Dec. 12, 2012
Hi everyone,
We have had a few technical issues. We had to change providers and hopefully we will back up and running once again.
Just to let you know we are in Vero Beach Florida and will be here for a few more days so if we can get Internet we will be updating the blog over the next week.
Thanks for keeping in touch and will be posting again soon.
Linda and Jack
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
On to Charleston
Hi everyone,
All of the boats that were waiting for the effects of Hurricane Sandy to leave the Georgetown area slowly started to move out one or two at a time. Some boats were on a tight schedule and others were just wanting to get south to warmer weather. We left on Nov. 1st after staying an extra day for some rain to pass through. The weather was quite cool compared to what we had been getting prior to Sandy's arrival. The lows over night were 39*F for a couple of nights.
We heard that almost all of the marinas in Great Kills NY on Staten Island were pretty much wiped out. We stayed there for about 5 days when we were passing through and we really feel for these people. They are so friendly and helpful and just a great boating community. I'm sure that they will bounce back.
Leaving Georgetown our plan was to get as far along as we could and anchor for the night, then have a short run into Charleston the next morning. We stopped at a place called Dewees Creek, abut 15 miles from Charleston. This creek is about 150 yards across, is 60 feet deep in places and winds on for miles. We anchored in 15 feet of water about two miles up the creek. There was nothing but marshes as far as we could see in all directions, it was very weird but great for looking at stars.
The next morning we past the Isle of Palms area of golf courses and luxury homes before arriving in Charleston at 1045 on Friday. It was good to get in early for a change. We were planning on staying for a few days and take in the sights. We anchored in the Ashley River until Tuesday then took a slip for the night because of some bad weather that was coming through. We did the tourist thing daily and did a lot of walking. We walked through the beautiful streets, took a horse and carriage tour with 14 other people. It was very informative with the knowledgeable guide and saved a lot of walking. After stopping in Georgetown and learning a bit about the plantations in that area, we actually went to the Rice Museum, and that's not named for somebody called Rice, it's really about rice, and how the rich plantation owners only lived at the plantations for a very short period each year and spent the remainder of their time at their mansions in Charleston. A lot of the mansions have been passed down from generation to generation and are amazing in the way that they still look after all these years and the hurricanes, tornadoes and an earthquake. The landscaping is first rate and very tastefully done and well maintained.
One day we went across the Cooper River by water taxi to Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant. They have a WW II aircraft carrier, destroyer and submarine that are all open for touring. It was a full day getting there and touring the carrier and sub, we didn't have enough time to go aboard the destroyer. It was a full day of going up and down ladders and through hatches and checking out everything. Our last day in Charleston at the marina was spent doing boat chores and just taking it easy.
The next morning we were leaving but got off to a late start because we had to wait for a favourable current, then get fuel and a pump out. In doing all of this we missed a bridge opening and had to wait another half hour. We anchored early in another creek and the next day went on to Beaufort SC and anchored again and didn't go ashore. By the time we get the dinghy ready and get into town, everything would be closed in most of these places. From Beaufort we went to another anchorage just past Savannah in the Herb River. The anchorages in these creeks and rivers have very good holding and good protection from winds. They do have some current in them with the tides in Georgia and you end up facing up stream or down stream according to the tide.
There is a lot of shoaling in the ICW through Georgia, so sometimes you have to time your passage through certain areas when the tide is at least mid hieght. When we left the Herb R., we left at 1045 so that we could pass through a place called Hell Gate that is notouriously shoaled in places. After we went through Hell Gate and a couple of other thin sections we got to Walburg Creek and anchored for the night. We had another passage similar to Hell Gate coming up the next day and we decided to take the outside route in the ocean. It turned out to be a good move. We made the 45 mile trip to St. Simons Island in 7 hours totally hassel free. At 0830 we were sailing along in shorts and tee shirts. The temperature was 70* and sunny. We have stayed in St. Simoms for two days because today the weather was rain on and off all day. Tomorrow morning we will be leaving for either Cumberland Is. GA or Fernandina Beach FL. It depends on how the weather is.
