Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Hanging On in Beaufort @ Port Royal Landing

10/27/12 Saturday     Fortunately for us Sandy isn't hitting Beaufort with her full furry. We are having winds around 22 mph with gusts to 30 mph and no rain. A good day to get a few minor boat projects done like replacing the wheels on our sliding screen door which have been screeching like fingernails on a chalkboard every time it's opened or closed. Of course while I'm doing that Pam is trying to vacuum around me. All of a sudden Tourist is getting small!

When I called the marina a few days ago to see about dockage I requested to be on the inside of the face dock which parallels the Beaufort River. Having been here before I knew what the outside could be like when the wind opposes the tide. Even on the inside it gets a bit lumpy but not so bad that you want to jump ship. We're both very glad that they had 1 space left on the inside. I shot a couple of short videos to show the difference between the effects of wind & tide in the same direction and wind opposing the tide.
Same Direction.

Wind opposing tide.

Since Sandy is forecast to make landfall above Norfolk we checked in with Bru & Sandy in Deltaville, Va. to see what preparations they were making. When contacted they had already had Coconuts hauled out of the water and were stripping off anything that could tear loose. At that time the forecast was calling for high winds and a 5' storm surge. The best place to be is on shore in those conditions. Hope all goes well for them and everyone else in the path of Sandy.
Coconuts on the hard.

Shifting gears, a few weeks back we had bought some lump crab meat while on the Chesapeake. Today Pam made a delicious crab stew out of it that we had for dinner. Yummm!

10/28/12 Sunday     Still windy here although Sandy is now to our north. The trailing winds look to be around for the next few days. We'll keep an eye on the various forecast sites we monitor to see when it's prudent to get moving again. Meanwhile Pam expressed an interest in doing laundry today while I watch football up at the bar. Works for me!

10/29/12 Monday
10/30/12 Tuesday
The only way to start this day is by wishing daughter Reba a Happy Birthday! Hope it's a great one!

Sandy has moved on shore pummeling the Northeast as we all know. Our conditions here have been and remain windy. As the storm passed offshore we saw a few gusts in the upper 30's with consistent winds in the 20's and no rain. It's still blowing in the low 20's with occasional gusts to 30 mph and the temperature has been struggling to reach 60 outside. The wind has shifted from out of the north to coming from the west which has made the river here calm down.

Mostly we've been doing boat projects here on Tourist while we wait for the winds to abate. There have been a few boats pass by but very few. The reports all indicate 4' to 6' waves on Port Royal Sound just a few miles south of us. Could we go? Sure. But why get tossed like a salad when you don't have to?
They're getting paid to be out there!

One big job that I was able to accomplish while here was an oil change on the main engines. With the availability of a courtesy vehicle I was able to pick up the 16 gallons of oil I needed for the job. The marina staff ran me to the end of the pier in a golf cart and even helped me carry the oil to the boat. When the job was over they took the used oil back up the long pier in the cart and said they would dispose of it for me. Talk about accommodating!
The long pier @ Port Royal Landing (Tourist is all the way out and right.)

Changing oil or playing Whack a Mole?

I was also able to download the latest updates for our Garmin chart plotter and install them. Pretty good for a guy that barely knows how to turn on the computer! One thing for sure is that you never run out of projects on a boat but I am getting tired of just sitting. It looks like maybe Thursday the winds will back off enough for us to get out of Dodge. If not I think we'll be applying for South Carolina residency.

10/31/12 Wednesday     Our stay here has been pleasant with a very friendly and accommodating staff. A fun little bar/restaurant here at the marina and the use of a courtesy car to run downtown or to the store. Their dock rates are good too with specials like pay for 2 days and get the 3rd day free and a Boat US discount too. All in all if you have to be hunkered down this is a good place to be. We'll tidy up a few things today. Do any remaining laundry and get ready to make a run for Florida. It's time to get moving again!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Waitin on a Woman

Every man has experienced this at one time or another. In my case it's usually Pam that's causing me to pace the room wondering what she could be doing when she said she was ready 10 minutes ago. This time it's hurricane Sandy that we're waiting on.
We're in Beaufort, SC. back at Port Royal Landing Marina. If you recall this is the same spot we were in this past spring riding out Tropical Storm Beryl. Hopefully Sandy will stay far enough offshore to only give us tropical storm force winds. Time will tell. In the meantime let's recap our travels of the past few days.

10/20/12 Saturday     Beaufort, NC.     So in addition to checking out some of the Beaufort history today Pam indicates that she would like to find some comfortable walking shoes. I guess our hike around D.C. convinced her that comfort over style might have some merit. It didn't take long before she found something she liked.
She's still having trouble with the comfort over style thing!

