11/08/2009
...see you in the spring.
We were blessed with a surprise visit from our niece Emily. She came down from USC in Columbia so we stayed one more day to enjoy her company. We managed to snag nephew John away from his med school books and took them both to lunch in FB.
Now, the sad part. We are tearing ourselves away from Folly. Henry and Cindy have been the very best hosts. We had a truly wonderful time here. Thank you. See you in the spring, unless you can make it to Florida for a bit this winter (hint, hint)
We are waiting for high tide to get out of Folly River so our day will be shorter than usual. Still, we hope to make Tom Point Creek tonight and Beaufort tomorrow. We'll let you know how we fare in the next post.
I still haven't wrapped my brain around how to insert photos within a post so head to our Gallery to see pics of our farewell to Folly Beach.
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11/02/2009, Folly Beach, SC
Our stay at Folly Beach has been fabulous. Friday evening the Wiles bunch came to town and sisters Pokey and Cindy started their marathon catch up chat. As I write this Monday night, they are still at it up at the house and I fully hope they enjoy their visit at least half as much as I have watching them. Poke's family is scattered from coast to coast yet they are in touch as if they are next door to each other. It is a wonder to see and as I have said many times before, I am blessed to be included as one of the clan.
Brother-in-law Henry and I decided Saturday was too nice a day to waste on projects. Instead, the theme of the day was, "Let's waste some bait!" Henry, son Luke and Luke's friend Jake caught a pile of shrimp in the morning so I could try to break my 20 year record of not having caught a fish big enough to cook. With Henry as guide and counselor, the record fell quickly. We propped ourselves in chairs on the dock at high tide and dunked some hooks and bobbers over the side. Soon, my bobber disappeared and lo and behold, I had a sting ray on the line. Okay, it wasn't half as ugly as the toadie I caught in Deltaville, but we tossed it back anyway. Not long after that, I had a redfish on, then another, then a trout. I wonder how Henry could rig a day like that because I had a ball. I am sure those fish must have been ringers he'd posted. I just don't know how he trained them to take my hook not his [:-) We added a couple of spot by sunset and called it a day, for me, a wonderful day. The ladies had home made lasagna ready for us that was unbelieveable and we all settled in to watch the World Series. (I don't think any of us saw the last inning.)
Sunday, I got my first lesson in shrimping. The boys made bait balls early in the day and set them out to dry. Their dog Folly wandered by and ate five of them before we caught him red-handed, or is it red-pawed? Folly was very proud of himself and couldn't be bothered what all the fuss was about. Henry and the boys set out marker poles and bait across the river then swung back to the dock to pick up Cindy, Pokey and myself.
Throwing a casting net looks like a rather simple process. "Just toss it like a big Frisbee", they said. The boys, Henry and Cindy are very good at it. The motion is smooth and graceful. When done right, the net opens up and drops cleanly in front of the market pole in a perfect circle. 'Should be easy, right? Not so, Captain Spasmo. Note 1. to beginners: don't wear a shirt with buttons. You'll be forever unwinding yourself from your net. Note 2: standing on the casting platform is a balancing act. Act like you have balance or you'll be swimming with bait balls. Note 3: practice when no one is around. They called my throws "Taco's". Enough said. Tomorrow: practice, practice, practice.
The good news is everyone else caught shrimp and Poke and I learned how to 'head' them. We had another plate to add to the redfish, trout and spot from Saturday. We had a seafood feast Sunday night, and none of it came in a wrapper. The not so good news is I snagged one miniature mullet and a hermit crab - no shrimp. But I am now the proud owner of a new six foot casting net so stay tuned. This is going to get interesting.
Cindy, Henry, Luke and John, thanks for a wonderful weekend. Miss Emily and Mark, sorry you couldn't be here as well.
Pics of the day in the Gallery
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fair winds Kevin
The foul weather forecast for today didn't happen so we left Charleston City Marina and took the back way out to Folly Beach. We were the only boat on the Stono River heading downstream. Everyone else took a right out of Elliott Cut and continued down the ICW which, for awhile, happens to be upstream on the Stono. We took the left.
That is about the time we also ran off the ICW chart book. We were running on GPS chart, depth sounder, and good old intuition. It was probably the intuition part that ran us aground entering the Folly River. Red "2" was sitting there plain as day so we slowed to a safe crawl, hung a looey and proceeded to nose over with a big thud. We managed to get free quickly and swung back into deep water in the Stono. I called TowboatUS for some local knowledge but they acknowledged the entry to Folly was a fast moving target. The captain who'd been through just last week said, "Hug Red "2" and stay right". Again we go. Again we go bump. Again we bumped and rattled our way back to the deep. This time we called a local marina. Oops, they moved all the marks and couldn't pull Red "2". We were instructed to disregard it altogether, go a few hundred yards further towards the ocean, almost to the surf line (really), and use the temporary markers. I'd thought they were the channel markers for the ocean inlet. Nope, we snuck between the temporaries and crab-walked our way across the current to the Folly channel. Many thanks to the local marina guys. I called Towboat to give them an update on the channel for the next boat.
We are snuggled up to Cindy and Henry's pier on the inland side of Folly Beach Island. The boyz got to jump ship and snooped around the floating dock. They were very interested in the water. So, I dumped them in. Guess what? Both know how to swim and didn't turn turtle. Now they know what that ripply stuff is they've been looking at for four and a half months. Red immediately ran back aboard the boat and jumped in the cockpit. He's not Olympic material. Blackie, on the other hand, had to be lifted back onboard, just like the little Dennis the Menace that he is, and we had to put the gate up to keep him in (that's my boy!). My guess is, that's not the last time he'll be swimming. Pokey says he is grey hair material.
