Staying On Course: Steering System Compromise and Replacement

 The steering system on Lux has performed well. We’ve heard of other Leopard catamarans having stiff steering, but we were always thankful for a smoothly running steering system. However, earlier this year, we noticed evidence of a problem with the system.

The steering system consists of a drive chain at the helm, which is configured as a pull-pull system with two 9x19 x 1/4-inch diameter wire rope cables to run to the tillers in each engine compartment. The steering cables run from the helm, down to a pair of turning sheaves where they enter a pair of conduits to run aft to another pair of sheaves inboard of the starboard engine compartment. There were a couple of broken nylon fittings where the conduits connect to the bases of the sheaves. The aft end of the conduits was rusted, which expanded and broke the nylon fittings. We were able to retrieve some parts of the fittings and found the Edson name stamped on them. Yay! Edson stuff should be replaceable!

Rusted conduit and broken fittings in stbd engine compartment

Corroded conduit

Since the system hadn’t presented any problems, we waited until the fall to tackle it. Our plan was to replace the conduit’s nylon end fittings. We were not looking forward to accessing the forward ends of the conduit, which seemed to require disassembling the turning sheaves under the helm. More on that later.

We found that some long bolts around the fittings made it impossible to get a wrench into place. At the aft end, we removed the U-bolt that limits the tiller travel. The remaining bolts were short enough to use a wrench. However, we also found that a standard adjustable wrench was too long to fit. Since it was an extra in our workshop, we modified it to fit. The adjustable wrench was a pain to use, due to the size of the jaws. In retrospect, it would have been better to purchase a 1-3/8 inch open-end wrench and cut it off.

Making a short wrench

We removed the cable clamps from the cables where they connect to the tillers in each engine compartment and inspected the cable. Since it had been running smoothly, we planned to reuse the cable, provided there were no broken strands. Well, we found several broken strands in each cable. We also noted a brown, gummy powder on the cables, caked into the strands. It looked like powdered rust. So much for reusing the cables; they were getting replaced too.

Broken strand - there were several others

 We pulled the starboard cable out without too much effort. However, the port cable wouldn’t pull very far before it jammed. Since we’re replacing the cables, a rotary tool with a fiber cutoff wheel made short work of cutting the cable and it slid right out of the conduit. (Tool Tip: A rotary tool - aka: Dremel tool - is valuable on board a boat.)

We really like the serviceability of the Leopard 40. There is an access hole behind a panel in the corner of the starboard aft cabin that allowed us to get to the forward end of the conduits. That took care of our concern about accessing both ends of the conduit. We spent a few minutes with sandpaper to knock down the jagged edges of gelcoat that coated the openings of both the forward and aft conduit access ports.

Remove panel in stbd aft cabin

The access port

We had to remove long bolts around the fittings at the forward end of the conduits. These bolts held the bottom of the sheave bases to the fiberglass. The top bolts were out of our way, so the sheaves stayed in place.

Sheave bolt with nut partially removed

Removed bottom bolts

A bit of work with the wrench on the fittings and the two conduits were loose. The conduits are quite stiff due to their construction. It is an inner sleeve of nylon or teflon plastic, wrapped by a layer of spring steel wire, an additional layer of nylon, then flat spring steel in a spiral, covered by black plastic. The outer layer’s spiral screws into the nylon end fittings. Fortunately, the conduits bend enough to extract them from the access hole in the engine compartment. We left one in place as a pull cable. The other was for our measurements.

Measurements: Conduits: 7ft 9in

Stbd cable: 13ft 9in

Port cable: 23ft 9in

The end fittings are the 3/4” model that’s white.

The chain for the helm is 48 inches long. We already had a replacement section with master links so we didn’t have to order it.

We called Edson after deciding that it was best to talk with someone about or replacement plans. We were directed to Will Keene, who turns out to be the owner of Edson. We were very happy we decided to talk with him. His recommendation was to replace everything. 

https://edsonmarine.com/

He recounted a story about a vessel who was making the trip from the US to Bermuda and had the steering system jam. It turned out that the conduit inner casing chaffed through, causing the stainless wire rope to rub on the spring steel. Spring steel wins that battle every time. The wire rope frayed, locking up the steering system. They tried the emergency tiller, but because the cables were still attached to the tiller, they wound up breaking the steering system. Will said that they eventually made it into Bermuda, but subsequently incurred damage from reefs when they couldn’t steer.

