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.