Charleston, SC (return trip)

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Leaving at dawn from our Price Creek Anchorage, we had yet another beautiful sunny day heading for Charleston on Oct. 30.

 

 

We are so lucky to be having such excellent weather.  In fact, throughout the trip the weather has been great the majority of the time.  It makes the journey that much more pleasant and makes us ever so thankful!

We are headed to Charleston because it’s such a great town and also because we are going to see John Carr and his girlfriend, Ann.  Jonny worked with John at the Miami Herald for several years.  Since then, John has retired and recently moved to Summerville, outside of Charleston. This would be the perfect opportunity to get together and we invited them to stay overnight with us on Zendo.

Shortly after we left our pristine anchorage we passed some white pelicans and later on some playful dolphins.  We  continued to pass by many lovely homes lining the coastline,  each with their own dock and boat house

We also passed the occasional fisherman.  Now that autumn is here, we see many fewer fishing boats and fishermen in general.

We cruised through some more skinny waters on a stretch where we had run aground on our way north.This time we timed our departure to correspond with high tide so we would avoid those difficulties.  And so we did!  Every day we get a little better at this cruising business!

Before long we arrived in busy Charleston Harbor and made our way to the Charleston Maritime Center.  We chose this marina because it is located in the center of town, it had good reviews and the price was right.  It is located close to the graceful Cooper River Bridge.  It is the longest cable stay bridge in North America and it connects the City of Charleston and the Town of Mount Pleasant. 

Last time we had stayed at a well-reviewed marina but it was across the river and we had to take a cab into town.  This situation was a better choice for us.  When we arrived, the dockhands had us tied up in no time.  Because this is a maritime center rather than a private marina, there were a variety of vessels tied up there.  We were docked across from a party boat that was playing music rather loudly.   However, when we listened more closely it was music we liked so the result was quite a festive atmosphere.  There were some significant ships in the Charleston Harbor, many of them docked not far from us.  

To our delight, our marina had at least six Island Packets (our favorite sailboat) docked there and we met a few of the owners. 

Having been at anchorage for the last few nights, we took advantage of the free washer/dryers at the marina and Lynn did a couple of loads of laundry while Jonny washed down Zendo.

Jonny rode his bike to the nearby Harris Teeter to buy a few essentials.  We have to restrain ourselves from buying much food because our journey is ending soon and we still have too many provisions aboard!

We met a very nice young couple named Gary and Heather with 2 boys (10 and 7) who were from Halifax and living aboard their sailboat heading south.  They were so enthusiastic about their journey  and the opportunity to provide their boys with a unique experience.  In our opinion, the boys  were the perfect age for such an adventure and they surely were enjoying it.  They only occasionally stay at marinas but they decided to do so in Charleston so the kids could enjoy Halloween!

John and Ann joined us at 4 and we had wine and cheese on the aft deck and caught up with each other’s lives. 

We then went to a great restaurant called Cru and had a wonderful dinner with one of the best waiters ever.  He had a dry sense of humor, steered us in all the right directions, gave us plenty of space and time and was quite charming.  We shared a deliciously moist creamsicle cake for dessert.  He was wise enough not to share the ingredients with us until we had finished eating  it.  It was a great story that included an 80 year old baker, orange juice, box mix and cool whip!

John and Ann stayed overnight on the boat with us and in the morning Jonny hastened us along so we could get an early start (7:30) on our 60 nautical mile journey to Beaufort, SC.  

Butler Island Anchorage, Waccamaw River, NC

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We started off the day on Oct. 28 in cloudy, drizzly weather leaving our Calabash River anchorage at 7:35.  We cruised by Myrtle Beach – one of the busier areas on the ICW. 

We passed a surprisingly large casino boat – probably the biggest passenger ship we’ve seen on the ICW.

By 9:30, a torrential rainstorm hit for a short while but fortunately there was no thunder or lightening.

We soon entered the Waccamaw River which rivals the St. John’s River in Florida for beauty.  It is a gorgeous river winding through lush greenery and comfortable waterfront homes all equipped with their own private docks. 

About midway through our journey we stopped at the Osprey Marina for fuel. We waited for a thirsty  power boat to finish fueling before it was our turn.  We had stayed at this very pleasant and conveniently tucked away marina on our way north but it was only noon so we planned to continue our cruise  after taking advantage of their excellent fuel prices. 

Speaking of fuel – we had anticipated that the biggest chunk of our cruising “kitty” would be spent on diesel.  However, we’ve been able to take advantage of the dip in fuel prices throughout this trip.   So instead of fuel being our highest expense category, eating out has taken its place!

It eventually stopped raining but the day remained overcast.  For the last few days, we have frequently been in a procession of boats all making their way south towards warmer weather.

We reached our anchorage around 3:00, an early “quitting time” for us.   We debated if we should proceed further because it was so early and the current was in our favor.  But we decided not to  and we took the rest of the afternoon to relax.  Jonny actually slowed down enough to read and take a brief nap!

