Boats .. Vessels of Freedom, Harbors of Healing

Friday was our final day on the water and another beautiful day of cruising filled with dolphins on our bow, osprey and eagles overhead, crabbers and fisherman plying their trade, other boats transiting the waterway, all amongst bright sunny skies and delightfully calm seas. While this was one of our longest days of the trip (both in terms of miles and time), we thoroughly enjoyed the closing hours of our 1,070 mile journey. We arrived at our new home port, Cocoa Village Marina, late in the afternoon. After getting settled in, a "boat drink" or two and a celebratory dinner, we began the process of packing up and cleaning up before heading home to Orlando. 

We were very fortunate not to have any major "issues" on this trip -- the boat ran exceptionally well, the engines and systems worked flawlessly, we had great weather and sea conditions (with the exception of a couple of days in North Carolina), no one got sick or was injured, and no "courtesy boardings" by the US Coast Guard or other local maritime authorities! Not that I like to measure success by what "didn't" happen, but when traveling on a boat, I've learned to count ALL my blessings! 

Now that we are home (and it is good to be home), the trip becomes a wonderful memory -- not so much about what we did or the places we visited, but of sharing this time and experience together and the many rewards of life on the water. 

For me, it can best be summarized in the Kenny Chesney song, "Boats".

When the sun's at his back and the wind's in his face

It's just him and the wheel

He wouldn't take a million for the way it makes him feel

Boats, 

Vessels of freedom, harbors of healing

Boats.

The best place on earth

Back in the Sunshine State

Please excuse my tardiness in providing an update, but we have been busy having fun!!!

We left Beaufort, SC on Tuesday morning and headed toward Savannah, GA for the day. It was a relatively short trip and the seas and weather conditions were perfect! We arrived fairly early docking ENCORE in a maritime suburb called Thunderbolt and from there staged our visit to Savannah. 

The beautiful homes of Beaufort

Savannah sunset

Thunderbolt Marine - a new favorite

What a great day we had seeing the city on a two hour guided tour, seeing all the historical points of interest, old homes and then visiting the shoppes along the River Walk. From pralines, to sourwood honey, sweet tea, peaches and vadilia onions, we were absorbed in Georgia treats. That evening we dined at the "world famous" Old Pink House, which was both delightful and delicious! There is something to be said for gracious living and southern hospitality. Not to mention, I think I can say I've had my fill of collard greens, grits and buttermilk biscuits!

On Wednesday, we awoke to a complimentary morning newspaper and a box of Krispy Creme Doughnuts on our stern steps. After a cup of hot coffee (and Chai for the Admiral), we were ready to take on anything the day might hand us (sugar highs do that you know). The good news is, we had VERY calm winds and seas as we departed Thunderbolt and headed toward our next port of call at St.Simons, GA. 

We made such good time and the conditions were so favorable, that we contemplated going on but that meant we would have to navigate Jeykll Island Creek at dead low tide. While only a few miles long, this creek is notorious for its very narrow channel and shallow water. Once again, discretion being the better part of valor, I opted to call it day and enjoy the afternoon in St. Simons, GA.

This morning, we left St. Simons and traversed Jeykll Island Creek at HIGH tide and cruised through without a care. Again, the seas were incredibly calm and ENCORE ran beautifully. There were times when we almost felt like we weren't even moving the waters were so placid. I guess this was part of the "payback" from our otherwise difficult cruise conditions when we traveled north in the Spring. 

After another wonderful day on the water (and listening to Radio Margaritaville), we crossed over into the Sunshine State early this afternoon arriving in St. Augustine for the night. After refueling, a quick wash down (for the boat and for me), a cocktail in hand and temperatures back in the 80's, it's starting to feel like home.

Tomorrow, we make our longest (and final) run of the trip to Cocoa, FL and our new "home port" at Cocoa Village Marina. A final update to follow this weekend.

Full moon - St. Augustine, FL

South Carolina Cruising

On Saturday, we had a great day on the water running from Southport, NC to Charleston, SC. The seas were cooperative, the winds moderate, and the Admiral was in a good mood (I consider two out of three as a good day).

Upon arriving in Charleston we were faced with very strong currents at the city "mega-dock" marina (4-6 knots), but with a really good dockhand crew, the Admiral adeptly handling the lines, and the ever-wonderful Zeus pod drives, we docked with ease, refueled and got settled in for a couple of days. 

