11/04/2009

Photo is of the sun rising this morning over the Schooners docked at the Maritime Center

Boats sailing together offshore usually keep a scheduled radio contact for safety, exchange of information etc. As we sailed through the night on Monday there were several boats regularly conversing and although we did not join in (not being part of the original group) I learned a lot by listening to these, obviously seasoned, mariners. For instance, it had never occurred to us to call the Harbor Pilots as we pass by a major shipping channel to find out about big boat traffic. However, I digress. The following is a verbatim transcript of conversations heard between the Captains and Admirals of two boats:

Approx 01.00hrs:

Captain #1: How're y'all doing?
Captain #2: I'm cold
Captain #1: Ugh!
Captain #2: How's your seasickness?
Captain #1: Lord Nelson said it best "the only cure for seasickness is to lay down under a tree" right now I'm looking for a tree.
Captain #2: Uh, too bad. Oh well - switching back to one-six
Captain #1: Roger that, switching one-six

Approx 0300hrs: - The Admirals are now on watch.

Admiral #1: Good morning, how is everything?
Admiral #2: Everything is fine thanks - how are you?
Admiral #1: Very well, we're doing good. How about that moon?
Admiral #2: Oooh yes - it's nice to see it
Admiral #1: Are you going in at Charleston?
Admiral #2: Yes we are - our daughter lives there so we cannot sail by. Also she has our cats and we love to see our cats!
Admiral #1: Oh how lovely. Yes we are headed in as well. Did you hear about the report from the Charleston Pilots: There's no traffic in or out until this afternoon so we should be all clear. But there is a dredge south of the channel and we need to keep clear of him.
Admiral #2: Yes, we see the dredge on our AIS. We will let you know if he comes into the channel
Admiral #1: Ok that sounds good. Well, stay safe and let us know if you need anything, we'll switch back to one-six.
Admiral #2: Thanks very much and the same to you, switching back to one-six

I know it's a cliché and I will let you be the judge, but I do believe this illustrates the point that men are from Mars and women are from Venus.

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11/03/2009

Here we are in Charleston, South Carolina! We pulled anchor in Wrighstville, NC, at 06.30am just as it was getting light. We then headed down the ICW to the Cape Fear River (stopping to top off fuel and water tanks at a handy marina on the way). Once we made it into the River our speed was boosted by the ebbing current and we were on our way! It was a grey, cloudy day but the forecast North winds were blowing and we were optimistic we would have a good sail - we were not disappointed. Once we were spat out of the River we hoisted all sail, switched off the engine and were off. The wind stayed steadfastly out of the North - a perfect beam reach. It did build in strength however until we were down to a double reefed main and jib and still were on target to arrive at Charleston in the dark. After one particularly lusty gust which had us surfing down a wave at 9 knots, we furled in the jib completely and sailed along much more steadily under the staysail - thanks heavens for a cutter rig. We sailed the whole way, not switching the engine back on until we were in Charleston Harbor itself. Our only complaint was that the seas were a bit rough and confused so it was difficult to sleep soundly because of the motion of the boat. We both snatched some sleep but didn't feel up to continuing on for another 24 hours to Florida. We arrived in Charleston at 7.00am and had to wait until 8 to call the Maritime Center. We totally lucked out (Grandma's luck!) as they had had a cancellation and were able to squeeze us in. This is our favorite place to stop - good price with a Boat US discount, close to the wonderful City and only 2 blocks from a great Harris Teeter grocery store. We are able to wheel the cart from the store to the boat - as seen in the picture. We always feel a bit like "bag" people but actually Tom is truly in "High Cotton" as our cart contains a case of beer, 3 boxes of wine plus a "good" bottle to have with dinner tonight. We are staying here tomorrow and hope to head out to Fernandina Beach on Thursday - another 24 hour run. We really hope the weather forecast holds - as we hope to meet our dear cruising friends from "Charisma" and "Legacy" in or around Fernandina Beach on the weekend.



Nav Notes: Total trip=151.8 nm in 24 hours (with about 5 hours on the ICW)
Total mileage to date=896 nm (1,030 statute miles)

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11/01/2009

After a peaceful night in Mile Hammock Bay we were up at sunrise this morning, pulled anchor and set off down the waterway. It turned into a beautiful day and we enjoyed the scenery as we made good progress. There was a lovely pine scent to the air, there were pelicans, blue herons and skimmers flying around and to crown it all - many dolphins accompanying us along the way. We timed the first bridge perfectly and eased through with no fuss. However, an increasing procession of boats gathered and by the second bridge there was a whole mess of us lining up for the opening. Add in a bit of current, a jot of impatience and a lot of anxiety about reaching the next anchorage in time to get a good spot and there is a recipe for a stressful time. By the third bridge it was a zoo! At this point we left the mad crowd and headed back up stream and did not turn back again until it was time for the bridge to open. By now we are at the back of the line for the left hand turn into the Wrightsville Beach anchorage. As we make the turn our fellow boaters are already out of sight and we realise we did not "brief" our approach into the channel. Before we know it the alarm on our new depth sounder is beeping and we are aground!!!! Instinct led us to turn towards the docks where there are many large power boats tied up, sadly the channel lay to the opposite side and as it was low tide we ended up on the shoal, which is uncharted but common knowledge amongst the locals who passed by as we sat waiting for the tide to come in. Before too long we were able to wiggle free and we gingerly made our way to the anchorage. We were dismayed to see that it was jam packed and far too crowded for our liking. There was, however, plenty of room on the other side of the channel. Here we had a lot of difficulty getting the anchor down satisfactorily mainly beause the current and wind were opposing so we were lying at a weird angle to the anchor. To crown off the whole day, Tom got poohed on by a seagull! Somehow it ended up in his shoe! At this point we both burst out laughing and realized that things could only get better from here.

We have had a lovely supper, the wind is picking up and it is drizzling a bit - Oh the joys of cruising. Tomorrow, with any luck, we will be headed out onto the ocean via the Cape Fear River, we are hoping to make it to Charleston by Tuesday morning but may even press on further if things look good and we are not too tired.

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10/31/2009

We had a good day today, pulling up anchor at first light and finally dropping it again some 57 miles later in Mile Hammock Bay. We were fairly late into the anchorage and as we would expect it was fairly full as peak migration season for cruisers is in full flow. Fortunately we managed to squeeze into a corner and then watched the even later boats try to squeeze themselves in as well. Thankfully it is forecast to be a settled night, I would be worried we are all too close if the winds get up. We passed straight through Beaufort again (we never have stopped there) and were a little frustrated the weather won't allow us to head outside for a few more days. We had warm southerly winds today, no good for sailing south! Tomorrow the winds are supposed to switch to the North so we think we may be able to jump outside at Cape Fear on either Monday or Tuesday. We would aim to get down to Charleston or perhaps even further. If the forecast doesn't hold then we will just keep on trucking down the ICW.

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