We Make It to North Carolina

Part of the "Rockpile"

Covered at high tide

Near the SC-NC border

Capt. Larry finally pulled Jane from the shops in Myrtle Beach and we headed north towards North Carolina. Right out of Myrtle Beach we encountered what is referred to the "rockpile'" In this stretch of the ICW the channel narrows significantly and is lined by outcroppings of rock ledges. The advice is to travel straight down the middle of the channel, but at high tide the rocky ledges are covered or awash with a minimal depth of water. Get outside the channel and you will almost surely hit some rock. Also, meeting a large tow in this section forces you to approach the ledges dangerously closely. We went through just after low tide and were glad we did. It was so much easier to see the channel and stay in the middle and we had 8-9' depths all the way. With a 3+ foot more of water at high tide we would not have been able to know where the channel was. This section stretches for almost 5 miles and we were glad to be out of it. We were traveling on Saturday of an Easter weekend and we encountered a lot of weekend boat traffic. That and a lot of no wake zones made the run to Southport, NC, our next stop, a lot longer than we expected.

Music at the Spring Festival

Beautiful Southport

Strawberry shortcake!

Chocolate, ice cream and orchids

Easter happy hour

We arrived at the Southport Marina in the early afternoon just as the onshore sea breeze was kicking up. This made getting the boat into a slip difficult, but we finally made it by going in stern first into the breeze. When we checked in we were told that the town was celebrating its Spring Festival, so we decided to head to the nearby park and have lunch and enjoy the festivities. There were lots of food vendors and Jane had lots of craft vendors to look at. Capt. Larry listened to some live music while Jane browsed. She found a jewelry store with Easter presents and a Christmas store. We headed back to the boat for happy hour and dinner. The next day we were offered the use of a car from a fellow boater, so we headed out to Wal-Mart for a beer and grocery run. All of the things that we have trouble hauling on the bicycles. This was Easter Sunday and we had made reservations previously at an old pharmacy converted into a restaurant. It turned out to be a delightfully wonderful meal. After we got back to the boat we watched some TV then went over to a neighboring boat for a protracted happy hour. Since we had a good internet connection, we were able to have a video Skype call with Jane's grandson, Brennan, and Capt. Larry's granddaughters and family. It was a wonderful holiday even though we were not able to be with our families.

Sunset over the marina

Charleston to Myrtle Beach

Belay your pet here!

Charleston residential street

Hmmmmm! Carolina barbecue

After the weather cleared, we spent our last day in Charleston sightseeing. Although the marina had courtesy vans that would shuttle us to various locations, we opted to explore parts of the city on our bicycles. We found a beautiful garden district that surrounded that surrounded Charleston University. When we asked one of the co-eds about places to eat lunch, we were directed to King Street which was bustling with all kinds of shops. We picked Jim 'N Nick's Pink Pig Bar-B-Q for some Carolina barbecue and it was delicious. We spent some time sightseeing and found a small grocery where we picked up a few items for the boat.

Moon setting over Charleston harbor

Fort Sumter

Mud wrestling on the ICW!

Sunrise at our anchorage

The next morning we left the marina and headed out through Charleston's harbor. The shipping lanes in the harbor are usually fairly busy with large ships, but most of big ships we saw were out in the Atlantic. We saw Ft. Sumter and made our way back onto the ICW. Running this stretch works well on a half-tide or more, but the water can get skinny in and out of the channel at low water. We found this out when we encountered a large tow making a turn in a bend at the same time we were. We were following a sailboat and got to the edge of the channel to give the tow room, and we watched our depth sounder drop down to 0.3 feet below the props. We were churning mud along with the tow, and how the sailboat, which we assume had a deeper draft, kept from going aground we'll never know. Anyway, we continued to push against the tide and finally made our way into an anchorage for the night.

Lunch at Hannah Banana's

The next morning we planned to scoot on into Myrtle Beach and ride out a storm that was predicted to hit the area the next day. Unfortunately, we had to change our plans as the marina we wanted to go into was full that night. Since the weather was not forecast to change until late the next day, we figured that we would anchor out again and then make a short trip to Myrtle Beach the next day, arriving around noon. Since we had time to kill, we stopped at the Wacca Wache Marina and had a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Hannah Banana's. The marina had a really good price on fuel so we topped off and headed on to our anchorage. The spot we picked turned out to be one of the best anchorages we have had yet, and we enjoyed a peaceful night on the hook.