Have a great week
Jack and Linda
I will post more pictures when I get a chance next time that I have internet service.
All of the boats that were waiting for the effects of Hurricane Sandy to leave the Georgetown area slowly started to move out one or two at a time. Some boats were on a tight schedule and others were just wanting to get south to warmer weather. We left on Nov. 1st after staying an extra day for some rain to pass through. The weather was quite cool compared to what we had been getting prior to Sandy's arrival. The lows over night were 39*F for a couple of nights.
We heard that almost all of the marinas in Great Kills NY on Staten Island were pretty much wiped out. We stayed there for about 5 days when we were passing through and we really feel for these people. They are so friendly and helpful and just a great boating community. I'm sure that they will bounce back.
Leaving Georgetown our plan was to get as far along as we could and anchor for the night, then have a short run into Charleston the next morning. We stopped at a place called Dewees Creek, abut 15 miles from Charleston. This creek is about 150 yards across, is 60 feet deep in places and winds on for miles. We anchored in 15 feet of water about two miles up the creek. There was nothing but marshes as far as we could see in all directions, it was very weird but great for looking at stars.
The next morning we past the Isle of Palms area of golf courses and luxury homes before arriving in Charleston at 1045 on Friday. It was good to get in early for a change. We were planning on staying for a few days and take in the sights. We anchored in the Ashley River until Tuesday then took a slip for the night because of some bad weather that was coming through. We did the tourist thing daily and did a lot of walking. We walked through the beautiful streets, took a horse and carriage tour with 14 other people. It was very informative with the knowledgeable guide and saved a lot of walking. After stopping in Georgetown and learning a bit about the plantations in that area, we actually went to the Rice Museum, and that's not named for somebody called Rice, it's really about rice, and how the rich plantation owners only lived at the plantations for a very short period each year and spent the remainder of their time at their mansions in Charleston. A lot of the mansions have been passed down from generation to generation and are amazing in the way that they still look after all these years and the hurricanes, tornadoes and an earthquake. The landscaping is first rate and very tastefully done and well maintained.
Palm trees growing wilde everywhere now
Large open areas of marsh
Isle of Palms real estate for sale
Into the large open Charleston Harbor
The true charm of Charleston
Right at the Charleston water front
Lots of beautiful churches
Mansions are everywhere. These are from the plantation hay days, now some of them are multi dwellings but some are still single family dwellings
This old fire hall still has the brass pole
This is the owner of Piggly Wiggly grocery stores home
This is a mansion that we toured from 1825. The owner had 25 plantations and one of the heirs still lives on the third floor.
There are different districts through Charleston
They are really fond of pineapples
The government has a lot of money invested here
The best deal in town and the wings are Jack's way
Cool sign
One day we went across the Cooper River by water taxi to Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant. They have a WW II aircraft carrier, destroyer and submarine that are all open for touring. It was a full day getting there and touring the carrier and sub, we didn't have enough time to go aboard the destroyer. It was a full day of going up and down ladders and through hatches and checking out everything. Our last day in Charleston at the marina was spent doing boat chores and just taking it easy.
USS Yorktown
Ward room of Yorktown
Pilots briefing room
One of the early jets to fly off of the Yorktown
The next morning we were leaving but got off to a late start because we had to wait for a favourable current, then get fuel and a pump out. In doing all of this we missed a bridge opening and had to wait another half hour. We anchored early in another creek and the next day went on to Beaufort SC and anchored again and didn't go ashore. By the time we get the dinghy ready and get into town, everything would be closed in most of these places. From Beaufort we went to another anchorage just past Savannah in the Herb River. The anchorages in these creeks and rivers have very good holding and good protection from winds. They do have some current in them with the tides in Georgia and you end up facing up stream or down stream according to the tide.
