End of 2017 Update

My sister (Larri) in Arizona asked me to write down my basic plans for the remainder of my trip and I told her I'd be glad to.  Of course, my plans WILL change (some) and I DO try to be somewhat flexible.  And, of course, the weather will be a major factor in ALL plans. 

1/9 - fly from Harrisburg PA to Sanford FL.  Take a shuttle from Sanford to Vero Beach.

1/9 to 1/11 - do some troubleshooting of the boat's electrical system (my solar panel is not keeping the batteries charged as I had hoped).

1/11 - leave for Miami

1/15 - arrive in Miami - get staged for crossing to Bimini (crossing is typically a 10 hour motor/sail).

1/15 to 1/22 - weather window for crossing

1/22 - Bimini to Barry Islands

1/24 - Barry Islands to New Province (island where Nassau is located).

1/26 - Sail to northern Exumas

1/28 to 2/25 - Cruise mid  to north Exumas (I don't plan on going south to Georgetown).

2/25 to 3/2 - Friend Jordan Snyder to fly into Staniel Cay.  Sail to Eleuthera.

3/2 to 3/15 - Cruise Eleuthera

3/15 to 3/25 - Friend Robert Vantrigt to fly into Governor's Harbour Eleuthera.  Sail to Marsh Harbour, Abaco.

3/27 to 3/30 - Son and family Mike, Jody, Quinn fly into Marsh Harbour, cruise Abaco.

4/1 to 4/5 - Cruise northern Abaco, stage for crossing to Florida

4/5 - Crossing to Florida

4/5 to 5/5 - ICW from Florida to North Carolina

5/5 to 6/1 - ICW from North Carolina to Baltimore

Although I'm really enjoying being home and spending time with Joan, family, and friends, I do find myself often thinking about the boat and looking forward to getting back and continuing with my trip.  I have a number of things I planned on doing while I was home.  I've done some (filing for tax extensions, etc.) but still have a number to do.  I also have a growing list of items to be done when I return to True Blue on 1/9.  I’m not a person who really likes the cold and knowing that True Blue is waiting for me in 75 degree weather is very tempting.  I would normally have my coal stove cranking out the heat but not this winter.  Instead, I'm relying on my heat pump and keeping the thermostat turned down as low as I can tolerate.  I'm spending lots of time in my bedroom where I have a space heater for comfort.  And, of course, I'm counting the days.

Tuesday 12/12/2017 Back in PA

For those of you who have been willing to endure all my excessive writing, hasn't it been a nice break?  The boat is on a mooring at the Vero Beach City Marina.  I left there on Saturday at 4am (with my friend Fred who just happened to be driving back home) and got home at noon on Sunday.
This is a quick update - I'll try to fill in some of the blanks over the next several days.

Saturday 12/9/2017

It is now 1/16/2018 so this short entry will be from my bad memory.  This was the day of departure from Vero Beach.  Fred had suggested we leave a day earlier than we had planned. It was a good idea for several reasons (driving through DC on the weekend, for example).  I had lots to do to leave True Blue "safe" for a month.  The primary items were to go to my mooring and to bring the dinghy on deck, deflate, and store it.  I was assigned to mooring 20 at the Vero Beach City Marina.  The mooring had a 41' Hunter tied to it and a CS 38 rafted to his port side.  I would be on his starboard side.  Getting tied up went pretty well.  For those of you who would question leaving your boat rafted off another boat for a month, believe me, I had questioned it many times too.  Numerous people on the ICW assured me that it would be all right.  The VBCM mooring field is very protected.  In retrospect, everything was fine.  The second task didn't go so well - the dinghy.  Steve Schroeder came over to give me a hand getting it on board.  What I wasn't ready for was all the yucky slime that had grown on the bottom.  It made a mess of the deck.  But what was worse was getting the floor boards out.  It took the two of us over an hour.  THANK YOU to Steve for his help - I don't think I could have done it alone.  That may be the last time I ever deflate and store it. 

So, at 4pm, Steve gave me a ride to shore in his dinghy.  Fred had been there since about 2pm and was raring to get on the road.  So we did!  We both traded turns driving and drove all night.  Neither of us got much sleep - we had lots to talk about - we both have the same favorite topic - BOATS.  Fred has a Brewer 44 - Wild Oats that he keeps on the Magothy River.

I got home on 12/10 and returned to True Blue on 1/9/2018.  My blog will resume on 1/9.

Wednesday 12/6/2017 Vero Beach Layover

Made the drive over and back to Spring Hill again today - boring but uneventful.  Fred is almost 90 and I'd say his hearing is about 20% (normally) and about 5% when in the car (due to background road noise, I believe).  That mean even yelling was barely an option.  That was unfortunate since I was hoping to catch up on things while in the car.

I got back to the boat at around 9pm (after a quick stop at the Walmart).  The dinghy ride out in the dark was a little nerve wrecking (like many other parts of this adventure).  But as I approached True Blue, I was somewhat unnerved when I saw two masts instead of just one where the MY boat should have been.  As I approached, I realized another boat (with no present owner) had drug anchor and it's bow sprit was up against True Blue's aluminum rub rail.  I had seen the boat several times on my way to and from the marina.  It had a large For Sale sign displayed above the boom.  I spent the next half hour trying to get the boats apart and finally moved True Blue a short distance away.  I had notice during the day (when driving) that there had been a significant south wind but I doubt that it would have been enough to make the other boat drag it's anchor.  Also, the direction didn't seem right (south wind making a boat drag to the east?). 

Tuesday 12/5/2017 Vero Beach Layover

I had arranged several months ago to have my step uncle Fred visit me while I was here at Vero Beach.  My step cousin Robby and his wife Brenda were going to bring him over (from near Spring Hill - on the Gulf coast).  Unfortunately, both Robby and Brenda have both had major heart problems over the last 2 months and giving Fred a ride was no longer an option.  So I rented a car and drove over to pick Fred up.  It was a long drive (200 miles each way) over and back, two days in a row but I was glad I made the trip and I know Fred was too.

Uncle Fred

Monday 12/4/2017 - Vero Beach Layover

I woke just before 5 to a breeze.  I checked the weather and rain was in the forecast -  to start around 6:30 and only last an hour or so.  So I took  my time getting going.  But 6:30 came and went and the skies didn't look too threatening.  So I decided to go into town as planned and took my light rain jacket and umbrella - I love the water but not when it comes from above.  I caught the 8:10am bus into town.  They have a great bus system here.  They have downloadable maps online and great coverage.  They have 10 or 15 routes and a main hub where you can transfer.  Best of all, it's all FREE.  I think this is one of the reasons some call this "Velcro" Beach.  The downtown part of Vero is nice but is a little dated with lots of very small businesses.  It is very spread out - no buildings above 2 or 3 stories and most a single story.  At the West end of town is a huge mall.  Also at the west end is a huge Home Depot, a huge Lowes, a Target, a Sam's Club and a the biggest Walmart I've ever seen.  This part of town is a little newer and seems nicely laid out to minimize traffic congestion.  On the way back to the marina, the bus made a loop around the beach area.  It looked very nice with a lot of high end stores.  I like the fact that the area has lots of parks and open areas.  It is very spread out.

I rode the bus to the west end of town with a fellow cruiser Tom.  He and his wife have been here for about a week.  They are on their 1985 53' Pearson "Dalmation".  They were at Osprey for a week when I was there waiting for Joan to arrive.  It's funny how you will meet someone and just make a quick introduction and have a brief conversation.  But then you see them a month later, several hundred miles away, and it's like reuniting with long time friends. 

