Cypress and sounds and friends...

Well back in Southport we were able to get the fuel cleaned out of the tank...all 57 gallons of it, and the tanks refilled with fresh fuel. The Yanmar Diesel is now working perfectly. We really we needed to head north again and make some miles if we want to get to Baltimore for Will's birthday. We waved to our patient friends as we passed them, Dick on a boat heading out to Bald Head Island, and Kerrie on their dock on the ICW taking pictures as we trekked along past. They have promised to sail with us one of these days...maybe when we get more practice with this boat! Most of the afternoon we had the jib (big front sail) up though. We do hope they will join us for some sailing on the way south!

We anchored with some challenge in a very windy Mile Hammock Bay in Camp Lejeune, a US Marine base where they were doing landing craft drills. We saw lots of military action on the water and helicopters in the air. We had never been exposed to this type of activity before. Bill was fascinated and had the binoculars out all the time we were there. They were doing practice training and maneuvers and had British troops there too. Didn't take any pictures!

We started a little late the next morning to catch the tide and the lift bridge at Onslow Beach following another boat Adventurous a large motor cruiser. The first part of the trip was lovely before we got to Swansboro, and we had the jib out as we had done the day before. The winds got to be a bit much and too challenging as the ICW wandered... so no more jib. We crossed the Bogue sound in a narrow channel and rough waters...not pleasant at all, but made it safely to Beaufort NC which is pronounced "Bofurt". Someone told us the difference between Beaufort SC and Beaufort NC is that they did not speak French in Beaufort SC which is our favorite city. We found a pleasant anchorage in Town Creek. We were very tired. That was probably our least favorite day of the entire trip so far.

Next morning we were going into downtown Beaufort and the dinghy engine would not idle! Another issue to deal with as we didn't want to continue without it working. We stayed another night, then were able to take it in to be repaired.

We moved into Town Creek Marina as they had a car and we could deliver and pick up the engine. Bill rowed the dinghy for the first time in wind and current. The engine was repaired, and needs to have the fuel bled out if we are not going to use it for several days. Another learning experience!

We left Beaufort after picking up the engine and a few groceries with the courtesy car, and doing a load of laundry. Marinas mean internet too!

We were able to get to Broad Creek, a lovely spot past Oriental, and anchored fine in quite shallow water. There were LOTs of dolphins dancing all around and very close to the boat as we went in. It was a lovely quiet evening with a beautiful sunset.

We had no phone service for 2+ days! I abhor ATT. We recently changed from Verizon and the service has been very poor to none most of the trip.

Up early with the reward of a spectacular sunrise.
On the way out of Broad Creek ...you guessed it or maybe not... we went aground. We called Boat US but some friendly shrimp fishermen came over, and two of the boats were easily able to get us free very quickly into 6 feet of water. That was the deep water there so there was not much room for error with our 5 foot draft!! Yours truly was behind the wheel this time. Bill said very little. Don't believe anyone who says that navigating the ICW is easy.

The rest of the day was wonderful but a long one. We cruised the Neuse River, Pamlico River, Pungo River and Pungo River-Alligator River Canal. Lots and lots of marsh and cypress trees alive and dead all along the rivers. We are not sure why so many are dead! We saw five Bald Eagles along the canal! They were wonderfully huge and distinctive. One eagle caught a fish right in front of the boat! Have seen turtles sunning and many nests of Osprey. In one, the almost grown chicks were flapping their wings and lifting up above the nest and then lowering over and over. PT for baby hawks!
We anchored in wide open Alligator River after we came out of the narrow canal in a bit of wind but deeper water where we felt comfortable. All these canals and rivers keep us inshore and get us past the Outer Banks in the Atlantic.

Next morning we crossed the Albermarle Sound in lovely winds right on our nose. Saw this tug from a distance and took a while to figure out what it was.

