Roger and Lisa and the Big Car Carrier

We're anchored in Trippe Creek off the Tred Avon River north of Cambridge MD with friends from Dock B--  Roger on C-Venture (Lisa is at work in Delaware - the poor woman) and Mike and Fran on Dauntless.  Went into Oxford today and celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary at the Robert Morris Inn - we all had crab cakes which were fabulous.  Norm and I took home a chocolate carrot cake because we'd never seen it on a menu before - sampled it when we got back to the boat and it is scrumptious!  We felt lucky to get a good meal because we'd all been in Cambridge at the Cambridge Yacht Club for a couple days during which we ate out four times with not-so-hot experiences each time.

Roger and Lisa had a harrowing experience on the way to Cambridge.  They left Summit North Marina on a pitch dark night to go a ways and anchor at Still Pond.  After emerging from the C&D Canal, Rog noticed that his dinghy was loose, paused in the middle of the channel to fix it while Lisa held the boat in the middle of the channel.  While securing the dinghy, Rog looked up and saw a light, looked around and saw another light quite a ways away from the first, indicating that there was a ship bearing down on them and it was VERY CLOSE.   He raced to the helm, powered to the side of the channel and the giant car carrier passed them no further away than you would be to a train if you were stopped at the railroad crossing (Need I way that the car carrier is about a zillion times bigger than a train and would run you over without even feeling it?)  Fortunately, they got out of it's way.  Unfortunately, they caught its wake (big wake) on their beam  - Lisa thought the boat was going to swamp - it didn't, but lots of stuff was thrown to and fro --- except the rum which remained upright on the counter!  We are truly thankful that they're still with us.    

Wildlife! and more......

We're at Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth VA.  It's 100+ degrees today and we were attracted by the advertised pool.  What a crummy pool!  No shade... a few plastic chairs, but not even a table with an umbrella...and it's in a basin with tall walls around it, so no chance for a breeze to penetrate --- not going there.

Today we saw a bald eagle - that's the first one sighted on this trip up north and it's always a thrill to see them.  Two days ago we traveled from Dowry Creek Marina (which has a lovely pool that they were adding very cold well water to while we were swimming - very refreshing) to the Alligator River Marina (which has nothing but a gas station near it).  Much of that trip is on the Pungo River-Alligator River Canal (which no longer has any alligators).  It's 20 miles of staying in the middle of the canal to avoid the tree trunk snags on either side.  There's nothing to do, but look for wildlife.  Vicki was quite motivated to do so by the promise of a double chocolate ice cream cone for every unusual wildlife sighting.  Unfortunately, Norm can no longer be motivated in that way because Vicki awarded him a double chocolate scoop for life when he saw a bear while we were hiking in the Shenandoah Valley.  (Well, we weren't hiking at the time, we were driving to the trailhead in Peg and Mike Wilson's car.)  But I digress.  

Vicki has been awarded two double chocolate scoops for spotting a fox on the shore and a bear swimming acros the canal.  The fox was just sauntering through the trees along the shore.  The bear first appeared as "something" swimming across the canal -  we could see ears poking up and a small v-shaped wake.  We grabbed the binoculars and could only tell it was a bear when it emerged from the water.  So, so cool!

As we cruised to Intracoastal Waterway mile marker "0", we passed through the Portsmouth Naval Boat Yards that line the waterway.  Look at this new warship being built.  Cooooool!!  Don't forget, you can click on the picture to get a better view.

 

More New Places

After traveling up and down the ICW, it's easy to stay at the places you've been before.  It's comforting to know the tried and true, but we like variety so we're trying some new places.  Our habit after leaving Southport NC would be to stay in Wrightsville Beach and then make the long trek and many bridges to Rick and Lynnie's marina in Morehead City.  Instead, we stopped at the Harbor Village Marina past Wrightsville Beach and 2 bridges after Topsail Inlet.  We found this on Active Captain - Jeff and Karen have stayed here twice.  You have to call ahead - they don't monitor channel 16, so communication is by phone.  The only transient dockage they have is on the fuel dock - floating docks in a residential basin off the ICW.  Very nice!  Several of the Active Captain entries comment on the excellent Chinese Food delivery, so we're trying that tonight.  Tomorrow is a 65 mile run to Beaufort where we'll stay on the Beaufort Docks - another first.  The Big Rock marlin tounament is hosted in Morehead City this weekend, so we couldn't get into the Morehead Yacht Basin where we usually stay.  Should be fun to be in Beaufort where we'll be right downtown.   