Tomorrow, I plan to rent a car and drive across the state to pick up my step Uncle Fred.  He has always been a wana-be sailor and I know he would love to see True Blue.  It's a 3 1/2 hour drive over, the same back and then I'll do it over again on Wednesday.  Considering that I haven't driven a car in 2 months, I hope I can remember how to do it.

Sunday 12/3/2017  Vero Beach Layover

Since I'm usually asleep by 9pm, I'm usually up by 5.  And that means I'm working on getting the dinghy in the water and the motor as soon as daylight arrives.  I devised a sling and a block and tackle that I hang from my spare halyard.  It works pretty well but I'm sure I'll get better at it.  I would not have wanted an audience for today's performance.  The motor was another challenge.  I had a combination lock on the motor, mounted on the stern rail.  I had a piece of tape on the back of the lock with the numbers 6 24 22.  I spent almost an hour trying to get that lock off before I realized I had written it backwards.  Why do I do things like that?  At least I didn't have to cut it off with a hack saw.   Getting the gas into the tank on the motor was the next major feat.  I do love the new "spill proof" gas cans.  Between the gas leaking out of the spout fitting and the nozzle plugging the motor fill hole, I only lost about a pint of gas. 

My other task for the morning was to get the my two 50 watt solar panels set up and connected.  These are flexible panels and they lay on top of the bimini.  I have an older 65 watt panel that sits on the cabin top aft of the mast.  Getting the two 50s set up and running the cabling only took a short time.  However, I wanted to do some testing of the new controller and that took another couple hours. 

So, at around 11am, I took the dinghy to shore.  The engine started right up and ran great both going and coming back.  I spent about an hour at the marina but they make it hard for non paying cruisers to use any of the facilities so there wasn't much to do.  Tomorrow, I'll pay for a mooring (but stay at anchor) just so I can use the facilities (dinghy dock, lounge/wifi).

Saturday 12/2/2017 South Melbourne to  Vero Beach

I've been waiting two months for this day.  It's 25 miles to Vero Beach - my destination for traveling home for the holidays.  Like usual (finally), it was warm and sunny by 7am.  It's sure nice to be in the warm weather.  I haven't had any bad weather for a couple weeks now.  I could get used to this! 

As I approached Vero Beach, I was looking out for a small channel just north of the City Marina where I was planning on anchoring while I waited the 9 days.  I had lots of plans and catching up.  Active  Captain shows two anchorages in the channel and I was hoping no one would be there.  Boy, was I surprised when I passed the channel and spotted a large group of sailboats lining the channel. My heart sank!  Where would I go??  I motored south to the marina and then back up through the mooring field.  There were LOTS of BIG boats in the mooring field - over a hundred.  And almost every mooring ball had two or three boats on the mooring.  I sure hope they will have room for little True Blue!!  Luckily, I found a "vacancy" in the anchorage and dropped the "hook".  It was still pretty tight and after a couple hours I raised the anchor and moved west about 75'.  This was perfect.  Very secluded, no waves, very little current, 7' deep, less than a foot of tide.  Paradise!!  I spent the next two hours dragging the dinghy out of the quarter berth and getting it up onto the fore-deck.  Then I inflated it and assembled all the parts.  Having the dinghy in service was my next milestone that meant I'd be "cruising"!!

Friday 12/1/2017  Eau Gallie (Melbourne) to South Melbourne

I took on water, washed down the boat, and went out to breakfast with Fred - who was on his way out of town to visit his sister Ann.  She and her husband live on the water in the Fort Myers area.  Fred has kept his boat there numerous times in the past - but not THIS time.  I've spent several hours trying to resolve my email troubles and I'm currently reinstalling my Outlook email programs (with all 27+K) emails.  I keep telling myself I need to clean up all those old emails and now I'm paying for not having gotten around to it.

I left at around 2pm (with 6,000 email still left to go).  I motored about 10 miles and anchored on the south side of a causeway/bridge.  Like many, it wasn't a great anchorage but the wind finally died down and I got a good night's sleep.

The decorations at some of the marina's are really putting me in the "Christmas Spirit"!

Thursday 11/30/2017 - Titusville to Melbourne

My friend Fred Chance (who I met up with in St. Augustine almost a  week ago) had gone to Melbourne to visit an old high school friend.  He called and asked me to get together with he and his friend for dinner.  My plan was to motor the 30+ miles to Melbourne and meet up with them.  I wanted to anchor out of the "Squid Lips" restaurant on the north side of the Eau Gallie Bridge but with the north wind, it was just too rough.  It was just as well because my plan B was to go through the bridge and into the Eau Gallie River.  I was still planning on anchoring but I ended up going to the Eau Gallie Yacht Basin - a somewhat run down marina but with LOTS of character and a nice staff.  Did I mention that they have GREAT wifi?!! 

So, Fred and his friend picked me up at around 6 and we went out to dinner at the local "senior" restaurant.  It was certainly much more than I could eat for a very reasonable price.  

Wednesday 11/29/2017  Daytona Beach to Titusville

The days are starting to run together - especially when it involves only anchoring out, motoring, eating, and sleeping.  It's now Friday and I'm playing catch-up.  The big events for Wednesday were motor/sailing down the Indian River, passing through the Haulover Canal, and continuing down the Indian River to Titusville.  The wind was from the north so I thought it would be a descent anchorage to hide behind the East side of the New Max Brewer Bridge.  But, after I got anchored, the wind shifted to the NE and I still had a half mile of fetch with a 15 knot wind that lasted until around 10pm.  It finally calmed down and I had a descent night's sleep,

Wednesday 11/29/2017 - Daytona Beach to Titusville FL

I got an early start today and I was glad I did.  About 10 miles below the Daytona Beach anchorage, I missed a bridge opening by 5 minutes.  It's interesting how much diversity there is in bridge operators.  Some operators are very friendly and some act like the world owes them a living.  In addition to having to wait 30 minutes for the opening time, just before opening, a barge radioed that he was coming downstream and requested that I (and three other sailboats with me) wait until he had passed through the bridge.  After he passed through, he thanked us all.  Then we passed through. 

The other reason the day was long was that I passed through the Mosquito Lagoon.  It is just north of Cape Canaveral.  This body of shallow water is about 15 miles long and about 3 miles wide.  The ICW channel runs down the western side.  It was sunny and about 75 and there was a real nice NNE, 6 to 8 knot wind.  So I shut off the engine and sailed (genoa only) down the entire 15 miles.  It was nice to be moving with no engine.  By the way, I never did see a mosquito!

Tuesday 11/28/2017 - Fort Matanzas (inlet) to Daytona Beach

If my blog is beginning to seem repetitious, that's because my days are becoming repetitious. 

I was up early and underway at "first light" (about 6:40).  That means pulling up the anchor with my head lamp.  It was a fairly uneventful day.

Monday 11/27/2017 - St. Augustine to Matanzas River Inlet

I planned on leaving early but since I only had 10 miles to go, there was significant fog in the area, and I had decided on a flight for returning to Florida after the holidays, I decided to delay my departure.  Joan helped me get the flight reserved so  I was set with that.  I let the mooring go, went through the Bridge of Lions and began a 30 minute wait for the fuel dock to be free.  By the time I got fuel and topped off my water tanks, it was 10am - but I was underway.  As a reminder for those of you who  don't know, this is all new territory for me.  I've never been on the ICW south of Brunswick GA. 

About an hour into my 2 hour trip, I got a call on the radio from S/V Selvko.  The skipper had spotted me leaving St. Augustine and I was coming up on his stern.  He reminded me that we had been anchored in Dunn Cove and had chatted in Mill Creek in Solomons.  It took me several minutes to recall but then it hit me.  He is single handing a P-26 to Marathon.  He will go through Lake Okachobee and then south to the keys.

