11/6/15
To 33 55.639N, 78 07.587W
St. James Marina 30.7NM
Knowing it would be a 'short' day, we delayed our departure, doing some caulking by the mast before the next batch of rain arrives later this week. We'll see if we're on the right track to fixing our leak or need to keep searching.
Much of the fleet departed around 0800. We followed suit at 0900, hoping the traffic would have eased and it would be too early for the next batch to have cleared the string of restricted bridges. We can attest to the fact that the shoal at 'G135,' that we marked on the chart a number of trips back, still exists, as do a number of others that tend to be on the N side of the numerous inlets along the ICW. We slid over all of them, just at a slower speed than we'd been traveling when the depth gauge indicated 9' and getting shallower. Once past the shoals, depths dropped back to the 15- 20' range. Thankfully we had little traffic making it easier to feel our way across the shoals.
There is more to see on the ICW than offshore. Depending
on which way you're facing; inland, lots of fancy homes, most
tastefully landscaped; seaward, lots of wildlife, wind swept
barrier islands and numerous dolphins looking for a meal.
I did wonder about a small section of houses we saw, perched on
the edge one of the barrier islands, and hope they were self
insured sans any government assistance. Many of the
communities along the barrier islands are in the process of
re-newing beaches since Joaquin brushed past this fall, doing
what nature does best, change things, which may (and does)
include moving sand and removing structures.
For once our timing wasn't quite so off. We headed S at a fast clip until we turned toward the ICW. As expected, the ICW was a mixed bag - one section flows with you, but pass an inlet, and it doesn't. Luckily, when we got to the Cape Fear River, although it was past low tide, the current was still running down stream. Given the river can flow in excess of 2 kts, it makes a big difference in how long it takes to transit the river.
As we approached the W end of Snows Cut, the link between the barrier islands and the river, we noticed a number of new marks - not on our old paper chart, a case of water changing the course of things. We quickly sorted them out and headed toward the river. The trawler ahead of us wasn't so lucky. He attempted to take the short cut up to Wilmington and either missed, or misread one of the marks, landing up in a area colored green shoal on the chart. We watched as he pivoted the bow, but didn't get free. Eventually we heard his call to TowBoatUS, and it appeared he had little idea of where he was, as a passing sailboat gave a more precise position to relay to the tow boat. Modern electronics and chart plotters can make cruising seem easy, but it really helps if you keep track of your position and have some boating skills.
The current caught us before we got completely down the river,
but then gave us a small boost when we turned on the ICW.
We had a reservation at St. James Marina, part of a 'planned
community' about 5NM SW of Southport. We arrived a bit
earlier than anticipated, and when we called for directions,
someone met us at the slip to give us a hand. Yes, they
were floating docks, but we still needed to get a line around a
piling to secure the stern of the boat. Given the
narrowness of the fairways and the number of 90 degree turns, we
were thankful there was little wind. The marina has a lot
of slips and a large stack and store facility in a small dredged
harbor protected from the traffic on the ICW.
After checking in, we wandered about looking at the facilities
that included a realty office, gift shop, small store and a
restaurant when I spotted a pamphlet for bike routes.
Since we were in the middle of nowhere, exploring on our bikes
sounded like a good idea.
Toward the end of our ride we found a boardwalk over a pond
posted with warnings not to feed the alligators, and a small
nature area along the ICW. In the pond there were a number
of diamondback terrapins with their heads just above the water
that were too elusive to photograph. At the nature area we
saw a sign indicating they are the only North American species
that live in marshes and salt tidal creeks.
11/7/15 To 33 51.896N, 78 38.289W Myrtle Beach Yacht Club 29.9NM
After a short walk and breakfast we continued on our route S. A check on Active Captain indicated a couple of shoals to be avoided - especially since we'd be traversing them at low tide. As we approached Lockwoods Folly, a notoriously difficult section, it was difficult to pick out some of the marks, partly because a sailboat had drifted a bit too close to the green side of the channel and had run aground, sitting sideways to the channel. Once we spotted the green he'd missed, we found enough water to avoid making the same mistake.
Looking back at Lockwoods Folly - Nemo, the sail boat sitting sideways to the ICW would be waiting for the tide to rise
It was a beautiful weekend day, and the little runabouts were out and about in droves. They tend to be like gnats, somewhat annoying, but not a problem since they don't make much of a wake. Not so the big sport fishing boats which only seem to have 1 speed - full throttle, and at full throttle they throw a big wake of which they seem to be oblivious, even in no wake zones.