Be the "Willow"!

Our most recent cruise route--3 days from Charleston, SC to Georgetown, SC, to South Myrtle Beach, SC to Southport, NC.  Remember, just click on the following link and when the map comes up, just use the zoom buttons to see more detail.  Enjoy!
Charleston, SC to Southport, NC


Vicki writes...
Cruising has definitely improved my flexibility in a major way.  By flexibility I mean not muttering expletives when circumstances intervene to cause my plans to be modified.  This is a very good change.  My temperament is wired to plan ahead.  This is definitely and asset, but can get in the way when changes to the plan makes one irritable (perhaps an understatement) as it used to for me. 

Today was a good example of how flexibility is needed on the boat.  The alarm woke us up at 4:45am  (the earliest yet) to allow us to catch the Cape Fear River with the current in our favor.  We won't trave that river when current is against us because it's 3.5 knots, half of our cruising speed.  The first thing Norm said (after that thing he said that I can't repeat when the alarm went off) was "Is that lightening?"  Indeed it was.  So, we waited.  The storms cleared, but not early enough to catch the favorable current on the Cape Fear River.  So we changed our plans and went into Southport Marina, a stop just before the river.  


At the marina, we sought help with a fuel issue.  Norm has been having to change the fuel filters every day since we loaded on fuel just north of Charleston at Isle of Palms Marina.  The filters are getting black crud in them every day.  Not a good thing.  Maintenance personnel diagnosed the problem and half of the fix (the mechanical half) will be in tomorrow.  The other half (the actual contaminated fuel half) will be treated chemically and cleaned up, hopefully, from the inside.  Otherwise we'll require fuel polishing--that's where they pump all 700 gallons through an external filter and return clean fuel to the tank.  Wish us luck that the chemical treatment works.  So, it looks like we're here for another day - unplanned, but OK. 

Yes, boating requires one to bend like the willow.  Boaters' mantra:  "Be the willow!"

Cooling Off

We found a new spot -- Barefoot Resort and Yacht Club in Myrtle Beach SC.  It was recommended by Bob and Cheryl Klein.  It boasts the biggest pool in SC - no kidding!  Unfortunately, the place is in receivership, so the resort amenities are all closed down.  On a day with 110-degree heat index, we arrived today at 1:00, just when it was starting to feel really stifling, and an afternoon at the pool was mighty fine.  Tomorrow is a 10-hour day to Wrightsville Beach.  The heat index is forecasted to be 98 degrees - this is what they call a cool spell in the summer south.

Our Recent Routes..........

Greetings Everyone.  Here's a couple maps of our most recent cruises since we left Apollo Beach (Tampa), FL in late May.

Part 1--Tampa to Stuart, FL
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102224145462847302635.000488e87209d867fe605&t=h&z=9

Part 2--Stuart FL, to Charleston, SC
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102224145462847302635.000488f1e39a7a0c5000f&t=h&ll=32.944149,-81.134033&spn=5.401605,17.53418&z=7

Shark!

After a 10 hour cruise, we landed at Port Royal Landing Marina just outside Beaufort SC.  We wanted to be at the Beaufort Marina, but they're full!  Must have jinxed it by mentioning in the previous blog that we're having no problem finding dockage because everyone has left the south for more temperate climes.  Guess everyone is out on the water here for the weekend. 

Vicki saw a shark today.  She was piloting and a gray fin (she says "ominous" gray fin) came swimming toward Tide Hiker and around to the side of the boat where Vicki could clearly see about a 5-6 foot shark which reinforced her desire to never again swim in anything but a pool.