The ICW Part V - St. Mary's con't, Fernandina & Jacksonville Beaches

Hello All!  It's been a couple weeks since our last post and we thought it would be a good time to check in with everyone.  We stayed at St. Mary's, GA. for twelve days.  This certainly wasn't planned but we really liked the place.  We also realized we were within a long days sail to our Christmas lay up at Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville Beach, FL.  Why stay so long in St. Marys you might ask?  The last of the Thanksgiving cruisers had not yet left the harbor when the town held it's annual Christmas Tree lighting.

St Mary's Christmas Tree

Santa arrived in a white carriage with Mrs. Claus by his side.  At each intersection on the ride down the main thoroughfare lights decorating the trees would illuminate making for a truly magical entrance.  Of course when Santa touched the large Christmas tree located in the middle of the downtown square the tree lit up. The lights on the tree blended into a background of several sailboats with their rigging adorn with Christmas lights.  We'd only seen such a nautical Christmas scene in Holiday cards.  It was beautiful!

Nautical Decorations

Kris and I had not really thought much about Christmas until this night.  Thoughts of family and friends were on our minds and we both confessed to feeling a little homesick.  A visit from our son Marc was just the medicine we needed to take the blues away.

Marc's visit

Marc drove up to St. Mary's from West Palm Beach and stayed with us on Dalliance for two days.  We had a great time together.  Marc had a car which enabled us to do some provisioning.  We went out to dinner at the Silver City Steak House (one of the best T-Bone steaks I've ever had) and took the ferry over to Cumberland Island a must see if you're passing through this area.

Dungeness Ruins

The highlight of the Cumberland Island tour is the ruins of Dungeness, the former estate owned by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie in the late 1800 and early 1900's.  Horses roam freely around the island and in this very small ecosystem you'll see Oak lined lanes, a maritime forest, and white sand beaches.
Marc, Kris and I had a great time exploring the island and I think we were all a bit sad to see the sunset on the ferry ride back to St. Mary's.

Cumberland marsh

 For the remainder of our stay we enjoyed the company and hospitality of the residents of St. Mary's and the small town holiday atmosphere.

Cumberland Island Beach

 We left on St. Marys on Monday 12/6 and did a short ten miles to Fernandina Beach, FL.  Fernandina is located on Amelia Island bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Amelia River.  As you may be able to tell by it's name Spanish explorers settled Fernandina and it remained a Spanish military outpost well into the 18th century.  The town's architecture and historic points of reference highlight Spain's influence on the area. Fernandina boasts as being the home to the Palace Saloon famous the oldest bar in continuous operation in the state of Florida.  Of course Kris and I had to stop by to check it out.  We weren't disappointed.  The very attractive 20 something bar tender gave us information on the saloon's history.  We met Tony a local who really gave us the low down on the areas economy, real estate and restaurants.  The bar is famous for it's "Pirates Punch".  This drink is made with a combination of (7) different rums and fruit juice.  We were told one is not enough and (2) is too much!  Kris sampled the drink and endorses this recommendation.  Once again we reconnected with friends we met on the trip down.  Jim and Carol aboard White Lillie were in port.  We first met Jim and Carol in Oriental, NC.  We had not seen them since and were happy to get reacquainted.  We enjoyed a relaxing dinner together at O'Kanes Irish Pub and shared a little about our families and future plans.  We're almost sure that everyone we've met on the way down will be in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas when we return from the Christmas holidays  We're at Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville Beach, Fl. at this posting.  We're preparing Dalliance for a month lay up and plan to fly out of Jacksonville on the 14th of December.  The weather hasn't been the best in Florida, but Kris or I are not looking forward to the severe winter weather we've been following in Central N.Y.  However, maybe McCauley Mountain will be open!  Kris and I want to wish all our friends and family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!               

Armadillo

ICW Part IV - Isle Of Palms to St. Mary's Georgia

Charleston wading fountain

It's been awhile since our last post and we've really got a lot to talk about.  We left Isle Of Palms on the 15th of November and went to Charleston, SC.  We had debated for several days whether or not we would stop at Charleston and finally decided to do so.  Our main reason to stop was to catch the tides and bridge openings to pass safely through Elliott's Cut a particularly nasty section of the ICW just south of Charleston.  We are so glad we stopped.  Charleston is a beautiful old southern city with a rich history and amazing architecture.

Dock Street Theater

 Our friends Jeff and Marjorie aboard Far Niente were also in Charleston.  We met for cocktails and appetizers at Tom Condon's Irish Pub located in Charleston's historic district.  This is the first time we'd caught up with Jeff and Marjorie since the Chesapeake and we had a lot of catching up to do.  We had planned to stay only one day but the winds the next morning were 35-40 mph so we stayed another night at the Charleston City Marina.