Beaufort has a rich history that pre-dates the Revolutionary War. We set off to stroll through town checking out the old homes and we weren't disappointed.

One of the morbid highlights of our walk was the old cemetery. Many old graves of war heroes,  sea captains, and local dignitaries of days gone by. A couple of the more interesting graves were of a British sailor who wanted to be buried standing up and a little girl who died at sea and was transported home and buried in a cask of rum.

Buried standing up.
Little girl buried in rum cask.

In our walk around town we saw many homes that had been occupied by current residents of the cemetery. 
One of the other interesting stops was the North Carolina Maritime Museum which has among other things a display of some of the artifacts from what is believed to be the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge which was the ship of the Pirate Blackbeard. The remains of the ship are located near the Beaufort inlet. Much speculation surrounds the cause of the ships grounding. Some say it was an error in navigation and others claiming Blackbeard was an excellent navigator grounded the ship on purpose. 
Following a brief time in retirement Blackbeard returned to his pirating ways and was finally caught near Ocracoke, NC. His head was cut off and hung from the bowsprit of a ship and sailed back into Beaufort harbor for all to see.
Free Museum

Our stop in this quaint, beautiful town was one that we both enjoyed and would return to if we pass this way again.

10/21/12 Sunday     Once the sun came up we pulled out of Beaufort. Our hopes to run offshore were squelched when the forecast was for winds and waves out of the East which would have been an uncomfortable ride in Tourist. Back to the ditch we went passing Camp LeJeune along the way.
 Empty tower. No live fire exercises today.
Cool boat headed North.

We were making good time until we got to the bridge at Wrightsville Beach which only opens on the hour. We missed the opening by 7 minutes and had to idle around until the next opening which definetly cut into cocktail hour. We finally got through and anchored around 5:15 p.m. Not our favorite anchorage due to the lack of respect by the local boaters towards the anchored boats but plenty of room for Tourist.
Wrightsville Beach Anchorage.

10/22/12 Monday     Another travel day so up and going by 7:10 a.m. Today we passed the "Redneck Riviera" area around Carolina Beach before picking up the out flowing tide of the Cape Fear River. After a quick trip down the river we turned back onto the ICW at Southport, NC. passing the waterside restaurants and marinas along the way.
Southport.

At times we passed inlets that led to the ocean.
Lockwood's Folly Inlet.

And windswept trees.
Windswept before Sandy's arrival.

Myrtle Beach came and went as we made our way to Osprey Marina (www.ospreymarina.com) for the
night.
Entrance to Osprey Marina.

Our arrival was late enough that we spent the night on the fuel dock which worked out for Pam who took advantage of the laundry facilities nearby.

10/23/12 Tuesday     Osprey is tucked back off the Waccamaw River which aids in a restful nights sleep. So restful that we overslept. Finally at 8:40 a.m. we departed Osprey and entered the picturesque Waccamaw River.
Morning on the Waccamaw River.

A pretty uneventful day of travel. No bridges. No knuckleheads in go fast boats buzzing past and calm seas to travel on. We ended the day early, anchored in Awendaw Creek with a view over the marsh land to the ocean.
Just some weeds separating us from the ocean.

Of course tonight when we got ready to grill we were inundated by giant moths for about an hour. We (I) persevered and got the grilling done in spite of the unwanted help.
Not a great picture of our extra help.

10/24/12 Wednesday     Another restful night of sleep on the hook. Today we head into Charleston. Along the way we passed a catamaran sailboat anchored outside the channel that had passed us late yesterday afternoon. It was still early in the day and we figured they were still sleeping. About an hour later we heard a call from the cat to TowBoat US stating that they were aground and needed assistance to get free. Pam & I both wondered where they were going yesterday when they passed us because the next anchorage was a couple hours down the ICW and it would have been dark when they arrived.

After getting through a shallow area above the Ben Sawer Bridge we enterd Charleston Harbor and headed to the City Marina.
Charleston City Marina

Unfortunately our camera doesn't do justice to the beauty of Charleston's waterfront with it's stately old homes looking out over the harbor.
Charleston's Waterfront.

Our arrival was at a slack tide period which made docking a lot less stressful since the current rips through here when it's running. This time we weren't on the Mega Dock but just beyond in a slip that had some exposure to the harbor. Not my favorite spot. Fortunately conditions were pretty good so all was well.

