SHIP'S LOG:
This is the first time since Cape Fear that I have been able to get online. I thought that North Carolina was bad. It has nothing on its sister to the south. Along the coast, except in a couple of places where there is a small concentration of people, it is hard to even get cell phone coverage! s It was, and still is, very frustrating.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
I left South Harbor Village Marina with the intention of getting into South Carolina. This area of North Carolina is really quite built up. Lots of Housing, private and condo, on both sides of the ICW. One thing there didn't seem to be a lot of was places to anchor. The prospect of going for longer stretches than I wanted or having to dock and pay again, or dropping the hook in an exposed spots was not something I anticipated eagerly. The wind was basically no existent so it was motor time again. There was a "pontoon bridge still listed as being in operation just before we crossed into South Carolina at a place called Sunset Beach. Most of the other "odd"bridges had been replaced by new, 65foot fixed bridges but this one was supposed to be in place. AS luck would have it, they must have recently completed its replacement as the new bridge was in place and they were in the process of dismantling the old pontoon bridge. Of course, fishermen were crowded around the opening in the old bride for the "best fishing" and powerboaters were busting through like someone was after them. It made the 50ft transition through the old bridge opening nerve racking. i ended up spending the night in a little place off the Little River called CALABASH Creek. It was as far out in the boondocks as you can get, though if one has a working dinghy, a short ride up the creek gets to to civilization and places to dine out. Other wise, you spend the night in basically a cypress swamp with all the noises such places produce and they produce a lot. And that includes Cooter and Bubba and Billy-Jo having at something with their assorted armament. Still, it was peaceful and still and I slept like a log.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Now that I was in South Carolina, I think I entered golfer's heaven. I have never seen so many golf courses along one stretch of anything. Golf courses and condo. I am sure the two go together. Many of the courses have at least one hole that runs along the ICW and at least one green that is dead up against it. Several golf balls were launched in my direction, though I am sure unintentionally. There was even on golf course where the parking lot was on one side of the ICW and you took a cable car across to play. It was called the Waterway Hills Golf Club. Most of the golfers also played with carts. They sped to their ball, hit and sped away. It was speed golf at its finest.
Passed by two floating casinos, one called "AQUASINO", that looked to be out of business though one still had a crew aboard. Spanish Moss has begun to show up on the tress as well, along with more palm trees and other "tropical " plants. Now if it would only climb into the 80's!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Got away about 8:15 as the weather doesn't look promising. I wanted to get away from the cypress swamps but they are just everywhere. Passed by some wonderful homes that once had a view of the cypress swamps and n ow get to look over at condo, ugly condos across the ICW. Some of the homes are really wonderfully decorated though some people don't know where to stop. Someone has a full-size copy the "the David" in his backyard looking out over the ICW.
On this part of the ICW, I am beginning to feel like Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens as a riverboat pilot. Even thought there is "supposed to be" a 100 yard wide ICW channel, it rarely is that wide. You have to watch the water and, especially at turns, figure out where the shoals have inserted themselves into the channel. You live by you depth sounder and the jingle, "Hey, diddle-diddle, Stay in the middle." You have to watch for trees in the water, stumps, piles and all sorts of floating debris. It is a stressful part of the trip. I passed by my first selected anchorage, Cow House Creek, because it was early and the rain hadn't happened yet. I did another 15 miles to Thoroghfare Creek and pulled in near the abandoned town of Belin. Why it was abandoned I don't know. During the night, the ghosts came and got me because my anchor dragged in the high wind and I went aground. Nothing serious, because of the anchor just a bump. But backing back out to deep water, i snagged something and could get the anchor to release. That meant another call to the guys in the red boat "Towboat/US" who came by 8:30am and with a tug released the anchor. I had affixed a trip line to the head of the anchor for just such a purpose but the line and float were nowhere to be found. The line had rubbed against something and severed, necessitating the Towboat/US guy's visit. (Bill $210.50 paid by Boat/US!)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010.
I know what scares Coasties . . . Sailboats! Heading down the Waccamaw River, I passed under the Lafayette Bridge only to be stopped by the local sheriff's boat and being boarded by a Coast Guardsman and a Customs and Boarder Patrol Agent. It was a routine check, they were stopping everyone. Unfortunately, I was under sail at the time and rather then have me stop. they told me to keep going and boarded. They asked a whole bunch of question and then asked to see the ship['s papers. I turned to the Coast Guard guy and said, "Here, take the wheel," and wen t below to get the papers. When I came back he was alternating green and white and looked scared to death. Probably really good with power boats but was clueless when it came to sail. Dropped the hook in Minim Creek south of Georgetown. I don't know what they make in that tow but it has a very funky smell!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Got to Whiteside Creek just north of Isle of Palms and about 25 miles from Charleston and I can get online . . .as you can tell. This was along push, about 43 miles but I wanted to get cell coverage and Internet access , Just so that you know I am alive and well.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Cape Fear, North Carolina
SHIP'S LOG:
Sorry about yesterday and missing a blog, but I got back to the boat way past my bedtime and felt that sleep was more important.