The next day we waited for a half tide before going to Myrtle Beach. Part of this stretch of the ICW has rock ledges abutting the channel and Capt. Larry wanted lots of water below the boat, if he should encounter any large tows. Rock is not forgiving when contacted by the props!

Just like being home!

Osprey condo with landscaping

Tickfaw on our minds....

We found this section to be very similar to the Tickfaw River with its cypress stands and dark brown water. When we encountered a houseboat cruising down the river we really felt like we were home! We got Bavarian Cream secured and went to get the bikes down for a ride, only to discover that Capt. Larry's rear tire was flat. He has had the bike for over five years and never had a flat in that time. Now he has had two flat tires in the past two months. And of course inner tubes are not easy to find. We were told that there was a Wal-Mart about 2 miles away, so we hiked there for a tube, and a haircut and color for Jane.

Snoozin' at the beach

Jane said that the marina we were staying at was a women's marina because it was adjacent to a large shopping area. The next day we had lunch at a restaurant, then Jane went shopping while Capt. Larry went back to the boat for a nap. Later in the afternoon we got on our bikes and headed over to the beach. Our beach time was cut short, however, when the wind picked up and started blowing sand all over everything. We miss our sand chairs, umbrella, and the beautiful beaches on Okaloosa Island, but it was still fun to visit the beach. We returned to the boat and sat in the cockpit and enjoyed happy hour and visiting with other boaters.

Beautiful Beaufort!

Crossing the Savannah, note sailboat

We left Thunderbolt, GA and wound our way north through a stretch of the AIWW that had a channel that meandered all over the place. As we approached the Savannah River we monitored the traffic in the shipping lane and heard on of the big ships call to a sailboat 4 times with no answer. One could tell that the captain of the large ship wanted to know what the sailboat's intentions were, and it was really stupid of them not to respond. A large container ship is not something to mess with! We got to the Savannah River and aimed the boat for the AIWW cut on the other side. No large ships were encountered, and when we got to the other side, we saw the sailboat that we were pretty sure was being hailed. It was flying a British flag, but that's no excuse for not responding to a call.

Lighthouse on AIWW

We had an uneventful ride for the rest of the way to Beaufort with the exception of some rather large sea swells in the Port Royal Sound, but we are gaining confidence in our ability to handle most conditions. At the Beaufort River we got off the AIWW and went to the harbor host home of Chuck and Claria Grogen. We ran with Chuck and Claria across the Okeechobee and they invited us to tie up at their dock when we got to Beaufort. They invited us for happy hour and dinner that night and we had a delightful time.

Nancy-Rhett House

Pirate Hanging Tree

The Rhett House

Jane & Buck

The next day our hosts took us to downtown Beaufort where we took a horse-drawn carriage ride through the Beaufort historic district. Because Beaufort was occupied by Union forces during the Civil War, the city was spared the destruction that occurred other places and the old homes were magnificent. We saw several old churches and saw the Succession House where the Confederate succession papers were drawn up. The carriage ride was informative and entertaining. Beaufort has a long history involving different occupying forces, pirates, and the Civil War. We had lunch and were taken to a hardware and grocery store to re-provision the boat. That night Chuck and Claria invited us to a birthday party they were hosting for a friend and we got to meet some wonderful people and had a great time.

The Chapel of Ease- tabby construction

Claria & Jane at a working plantation

Gullah Chapel

Jane's she-crab soup!

Historic lighthouse

On the beach with the Grogens

The next day we were taken to some of the islands east of Beaufort. These islands are largely occupied by descendants of the Gullah who were largely from the Angola region of Africa and were brought to this country as slaves. After emancipation the Gullah were given 40 acres and a mule and today reside primarily in the lowlands of South Carolina and Georgia. They are a tight-knit community that have preserved their language, culture, and heritage. We went to a beautiful state park on Hunting Island where we saw a lighthouse and walked the beach. We stopped at the Gay Fish Company on the way back to the house to purchase some shrimp for supper. The company's shrimp boats were used in the filming of Forrest Gump. We had a great supper and conversation that evening.