Will also emphasized that the steering components typically last about 15 years. Of course, this depends on usage and how well they are installed. The conduits in the 2005 L40 run pretty straight, so there should be little wear. He highly recommended adding grease cups to the conduits, ideally located close to the center of the conduits. We weren’t going to get close to the center, but figured that being able to get grease somewhere into the cable would be a good idea, so we added them to our order.

At the end of the call we decided to replace the conduits as well as the cables. Fortunately, we had found the forward access port in the starboard aft cabin’s bulkhead that made it feasible to access the forward end of the conduits.

We examined the turning sheaves and they were in good condition with a good coating of grease and no corrosion. There was no wobble and the grooves didn’t show wear where the wire runs.

The control cables come from Edson in 13ft and 26ft lengths. We needed 13ft 9in for the starboard cable. A custom 14ft cable was curiously as expensive as the 26ft cable. Will explained that the stock cables are pre-built in large quantities by an outside vendor using a nicopress crimping machine. A custom cable is done in-house using hand tools, which is why it is so expensive. The result is that we ordered two 26ft cables.

We had a spare piece of chain 48-inches long, which we purchased a while back because of failures that other Leopard owners reported (see link below). Our old chain was in good condition, so we’ve kept it as a spare. If we had not already purchased new chain, we would have added it to our order.

https://groups.io/g/Leopardcatamaranowners/topic/57313145#23761

Our order:

2ea 8ft conduit for 1/4” cable (delivered as one 16ft piece)

2ea 26ft 1/4” Stainless 9x19 wire rope cables

4ea 3/4” end fittings

2ea grease cups (which the original system didn’t have)

It all arrived in a 14x14x6 box. The conduit was a single 16ft piece.

Steering System Order

We discovered that the conduits had not lost any length due to the corrosion. A 4-inch grinder with cutoff disk is the ideal tool to cut the conduit. A hacksaw would be a *lot* of work to cut through the spring steel. The heat of the grinder causes the inner core to melt slightly, which was easily cleaned out with a 17/64 drill bit. A 1/4” drill wasn’t big enough—leaving enough burr that the wire rope wouldn’t fit.

Cut conduit with melted core lip

We measured how far into the starboard aft cabin access port we could reach and put the grease cups at that distance. That was an 18” piece, grease cup, then the remainder to make 7ft 9in in total length. The grease cup was loaded with SuperLube Teflon grease, as recommended by Will. We also applied a thin coating of the same grease to the cut ends of the conduit to help prevent corrosion.

The end fittings and grease cup fittings have a slot cut in them. They are threaded to match the spiral on the conduit. Put a flat blade screwdriver into the slot to open it slightly and get the conduit threading started. Remove the screwdriver and thread the fitting the remainder of the way and clamp with the provided hose clamp. This process worked well for the grease cups.

Open the split in the end fitting with a screwdriver

Once we had the replacement conduit assembled, we ran the new cable through it to make sure that it would fit. One of the pieces of conduit needed the burr of the melted inner core cleaned out a bit more. We also used a file to round off the tip of the cable, which looked like it had melted together when it was originally cut - probably with a cutoff disk like we used for the conduit. Will recommended saturating the cable with epoxy and wrapping with tape before cutting so that it doesn’t fray during installation. The grease cups were filled with Super Lube Teflon (Will’s recommendation), assembled loose, and not screwed down. Lubrication will be covered later in the process.

The new conduit with the grease cups must be installed from the stbd cabin access port. It won’t fit through the opening near the engine compartment. We used an  old conduit as a pull cable by taping the new conduit to the old using packing tape, covering both conduits to 6 inches to prevent them from disconnecting. Packing tape is strong and thin so it won’t hang up on things. A pull cord didn't work as well as the old conduit.

The entire area where the conduit is installed was very dirty and we took some time to vacuum it out. Much of the gunk was old fiberglass and wood dust from drilling and sanding when the boat was built.