Our anchorage next to Butler Island was indeed a beautiful setting.  We were the only vessel there amidst a completely undeveloped landscape of open shoreline and waving grasses.  The only sign of civilization was a backhoe on the shore that may have been there to repair a nearby dam (we hope it wasn’t a portent of encroaching civilization)!

Lynn made an extra good dinner that evening (chicken breasts with bacon and vinegar) along with acorn squash (stuffed with apples and dried cranberries) and sautéed zucchini and onions.  All the while cooking and eating, we were on the phone with Stephanie who is considering a couple of job opportunities that are likely to have her working in New York City.  She has been faced with a lot of job placement  decisions since she’s been at Aramark, and she is definitely exhibiting a strong ability to manage change effectively!

The day was topped off with an awesome sunset.  Afterwards, we had a very quiet night at anchor.  It was so calm it felt like we were sleeping in our land bed!

Calabash River, North Myrtle Beach, NC

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We delayed our departure on Oct. 27 until 9 because it was windy and raining and we wanted to make a 10 a.m. bridge opening.  We were bound for the town of Southport, NC.  This was one of the towns we had to bypass on our trip north and we wanted to see it this time around.  By the time we left our anchorage by the Figure 8 Bridge it had stopped raining and the wind had died down. As it turned out we didn’t have to wait for the hourly bridge opening because the bridge was opening for the barge that was right in front of us and we were able to follow it through. 

The ICW here is lined with many homes with docks and there is definitely plenty of boat traffic in this busy boating area.

Shortly thereafter, we were stopped and boarded by the Coast Guard!  They were doing impromptu inspections.  They instructed us to keep up our speed as they they boarded the boat – a remarkably smooth process.   The two young, handsome, and very cordial “Coasties” (one of whom had recently moved from Miami) inspected the boat.  This was a first for us and they were very surprised that in all our time traveling, we hadn’t been stopped for an inspection.   Fortunately for us, we passed with flying colors and we continued on our way!  

It started to rain again and the current was running with us causing us to arrive in Southport earlier than expected. 

We called a local restaurant that offered free dockage for patrons.  We  learned that they were closed due to flooding but we could still dock there for free.  We arrived at 2:00 and successfully docked in the rain.  As soon as we did so we realized that it was expected to rain for the remainder of the day.  We also realized that Lynn had miscalculated the next day’s trip destination making it too long of a run for one day.  Because we didn’t want to visit Southport in the pouring rain, we decided to pull up our stakes and proceed further down the ICW.  Maybe we’ll visit Southport next time!

We continued on our cruise through off and on rain storms until we reached a very nice anchorage on the Calabash River.  It was very  quiet except for the occasional passing shrimp boat and we were surrounded by pristine views.  We had another lovely evening on board eating leftovers and watching ‘Being Julia’.

Figure 8 Bridge Anchorage, near Wrightsville NC

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We left Morehead City at dawn on Oct. 26 bound for an anchorage in either Sloop Creek or Topsail, NC.

It was a cloudy day and somewhat windy.   This is the reason why we didn’t take the alternative route to Manteo.  The seas were kicking up as high as expected and we are much more protected here in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) than we would have been on the outside passage. 

We passed a dramatically netted fishing boat.  It looked like a giant butterfly on the water!  A flock of seagulls was following it hoping to benefit from its catch.

Cruised by some beautiful (and interesting) waterfront homes – so many of which line the ICW. 

Lynn has been capturing photos of clothes hanging on clotheslines, though none until this entry have made it into the blog.

This part of the ICW still has many stretches of pristine shorefront.

We passed through Camp LeJeune but didn’t see the kind of practice activity that we saw on the way north. 

We spent a good part of the day listening to Terri Gross podcasts and catching up on the blog. 

At one point we were nearing a swing bridge only to discover that it wouldn’t open for an hour.  We, along with four other boats, had to circle the area waiting for it to open. When it finally did, the sailboats asked us to take the lead and we stayed in the lead for the remaining time. 

We ran into some areas with a lot of shoaling but fortunately did not run aground, though we heard on the radio quite a number of boats that did.  

We decided to go beyond our original destination and anchor just before the Figure 8 Bridge near Wrightsville.  This anchorage was not on Active Captain or in any of the guidebooks.  We had stayed at an anchorage on the other side of the bridge on our way north.  It was there that we ran aground and were stuck for several hours.  When we reviewed anchorages for the area on Active Captain, we saw a write-up about that same anchorage by our friend Joel who was unable to get his anchor to set.  As he left, the bridge tender told him about this new anchorage and he wrote it up in Active Captain next to the original anchorage.  We were lucky we saw it.  It turned out to be a perfect spot just for us right off of the ICW.  It was located in a channel leading to a marina.  There was a lovely bend in the channel lined with marshy grasses and very well protected.  We spent a quiet night there, always a plus in a new spot. 

Lynn made a vegetarian Indian  curry with cauliflower, chick peas, potatoes and peas – a Cook’s recipe, of course!  It was just the right degree of hot and served over brown rice, it made for a healthy and delicious dinner.  Another “early to bed, early to rise” evening had Lynn going to bed before Jonny – most unusual!