 We left early in the morning on the 17th and made our way through Elliott's Cut on a rising tide.  The current in the Cut is very strong and at times it is running at 4-5 kts.  If the current is behind you you're flying through the Cut at 8 kts.  If it's on your nose you're looking at shore thinking you're being pushed backwards.  Another very tricky section on the ICW is a very short channel called Fenwick Cut leading into the Stono River.  We saw depths in this section at mid tide of 5-6 ft.  We were worried we might run aground but the depths rose quickly once we entered the Stono River.

The Rutledge Home

  The evening of the 17th we anchored in the South Edisto River about a quarter mile off the ICW.  We were the only boat in the anchorage and we realized we were many miles from any civilization.  It was a truly beautiful night at anchor.

Edisto River Anchorage

 The next morning it was off again bright and early to make Beaufort, SC by dark.  Jeff and Marjorie had taken Far Niente off shore the previous evening and we planned to join them once again in Beaufort.  We arrived in Beaufort within 15 minutes of each other and docked immediately behind them at the Beaufort Downtown Marina.

Far Niente & Dalliance

 This was their final stop until after the holidays.  They will leave Far Niente at the Marina during the holidays and travel home to visit family.

Marjorie & Jeff

 Marjorie's mother Doris lives in Beaufort and she invited us over for dinner that evening.  It was a wonderful meal, great conversation and we were made to feel right at home by Doris and her husband Dick.

Doris & Dick

Shannon, Kris, Jeff, Marjorie

 Beaufort is another charming southern town and a certain stop for us when we pass this way again.  South Carolina is beautiful along the ICW and we enjoyed travelling this section very much.  Hilton Head was our last stop in South Carolina the evening of the 19th.  The next evening we were in Isle Of Hope, Georgia.  By this time Kris and I realized it was possible for us to join our New York friends Rob and Sue in St. Mary's, GA. for Thanksgiving.  In order to do so we'd need to spend two nights at anchor along the Georgia ICW and one night in Brunswick, GA.   While at Isle Of Hope and Brunswick, GA we reconnected with Teresa and Lonn aboard Sapphire.

Teresa & Lonn aboard Sapphire

We first met them at visitors Center in the Dismal Swamp and had run into them several times since.  Lonn kindly shared tide table and chart information on several tricky sections of the Georgia ICW.  We timed our passages through Hell's Gate, the Little Mud River and Jekyll Creek to be sure we were going through on a rising tide.  Thankfully the high tides were mid morning coinciding nicely with our travel time table.  We arrived in St. Mary's at 2:30pm the day before Thanksgiving.  We had a fabulous Thanksgiving meal put on by the town of St. Mary's for the cruisers anchored in the harbor.  The townspeople cook the turkey's, ham and pork roast and the crusiers each bring a side dish.  We're told 300 people enjoyed this years Thanksgiving meal.  We dined with Rob and Sue and a number of new friends we met around the dinner table.

Sue & Rob

  The food was fantastic and we enjoyed the conversation and comraderie very much.

Seagles hosts Cruisers Thanksgiving




 



Moon River



St Mary's Anchorage

  When transitting the Georgia ICW just south of the Isle Of Hope you pass Moon River.  This is the same river which inspired the song Moon River made famous by the singer Andy Williams.  Another point of interest was BlackBeard's Island located in Sapelo Sound and is said to be the pirates favorite hide out.  We've had so many wonderful experiences on the trip it's impossible to list them all.  We do want to point out the fabulous nature scenes we've seen including wide meandering rivers, bald eagles, dolphins and amazing sunsets.  Kris and I had much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. 

Foggy Sunrise at Cattle Pen Creek



ICW Part III Topsail,NC - Isle Of Palms, SC

It's been a week since our last blog, it's been a busy week and cold on the water.

COLD!

We've moved everyday except for Friday and Saturday Night. We stayed in Carolina Beach so we would be positioned for the trip down Snow's Cut.  This also gave us an opportunity to get to the beach.We said good-bye to our friends Anne and John. We had been traveling together since the Great Dismal Swamp. We're sure we'll see them again. It was a sunny afternoon and the warn sun felt good to our chilled bones.

Carolina Beach

The transit through the cut went smoothly. We entered the Cape Fear River at the end of the cut and "fear" was in Kris' eyes. All the navigation markers had to be sorted out. Which ones do we need to follow? Yikes! We managed, no problem. We moved leisurely down the ICW to the St James Plantation Marina. The marina was surrounded by condos, but it was beautiful. They had a deli/market and restaurant and a bar that had live music. We listened from the boat.