There is a lot of shoaling in the ICW through Georgia, so sometimes you have to time your passage through certain areas when the tide is at least mid hieght. When we left the Herb R., we left at 1045 so that we could pass through a place called Hell Gate that is notouriously shoaled in places. After we went through Hell Gate and a couple of other thin sections we got to Walburg Creek and anchored for the night. We had another passage similar to Hell Gate coming up the next day and we decided to take the outside route in the ocean. It turned out to be a good move. We made the 45 mile trip to St. Simons Island in 7 hours totally hassel free. At 0830 we were sailing along in shorts and tee shirts. The temperature was 70* and sunny. We have stayed in St. Simoms for two days because today the weather was rain on and off all day. Tomorrow morning we will be leaving for either Cumberland Is. GA or Fernandina Beach FL. It depends on how the weather is.
Have a great week
Jack and Linda
I will post more pictures when I get a chance next time that I have internet service.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Special Notice Deltaville and Hurricane Sandy
Hi Everyone,
Two Items:
The blog for Deltaville was redone as it was lost, but the new one has lots of pictures and should be revisited.
Hurricane Sandy: We were very fortunate to get to Georgetown SC as early as we did. All we got from Sandy was some rain and wind gusting up to about 20 knots and some extra high water but nothing to cause any damage so far. Some of the boats that were wholed up here over the weekend, moved on this morning, Monday. We are watching the news and are hoping all our sailing friends have found safe anchorages.
We also hear that people on land are going to be hit hard so please keep in touch.
Thanks to everyone who have called and emailed. It is nice to hear from everyone.
I hope everyone at PCYC are all secured as well as those that have moved to other marinas for the winter.
Linda
Two Items:
The blog for Deltaville was redone as it was lost, but the new one has lots of pictures and should be revisited.
Hurricane Sandy: We were very fortunate to get to Georgetown SC as early as we did. All we got from Sandy was some rain and wind gusting up to about 20 knots and some extra high water but nothing to cause any damage so far. Some of the boats that were wholed up here over the weekend, moved on this morning, Monday. We are watching the news and are hoping all our sailing friends have found safe anchorages.
We also hear that people on land are going to be hit hard so please keep in touch.
Thanks to everyone who have called and emailed. It is nice to hear from everyone.
I hope everyone at PCYC are all secured as well as those that have moved to other marinas for the winter.
Linda
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Deltaville Blues and a trip in the Ditch
Hi everyone,
Somehow this posting got deleted and I'm going to re-write it.
We left Solomons MD after a week of R&R in 75* - 80*F weather. We were on the hook for a couple of days then took a mooring ball for the remainder of our stay there. The mooring ball was at Zhaniser's Marina. What a very nice facility for a stay. Free bicycles, marina store on site, great washrooms and showers and they will drive you to the grocery store.
On the way to Deltaville we stopped in at Jutland Creek MD, which is a short sail up the Potomac River to Smiths Creek. It was nothing special, just a quiet place to spend the night. The next day we pulled into Deltaville VA on the south side entering through Jackson's Creek and anchoring right in front of Deltaville Boat Yard. We had been experiencing some electrical problems and decided to try and get it resolved here. The service writer at DBY is Chuck Ruble, a fellow Pearson 424 owner. I hadn't met Chuck before, but knew of him through our owners group. He said that they would try to get an electrician to look at the problem but they were very busy launching and hauling boats. A lot of people leave their boats here for the summer and launch in September and go south. Others sail the Chesapeake all summer and haul the boat for the winter. There must have been 10 Canadian boats in the yard and marina getting ready to head south.
We arrived in Deltaville late on a Friday afternoon, spoke with Chuck on Saturday morning and he couldn't get anything done until Monday at the earliest. As it was, the electrician couldn't get to us until Wednesday afternoon, then came back Friday afternoon. There was a small craft advisory for the weekend and just plain rainy for the next couple of days after that. So we planned to leave on the Wednesday of our 11th day in Deltaville.