Friday, i went from Wrightsville Beach to Wilmington where my friends Vin & Ann live. The trip was a bash. The wind was dead out of the north so that it was directly behind me as I headed down the ICW and into the Cape Fear River and dead on the nose heading up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington. It was blowing 25+ which made for a fast trip down the ICW and, as I hit the tide on the money, I got a push all the way up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington. The only slow part happened as I up river and was overtaken by the USS Gravley(107), a newly commissioned navy ship that was stopping in Wilmington. I got the Coasties coming by in their heavily armed, little orange Zodiac informing me of the 500yard security zone and that I had to slow down and pull over until the Gravely passed by. It was quite an impressive ship. By the time I got to the docks in Wilmington, the Gravely was already there wand was being turned around so that it could tie up port side to at the docks. When I got close enough, the Coasties came out and did their thing again and I had to cruise by at steerage speed only. I can't believe they considered me much of a danger but from the experiences in New London, I know how seriously they take it.
I finally got through Wilmington, passing the historical downtown and the battleship, USS North Carolina. Strange as it may sound, the Gravely looked more intimidating. I got to the Cape Fear Marina and was eventually picked up Ann and did all of my shopping. Ann and Vin's day was a bit chaotic and I guess I only added to the chaos but still, it was a good visit and we made plans for a return visit and longer stop in the spring if all goes right.
On Saturday(this morning) I had to get out and moving early. Someone was holding a Triathlon and part of the course of the running or biking went through Wilmington and over a bascule bridge that separated me from the Cape Fear River and the ICW. It was to be closed for 12 hours and I had to make tracks or be "trapped." I got away by 9:30 and headed down river. Initially I got a good boost from the river but as we approached the ocean, the tide must have been coming in and my speed kept dropping. Even motor sailing was of little help as the wind was somewhere between light and non-existent. Still it was a nice day and the temperature kept rising and I had to removed most of the layers I had put on in anticipation of a cold run.
Eventually, I got to the point where you turned to port to go through the Cape Fear Inlet and into the Atlantic or turned to starboard and continued down the ICW. Naturally, I turned to starboard and headed for a canal with a small basin to anchor for the night. It was another place recommended by Skipper Bob. well it had to happen sometime and today was the day. This little anchorage was packed. No room in the inn and it meant that I would have to pay for dockage once again.
Talking with the guy, Bill Gregory, who worked the dock, I learned that there are not many places to anchor for the next 30 miles or so, at least none that he would recommend. Talking with other boaters on the dock, all were planning to head outside(out into the ocean) for the trip to Charleston. The talk around the dock was that Georgia is really bad. Lots of shallows, lots of shoaling and in bad need of dredging. I will have all of South Carolina to come up with a plan as to whether to day sail in the ocean or try to find my way through the ICW in Georgia.
I ran into a very interesting character on one of the boats. He has somehow wrangled complete disability from the government and gets an obscene amount of money from Social Security. He hasn't work in 10 years and lives on a 43 Catamaran and spends he time cruising and following the sun. Hmmmmmmm!?!?!?!
Sorry about yesterday and missing a blog, but I got back to the boat way past my bedtime and felt that sleep was more important.
Friday, i went from Wrightsville Beach to Wilmington where my friends Vin & Ann live. The trip was a bash. The wind was dead out of the north so that it was directly behind me as I headed down the ICW and into the Cape Fear River and dead on the nose heading up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington. It was blowing 25+ which made for a fast trip down the ICW and, as I hit the tide on the money, I got a push all the way up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington. The only slow part happened as I up river and was overtaken by the USS Gravley(107), a newly commissioned navy ship that was stopping in Wilmington. I got the Coasties coming by in their heavily armed, little orange Zodiac informing me of the 500yard security zone and that I had to slow down and pull over until the Gravely passed by. It was quite an impressive ship. By the time I got to the docks in Wilmington, the Gravely was already there wand was being turned around so that it could tie up port side to at the docks. When I got close enough, the Coasties came out and did their thing again and I had to cruise by at steerage speed only. I can't believe they considered me much of a danger but from the experiences in New London, I know how seriously they take it.
I finally got through Wilmington, passing the historical downtown and the battleship, USS North Carolina. Strange as it may sound, the Gravely looked more intimidating. I got to the Cape Fear Marina and was eventually picked up Ann and did all of my shopping. Ann and Vin's day was a bit chaotic and I guess I only added to the chaos but still, it was a good visit and we made plans for a return visit and longer stop in the spring if all goes right.
On Saturday(this morning) I had to get out and moving early. Someone was holding a Triathlon and part of the course of the running or biking went through Wilmington and over a bascule bridge that separated me from the Cape Fear River and the ICW. It was to be closed for 12 hours and I had to make tracks or be "trapped." I got away by 9:30 and headed down river. Initially I got a good boost from the river but as we approached the ocean, the tide must have been coming in and my speed kept dropping. Even motor sailing was of little help as the wind was somewhere between light and non-existent. Still it was a nice day and the temperature kept rising and I had to removed most of the layers I had put on in anticipation of a cold run.