We threaded the aft end fittings all the way into the sheave bases and were able to get the conduit started, then threaded the remaining way into the fittings. It was easy enough to thread that grabbing the grease cups from inside the stbd cabin access port worked well. We oriented the grease cups so we could service them and clamped the conduit at the aft end fittings in the engine room.

It was obvious from the old conduit that Leopard cut down the spiral cover on the conduit in order to install it into the end fittings that are behind the stbd cabin’s bulkhead. That leaves parts of the spring steel exposed where it can corrode, so we opted for a different approach.

Old conduit cover cut down - we didn't do this

The end fittings were screwed all the way into the sheave bases and the conduit threading started. The screwdriver allowed us to open the end of the fittings enough to get two turns of the conduit spiral into the threads. The end fittings were then unscrewed two full turns. That covered enough of the conduit for a solid grip while leaving enough of the fitting threads engaged to be safe. In fact, we noted that the end fittings had not been screwed in to their full depth when we took the old ones out.

Fwd fitting with conduit at 2 turns depth

Aft end fittings, with one conduit installed

We fully installed one conduit, then repeated with the other conduit. The conduits do not cross in the run from under the helm to the engine compartment. The outboard sheave under the helm goes to the outboard sheave in the engine compartment.

Both conduits in place with grease cups

Attach the chain to the wire rope and insert the wire rope into the conduits, starting from under the helm. The chain and helm was centered, and the cables were marked with a Sharpie permanent marker where they entered the conduits. We pulled them back into the stbd cabin and started lubing them with Super Lube Teflon between the marks as we pushed them back into the conduit. Our objective was to work the lube into the cables before tightening the grease cups.

Position the wire rope to each side, loosen the turnbuckles to where they are 1/4 engaged and loosely clamp with one wire rope clamp. (The saddle on the clamp goes on the standing end of the wire, following the ditty: Never saddle a dead horse.) Make sure the helm works as desired and that the centerline marking on the helm matches the center of the chain throw. This is the time to check all alignments and end-to-end runs of the wheel. When you’re happy, clamp the cable, tension the turnbuckles to take out any slack, and lock the turnbuckles. We used a rotary tool with cutoff wheel to cut the cable. It wasn’t necessary to use the 4-inch grinder, though that would have worked as well. We tightened the grease cups some to inject some of the grease into the conduit. We put all the long bolts back in place, double checked everything, and the job was done.

If there are questions, please ask on the LeopardCatamaranOwner's list on Groups.io.

 -Terry

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch - Those Handles Have to Go!

The galley cabinet doors in the early model L40s use a U handle and friction catches. The catches can be bought in a variety of strengths (we've seen 5 pound and 10 pound). They work reasonably well, except for the trash bin, where the catch died twice. We replaced it with a magnetic catch, which works much better.

However, the operation of the catch wasn't the problem here. It was the location of the U handle on the outside of the door. It is just at the right height to hit with our knees. That's where the Ouch, Ouch, Ouch originated, resulting in the plea: "Please, can we replace these handles with something that I won't hit with my knee?"

We hadn't found anything over several years until we were looking through an Endeavour Power Cat at the Annapolis Sailboat Show a few years ago. It was the Southco Mobella Novibra Latch, available from uglyfishinc.com for under $30 each. We ordered two to see if they could be the solution. Sure, enough, with a little work, they eliminated the source of the pain and the doors have a positive latch. The picture below shows the old handle on the left and the new latch on the right. It uses a 1/4 turn handle to open and a spring latch so the door can be pushed closed.

The Details

We planned to remove the old handle and use one of the screw holes as the location for the new latch. Unfortunately, the latch receiver needed to get mounted in the middle of the wood shim that held the old latch mechanism. We removed the old latch mechanism, then measured and re-measured the location for the new latch and receiver.

A hole saw quickly made the hole for the latch.

And the receiver replaced the old latch mechanism on the door jam. The wood shims for the old mechanisms was glued to the door jam, so we left it in place. That's the reason for putting the new latch in the same location as the old latch.

A couple of pan-head machine screws filled the old handle holes, making it look like they were holding something inside. We had thought about looking for plastic inserts, but the screws were handy and we've not had a need to replace them.

The doors open and close easily and our knees are no longer asking for relief - at least from the old handles.