Deltaville Marina
Deltaville has a population of about 823 people and 3500 registered boats. Yes it's a boating town. There are quite a few marinas on the north side of the peninsula in Broad Creek off of the Rhappahannock River. Deltaville is spread out over quite a large area, so you can't really walk to too many places . One night we were at a resteraunt eating and 3 seperate couples offered to drive us back to the boat. Very friendly people around here. There were bicycles available here as well, but they are the goofy looking ones that it looked like your grandmother rode. but better than nothing. There was also a car that you could use for an hour at a time and that was a bonus. With all of the cruisers here, there was no shortage of information available for the trip down the Intracoastal Waterway ( ICW ) aka the Ditch. We got some tips from a few people that we put to good use. One of the people that we met was Michael that had a 31 ft. catameran. He is 81 years old and he has made this trip south to the Bahamas every year for the past 31 years.
Finally we had some good weather and we made our departure from Deltaville. Our plan was to go to Yorktown VA and take in some of the historical sites. The weather forcast had changed overnight with predicted high winds out of the west so we decided to carry on to Norfolk VA instead of stopping at Yorktown.
Coming into Norfolk you go by the largest naval base in the world. Along the banks of the Elizabeth River you see the might of the United States Navy. It was quite impressive to see all of those ships in one place. We anchored at Hospital Point ( mile 0 ) near the center of the Norfolk waterfront right across from the WW II battleship USS Wisconsin. The next day we did some site seeing and the first place that we went to was the Wisconsin and the area around it. Norfolk has a nice marine display right at the harbor front as well as a lot of good restaurants.
Now it's time to start the trip down the ICW. We start of with topping up the fuel and a pump out first thing in the morning. The first bridge that we have to get to open for us is at mile 5.8 and we go through without any trouble. Some of the bridges are open and some are fixed at 65 feet high. The ones that have to open for you are on a schedule of every hour or half hour, so you have to time your arrival for the opening of the bridge. When you go down the ICW you can take the Dismal Swamp route or the Virginia Cut route. We decided on the Virginia Cut route just because it seemed easier. The first day we went as for as mile 12, Great Bridge VA. This was the best location that we have stopped at so far on our whole trip for close proximity to good grocery stores a short walk away.
South Carolina, The Pinkhouse?
Boats hunkered down for the side effects of Hurricane Sandy
We have been traveling with some of the boats off and on
I'm sure that we will see some of them again
On to Oriental NC where we stayed at the city marina. Here we met a very friendly couple that lived here and they drove us to the grocery store. This is another beautiful town that has a solid marine background. The next morning we were on our way to Morehead City, which was only 20 odd miles away. We ended up staying at a working boat yard instead of anchoring. The anchorage area the we were looking at has a lot of mooring balls and was crowded with 6 or 7 anchored boats and there just wasn't enough room for us to swing. We moved on to an anchorage the next day on a Marine Corp Base, Camp Lejeune, Mile Hammock Bay. They were flying operations for most of the evening, it was very cool to see the Cobras and other helicopters taking off and landing so close. When we left Mile Hammock Bay we went to Wrightsville Beach and along the way we ran aground twice. The second time 2 other boats ran aground at the same place as us. I couldn't believe our bad luck, but we were able to get ourselves freed without the assistance of Tow-Boat US. Later at the anchorage in Wrightsville Beach, we were talking to one of the guys that ran aground and he said that he ran aground 3 times that day. We chilled out at anchor in Wrightsville for 3 days then moved on to the Cape Fear River and stopped at Southport, then the Calabash River and on to Georgetown SC.
Hurricane Sandy was moving up from the Caribbean and it was going to have some kind of an effect along the US east coast. Some areas are going to get hit harder than others. With the forecast that we were looking at, we decided to take a slip at Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown for a week. We have floating docks and that makes a big difference for securing the boat. Saturday, October 27th has passed and we experienced about 10 - 15 kts of wind with gusts to about 20kts and some rain off and on. There are 13 boats here in this one small marina alone waiting out Sandy. In the next couple of days we will be doing some tourist stuff ashore. This area has a lot to offer in that regard.
