Minim Creek to Waccamaw River by Karen Posey - May 31, 2015

Today had its own interesting moments.  The water was smooth as glass…beautiful to look at but not great for sailing.

Smooth, flat water

As we traveled the Esterville Minim Creek Canal, we came upon a floating swing bridge, with length ~150ft (the width of the canal).  It swings to allow cars to cross the canal.

Floating swing bridge

We spent most of the day traveling the cypress swamps on the Waccamaw River.  Several times we saw very small floating islands in 30ft of water, again something quite surprising and unexpected.

Small floating island

What amazed me were the cypress trees growing in the water. As you can see in the photo below, even the telephone poles were in the water!  And note that the green under the trees is lily pads (or something similar) floating in the water, not ground or grass!

Cypress trees growing in the water

Traveling through the swamps reminded me of the Pogo cartoon that was in the Sunday funny papers when I was a kid.  Some of you may recall that Pogo was an opossum that lived in the Okefenokee Swamp. (OK, I had to Google the name of the swamp.)  Perhaps Pogos’s comrades (or maybe someone who was not so lucky on the ICW) left that abandoned boat along the swamp’s edge.

Abandoned boat along the swamp’s edge

Speaking of “boats with problems”, we next encountered a HUGE barge coming toward us along the swamps of the Waccamaw.  We were quite surprised to see such a large vessel traveling such a narrow waterway.  After he passed us, he had to make a sharp turn at a bend in the river, and guess what…he went aground (photo below).  As you can see in the photo, it’s hard to believe that he could even make that turn, given his length.  We did NOT consider pulling him off!  Guess he’ll be there for a while.    :-(

Large tow and barge piloting the upper Waccamaw River

We went to bed that night thinking that tomorrow we have to navigate the dreaded Rock Pile…more on that to come.

"Horseflies?? REALLY???" Charleston, SC to Minim Creek by Karen Posey - May 30, 2015

Underway at 6:30am this morning …without coffee!!!…in order to take advantage of the tides.  We knew that we would have a touch-and-go situation while traveling through Meeting Reach.  Meeting Reach is a dredged ICW canal that separates the Isle of Palms, SC from the mainland…tricky depths as low as 6.8ft, and that’s with 3-4ft of tide.  We draw 5ft.  No nav aids to tell us where to go to avoid going aground, so we had to zigzag with a close eye on the depth sounder.  (Clearly, the dredging activities of the Army Corps Of Engineers cannot keep up with the sediment that is continually deposited as a result of the many inlets.)  A sailboat behind us actually went aground.  It was a falling tide, so she will have to wait at least 6 hours for a rising tide to be able to float off.  We would have gone back to try to pull her off, as we did with the sailboat that was aground south of Daytona, but the boat was significantly larger than ours and we were concerned about going aground ourselves.

Another photo op…an isolated house along the salt marshes north of Charleston…do you think these people get out much?

Isolated house along the salt marshes of South Carolina

At the other end of the financial spectrum, a multi-million dollar motor yacht passed us that same morning.

Motor yacht

That day also provided us with the title for this trip report…”Horseflies??  REALLY???”  Believe it or not, when you’re moving along with the wind in your face, you can still have horseflies swarming around you for hours on end!  We were swatting those suckers and being stung by them all afternoon (including one brave fly that flew up Murph’s shirt!).  Even bug repellant did not deter them. They were up to 1” long, looked more like cockroaches than flies.  I wanted to get a photo of them in the cockpit, but, of course, the little buggers are fast.  But then I opened the door to the head and saw one flying around. So I quickly closed the door, grabbed my camera, stealthily crept into the head and lay in wait for him to light so that I could get a photo.  (For those of you in the Book Club who are reading Sick Puppy, I must say that I felt like Twilly Spree, though there were no dung beetles involved.  :-)  It did finally land on the portlight (window) in the head, and I got a photo (see below).  I guess it’s a rather uneventful day when the major headline is “horsefly in the head”.  :-)

Horsefly in the head

Our neighbor in the anchorage, cruisers from Colorado

Minim Creek Anchorage Sunset

Beaufort, SC to Toogoodoo Creek to Charleston by Karen Posey - May 29, 2015

We left the marina on May 28, anchoring in Toogoodoo Creek that evening.

