Camp LeJeune Lagoon

Friday, May 15th we left Wrightsville Beach and traveled 42 miles down the ICW to a lagoon inside the Camp Le Jeune Marine military base. The Marines allow boaters to stay in the lagoon but we are not allowed to leave the boat or go ashore. After observing their training maneuvers we decided to follow their rules. We got a front row seat to training exercises that included troops deploying from vertical takeoff fixed wing aircraft. When we arrived in the lagoon there was one other boat at anchor, two hours later there were 17. The site is about the only spot available to anchor on the waterway from Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort.

Saturday we motor sailed the 40 miles to Beaufort N.C... We had gone to Beaufort several years ago by car and enjoyed it very much, so we were anxious to see it again. We spent a couple days taking in the sights at this historic seaport. They do a great job of retaining and commemorating their history in the area. The town is full of beautifully restored homes, churches and store fronts. Susan and I spent an hour in one of the old church burying grounds with grave sites dating back to the early 1700’s.

Monday afternoon Susan and I rented a car and drove to the airport in Raleigh Durham. Susan flew home Tuesday morning to help care for her mother. Jan had heart bypass surgery last Saturday and her recovery has been slow. I’m sure Sue will provide invaluable support to her parents as they work through this difficult time. We’re all praying for you Jan. I’ll miss my first mate immensely; I hope we are together again soon.

Tuesday morning I returned to the boat and Linda, Jay and I left the Beaufort Docks around noon. After a wet breezy ride we arrived at the Oriental Harbor Marina in Oriental, NC late that afternoon. Wednesday we stayed at the dock waiting for the rain and high winds to pass. We plan to get an early start tomorrow morning and start to make up for some lost time.

Myrtle Beach Bike Week!

Monday, while waiting for Kurt the mechanic to arrive we had an opportunity to explore Georgetown a little more and enjoy a leisurely walk down quiet streets and historic homes. When the mechanic arrived at Northern Light he had his work cut out for him; after taking apart half the engine he was able to find the cause of our engine problem and made the necessary repairs. It was a disconnected wire (due to engine vibration) to the solenoid of the starter, hidden by the alternator.

Thankfully, we were back on the ICW and happy to be moving again. We had a beautiful trip on the Waccamaw River through abandoned rice fields and large plantations and antebellum homes.

Arrived at our anchorage a little later than usual where we found several other boats. We named it Jay’s Oxbow since it was unnamed. We anchored near a couple (Ed & Linda) from Daytona Beach aboard “Sea Smoke” a New England style Lobster boat. Our anchorage was near Bucksport, SC named after Captain Henry Buck a famous Lumber Baron.

Tuesday we departed our anchorage early for a short trip (25 miles) to Myrtle Beach. A great stop for all of us, just happen to be Motorcycle Bike Week for the boys and a great shopping opportunities for the girls right at our location at the Barefoot Landing Marina. Myrtle Beach got its name for the waxy leaves of the native Myrtle bushes in the area.

Wednesday was another early departure for a longer trip up the ICW into North Carolina. After a quick stop for fuel we traveled through some interesting areas. First, we negotiated the “Rock Pile” a very narrow part of the canal with large rock formations on either side. Then we got to a very unique pontoon bridge where the center span actually floats away to allow passage through. We had a short wait with several other boats since it only opens on the hour.

We got to the North Carolina Border about 10am and enjoyed the sights of sea birds, turtles and dolphins, especially at our great anchorage near Cape Fear, Dutchman’s Creek where we could see the tall (169 feet) Cape Fear Inlet Light. It was an interesting day with a lot of narrows, strong tidal currents, breezy and scenic nature and wildlife to keep us entertained.

Today we crossed the Cape Fear River on the way to Wrightsville Beach at the Seapath Yacht Club. Made very good time motor sailing and got to our dock just before the rains came. We hope to go outside (Atlantic Ocean) and do some sailing tomorrow if the wind and weather cooperate.

It is great to be back aboard Northern Light, thanks so much to our dear friends for the wonderful adventure!

Brokedown in Georgetown

We spent four days in Charleston working on the boat and sightseeing while we waited for a guest and our new crew. Fred Cook joined us for dinner while he was in town on business and Linda and Jay rejoined us for the trip. Charleston with its old homes and beautiful gardens is one of the prettiest cities I have seen so we all enjoyed the opportunity to walk the town.

We spent Friday night at anchor in Winyah Bay. It was our intention to leave this morning and go out Winyah Inlet into the ocean and sail up to Cape Fear, NC ., however our engine had other plans. The engine failed to start this morning so it was time to develop alternate plans. Somehow we would have to get into Georgetown SC the nearest city about ten miles away for repairs. Luckily the wind and tidal currents where both in our favor and we were able to sail into the Georgetown Landing Marina. As we approached the marina we tied the dingy to the boat and used it as our auxiliary engine to get to the dock.
Susan and Linda got an unexpected Mothers Day dinner at the Goat Island Grill in downtown Georgetown. Happy Mothers Day Therese and Jan ! Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina. The town was surrounded by prosperous rice plantations prior to the Civil War that all went out of business with the abolition of slavery. Fortunately the beautiful homes that were built by the wealthy plantation owners in town are still maintained today.

Hopefully we will be able to get an engine mechanic tomorrow and get back on our way, if not we will likely become quite the authorities on Georgetown history.