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10/27/2009, A salute to our new friends
Makes you wanna grab your straw boater and whistle, doesn't it? We finally broke into a new NOAA Coastal Zone - South! It's warm and windy at the Charleston City Marina tonight. Tomorrow morning, we catch the slack tide at Elliott's Cut, take a left down the Stono River and get to Folly Beach on a rising tide. We will visit with family there for ten days or more before we continue on.
We salute our new friends from Blackbeard Sailing Club, Chuck and Pat on Alamanda, Doug and Carol on Windfall, John and Judy on Alderbaron and Tom and Ollie on Our Freedom, as they and Don and Wilma on Agape continue their run south to warm weather. The cannon was for you - good thing Homeland wasn't watching. We enjoyed your company these last several days and will miss you. Fair winds new friends. We'll see you somewhere along the way.
(Pokey is looking for Rhett Butler. Hey Rhett! You here?)
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55+ miles today in cold, clammy rain. 'Still beats the office (no offense Baltimore) Today is our last full day traveling with the gang from Blackbeard Sailing Club. We have thoroughly enjoyed their company and hope to see all of them again soon. This is a group of experienced, top notch sailors who willingly share their knowledge of boats and the ICW. The latter has particularly been a bonus for us. The Admirals on board are delightful. The Captains, a hoot. We will miss radio contact with all of them them and the friendly chatter. BSC, your hospitality is unquestionable, your friendship is treasured. See you in the spring if not before.
Tomorrow, we will drop off the chain and stop in Charleston to get set up for a back door run to Folly Beach. We can't wait to see Cindy, Henry, Luke and John. We only hope that Mark and Miss Emily could make it.
No pics today - too drizzly and I didn't want the camera to take a bath.
PS: the boyz stayed with me in the cockpit all day but wrapped up in my jacket.
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But you've given us an idea. Maui anyone?
10/25/2009, Butler Island anchorage
We grabbed a cheeseburger in Paradise from Hannah's Banana at the Wacca Wache on the Waccamaw. Say that three times with a mouthful of marbles and you too could become president.
The Waccamaw River is stunning. No other way to put it. Beautiful deep water nearly shore to shore, tall cypress trees covered with Spanish moss and homes, yikes, some serious, serious homes along the waterfront.
The day after tomorrow we will be in Charleston. Woohoooo.
This photo is hot off the presses, just five minutes ago. I wish it were as good online as it was live.
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10/23/2009, Barefoot Landing Marina, Myrtle Beach
Angie, Les, we're here and we're sorry you're not. Maybe we'll see you on the return next spring. Chuck told me we were docking along the bulkhead. Some bulkhead. Floating docks, power, a ton of shops, a steak house at the top of the ramp. Once again, we're in high cotton.
We'll stay here two nights so we have a full day tomorrow to browse around, maybe get over to the beach. Pokey just told me, "Now I'm stuck. I like every place we've been so far." Some kind of stuck, huh?
More later, and maybe some pictures............after that steak.
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Mile 315, St. James Plantation. What a beautiful place. This marina is part of a gated community, has its own channel and basin off the ICW and is absolutely spotless. It offers a little restaurant and tiki bar, grocery store with fresh produce and a decent variety of goods for boaters including wine and whoopy juice if you need it. The transient rate is $1.05/ft for BoatUS plus $7 for electric. We topped off the fuel tanks and calculated we are getting much better mileage than we'd budgeted.
Prim was needing a bath in the worst way. We had enough anchorage mud ,and grime from me living in the cockpit for four days to start a potato farm. Today is beautiful - T-shirts and shorts - so now our girl is clean and happy again. We're going to celebrate the weather at the Tiki Bar restaurant. Like we needed another reason to go out to dinner.
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Missed a couple bridges; made a couple. All in all, a very good day. We initially thought Wrightsville Beach would be about it but we were there for the 3 o'clock bridge opening (actually, missed the 2 o'clock by about a half mile and did long, slow loops for almost an hour). There was more than enough time left to make Carolina Beach where are now tucked into the anchorage before Snow's Cut. Beautiful place, beautiful sunset. Tomorrow we will be bucking against the current in Snow's and on Cape Fear River so we figured Southport would be a good short run destination for a change. We'll top off with fuel and water, pump out stretch our legs a bit then find a place to drop the hook. Next up is Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach.
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...helicopters passing low overhead doing touch and-goes just past the treeline. We are in Mile Hammock Bay at Camp Lejeune and the Marines are alive and well.
We had another beautiful day today for the ICW - crystal clear skies, flat water, not much traffic. We caught the 8:00 am opening at Beaufort Bridge, most of the currents in our favor, logged 40 miles and dropped anchor at 2:25 pm. Tomorrow we hope to make Carolina Beach, then Myrtle Beach.
Absolutely spectacular stars blanket the sky tonight.
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We know you are back there as we have been hearing you on the vhf. Tonight we are in Southport, tomorrow Grand Dunes near Myrtle Beach, then Georgetown (very nice town) then Charleston on Saturday and Sunday. Hope to meet up again. Stay in the channel and watch the currents at the inlets.
