Georgetown, SC here we come!

Is anyone affected by the moon cycle? The captain is and he doesn't get a good night's sleep for several days before the full moon. Well, the full moon is scheduled for tomorrow Nov. 12th.  So someone has been a little cranky.  🌑

This morning his mood was better than yesterday, so our day started out pleasant. We left the marina, Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, before 9 am which is pretty good for us. A little later start than the morning before, but we have planned for about 5 hrs. of travel with possibly staying in Georgetown for 2 days due to weather.

As I am writing this we have passed under 6 bridges with only 1 requiring an opening, Socastee (saw-cus-tee) Swing Bridge.  We have 1 more bridge to go under before reaching our destination today.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous today (Monday 11/11).  Tomorrow is a 70% chance of rain with winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Might be a good day to clean the inside of the boat.

We anchored in Georgetown basin, which is very interesting as there are boats on mooring balls, anchored, and several abandoned.  We found a lovely spot right near the Georgetown clock and close to the town docks.  We took advantage of the town dock (free during the day with no overnight) and Rob rowed the dinghy ashore. We walked around a little before choosing Buzz's Roost for dinner and drinks.  We both enjoyed our sandwiches, Rob had the French dip and I had the fish (grouper).  We sat at the bar outside because it was still really nice while the sun was out.  There were heat lamps positioned around so we made sure to get a seat close by one.  Once the sun went down Rob couldn't wait to turn the lamp on near us.

Georgetown Clock

This morning (Tuesday 11/12) we checked the double checked the weather and the forecast was calling for temperatures to drop to 29 degrees and feeling like 19 degrees so we decided to get a slip.   We were able to snag a slip at Dry Stack marina. We pulled up the anchor and moved the boat across the channel into a slip.  We thought it would be best if we could plug-in and have heat this evening and tomorrow. We are staying put until Thursday at this point.

Our morning view before moving to a slip. 

We took advantage of the beautiful day to explore historic homes of Georgetown. There were so many gorgeous homes to look at and I really liked the porches on the homes. We were looking at the yard of the William Waties House (c. 1770) (#33 on walking tour) when this woman comes out of the house and starts telling us about her Camellia bush (c. 1840), the surrounding homes, and the church across the street. Then she begins telling us about her ghosts and said she had to have one removed because she wasn't very nice. The next thing you know, she asked if we would like a tour of her home. We spent well over an hour with Tanya as she told us about her spirits, 3 of them, a man with a peg leg, a boy, and the nasty woman who apparently committed suicide in the bathroom. She also told us about the history of her home.  Part of her home was built in 1740 and other sections were added in the 1800's, and her and her husband had/are restoring.  The home was built sideways, apparently to avoid higher taxes, because taxes were assessed on the street footage.  As we were leaving there was this interesting board on her porch, it was a joggling board, the board is springy and a person sitting on it can easily bounce up and down.

(C. 1820)

Dr. Charles Fyffe House (c. 1765)

I liked the entrance on this home.

Tanya demonstrating the joggling board.

I had to try!

Another building we saw on our walking tour was the oldest commercial building (late 18th century) in Georgetown.  The building was constructed from bricks that were ballasts from ships and was originally part of a shipyard.  This is also the place Theodosia Burr Alston ( daughter of VP Aaron Burr and wife of SC Governor Joseph Alston) boarded the Patriot in 1812, which was lost at sea.

Red Store Warehouse

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Georgetown County Museum and going in and out of the little shops and boutiques. I even bought my first Christmas ornament.  I forgot to mention the rain has started and we have our rain coats and boots on. Back to the boat, a homemade dinner (chicken & artichokes), first time using the oven this season.  I have learned that I cannot multitask as I was making dinner. I was also making our reservations to fly back home for Christmas, big mistake. First, I had Rob's name (Robert Cow) incorrect on the reservation and eventually had to call the airline for correction.  Second, I burnt my potatoes, they were extra crispy like a burnt potato chip. In the end the Southwest agent was great and Rob complemented my dinner (including the burnt chips).

We are hunkering down waiting out the cold and windy weather. Tuesday night's reading on the boat's weather station said it was 46 degrees outside and a nice cozy 73 inside.  Wednesday after reviewing the weather forecast for the next several days we have decided to stay put here in Georgetown until Monday morning.  Pretty good decision, I believe!

Weather station with temperatures from Wednesday morning.

