This morning was pretty windy, so we sat tight until it settled. Then late morning we launched the dinghy and headed across to the public docks. We walked the little town and then had a nice lunch at M & M’s. Explored a little more from the dinghy and were Northbound in the Honey Queen by 2:30.
Wondering what to do with that Harley tank and old pot in your yard?
Love these old shrimp boats
2 beauties
Our destination was Campbell Creek, an anchorage recommended in our Waterguide. Beautiful setting, with water only 6-7 feet. We were entering the area pretty slowly when we got a call on the VHF. “To the trawler coming up Campbell Creek, come in please.” I answered the guy, thinking, o crud, what have I done (this is a very common thought, as I daily wonder what was I thinking when I bought this boat.) He said, “We are harbor host for this area. Our dock in front of our home is wide open, if you’d like to tie up there for the night.” Twenty minutes later, we were sitting in the home of Rip and Beth, who had just completed the Loop in March. Rip grew up in the Chesapeake Bay area and was a wealth of knowledge. He gave us tons of pointers assisting us in navigating the Chesapeake and beyond. What a delightful surprise to have this offering.
Left Town Creek Marina Sunday morning. Our planned time (something we haven’t done much of lately), was 8:30 am. We squeezed out of our tight slight slip into a tighter fairway (I like to use this word because it sounds like I know what I am talking about—I’ve known this word in this context now for almost 3 weeks), which is the run of water between 2 rows of slips. I managed to barely hit 1 boat on the exit, backing out. No damage to either boat. I just had a serious conversation with myself on how that little bump could have been avoided. With all that wind, I came to no conclusion.
We drove around to the other side of the marina, as it was time for fuel and a pump-out. We almost made it to the fuel dock when the 22 mph squall came up. Rain was horizontal and lasted about 30 minutes. Amanda had her second shower of the day trying to manage fenders and lines while I tried to pilot our little boat and keep it in the water instead of sitting on the dock. The good news, no damage done. We should have sat in our nice cozy slip until after the storm passed. We knew we had weather coming, but really thought it would come after we were underway. WRONG.
Our trip was only about 20 miles to our anchorage in Oriental NC. Shallow, but well protected, we enjoyed the afternoon reading and soaking up a few rays until sunset.
We decided to hang out in Beaufort another couple days. We’re glad we did. Friday was kind of “need to do” day. As cruisers, we’re quickly learning to apply what we were taught in a boating class. “All you need to know as a cruiser are the 3-W’s. Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart, and West Marine.” Friday was West Marine day to replace a blower in the engine room. We zoomed through the downtown district to explore and to figure out our Saturday play day on Front Street. Caught a free sail boat ride, sponsored by the Maritime Museum. Donations were accepted as a fundraising effort. Such pleasant people and we met a couple from Elizabeth City who are friends with our friends who we are going to see there. Such a small world.
We came back to the marina and started talking about the wonderful meal we had at the marina restaurant, the City Kitchen, on Thursday night. It didn’t take much to talk ourselves into going back again. After all, dinner Thursday night was one of the best meals we’ve ever been served. Despite that neither our budget nor our bellies can afford to keep this up, we splurged and did it again. We were not disappointed. This restaurant is a hidden jewel. If you are in Beaufort, make sure you have dinner here.
Saturday morning we walked to town and enjoyed the most wonderful day. Perfect weather. The Wood Boat Show. Build a boat competition. The sum total of the experience made our extended stay at the Town Creek Marina worth every minute.
Below are a blend of pictures of the day. The Wood Boat show brought back lots of memories of my childhood. Mom and Dad will see pictures of boats I remember from Caney Lake and Narrows.
Reminded me of the little boat Frank Bush had in Haynesville. They said this would run 62 miles an hour.
I remember these old Mercury motors screaming down the channel at Narrows
The finishes and insets on this canoe were perfect.
I don’t even know what this boat is, but it was pretty cool.
1949 Barbour
Classic Chris Craft
Looks like what I remember Mr. Bourn, man in my hometown built from scratch.
