom playing with a hermit crab.

Another great way to get around Ocracoke.

On the way into Ocracoke we saw our first wild dolphins.  If moments like that ever fail to put a smile on my face, book me a flight home immediately.  These were the first wild dolphins that Macara has ever seen.  Needless to say, she was pretty pumped.  The first pair of dolphins appeared to be a mother and a juvenile that popped up right on my bow.  All I could do was hope that they dove back down before my props got them.  How unpopular would I be if I 'manateed' the very first dolphins that we saw???

Too good to be true. Here comes Sandy.

When we started planning this trip, I had accepted this as an eventuality.

I was pleased in May when the different weather agencies began calling for a below average hurricane season.  But, most were quick to remind us that it only takes one hurricane to ruin your day.  So far, I there has been more named storms than they said would happen.  Fortunately for us, none have them have had much impact on the Atlantic coast of the USA.   Until now.

When we left Norfolk, VA and entered the ICW there was no hurricane action in the Atlantic basin.  Then suddenly two tropical depressions formed in a 24hr period.  Both have since strengthened to Tropical Storm status.  Tony is way out in the Atlantic, no cause for concern.  But, Sandy is forecast to come much closer.

Many thanks to the information age!  Between the VHF broadcasts and internet connections we get many updated forecasts per day.  Good thing, because sitting here today, I would be totally clueless of what is ahead of us without it.

So, here is what I see this morning...

Mariners 1-2-3 Rule.  Places to avoid in the next 72hrs.

Statistical model of predicted wind strength

No matter how you slice it, it is going to be windy in the Carolinas this weekend.  Right now, the marine forecast for Pamilico Sound is calling for 30-40 knot winds come Sunday.

When we started planning this trip, my biggest fear was that when a hurricane hole was needed, all the locals would have it filled by the time we got there.  Fear not, we are booked in a very tiny little marina for the weekend.  A hurricane hole if I have ever seen one.  That and when I Googled Carolina hurricane holes, it was one of the first hits.  Great Master Mariner I am.  hahahaha

Manteo, NC by Macara

On Sunday, when we pulled into the marina in Manteo North Carolina. I saw kids playing at a playground.  Once we were tied in our slip, Mom went to pay, Dad cleaned the boat and I went to play at the park.  I met new friends.  Their names were Ainsley and Hadley.  Ainsley is 9 years old in grade three and Hadley is 6 years old and she is in grade one.  We played together all afternoon on Sunday.  I invited the girls to see my boat.  Their Dad Matt and Uncle Jimmy came over and had a beer with Mom and Dad, while we played on board.  When they left we made plans to meet again tomorrow.  The next day, the girls and their Dad came to the boat and asked if we wanted to go out for the day.  Mom and Dad were still cleaning the boat but I was allowed to go.  We went to their Uncle Jimmy’s store. We got to pick out a sand bucket that had a shell, a turtle, suckers, and a sticker.  I put the sticker on the front of my bucket.  I also got a mood ring.  Thank you to the girl’s Dad and their Uncle Jimmy!  We went to the beach for a few hours.  We made sand castles and played.  We had lots of fun.  We came back to the boat.  Mom and Dad were finished cleaning.  Ainsley and Hadley asked us to go with them for dinner.  Mom and Dad said that sounds great.  We would meet after we got cleaned up.  Mom, Dad and I were picked up and driven to the restaurant.  Mom and Dad got to meet the girl’s Mom.  Her name is Blake.  When we got to the restaurant, their Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Parker and their grandparents were already there.  Everyone chatted and it was a good dinner.  When we were done eating we were driven back to the marina.  I was sad that we were leaving.  They have our boating card that has our blog and email address.  I hope they write to me.

Macara

ICW Day 1

Our fridge quite working.  Just not acceptable.  We lost a little meat, but most importantly we realized that we could not go on like this.  Lucky for us, it could not have happened in a better place.  In one day, I had diagnosed the problem, found a part and actually had it delivered to the boat... all in time to have a shower and go out for dinner.  In the eyes of the girls, I had earned it.  I wish all problems worked themselves out that easy.  While I was in fixit mode, I also connected the GPS to the VHF.  A 'project' that I have been working on since we left.  You know... Knot Yet.

A day of boat maintenance was rewarded with a kid day.  We dinghied around the USS Wisconsin (a 887ft Iowa Class Battleship) and then went inside Nauticus, a waterfront US Naval museum/exhibit.  Then ended the day at once again at Joe's Crab Shack.  They have a Snow Crab and cob of corn meal on the kids menu!  And they have a kids play area were Macara got to hang out with other kids.  All good!!!

The next morning we were up and gone bright and early.  We have another 1000 miles to go to put us in the heart of Florida, that means we have to keep moving.  But, this is a fresh start, a new beginning, Mile 0 of the ICW.

As we pull anchor and begin our day a couple other sailboats and a trawler pull out of various marinas.  The first few miles is speed controlled, so the four of us glide along together on a beautiful morning.

