Brooke Smith
04/18/2012, SOUTH HARBOUR VILLAGE MARINA

Just a brief note and picture of Chuck and Judy Young at South Harbour Marina's Dead End Saloon Restaurant. Susan worked 16 years with Judy and Chuck is an avid boater. Way in the past we traveled with them in our first boat to Onnacock, VA where Chuck was proud that he had to tow us. A sailboat towing a powerboat. Seemed ok to me. Anyhow, Check and Judy have retired to Southport and have a nice condo overlooking the ICW. How, great is that? All interesting things come by their balcony each day. We had a nice dinner with them and now this morning we are off to around Topsail or Surf City for the night.
Suz will be recapping our hilarious time at Myrtle Beach with my my Mom and Brother while I Drive!!!!!!

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Brooke Smith
04/15/2012, Osprey Marina near Myrtle Bech

WE ARE IN FRESH WATER OF THE ICW. Alligators live in fresh water. Guess what we saw yesterday. Yep a bald eagle. Oh yea the alligator too. Not getting in the water to check anything here. Lots of beautiful trees and stuff. But this brief addition to yesterdays blog is really about the alligator. We were here November 21, 2011 on the way south and saw no alligators. We never saw any along the ICW in GA, or Florida cause the water is salty.
So, the picture for this blog is the alligator.

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Brooke Smith
04/14/2012, Georgetown, SC

We are in Georgetown, SC. What a pretty town. And the wonderful southern accents of the people are just like something out of a movie. WE walked around with our friends Casey and Laurilea Gibbs, yesterday morning and had a great lunch at a new restaurant called Alfresca. Of course it was wonderful and very good prices. But it's the feel of this town that is really special. Very warm people. Everyone speaks to you and all seem very happy living here. Georgetown is a very historic place. Once it was the capital of rice. We missed the rice museum yesterday. Might take it in today before we shove off.

Fuel is the cheapest here of ANYWHERE ( $378/gal. ) we have been the entire trip. So, I will be topping off the tanks.
We are headed to Osprey Marina about half way to Myrtle Beach today; Myrtle tomorrow to meet my Mom and Brother; Southport, NC to meet a lady that Susan worked with for 16 years and then our focus is going to be the Outer banks of NC.
We are currently at statue mile 403 on the Intracoastal Waterway. Mile zero is Norfolk, VA. So we are that close. The Outer Banks diversion will add to this distance. But we are getting closer to home. We have traveled 2704 statue miles ( 2350 Nautical Miles ) since we got on the boat Halloween night 2011. We are getting excited about getting home. But, the trip between here and there is a bunch of fun. So, we will just be taking our time. Liquid Therapy has performed just wonderfully and reliably. Just a grand old boat.
Todays picture is a harbor view a few minutes ago here at Georgetown.

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Brooke Smith
04/09/2012, Port Royal Marina

Well we certainly are moving north. We left the 20ºs latitudes shortly after Marineland Florida. The bugs are increasing and so are my allergies that were non-existent in the Bahamas. Also gone over there and creeping back is the old peoples constant clearing of the throat. So, I've been wondering is Virginia a bad place to live with allergies etc? Anyhow, I've had allergies all my life in Virginia. But it is home. And we are most definitely headed that way.
Tomorrow we are going to have a hard run of 77 miles to Charleston. Leaving at the crack of sun tomorrow. We have friends that are in the Atlantic and are anticipating arriving in Charleston tomorrow night. So, we are hoping all to have dinner. We will have currents helping us in the morning. But as always happens as you get out of the influence of a helping tidal current you get hindered on the other side of an inlet. With 9 foot tides in this area there is lots of water moving around.
It really is funny all the people we have met and how we all try to coordinate meetings along the water. Very nice..
I checked Liquid Therapy over for all the usual pre-departure checks. This old boat has just been reliable and comfortable. It handles all sorts waves. it really felt great in it's element in the Atlantic. We are going to have her painted this summer to make her look good.
Not much else to say tonight. Nice trip from Isle of Hope to Port Royal.
Tonights picture is some parasail activity at Hilton Head