So, here I am, almost all caught up with my blogging with one exception.

Since I left the Chesapeake, I have had what I consider a major issue with anchoring.  That is that the anchor line has wrapped around the keel several times.  When it does, the sound the waves make as they go around the boat (turned 90 degrees to the current) is SCARY - and I DON'T LIKE IT!

I had commented on this a couple days ago and my friend Ed gave me some advice on what to do.  So, after pulling into the Matanzas inlet (with it's 2.5 knot current), I decided today was the day to solve this problem.  I called Ed and he gave me the details.  It was fairly simple.  First, I set the anchor, as usual.  Then, I connect a kettle to the anchor line.  Like Ed, I have a 10 lb. mushroom anchor I planned to use for the dinghy.  I tie a 20 foot line to the anchor and connect a large shackle to the line at the anchor.  I connect the shackle around the main anchor rode and let it slide down the rode so that the mushroom anchor is down at least 10 to 15' off the bow (but not touching the bottom).  I tie the bitter end of the mushroom anchor line off to a cleat on the bow.  With lots of current, the mushroom anchor rides near the surface since the main rode is taught.  But when the current approaches slack, the weight holds the main rode down - below the depth of the keel.  Presto - problem solved.  A BIG THANKS TO ED!

As I finish typing this, it's 5:20pm and I successfully went through one tidal change at 3pm.  I think I'll sleep tonight.

Sunday 11/26/2017 - St. Augustine Layover

I had debated whether to stay another night in St. Augustine but I decided that it was time to finalize my reservations home and back for the Christmas holidays so I decided to stay another night and go to the marina (by water taxi) to shower, do a load of laundry, and use the marina wifi to schedule my trip.  Unfortunately shortly after taking a shower and getting my laundry going, the wifi crapped out.  I waited 3 hours for it to come back before giving up and returning to the boat.  There was a little more wind and more boat traffic than usual and the anchorage was a little bouncy the remainder of the day and night.   I called Joan and she agreed to help me with my reservations.  By chance, I got a call late in the day from Fred and when I told him I was having trouble getting my reservations made, a light went on (with us both) that he was planning on driving home about the same time I was planning on going home.  So, we made plans for him to pick me up in Vero Beach around 12/10 and for the two of us to drive back to Harrisburg together - another prayer answered!

Saturday 11/25/2017 - Jacksonville to St. Augustine

This was a pleasant stretch. It is nice that the days (and nights are getting warmer).  I was pretty nervous getting around the St. Augustine inlet.  The ICW almost dumps you into the inlet before letting you come back in.  Many of the buoys are where the charts and you can see fairly big waves coming in and breaking less than a half mile away.  Pretty scary stuff - for THIS sailor.  Fortunately, I had a 90' power boat to follow (not that I make a habit of following others that I don't even know).  Also, I came through at high tide so the current wasn't too bad.  I never saw less than about 12 feet of water.  So, what's the big deal??  I had a reservation for a mooring at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina so I hailed them and they told me where I'd be located - #23 on the north side.  That meant I didn't need to go through the Bridge of Lions that I had so carefully timed for an opening.   I was hoping to be on the south side of the bridge but that wasn't to be.

My good friend Captain Fred Chance has been planning a driving trip south for several weeks and had promised he would go anywhere he had to to spend a little time together.  He had stopped to see a friend in North Carolina the first night and was planning on spending 3 or 4 nights with a friend in Melborne, then stopping for  another visit in Stuart, then across Florida to spend a few days with his sister in Ft. Myers.  Fortunately, St. Augustine is only 7 miles off I-95 - so he didn't have far to go out of his way (to visit me).  Unfortunately, he ran into a major traffic jam in Georgia.  And, worse yet, this was the night when St, Augustine celebrated the lighting of all the buildings on the waterfront.  There were literally thousands of tourists in town for the event - meaning ALL hotel rooms were sold out and the traffic into and out of town was a mess.  To make matters worse, the last shuttle to the boats at moorings was at 6pm.  Needless to say, Fred and I only had a couple hours to visit.  He DID deliver a care package from Joan which, of course, was much appreciated (most critical was a replenishment of chex mix). 

True Blue was on a mooring just off the seawall next to the fort and I had a front row seat of the lights - and the music and celebrating that went on till after midnight.  But it was a nice evening with little wind etc.

Friday 11/24/2017 - Fernandina Beach to Jacksonville

This morning, he and I went to a quaint little restaurant for breakfast.  Then we walked around town. I'd have to say Fernandina Beach is about the coolest town I've ever been in.  The buildings are VERY historic.  Much of the old buildings and architecture still exists but the town has a very current and trendy feel.  It was "pajama day" and, even though it was chili, there were lots of people out and most of them were wearing their pajamas.  Wolfgang saw several people he knew and told them he and I were wearing our pajamas (sailors often sleep in their clothes).  A couple of the streets were closed off and they had activities for the kids and a couple different bands etc.  Fernandina Beach is a very "charming" little town. 

What's ironic is that the town is in between two large paper mills and from a distance it looks like an unattractive industrial area. 

I left the dock at 11:30am, after spending an hour getting water, doing some weather, tide, and boat checks, and donning my foul weather gear.  It was still blowing out of the north at about 20.  I made good time to my anchorage just south of the St. John's River (the inlet to Jacksonville).  The current and wind were with me most of the way.  I even used the genoa for about an hour. 

Tomorrow, I'll motor the 30+ miles to St. Auguatine where I'll meet my good friend Fred Chance.  Fred is making a road trip (starting this morning) down the east coast, visiting several friends along the way.  When he gets about half way down the east coast of Florida, he will head west to spend several days with his sister in Ft. Myers.

Thursday 11/23/2017 - Fernandina Beach Layover

I got a good night's sleep, even through the rain that started around 2am.  I woke up at 6 (as usual) but stayed in my sleeping bag listening to the wind and rain for another half hour.  I got up and did a few boat chores and come computer work.  I also had a few calls with some family and loved ones.  At about 1:30, I decided it was time to fix my Thanksgiving Dinner.  I was actually pretty happy with myself for making the effort. Of course, the entire event - from start to finish lasted only about an hour.  I can't figure out why so many people make a whole afternoon out of an event like this. 

Around 5pm, my friend Wolfgang returned from dinner with his girlfriend and her family.  It was a pleasant (and welcome) surprise that he brought back some left overs for ME.   It had stopped raining but a NNE wind was howling.  The marina had me tie up my boat on the other side of the T head from where Wolfgang keeps his boat (a Pacific Seacraft 34).  He is originally from Allentown.  He cruised to Fernandina with a friend a few years ago and liked it so much that when he got his current boat, he came down here from Rock Hall and has been here ever since (living aboard).  He rode out two major hurricanes (Mathew and Irma) that did significant damage to the marina and docks but his boat survived them both. 

Wednesday 11/22/2017 -  Overnight to St. Mary's River

I'm in Florida!!  Hooray!!  I'm at a mooring on the ICW just inside (south) of the entrance to the St. Mary's river.   The sun came up at 6:30am and we all rejoiced (on VHF channel 18) that the night was over.  We came in the inlet at 9:30am with a flood (pushing us in) tide, hung a left into the Amelia River/ICW and went about a mile south to the Fernandina Marina.  It was very sunny, light wind, and warm.  What a great welcome to Florida.  Once at the mooring, it didn't take me long to remove my long underwear and jeans and replace them with a pair of shorts. 