Eventually, I got to the point where you turned to port to go through the Cape Fear Inlet and into the Atlantic or turned to starboard and continued down the ICW. Naturally, I turned to starboard and headed for a canal with a small basin to anchor for the night. It was another place recommended by Skipper Bob. well it had to happen sometime and today was the day. This little anchorage was packed. No room in the inn and it meant that I would have to pay for dockage once again.
Talking with the guy, Bill Gregory, who worked the dock, I learned that there are not many places to anchor for the next 30 miles or so, at least none that he would recommend. Talking with other boaters on the dock, all were planning to head outside(out into the ocean) for the trip to Charleston. The talk around the dock was that Georgia is really bad. Lots of shallows, lots of shoaling and in bad need of dredging. I will have all of South Carolina to come up with a plan as to whether to day sail in the ocean or try to find my way through the ICW in Georgia.
I ran into a very interesting character on one of the boats. He has somehow wrangled complete disability from the government and gets an obscene amount of money from Social Security. He hasn't work in 10 years and lives on a 43 Catamaran and spends he time cruising and following the sun. Hmmmmmmm!?!?!?!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
I Ain't That Far South Quite Yet!
SHIP'S LOG:
The wind blew a steady 15-20 and I don't think the temp broke 70 and as opposed to "another shitty day in paradise," it was a crappy day at the beach.
Jim the Maniac (he's from Maine) came by and wanted to trade books. All cruisers keep a supply of books, usually paperbacks, on board for those times when you are anchored for a spell and need something to pass the time. After you have read them a few times, it is easy to trade them off and get "new" ones - those you haven't read before or at least ones you haven't read recently - from other cruisers. Got a Clive Cussler and a Michael Crichton for two Robert Ludnums. I haven't read either one but have seen the movies made from both. I'll see how the movies stack up to the written word.
Lots of boats left this morning and not many new ones arrived. Those that did anchored way down at the end of the lagoon away from the bridge at the far end . . . . and I don't know why. They have all crowded around my end of the anchorage and left a whole lota room up near the bridge. i am beginning to develop the theory that boaters, sailors especially, are not risk takers. It is as if they are afraid to anchor in an open spot if no one else is there for fear that there is something wrong with it, some unseen, lurking danger. Of course, if one boat drops in a spot where no one else is, it seems as if everyone who follows has to anchor right next to them. It is what happen to that guy who anchor across the harbor in Morehead City the day of the grounding. He was there all by himself but in a couple of hours he was joined by a whole host of us. I know, I have felt that way but I am going to have to dispense with that as I hit South Carolina as the waterway there makes North Carolina look wide open and filled with spots to drop a hook. Setting up the courses for the next few days, there are only some "iffy" anchorages coming up and I am going to have to take a few risks when it comes to hook dropping. Not that there is real "danger" other than finding oneself aground with one's morning coffee and needing visit from the men in the red & white Towboat/US boat. People tonight in Wrightsville Beach Lagoon are anchor ever so close, if not in the channel, and yet there is lots of room at the other end of the Lagoon.
It is off to Wilmington tomorrow to visit friends and pick up my meds. Then, after a night in a marina, it will be down the Cape Fear River (lovely name) and a right turn to South Carolina. The water from here on out will begin to get very thin in places, with Georgia being the thinnest. I am sure the Towboat/US people are licking their chops at the steady steam of southbound boats. While I have no desire to find out, I wonder what a tow in South Carolina or Georgia costs?
The wind blew a steady 15-20 and I don't think the temp broke 70 and as opposed to "another shitty day in paradise," it was a crappy day at the beach.
Jim the Maniac (he's from Maine) came by and wanted to trade books. All cruisers keep a supply of books, usually paperbacks, on board for those times when you are anchored for a spell and need something to pass the time. After you have read them a few times, it is easy to trade them off and get "new" ones - those you haven't read before or at least ones you haven't read recently - from other cruisers. Got a Clive Cussler and a Michael Crichton for two Robert Ludnums. I haven't read either one but have seen the movies made from both. I'll see how the movies stack up to the written word.
Lots of boats left this morning and not many new ones arrived. Those that did anchored way down at the end of the lagoon away from the bridge at the far end . . . . and I don't know why. They have all crowded around my end of the anchorage and left a whole lota room up near the bridge. i am beginning to develop the theory that boaters, sailors especially, are not risk takers. It is as if they are afraid to anchor in an open spot if no one else is there for fear that there is something wrong with it, some unseen, lurking danger. Of course, if one boat drops in a spot where no one else is, it seems as if everyone who follows has to anchor right next to them. It is what happen to that guy who anchor across the harbor in Morehead City the day of the grounding. He was there all by himself but in a couple of hours he was joined by a whole host of us. I know, I have felt that way but I am going to have to dispense with that as I hit South Carolina as the waterway there makes North Carolina look wide open and filled with spots to drop a hook. Setting up the courses for the next few days, there are only some "iffy" anchorages coming up and I am going to have to take a few risks when it comes to hook dropping. Not that there is real "danger" other than finding oneself aground with one's morning coffee and needing visit from the men in the red & white Towboat/US boat. People tonight in Wrightsville Beach Lagoon are anchor ever so close, if not in the channel, and yet there is lots of room at the other end of the Lagoon.