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Brooke Smith
04/08/2012, Isle Of Hope Marina

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE. We are at the Isle of Hope Marina and had guests aboard the last two days. Lindsey and Jim Perrow visited with us and drove us to Savannah to have a look around and eat at the 1790 Inn. Very much fun and too much to eat. It was still a bit chilly and we did not have a drink at the to of the Bohemian restaurant. NEXT TIME. It was too cold when we were here the first time in December too.
So, not too much to report from the boating scene. We met up with lots of new people on the dock having a DOCK PARTY. I finally fixed the wobbly legs on our diner table. It was not easy disassembling the support system with sound insulation and a boxed in cover over the bolts that needed tightening. But I got it all apart and discovered the bolt heads had no washers between the wood. Of course I only had three and needed six. A trip to Home Depot in the Marina loaner car was in order. However, one of the guys one at the dock party fixed me up with some spare washers he had and I got the table all back together. We didn't have to drive anywhere and joined the dock party. So now as I type this morning with my coffee near my computer, I don't have the jiggling of the coffee trying to spill. (The coffee cup is still some distance from the computer in case I spill it.) This MacBook has been a workhouse with all the navigation software and Internet weather lookups etc.
Check the photo gallery of Isle Of Hope to see a few pictures.
Todays picture is Lindsey and Jim Perrow, Susan and me.

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Brooke Smith
04/05/2012, Isle of Hope Marina

OK last blog was too long. This is going to be a little shorter.
We Left Marineland and traveled to St. Augustine on Saturday. Spent the night on a mooring ball were visited by more of our friends heading North that we met in the Bahamas. It's funny how you just seem to anchor, moor or pull in a Marina and see a boat that you met in the Bahama.
Sunday we left St. Augustine and pulled in Fernandina. Fernandina is on Amelia Island and spring break was in full swing here on Sunday night. We had quite a wait to get in ANY restaurant and the Mexican restaurant was slow but very good Margaritas and enchiladas.
The rest of the blog is about the dredge train being pulled by the Tug Royal Engineer. I was awakened early at the Fernndina Marina by something really straining. I looked out to see a tug, pulling a dredge housing barge, machinery and lots of long pipe. There were 2 other tugs assisting this long line of equipment. The entire thing crept by slowly and I was hoping that it would be going out to sea at the St. Marys inlet. Or, i was going to have to pass it later on the narrow ICW.
So, we left a couple hours later and sure enough as i got into Cumberland sound there was there entire train of the Royal Engineer ahead of me.
TO BE CONTINUED LATER.. DOCKMASTER WANTS TO MOVE US TO A SLIP..
Back to the story -
I passed the Royal Engineer and the 1/4 mlle long dredge pipe with plenty of room in the Cumberland Sound. Both of us had strong currents working against us. Me moving at 4.7 kts. The Royal Engineer was moving 1.8kts!!
Wow I was glad that was over. Or was it?? Later that day many miles further up the ICW we anchored in the South River. Small thunderstorm at anchor made the night interesting. Finally I'm asleep and during the night sometime, awakened to a familiar straining tug. And looking out at the ICW there goes the well lighted Royal Engineer pulling the 1/4 mile dredge pipe again!! That means that sometime in the day I will have to pass him again, somewhere with not as much passing room as I had in the Cumberland Sound. Sure enough around noon I come up behind the Royal Engineer again. I speak with him on the radio and decide for a tight close port side pass as soon as I can find a long straight stretch. There are none. So, I just follow the 9 foot shoreline and know that Royal Engineer drawing 8 1/2' ftt will not be occupying the same water as Liquid Therapy. I increase the speed and get on by in about 10 minutes of passing the entire length and then have to do something a little scary. CROSS THE BOW and let him be behind me. All is well and we proceed to Isle Of Hope Marina for the next 4 days. And guess what about 11:00 PM the Royal Enineer comes passing us at the Marina. What a sight at night. I watched the tug make the horseshoe bend turn at the marina fine. Royal Engineer has tw smaller tugs that pull the pipe sideways so it can make the turns too. Quite fascinating.

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