GA - OH by Train, May 11-23, 2015

Karen dropped me at my bus for the trip from Beaufort, SC to Savanah, GA, where I caught the train to Pittsburgh.  In Pittsburgh, I had to take the bus to Ohio, as there are no longer passenger trains on that route.

Visits with my Mother and Paul's family were the primary reasons for this train trip, especially as Paul and Kelsey were celebrating Paul's recently earned Master's Degree.

A short trip hitchhiking from Savanah to Beaufort was required to finish the trip, but Karen addresses that in her post, (scroll to bottom, click Newer Post).

Upper Potomac River, near Harper's Ferry, WV

Sunrise in the rail yard

Sunrise from the train

PNC Park, Pittsburgh, as the bus heads to Columbus, OH

 Point SP Fountain, Pittsburgh, as the bus heads to Columbus, OH

Paul, Avery Mae, Kelsey as Paul earns his Master's in Religion

Murph, Avery Mae, Mother, Kelsey, Paul, Mia

Back in GA, had to hitchhike to Beaufort, SC as the
train was late and I missed the connection with my bus

Natasha's Visit to Beaufort, SC by Karen Posey - May 15-18, 2015

Still at Lady’s Island Marina, Beaufort, SC, waiting for Murph to return on May 23 before heading out again.  By the way, in South Carolina "Beaufort" is pronounced "Byoofert".  The "Beaufort" in North Carolina is pronounced "Bohfort".

My friend Natasha drove up from Titusville to visit with me May 15-18.  We had lots of laughs (as is typical with Natasha.  :-)   I’ve included a photo of her at the helm, hair flying.  But don’t worry, we never left the slip, that was just her Hollywood pose!

Natasha at the helm - Watch Out! 

We went on a walking tour of downtown Beaufort.  It’s a charming town, the 2nd oldest city in SC, after Charleston, and has more antebellum homes per city block than any other town in the US.  This photo shows an interesting tree that we saw along the way (and it wasn’t the only one that grew like that).

Beaufort tree

Beaufort has a beautiful waterfront park with bench swings along the riverwalk.  Natasha took a photo of an older couple in one of the swings (I have no idea who they are!!).  I told them that we wanted a photo to send home to show that we brought the kids with us.  :-)  They laughed, but I think that they thought we were both nuts. (Being around Natasha does that to you!  :-)

Who are these people!?

We had a beautiful sunset at the marina that evening.

Sunset at Lady’s Island Marina, Beaufort, SC

It was interesting to observe the significant tides that occur in this area.  The tides are over 8 feet!  It’s hard to imagine that the water level drops (or rises) over 8 feet every ~6 hours!  We are at a floating dock, so the ramp from the fixed pier to the floating dock changes angle as the tides change, from a steep slope of the ramp at low tide, to an almost horizontal slope of the ramp at high tide.  Pretty amazing, and just one of the reasons that navigating the ICW (aka, “The Ditch”) is so challenging in some areas.

(Fun fact:  The Prince of Tides (get it? “Tides”?), a 1991 movie starring Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte, was based on a book by Pat Conroy, a Beaufort resident. It was filmed in Beaufort, along with many other movies, including Forrest Gump, The Big Chill, and G. I. Jane.

Lady’s Island high tide ramp end view

Lady’s Island high tide ramp side view

Lady’s Island low tide ramp end view

Lady’s Island low tide ramp side view

OK, on to more mundane (but still fun) activities the next few days...oiling the teak, laundry, grocery shopping, taking a REAL shower.

Lady's Island Marina, Beaufort, SC by Karen Posey - May 8-9, 2015

We ended up moving the boat from the anchorage into a slip on Friday, May 8, instead of waiting until Monday, May 11, because of the impending storm and the fact that this particular slip is very difficult to enter when the currents are strong. (In fact, the marina manager almost insisted that we come in on Friday and also enter at a certain time of day when the tides and currents are favorable.)  Anyway, it was nice to get in early and get a shower and do the laundry.  There was a beautiful double rainbow and gorgeous sunset that evening.  I especially like the sunset photo...the sky looked almost surreal.

Rainbow at Lady's Island Marina

Sunset at Lady's Island Marina

The next day, we spent most of the day provisioning the boat, including a trip to West Marine for some much needed parts.  The marina manager, TJ, was kind enough to let us use a loaner car so that we could run our errands.  The car did appear to be on its last leg, but what the heck, any car is better that walking several miles.  Well...maybe not.   :-(     As we started to cross a high-speed bridge over Battle Creek, the car just died!  I mean died, kaput, nada!!  We were able to coast to a shoulder lane on the bridge, but we were barely out of the zooming traffic.  TJ came and picked us up, moved all of our groceries to the back of his pickup truck, and I rode in the back of the pickup with the groceries and TJ’s spaniel, Rudder, for the trip home (no photo to share on this one). I’m afraid to ask what tomorrow will bring!   :-)

Time to batten down the hatches and wait for the storm to pass.

Cooper River to Beaufort, SC by Karen Posey - May 7, 2015

We had some great sailing today! We unfurled the jib to a single reef, beat into a 25-knot wind (with

Sailing with jib

gusts to 30 knots) for over an hour. The boat crashing into the waves (6 ft in places) and the waves breaking over the bow provided excitement and fun. No exercising to Charlotte's video while underway today, but with the many short tacks we made, handling the sails provided plenty of exercise.