It is off to Wilmington tomorrow to visit friends and pick up my meds. Then, after a night in a marina, it will be down the Cape Fear River (lovely name) and a right turn to South Carolina. The water from here on out will begin to get very thin in places, with Georgia being the thinnest. I am sure the Towboat/US people are licking their chops at the steady steam of southbound boats. While I have no desire to find out, I wonder what a tow in South Carolina or Georgia costs?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A Day At The Beach!
SHIP'S LOG:
It was cold here today. It didn't get above 73 degrees! I almost had to put on long pants and socks! Oh the suffering I have to go through!
I am still in the lagoon behind the beach at Wrightsville. Five of us remained another day and everyone else left, to be replaced by 19 newcomers!. It is getting a little crowded around here. This place must really rock in the summer time and yet, even now, there is enough noise and bustle to be "irritating." Most of the places I have anchored have been quiet, peaceful, tranquil. Even the marinas have a certain silence to them. this is the first place that is noisy.
Helped Jim from Maine with his water cooler on his engine. Sea creatures had invaded it and had taken up residence and were causing all sorts of problems with the engine cooling. I thought my engine was hard to work on, his is a nightmare. A contortionist would have a hard time with what we did today. Most of it involved doing things when you couldn't see what you were doing. You had to visualize it in your head and then reach over backwards and do it without seeing it.I am surprised that we didn't sink the boast!
I also had time to take care of several of those pesky little jobs that need to be done on ABISHAG but which I have let go. being too tired at the end of the day to do them. I had no such excuses today and so I tackled them. I had to put lanyards on pull rings, recoil all the lines in the rope locker, put all the docklines back in their proper places, etc, like I said, not major but a host of little jobs that needed to be done and now have been.
I laid out to the course to Wilmington. My friends, Vinnie & Anne, live there and are to receive a package of meds for me. Unfortunately, the prescription company screwed up and it doesn't appear that they will get there before Friday. I can only afford a one day stay at a marina, so I have to wait until I know that the meds are there before I shove off. It is only a 21 mile trip so not a long haul, but I want to have enough time for a real visit and also to do some shopping. The there is the chance for two, count'em two showers! Who knew such a simple, taken for granted thing could be so wondrous!
The weather is supposed to be in the mid-70's again tomorrow so staying here in Wsrightsville won't be too much of a trial. I have to watch it though for I think I got a bit of a sunburn today!
It was cold here today. It didn't get above 73 degrees! I almost had to put on long pants and socks! Oh the suffering I have to go through!
I am still in the lagoon behind the beach at Wrightsville. Five of us remained another day and everyone else left, to be replaced by 19 newcomers!. It is getting a little crowded around here. This place must really rock in the summer time and yet, even now, there is enough noise and bustle to be "irritating." Most of the places I have anchored have been quiet, peaceful, tranquil. Even the marinas have a certain silence to them. this is the first place that is noisy.
Helped Jim from Maine with his water cooler on his engine. Sea creatures had invaded it and had taken up residence and were causing all sorts of problems with the engine cooling. I thought my engine was hard to work on, his is a nightmare. A contortionist would have a hard time with what we did today. Most of it involved doing things when you couldn't see what you were doing. You had to visualize it in your head and then reach over backwards and do it without seeing it.I am surprised that we didn't sink the boast!
I also had time to take care of several of those pesky little jobs that need to be done on ABISHAG but which I have let go. being too tired at the end of the day to do them. I had no such excuses today and so I tackled them. I had to put lanyards on pull rings, recoil all the lines in the rope locker, put all the docklines back in their proper places, etc, like I said, not major but a host of little jobs that needed to be done and now have been.
I laid out to the course to Wilmington. My friends, Vinnie & Anne, live there and are to receive a package of meds for me. Unfortunately, the prescription company screwed up and it doesn't appear that they will get there before Friday. I can only afford a one day stay at a marina, so I have to wait until I know that the meds are there before I shove off. It is only a 21 mile trip so not a long haul, but I want to have enough time for a real visit and also to do some shopping. The there is the chance for two, count'em two showers! Who knew such a simple, taken for granted thing could be so wondrous!
The weather is supposed to be in the mid-70's again tomorrow so staying here in Wsrightsville won't be too much of a trial. I have to watch it though for I think I got a bit of a sunburn today!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Surf City, Here We come! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
I truly expected to be awakened this morning by the sounds of roaring engines or gun fire or somebody yelling but the sun creeping in the port woke me. And it wasn't even all that cold. A bit chill, yes, but cold, no not really. The again, it might have been the two steaming cups of java that i put down before setting to the daily tasks. I was not the last one to leave Mile Hammock for the day, just the second to last, but then I only had a 23 mile jaunt down to Surf City.
Surf City is actually the name of a beach town in North Carolina. Somehow, the name just doesn't seem right for North Carolina. I sure the surf is fine, the beaches certainly are but it still just seems "inappropriate!"