We had reservations at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club in Coquina
Harbor to sit out the passage of the approaching cold
front. The harbor, a dredged, enclosed area, is home to 3
large facilities and a number of private condo
docks. When we spoke with the staff for our slip
assignment we were given somewhat confusing directions since we
had no idea of where we were going and were one of several boats
arriving at the same time. The saving grace was having
been told to look for someone in an orange shirt who would be at
our slip - and as we approached the end of the harbor, it was a
relief to see someone in an orange shirt, waving their
arms. The docks may be lettered, but it's frequently
difficult to spot the letters and then translate the next piece
of the instructions - was it port or starboard at the second T
dock or was it the 'T' dock. There must be over 350 slips
in the harbor with multiples of both T docks and docks lettered
T.
We planned to connect with the Reuters who stored their boat,
'lemanja', here over the summer. Unfortunately we missed
Ernie who was out of town, but Bette was on board, and we had a
nice time catching up with her over dinner at a terrific place
she recommended. They plan to head over to the Bahamas
later this month. It was interesting to learn there are a
couple of other Vermont boats in the harbor, one of which,
Stella Maris, a Cabo Rico 38, we saw when we docked. As
always, it's a small world!
10/8/2015 -10/9/2015 Staying at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
The rain began shortly before midnight and continued off and on all day. We were lucky to get a break in the rain to go for a walk with Bette in the morning. She suggested driving over to Cherry Grove Beach rather than do the boardwalk and a walk through a local neighborhood. That was more than fine with me - we did the boardwalk yesterday, and I've never been know to turn down an opportunity for a walk in the beach. We walked for about 1 1/2 hours , and I decided the Reuters need to bring lemanja back to the lake so we'll have more hiking cruisers! Their car made it convenient for us to see a bit more of the area, and make a quick stop at a Publix, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to get more provisions, especially when we don't have to lug everything back to the boat on foot. Myrtle Beach offers a wide choice of supermarkets to chose from, unfortunately none are within walking distance, even by my standards! I also noted none of the marinas were listed as having a courtesy car, although Bette said their car, which they leave here, has been made available upon occasion by the harbor master at Light Keepers Marina when needed. A small price they're happy to pay for a free, long term parking place. Our timing was great - the rain began again as we walked down the dock to the boat and continued throughout the day.
As the forecast has rain on tap all day Monday, we decided to stay until Tuesday before moving on. It also gave me another day to do the chores - it was all too easy not to walk up to the laundry in the rain, and it gave me something to look forward to in the morning. The cabin did get a more thorough cleaning and I prepared a chicken stew that will last for a couple of meals, always nice to have on hand after a long day on the water. It's also nice not to be underway in the rain.
Knowing it would be a 'short' day, we delayed our departure, doing some caulking by the mast before the next batch of rain arrives later this week. We'll see if we're on the right track to fixing our leak or need to keep searching.
Much of the fleet departed around 0800. We followed suit at 0900, hoping the traffic would have eased and it would be too early for the next batch to have cleared the string of restricted bridges. We can attest to the fact that the shoal at 'G135,' that we marked on the chart a number of trips back, still exists, as do a number of others that tend to be on the N side of the numerous inlets along the ICW. We slid over all of them, just at a slower speed than we'd been traveling when the depth gauge indicated 9' and getting shallower. Once past the shoals, depths dropped back to the 15- 20' range. Thankfully we had little traffic making it easier to feel our way across the shoals.
 |
| A group pf pelicans preening a sand spit by one of the inlets |
For once our timing wasn't quite so off. We headed S at a fast clip until we turned toward the ICW. As expected, the ICW was a mixed bag - one section flows with you, but pass an inlet, and it doesn't. Luckily, when we got to the Cape Fear River, although it was past low tide, the current was still running down stream. Given the river can flow in excess of 2 kts, it makes a big difference in how long it takes to transit the river.
As we approached the W end of Snows Cut, the link between the barrier islands and the river, we noticed a number of new marks - not on our old paper chart, a case of water changing the course of things. We quickly sorted them out and headed toward the river. The trawler ahead of us wasn't so lucky. He attempted to take the short cut up to Wilmington and either missed, or misread one of the marks, landing up in a area colored green shoal on the chart. We watched as he pivoted the bow, but didn't get free. Eventually we heard his call to TowBoatUS, and it appeared he had little idea of where he was, as a passing sailboat gave a more precise position to relay to the tow boat. Modern electronics and chart plotters can make cruising seem easy, but it really helps if you keep track of your position and have some boating skills.
 |
| Stuck on a shoal area which is not visible from the water color |
 |
| The St James Plantation Harbor |
 |
| One of the ponds along our bike ride |
The community, has 2800 homes, situated
around a golf course, and some 75 miles of paved roads.