The first bridge that we encounter was Gilmerton Bridge.  Under construction, this bridge only opens once an hour, at the bottom of the hour.  Not by request, as was her usual habit.  And, you guessed it, we arrived at 8:40am.  So, we wait.  While we wait and the boats mill about, I get a moment to talk to the other skippers.  The lead sailboat appears to have done this trip many times.  He appears happy, relaxed and confident with the routine.  I talk to the trawler and we discuss our speeds.  We agree on a speed for in the canal, but I said that we would likely pick it up for a short while once out in the sound.

We continue to wait and the boats that had the 9:30am opening timed start to arrive.  A lot of them.  And this is when the day started to get a little weird, at least for this ICW newby/polite Canadian.  A couple 100' yachts slowly, but surely allowed themselves to drift to the front of the pack.  9:30am arrives and still the bridge does not open.  9:45am and still no opening.  I call the bridge tender on the VHF and he informs me that just on the other side of the bridge is a railway bridge and they are expecting a train.  He won't be opening until after the train comes through.  I thank him for the info.  The wait is always easier when you know what is going on.  Finally, a power catamaran, that was late for even the 9:30am opening starts to snake his way through 16+ boats.  You could hear a few snide comments floating around and he just gestures, what are you going to do about it.

Here is a link to one of the 100 footers that we ran with for the day:

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/mega-yachts-100-149/10441-silver-seas-107-burger-1998-a.html

ICW day 1 is loosing some of it's lustre.

The next several miles are packed with more bridges and a lock.  All of the bridges are low and require opening and none of them open on request.  We seem to be stuck in a bit of a rat race.  Boats are over taking other boats and then milling around as we wait for the next bridge.

Having thought about it for a couple days, I suppose it makes sense that the faster boats leave the bridge first.  It saves them overtaking a slower vessel under power and waking them.  It just didn't seem right at the time seeing the powerboats glide to the front of the line when others had been there well before them.  Maybe it's just me.

Enough of that.  The ICW offers two choices leaving Norfolk, Dismal Swamp or Virginia Cut they are both the same distance and will meet up again in Abermarle Sound.  In our pack, I don't think anybody took the swamp route.  With the bridges now behind us, the group is starting to thin out.  The Virginia Cut is a nice mix of marshy canals and sounds and rivers.  There were duck blinds everywhere.  There was one little opening in the marsh grass that was so packed with mallards that I don't think another would fit.  But, nothing will top the duck blind we say back on Wye River.  It had a boardwalk from the house out to the blind.

Our destination for the evening... Buck Island, just south of Coinjock, VA.  I didn't see the posted fuel price, but I had heard that is a good place to top up.  Unfortunately/fortunately we didn't need fuel, but I pretty sure everybody else stopped for fuel.  I even noticed a couple stopped for fuel and then pressed on.  Buck Island is just another 6 miles south of Coinjock, VA.  The description in our cruising guide stated that you can get well off the channel and charts displayed a nice 8' cut in behind the shoal that ICW passes around.  In theory, it sounded great.  When we got there, there was already one sailboat anchored.  This will be home for the night.  What wasn't in the guide, that nice 8' cut well off the ICW was littered with crab traps.  There was no room to swing back in there.  Instead we anchored up close to the sailboat, just off the channel.  So, close I felt obligated to go join them for a quick drink before dinner.  Nice couple with plenty of stories.  They made one comment that now sticks with me about this anchorage.  They wanted a spot with a nice breeze.  I thought they wanted to leave their hatches open for the night.  As soon as night fall came, those words took on a whole new meaning.  We were soon inundated with bugs.  They looked like a mosquito, just slightly bigger and they didn't bite.  I knew they were out there, but I had to go outside and pull up the dinghy.  One quick opening of the door and our cabin was full of them.  Soft and squishy they made a mess of everything as soon as you touched them.  A vacuum soon made short work of them.

Next stop Manteo, NC.  I had been to the Outer Banks in my early 20s on a windsurfing trip.  I had always said that that was a place that I would like to take Kerri back to some day.  Ocracoke, NC looked like a natural stop.  But, while in Solomons Island we chatted with a gentleman that insisted that we would love Manteo as well.  So much so, that we came back a second time to give us the dockmaster's personal cell phone number.  Manteo was a perfect break in a bit of a long run to Ocracoke and with that kind of a recommendation... next stop Manteo.

The ICW proper leaves the North River, makes short work of Abermarle Sound and heads for the Alligator River.  That's where everybody else went.  I guess we are taking the scenic route.  The sounds have a reputation for building up an annoying chop.  As soon as we got out in the sound, that 20 knot northerly did what they said it would do.  I guess that is why everybody went the other way, for the protection.  The sound is also very shallow everywhere and too shallow in a lot of places.  And surprise, it is full of crab traps.  I did here on the VHF that another boater, that day, had got one caught in his props.

Mike, if you are reading, thanks for the Manteo tip.  We just booked a second night.  We arrived on a Sunday and all the shops were closed.  There is a kids playground right by Manteo Waterfront Marina. Macara made some friends there.  Soon, the two girls, dad and their uncle were aboard visiting.  So much for washing the boat, there is always tomorrow.  Well, today is tomorrow.  Those bugs back at Buck Island, when mixed with water their droppings turn green.  It looks sort of like bearing grease.

The next few days look pretty nice.  I think we will enjoy the Outer Banks for a little while.