Now there is a reason they call this a "mega dock" -- not only because it is HUGE (you actually need a golf cart to get from one end to the other), but it routinely docks MEGA yachts. Just to put it in perspective, ENCORE is 45 feet long and 14 feet wide (beam). A typical mega-yacht is over 110 feet long and close to 30 feet wide with a Captain, first mate, engineer and cook employed FULL time!! It's easy to get "boat envy" in such circumstances, but I subscribe to the old adage that "it's not the size of the ship, but the motion of the ocean" that matters. (no comments please)

We spent two wonderful days in Charleston. Shopping along Market Street, enjoying horse drawn carriage rides through historic old town, a day-long visit to Magnolia Plantation & Gardens and their "Autumn on the Ashley" craft fair, and of course lots of delightful "low country" southern cooking including fresh grilled fish, shrimp 'n grits, fried chicken, collard greens, homemade biscuits  and fried greens tomatoes.

Charleston charm

"Welcoming Arms" stairway - Charelton old town

Through the marshland of Magnolia Plantation

On the front porch - Magnolia Plantation

This morning, we awoke to an overcast sky with brisk winds out of the North. Since most of of travel today was "inside" and a fairly well protected section of the ICW (and we were going a relatively short distance), we left Charleston this morning at a very leisurely 9 am. The only downside, was we would traversing some of the narrow and shallow "cuts" between the rivers at dead low tide. Keep in mind the tidal swing in this section of the ICW can be as much as 8 feet! In fact, one such section of water that connects two rivers is called the Ashepoo - Coosaw Cutoff. After SLOWLY passing through water in as little as 5 feet (ENCORE has a 4 foot draft), Rachel decided to rename it the "Assapucker Cutoff". Indeed!

Our destination today was the historic and beautiful waterside town of Beaufort, SC (pronounced "Bew-fert"). Home to some of the most amazing homes (Antebellum style) from both the revolutionary and civil war periods, Beaufort is a real step-back-in-time town. The people here are friendly, proud and very down-home southern. Beaufort is where they shot the movies "Forest Gump", "The Big Chill", "GI Jane" and "The Great Santini".  After another horse drawn carriage ride, a little shopping and a delightful dinner along the waterfront, we ended another great day on the water. 

Tomorrow we plan to head to Savannah, GA. 

Morning fog (and a Pirate Ship!)

Beaufort, SC

The Admiral handling the lines

On The Road (ICW) Again

After three fun-filled days just sitting in the rain, wind and cold in Oriental, NC, we finally got back "on the road" yesterday morning under cloudy skies, a light drizzle, brisk (but tolerable) winds, choppy (but not rough) seas and pointed ENCORE south once again. As we completed our crossing of the "nasty" Neuse River, Rachel declared, "Im done with that". Hmm, looks like I may need a new crew member next year?

As the low pressure system SLOWLY moved to our north, conditions improved gradually through the day. We made excellent time, managed to hit the bridge openings at the right times and pretty much enjoyed the day. Well, almost. 

It seems they are working to repair the Wrightsville Beach Bridge and only open on the hour. We, unfortunately, arrived at 7 minutes after the hour which meant we would be "sitting" for almost another hour until the next opening. ENCORE needs 14 feet 6 inches of clearance to get under a bridge. The Wrightsville Beach Bridge was showing 14 feet of clearance. What to do? While Rachel slowly steered the boat, I climbed up on the roof and removed the antenna affixed to the radar mast. That removed a full three feet of height. We were then able to scoot under the bridge without a problem. Not really sure "The Admiral" approved of my problem solving skills, but it worked and we were soon on our way.

We completed our 8 hour run yesterday in Southport, NC., just off the Cape Fear River (please don't ask me why they call it that, but it's not exactly the most comforting name now is it?). After a great dinner at a local seafood cafe we enjoyed our first night's rest without pouring rain and blustery wind. 

This morning, we awoke to moderate winds, party cloudy skies and very calm seas. The forecast called for continued clearing and warming temperatures. We had an absolutely delightful day on the water, highlighted by one of our very favorite sections of the waterway, the beautiful and meandering Wacama River. The density tree lined river punctuated by the bursts of sun glistening off the water made for a very special and peaceful ride. We finished today in Georgetown, SC.

Tomorrow we head a relatively short distance to Charleston, SC, where we plan to spend a couple of days enjoying the city and taking in some of its rich history and culture.

Nothing better than this!