Pam had been checking on restaurants around Charleston and landed on 39 Rue de Jean, a French restaurant just north of the downtown area. After doing a little housekeeping and maybe a nap we hopped a ride on the marina's free van to downtown where we started with cocktails at a rooftop bar.
 
Looking out over the harbor.

Next we found a little place on a corner that served our needs before walking  to the restaurant. (Remember Pam's new walking shoes?) We both appreciated getting a table and being able to sit down. Our waitress was well versed concerning the menu and pronunciation of the entree's which of course I was prepared to put my own twist on. I had the Coq Au Vin which turned out to be a chicken in some kind of sauce and Pam had French Onion Soup and a salad. Both were delicious. We followed up with coffee and the waitress surprised us with a chocolate desert compliments of the house! Lets just say it was to die for! Sorry no pictures. We were too busy eating.

Afterward we strolled partway back towards Bay St. before jumping in the back of a bicycle taxi for the remainder of the trek. I finished the night off with a cigar at one of the smoke shops along the sidewalk listening to passersby either complain about the smell or stop and enjoy the aroma.

Here are a few scenes from Charleston that we saw.





By the time we got back to Tourist neither one of us had trouble sleeping.

10/25/12 Thursday     Our original plan was to stay in Charleston two nights and then continue south. That was before Sandy started showing her hand. After watching and reading the forecasts for her projected path we decided to leave a day early and get into Port Royal Landing Marina (www.portroyallandingmarina.com)
near Beaufort, SC. to ride out the storm. After paying the bill we took off and headed for Elliott Cut and the ICW. The tide was going out which made the going slow through this narrow trench.
Wappoo Creek Draw Bridge over Elliott Cut.

Once through the cut the waterway opens up allowing our speed to pick up enough to make one think that they are making progress. Conditions were good as we passed this small ship repair yard along the banks below Charleston.
Small shipyard along ICW.

Around noon the winds picked up from the East which for the most part didn't disrupt our smooth ride. That is until we passed through the lower end of the Ashepoo-Coosaw Cut-off (the shallowest spot of the day) and entered the Coosaw River where we started taking 3 footers on the beam. Of course this is the time when Pam was below making lunch for me. Fortunately we only had a short distance to travel before turning and running with the wind. And run we did. Tourist doesn't handle following seas very well at trawler speed so the twin Cummins diesels got to strut their stuff until we turned off the river a few miles later. What a difference in the ride speed and a few gallons of fuel makes!
From here it was only a short ride into Beaufort where the wind which was now gusting to 25 mph brought an audience out on the dock as we made our approach. Pam had the lines and fenders ready and I drove Tourist into the dock like I knew what I was doing! Luck counts!

10/26/12 Friday      The wind is blowing between 15 & 25 mph from the North which makes the water at the dock a little lumpy but Tourist and crew are doing fine. Pam was able to find a hair salon so we took the loaner truck to town. While she was getting the treatment I found a barbershop and got my locks cut also. After mandatory stops at grocery, liquor, and West Marine stores we headed back to the boat to spend an uneventful afternoon listening to weather reports and court tv.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Potomac to Beaufort, NC.

10/12/12 Friday     A beautiful sunrise greeted us as we pulled the anchor off the bottom of Breton Bay.
Breton Bay Morning.

Cruising at trawler speed got us back into the Chesapeake a couple of hours after our departure. Before hitting the Bay we passed this Navy ship anchored in the Potomac.
Navy ship with bow & stern anchor deployed.
Looking out at the Bay.

Our destination today is Deltaville but this time we're headed to a private dock in Wilton Creek at Bru & Sandy's condo for the next couple of nights.
Wilton Creek
Our Wilton Creek dock.

After cleaning the salt off of Tourist and myself, Pam & I joined the Coconut's crew for dinner and a roaring game of Domino's

10/13/12 Saturday     Sleeping in was the order of business this morning which means I'm up by 7 and Pam 8:30ish! Once we prepped for the day it was off to the Deltaville Maritime Museum Car, Craft, & Art Show. My favorite part was the Trout sandwich for lunch and the old Cruiser's Inc. boat made in Oconto, Wisconsin.
Cruiser's Inc. Runabout.
Old Cities Service Oil Truck.

That night we attended a gun auction combined with an oyster & crab fest. Unfortunately I left the camera on the boat. There were mounds of oysters and crabs and several guns that went in the auction. We all had a good time even though smashing the crabs to get to the meat is way more work than I like to expend while eating.

10/14/12 Sunday     The NOAA forecast called for 2' to 3' waves on the Bay and winds of 10 to 15 mph from the South. Not as smooth as we like but on the nose which works well for Tourist. After saying goodbye to the Brubaker's we were on our way. This is a bitter sweet parting since none of us know when we will get together again although I'm sure it will happen.
So long guys. It's always fun!