Low Country

This past week was one of transition. We traveled from Florida through Georgia into South Carolina. We watched the waterway's shoreline change from the grand homes back to palm trees and mangroves then to salt marshes and live oak trees covered with Spanish moss.

Sunday, April 26: We left St. Augustine early and headed out the inlet to travel in the Atlantic Ocean for part of the day, we re-entered the ICW via the St. Johns Inlet at Jacksonville, FL. The day ended at an anchorage in Nassau Sound at the south end of Amelia Island.

Monday, April 27: We made the short trip to Fernandina Beach Marina on the north end of Amelia Island. We spent the afternoon enjoying the attractions in historic downtown Fernandina Beach.
Tuesday, April 28: We left the dock early and shortly after crossed the St. Mary’s River into Georgia. We arrived mid afternoon at the docks at Jekyll Island. We enjoyed cocktails that evening with Mary & Andy aboard their motor vessel Good News and Brad & Patty, m/v Salvage Crew. They are two other looper couples we have met along the way. We first saw “Good News” when we were in the rivers back in September. They are also now on their way back home. The friendly interesting people you meet along the way continue to be the highlight if the trip.

Wednesday, April 29: Traveled to another anchorage in the Back River near Doboy Sound.

Thursday, April 30: Left early for a 10 hour ride in the Atlantic Ocean. The wind and seas were ideal and we made around 60 miles to the Wassaw Sound and the Wilmington River. The river leads to Savannah however we stopped before that at the town of Thunderbolt GA. When we arrived at the dock we were again greeted by the crews of Good News and Salvage Crew. Sharing hors d’oeurves and cocktails with them that evening was the perfect way to end a long day on the water.

Friday, May 1: We left the Thunderbolt Marina at 10:00 and shortly thereafter passed the Bonaventure Cemetery. The cemetery was featured in the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. Around 11:00 we crossed the Savannah River and entered South Carolina, we spent the evening at the dock at the Hilton Head Marina.

Saturday, May 2: We traveled to Beaufort S.C. hoping to get a dock at the downtown city marina. On the way we passed the well known Marine Corps Recriut Depot at Parris Island. This is where all male Marine recruits east of the Mississippi train. It's also where all female recuits train.We didn’t see much going on they must have had the weekend off. When we arrived at Beaufort we were surprised to find the place was full. It turned out this was the weekend for their big “Taste of Beaufort “festival. We anchored near the marina and took our dingy into town to enjoy the music and food at the festival. Now we know were all the Marine recruits were. Later that evening we had dinner with Molly and Gary, a couple from North Carolina who were returning from Key West on their sailboat. They both retired from their jobs in January and took off on a boat. Sounds familiar!

Sunday, May 3 : After church service at the local Episcopal Church and a breakfast out, we spent the afternoon traveling to an anchor site on the South Edisto River about half way to Charleston.

Florida's First Coast

The only thing better than enjoying the sights and experiences of this trip is sharing them with friends. That was certainly the case during a recent visit by our good friends from home Mimi & Larry and Martha & Mike. They joined us for dinner and an overnight stay on the boat Tuesday. In spite of running aground and getting lost in the dark, a good time was had by all.
On Wednesday Martha, Mike, Larry and I took a 28 mile boat trip from Daytona north to Palm Coast. Mimi and Susan joined us by car and again we enjoyed cocktails and dinner at Palm Coast’s European Village.
Mimi, Larry, Marta and Mike thanks for joining us, we love you guys lots. Safe travels home.
Friday Susan and I traveled to St. Augustine where we docked at the municipal marina right in the heart of downtown. St. Augustine is a charming city with lots of fabulous architecture and art. On Saturday we rode our bikes to the Anastasia State Park on Anastasia Island and relaxed on the beautiful beach.
No discussion of St. Augustine would be complete without mentioning its history. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S.A., settled by Spanish colonists in 1565. Susan and I attended church services Saturday evening at Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine, the first parish in the America’s.

Back on the Magical Mystery Tour

This past Tuesday, April 14, Susan and I returned to Northern Light docked at Soverel Marina in Palm Beach Gardens. Jay and Linda plan to re-join us in early May.We spent the day Wednesday repairing, preparing and provisioning for the continuation of our journey. We haven’t covered much ground/water for the last month so we anticipate putting in some long travel days over the next couple of weeks. We don’t have a firm schedule but obviously if we don’t start moving a little faster we’ll never get home by this summer like we had planned.
Thursday we traveled to Fort Pierce, Friday to Melbourne, Saturday Cocoa And Sunday we’re in New Smyrna . Most of the traveling was done on the Indian River Lagoon, a 130 mile long river that runs north and south up Florida's East Coast and provides a great waterway when it’s too rough to travel offshore. That’s been the case this week with 25+ mph winds and offshore seas over 9”. The weather has been great and we have been able to anchor each night along the way. Tonight we are anchored behind a beach island just inside the Ponce de Leon Inlet.
Here are a few pictures from some of the high points of the week before we flew back home.

Posie and Tom , thanks for dinner and the use of your car !

Andy, we loved your visit, wish it could have been longer.

Lastly I wanted to mention my visit with my old high school buddies the Boca Boys. I went to high school in Ft. Lauderdale and graduated with these guys 42 years ago. The last time I saw any of them we were all 18 years old, we’re now 60. What a hoot it was to see them, catch up and talk about old times.

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