Here We Sit

When we last updated you, we had arrived in Oriental, NC just east of Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks. The wind continued to increase throughout the afternoon on Monday as a large low pressure system worked its way further east. Monday night, it brought rain and wind (and a lot of it). Fortunately, we were not on board ENCORE but staying at a small "cottage" at River Dunes Marina. And there we stayed all day Tuesday and Tuesday night as the wind and rain persisted eventually reaching Gale Force status early Wednesday morning.

Upon awakening today, the weather continued to be pretty nasty but the forecast was for "improvement" during the day. In other words, the rain went from torrential downpours to scattered showers and the wind went from 40 mph gusts to 25 mph sustained. We contemplated leaving late this afternoon for a short run to Morehead City, NC, but after talking with the folks there, quickly determined that things had not improved along the ocean. 

Since we are not in any particular hurry on this trip, we opted to stay another night (our third) in Oriental in a well protected and safe harbor. If the forecast for tomorrow holds up (and that's a big "if"), we will leave River Dunes in the morning and make a run to either Wrightsville Beach or Southport, NC. That will be determined in route based on the conditions and the time.

Meanwhile, I sure am glad I stocked on Pinot Grigio for the Admiral and Jack Daniels for me. Maybe tonight I will break out my guitar and we can sign "camp songs" to pass the time. "The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind…."

Portsmouth VA to Oriental, NC

First off, we (and the boat) are doing fine despite the VERY nasty storms that battered the east coast last night. I'll tell you more about that later, but first a quick recap of the past few days.

After a wonderful dinner in Portsmouth Sunday night, we left Norfolk Monday morning at Mile Marker "0" of the ICW around 8am. Our destination, Coinjock, NC just 50 miles south. I know that doesn't sound like much (and its not) but this particular stretch of the waterway is filled with lots of low bridges on restricted schedules, a lock, and plenty of "slow speed" zones. As a result, what would normally take us about 90 minutes, actually takes four and half hours. None the less, we had a good trip with lots of other migrating boats. Coinjock is not much more than a pit stop -- fuel, food and supplies, but is always a good place thanks to their on-site restaurant known for their 32oz prime rib (even a double dose of Lipitor couldn't convince me to eat that!).

Great Bridge Lock

Feeding time in Coin Jock

Yesterday, we departed Coinjock bright and early for a 125 mile run to Oriental, NC. The weather forecast was not the best with strong SE winds blowing 15-20 knots. We knew we had a number of open water crossings to make and that the seas would be "on the nose" the entire trip, but if we got an early start, it might not be too bad. While nothing compared to our northbound crossing in April, the Albermarle Sound, Pamlico Sound and Neuse River lived up to their reputation as being some of the nastiest pieces of water on the entire east coast. None the less. we were able to moderate ENCORE's speed and trim to make the passage as pleasant as possible (in other words, tolerant!). 

We arrived in Oriental, NC in the early afternoon at one of our favorite little ports called River Dunes. It is a very protected harbor, in lovely setting amongst the pines. The best part, is it also has a few small, but luxurous "cottages" right at the marina available for rent. As luck would have it, we happened to meet one of the managers of River Dunes at the Annapolis Boat Show last week, who invited us to be his guest if we stopped there on our way south. So last night, as those storms, wind, rain and lightening pummeled the coast, we were safe and comfortable in our little cottage. 

And here we plan to stay for at least one more day until some of this rain moves offshore. 

Waiting out the weather in Oriental, NC

Underway - Headed South

We departed Bay Bridge Marina this morning at 8am under clear skies and light winds. The Chesapeake Bay is a large open body of water which can be easily influenced by wind and weather. With an unusual "Indian Summer" high pressure system sitting over the mid-Atlantic the past few days (it was 87 degrees here today), the Chesapeake Bay today was exceptionally calm. In fact, it was about as calm (flat lake-like calm) as I have ever seen it. 

So while Mother Nature often changes your boating plans because of bad weather, this time she changed our plans because of GOOD weather. As a result of these exceptionally calm sea conditions (and the threat of very strong winds on Sunday afternoon and Monday), we decided to bypass The Tides Inn off the Rappahannock River and run all the way to Norfolk / Portsmouth in one day. It was a delightful first day on the water!

We are also keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Karen as well as an approaching cold front from the mid-west. Both are expected to impact the northeast region on Monday and Tuesday. Hopefully, by getting a little further south now, we stand a better chance of less rain and wind (although we will no doubt get our share).