The Bay greeted us with a gift of smooth seas all the way to Norfolk. Again we cruised past the Navy fleet and into downtown.
One of the newer Navy ships in port.
Carnival Cruise ship dwarfing the USS Wisconsin.

We ended the day at a free dock in downtown Portsmouth, Va. tucked in between a couple of  tall ships that had just competed in a sailing race down Chesapeake Bay.
Portsmouth Free Dock.

Our thought in stopping here (beside the price) was to eat at the Bier Garden (www.biergarden.com).
Bier Garden Restaurant.

The food was excellent complemented by German music piped through the sound system. The bonus for the evening was the Commodore Theater across the street which has Vegas style seating and serves food as well as wine & beer. We saw the latest Clint Eastwood film which we both liked.
Commodore Theater.

Then back to the boat where Tourist was illuminated like a show boat.
Lookin Good!

10/15/12 Monday     Today was one of those frustrating days. We traveled 11.8 miles and it took us 3 hours thanks to the bridges that only open on schedule. The first and pace setter for all was the Gilmerton Bridge. The cruising guide says the first opening is at 8:30. A local told us it's actually 9 a.m. and in reality it is 9:30 a.m. By the time it opened we had 20 boats stacked up waiting to pass through! The next bridge wasn't as bad but a wait was still in order, and then came the lock. For most of these folks it's the only lock they go through so it's always fun to watch. We just slide in, get secured and watch the show. No injuries, just some wounded pride.
Great Bridge Lock looking behind us.
Great Bridge Lock ahead of us.

One more bridge following the lock and we were done for the day when we pulled into Atlantic Yacht Basin. Glad to be out of the cattle drive headed south for a couple of days.

10/16/12 Tuesday     The yard was hoppin with work going on everywhere. We had a generator valve adjustment done by them as well as generator and transmission oil changes done by me. And lest I forget a trip to Wally World to complete our stay. We watched as they pulled a yacht out on the marine railway.
Comin out!
Even the geese are headed south.

10/17/12 Wednesday     Time to continue our journey but not before the UPS truck comes carrying our absentee ballots. He shows around 10:45 a.m. and we decide to fill them out and mail them since we're still in civilization.
Pam filling out her ballot.

At 11:35 a.m. we pulled away with only 2 boats in front of us. We cruised through the day passing Coinjock and their Prime Rib dinner and anchoring at Lutz Creek in the upper reaches of Albermarle Sound.
 Lutz Creek anchorage.
Suns down at Lutz Creek.

10/18/12 Thursday     We overslept this morning and didn't get underway till 7:25 a.m. The anchor came up clean! First time all summer! Nice.
The Albermarle Sound can be snotty but not today. 1, maybe 2 footers as we crossed. Once we passed under the Alligator River Bridge it got even calmer and continued that way into the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal.
Alligator-Pungo Canal. 20 plus miles of ditch.

Our day concluded anchored with 5 sailboats in Campbell Creek. 96.5 miles from where we started. A great anchorage with plenty of space and good protection. Once we were settled in I climbed on top of the boat to change the burned out bulbs on the anchor light. What I found was a fixture that bit the dust. Rust had taken it's toll. Time to put plan B into action. Get the 360 degree white light from the dinghy and put it on top of Tourist.
Another sunset. This time at Campbell Creek.

10/19/12 Friday     Hey. The plan B light worked! It was still lit and it didn't fall off the boat. However when we awoke fog had settled in to the area. Not too bad right where we were but thicker towards the ICW.
Lifting Fog.

Around 8 o'clock it was looking good with a little sunshine peeking through. Time to go! We worked our way past the four remaining sailboats and back into the channel. In less than a mile the fog returned thicker than before. We were now running on instruments since visibility was zero and no place to pull over. Fortunately a half hour later we came to the R.E. Mayo Seafood Docks and slipped in among the shrimp boats to wait for better visibility. Just before getting to the dock we passed under a bridge that I couldn't see until we were going under it!
R.E. Mayo Docks waiting on fog.

Our stop was only 20 minutes but it was long enough for the visibility to get better so off we went. Once we were out into the Neuse River we were caught and passed by the M/V Bernadette.
M/V Bernadette

We stopped at Jarrett Bay Boatworks to top off the fuel tanks before heading into Beaufort, NC.
Praying to the fuel Gods!
Coming into Beaufort..

Looks like a nice place. Maybe we'll stay an extra night?