Sort of the center for all the activity. They build and restore here.
Another Barbour boat
The boat building competition was so much fun watching. Each team has a kit and plans of the boat they are to build. Some of the material was pre-cut and stands were set up to help the team manage their work. There were approximately 12 2-person teams in the competition. Two teams were old hands doing this, and have competed before. They had every tool for the task, were extremely focused, and very fast. They both completed their boats in less than 1 1/2 hours.
Best Quality
Winner of the race
The next block of teams were just average “joes”, sometimes couples, sometimes just friends, all interested in having fun doing something different.
The last trio of teams were kids. One team, Webelos scouts, one team, Girl Scouts, one team of a youth organization in the area. These teams were the highlight of our day. My hat is off to the adults who are investing in these kids. In all 3 cases, the adults allowed the kids to do all the work but assisting and encouraging the whole time. We agreed, these won’t be the kids who will be shooting up the schools, getting in trouble with drugs, or worse. These will be the kids who are producers in the workplace; kids who will invest in their next generation. All day, these kids gave it their all. The tasks before them was clear, and the teamwork was not optional, it was essential.
These were the Webelos.
A little help from dad.
Projects like this will cure A.D.D.
These ladies were the last to finish, but never waivered.
Race time!
The Winner!
These kids had almost as much fun as me…maybe.
As I reflect on this day, I have figured out why it was so special and fun. Of course, spending the day with my bride of 40 years was primary, but what stirred my heartstrings was the reflection back on my childhood. I had the privilege of a mom and dad that loved the outdoors. Some of my earliest memories are those of camping out and water skiing. I camped not only with family, but also with the Boy Scouts, Troop 41 in Haynesville, Louisiana. All those memories came alive today as I watched these kids and adults interact. Camporees, Jamborees, Camp Yatasi, and a 1,000 more like-events surfaced. I often found my chin quivering as I saw a 10-year old boy run screws into the side of the boat; as a young dad directed on the proper application of the adhesive that would hold the boat together and keep it dry for the “in-water” rowing competition later in the day, and as a grandfather (figure or maybe to one of them) directed the 3 young ladies to work together to pick up the sides and hold them properly to form the shape of a real boat. What a day.
As they competed in the water late Saturday afternoon, these teams got to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Some boats (and people) performed with excellence, some performed providing LOTS of humor for those of us who watched from the dock. Some boats were bone dry inside at the end of the competition. Some were VERY wet shortly after they were launched. And as a side note, you who have known me for a long time, you know how competitive I’ve always been, whether sports or business. I have never believed in the “Everybody gets a trophy” concept. But today, I saw everybody win. There were no prizes or trophies. Just winners with the satisfaction of a job well done.
28 dolphin, 2 wahoos
This group caught the fish. “Little Man” caught the biggest, they said.
I get to hang out with some pretty cool people (Wes writing).
Our travels carried us to Beaufort (pronounced Bo-fort, as compared to the South Carolina city pronounced Bew-fort), North Carolina. We traversed the ICW across Camp LeJuene.
I’ve always wanted to listen to AM 530. They weren’t firing today, so we made it across without incident.
We decided it would be a good day to stay at a marina. For those of you who are seasoned equally to me, as a rookie captain, just know you can survive running aground. Coming into the channel today, I ran the Honey Queen onto a sandbar not once, not twice, but 3 times, as we neared the marina. Though I have run aground prior to today, the entry into the channel was quite tricky and poorly marked. I laughed at myself, as there was nothing else to do, other than praying reverse would do as before and deliver me from this dry land concealed by a thin layer of water.
She had no idea I took this picture. I just thought it epitomizes how lucky this woman is: red wine and Brett Baer on the back porch.
The Town Creek Marina is small and cozy. The rate is very reasonable, so we’re thinking we may stick around town another day. We hear it’s a cool town to visit. And there’s a wood boat show on Saturday, so we’ll play tourist and see what comes next.
Sundown in Beaufort, NC. from the porch of the City Kitchen restaurant–Town Creek Marina.
