Some spend their lives following. Some people lead. Some just do their own thing.
As I sit here this morning, at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, in Coquina Basin (25 miles or so from Myrtle Beach actual), sipping my coffee, it feels great to be able to have a moment or two (and some excellent wi-fi) to be able to jot down the events of the last few days, that seem to have gone by, like, pfft, snap-of-the fingers.
Most of the cruisers left River Dunes on November 1st, heading out, one-by-one, destination for most of them, south, south and south. We waved "bye bye" to some old friends, bye-bye to some new friends, and then had the resort almost to ourselves, as we went for a long walk.
Given the route that we were planning, combined with the weather forecast, we chose to stay put for one more day. This would also allow the waterways and the debris to settle down a bit more.
And so we spent a lovely day getting things done. It was sunny but still very breezy, and we could definitely feel the cold weather that had combined with Hurricane Sandy, that required the use of our fleeces. We were floored at the pictures of New York and Jersey, to think we had "just been there". We were so grateful to have left Nova Scotia early.
Cruisers advise that the general plan is to get below Cape Fear by the end of September, and Cape Hattaras before the end of October. Turns out that was "some good advice" that seems to hold, given the weather systems, year after year.
So we went into town with the car and got some more provisions, pleasantly surprised by the availability of brand-name "stuff" at the Dollar General Store. After having loaded, and I mean loaded, up our basket there, we barely didn't have to go to the regular store for anything. The hardware store had some items for pick-up as well, but mostly the employees made us laugh. Such friendly people everywhere (and ya gotta love the accent!!) We used the wheelbarrows provided by the club to shovel our provisions into Banyan, and sort them away.
One more load (or two) of laundry, one more work-out, one more "steam shower" and then we took Banyan to the fuel dock for a fill-et-up, thank you very much. JC had mentioned that if we were the last "customers" of the day before they closed up shop, then we could just stay there overnight and cast off in the morning. The sun was setting just perfectly over our home,
But before the evening was done, we prepped some twice-baked potatoes and trotted over to visit with Jeff and Susan (Meltemi) and meet Tom and Peggy (TomFoolery) and spent a great evening chit-chatting over a delicious dinner.
And then bright and early in the morning, we left the luxurious and protected place we called "home" for the last week of Sandy's upheaval and returned to the "outside world".
Watching the sunrise through the trees,
and into the ICW we went.
Our goal was to arrive and anchor in Beaufort and spend the afternoon walking through town.
The entrance into the Beaufort anchorage was a little shallow so we were watching our way quite carefully. Some of the markers were unlit. The anchorage was chock full of boats, some of them even anchored "in the channel" so we had to navigate around them as we wanted to get through. The winds were strong and we wondered about our options for dock use, knowing it would be a bit of a challenge to dock.
Since our plan was to leave very, very early the following morning for an offshore jump, and given the above conditions, we turned ourselves around and headed back out and dropped our hook by the Coast Guard station. As the afternoon wore on, other boats arrived and by evening the place was full-up. It was a little windy, and a little rolly, but we spent the afternoon watching the pelicans land on the sand bar. Such beautiful creatures they are, however, clumsy as heck when they plunge into the water like a loaded basketball, splashing so ungracefully.
The waters had changed from the tannin rich browns to a gorgeous shade of aqua blue, nice !!
The next morning, November 3rd, we were up very very early (3:30 a.m), but excited to get going. The winds were blowing as forecasted, it was dark, and we navigated our way out of our anchorage and towards the offshore jump.
You know, you get a tad relaxed and perhaps a tad complacent when you stay inland for a while. A week in River Dunes did just that. There was no wind, no waves. No gentle rollicking or swaying of the boat.
I drove for a little while, trying to get my bearings, and let me tell you, night-time driving is a tad (ok, a lot) trickier, especially if you haven't done it for a while. You get so disoriented so quickly, the waves seem bigger, everything feels "worse". Dave, come take the wheel... I've had enough. I think he was a tad (ok, a lot) relieved as I had come a tad too close (no, not that close Dave !!) to one of the navigational markers.
We heard chit-chat over the radio, and one boat calling the Coast Guard for assistance, turns out they had hit an anchored boat in the Beaufort anchorage. Having just been there before, we could just imagine how easily that happened.
We watched the sun come up and we spent the day were sailing along in great winds, heading towards the inlet at Wrightsville Beach. We arrived mid-afternoon and the exhilaration of having sailed, something we love to do, being on the open water, feeling the fresh air.. what a great day !!
As we entered the Wrightsville Beach entrance with some current, we looked "right" towards the anchorage area, we looked at the time (it was still "early" in the afternoon), and we looked at each other and both concurred "let's keep going".