Surf City to Myrtle Beach

Left Mile Hammock (MM 244) 6 Nov and headed to Topsail Island Marina (Surf City). This was a special stop for us because it was our 12th wedding anniversary and we got to stay with my sister, Wendy, and brother-in-law, Jeff, for three nights! It was nice getting off the boat for a couple of days and staying in a house! While there, we drove to Wilmington, the grocery store and, of course, West Marine.

Topsail Island Marina is really nice and close to restaurants, IGA, bars, shops, beach, etc. This was one place where we didn't feel like tourists since we've been here several times. We showed up at our boat on our last day and Dee, from the marina, left us a Waterway Guide magazine and cheese danishes! 

Xanadu's right next to the marina. Bar, grill, bakery, 

market -- this place is awesome!

View from the 'new' bridge that replaced the dreaded swing bridge.

Hopefully Wrightsville Beach will follow and replace their bridge!!!

We left the marina on the 9th with a less than favorable north wind. Fortunately Sharon and a guy at the marina did a great job getting us out. I hate feeling like I need a drink at 1030! We were originally going to Carolina Beach for the night but decided to continue on to Southport. There were several tricky spots that are prone to shoaling but we didn't have any problems. We went through Snows Cut and the current had us at 10.6 knots! (We cruise at 8). That led us to the Cape Fear River. No problems on Cape Fear but we were against the current. We passed a few passenger ferries and a ship but that was the most of the 'excitement'. Ten miles later and we turned right and anchored in the Southport Basin. The basin in Southport is nice but only has room for a few boats. We managed to slide in with a sailboat and catamaran. We dropped the dinghy (for the first time!) and rowed over to Fishy Fishy Cafe (we practically could have swam). We walked around Southport for half an hour checking out the town. Very nice! We had dinner and drinks at Fishy Fishy then headed back to the boat.

Southport from our anchorage.

Ka'Why Knot on the hook.

We left Southport at 0830, 10 Nov. It was cold! We have decided to step it up and start moving south. Sharon made coffee and breakfast underway. This was an interesting trip on our way to Myrtle Beach. We have read about several 'trouble spots' along the way. We went through Lockwoods Folly at MM 320.2, Little River Inlet at MM 341 and the "Rock Pile" at MM 349.4. Fortunately we had no problem with any of them. We passed under several bridges and one swing bridge that opens on demand. 

Back when the ICW was being built, they ran into an unexpected rock ledge between MM 349.6 to 352.2. To keep within budget, the canal was made narrower than normal. There are two really narrow sections at the north and south end. It is customary to announce your entering the Rock Pile on 16 and 13 (commercial channel). You do NOT want to pass a barge going in the opposite direction. Pretty much because you CAN'T! AIS is a great supplement to channel 13. 

Overall, the trip was beautiful! Water, beaches, wildlife, homes, scenery, you name it!

We wanted to go to Barefoot Landing to dock for the night. Unfortunately, Barefoot no longer allows boats to dock for the night. Pass! BFL is not boater friendly so we continued south to Grande Dunes Marina. We could have docked across the channel and dinghied over but, like I said, pass. We'll spend our money elsewhere.

The "Rock Pile". You do NOT want to be

on the wrong wide of the channel marker!

We are at a 'swanky' marina, Grande Dunes. We actually had to show a driver's license, USCG documentation and proof of insurance. First time for that! Maybe a South Carolina requirement!?! We went to Anchor Cafe at the marina (nice!) and they also have a Ruths Chris at the marina. First time I have ever been to Ruths Chris!

Bogue Sound

Today was an interesting day!

We left Beaufort just as a light rain was starting. It wasn't too bad and there were very few other boats. Call came across the radio, tow boat was towing a fishing boat that was coming through the bridge we were about to go under. We spotted the tow boat and of course I had to take a picture. Immediately passed the bridge is a railroad bridge that is usually open unless a train is passing through.

Tow boat towing fishing boat.

Railroad bridge in open position.

Moving forward heading into Morehead City, NC (we were glad we stayed in Beaufort) we passed several big ships and barges. Again, a call came across the radio.  I heard "something about an American war ship leaving port". We did not see anything until passing a huge barge and then right there on the side of us (Rob would correct me and say starboard side) appears this huge Navy ship with tug boats moving it into the channel. Thank God it was going the opposite direction we were going.  WOW! It was very impressive.

 USS NEW YORK (LPD-21)
A San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.