We chatted with a resident while we were checking the map, and
he said they add about 250 new homes a year - many appear to
have a mosquito breeding pond onsite, having been carved out
of a swamp. The development while tastefully done
(not cookie cutter houses), consists of a convoluted
maze of circles, courts and coves, many cul de sacs running
off a number of roads. Leonard noticed the total lack of
children - so we suspect it's an 'adults only'
community. Given the variety of flags for NFL teams by
the mailboxes, it looked like a haven for retired baby boomers
from the north. With little traffic, it was a pleasant
place for a ride.
 |
| Here's the photo from the sign since they were camera shy |
11/7/15 To 33 51.896N, 78 38.289W Myrtle Beach Yacht Club 29.9NM
After a short walk and breakfast we continued on our route S. A check on Active Captain indicated a couple of shoals to be avoided - especially since we'd be traversing them at low tide. As we approached Lockwoods Folly, a notoriously difficult section, it was difficult to pick out some of the marks, partly because a sailboat had drifted a bit too close to the green side of the channel and had run aground, sitting sideways to the channel. Once we spotted the green he'd missed, we found enough water to avoid making the same mistake.
Looking back at Lockwoods Folly - Nemo, the sail boat sitting sideways to the ICW would be waiting for the tide to rise
It was a beautiful weekend day, and the little runabouts were out and about in droves. They tend to be like gnats, somewhat annoying, but not a problem since they don't make much of a wake. Not so the big sport fishing boats which only seem to have 1 speed - full throttle, and at full throttle they throw a big wake of which they seem to be oblivious, even in no wake zones.
 |
The light house at Light Keepers Marina, the entrance into Coquina harbor
|
 |
| Panorama of the harbor from the Officer's Club at MBYC |
10/8/2015 -10/9/2015 Staying at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
The rain began shortly before midnight and continued off and on all day. We were lucky to get a break in the rain to go for a walk with Bette in the morning. She suggested driving over to Cherry Grove Beach rather than do the boardwalk and a walk through a local neighborhood. That was more than fine with me - we did the boardwalk yesterday, and I've never been know to turn down an opportunity for a walk in the beach. We walked for about 1 1/2 hours , and I decided the Reuters need to bring lemanja back to the lake so we'll have more hiking cruisers! Their car made it convenient for us to see a bit more of the area, and make a quick stop at a Publix, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to get more provisions, especially when we don't have to lug everything back to the boat on foot. Myrtle Beach offers a wide choice of supermarkets to chose from, unfortunately none are within walking distance, even by my standards! I also noted none of the marinas were listed as having a courtesy car, although Bette said their car, which they leave here, has been made available upon occasion by the harbor master at Light Keepers Marina when needed. A small price they're happy to pay for a free, long term parking place. Our timing was great - the rain began again as we walked down the dock to the boat and continued throughout the day.
As the forecast has rain on tap all day Monday, we decided to stay until Tuesday before moving on. It also gave me another day to do the chores - it was all too easy not to walk up to the laundry in the rain, and it gave me something to look forward to in the morning. The cabin did get a more thorough cleaning and I prepared a chicken stew that will last for a couple of meals, always nice to have on hand after a long day on the water. It's also nice not to be underway in the rain.
 |
| Walking on the beach between rain showers |
10/9/15
Staying at MBYC
I have to wonder about the logic of extending our stay at MBYC to avoid being out in the rain. We'd just returned to the boat from the showers at MBYC when Bette called, suggesting another beach walk - in the rain. We could either go right away - we hadn't had breakfast yet - or possibly later if, after looking at the radar, we thought it might be dryer in the afternoon. We could have said no, but she'd offered to take us to the north side of the Little River Inlet and Bird Island refuge which sounded intriguing, so we opted to grab an energy bar and hopefully beat the deluge forecast for mid day, postponing breakfast until later.
On the way, she gave us a tour of 'Little River', a funky area down by the ICW. We were pleased to see the rain let up to a drizzle as we started our walk. Bette said it would be about an hour's hike to the inlet and back, and it was nice to be walking on a natural beach - no sand augmentation here. The only other person on the beach was a man running with some dogs. Going downwind, it wasn't bad, and we crossed our fingers that the weather would hold until we got back to the car. The rain held off until we turned around, and for once, the return trip seemed much longer than the trip out. I can definitely state that my heavy foul weather jacket needs to be waterproofed, while my light weight hiking bottoms are fine. Granted, my jacket dates back to 2003, but it hasn't had extensive use. I was soaked by the time we gt back to the car! Leonard was only slightly drier. Given the wet conditions, we had left the camera on the boat - obviously a good idea!
What was amazing was the amount of water on the road as we headed back along the barrier island. There had been scattered puddles when we arrived, now parts of the road were covered with 4-6". We hadn't just imagined it had rained hard on the return walk, it had! Flood warnings were posted for the NC/SC coastal areas until Tuesday, urging drivers to be cautious, especially after dark, when it would be difficult to see the flooded areas.