When you can sail and the waters are deep enough the wind doesn't cooperate. We have a new cooling trick during the day when we are very hot. Put on the swim suits and use the shower in the cockpit to wet down and cool off. It works very well to keep us comfortable. Also keep a wet t-shirt on to keep out of the sun has been working well too.
We stayed 2 nights at Midway Marina in Coinjock, NC. Easy docking ...our first time at fixed docks instead of floating docks. There is very little tide here and just a little current. What a treat to have such a gentle place to dock and a swimming pool too! Christine said it has been a while since we have fully submerged our bodies and not just showered and she is right.
Yesterday my Atlanta friend Laura, Sophia and Ben and David, who have been at Corolla on the Outer Banks this week, came to spend the afternoon with us on the boat! The kids had fun exploring the boat, and going with Bill on a dinghy ride. After lunch we were able to motor with them back up the canal and river. Just past the Coinjock bridge we saw another Bald Eagle! Laura spotted it and both kids saw it too. That was the frosting on the cake this afternoon. We came back and had a quick swim before they all had to leave. It was such fun to have them visit.

Bill and I had dinner out last night at Crabbies and it was delicious! The best seafood in Coinjock and we tried both places! Think is is the best I have had for a long time! There was musical entertainment tonight at Crabbies! Two doctors were playing and they were good. They call themselves "The Paradox". Midway Marina is a bit rustic, but we loved being here and having the pool too in this heat.

Unique things in Coinjock: A group of older men cruised by us on their personal water craft and pulled into the marina. We saw them later at the pool...then, when we went to eat they started to come into the restaurant and most had on t- shirts with "Bay Dogs" on the back. Guess the dogs cruise the waterways around here.

On the way back to the boat we saw a man on another PWC and did see a black dog on the front with him. It was a good sized poodle. He had another one on the other side and he slowly cruised off with both of them barking!

Talked to my brother last night, and sounds like all is well with them in Sutton, QC.

Best news we've had today though is that Bill's brother John in California had clear scans this week after his surgery and radiation for Melanoma. Thank you and keep on praying they stay that way forever!

We have stopped today at another marina as it is very hot and we wanted the AC on all night. We are just south of the locks at Great Banks, and will deal with that in the morning. They will raise us a foot in the lock which is mainly, so we have been told, to keep the Albermarle Chesapeake Canal from getting too brackish. Tomorrow will be our first time through locks. Something new all the time.

Meanwhile back in Southport...

It is amazing trip to see the east coast from the water at 5 knots an hour! A very special part of the Intracoastal Waterway is the Waccamaw River so we decided after much discussion to motor inside so we could see it. We also wanted to go by the beach Islands in NC where we still have some property. It was truly worth the time to do this lovely trip. The river is wide and deep all the way, and such a very different river than we have been on before. There is a gradual shift from wide open space along the shore to deep swampy terrain with wonderful cypress trees.














Osprey nest all the way along and were feeding babies we could even hear crying over the engine and when we stopped. We anchored in an oxbow along the way overnight which was still and tranquil. The water is very brown and was a mirror as we had our morning coffee on deck. The reflections as we went along were spectacular, smooth and then rippled with the gentle wake.



We transitioned out of this section to the canals in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach with intersting homes and huge complexes such as Grand Dunes and Barefoot Landings. They both have wonderful new huge marinas. We didn't stop but were able to use their internet as we went by... thanks. We passed Little River and the harbor we have stayed as we continued on the way to the Beach Islands in North Carolina.




We came to the Sunset Island Pontoon Bridge over the ICW just after 2 PM. We could see it opened, but just couldn't reach it in time. It only opens on the hour and NOT in extreme low tide. We knew the tide was going out, but we still had 3 hours until it was at low. The Bridgemaster told us we had to wait an hour so we set the anchor and relaxed. Pulled it up and headed toward the bridge which SLOWLY opened. No one went through until they blew a loud siren and then we all took turns going through. When it closed they announced in a US Coast Guard Advisory that it would not re-open until at least 6PM due to the extreme low tides! Lucky we got through. The waterway through these islands is particularly interesting for us as we have spent a lot of time here on summer vacations and still have property on the Shallot River which has a dock on the ICW.
It was a delight for us to finally go through on the water even though it wasn't deep enough to stop. The channel had been dredged in April so we had adequate depths along the way at the inlets where it shoals all the time but even so there were places we just squeaked through. The afternoon was fun as we saw lots of familiar sights including a house we had rented with all our kids and my parents a few years ago right on the end of Oak Island, and the lighthouses at Ft. Caswell and in the distance on Bald Head Island. We stopped at South Harbor Marina for the night, an unexpected treat.