The late afternoon provided another kind of adventure. I call it "How to spend 2 hours anchoring in the cold, driving rain and smile through it all". As the title suggests, we were hit with the front as we entered our anchorage in Factory Creek near Lady Island Marina in Beaufort South Carolina. It was pouring down rain, driven by the wind, and cold. Thank goodness for foul weather jackets.

Due to the depths and limited space in which to anchor, Murph had to change out the anchor chain. After much time spent trying to find an adequate location, we dropped anchor, only to find that our swing was probably too wide. (No one wants to bump a nearby structure.)

We had, at this point, spent over an hour in the rain, and so we considered docking at a marina. But Murph thought that putting down a second anchor might solve the problem and would provide a challenge (as if traveling the ICW is not challenging enough). Fortunately, it worked, and after almost two hours in the rain, the "adventure" was over. (Murph has a sign displayed in the cabin that says, " The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude").

Karen at the helm

By the way, I was not able to take photos of either "adventure" today (sailing or anchoring) for obvious reasons, but I did include photos of both Murph and myself at the helm and one of the boat under sail.

And to those (including myself) who thought that I might be bored on this trip...No Way!!

Murph at the helm

We plan to move to a slip at the marina on Monday (May 11), and I will stay there for 2 weeks while Murph takes a trip up north to visit family.  I think it just might take me that long to dry out!     :-)

Tugboat east of Hilton Head

Altamaha to Wahoo River to Redbird Creek to Cooper River by Karen Posey - May 4-6, 2015

Now switching gears, who knew that cows could survive in the salt marshes of Georgia!

Cows in Georgia salt marshes

It was fun to see a shrimp boat up close and personal, but no sign of Forrest or Captain Dan.

Shrimp Boat on Old Tea Kettle Creek, Georgia

Samara

We met up with our friend Mario and his boat Samara several times during the trip. Samara is a 32-foot Endeavor, just like Murph's sailboat.

Wahoo River Anchorage

Wahoo River Moonrise

Wahoo River to Redbird Creek, May 5, 2015

We fueled up at Kilkenny Marina, Georgia. Not exactly your image of a full-service marina. Call it rustic? shabby? You pick the descriptor.

Murph at Kilkenny Marina

Kilkenny Marina, Georgia

We anchored in the narrow Redbird Creek at low tide. Notice the mud in front of the salt marshes... Believe it or not, that mud plus most of the grass is covered at high tide. The yellow hue of the grasses as sunset approached was unexpected but beautiful. At sunset, as the tide rose, the water filled the small creek that cut through the grasses.

Salt Marshes at Redbird Creek, Georgia at low tide

Salt marshes at Redbird Creek, Georgia approaching sunset

Sunset at Redbird Creek, Georgia shows salt marsh channel

Redbird Creek to Cooper River, May 6, 2015

Cooper River Anchorage at Sunset

Talbot Island to Brickhill River by Karen Posey - May 2, 2015

Today was uneventful except for a couple of noteworthy events. A skate/ray jumped out of the water close to the port side of the bow... made me jump, it was so unexpected.

We were impressed with some large yachts at Fernandina Beach…

Vibrant Flags at Fernandina Beach

Trumpy "America"

We were passed by a Trumpy "America". It really caught our attention because Trumpy is a very expensive, beautiful, traditional boat. You don't often see them.  We could have been their dinghy!

Karen on deck, Brickhill River

Murph at foredeck, Brickhill River

Brickhill River to South Altamaha River by Karen Posey - May 3, 2015

Today was an early day. We awoke to a beautiful sunrise.  We had to be underway by 7 a.m. because there is a low spot at Jekyll Creek and, with our 5-foot draft, we can traverse that area only at high tide.  We anchored in the salt marshes of Georgia, on the South Altamaha River.  One week into the trip and relationship still intact. Just 25 weeks to go :-).

Exercising in the Cabin

One Small Move and that Laptop is on Top of Me!

Sunset at Brickhill River

Brickhill River Moonrise

South Altamaha River Sunset

South Altamaha River Sunset
"It really looked like this!  Beautiful!"

South Altamaha River Moonrise

Pine Island to Talbot Island by Karen Posey - May 1, 2015

Interesting day today. Sunny weather and a pleasant sail to an anchorage north of Jacksonville.

Mario with his Boat in the Background

I set up the laptop in the cabin and exercised to Charlotte's Friday weights DVD while underway. To say the least, it was challenging. Even a slight heel of the boat in the direction I was facing caused me to brace myself to avoid falling into the computer screen. With only 2 to 3 feet of width in which to move, my grape vines were more like raisin vines. And balancing on one leg was the ultimate challenge. I can't say how much real exercise I got, but my intentions were good.

As we passed the public dock in Jacksonville, we were hailed on the radio by Murph's friend Mario, who saw us and was leaving the dock

heading north. Mario is an old friend of Murph's who happened to be at the Titusville Marina when Murph was there, and is now traveling the ICW as we are. We decided to anchor in the same location and party a bit. Unfortunately, we were overtaken by events.

Due to wind and current working in opposite directions, the anchor rode wrapped around the keel. The boat was then pushed broadside by the current into the shoal. Thanks to Murph's knowledge of boating and Mario's advice and help, after a couple of hours, they were able to rectify the situation.

With narrow channels and, in some areas, long distances between markers / navigation aids ( my excuse for yesterday's adventure) and strong currents and winds ( the reason for today's adventure), the ICW is a challenging route to travel. But what is life without a little excitement?
Anxious to see what tomorrow will bring :-).