St James Planation

We moved on the next day to Myrtle Beach Barefoot Resort. We could tell we were getting close by all the development, condos hotels and golf courses with some major water hazards.

Golf transport over ICW

Across the ICW was an outlet mall, restaurants, shops and tourist traps. You could walk across the bridge if you wanted. We didn't. As we left Myrtle Beach, the scenery changed and became almost desolate. The ICW enters the Waccamaw River which is wide, deep, winding with thick forests on both sides. It was breathtaking. However, the Bucksport Marina allowed us to dock even though they were closed for renovations.

Bucksport Marina

No explanation needed

 Free power, water and dockage, a cruisers dream  come true. All for the promise of a return trip when they open after March 2011. This is where we met Andree and Chuck. We took a walk near the abondoned rice paddies and enjoyed the sun. In the morning, it was on to Georgetown, SC where we spent two nights. We were able to get groceries, fuel for the boat and ourselves. We spent Saturday evening with Andree and Chuck, sharing information and experiences. We strolled the streets, looking at the old homes that have been restored. We found the oldest tree in South Carolina, 23 ft in diameter and over 500 yrs old.

Isle Of Palms Beach

 Now we are at the Isle of Palms Marina and again were able to walk the beach. On the way, we had several dolphin escorts. One took a liking to us and stayed next to the boat for several minutes. I could almost reach out and touch him. We are planning today's (Monday) trip to Charleston.

ICW Part II Elizabeth City to Topsail NC



Anne & John aboard Luna

 We realize it's been a full week since our last post.  It's the end of our first day on eastern standard time.  We're in Topsail, NC.  We've been moving Dalliance everyday since Elizabeth City with the exception of a 2 day layover in Oriental, NC for routine maintenance.  We crossed the Abermarle Sound on Monday November 1st in conditions which caused NOAA to post a small craft advisory. This usually means winds in excess of 20 knots and waves 3-4ft.  The good news was the winds and general direction of the waves were on the stern of our boat.  Although challenging for the helmsperson it makes for a much smoother ride.  The other good news, we made the crossing in "warp speed".  The entrance to the Alligator River was very tricky and we had been warned not to follow the channel markers as indicated on the charts.  As we've mentioned previously shoaling occurs throughout the year on the inra-coastal and channel markers are moved on a regular basis.  Even with the excellent "scouting report " from our friends Jeff and Marjorie on Far Niente we almost missed one of the green bouys marking the entrance to the channel.  It turned out to be the exact bouy Jeff and Marjorie had told us to watch out for.  Had it not been for the kind radio communication from a trawler following us into the channel a grounding certainly could have occured. We've been travelling with another couple from Baltimore, MD.  John and Ann are sailing a 35' Pearson Yawl named LUNA.  John and Ann left Baltimore in mid- June and spent the summer exploring the coast of Maine as far north as Bar Harbor.  Returning to the Baltimore area at the end of August they took care of some landlubber stuff and refit to start LUNA on a journey south in early October.  We met them while rafted up in the Great Dismal Swamp.  Given our boat speeds are approximately the same we've stayed together for the past week.  We've enjoyed their company and consultation.  In Oriental, NC we went out to a restaurant together.  It was called Oriental Steamers and it had  a great menu.  Arriving at the restaurant via a car the restaurant had dispatched, Kris and I both had an Oh Shit! moment.  It was the very same restaurant we had dined at with our friends Sam and Barb in 2005 while transporting their new boat from Wilmington, NC to Little Sodus Bay, NY.



Our Friends Sam & Barb


 We both felt a very nostalgic moment.  We're trying to move Dalliance everyday at least 30 miles.  This totals 5-6 hrs. on the water each day.  If we find ourselves making exceptionally good time we'll adjust our plans and make as much as 45-50 miles.  We had this opportunity mid - week lifting anchor in Pungo Creek on 11/3 @0715 hrs and sailing to Oriental arriving at 1600 hrs.  Although it was a wet trip, winds and seas were favorable for Dalliance to comfortably make the passage.  We really like Oriental.  Although development is starting to affect real estate prices the town retains a small town friendly atmosphere.  It boasts itself as the Sailing Capitol of NC.  Given the number of sticks we saw in it's anchorages and marinas it gets our vote.  Across the Neuss River and down Adams Creek we found ourselves in Morehead City, NC on Thursday morning.