Shifty, Shifty – Replacing Morse Control Cables

We had taken a cruise around the Chesapeake Bay and everything on Lux was working as it should. But as we were coming back to our dock, we discovered that the starboard engine throttle didn't work. After a few minutes of diagnosis, we discovered that the throttle cable had broken. Without throttle, we had limited engine thrust at idle speed. At least we could shift gears.

It’s finally time to replace the Morse control cables. The starboard engine shifter and throttle had not exhibited any stiffness, so it was interesting that the cable broke. The port shifter however, was stiff and we were apprehensive about replacing the long cables that needed to go through two conduits and several bends. It turned out to be easier than we anticipated.

What length should we order? We could remove the cables and measure them, but then we wouldn’t be able to use the old cable to pull the new cable through the twisty passages.

Internet research indicated that the cables should have a number stamped on them. Sure enough, we found numbers on the cables after removing the Morse shifter mechanism at the helm: TFX 032377-03 360.0 Further investigation on the Internet found that the last number, 360.0, is the length in inches. Blue tape labels were added to identify the cable functions: shifter, throttle, and stop. The cables were confirmed with Leopard Catamarans as model 33C (alternatively labeled 3300CC):

• Starboard shifter 21 ft (6.5m)

• Starboard throttle 21 ft (6.5m)

• Starboard stop 25ft (7.75m)

• Port shifter 27ft (8.5m)

• Port throttle 30ft (9.5m)

• Port stop         30ft (9.5m)

Replacement cables were ordered from Jamestown Distributors. They are reasonably priced and when they arrived, we found a significant improvement in the smoothness of operation. That was what many of the online posts had said, but it was nice to find out that it was true.

It is also easy to find the mechanical drawings for the Morse Control online (dual control in our case). Disassembly is straight forward. The picture below shows the starboard half of the shifter with the new black-covered cables in place. The red cables are original and go to the port engine. 

The next picture shows the internals of the shifter mechanism. Four screws hold the dual assembly into the fiberglass and two machine screws hold the two halves together. Note the extensive use of grease to keep corrosion at bay.

Installing the new cables

On the 2005 L40, running cables from the controls to the engines is pretty easy. They go down to the space behind the starboard-aft cabin access panel. The starboard cables then go into a blue conduit that connects to the engine compartment. Leave enough slack at the helm shifter to allow for servicing.

The cables to the port engine take a longer path through conduit across the bridge deck, then into another blue conduit that goes aft to the engine compartment. We found that it was easiest to use the old cable to pull the new cable. We removed the nuts from the cable ends and coupled the two cables together with a 1 ft long piece of duct tape wrapped lengthwise. The fibers in the duct tape provide strength while allowing flexibility. One person can pull the new cable in place if you don’t mind going back and forth from end to end. It was best to pull all the cable into the area behind the panel in the starboard aft cabin, then pull it into the area behind the port aft cabin, then into the port engine compartment.

During the process, we found a one of the port engine cables had a 2-ft diameter loop behind the electrical panel in the port-aft cabin. We eliminated this loop during the installation of the new cables, which helps make the operation smoother.

The ends of the cables are setup the same as with the original cables, so take pictures of the connections before disassembling them.

We’ve not had to replace the engine stop controls. The starboard stop cable can be installed by hand after removing the old cable. Either pull a pull-cord in place or cut off the helm end of the stop cable and use duct tape as with the shifter/throttle.

We had to spend a little time adjusting the linkages so that the throttle handles were even with each other at the same RPM. That’s no big deal.

Alternatives

You may find articles that describe dripping oil into the control cables. We did this initially. It was a waste of time. The amount of time we spent trying to lubricate the cables was comparable to the time to replace them and the results were not as good as the replacement.

Results

We found a significant improvement in shifting and throttle operation after installing the new cables. The installation wasn’t as challenging as we had initially anticipated. One of us was able to do the entire job unassisted. The starboard engine controls took about an hour to replace while the port engine controls took about three hours.

AIS Antenna or Splitter and Axiom 12 Goof

I'm working with John and Kim on their new Leopard 45, GypseaBLU, with some electronics installation and have a couple of tips to share.