On Friday night, Oct.26th, all of the local merchants along Front St. in Georgetown put on an early Halloween for the area kids and we couldn't beleive the turn out they had. Kids of all ages came out for the treats and they were all dressed for the occasion as well as quite a few of their parents. There must have been about 400 of them along with their pets. It was a nice small town feel.
Somehow this posting got deleted and I'm going to re-write it.
We left Solomons MD after a week of R&R in 75* - 80*F weather. We were on the hook for a couple of days then took a mooring ball for the remainder of our stay there. The mooring ball was at Zhaniser's Marina. What a very nice facility for a stay. Free bicycles, marina store on site, great washrooms and showers and they will drive you to the grocery store.
On the way to Deltaville we stopped in at Jutland Creek MD, which is a short sail up the Potomac River to Smiths Creek. It was nothing special, just a quiet place to spend the night. The next day we pulled into Deltaville VA on the south side entering through Jackson's Creek and anchoring right in front of Deltaville Boat Yard. We had been experiencing some electrical problems and decided to try and get it resolved here. The service writer at DBY is Chuck Ruble, a fellow Pearson 424 owner. I hadn't met Chuck before, but knew of him through our owners group. He said that they would try to get an electrician to look at the problem but they were very busy launching and hauling boats. A lot of people leave their boats here for the summer and launch in September and go south. Others sail the Chesapeake all summer and haul the boat for the winter. There must have been 10 Canadian boats in the yard and marina getting ready to head south.
We arrived in Deltaville late on a Friday afternoon, spoke with Chuck on Saturday morning and he couldn't get anything done until Monday at the earliest. As it was, the electrician couldn't get to us until Wednesday afternoon, then came back Friday afternoon. There was a small craft advisory for the weekend and just plain rainy for the next couple of days after that. So we planned to leave on the Wednesday of our 11th day in Deltaville.
Deltaville Marina
Deltaville has a population of about 823 people and 3500 registered boats. Yes it's a boating town. There are quite a few marinas on the north side of the peninsula in Broad Creek off of the Rhappahannock River. Deltaville is spread out over quite a large area, so you can't really walk to too many places . One night we were at a resteraunt eating and 3 seperate couples offered to drive us back to the boat. Very friendly people around here. There were bicycles available here as well, but they are the goofy looking ones that it looked like your grandmother rode. but better than nothing. There was also a car that you could use for an hour at a time and that was a bonus. With all of the cruisers here, there was no shortage of information available for the trip down the Intracoastal Waterway ( ICW ) aka the Ditch. We got some tips from a few people that we put to good use. One of the people that we met was Michael that had a 31 ft. catameran. He is 81 years old and he has made this trip south to the Bahamas every year for the past 31 years.
Two Pearson 424 in Deltaville, Xanadu and Sea Duty
Anchorage at Jackson's Creek
Finally we had some good weather and we made our departure from Deltaville. Our plan was to go to Yorktown VA and take in some of the historical sites. The weather forcast had changed overnight with predicted high winds out of the west so we decided to carry on to Norfolk VA instead of stopping at Yorktown.
Boats of all sorts
Some of the US Navy Fleet
Coming into Norfolk you go by the largest naval base in the world. Along the banks of the Elizabeth River you see the might of the United States Navy. It was quite impressive to see all of those ships in one place. We anchored at Hospital Point ( mile 0 ) near the center of the Norfolk waterfront right across from the WW II battleship USS Wisconsin. The next day we did some site seeing and the first place that we went to was the Wisconsin and the area around it. Norfolk has a nice marine display right at the harbor front as well as a lot of good restaurants.