Not much in the way way of wind this morning so it is another motor at least to start. As the morning progresses the wind builds and I unfurl the Genoa and motor sail. It helps keep the speed up without taxing the engine but it is still uncomfortable for me. If the the ICW channel is 50 yards wide in the turns and between paired marks, I will be very surprised. Sometimes it seems wider and a lot of times, there is plenty of water depth outside the channel, but it is those tight spots, ad there are plenty of them, when a moments inattention can lead to a grounding. But it is also far more enjoyable at least motor sailing. When you have to dump sail, you don't have the luxury of turning up into the wind as it will take you right out of the channel and most likely aground. You also can't do a lot of "wind hunting," again because you have to deal with the width of the channel. However, when the wind is right, it is a blast.
One of the fixed bridges (65ft vertical clearance . . . most of the time) along this root had been hit by a boat. In the center, between the stanchions/piers through which they want you to past for greatest clearance, there is always a green light on a pole hanging down so that you can find it at night. Somebody hit it and bent it all out of shape. Glad I don't travel at night. Some of the bridges have wicked currents running through them and you have to be very careful you do not get swept into the abutments. Currents are even worse near inlets if you happened to hit them at the turn of the tide. Did that today going through the New River. I move sideways about as fast as I was moving forward.
When I got to the waterway at "86", I though that the spot Chuck suggested was too exposed. I haven't dragged an anchor yet, and I don't intend to, but in such an exposed spot, it would be the wrong time to do it and end up in the channel as"barge bait!" And since it was early in the day, I pushed on toward Wightsville Beach, 20 miles further. The currents and tides in the ICW are sometimes wind driven, but if you are near enough to an inlet that hits the ocean, they can be tide driven too. I am not sure which was which but I made the 43 mile trip form Mile Hammock and Wrightsville Beach between 8:43 and 2:45! Now ABISHAG just doesn't go that fast on her own power and I was not pushing her that hard to begin with, but with the motorsailing and the tide/current we really moved along. The last bridge at Wrightsville is a bridges that raises both sides. It opens only on the hours, and it was a five mile sprint to get there from the previous bridge that opens every 30 minutes. I made it but the groups of boats waiting to pass through also contained a number which want to use the marinas just past the bridge on either side. It created abit of a traffic jam and which made the dash rather unnecessary. I wended my way passed marinas and condo and huge boats all the way to a waterway just behind the beach and drop the hook with about 14 other boats. Several more came in during the remainder of the afternoon and it became a very close community. Several boast from Mile Hammock. were present and more American Boats. The southward migration must have hit its stride. I've got friends in Wilmington and they are holding mail for me. I'll chill for a day and then head up there for a stay.
On by the way, temperature at anchor drop in Wrightsville Beach was 77 DEGREES! It is expected to be so for the next week!
I truly expected to be awakened this morning by the sounds of roaring engines or gun fire or somebody yelling but the sun creeping in the port woke me. And it wasn't even all that cold. A bit chill, yes, but cold, no not really. The again, it might have been the two steaming cups of java that i put down before setting to the daily tasks. I was not the last one to leave Mile Hammock for the day, just the second to last, but then I only had a 23 mile jaunt down to Surf City.
Surf City is actually the name of a beach town in North Carolina. Somehow, the name just doesn't seem right for North Carolina. I sure the surf is fine, the beaches certainly are but it still just seems "inappropriate!"
Not much in the way way of wind this morning so it is another motor at least to start. As the morning progresses the wind builds and I unfurl the Genoa and motor sail. It helps keep the speed up without taxing the engine but it is still uncomfortable for me. If the the ICW channel is 50 yards wide in the turns and between paired marks, I will be very surprised. Sometimes it seems wider and a lot of times, there is plenty of water depth outside the channel, but it is those tight spots, ad there are plenty of them, when a moments inattention can lead to a grounding. But it is also far more enjoyable at least motor sailing. When you have to dump sail, you don't have the luxury of turning up into the wind as it will take you right out of the channel and most likely aground. You also can't do a lot of "wind hunting," again because you have to deal with the width of the channel. However, when the wind is right, it is a blast.
One of the fixed bridges (65ft vertical clearance . . . most of the time) along this root had been hit by a boat. In the center, between the stanchions/piers through which they want you to past for greatest clearance, there is always a green light on a pole hanging down so that you can find it at night. Somebody hit it and bent it all out of shape. Glad I don't travel at night. Some of the bridges have wicked currents running through them and you have to be very careful you do not get swept into the abutments. Currents are even worse near inlets if you happened to hit them at the turn of the tide. Did that today going through the New River. I move sideways about as fast as I was moving forward.