In the AM we left very early as we were going to Figure Eight Island past Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach to visit some long-time friends. As we headed up the Cape Fear River we were in the middle of a rainstorm . The winds were not bad, but there was lightning. The engine just stopped suddenly as we were at a narrow part with restricted water on one side (an armament depot) and very shallow water on the other. We put up the staysail (the small one in front) and the jib (the big one in front) and tried to sail back into the channel that the current was pushing us out of into the shallows. That tactic didn't work so we dropped anchor in 3.5 feet and called Tow Boat US. They came as the rains stopped and brought us back to Southport Marina so we could figure out why the engine stopped. Well we did! Rain water running down the scuppers will go right into the fuel tank if the lid is left off! Did I mention we had fueled at South Harbor Marina?? This is another adventure in sailing on Wind Spirit, and another hard lesson learned, which we think might be somewhat expensive.

Our friends joined us for dinner here last night at Fishy Fishy...yummy. Whenever they are able to finish up draining the fuel tanks so we can refuel, we will be on our way north again. Hopefully we will still be able to stop at Figure Eight tonight. In the meantime the laundry is done.

Sailing...

Well. no pictures today, but wanted to do an update. We finally cast off the lines at Skull Creek Marina on Thursday around 10 AM, and motored to Morgan Island in the St. Helena sound north of Beaufort and Hilton Head. We anchored in the Morgan Back Creek. A boat stopped by to tell us the federal gov't had a program where they were introducing monkeys to one of the islands, but we decided not to lower the dinghy and go exploring as it was too close to dark... an interesting visit for another time.

We left early Friday AM and sailed outside to Charleston. Winds were good for about 5-6 hours, and sailing was relaxing. We did have to do some motoring towards the late afternoon which was bumpy. We went into the ICW behind Ft Moultrie and were planning to anchor near Isle of Palms, but it was too shallow so we went on to Deewees Creek. It was an interesting place watching the ferry, the seados, fishing boats,and parasailors. There were lots of least terns diving all around us too.

We took the ICW north in the AM. stopping at Minum Creek overnight. Had two wicked thunder storms during the night but we were cosy and dry and safe inside. Today we came on to Georgetown and are tied up at Hazzard Marina so we can catch up with our lives and pay some bills.
Will maybe sail up the outside to Wilmington or Southport tomorrow or Tuesday depending on the winds. Feels great to be going again. Thanks for all your emails and support as we continue our adventures.

Back again...

We are back on Wind Spirit after two significant events. The first was a fun trip to California where we had a lovely visit with all Bill's family, his Mother who is as feisty as ever, all the brothers and

sisters-in -law, their families, and nephews and delightful girl friends.

We were specifically happy to see Bill's younger brother, John who is feeling better after a rough time with surgery and radiation treatment for melanoma. It was a treat to see him starting to get his joie de vivre and energy back after a long haul!

We also attended the lovely wedding of our great nephew Josh and his lovely bride Rachel in Riverside, and had a family dinner at John and Sally's the following day. It was a treat to see everyone. Thanks for the birthday celebration which did preempt Fathers Day ...sorry all of you Dads in the family, but hope you you enjoyed the wonderful cake.

The second event after we went back to Atlanta, and met my brother Ray at the airport was moving my mother back to Canada. The 23rd we had packers in to finish packing mother's apartment. They loaded the rental truck for us the following day, and Ray drove the truck up to Quebec where Mother will now be living full time with he and Carla. We hope she will be very happy in her new place with them and that all goes well for everyone with the transition.


We have been back on Wind Spirit now for 5 days and had the great pleasure of having Frances and Will with us for a couple of days. This was a first for them to stay on a sailboat and we hope they will come back for a longer stay next time. We had some sun and some rain...more rain than we wanted but we need rain too. We did do some sailing and motoring down toward Harbor Town and Dafuskie Island as well as exploring Beaufort with a car tour CD. Frances and I had hours of uninterupted visiting which was fun as we are used to visiting in quick bits between patients. Retirement is terrific when you can spend time with good friends!





We heard from Christine today that she will be here tomorrow for a couple of days and to see the fireworks with us. We will have a front row seat as they are setting them off from a barge on the river close to us. Hoping the wind is blowing away from the boat. We will miss Mark!

In the mean time lovely sunsets, interesting people, boat work... always, dolphins, birds, otter and sting rays to watch.

Our plans are to head north on Tuesday if the weather is good we will go outside, and if not, inside on the ICW. Will keep you posted as we start another adventure.