High tide on Distant Island

Low tide on Distant Island

A long dock over mud at low tide

High and dry at low tide

The next morning we decided to move on. We had thought that we would like to anchor out about halfway between Beaufort and our next stop, Charleston, but when we heard that a major storm front was moving into the area, we decided to go the 70+ miles to Charleston in one day. It was a long trip and and the conditions gradually deteriorated throughout the day. By the time we got to Charleston we had 15-20 kt. winds. The wind and tidal current made it difficult to dock the boat at the Charleston City Marina. Although we radioed and were told a dock hand would be waiting, none were there when we got to our spot and we bumped rather hard into the pier. A neighboring boat helped us get tied up, after which the dock hand arrived. The marina staff seemed more concerned that we might not be close enough to the boat ahead of us for other boats to come in than helping us get set up. After this was all over, the dock hand lingered around, obviously waiting for a tip for doing nothing! That night and all the next day we rode out gale-force winds and really rough conditions. Someone said that the winds in the marina reached 42 kts., but many of the sailors thought it was higher than that. We stayed on the boat, did some chores, and invited Gary & Lori from Tessa which is home ported in Put-In-Bay, OH down for happy hour. We had a great time visiting with them.

A nasty blow in Charleston!

Teakettle Creek to Thunderbolt

Wild horses on Cumberland Island

USN King's Bay sub base

We left Fernandina Beach and headed north towards Georgia. Fernandina Beach is Florida's most northern city, so after we crossed the St. Mary's River, we were in Georgia and Cumberland Island. The landscape and scenery changed almost immediately. Gone were the palm trees and developed areas only to be replaced by coniferous and deciduous woods and lots of flat marshland. Shortly after entering Georgia we came to the U.S. Navy's Kings Bay nuclear submarine base. We had heard that some loopers were in the channel when they were bringing a submarine to or from the base, the all was quiet when we went by. We had the boat on autopilot and was programmed to turn away from the base, but apparently we didn't turn soon enough because we were radioed that we needed to turn at the G79 marker. Right after the transmission the autopilot turned the boat, but there was a patrol boat in the channel to make sure we didn't get any closer.

A buried charted wreck on Jekyll's Island

Waiting for throws as our float goes by!

Casting for bait

Sunset on New Teakettle Creek

Will perch anywhere!

We proceeded into Jekyll's Creek which is currently renowned for its skinny water. Although we were close to high tide, it was tough to follow the channel and at one point had less than 2 feet of water below the props. After Jekyll's Island we passed St. Simon's Island and then got into the McCay River which eventually took us through the Little Mud River, another shallow passage, to our anchorage that night in New Teakettle Creek. We went through way too many ranges and skinny stretches to get to this anchorage, and feel that unless some serious dredging is done to maintain the waterway, it will only be a few more years that some portions will not be passable. We got the boat anchored for the 7 foot tidal range and swift currents. Jane took a nap, but Capt. Larry noticed that alewives were jumping out of the water and there were silver flashes of large fish below the surface feeding on the schools. He got out his cast net and began casting for some of the bait fish. Jane got up and we tried to catch some of the larger fish, but had no luck. Why would the fish bite on our half dead bait when there were some many fish in the schools to be had. We had supper on the boat, turned on the generator and watched a movie (thanks Todd!) before retiring for a restful sleep. Anchoring out is so much more enjoyable than going into a marina!