We enjoyed the walk in spite of the rain, but it would be really nice to see the sun which would start to dry things out. Our 'foulies' had been hanging in the cockpit (under the bimini and connector) were still almost as wet by evening as when we took them off. Maybe it was a good thing I'd waited to do laundry since we had a lot of wet laundry to add to the pile. Given the amount of humidity in the air, I wasn't surprised to find the 45 minute drying cycle hadn't managed to dry the load. Rather than deal with a bunch of damp items, I paid for another cycle.
I inadvertently broke the temperature probe attached to the freezer when I defrosted it Sunday. It's a case of working quickly to avoid warming up the 'fridge, while removing the frost build up on the freezer unit so it works more efficiently. When we have hot water, the defrosting process is easy, taking about 5 minutes since the sink faucet has an extension that easily reaches the freezer unit to loosen the frost buildup. I hadn't realized how fragile the probe was and must have damaged it during the process. Leonard noticed the unit was reading EEE instead of the temperature in Celsius. Not good, and not mentioned in the instruction sheet that came with the unit.
The system Leonard installed last year has been working great. It uses less energy while keeping the freezer and 'fridge at a more consistent temperature, with a digital meter giving a continual reading of the freezer temperature. Luckily the old thermostat was still in place (turned off, but functioning) and will work until we can get a replacement. With parts being shipped to Charleston, we made reservations at the Maritime Center for Friday and Saturday nights, so will need to continue on our way in the morning.
I have to wonder about the logic of extending our stay at MBYC to avoid being out in the rain. We'd just returned to the boat from the showers at MBYC when Bette called, suggesting another beach walk - in the rain. We could either go right away - we hadn't had breakfast yet - or possibly later if, after looking at the radar, we thought it might be dryer in the afternoon. We could have said no, but she'd offered to take us to the north side of the Little River Inlet and Bird Island refuge which sounded intriguing, so we opted to grab an energy bar and hopefully beat the deluge forecast for mid day, postponing breakfast until later.
On the way, she gave us a tour of 'Little River', a funky area down by the ICW. We were pleased to see the rain let up to a drizzle as we started our walk. Bette said it would be about an hour's hike to the inlet and back, and it was nice to be walking on a natural beach - no sand augmentation here. The only other person on the beach was a man running with some dogs. Going downwind, it wasn't bad, and we crossed our fingers that the weather would hold until we got back to the car. The rain held off until we turned around, and for once, the return trip seemed much longer than the trip out. I can definitely state that my heavy foul weather jacket needs to be waterproofed, while my light weight hiking bottoms are fine. Granted, my jacket dates back to 2003, but it hasn't had extensive use. I was soaked by the time we gt back to the car! Leonard was only slightly drier. Given the wet conditions, we had left the camera on the boat - obviously a good idea!
What was amazing was the amount of water on the road as we headed back along the barrier island. There had been scattered puddles when we arrived, now parts of the road were covered with 4-6". We hadn't just imagined it had rained hard on the return walk, it had! Flood warnings were posted for the NC/SC coastal areas until Tuesday, urging drivers to be cautious, especially after dark, when it would be difficult to see the flooded areas.
We enjoyed the walk in spite of the rain, but it would be really nice to see the sun which would start to dry things out. Our 'foulies' had been hanging in the cockpit (under the bimini and connector) were still almost as wet by evening as when we took them off. Maybe it was a good thing I'd waited to do laundry since we had a lot of wet laundry to add to the pile. Given the amount of humidity in the air, I wasn't surprised to find the 45 minute drying cycle hadn't managed to dry the load. Rather than deal with a bunch of damp items, I paid for another cycle.
I inadvertently broke the temperature probe attached to the freezer when I defrosted it Sunday. It's a case of working quickly to avoid warming up the 'fridge, while removing the frost build up on the freezer unit so it works more efficiently. When we have hot water, the defrosting process is easy, taking about 5 minutes since the sink faucet has an extension that easily reaches the freezer unit to loosen the frost buildup. I hadn't realized how fragile the probe was and must have damaged it during the process. Leonard noticed the unit was reading EEE instead of the temperature in Celsius. Not good, and not mentioned in the instruction sheet that came with the unit.
The system Leonard installed last year has been working great. It uses less energy while keeping the freezer and 'fridge at a more consistent temperature, with a digital meter giving a continual reading of the freezer temperature. Luckily the old thermostat was still in place (turned off, but functioning) and will work until we can get a replacement. With parts being shipped to Charleston, we made reservations at the Maritime Center for Friday and Saturday nights, so will need to continue on our way in the morning.
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