At first, I didn't really know where I was.  All I had really seen coming in was an old fort and a couple large factories spewing all sorts of smelly, ugly fumes.  After about an hour, I realized I was IN Fernandina Beach.  I've been here twice before by car and only remembered it as a really attractive little town.  Once I focused on the shoreline, I could see the buildings and the marina.  Unfortunately, in the afternoon, the wind picked up and it got a little rough on the mooring.  I called a friend who keeps his boat at the marina and made a reservation at the marina for Thursday.  I was really happy to be in Florida and to know things were warming up.  It was also nice knowing I had avoided a 3 to 4 day trip through the windy rivers of the ICW in Georgia.

Tuesday 11/21/2017 - Beaufort SC to Offshore from Port Royal Sound

I spent the most of the morning getting the boat ready for going offshore. You would think it would always be ready but I managed to make a list of over 20 items to check and do (like installing the jack lines etc.).  The plan was to pull anchor at 11:30am.  We did - and were on our way!  The other two boats were a Canadian Bayfield 36 (Tina and Mike on Cheroka) and a Freedom 45 (Eclipse 5) with Rod and his family of 5.  About a mile down river is a 65' fixed bridge and, guess what, the tide was a little too high for the Freedom 45 to make it under.  Mike and Tina held back to try and help the Freedom get through and I sailed down the river at a slow speed, knowing they would catch up soon.

We all went out the Port Royal Inlet at the same time at about 2:30pm. The current was with us at a fairly fast 2 knots.  The wind was fairly light from the east and there was about a 3', 6 second swell also from the east.  It was a little bumpy but it was about as good as it gets. 

We expected the wind to die overnight and shift to the north.  We also expected some rain.

What we got was wind light from the south, LOTS of heavy chop, and several thunderstorms.  This lasted from about 5pm till midnight.  Just before midnight, we contacted another cruiser (Peek-a-Boo).  We described our location (about 15 miles offshore) and conditions (very sucky).  He said he was only 10 miles out with fair conditions and doing 6.5 knots (we were lucky to be doing 4.5).  Well, the answer was fairly obvious - we were fighting the Gulf Stream!!  We made a 60 degree right turn and spend an hour heading closer to shore.  As we did, conditions got better and so did our speed.  After midnight, the skies cleared and we spent the next 9 hours in much improved conditions.  Lesson Learned - there is a Gulf Stream out there and it means business!

I must say that the first part of the night was as close to living a night mare as I want to get.  I've been in worse but so long ago that my memory helps me forget.

Monday 11/20/2017 -  Beaufort SC Layover

I got in a little late (around 4pm) but I had decided to try hard to make it here since this is a town I've always wanted to visit AND I need marina power to run my small space heater (the forecasted low was 40 degrees).  I got settled and did my first "load" of laundry in the galley sink.  It went reasonably well but I'm not sure the marina or the patrons appreciated seeing all my underwear hanging on the lifelines but I didn't have enough for a full load at the laundry.  I was a little unhappy with a couple things related to the Marina but the next morning I took my first walk into town and my attitude about Beaufort changed.  The houses in the historic district are beautiful.  There is lots of Spanish moss hanging from the trees that really adds to the charm.  At noon, I moved the boat over to the cities free "day only" dock and went for another walk to look a the large homes on Bay Street (along the waterfront).  I was really impressed.  Everyone looks so well maintained that a photo taken at any time could be on the cover of a magazine.  I also liked the downtown.  It was a compact but "real" downtown.  It had lots of nice shops and businesses.  On the back side of the businesses that line the south side of Bay street is a really nice waterfront garden area and brick waterfront walk.  I was sure glad I stopped here and spent the day.  Just before leaving the dock, I ran into a couple (Tina and Mike).  I had met them at Osprey Marina about a week before.  They told me they and another boat were going to leave at noon the next day to go offshore from Port Royal Inlet to St. Mary's River inlet - and wanted to know if I wanted to join them.  I told them I'd give it some thought but that there was a good chance I would - based, in part, on Mike having done lots of checking into tidal currents out and in, weather, swells, etc.  I went out and anchored the boat and started doing my own research into weather etc.  I concluded it was a good idea. 

Later in the afternoon, at anchor, the current shifted in the river. When it did, the anchor rode wrapped around the keel - as it had done about a week before during the night.  This time, I did some "googled" reading and ended letting out an additional 30 feet of rode.  The line sank before the current could run over the line and the line cleared the bow (and the keel).  I still need to come up with a better/long term solution.

Sunday 11/19/2017 - Church Creek to Beaufort SC

I'm sure today's 42 miles was by far the most complicated of any I've done to date. The chart plotter said it lasted 9.5 hours but it stated at 6:45 am and ended at 3:30 pm - and that's only 8.75 hours.  It started out a little rainy but was windy ALL day.  The wind was out of the west in the morning and rotated to the NW.  It seemed like it was on the nose most of the time but there was even one stretch where I was under genoa alone and doing 6.5 knots.  Sometimes I do forget it IS a sailboat.  The day was filled with many shoals, twists, and turns (see below).  If the current was against me for one stretch, it was with me for another.  I guess it all evened out but the 9 mile stretch up the Coosaw had 1.5 to 2 knots of current against me with the wind on the nose.  The good news was that the sun was out all day after about 9 am.  I had not planned on making it to Beaufort but this WAS one of the stops I wanted to make AND the temperature is supposed to be in the high 30s tonight.

Wadmalaw River - 7.4 miles

Dawho River - 4 miles

North Creek - 1.1 miles

Watts Cut - 1.4 miles

South Edisto River - 6 miles

Fenwick Island Cut - .4 miles

Ashepoo River - 1.6 miles

Ashepoo - Coosaw Cutoff 1 - 1.5 miles

Rock Creek - 1 mile

Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff 2 - 1.4 miles

Coosaw River - 9.4 miles

Brickyard Creek - 3 miles

Beaufort River - 3.4 miles

Saturday 11/18 - Passing Through  Charleston

It's good that I don't ask much of God.  Because this time, he answered my prayer!  When I got up at 6am and looked out, I was in the center of the channel (like when I had set the anchor the afternoon before).  I want forward and the anchor line was leading off the bow just as it should.  The tide was up about 4 or 5'.  My plan had been to stay there till about 9.  That plan changed quickly.  I figured I better get while the getting was good!! 

I was about 10 miles north of Charleston Harbor.  There was really no rush because I wanted to cross through Elliot's Cut (about 3 miles south of Charleston) at slack current which was 2:30pm.  At 9am, I was approaching the Ben Sawyer swing bridge just north of the harbor.  Another sailboat that had just passed me had gone through at 9am.   I called the bridge tender and was told the next opening would be at 10am.  Oooops!  Lesson Learned  "look at all those bridge tables" that I so painstakingly prepared ahead of time.  Out came the anchor again. 

Unfortunately, the tide was against me in the harbor and the 3 or 4 miles to the ICW on the south side took almost 2 hours.  I entered the cut at noon and timed my passing of the bascule bridge (just north of Elliot's Cut) for a perfectly timed opening.  After passing through, I pulled over to a little side channel and anchored again - to wait till 2:30 pm.  So here I am - it's 1:30 and I'm all caught up.  