Today’s journey was a little longer (in miles) than normal. 39 miles in 6 hours, 15 minutes. For many, this is a turtle’s pace. For us, it’s an opportunity to catch every detail along the way. We made it to this destination, called Mile Hammock anchorage about 2:30. This place is a man-made basin serving the military base, Camp Lejeune. Pleasure boats are permitted to anchor here, and right now, there appears to be 10-12 boats doing just that. The most interesting boat is a catamaran called Electric Blue. It’s a totally solar powered boat. It’s kind of funny, we have seen this couple almost every day since we left Savannah. They putter (wrong word because they make no noise) at 5 or 6 knots. We pass them nearly every day and they catch us almost every evening. I hope to get to know this couple a little more and learn how their story came to be.
Not pretty, necessarily, but this guy’s fuel cost will be exactly $0.00.
This picture does not do justice to this beautiful landscape just south of Camp Lejeune.
Being near the base has been a pretty cool deal. Helicopters have buzzed us most of the afternoon. Though noisy, I’m appreciative of every maneuver, practice session, and training mission these guys and gals are running. Tomorrow we call before we make the next run on the ICW to ensure they are not firing cannons. Sometimes, the training closes the ICW. This simple phone call may keep our boat afloat a little while longer.
These guys had us convinced they were landing on the top of the boat. Awesome!
I don’t know what these things are called, but the props rotate from horizontal to vertical, flying like a plane, and landing like a chopper. These things are BAD!
Today, we slept in (a little) in Southport, as it was such a cool little town. Amanda wanted to sell the boat and buy a house here. Can’t say I blame her, but I was able to convince her to at least finish the trip with me before we invested in any more real estate. Here are a few pictures revealing the charm we so enjoyed.
The restaurant where there were docks. That’s our boat to the right. Not too far to grab some food.
Our mobile home, tied up in Southport.
Multi personality town. Pictures like this and t-shirts that say, “we don’t have a town drunk, we take turns” gives you a little of the Tybee feel, but then you see the gorgeous historical settings/homes/buildings, and feel like you’ve just pulled into downtown Savannah.
Thomas Thompson House-he was a blockade pilot during the Civil War and then became a harbor pilot afterward.
This house caught my eye as we left Southport because of the brown feature on the front. I need my architect buddy (you know who you are) to refresh my memory on the proper term.
Our arrival this afternoon in Wrightsville Beach, NC found these 2 stingrays waiting on us.
We stayed in an anchorage known as Banks Channel in Wrightsville. We were surrounded by many like-minded folks who enjoying being on the “hook” and staying somewhere for free. We were protected on the north, east, and west, so the mild breeze provided our air conditioning, the natural way. Wrightsville, as you know, is known for taking serious hits during the hurricanes. I often wondered why people continue to leave themselves so exposed to the elements. After being here for a few hours, I can understand their temporary insanity becoming permanent. This is what we woke up to on Wednesday morning.
Folks pull in, drop the anchor, and chill. It’s the tough life.
We woke up to a “sky on fire” scene. The weather forecast continues to be promising for several more days, but the clouds obstructing the sunrise gave us this look. What a glorious site.
Our 42 mile northward trek today carried us to Southport, North Carolina. A quaint fishing town of approximately 3,000 people had the feel of small town USA. We had contacted Robert and Kay, who are harbor host for The Great Loop in this area. That turned out to be a home run for us. He told us about a free dockage, directly in front of The Provision restaurant. He met us at the dock to point us in the right direction into the slip, and had us over a visit on his front porch overlooking the basin.
The Hosts with the most, Robert & Kay Creech.
He told us that each evening at 6 pm a local does a weather/navigating class for Northbound cruisers. That 1 1/2 hour session provided us with so much detail and peace of mind about our next leg of the journey. Such a valuable resource we stumbled upon. As a bonus, we met 2 other cruising couples who are also doing The Loop. Ate dinner with them and then walked 50 feet back to the boat.