Toogoodoo Creek Anchorage

Due to the adverse current we made slow passage on May 29.  We stopped for fuel and water at the Charleston Marina and anchored in the harbor there for the night.  There were quite a few very large yachts at the marina.

Charleston harbor and marina

We also passed an interesting towboat on the Stono River near Charleston.  He had run aground in a shallow spot at the edge of the channel.

Towboat on the Stono River

Climbing Heights and Other Tasks by Karen Posey - May 23-27, 2015

The title of this trip report is “One Can Have As Many Adventures On Land As On The Water”.  Subtitle is “If You’re Going To Brag, You Should Balance That With A Little Self-Deprecation As Well”.

Murph did return to the boat from Columbus, OH on May 23 as planned.  However, the train to

Savannah was late and so he missed the 6:30am bus from Savannah to Beaufort.  The next bus was not leaving until 7:30pm, so he decided to hitchhike (one of the few disadvantages of cruising, i.e., no car). He made and held out a sign that said “BFT”.   Fortunately, after approximately an hour, he was given a ride by 2 young marines who were headed for the Marine Air Station just outside of Beaufort (yea, Marines!).  When they arrived at the marina, they came aboard the boat and we enjoyed an hour of conversation and coffee on a beautiful sunny morning.  Great young men!

OK, here comes the self-deprecating part (though mild, I must say).  I had a document on my laptop that I wanted to print, but of course, no room for a printer onboard.  So I stored the document on a flash drive, we borrowed a car from the dock master (this was on May 23), and drove to Staples to have them print the document.  It was a loaner car that the marina owner had bought to replace the one that broke down when we were on the bridge 2 weeks earlier.  We hated to borrow it because we didn’t want to abuse the privilege, but it was available, so we did.

Later that day (May 23), I realized that I did not have the flash drive.  I called Staples and, of course, they had it.  Now this would not be a big deal, but again, NO CAR.  :-(   The next day, with great hesitation, we asked to borrow the car again so that we could retrieve the flash drive. While there, we also purchased a box of sheet protectors.

Later that day (May 24), guess what we realized.  You got it…we did not have the sheet protectors. I called Staples the next morning (May 25) and asked if they had the sheet protectors.  Of course, they did.  There was no way we were going to ask to borrow the car again.  So I asked the customer service rep if she could simply return them for me and credit my VISA.  She was kind enough to do so.  I then told her the story of the flash drive as well.  I suggested that they position someone at the exit to the store and whenever old people leave, they should ask them, “Do you have everything??”

OK, here comes the braggin’ part. Please pardon my self-promotion, but given my fear of heights, I

Murph climbing the mast

Murph climbing the mast

Murph climbing the mast

had to share this.  One of the many boat repairs that we have been dealing with since Murph returned is repairing the anchor light.  Murph devised an ingenious fix and climbed to the top of the mast, which is 45ft above the water, this morning to make the repair (photos attached).  One of the “fun” parts about the climbing task is the amount of exercise you get, and it is surprising how much you sway back and forth as the wind blows.

I told Murph  that I would like to climb the mast as well.  He actually had another repair to make that required a climber.  (The task was to untangle the lazy jacks, which create a cradle that the mainsail drops into when it is lowered.).  So I harnessed up and climbed up as high as the spreaders (approximately 2/3 of the way to the top of the mast), where I was able to accomplish the task.

Karen Climbing the Mast!

Karen Climbing the Mast!

Karen Climbing the Mast!

I had hoped to continue climbing to the top, just for the feeling of accomplishment, but the height and the swaying were beginning to get to me a bit and my arms were TIRED, so down I went.  I guess I’ll have to work out more with those weights before I attempt this again. 

View looking down from top of mast

We still have MANY repairs to make before we can get underway, so expect to be here at the marina for 2 more days.  As they say, “Cruising is working on your boat in exotic places.”

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