Friday 11/17 -  Georgetown to Charleston

I was up at 6 am and planned on leaving at 7.  Again, I wanted to catch several shallow areas at something other than low tide.  I was surprised when 3 or 4 other boats left before me.  It turned out the current was with me almost all day and the tide was fairly high so I didn't really have any problems.  That made it a long day but I ended up motoring about 55 miles.  I anchored in some marshes that showed two good anchorages on Active Captain.  A catamaran already had the first one so I went to the second.  It was narrow but I figured the current would keep me centered - WRONG!!  One thing I didn't account for was the tide.  When I anchored, I was in 11' (MLLW).  But when I started hearing lots of little rippling and ticking noises at 11 pm, I decided to go out for a look.  I was shocked when I was the bow was over exposed mud and about 5' from the shoreline of reeds.  The anchor line was against the hull, leading aft - under the boat.  I assumed the tide had changed and the anchor line had wrapped around the keel.  What a MESS.  And it was still 2 hours from low tide.  By the way, I forgot to mention this area has an 8.5' tidal range.  I went back to bed and got about an hour's sleep the remainder of the night.   Hi tide was at 9am the next morning so my plan was to get up at 6, and haul the dinghy out of the quarterberth (where it is all neatly packed away), and take a spare anchor to the other side of the channel so I could kedge myself off.   I prayed that God would help me get out of this one.

Thursday 11/16 -

OK - it's Saturday and I'm a little behind.  Having been at a dock for two weeks caused me to to get out of my "on the go" routine.  Hopefully, it will come back quickly. 

I left Osprey Marina at 8 am sharp.  I wanted to time my pass through some "skinny" water to the south of Osprey.  I don't know who came up with the word "skinny" to describe shallow depths but I don't like it.  However, I'm trying to be more open to new things so I thought I'd give it a try here.  I only had 30 miles to go to Georgetown so it was a slow day.  I made it there around 3pm and anchored out just off the waterfront (Riverwalk).  What a picturesque town it is.  It was a cool night (which I was not used to).  

Wednesday 11/15 - Osprey Marina

I was sad to have Joan leave today and I know she was too.  She left around noon for a 3pm flight home.  I did laundry, got the boat ready, and made my preparations for an early departure tomorrow.  

Wednesday 11/15 - Osprey Marina

I was sad to have Joan leave today and I know she was too.  She left around noon for a 3 pm flight home.  I did laundry, got the boat ready, and made my preparations for an early departure tomorrow.  

Tuesday 11/14 - Georgetown SC

We got up early since we had a full schedule of things to do before returning to the Marina.  First was a drive up and down the three or four blocks that parallel the waterfront, looking at old homes.  Georgetown is the third oldest town in South Carolina (behind Charleston and Beaufort).  Many of the houses date back to the 1700s.  It was sunny but pretty cool out so we decided to drive vs. walk.  Then, at 10am, we went on a one our drive around guided tour that provided lots of the town's history.  Then we toured the county historical society museum.  And last, but not least, the Rice Museum.  It was surprising to me that rice was such an important crop in the area.  What made it do so well was the 5 fresh water rivers that flow into the flatlands near the mouth of the Winyah River.  What made it so profitable was that 90 percent of the people in the area were slaves that were first used to clear the land, build the fields with systems of dikes, and then farm the land.  When the slaves were freed, the industry in the area died. 

We left Georgetown around 1pm and drove about 20 miles north to the Brookstone Gardens.  This is a sculpture garden with hundreds of stone and bronze sculptures - all by American artists.  We went on a guided tour and then walked around a lot on our own.  This place is huge - about the size of Longwood Gardens near home.  It was definitely worth the time and the entrance fee.  There are not many flower gardens but many many shrubs and beautiful live oak and other trees. 

We returned to the marina around 6pm and then went out for my final grocery shopping.

Monday  11/13, 2017 -  Day trip to Georgetown SC

After spending much of the morning going to various stores around the marina, Joan and I left for Georgetown.  It was about a 45 minute drive.  We did several touristy things and had a real nice day.   Georgetown has a really nice board walk along the riverfront.  At the north end is a beautiful home that we toured.  

Sunday 11/12 - Backtrack to Southport and Carolina Beach

This morning, Joan and I had an unrushed departure from our hotel in Southport.  Our goal was to catch the 10am ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher (south of Carolina Beach).  From where you exit the ferry it is about a mile to the Fort Fisher Memorial.  Fort Fisher was important to the South during the Civil War since it was used to protect the Cape Fear river from blockades that the Union was using to prevent the Confederates from moving supplies up the river to Wilmington. 

There are some pretty ocean side beaches there but it was cool and windy so we didn't spend too much time out of the car.  We drove up through several miles of beach communities to the more developed city of Carolina Beach.  We went to the Carolina Beach Marina where I had kept the boat 2 weeks before at the State Park Marina.  We hiked on some trails in the park that were supposed to have venus flytraps.  As hard as I tried, I never did see one.  It reminded me of the exiting times I had with my grandson Jaylen watching many youtube videos of the flytraps catching bugs (when he was 4). 

Then we went over to Michaels Seafood (restaurant) just outside the park.  It was the place I had gone to watch a Penn State game and had the owner of the restaurant take me to a friends house to watch the game.   Unfortunately, she was not there so we missed thanking her again.

We caught the 1pm ferry and did a little more walking around Southport before leaving to return to the boat.

Saturday 11/11/2017 Backtrack to Southport (by car)

Joan arrived today.  She took an earlier flight through Philly and got here around 10 am.  By the time she got a rental car, and drove to the marina, it was 11.  I was sure glad to see her.  We ate the last two donuts in the marina lounge, gulped down a cup of coffee and were on our way north to Southport.  Southport is near the mouth of the Cape Fear River and is a really neat little historic town and fishing village.  We spent the afternoon doing touristy things (Maritime Museum, Visitors Center, River walk, and the self guided historic district walk.  We also went quickly through a couple antique shops.  It was cool and breezy out but was nice and sunny.  We had a nice dinner at the Fishy Fishy Café and then drove over to the Southport Marina where Hank Palmeranz gave a great lecture on what to watch for when heading south on the ICW.  He gives the lecture every night at 6 pm for boats headed south in the fall and again for boats headed north in the spring.  He had a great, detailed, handout and many, many great tips.  Of course, I ignored the first 10 minutes since I had already traveled through that 60 mile area.

Friday 11/10/2017 - Osprey Marina Layover

Of course, I knew today was my 70th birthday but it was nice that my phone reminded me when I first woke up around 5:30 this morning.  I was looking forward to Joan's arrival today but her flight got cancelled so we will have to (hopefully) wait till tomorrow.  It was a cool but beautiful day with lots of sun.  I did a little boat work - some minor sail repair and finished getting my new Mantus anchor all rigged up.

Having been here at Osprey for over a week, I'm beginning to feel like I'm on a merry go round.  People are coming and going all the time.  It's been fun because I've been able to meet a number of really nice cruisers.  Today, one of the cruisers staying here agreed to show several of us their slide show of the circumnavigation they did 40 years ago.  It was fascinating and very interesting.  In fact, it was the highlight of my day!  Of course, they were around 30 at that time.  Then, 18 years later, they made essentially the same trip (but on a newer boat - a Vallient 40 which they now have) with their two boys (age 9 and 11).  Kitty told me all about how the school system sent them books so they could home school for the 4 years between 1987 and 1991.  Below is a short video of Scott, Kitty to my right, and the "audience".   Meeting people like this is what makes a trip like this so meaningful - to me.

Thursday 11/9/2017 Osprey Marina Layover

Now this was an eventful day!  It rained most of the day and is raining right now (7pm). It was also cold (for this area).  I think the high was 53.  Fortunately, I have a small space heater that is able keep things pretty comfortable inside.  I spent  several hours this morning in the Marina Lounge.  I was working on planning my remaining trip south to Florida and also my trip home and back over Christmas.  With the rain, there were a number of cruisers in the lounge and I had some nice conversations with several.  Some of these people have LOTS more experience at this than me and I'm getting all kinds of good tips.  I do expect I'll see some of them again between now and next May.