USS Wisconsin WW II Battleship
Very impressive
Has She ever got BIG GUNS
30,000 lb. Anchor and she has three of them
Now it's time to start the trip down the ICW. We start of with topping up the fuel and a pump out first thing in the morning. The first bridge that we have to get to open for us is at mile 5.8 and we go through without any trouble. Some of the bridges are open and some are fixed at 65 feet high. The ones that have to open for you are on a schedule of every hour or half hour, so you have to time your arrival for the opening of the bridge. When you go down the ICW you can take the Dismal Swamp route or the Virginia Cut route. We decided on the Virginia Cut route just because it seemed easier. The first day we went as for as mile 12, Great Bridge VA. This was the best location that we have stopped at so far on our whole trip for close proximity to good grocery stores a short walk away.
The ICW, some times swamp like, other times vacation like properties.
You can almost hear the banjo music!
Lots of wild life along the way like these two Bald Eagles
Belhaven NC, The Whitehouse?
Beautiful anchorages
Big lawn ornaments
At the anchorage in Wrightsville Beach we had the best seats in town for the Triathelon
Spanish Moss in the trees
The beach at Wrightsville Beach
Still seeing Dolphins along the way
Lots of properties with docks sticking out into the ICW
When you see the sand this close, it makes you a little nervous
I wonder what they did here for hurricane preparation
Back into some swamp waters. the water depth in the center of the channel is 25' here.
Good turnout for the kids early Trick or Treat in Georgetown SC
Along the ICW on the Virginia Cut route there are some very remote areas that are like swamps and there is not a great deal of room for passing at times. You end up seeing and hearing on the radio a lot of the same boats, the you end up meeting them at anchorages or in a marina along the way somewhere. The next couple of nights we anchored in coves or some other out of the way spot then stopped in at Belhaven NC and anchored in the bay in front of town. The place reminded me of Mayberry from the TV show. There were some beautiful houses here but a lot of the business' were closed, I guess from the economy.
On to Oriental NC where we stayed at the city marina. Here we met a very friendly couple that lived here and they drove us to the grocery store. This is another beautiful town that has a solid marine background. The next morning we were on our way to Morehead City, which was only 20 odd miles away. We ended up staying at a working boat yard instead of anchoring. The anchorage area the we were looking at has a lot of mooring balls and was crowded with 6 or 7 anchored boats and there just wasn't enough room for us to swing. We moved on to an anchorage the next day on a Marine Corp Base, Camp Lejeune, Mile Hammock Bay. They were flying operations for most of the evening, it was very cool to see the Cobras and other helicopters taking off and landing so close. When we left Mile Hammock Bay we went to Wrightsville Beach and along the way we ran aground twice. The second time 2 other boats ran aground at the same place as us. I couldn't believe our bad luck, but we were able to get ourselves freed without the assistance of Tow-Boat US. Later at the anchorage in Wrightsville Beach, we were talking to one of the guys that ran aground and he said that he ran aground 3 times that day. We chilled out at anchor in Wrightsville for 3 days then moved on to the Cape Fear River and stopped at Southport, then the Calabash River and on to Georgetown SC.
Hurricane Sandy was moving up from the Caribbean and it was going to have some kind of an effect along the US east coast. Some areas are going to get hit harder than others. With the forecast that we were looking at, we decided to take a slip at Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown for a week. We have floating docks and that makes a big difference for securing the boat. Saturday, October 27th has passed and we experienced about 10 - 15 kts of wind with gusts to about 20kts and some rain off and on. There are 13 boats here in this one small marina alone waiting out Sandy. In the next couple of days we will be doing some tourist stuff ashore. This area has a lot to offer in that regard.
On Friday night, Oct.26th, all of the local merchants along Front St. in Georgetown put on an early Halloween for the area kids and we couldn't beleive the turn out they had. Kids of all ages came out for the treats and they were all dressed for the occasion as well as quite a few of their parents. There must have been about 400 of them along with their pets. It was a nice small town feel.
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