Yesterday we covered 43 miles with the last 8 or so at low tide as we passed through the Creighton Narrows in Georgia. This is not a recommended strategy but certainly exercises one's adrenal glands. The passage was successful and we are anchored in Crescent River. Just for the record, don't try to enter the side creek to the fishing village as Skipper Bob says.... Ben and I ran aground twice as we went to the village dock in the Dinghy! Of course it was dark.

The old Perkins diesel in Ishmael, built while I was still in High School, is ticking along nicely. So far only a couple of belts and the fresh water pump has needed repair. All were on-board spares causing no delay and little problem.

The electrical system has ongoing and nearly continuous problems. I promised myself to replace the entire system but so far it hasn't happened. Piecemeal replacement as things fail seems to be the only solution.

Ben, who thought he could never sleep without a TV running in his room, has survived without TV now for three months. I think it even surprises him.

Kathy still talks to me even though she has to navigate most of the time during my continual telephone and conference calls. When she finds herself in three feet of water and I am busy on the phone getting a 500 ton crane to move from Chicago to Muscatine Iowa she sometimes gets a little irritated... can't understand why 

Today we made Jekyll Island where we plan to stay for the month of December. Time to do some well deserved maintenance on Ishmael to make sure she keeps on ticking maybe for the next 3000 miles.

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Even by sailboat standards Ishmael is not a fast boat under power and in addition George never pushes the engine. Being slow doesn't bother us too much because it allows us to enjoy the views along the way and we go slower still because we like to get to an anchorage or a marina early enough to enjoy the area. Based on these conditions we decided long ago that we would not likely meet up with people we see along the way until sometime in Florida when several other cruisers will stop for the season. Today however we were surprised that wasn't the case at all.

When we arrived in Elizabeth City, NC there were several other boats at the dock. The ones that I can remember include Trefoil, Onda, Elizabeth, Daphne, Osprey, R-Hope, Gonzo's Flying Dogs, Jim (whose boat's name I can't remember) and Red Head passed us just before the dock as we were leaving the Dismal Swamp. As we passed Charleston this long-weekend we got a call from R-Hope who was leaving Thursday to head south and we heard Elizabeth, Daphne, Onda and Red Head on the VHF and we know that Trefoil is still in Charleston because we had Thanksgiving Dinner with them on Thursday. At that time they told us that Osprey had pulled into their marina earlier in the day. That leaves Jim who we believe is celebrating Thanksgiving in Myrtle Beach, but we're not positive. So for those keeping track we're actually ahead of most of those people, of cousre Daphne and Elizabeth are staying in Charleston and Onda we believe is heading off shore for St. Augustine in the next day or two and Osprey and Red Head have passed us several times during the past two weeks and we're sure they'll do it again tomorrow or Monday.

A quick catch up of the past few days. We left Leland Oil Co. on Tuesday and headed for Isle of Palms Marina. We were having trouble getting into Charleston City Marina or Charleston Maritime Marina. There was room at Ashley Harborage but we were concerned about the bridge clearance. In the end we went to Cooper River Marina which is very isolated from Charleston and was much more resonable. In fact we spent 3 nights there and it only cost us half of what it would have been to stay at the other marinas. We used the saved money and rented a car so we could visit downtown Charleston. The staff at the marina and the facilities themselves were first rate. The only somewhat difficult part was the fact that the marina was built on a cement pier approximately one half mile from shore. That meant that when we walked Kooper to shore he had to walk with his legs crossed. We finally just started to let him off his leash so he could run to shore himself and do his business well before we arrived. It worked out great. If you ever need a place to keep a boat in Charleston for any length of time Cooper Marina is the place to do so.

Today we moved about 35 miles to an anchorage half way between Charleston and Beaufort (Bew-furt) It's supposed to be dog friendly and once again it isn't. We just have to learn to only trust Skipper Bob about half the time when it concerns the dog.

The best part of today's trip was the number of dolphins that we crossed paths with. From the time we left untl we pulled into the anchorage they were everywhere. They were close to the boat and I even saw two jump completely out of the water. Until now we have really only seen their backs breaking the surface. It was really a wonderful thing to witness but both George and Ben missed the show becuase they were down below.

Tomorrow we'll head to Beaufort.

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Yesterday we left Barefoot Landing and managed to get to a great anchorage. It is the only, dog friendly, anchorage we could find that had a decent hold, protection from wind and minimum current. It was off the ICW on Thoroughfare Creek. It had the nice sand dune pictured above for the dog to run around. Kooper had a great time. (he's the black blur in the picture.) I think he may have even spent some time herding the local deer.

Along the way yesterday and again this today the scenery was beautiful. There are several different preserves in the area as well as parks. There are also the remnants of old rice plantations. The owners would leave their slaves to work in the rice fields during the hot summers while they spent that time along the coast. You can see the old fields and occasionally you can see the flood gates, while at least where the were at one time.

We left before 8:00 this morning and made it the 42 miles to our current location. This is an authentic shrimp dock. There are over 25 shrimp boats in this area, most are at the dock pictured below. The marina itself isn't great, but the town is so quaint that it's worth a stop by if you're in the area. We especially like watching the lazy pelicans come in with the shrimp boats for a free meal.

The streets are laced with live oaks covered with spanish moss. Many of them also have ferns growing all over their trunks and limbs while having vines growing up their trunks as well. You might see that in the picture below. This is truly an old southern town. So even though it was overcast today and the temperature was on the cool side we still know we're heading the right direction.

Ben and I took a long walk through town. Right by the dock we bought fresh shrimp, but to get milk we had to hike a ways. It was at least 2 miles each way. But we got to see some very cool looking old homes as well as some very old churches. We also past the middle school which was two story and the gym was actually in a completely separate building. We could hear the kids inside playing basketball. Another village we past earlier actually had a school boat. I guess it was the quickest way to get the kids to school.

Tomorrow we hope to get to Charleston. We plan on staying there at least three nights. We are hoping that we will meet up with a few cruising friends for a Thanksgiving potluck dinner. We shall see what happens.

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Rafting up is what the boats do here. During their annual Shrimp Fest the pleasure boats do the same thing, but tonight we are the only cruisers in town.

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