After that little episode the day was nice.  It was calm, we saw several dolphins, and some beautiful homes on the waterfront.  The only issue being the Bogue Sound was very shallow.  As you can see from Rob's Aquamap picture.  He loves Aquamaps! He has Bob423's tracks, overlaid on the USACE (Army Corp of Engineers) surveys overlaid on AM charts. Well it was calm until not one, not two, but three police boats passed us fairly close and not with a slow pass.

Aquamaps 

Third police boat to pass us. No lights.

At mile marker 235 there were lights and signs posted to inform boaters of Camp Lejeune's live fire zone.  If the lights are flashing red you cannot proceed, apparently you are just suppose to drop your anchor and wait sometimes 4-5 hours.  We planned ahead and called to make sure there was no exercises schedule for the day.

Warning for Camp Lejeune's live fire zone.

We reach the Onslow Beach bridge and have to wait about 25 minutes for the bridge to open.  As we are waiting along with several other boats there is a storm approaching. Minutes before the bridge opens, the winds picked up and we were caught in a major thunderstorm.  As the bridge is opening with the winds really blowing (to me, because they won't open the bridge if the winds are too high) and the rain is coming down pretty hard, one of the sailboats in front of us was having some difficulty.

Waiting for bridge to open with approaching storm.

This boat passed way too close for my comfort.

The rain, wind, and lightning continued as we headed to the Mile Hammock Bay to anchor for the evening. I had my rain boots and rain coat on with hood cinched tight  (it would have been an awesome picture) to drop the anchor (I have all the hard work).  Of course once the anchor was dropped the sun appeared.

We are in this Cove with 14 sailboats and one power cat.  The dolphins are swimming around (I didn't get a shot worth sharing).  Dinner, backgammon, and Goliath.  A great night to be on the hook.

I should sleep good this evening!😴😴😴

Belhaven to Beaufort

Left Belhaven Saturday morning for a 2 1/2 hour ride to Oriental. Along the way, we stopped at RE Mayo Seafood in Hobucken for fuel. It was literally right on the ICW with good fuel prices and fresh-off-the-boat seafood! This was our first time getting fuel after traveling a little over 480 NM. We still had plenty of fuel to go farther but I like to play it safe. We added 200 gallons and they had nice high-speed pumps. After fueling up, we went inside to buy some shrimp -- both frozen (head off) and fresh (head on). You can dock at RE Mayo for .40 cents a foot and that includes electricity and wifi. The docks aren't anything special and there is nothing to do but would make for a perfect, almost free, stop for a night.

Filling up. 200 gallons!

Inside RE Mayo

Sharon shrimp shopping.

Fresh shrimp - heads on.

The womens restroom.

This is meant to be a joke.

After RE Mayo, we continued south and stopped at Oriental on the Neuse River. The Neuse is known to be very rough in bad weather. Fortunately, it was nice and calm for our trip. Oriental has two free town docks along with a marina or two and some anchorages. Each town dock only has room for 3-4 boats. We managed to snag a free spot between a sailboat and break wall in very tight maneuvering. Thankfully, someone saw us coming in and helped Sharon with the lines. You can stay at each dock for 48 hours but there is no electricity and you are not allowed to run your generator (like that stopped me for some heat and top off the house batts!). There were several shrimp boats all around us. We ran into friends we met in Belhaven, Joe and Mona. They were only about six slips down from us at a marina. Oriental was nice with a few restaurants, coffee shop, provisioning store (marine store +), etc.

View from our bow.

Free slip at town dock.

Shrimp boats

The next morning, we headed out and went to Beaufort (pronounced - BOH-fert). Beaufort has been our favorite stop so far. We stayed at Homer Smith's Docks and Marina which was recommended by a couple we met in Edenton. They have nice floating docks, free washer and dryer (good luck finding them available), free onspotwifi, courtesy car and all the free ice you could possibly need. Downside is only one restroom/shower. After docking, we walked around town and had dinner/drinks at Finz -- a nice local bar/restaurant. Around the corner was the Backstreet Pub another local bar very different from Finz's. Craft beer on tap and a nice to fire. The next day we checked out stores, borrowed the marina courtesy car and checked out Morehead City. We're glad we went to Beaufort. It had a lot more charm than MHC. We had lunch at Spouters on the water -- the weather was so perfect we had a glass of wine (Sharon) and beer (Rob) for 'dessert'. Later we connected with Joe and Mona for $2 cheeseburgers! at Royal James Cafe. A total dive bar/pool hall. It just doesn't get any better!

Strolling around town.

Balsamic vinegar and olive oil tasting.

Courtesy car.

Ice, ice bay!