When I got to the waterway at "86", I though that the spot Chuck suggested was too exposed. I haven't dragged an anchor yet, and I don't intend to, but in such an exposed spot, it would be the wrong time to do it and end up in the channel as"barge bait!" And since it was early in the day, I pushed on toward Wightsville Beach, 20 miles further. The currents and tides in the ICW are sometimes wind driven, but if you are near enough to an inlet that hits the ocean, they can be tide driven too. I am not sure which was which but I made the 43 mile trip form Mile Hammock and Wrightsville Beach between 8:43 and 2:45! Now ABISHAG just doesn't go that fast on her own power and I was not pushing her that hard to begin with, but with the motorsailing and the tide/current we really moved along. The last bridge at Wrightsville is a bridges that raises both sides. It opens only on the hours, and it was a five mile sprint to get there from the previous bridge that opens every 30 minutes. I made it but the groups of boats waiting to pass through also contained a number which want to use the marinas just past the bridge on either side. It created abit of a traffic jam and which made the dash rather unnecessary. I wended my way passed marinas and condo and huge boats all the way to a waterway just behind the beach and drop the hook with about 14 other boats. Several more came in during the remainder of the afternoon and it became a very close community. Several boast from Mile Hammock. were present and more American Boats. The southward migration must have hit its stride. I've got friends in Wilmington and they are holding mail for me. I'll chill for a day and then head up there for a stay.
On by the way, temperature at anchor drop in Wrightsville Beach was 77 DEGREES! It is expected to be so for the next week!
Monday, November 8, 2010
I Didn't Get Shot At Today!
SHIP'S LOG:
When I got up this morning and sat in the cockpit drinking my morning coffee and watching the other boats take off for the ICW, I happened to notice that I could see my breath. I flipped on a little temp gauge that I have adn it registered 37 degrees. I really didn't feel all that cold until I knew how cold it actually was. On went the layers for the day ahead.
Today's jaunt was intended to be to an anchorage known as "Mile Hammock." It is a little oxbow off the ICW, just south of the Onslow Swing Bridge and on the grounds of Camp LeJuene. The Marines dredged one half of the oxbow to a depth of 7feet MLW and it is a rather popular anchorage on this part of the ICW because, well, there are so few. To get there, you have to pass through the Camp LeJuene Firing Range which goes across the ICW. You come up to a sign, with big amber lights, which says not to proceed if the lights are flashing. I was lucky because there were no flashing lights. Then you have a 5-7mile run to the Onslow Bridge, just north of which is the end of the firing range. An you go along, there are signs warning of "unexploded ordinance" and "Stay off the banks." It is a bit unnerving to know that at any moment, someone, completely by accident, could blow you "to kingdom come!" It may happen some day but it didn't happen today!
Prior to arriving at the beginning of Camp LeJuene, I went along a strip of the ICW which had some beautiful houses one one side and sand dunes and salt marshes on the other, beyond which, not very far away was the Atlantic Ocean. This was not quite "beach front property," but it wasn't far from it. You could smell the salt air and when it was quiet enough, you could hear the surf. The houses along this stretch pretty much all qualify as "Mc Mansions," like the houses in the Solomons. More room than ten people need and the land and boat docks to go with it. Somewhere down here, some people are making piles of money. True, the same houses bought down here for $300,000 would go for two or three times or four as much back in Connecticut and Rhode Island, but they are everywhere along stretches of the waterway. There was even one painted Lavender! Well, there is no accounting for taste.
When I got to Mile Hammock, there was already one boat there. And not only was it there, it was right in the middle of the anchorage. Now this really honks me off. First of all, it is a small boat, 22-25ft and probably a centerboarder. This means that it can be anchored a lot closer to the shore that say for instance, me! And he was ridding a very short scope so that every puff of breeze swung him around. It took me three tries to get a spot where I would have plenty of swing room and wouldn't whack him. And then another boat came in and went through the whole procedure for themselves. Then another, and another, and there was a lot of yelling and screaming as captains and crews (husbands and wives) tried to fit themselves into what should have been a very accommodating anchorage, screwed up by one unthinking boat owner. I think that it must belong to a Marine or someone on the base, as no one was on it nor has shown up on it.
We did have a show. The Mile Hammock evidently is used by the Marines to train their small craft drivers. Five very fast 35-40ft rubber boast with much too much horsepower engines came roaring in, filled with personnel. They disembarked them on the docks, took on board five and went out a little ways from shore to practice their drill for the day. This evidently was to give each crew the opportunity to spin the craft around in its own length, first to port and then to starboard at top speed. This went on most of the afternoon. Eventually, everyone go on the boats and they roared away. But there was more! We were treated to an "OSPREY," the Marine tilt rotter aircraft, very strange looking craft,which can fly like a plane and land like a helicopter. It is a very strange looking aircraft especially when it has the engines pointed up and it is flying along. Sadly, they don't have a very good safety record and I cringed every time it came in for a landing. Thankfully, all were perfect.
The cruising guides mentioned specifically that if you anchor in Mile Hammock, that you use an anchor light as the Marines often conduct night exercises and they would want to avoid your boat. As I look out the port, the boats here to night have the place lit up like Broadway. No chance of an accident tonight I think!
When I got up this morning and sat in the cockpit drinking my morning coffee and watching the other boats take off for the ICW, I happened to notice that I could see my breath. I flipped on a little temp gauge that I have adn it registered 37 degrees. I really didn't feel all that cold until I knew how cold it actually was. On went the layers for the day ahead.