Gorgeous Morehead City Sunset

  We stayed the night at Sanitary Seafood for $10 with no electric or water.  It was a bargain and once again we ran into the Marrs the Canadian couple we first met in Amsterdam, NY.  They left Morehead City @ 0200 hrs for an outside passage to Wrightsville Beach.  They have a deep draft on Messenger and felt it prudent not to test the channels of the NC intra-coastal.  We also mention this meeting to underscore the fact that people you meet along the way become friends and you're sure to meet up somewhere down the line.  After Morehead City it was onto Swansboro and Surf City on
Topsail Island where we are at this posting.

Surfers

 We've been escorted a number of times by dolphin in the NC intra-coastal.  Beyond that excitement it's pretty much keep in the channel and stay off the shoals.  We expect to be in South Carolina by weeks end and we'll share our adventures from the next leg of our trip.
P.S. - I'd like to thank Knute and Mike at Whitaker Creek Yacht Marina for their staying with me until my engine once again purred like a kitten.     




Local Tour Boat

The ICW Part I

We arrived in Norfolk Virginia in the early evening on 10/24.  Our plan was to anchor in Willowby Bay and travel a short 10 miles the next morning to Tidewater Marina for diesel fuel and supplies which were convenient to get in Portmouth VA.  Our night at anchor in the bay was a rough one.  Winds were out of the south at 15-20kts with gusts as high as 30kts.  We left the next morning at 9:15 am and tied up at the marina at 11:30 am.  The city of Portmouth is very quaint and the area surrounding the marina is the historic district . We walked around the city stopping to read many of the historic placards which describe the significant people, places and events which took place in the city during the Revolutionary and Civil wars.  It was very enjoyable and the prices in stores and restaurants were reasonable.

Exodus from Norfolk

We left Portmouth on the morning of 10/26 and entered the lock at the entrance to the Great Dismal Swamp Canal at 11 am. 

Locking Up

The lock was full of boats and it took 1 hour to lock through.  It was really the slowest lift we had ever experienced.  Our plan was to stay the evening at the GDS visitors center and then continue the next day to Elizabeth City NC.  Once again weather becomes the story and we along with 16 other boats were destined to stay at the Center for the next 3 nights.  The problem was a lack of anhoring and slip availability in Elizabeth City.  Weather was so bad on the Abermarle Sound that boats were not making the crossing.  Therefore, our boat city in the swamp was formed.

Boat City  3 boats across

As has been the case the entire trip we made several new friends and learned a great deal about the ICW from the more experienced cruiser's in our group.  We finally arrived in Elizabeth City at 12:30 pm on 10/30.  I'm posting this blog entry on Sunday morning 10/31.  We plan to provision the boat completely today as we're told opportunites to do so are few, between Elizabeth City and Beaufort NC.  We'll be crossing the Albermarle Sound tomorrow morning leaving Elizabeth City at first light.  The dicesion to take the Great Dismal Swamp was made really at the last opportunity to do so.  You come to a junction on the Elizabeth River a few miles south of Norfolk and you can take the Virginia Cut or the Dismal Swamp Canal to the Abermarle Sound.  A couple we had met in Deltaville, Jim and Johann convinced us you really need to do the swamp at least once.  Many boaters with deep drafts tend to avoid it due to low water levels.  We contacted the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the visitor center for conditions throughout the canal.  We were told it has a consistent 6 foot water level and was relatively free of debris from storms.  We're thrilled we listened to Jim and Johann as the swamp is beautiful covered tightly on both shores with tall overhanging Cypress trees.  At points you can imagine that you're sailing up some deserted stretch on the Amazon River.


Eerie Canal



Dismal Swamp Canal

That's about all for now.  The weather is getting colder and the days are getting shorter.  Kris and I are beginning to feel a sense of urgency to get to warmer climates quickly.  We're trying to resist this urge and keep to our plan to travel 5-6 hours a day.  We may be able to keep on this schedule but we realize we'll need to be moving every day if we'll make Florida by Thanksgiving.

The Lower Chesapeake Bay

 

The Blogmeister

We ended up staying in Solomon Island for three days, waiting for, you guessed it, the weather. The marina, Zahniser's, was very accommodating and had bicycles to loan. We took full advantage of this and went to West Marine twice, dinner, and the Food Lion for groceries. While taking a joy ride, we ran into Scott and Lynne aboard Messenger, a Canadian couple we first met in the canal at Amsterdam, NY.  We found out they were in Annapolis and St Michael's  when we were there.  Marjorie and Jeff aboard Far Niente were also staying here. Small world! We stayed in Solomon Island, repairing an fuel and a water leak in the engine. Our dinghy was patched in Hudson Creek and is holding, but we lost a part to the outboard engine and needed it to be able to attach it to the boat. We met so many helpful people here. One man gave us free advice on engine repair. Then Shannon called a company, trying to find the part for the dinghy engine and the man drove over to the boat, rigged a temporary repair for us and then didn't charge us! Of course, we couldn't let that happen. What nice people. The weather improved so we decided to make a run for Jackson Creek in Deltaville, VA.  The trip to Deltaville took us 10.25 hrs. and we averaged around 6.5 knots, fast for our boat. Of course the winds were right on our nose  At one point, we were called on Channel 16 by the US Navy. They requested that we alter our course as we were headed towards their live fire target area. Our course was Southwest and so was the wind.