The ice maker is on TOP of

the building and dumps it down.

Morehead City

Lunch at Spouters.

Alligator River to Belhaven NC

After completing the Albemarle Loop we entered the Alligator River (we did not see any gators)🐊🐊 and bypassed the Alligator River Marina even though I heard they have really good fried chicken. We went through the Alligator River (US 64) swing bridge.

We found a spot to anchor ⚓ around MM100. It was a little choppy and we were hoping it would settle down (boy were we wrong). We could send and receive texts but no data.  I was afraid Rob was going to go through withdrawal.  We had been eating out when possible trying to help the local economy, so we were ready to get the grill going.  We made bruschetta chicken with sauteed spinach and baked potato. I will be adding the bruschetta chicken to my recipe list.

We were all ready to relax and watch TV, oh no we were receiving very few channels and the ones we were receiving did not have the best reception. We were unable to watch game 6 of the World Series. Time to go old school and watch a DVD. It was great watching one of our favorite movies, Top Gun, at full volume (no one around).  Even got to watch a second movie Sixteen Candles. 

As the night went on the rocking did not subside.  Not only was there a lot of rocking, the waves were constantly slapping against the hull. It did not make for a very good night of sleep for the crew. 

Next morning pulled up anchor ⚓ and continued our way down the Alligator River.  We entered the Alligator \ Pungo River Canal (the canal connects the Alligator River to the Pungo River). It was a nice calm ride, considerate boaters requested slow passes. The Island Explorer, a tug pushing a barge was on his way North. We and the boat in front of us moved over as far as possible to avoid him. The water has been a brown color reminding me of coca cola.  

 

After being underway for 4 1/2 hrs and 32.5 nautical miles we arrived at the River Forest Marina in Belhaven, NC  We called to get a slip assignment and was told follow the flag in, spin around, port side tie up, and they will be on the dock to assist. Guess what? The wind picked up. Are you kidding me! That is exactly  what we did.  In case you don't know I hate docking, I'm a nervous wreck every time. 😨😨 Successfully docked but it was ugly!

We got a pumpout (they charge) right where we are docked. They roll the cart and hose right to your boat. You can also fuel up where you are docked if necessary.  Henry and Eddie who work at River Forest were great. The marina has 2 nice size clean bathrooms, laundry room (free), and golf carts available (also free).

Downtown is a nice little stroll from the marina (getting our steps in).  There are several shops and a couple of restaurants right on the main Street. We had dinner at The Tavern At Jack's Neck. Rob had the Hawaiian pizza and I had the covered and smothered burger.  Came back to the boat and did a load of laundry and watched the World Series. Way to go Nats!

We were planning on leaving the marina and heading south but bad weather was coming so we decided it was best to just stay put for the next 2 days. We decided to take advantage of the golf cart and went to Food Lion to replenish our supplies.  Also decided we should do some more laundry. Everyone spent the day adjusting and readjusting lines preparing for the gusts of winds that were being predicted.

 

I was curious about the Manor located at the marina and Rob asked Henry about it and he asked if we wanted a tour.  Of course we do! The mansion was started in 1899 and completed in 1904. The detailed finishes were completed by the same Craftsman who did the designs at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville NC. At one point it was turned into an inn with full service restaurant and marina, a speakeasy was located on the third floor and now the Manor is used for special events.

 

 





It's Halloween! I had some decorations and I had candy ready but no trick or treaters here.  Guess who will be eating the candy except for the Snicker bars? There were several houses in the neighborhood decorated and we did get to see some kids in costume. Missed being able to trick or treat with the Julian's this year.   We enjoyed the Tavern so we went back for a second time, this time we met Jeff the bar tender who is also dock master at Dowry Creek Marina and Yacht Club. We may try them next time through.

Now the fun begins, it's 2 am and the winds are whipping through and now pushing us against the dock. It's pouring down raining and all the boats are rocking like crazy. Rob put out more fenders and rechecked the lines. The other boaters are doing the same. Rob went out to assist and I made him put on his life jacket before getting off the boat. Safety first! There is little to no tidal change in the Pamilco Sound. Last night blew the water out and the water level is about a foot and half lower than when we went to bed. Yesterday was in the 80's and we had the air conditioner on. Heat on this morning it was a chilly 52 degrees . We did get to see a beautiful sunrise.

We are both exhausted this morning. We are spending one more day here at River Forest even though it is a beautiful sunny day. It will be a day to relax, do some reading, and make a pot of soup.