Today's jaunt was intended to be to an anchorage known as "Mile Hammock." It is a little oxbow off the ICW, just south of the Onslow Swing Bridge and on the grounds of Camp LeJuene. The Marines dredged one half of the oxbow to a depth of 7feet MLW and it is a rather popular anchorage on this part of the ICW because, well, there are so few. To get there, you have to pass through the Camp LeJuene Firing Range which goes across the ICW. You come up to a sign, with big amber lights, which says not to proceed if the lights are flashing. I was lucky because there were no flashing lights. Then you have a 5-7mile run to the Onslow Bridge, just north of which is the end of the firing range. An you go along, there are signs warning of "unexploded ordinance" and "Stay off the banks." It is a bit unnerving to know that at any moment, someone, completely by accident, could blow you "to kingdom come!" It may happen some day but it didn't happen today!
Prior to arriving at the beginning of Camp LeJuene, I went along a strip of the ICW which had some beautiful houses one one side and sand dunes and salt marshes on the other, beyond which, not very far away was the Atlantic Ocean. This was not quite "beach front property," but it wasn't far from it. You could smell the salt air and when it was quiet enough, you could hear the surf. The houses along this stretch pretty much all qualify as "Mc Mansions," like the houses in the Solomons. More room than ten people need and the land and boat docks to go with it. Somewhere down here, some people are making piles of money. True, the same houses bought down here for $300,000 would go for two or three times or four as much back in Connecticut and Rhode Island, but they are everywhere along stretches of the waterway. There was even one painted Lavender! Well, there is no accounting for taste.
When I got to Mile Hammock, there was already one boat there. And not only was it there, it was right in the middle of the anchorage. Now this really honks me off. First of all, it is a small boat, 22-25ft and probably a centerboarder. This means that it can be anchored a lot closer to the shore that say for instance, me! And he was ridding a very short scope so that every puff of breeze swung him around. It took me three tries to get a spot where I would have plenty of swing room and wouldn't whack him. And then another boat came in and went through the whole procedure for themselves. Then another, and another, and there was a lot of yelling and screaming as captains and crews (husbands and wives) tried to fit themselves into what should have been a very accommodating anchorage, screwed up by one unthinking boat owner. I think that it must belong to a Marine or someone on the base, as no one was on it nor has shown up on it.
We did have a show. The Mile Hammock evidently is used by the Marines to train their small craft drivers. Five very fast 35-40ft rubber boast with much too much horsepower engines came roaring in, filled with personnel. They disembarked them on the docks, took on board five and went out a little ways from shore to practice their drill for the day. This evidently was to give each crew the opportunity to spin the craft around in its own length, first to port and then to starboard at top speed. This went on most of the afternoon. Eventually, everyone go on the boats and they roared away. But there was more! We were treated to an "OSPREY," the Marine tilt rotter aircraft, very strange looking craft,which can fly like a plane and land like a helicopter. It is a very strange looking aircraft especially when it has the engines pointed up and it is flying along. Sadly, they don't have a very good safety record and I cringed every time it came in for a landing. Thankfully, all were perfect.
The cruising guides mentioned specifically that if you anchor in Mile Hammock, that you use an anchor light as the Marines often conduct night exercises and they would want to avoid your boat. As I look out the port, the boats here to night have the place lit up like Broadway. No chance of an accident tonight I think!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Yes, Virginia, There Is A Sawnsboro, North Carolina!
SHIP'S LOG:
One thing I forgot to mentioned in yesterday's blog was the dolphins. Not the pilings they tie boats to but the mammals that swim in the sea. You know, like Flipper. I would have to surmise that there are some that are partial to rivers and bays because Morehead City has a bunch of them.It is a little freaky the first time you encounter them. you just catch a glimpse and you can figure out quite what they are. Then they come by the boat in pairs or in a group and it is really delightful. Of course you have to be careful less you slip out of the channel and go aground. One dolphin stopped by for a visit when I was aground awaiting my good friends from Towboat/US and I even got a "call" from it or whatever they call the sound they make. I don't know what it meant but. considering my situation at the time, it probably wasn't all that complimentary.
Last night was uncomfortable. The wind kept shifting and there was a lot of rolling and yawing. I found that the anchor rode and the anchor weight had become entangled. I evidently let the weight down to far and with the wind shifts the entanglement was easy. I was watching the GPS plotter and the track showed that we were dragging if ever so slowly. I had to go up on deck in the cold dark, pull in the anchor weight, untangle it from the anchor rode, play out the rode and back down the boat to be sure of a good bite, and then reset the anchor weight on a short length. I still was not that happy with the way the boat was ridding and didn't sleep all that well. There really must be some current running through Bogue Sound and the Harbor at Morehead City/ Beaufort. The boat wasn't so much laying to the wind and quartering it. It didn't feel right, it didn't ride right, it didn't look right. But ABISHAG was still where she had been the night before when the morning came so it really wasn't that bad.
The other sailor who had gotten stuck in the place where I got stuck was getting an early start as I was sitting in the cockpit having my morning coffee and watching the sun come up, wondering how many people remembered to set their clocks back an hour. I called out to him and told him that I had gotten stuck in the same place an hour before he did. He said he couldn't understand the problem. The inlet had been fine the last time he used it . . . . 20 years before!