Schooner

As we approached the mouth of the Potomac River, the seas became confused and a short chop developed. It reminded us of the way we learned to sail on Oneida Lake. The good news is, the sun was out, no rain. The entry into the Jackson Creek anchorage was pretty tricky and shallow and you really had to keep your eyes on the marks.As we motored through the anchorage, a couple on their boat were yelling to us that they were from Utica, NY. They left before we could get their story.  We dropped anchor and realized we had found yet another gem.

Fiery Sunset-Jackson Creek

After a night on the hook, we decided to call the Fishing Bay Yacht Club. We could see it from the anchorage. We moved to a dock at the club. The price was right. We were given one night free because of our membership at Fair Haven Yacht Club. They give reciprocal nights to any yacht club. Maybe someday one of their members will pass though FHYC.

FBYC

I like this place



Beautiful view



We liked the Yacht Club so much we stayed another night. We used the time to plan our trip to Norfolk. This would mark the end of the Chesapeake Bay. We left early and on the low tide, which made getting out of the shallow channel even more stressful. But Shannon had no problem. We left for Norfolk and anchored in Willoughby Bay, just north of Norfolk. Navy ships are all over this area.

Moon over Willoughby Bay

                                                                                                                                    

Safe Haven

We had reservations at the Tidewater Marina, as thunderstorms were predicted for tonight and tomorrow. We will use this time to make sure we have what we need as we enter the ICW.

St. Michaels and the Solomons

Sunset in Hudson Creek


Kris and I left Annapolis on 10/12/10.  Our plan was to sail south to Knapp Narrows and stay at the Marina.  After ten days on a mooring we needed to recharge our batteries and top off our water tanks.  The trip down to the Narrows was beautiful with sunny skies, warm temperatures and calm seas.  We arrived at Knapps Narrows Marina in the early afternoon and set to work cleaning Dalliance and the dinghy.  This took pretty much the entire afternoon.  We did take a break to walk over to Tilghman Island looking for some provisions.  There was not much available at a small grocery just over the lift bridge but we bought some bread, milk and a bottle of wine.  We met a very nice couple from Baltimore, Craig and Sandy Doyle.  They had many years of boating experience on the Bay and gave us tips on where we may and may not want to explore.  The following morning we set sail into the Choptank River.  Our cruising guides had information on how to get to St. Michaels from the San Domingo Creek.  It's called the back door to St. Michaels.  It was quite tight getting through the channel to the anchorage southwest of the village of St. Michaels.  Kris did an outstanding job navigating Dalliance through this tight passage.  It was a beautiful anchorage and one that would protect us from gale force winds over the next three days. The village of St. Michaels is quaint but upscale.  There are numerous restaurants and high end boutiques.  A really nice but somewhat " touristy" town.  We ran into our friends Jeff and Marjorie and met for a steamed blue crab feast on Saturday evening.  Eating the crabs is very hard work getting to the meat but the taste is oh so worth it.  Walking back to the boat we passed a small pub that had live blues.  We listened from outside for awhile and commented how much our friends Sam and Barb would enjoy the music.  I'm not an expert on the blues but it sounded real good!



The calm after the storm


  We left San Domingo Creek early on Sunday morning having spent four days at anchor once again waiting on weather.  The Choptank River was still rocking and rolling pretty good from the high winds over the past few days.  We decided to run approximately 25 miles south and tuck into Hudson Creek just off the Little Choptank river.  It was the most peaceful night we have had at anchor for the entire trip.

Peace in Hudson Creek

 We were all alone in the anchorage, the winds were calm and the scenery was magnificent.  We sat in the cockpit on Dalliance watching the sunset and two Bald Eagles resting in nests high above the creek.  Pretty awesome!

SUNRISE in Hudson Creek off Little Choptank River

Eagles

We left the Little Choptank on Monday morning the 18th of October and sailed down to the Solomons.  It's an Island at the mouth of the Patuxent River with several full service Marinas and options for provisioning.  We plan to stay here through Wednesday complete some maintenance, do laundry, provision and continue our journey south Thursday morning.

Tranquility