Raymarine Axiom 12 Chartplotter Chip Goof

The chart chip socket on the Axiom 12 (not the Pro model) has a small space above and below it where the case fits around it. It is easy to insert the chip into one of the spaces instead of into the chip socket. These spaces are just the size of a chip, so it seems like you're inserting the chip correctly until it doesn't click into place. It seems that missing the chip slot is a common problem. World travelers who need to regularly access and update the chart chip may want to invest in the Axiom 12 Pro or in the Remote Card Reader. At a minimum, be very careful in inserting the chip. A simple fix to prevent this goof is to add a bit of caulk around the perimeter of the chip socket. But on the late model L45's access to the back of the chart plotter is challenging, so a better solution may be the remote card reader. You don't need to ask how we learned this tip. 😞

AIS Antenna or Splitter

We're installing the Raymarine AIS700 transponder. There is a new AIS Class B+ standard that uses a 5 watt transmitter and the same transmission protocols as are used by Class A transponders. Raymarine doesn't yet have a transponder that supports this new standard (very few vendors do as of  Nov 2019).  The AIS700 incorporates a splitter, but we were prepared to install a separate AIS antenna. A bit of searching on the subject found an in-depth analysis of the various tradeoffs: AIS Overview and Installation Considerations. Another good article is VHF‐AIS masthead antenna and coax installation, selection, and test. The end result of this analysis is to use a good quality coax and that height is more of an advantage for distance than having a separate antenna. Note that VHF antennas should not be placed within 4 ft of another antenna or of parallel metal objects like masts and shrouds. These metal objects result in signal propagation distortion that can result in reduced distance in certain directions. So a masthead installation is better than a solar arch. A spreader installation is affected by the mast and shroud. Two antennas on the masthead affect each other.

We opted to go with the built-in splitter, since it has low insertion loss.

  -Terry

Two Days in Beautiful Beaufort

Dear Readers,

We have spent 2 days in beautiful Beaufort. The locals call it that not only because it is a lovely town, but to remind you how to pronounce it properly. Staying at the docks right here in town makes it so easy to wander about. 

One of the lovely features here is the town park right on the water.

Yes, the sidewalks are concrete tiles with embedded shells framed with bricks. And there are many swings along the walkway for you to stop and enjoy the view.

Terry and Peggy tried one out on the way to breakfast this morning.

Now that we've enjoyed the town, we'll be headed south later today.

Yikes! That's the Smoke Alarm!

BEEP!   BEEP!   BEEP!
BEEP!   BEEP!   BEEP!

It was one of our smoke/CO alarms! Which one? Is there a fire? There was no smoke in the cabins or salon. The genset wasn't running, so that was unlikely.

Both engines were running hard as we motored down the ICW from Charleston, SC.
A quick check of the port engine room shows steam. The starboard engine room was clear.
We quickly shut down the port engine and the steam cleared out. There was coolant on the inboard deck next to the engine. Briefly starting the port engine showed a leaky hose that was spraying coolant onto the hot alternator, which created the steam. About the time we had determined the port engine was the problem, the voice report from the other smoke alarms told us that it was the port engine compartment alarm.

The smoke alarm saved our engine from losing all its coolant and overheating! Installing those smoke detectors paid off! We had installed a set of communicating smoke and carbon monoxide detectors back in 2015, see Detecting Fire and CO. None of the alarms have notified us of an active alarm situation--until today.

Some of the units have failed over the years. When a unit fails, it says something like "Malfunction in Living Room, Please see manual." The room varies according to what we've programmed for each unit. The unit will then beep periodically to let us know that it has experienced a problem when we weren't around to hear the initial message. These units are build for residential use, so it isn't surprising that they occasionally fail in the marine environment. At about $50 each, they are affordable and provide an early warning system.

  -Terry

Passing Charleston

Dear Readers,

Trips up and down the ICW can be fun. But, sometimes, it's also a long day on the water. We are not in favor of long days, but there are parts of the ICW where you must push on. There are not many stopping places between Georgetown and Charleston. So, we push on.

Lately, mornings look like this.

Yes, it is cold even here in the south. Our trusty pilots dress warmly for our early starts. Close friends KNOW it is cold when Mike puts on a jacket AND a flannel shirt. Not to mention, he has on long pants!

Luckily, long days on the water afford us the opportunity to see and hear many different things. The day started with the trawler, Almost Perfect, passing us. We could not resist asking what made the boat 'almost perfect'? The answer was that it was perfect- until they had to fuel up!