Wednesday 11/8/2017

It's now Thursday and I can't even remember what I did yesterday.  It was obviously not a very productive or meaningful day.  Of course, I was still at Osprey Marina.  Oh - I DID go with a new friend to Sam's club to use my membership card so he could buy a new Group 31 battery for his boat.  The remainder of the day must have been just squandered away??

Tuesday 11/7/2017 - Osprey Marina Layover

Today was a small job day:

 Descent breakfast on the boat (back to beagle and coffee at the Marina tomorrow)

Laundry

Fill diesel jerry can and attach to the port rail

Empty waste engine oil in marina tank

Clean out and dry the bilge (for the last time??)

Clean the inside of the boat (from yesterday's water pump job)

Upload blogs

Misc other chores

The forecast is for some rain and cooler temperatures over the next couple days.  The weather has been really nice for the week I've been here.  Joan arrives on Friday so I'm really looking forward to seeing her and escaping from a mild case of "cabin fever".

Monday 11/6/2017 - Osprey Marina Layover

The crowd of cruisers left the marina today and things got much more quiet.  

I've been putting off working on the leaking water pump for several days now.  Working on the boat at home is much easier since making the boat dysfunctional usually has a much less severe consequence.  So, at 7am, I began working on the pump.  I was very careful to take measurements and even recorded much of what I did and found with my camcorder (posted below - but WAY too long for the casual reader).  I had several concerns about doing the work myself:

1.  Would I break something or find a part that had to be replaced - that I didn't have as a spare.  The engine will not run more than about 5 minutes without this pump.
2.  Would I need a bearing puller/press to remove the shaft and seal?

As it turned out, the shaft and bearings came out with just a little tapping from a hammer -not a recommended practice but I believe it worked fine.  The old seal was a real mess but it came out without too much trouble.  The bottom line was that the new seal went in with no real problems.  And - I had no extra parts left over AND NO LEAKAGE.

Raw water pump rebuild video

Sunday 11/5/2017 - Osprey Marina Layover

I think it would be accurate to say that I squandered nearly this entire day away.  I did change the engine oil and filter and also the transmission oil.  Also, I toured a new friend's 1988 Pearson 31-2.  It is almost identical to my boat except that he it has a 6' draft fin keel and has more rigging for racing. The owner (Michael) recently moved to Charleston and is bringing the boat down to his new home from New Jersey.  He joined the "Sail to the Sun" rally in Hampton (http://icwally.com/Sail_to_the_Sun_Rally%21.html).

Resiliance video

Saturday 11/4/2017 - Osprey Marina Layover

For those who are reading my blog - thanks for following my adventure.  I hope it's not too much volume and detail.  Let me know and I'll cut back.  For those of you who add comments at the end of a given blog, I AM getting your comments and I'm sorry about seldom (if ever) responding.  When you post a comment, I get a Gmail email that contains your comment.  Google doesn't allow me to reply without going back into my blog - which is kinda a pain.  I usually type my blogs ahead of time and then try to quickly post them since I need to be online to do that.  Anyway, thanks for your patience and perseverance.

It has taken me a while to incorporate videos into my blog.  I had BIG plans in the last 6 to 12 months to focus more on videos.  I created my own YouTube channel (Wind on Water) to "vlog" (video log) my adventure.  I got a couple fairly low priced video cameras and some editing software.  The one thing I didn't really plan on was how much time it all takes.  As with many things, getting a efficient process in place is a key. I've taken 20 to 30 videos but only posted my first two or three very recently.  I know I have a LOT of work before I get better at the videos so please bare with me.  I follow several other sailing YouTube channels and I know I have a LOT of room for improvement.  In fact, I have accepted the fact that I'll never even come close to most of the ones I watch.  I doubt that my videos will ever be much better than the "home movies" my Dad took when I was a kid.  I hope you get the "picture".

Friday 10/3/2017 - Osprey Marina Layover

Since I have been at the marina (now almost 48 hours, I have been , by choice, without shore power).  I hooked up all my solar yesterday morning and have been testing the setup to make sure I'll have enough power for the Bahamas.  The first night, the batteries got down to 12.55 - not a problem.  But last night they got down to 1.35.  That is much lower than I like but still above the minimum recommended of 12.2v.  So, today, I've been playing around testing the setup to see if I can get by.  Of course, I'm using very little power (fridge, a little lighting at night, charging the laptop, etc.).  I think I'm doing better today than yesterday but time will tell.  Some things I miss without shore power include: running fans during the day, and a heater at night, my coffee maker,  hot water, plenty of lights at night, keeping everything charged without going to the marina office, etc. Running the engine every day or two will make it much easier since it has a descent size alternator and produced it's own hot water.

I have had a few small boat problems since I left home and I expect to take care of them while I'm waiting for Joan to arrive on 11/9. 

1.       Stuffing box leak - I think the packing that existed was near the end of it's adjustment range - it needed to have some added.  It was leaking 10 or 15 drops per minute.  That was a rate that was easy for the auto electric bilge pump to keep up with but I don’t ANY water in my bilge so this was a little upsetting.  Fortunately, I was able to get exactly the type of packing I wanted and added a ring while docked in Beaufort.  It has worked great - problem solved.

2.      Raw water pump seal leak - Not sure when this started but it is much smaller in size.  I have a spare seal so I expect to have that replaced in the next day or two.

3.      Mainsail headboard to slug webbing - I noticed the headboard had become detached from the slug about two weeks ago.  I lashed the two together for a temporary fix.  I need to remove the lashing and sew the webbing back in place.

4.      Crab trap float - I went for a swim yesterday and was able to remove the float and the line that was jammed between the leading edge of the rudder and the 12" vertical strut in front of it.  I'd be lying if it didn't bother me to be in the water knowing an alligator lives in the marina basin.  In any event - problem solved.

Thursday 11/2/2017 -  Socastee SC (Osprey Marina) Layover

My first full day at Osprey.  I met a few other boaters this morning.  The marina has free coffee, donuts, and beagles every morning.  It results in a gathering and some social contact.  All the others were on trawlers and were heading out just after "breakfast".  I returned to the boat and did a little boat work.  I'm trying to get by without shore power - mainly to see if I am able to (for the Bahamas).  As long as it's sunny, I think I'll be OK.

Sometimes procrastinating pays off (but not as often as I'd like).  Today, I stumbled on a very simple fix to a problem I've had for several months.  About 3 months ago, I replaced the Harken cleats for my mainsheet traveler control lines.  The line on the port side has worked like a charm since I replaced it.  The one on the starboard side has been a real PIA to uncleat.  Sometimes it needs to be uncleated NOW and that is usually when it is the most difficult.  I was using the lines to move the boom so the solar panels on the bimini were in full sun and I noticed that I have/had the line running out of the bottom of the double block and not out of the top.  In less than a minute, I re-ran the line and - problem solved.  

In the afternoon, I was sitting in the marina office editing my first two videos. As I sat there, who would walk into the office but Vince of (the YouTube Channel) Sailing Nervous.  I recognized him right away.  His wife Amy is a nurse and was on the boat "working". She does her nursing via the phone/internet and is pretty disciplined about working an 8 hour per day, 40 hour per week job.  I talked to Vinny for about an hour and he said he and Amy would stop over later in the evening.  Vinny has spent much of his life trying to find a vocation.  He started out going to seminary, became a pastor, then got into counseling,  got his PHD in something, them got a law degree in around 2009.  Just two or three years ago, he decided he wanted to leave it all and sail the world.  He and Amy's three kids are fully grown so that is what they are doing - on their Moody 32.  They live near Lancaster PA and are going home this weekend to put their house up for sale.   I've been watching their entertaining videos for over a year.  Here is a link to their channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4x5ZeAGz8Z_k0TzQO6fYIQ/featured

This evening, Vin and Amy came over.  They took some videos of True Blue and threatened to include them in one of their upcoming videos.  They are newcomers to sailing and are very humble about how much they still have to learn.  They are both VERY nice people.

