In and Out - South Carolina

When we arrived at Carolina Beach, NC, we had plenty of time to anchor. We like having plenty of time to anchor, because we've found that at sailboat speeds it can be a major planning factor to get to a safe place to settle down for the night. We raced through Snow's Cut, riding a 2 knot current, and were into the Cape Fear river and promptly found our anchorage. But we didn't like it. It was exposed and I could see large ships traversing the area on the other side of a small island. I re-checked the guide book and chart and realized this was not the place. Even though it was only 2 or 3 miles back to the place we meant to go, it was getting late and we had to slog back against the current in Snow's Cut. We got back to Carolina Beach, and dropped the hook, still with some light. But it wouldn't set. We tried in the same area 3 times. the anchor dragged. Then we got out the Fortress, a Danforth style anchor, and it just skidded like we were just pulling it across the road. Then it got dark. We were tired after a full day at sea and missing the first place, and just didn't want to mess with it. But some healthy winds were forecast that night, so we kept at it. Finally we went into an area that was a bit more exposed and slowly felt our way into position. The hard part was trying to see other boats around us. Some didn't have anchor lights. Go figure. Thankfully, we didn't hit anybody, the anchor held, and we were soon in bed asleep.

The next morning, things again looked good to go outside. We'd missed visiting friends George and Nancy at St. James Plantation as they were out of town just as we were passing through, so we headed out of Cape Fear for another day at sea. Into the Little River Inlet, we were met by so many fishing boats, it was almost like dodging crab pots. But it helps us know when it's a weekend. We quickly tucked in behind Richmond Island and realized we were near the small town of Calabash, famous forlightly battered, fresh fried seafood. Fried is not our favorite, but when in Calabash, lower the dink and check it out. We had a good meal at Ella's. It reminded me a bit of barbecue restaurants back home in Alabama.

The cruise through Myrtle Beach was an interesting way to tour the area, and we found that impressions of a place from the water are very different indeed from land. Although we didn't stop in Myrtle Beach, we passed through with a much more positive view of the area. There are lovely homes and golf courses along the ICW in that stretch.

We were eager to enter the Waccamaw river, and were not disappointed by its beauty. We tucked into Cow Creek, just across from Wacca Wache marina so we could meet up with Lora's Fannie Mae colleague Leslie and her husband Doug, who live only a mile or so away. They whisked us off to Murrells Inlet for dinner, and then to their place for coffee, before heading back to the boat.

By this time it was quite dark and I was a little worried about feeling our way back across the river and into the creek in the dinghy. So on the way I had left some GPS breadcrumbs. With the handheld GPS I had put waypoints at a couple of places so we could steer to them and then know there would be something we could see. That worked out perfect, as we could confidently offset the current in the river and know we were going for the mouth of the creek.

Sunday morning we pulled up the anchor and picked up Doug and Leslie at the marina so we could show them the boat. After a brief tour, we deposited them and were on our way. The cypress forests of the Waccamaw gave we to the low country marshes as we approached Charleston. As twilight approached, we tucked into Whiteside Creek, near Isle of Palms, SC. It was amazing how close we could be to such a bustling metro area and yet be in such a stunningly beautiful and remote spot

.

Makin' tracks - North Carolina

After the big blow, we finally entered the ICW at Mile Zero in Norfolk. The rite of passage is to negotiate bridge openings and shallow spots. I think we might have lucked out with the bridges, because after all the windy weather there weren't a lot of boats out on Saturday. As for shallow, it appeared we'd come at a record low. The winds had blown a lot of water out, and the droughts are not helping. We saw boats aground at docks where I imagine they thought they'd be safe.

We made it to Pungo Ferry, VA and met up with our friend Steve, who happened to be in town to celebrate his cousin's promotion to Captain (USN). We learned quickly it can be a challenge to find a place to anchor in the ICW and for a while we were thinking we might not find a place to put the boat when we met up with Steve. The low water didn't help. The guide suggested Blackwater Creek, but we didn't want to venture inside. So we anchored at the mouth and were fine.

On Sunday we fueled at Coinjock, NC, and added 80 miles to our ICW count, anchoring at the end of the Alligator river in wonderful Tuckahoe Point. The cold front was upon us so we ran the generator to stay warm. The night sky was spectacular, with civilization far enough away to make the milky way easy to see.

Eager to get further south, we put in another long day on Monday, starting with the cut to Belhaven. It was quite a parade of boats, with lots of passing. We learned the difference between a good and bad pass. A bad pass sloshes you all about, and a good pass disturbs the boat very little. A lot of the power boats going south seem to be deliveries by professional captains, and many of them know how to do a good pass. The actually come quite close to you, but then throttle down suddenly and creep by. It can be done well if you know how. But it isn't always good, and tempers flare. We know, because we hear it on the radio. So much for the tranquility of escaping the I95.

Tuesday was a short day to Swansboro, NC, where we stopped to meet Lora's old Burke neighbor Joyce. Since we were meeting her and expecting even more cold weather, we decided to park at a Marina. We called ahead and got the last slip at Casper's. They were great.... friendly and helpful, and reasonably priced to boot. Swansboro is a charming little town; historic, clean, and with a few gems like Yana's, a 50's style restaurant brimming with Elvis, Marilyn, and James Dean memoribilia. The breakfast was great. We had very good food there at the Riverside and the Italian Trattoria as well.

Joyce had a car and toured us around the area, so we got to see the Crystal Coast and backtrack a bit to Beaufort, which we had bypassed on the way down. When we got back we saw a crew detailing the marina's truck, so we asked them about giving Synchronicity a clean and wax. They were available to do it the next day, so we extended our stay in Swansboro another day. It was a nice break after a couple of long days.

Each evening it has become routine to plan the next day's cruise. We get out the charts, guide books, and hopefully can get internet or TV for the weather. I was not looking forward to more bridges on the next stretch, so I started pondering going outside (into the Atlantic). The weather looked good, so the question was getting out of the Bogue Inlet. Inlets can be tricky due to shoaling and currents. The marina folks suggested I talk to the Tow Boat US guy, and they gave me his telephone no. What a great idea! With his notes, and an Army Corps of Engineers map of an Oct 07 surve of the inlet I pulled off the internet, I felt pretty confident. So Thursday morning out we went. It was cold, but the weather was perfect for sailing.... 15 knots broad reach. We did about 7.5-8.5 knots for several hours, before the wind calmed down in the last couple of hours. The sun warmed us up a bit, and the guys at Sirius radio must have known they needed to play Debussy's La Mer for our day at sea.

But the highlight of all was another cruisers rite of passage..... having dolphins come and check us out. I'll never tire of that.

Hunkering Down

After three easy days motoring down the bay, we arrived last night in Norfolk. We were hoping to go ahead and enter the ICW, but everyone is hunkering down for the big blow. Hurricane Noel is skirting the coast, and the outer bands are butting up against a high pressure area creating a good nor'easter right in this area. We anchored in the Lafayette river across from the yacht club and got out our 2nd anchor (a Fortress). We've been checking position with the GPS and visually. We haven't budged, but the gusts are supposed to get up to 50 kts or so overnight. We'll probably end up here tomorrow night as well, as the wind is supposed to be tomorrow morning as well. Although we're not worried about sea conditions at this time, our concern becomes safely passing other boats, going through bridges, and debris blowing onto us or in the water. So we'll wait until things calm down. If the anchors stay put, it's actually rather cozy.