Because it was cold, the crew felt the need to heat up the cabin. Our favorite method of doing that?

Yes, we baked muffins! We used a basic cranberry muffin mix. Then, we stirred in dried cranberries,  dried blueberries,  and pecans. We dusted the tops with cinnamon sugar, and we added a pecan half to complete that gourmet look. And, yes, they were ever so scrummy. 

Happily for us, the ICW also shows signs of upgrades and improvements. Yesterday, we saw this:

It was not the first dredge we've seen. And, we are happy to have them along our path, proving that our next passage this way will be even easier.

As the afternoon wore on, we passed Charleston harbor. It's always an exciting passage through that area. There are boats of all sizes going in all directions. We even saw a few dolphins. But we continued on to a quiet anchorage on the Sono River. It was a beautiful evening.

This morning, it was chilly yet again. Luckily,  Peggy came up with the idea of warming up yesterday's muffins in the oven. It made for a great (and warm) start to our day. Here was the view this morning. 

We're headed off to Beaufort, South Carolina today. As always,  we look forward to an adventurous day on the water.

A GREAT Two Days in Georgetown

Ah, Dear Readers - Once we got to Georgetown,  we could not bring ourselves to leave. Georgetown just happens to be one of our favorite spots. All the marinas are right off the main street. Our marina had 2 washers and 2 dryers that work. Both restaurants and ice cream can be found just a few blocks from the boat.

The deciding factor was the Taste of Georgetown held yesterday to benefit the Family Justice Center located in town. Main Street is lined with restaurants.  Most of the restaurants had small tents outside. You purchase tickets. Then, you trade your tickets in for samples of great food. 

We sampled the Cajun shrimp,  grilled chicken and andouille sausage over linguini from Graham's Landing. Oh, yum! Next, on to Root (yes, that truly is the name of the restaurant). There we sampled meatball served over creamy grits. This was a new idea for me. I never imagined this combo.  We continued wandering up and down the street, trying out tastes of food from this charming town.

Yes, they even had tents so you could sit in comfort as you enjoyed your seafood chowder followed by carrot cake and homemade ice cream. We had enough tickets to fill up on fantastic food AND get things to bring back to the boat.

This morning, we are once again off the dock bright and early. For breakfast, we enjoyed cinnamon rolls from Pawleys Island bakery- one of the last items picked up with our tickets at the Taste of Georgetown. 

Here's one last look as we leave Georgetown behind. It was a great 2 days. Now, we're headed south again.

Oh no! Someone Stole the Warm!

Dear Readers,

Yesterday was a lovely day on the water. It was warm, but not hot. It was partly cloudy, so the cabin did not overheat. We made good time, and arrived at Osprey Marina in the late afternoon. 

This is an interesting marina to visit. Once again,  the entrance is a long narrow cut with barely enough room for 2 boats to pass each other (for me, that would be 2 kayaks). There is one long dock that extends a long way down the entrance- we are tied up there. 

From our spot, it's a long walk to the office. It's so long that the dock hand asked if we wanted him to give us a ride in the car- it seems he doesn't walk it himself! We turned it down. After all, he wasn't going to bring us back!

However, Osprey Marina makes it worth your while. You get a bag full of treats when you register. We received: pen, can koozie, 3 mints, a package of pecan twists, a Honeybun pastry,  a jar of pepper jelly, crackers, and a whistle. You might be thinking, Dear Readers, that this bounty was due to Halloween. Oh no, this is the usual gift bag!

We settled in for the night. The wind started up. The wind kept getting stronger. We had thunder and lightning. It rained.

This morning, we awoke to changed weather. 

In the night, the heat pump switched from air conditioning to heat. It is 49 degrees at Myrtle Beach. The Coast Guard is reporting 'heavy weather' out on the coast. Even Michael has put on a jacket! Someone took our warm weather. We definitely got tricked instead of treated on Halloween!

Today, we are headed to Georgetown. 

Up Early Again

Yesterday was another long day on the water. But, Dear Readers, we have not one single bad boater story to relate. It is true that I could share stories of power boaters roaring past us, uncaring of wake or waves. But, that is the usual day on the ICW.