I was up and off the hook by 9:30 and found that yes, there is one heck of a current in Bogue Sound. With the engine barely running above idle, the GPS said we were doing 7knots. The wind was gust to 20-25 and with Bogue Sound boasting a depth of 4feet outside the ICW, it wasn't a day for sailing, nor sunbathing. Man, it was cold. I had on so many layers I could hardly move.
The trip down Bouge Sound was interesting. On one side you had the mainland and a lot of nice homes and small "villages. If you want to fish, this would be the place to live. The other side wasa series of small sandbar islands that lined the the ICW. Beyond them was the sound itself.It was picturesque and peaceful and you really got taken in by all you saw around you.
Encountered the Coast Guard Zodiac stopping to help out a Towboat/US response boat. That's different. The Coasties then sped of and I encountered them a mile further on where they had "pulled over" a boater for a safety check and I don't think he was doing too well.
I finally got to Swansboro about 2pm and pulled in and anchored just beyond the channel and in front of a low highway bridge. On this part of the ICW, the anchor spots are few and so you mark them on your chart and you set your day's goal as the first post noon anchor spot you can get to that isn't overwhelmed with boaters. The boats with speed go from marina to marina. we slower boats go from anchorage to anchorage with a marina thrown in. The next few days the anchorages are thin, few in number. I have a feeling that I am going to come up short one of these days and then it will be interesting to see what i have to do for the night. The good thing is that it is headed up into the the 60's & 70's next week. Bad news is that I have to pass the Camp LeJeune ( Marine Corps) firing range which crosses the ICW. They flash amber lights when you should go past a certain point. Good planing that!
One thing I forgot to mentioned in yesterday's blog was the dolphins. Not the pilings they tie boats to but the mammals that swim in the sea. You know, like Flipper. I would have to surmise that there are some that are partial to rivers and bays because Morehead City has a bunch of them.It is a little freaky the first time you encounter them. you just catch a glimpse and you can figure out quite what they are. Then they come by the boat in pairs or in a group and it is really delightful. Of course you have to be careful less you slip out of the channel and go aground. One dolphin stopped by for a visit when I was aground awaiting my good friends from Towboat/US and I even got a "call" from it or whatever they call the sound they make. I don't know what it meant but. considering my situation at the time, it probably wasn't all that complimentary.
Last night was uncomfortable. The wind kept shifting and there was a lot of rolling and yawing. I found that the anchor rode and the anchor weight had become entangled. I evidently let the weight down to far and with the wind shifts the entanglement was easy. I was watching the GPS plotter and the track showed that we were dragging if ever so slowly. I had to go up on deck in the cold dark, pull in the anchor weight, untangle it from the anchor rode, play out the rode and back down the boat to be sure of a good bite, and then reset the anchor weight on a short length. I still was not that happy with the way the boat was ridding and didn't sleep all that well. There really must be some current running through Bogue Sound and the Harbor at Morehead City/ Beaufort. The boat wasn't so much laying to the wind and quartering it. It didn't feel right, it didn't ride right, it didn't look right. But ABISHAG was still where she had been the night before when the morning came so it really wasn't that bad.
The other sailor who had gotten stuck in the place where I got stuck was getting an early start as I was sitting in the cockpit having my morning coffee and watching the sun come up, wondering how many people remembered to set their clocks back an hour. I called out to him and told him that I had gotten stuck in the same place an hour before he did. He said he couldn't understand the problem. The inlet had been fine the last time he used it . . . . 20 years before!
I was up and off the hook by 9:30 and found that yes, there is one heck of a current in Bogue Sound. With the engine barely running above idle, the GPS said we were doing 7knots. The wind was gust to 20-25 and with Bogue Sound boasting a depth of 4feet outside the ICW, it wasn't a day for sailing, nor sunbathing. Man, it was cold. I had on so many layers I could hardly move.
The trip down Bouge Sound was interesting. On one side you had the mainland and a lot of nice homes and small "villages. If you want to fish, this would be the place to live. The other side wasa series of small sandbar islands that lined the the ICW. Beyond them was the sound itself.It was picturesque and peaceful and you really got taken in by all you saw around you.
Encountered the Coast Guard Zodiac stopping to help out a Towboat/US response boat. That's different. The Coasties then sped of and I encountered them a mile further on where they had "pulled over" a boater for a safety check and I don't think he was doing too well.
I finally got to Swansboro about 2pm and pulled in and anchored just beyond the channel and in front of a low highway bridge. On this part of the ICW, the anchor spots are few and so you mark them on your chart and you set your day's goal as the first post noon anchor spot you can get to that isn't overwhelmed with boaters. The boats with speed go from marina to marina. we slower boats go from anchorage to anchorage with a marina thrown in. The next few days the anchorages are thin, few in number. I have a feeling that I am going to come up short one of these days and then it will be interesting to see what i have to do for the night. The good thing is that it is headed up into the the 60's & 70's next week. Bad news is that I have to pass the Camp LeJeune ( Marine Corps) firing range which crosses the ICW. They flash amber lights when you should go past a certain point. Good planing that!
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