The winds finally died down in our anchorage last night and the oxbow became lake calm. We rose around 6:00, our new body alarm time, it seems, and headed north 15 miles to the Marina at Grande Dunes. The cruising experts tell us we need a day or 2 per week off the water just as a stress reliever. Yes, I know most think this is stress free living, but we have found that is not totally the case. The need for constant awareness of surroundings, current, weather, systems on the boat, navigating, avoiding shoals, etc. has a certain level angst about it that merits a little break by being tied up at a marina.
As mentioned already, laundry, reprovisioning, and the other routine tasks of living can be accomplished while in the marina, so there’s still a little normal living routine required.
The highlight of our weekend was a visit from Nadine (and her daughter-in-law, Nell). Nadine was one of Amanda’s mom’s best friends from Columbus. Nadine, now a 100 years old and going strong, was such a pleasure. We enjoyed hearing her tell of fishing stories on our little Pine Mountain pond, where she says she always caught more fish than Amanda’s dad. And since there’s nobody around to dispute the story, it has to be true!
Amanda asked her if she has to take lots of meds. She said she has to take 2 Tylenols every morning to feel good. That’s it!
Sunday morning, we watched Compassion Church service on the app, walked to the beach, took a little snooze there, and walked back to the grocery store to restock. Our stroll back to the boat, loaded down with groceries, was a less than fond memory made. No matter how pitiful of a face I made as cars rode by, no one offered to pick up the 2 homeless looking people walking with 40 pounds of bags hanging down at our sides. I asked Amanda to start crying, but she wouldn’t stoop that far. I need to work on my “look” or get a cart!
The Georgetown anchorage was very well protected, so we made this our home last night, instead of moving. We left at 7 am, keeping our eye on the weather.
The landscape made a significant change today, north of Georgetown. Having seen only marsh grass for the last 5 days, today it looked like we got planted in the bottom of Dorcheat’s cypress swamps. It looks like home to this Louisiana boy.
Near Myrtle Beach, SC.
This steel hulled, 3-masted beauty was anchored in the Waccamaw River along the way today.
Amanda caught this Osprey as she was leaving the nest.
The weather plan for arriving in a marina late this morning changed, as conditions got much better. So we cancelled our marina reservation and proceeded northerly another 20 miles. We hunkered down in an oxbow on the Waccamaw River, near 2 other boats. Wind forecasts were in the upper teens till about 7 pm, then dropping temps into the 50’s. Another good night of sleep is my forecast.
Sundown on the Waccamaw River.
Tomorrow morning, we execute our game plan of being in the marina early enough to avoid the weekend boaters. Laundry, fuel, fitness center, and restocking the little refrigerator are our plans for the weekend, while people that are younger, and still employed, enjoy what is forecasted to be a beautiful day on the water.
Our stay at Awendaw Creek, which is the inlet to the Harbor River was uneventful. We saw NOBODY, no boat, nothing but sea gulls and pelicans. from 2 pm yesterday until 8 am this morning. Virtually no current and plenty of water at low tide, made this an ideal anchorage. It is fairly exposed, so had there been any significant wind, it may not have been so ideal, but this night was like being on a cove at Narrows (family understands).
These two guys have been escorting us since Savannah. It has to be the same 2, because they always act like they know us. I decided to name them Mike and Gabe, as the only 2 angels (Michael & Gabriel) named in scripture. They have been our guardian angels, making sure I didn’t do anything stupid.
We pulled out at 9:15 and drove North about 32 miles to downtown Georgetown. The public day docks, advertised as free, would not handle a boat our size, so we anchored in the bay and puttered to the public dock in our dinghy. Found the restaurant shown by my own “Vanna” and ate a great lunch. Georgetown is a quaint little town, clean as a pin, with a significant number of restaurants and shops. We needed to run to the Post Office, so we decided the exercise would be good for us. A 2-mile walk along a major highway got us to the post office, but we opted to catch a Lyft back, as we were in boat shoes, and valued our lives more than we valued the exercise. Best $7.10 I’ve spent on the trip thus far.