And so glad we did, it was only another 1.5 hours down the meandering ICW, but what a beautiful way to end our long day. The pelicans were back in full force, flying overhead, and now, the dolphins appeared. We counted upwards of a dozen of them. We picked up a mooring ball at Carolina Beach for $20 and enjoyed watching the spectacular sunset.
Now we feel like we are, so totally "far away from home". Everything has changed.
We saw this very spectacular sunset, the clouds forming like an angel watching over everyone, and I think of two friends in particular, back home, that had recently passed, and I breathe this spectacular view in, hoping and knowing that they, and their families, although immeasurably sad at their loss, will all find some peace and in comfort with time.
Given the 12 hours we'd sailed, we crashed way too early, and slept all night.
November 4 was another day to hit the waterways early. A cup of coffee and we dropped our lines by 7:30, into the ICW at Snow's Cut, under the bridge and through the State Park, that had some spectacular views as the sun was just coming up.
and into Cape Fear River, for Southport.
Behind us the long line of boats already forming, a steady stream of traffic all heading towards one general direction, all of us battling the 2 knots of current going against us.
A few hours later we arrived at Southport Harbour Village Marina, right on the ICW. We positioned ourselves for tomorrow's winds, and eventually met up with some fellow travellers. Tom and Chris (Polar Pacer) and Jerome and Sylvie (My Passion). And then Gloria and Mike (Cotinga) happened to arrive us well, what a delightful surprise to see them again !!
Dave and I grabbed a cab into Southport proper and had a delicious lunch, from this,
came 1/2 lb of steamed shrimp and a crabcake at My Provision Company, finger lickin' good (although Dave did need some tips on how to deshell the shrimp!!). We walked around town for a while, and happened upon our fellow travellers, shared a cab "home" and enjoyed many many laughs over sundowners, while watching the spectacular lightning show, until the rains started, that scattered us all to our respective places of comfort.
Monday November 5th: We were up relatively early, dressed for the cold (a few layers were needed today) and headed out towards Cape Fear with a helpful push from Polar Pacer and My Passion, thanks guys !!
They were prepping to leave a few hours after us, planning an overnight jump to Charleston, both of them having rigid and pretty tight schedules that had them having to "go" (and go fast) it would seem. We seriously debated going with them, especially when we saw how favourable the winds and seas were, but decided to "do our own thing" once again.
This way of being, this doing your own thing, is something that is a tad tricky to navigate. As one meets fellow travellers, one gets inundated and overwhelmed with different opinions. You may have one plan, but in talking with others, you may be tempted to change your plans. Some do. Some don't. Sometimes it's a good thing. Sometimes not so much.
We chatted over this subject many times, and we both believe that, bottom line: it's never a question of right or wrong. Everyone just shares their experiences, what worked or didn't work for them, but the important thing to remember is that experience and circumstance and individual prep time all contribute to your eventual opinion.
I remember our entrance into Deltaville. A fellow cruiser hailed us as we were exiting and they were entering, asking us for our opinion. We told him what we experienced as we navigate. Stick to the channel, favour your greens, keep your eyes open.
And another cruiser, unknown to either, jumped into the conversation and offered an opinion. That at the best of times it is horrifyingly tricky and at the worse of times, scary as hell. Neither one of us could figure out how that tidbit of information would help the other cruiser. Oh well.
I think that bottom line, no matter what you decide to do, whether you lead, follow, or do your own thing, is stick to what works for you, given your own experience level, desires and specific goals. And always have a plan, "just in case".
As we headed back towards Cape Fear River, there was a long, long line of boats (a slow paced traffic line) coming against us, all of them headed into the ICW. Given the weather and the forecasted winds, we had chosen to go offshore, and completed a beautiful jump, sailing at 7 knots, in splendid winds, with the sun warming us up nicely. No gas used (that's always a good thing). No traffic-jam lineups. That's always a good thing. Sailing was fun and fast and conditions were great, that's always a good thing. We enjoyed ourselves and the day. That's a fantastic thing.
We had planned our jump to enter Little River Inlet at high tide, and arrived there in plenty of time, to follow the markers and ride the tide in. Plenty of water everywhere and before we could blink, we were joining up with the ICW and the long line of boats. Our initial plan was to anchor at the Calabash anchorage and as we went by, there were already a few boats anchored there. We chose to keep going, but knew that although we could make the Waccama River inlet, we were tired, and said, what the hell, let's stop, so it was a right turn at the lighthouse,
entering a very ambigous looking entrance,
and arriving at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club in the Coquina Basin early afternoon.
Enjoyed a great walk on the boardwalk, chatted with such friendly residents of the community here, and enjoyed a quiet evening, with a delicious supper of some spicy and garlicky Hungarian Goulash, that had us asleep in no time at all.
And so, we continue to be one of the many many travellers on the road, all going their own way, some following, some leading, and some just doing their own thing.