We decided to head for Thunderbolt, GA the next morning. Thunderbolt is right next to Savannah and this would put us essentially out of Georgia and into South Carolina. At this point we have traveled around 1400 miles which is about one-fourth (depending on the side trips) of the loop. We left early so we could get into a marina relatively early. It was also Sunday and we didn't know how much weekend boat traffic we would encounter. After leaving the anchorage and passing a couple of sailboats, we put Bavarian Cream on autopilot. With the tidal current we were doing almost 9 knots when we came to a well marked shoaled area. When the autopilot is on we generally relax and let it do the work, but this almost turned out to be a mistake. As we were motoring through this shoaled area, Capt. Larry noticed that the boat was coming really close to some red markers. In fact, it dawned on him almost too late that these red markers were coming along to starboard when they should be to port. A glance at the depth sounder showed 2' of water which quickly went down to 0.7' as Capt. Larry threw the boat to starboard to get back in the channel. We made it OK without going aground, but probably only because we were traveling faster than usual. Another close call! Thunderbolt as a destination turned out to be a good choice because as we were up on plane across some larger bodies of water, Capt. Larry started complaining that it seemed the boat was driving uphill. At one point he stood up to go to the head and almost fell down. That was when he discovered that the starboard trim tab was not working and the boat on plane was listing like a drunken sailor. Jane took the helm and Capt. Larry went below to find a leaking compression fitting in the line. We throttled back which put the boat in a better configuration and motored into Thunderbolt.

At Tubby's Tank House

Loading wahoo pieces for weighing

Capt. Tubby at Tubby's

Too much Tubby's

The next day Capt. Larry went below to try and fix the trim tab leak. He really tightened the fitting, but it would not stop leaking. When he discovered that he didn't have the right fitting to do a repair, he called the marina for assistance. They sent out their "best hydraulics man" who quickly assessed the situation and said he could have it repaired that afternoon. Jane and Capt. Larry went to Tubby's Tank House, apparently a local institution, for lunch. Tubby's was sponsoring a fishing tournament and as we were leaving, two young fishermen were bringing in their catch of wahoo for weighing and certification. They had a 120 quart ice chest and one of the whaoo had to be cut into 3 pieces to fit into the chest. What a fine catch. We returned to the boat and "our hydraulics man" came aboard and fixed the trim tab leak. We grilled some chicken for dinner and watched another movie (thanks Todd!) before turning in.

Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island

The pirate ship attacks the castle!

We left St. Augustine knowing we would be back and headed north to Fernandina Beach. During this leg we passed through Jacksonville Beach and adjacent suburbs and subdivisions. While this section contained some very nice homes, we found it to be rather unattractive as all of the homes were sandwiched into postage-stamp sized lots. Most of this development was along a man made ditch that was not very wide. We encountered signs in the waterway warning that this was a congested area for the next several miles, and while we did not encounter very many boats on this weekday, one can only imagine the traffic and congestion on the weekends and holidays.

Shipyard on the St. John's River

As we got close to Fernandina Beach we knew that we would have to cross the St. John's River which is a major shipping lane. We were monitoring the radio and just as we started to cross the river we received a securite' call that one of the big ships was approaching the ICW. The distance across the river to Sister's Creek seemed so far, and even though we didn't see any large ships, Capt. Larry put Bavarian Cream up on plane and we scooted across. As we approached Fernandina Beach the channel narrowed and it was low tide. We came up on a sailboat and was looking for her name to hail her for a pass when she started to move to port. Assuming she wanted us to pass on the starboard side, we slowed and started around.

No kidding! An ICW warning for the little boats

As we got even with her we realized that she had suddenly stopped, and the skipper had reversed the engines and was stirring up mud. She had gone aground. We felt badly about the situation but also knew it was low tide and she should be able to free herself with a rising tide. That's part of traveling on the ICW. We got secured at the marina, cleaned up, and had dinner on the boat. We watched a magnificent sunset and turned in for the night.

Sunset on the AIWW

FB railway station

Arrrgh! Give me your booty!

The next morning we got Cream Puff down to patch her up in the cockpit of the boat. Since we had to wait for the patch to cure, we got the bikes down and took a ride. Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island is very quaint and even more charming than St. Augustine. There were several shops calling Jane's name, so we parked the bikes and Jane shopped while Capt. Larry went to Florida's oldest continuously operating saloon- the Palace Saloon.

Carousel porch columns

This was like a step back in time with a wooden bar and brass foot rails, wooden carvings and reliefs, and painted murals promoting defunct brands of beer.

Beer and history at the Palace

We returned to the boat and got the dinghy back on the davits and went to a mexican restaurant for dinner (we were tired of seafood!).