Wednesday 11/1/2017 - Little River Inlet to South Myrtle Beach

It was an interesting night last night.  I'm actually anchored in the Calabash River.  I hadn't looked at it very closely on the charts ahead of time.  The areas around inlets are usually complicated with lots of streams and cuts meandering all over the place.  I knew the Calabash extended farther inland but didn't realize how far.  In any event, the current was stronger than I had expected.  I'm still using my Fortress danforth anchor (7 lb. FX-11).  I love this anchor because it is so easy to set, holds very well, and is easy to retrieve.  I have a new Mantis anchor but it is stored away for later in the trip.  So I decided to just manually reset the Fortress each time the tide changed overnight.  That was 6:30pm, 12:30am, and 6:30am.  As easy as the Fortress is,  I concluded that three times "easy" makes "hard".  I don't expect conditions like this again for a while so I think I'll wait to swap out to the Mantis.  Another "lesson learned, however". 

Another factor about being anchored in the Calabash is the VERY large fishing boats that come and go throughout the night.  Being anchored close to the channel didn't help. 

It's now Thursday.  What a difference a day can make.  Yesterday was uneventful and a nice day.  Wednesday was the opposite - just after leaving my anchorage in Calabash River.  Apparently I had snagged a crab pot over night and didn't realize it until I noticed the wheel being a little hard to turn and my top speed ranging from 1.8 to 2.2 knots.  At first, I thought it was the strong current against me but after about 5 minutes in the ICW (out of the Calabash), I realized it was more than that - much more.  In retrospect, I should have turned around and gone back into the creek.  But instead, I forged ahead at 2 knots about a mile where it appeared I could pull off to the side and anchor.  The spot I chose wasn't as good as it looked on the charts.  My first attempt was futile - the anchor felt like it was dragging over concrete.  So I moved up to an area that looked more shoaly (softer bottom??).  It caught but I was in 6' of water with a red day marker about 100' behind me and the current pushing me toward it at 2 knots.  The time was about 8am so it was early and cool.  I put on my shorty wet suit, fins, and mask to go down for a look.  I tied a line to my ankle just in case.  The water was about like the Bay but had lots of debris that was flying past.  The prop was clear but there was a float wrapped around my rudder post.  I tried several times to unwrap it but finally gave up.  From the ladder, I pulled on the other end of the line and up came a nice new yellow crab pot (a cage about 2' x 2' x 2'.  It contained a couple small crabs.  I debated what to do - whether to keep trying to free the line from my rudder or cut the trap loose. I really hated to detach the trap from the buoy since this would mean a lost trap (at probably over $100).  I decided to cut it loose and travel the remainder of the day with the line and buoy wrapped around the rudder post. 

Then began my 25 mile trip to Osprey Marina (South of Myrtle Beach).  Unfortunately, the tide was falling and I was heading away from the Little River Inlet.  So the current was against me for all but the last 5 miles of the trip - Arggg!  My fuel gauge was reading low so I stopped for fuel in North Myrtle Beach and got 5 gallons.  My 18hp diesel uses just 1/3 gallon an hour and cruises at just over 5 knots so it will go about 15 miles on a gallon.

 

My next challenge was the famous Rock Pile between North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach.  It is a 3 mile section of the ICW that was cut into solid rock. There are two sections where the outcrops are most visible and narrow.  It was getting to be late in the afternoon and there was very little boat traffic. So, for that stretch, no one passed me in either direction.  I was still a nervous wreck - even though the depths were never less than 10 feet (at low, low tide). 

During the day I encountered two or three swing bridges but both opened right away after I hailed the bridge tender. 

Just past the South end of Myrtle Beach, I entered the Socastee River area.  The waterway makes a significant change from upscale homes and northern type vegetation to a more rural and swampy appearance.

I pulled into Osprey Marina close to 5pm, got fuel and a pump out.  I'm not sure what happened but the suction nozzle sprayed me with discharge from the holding tank. It wasn't much but it doesn't take much.  I got the boat to it's slip and went to the office to check in.  It is a really nice marina.  It has a "first choice" rating on Active Captain for good reason.  I'll write more later.  But one real plus is the price.  A dollar per foot per day for the first 3 days then a quarter a foot per day after that.  

What's that blue thing in the water??

This is what Mean Low Low tide looks like!

 Would you want your boat on top of that??

Nice collection of Navigation Aids (buoys)


Terracing to an extreem

Some nice summer homes!

I wonder what that retaining wall will look like in 30 years

Rock Pile Video

North Myrtle Beach Swing Bridge Video

Tuesday 10/31/2017 Southport to Little River Inlet

Happy Halloween!!  I'll be wearing my sailor suit tonight.  That's grubby jeans and a T-shirt.

I had a good night sleep last night and today was a good day. I left Southport at 9am (as planned).  I passed three inlets - Lockwoods Folly, Shallotte, and Tubbs.  Lockwoods Folly was uneventful but at Shallotte, a J-105 I was following ran aground right in the middle of the well marked inlet. It was odd because he draws 5.5' and when I passed him (within 20' of his port side), I never read under 7 feet.  Fortunately for him, the tide was rising and he was off after about 30 minutes.  As I approached Little River Inlet, the tide was rising and it made for slow going (against a 2 knot current).  Getting into the anchorage across from the inlet was tricky but I stayed off the bottom.  I was anchored at about 3pm and took a quick shower since the outside temp is 70 and I still  have bright sunshine.  It WAS a beautiful day.  There is a fair amount of current in the anchorage and I only have one anchor rigged so I may need to reset after the tide changes direction (shortly).  Also, the wind is supposed to shift to the E and then NE overnight so I'll have to take that into consideration also.  I'm anchored near some crab pots so I do want to keep my distance from them.

Monday 10/30/2017 Carolina Beach State Park Marina to Southport NC

We were up at 5:30 and Phil got a cab to the nearby bus station at around 7am.  It is a bright sunny day but chilly (and still breezy) as foretasted.  Phil caught a cab at 7 to get to the Food Lion Bus stop 2 miles away.  We tried Uber but there were no Uber drivers in the area.  The cab was a backup. His plan was to take a Wave bus to Wilmington and an Amtrak Shuttle to the Amtrak station.  It's now Tuesday morning and he should be getting home about now since he was going to have to spend the night in the Philly train station, waiting for a 5am this morning train to Harrisburg.

So, I had timed my departure from Carolina Beach SP Marina for 10am - to coincide with an ebbing current down the Cape Fear river and a slack current at the entrance to Southport.  Unfortunately, the wind was still blowing from the west at 15.  But once I started preparing the dock lines for my departure, it was hard to reverse my progress (and stay another night).  That's probably what I should have done since I liked the marina and the rates were very reasonable. 

Getting out of the slip was a little tricky since I was solo and the wind was from abeam.  But I managed with only slightly touching the rub rail against the port piling on my way out.  However, once I was clear, I looked out the narrow entrance into the River and noticed a large barge coming up the channel into Snows Cut.  I had no choice but to wait for him to pass.  I had a little trouble standing off all the docks but finally managed to exit the marina basin after about 10 minutes.  I knew the tide was low but I didn't know it was unusually low (due to recent west winds).  Just after I got into the channel that leads into and out of the marina, I mistakenly turned to the main channel too soon and ran aground.  Arrrrg!!  I guess because of the wind and waves, I was able to back off and get back into the marina channel.  But just after a sigh of relief, as I was exiting the channel, I bumped on the bottom again.  This time, I just kept going.  I was lucky to be exiting at a time when a 45' ketch was just coming by out of Snows Cut so I followed him down the channel and into the Cape Fear River.  It was a real relief after my bumpy start. 

The current in the river was about 1.5 knots and the wind was from the WNW so my leader and I both set our jibs and sailed down the river at about 5 to 6 knots.  I arrived at Southport about 12:15.  The sailboat in front of me stayed to the east, headed offshore out the Cape Fear Inlet.  I started into the ICW on the right.  My plan was to check out the two basins in Southport.  The first is very small.  It has a few restaurants but no marinas.  There is a free city dock but it is still in major disrepair from Hurricane Mathew over a year ago. But the basin was empty and looked like a great place to anchor for the night - so I went in and grabbed the center spot.  It is a busy place with lots of commercial fisherman coming and going all afternoon.  Still, it was relaxing and I got caught up on a few things.  The temperature in the boat got up to 70 but overnight, it got down to just over 50.  

Sunday 10/30/2017 - Carolina Beach State Park Layover

Sunday was somewhat uneventful and somber about Phil leaving.  But by mid day, we had both accepted it worked on his travel plans etc.  I began planning the next week and a half to the south end of Myrtle Beach where Joan will be visiting.  The forecast is for wind and cold all night into Monday morning.  To plan my strip down the 10 miles of the Cape Fear River, I'll need to leave the marina at 10am Monday.  I'll have the current with me going south.  That will put me at the exit of the River (and entrance to Southport) at slack current.  The wind is from the west shifting to NW so I'm hoping that won't be a problem.  I came up the Cape Fear River 3.5 years ago on the Pintita against a 2.5 knot current and it was pretty nasty.  I don't want to have a repeat of that.  The one thing that may keep me here for another night is the temperature.  The forecast low is 41 degrees (50 at 10am).  That with a forecasted 15 knot headwind will make for some uncomfortable motoring. 

Saturday 10/28/2017 Carolina Beach State Park Marina Layover

It's now Monday 10/30.  Saturday night, a predicted front came through with LOTS of heavy rain and wind.  It started about midnight.  We had thunderstorms and downpours until about 7am and then just rain on and off until about 2pm.  It made for a pretty miserable night and day.  When it did clear up, the wind shifted from the SW to the west and blew 20 to 30 all afternoon and evening.  During the night it died down to around 15.  During the night, I got up to investigate a strange knocking on the hull.  It was hard to tell where it was coming from and whether the source was inside or outside the boat.  I finally went outside (at 2am) to find a floating tree branch lodged inside our floating dock near the stern.  It was knocking into the hull every few seconds.  I retrieved it with the boat hook and went back to bed.

I've given some thought on whether (and how) to explain Phil's early departure this (Monday) morning.  Saturday morning he told me he was planning on going home early.  My first reaction was shock and disappointment.  My first assumption was that I had failed as a captain and host.  But, like most things, I have concluded it was a combination of things that led to his decision. I believe he and I simply have different expectations from cruising and the trip was simply not meeting his expectations.  Two years ago, he and I both sailed our own boats (solo) to Tangier Island.  It was a pretty rustic and undeveloped place.  He didn't care for it and I loved it.  Perhaps that should have been more of a sign to me.  I know there were other issues (space, personalities, etc.) but I believe they were more minor.  He was very apologetic for leaving early but I told him I was just glad to have his company and help for the 3 weeks we were together.  So, the remainder of my trip to the Bahamas will be solo.  

Friday 10/27/2017 - Wrightsville Beach to Carolina Beach State Park Marina

It was a great night last night with almost no wind at the anchorage.  However, we were up fairly early since our plan was to find a place to overnight for the next two nights.  Weather is on the way and we still have plenty of time to kill.  We were planning on anchoring or taking a mooring off Carolina Beach but the water there is deep and we had not made a reservation for a mooring.  The reviews for the State Park Marina were great and Al and Lois had stayed there so I called them.  They had two slips left so I reserved one and we were on our way.  The ICW in this area is more typical of what I remember - with inlets every few miles, current changing all the time, shoaling hazards, etc.  But it was a nice motor down the Waterway.  We got to the State Park just after 11am. What a beautiful marina in a beautiful setting.  It is small but the floating docks are in great shape.  The marina office and facilities are really nice too.  Thanks to Al Capron for the great tip.

Phil and I were running a little low on a few grocery items so we hiked the mile and a half to the local Food Lion.  We disagreed about the route to take on the way back so we split up.  I took the road and he took the hiking trail.  For the first time in 50+ years, I stuck my thumb out on the road back to the marina and got picked up by a really nice young couple who were taking their dog to the park for a walk.  I sat in the back of their pickup truck.  When we passed Phil, I yelled to him and waved and they stopped for him as well.  I think Phil got a charge out of the ride. I was just happy to not have to lug our groceries all the way back to the boat.

True Blue in her slip at Carolina Beach State Park Marina

Thursday 10/26/2017 - Wrightsville Beach Layover

It was a very uneventful day - so not much to write about.  We spent the day relaxing, did some boat work, did some reading and chatting.  Another reason for "hanging out" here was that it was a breezy and cool but very nice and sunny day.  Also, I had a number of calls to make about my mail, bills, etc.  I was a little indifferent about whether to go or stay since we still have a week and a half to travel just 90 miles.  But when Phil reminded me of the potential for current on the ICW and I checked, I realized we would be motoring against the current. So that made the decision to stay a little easier.  

Wednesday 10/25/2017 - Beaufort to Wrightsville Beach

So, at 3:30am, we pulled up the anchor and headed out.  We had lots of current behind us so it was a fast motor from Morehead City to the Inlet.  Everything was good until we got to the inlet (in pitch dark).  It took us about 45 minutes to get out of the inlet and for the first 10 minutes the conditions kept getting worse and worse.  We began encountering very large waves.  The boat seemed more like a cork than a sailing vessel.  Of course, we had no sails up.  I admit it was pretty frightening!  We were both thinking "can it get worse?".  With a possible answer of "yes", it made it hard to imagine going on.  The other option was to turn around and head back into a 1.5 knot ebbing current.  So, we kept going.  After about 20 minute, there were periods of less pounding and better progress and after 30 minutes we were past the roughest parts. 

We turned to head SW at about 4:30am.  We motored until about 7:30 but raised the (reefed) mainsail at about 5am.  The sail gave another half knot of speed and added to our stability a little.  The wind was about 10 to 15 from the west so we were headed into the wind and fairly large waves.  The large (3') ocean swells were coming in from the East and opposing the wind waves which made for some fairly choppy conditions.   It was a welcome sight when it began to get light at about 6:30am. 

It was cloudy and sprinkled a little in the early morning but by 10am, the sun was out with an almost cloudless sky.  We sailed on a close (starboard) reach with both the main and jib reefed.  From 10am till about 2pm, the wind died and at about 2pm, we took the sails down and motored until about 4pm.  At 4, it picked back up from the West so we raised the main and motor sailed to the entrance of the Masonboro inlet.  After the trouble we had leaving Beaufort, I radioed Boat US in Wrighsville Beach for advice on entering the Masonboro Inlet.  They said the conditions would make it very easy.  And it was.  Entering was VERY easy.  We motored in and turned to the north to anchor about 1/4 mile south of the bridge, just east of the entrance to Motts Channel.  We got in about 6pm and had just enough sun left to take a couple quick (but chilli) showers. 

I felt a pretty big sense of accomplishment since "going outside" was one of my major goals for the trip.  It was a long day with a really nice ending, safe inside the Wrightsville Beach anchorage.