Instead, let me share some good news.

Look! DOLPHINS! Three of them rising and diving in the waves. Okay, so your view is not as good as mine. Feel free to blame the photographer. When the best views could be seen, she was busy yelling, "Arg! Where is my phone?"

We left our dear dolphin friends behind, and we headed on towards Southport.

Southport Marina has, in the past, been a favorite stop. As you can see, it is the favorite stop for many boaters- so many that they did not have room for us.

We pushed on to try a new marina recommended by a fellow boater- St. James Plantation Marina. This marina has a tight entrance.

Could it be that they planned it this way? After all, it is a golf course community. It probably seemed quite natural to make this a narrow fairway!

We did eat dinner at the restaurant overlooking the marina. There are no pictures. The food was so good that we ate it all before anyone thought to take a picture.

This morning, we are leaving under a beautiful sunrise. 

It was so beautiful that I could not resist taking multiple shots. The weather may turn rainy later today, but it is beautiful right now.

Happy Halloween. No tricks for us today- just the treat of being on the water.

It's COD Time Again

We really did get up at the Crack Of Dawn today.

The rest of the boats weren't stirring- all 12 of them.

You can see some of the anchor lights. So, we tiptoed out on our little cat's paws.

Now, we are back on the ICW. All the other boats are waking up and hopping into line.

Today's goal is to get to Southport. It's cloudy and calm, so it should be a pleasant day out here.

Late Start. Early start.

We had planned an early start today. However, no one seems to have clued in the tides! The bridge leaving Beaufort is a little short for us when the tide is high. So, we ended up waiting until 11 to leave. We used our time eisely, though. We went shopping! We visited a few stores that had been closed the night before. We passed the time pleasantly. And then we were off. Here's one of the views leaving Beaufort.

This yacht is a mere 105 feet in length. It was just one of the 'small' boats in Beaufort. And, they were expecting more. We find ourselves in the middle of the great fall boat migration! 

We had an uneventful trip southward. Tonight, we are anchored in Mile Hammock Bay. It is part of the military station we all know as Camp LeJeune. That could be why tonight's entertainment is the continual noise of large helicopters circling us. I've checked twice to make sure the anchor light is on- the helicopters are flying around with lights out! And, it is dark out here tonight.

We'll be getting up early tomorrow for the run to Southport. We're still in the pack- there's no available space at our favorite marina. This does give us the opportunity to try somewhere new. It will be an adventure, and we'll share it with you- later tomorrow!

In Beaufort, Planning to Move Southward

Yes, Dear Readers-

It has been quite the dry spell without internet. We spent two days in Campbell Creek at the dock of a friend. It would be nice to say that we stayed to enjoy a long visit. No, Dear Readers, we were held there by the weather. But we are not ones to ignore a fine opportunity. We visited. We were offered a ride to the grocery that we accepted with alacrity. Being good planners, we made it to the store and back in between the intermittent showers. But, this location was far from any cell towers. We had trouble getting even text messages to work.

Monday dawned bright and beautiful. 

We headed out, but not too early. After all, R E Mayo Seafood did not open until 8 AM. 

One of the joys of traveling on the ICW is visiting truly local establishments. This place offers docks and free WiFi so that you can stop to buy seafood. And, yes, Dear Readers, that is a real shrimp boat out there. They catch and sell their own. You can buy them fresh or frozen. I saw a worker walking around with a FISH in his hand! We bought frozen - fresh still had heads on those shrimp!

We then headed off to Beaufort. But first we had to cross the Neuse River. Yesterday, it was a bit bumpy.

No, I did not adjust this picture. Those are white caps out beyond the dingy. Yes, the boat is not level. It will be the last picture of the Neuse because I went down to my cabin to take a nap.

I came out of my cabin as we got closer to Beaufort. We love Beaufort, NC. It's a quirky little town with a Main Street that runs right along the docks. The town marina gives each crew member a wooden nickel good for a beer or wine at the Dock Restaurant.  It's a really popular place with everyone.

This visit, we were at the very end of the docks. Those really big yachts took up all the prime spots. We did have our free drink - and some awesome nachos. They were so big that they ended up being dinner. We walked them off. We then had dessert at Clawson's. Those desserts were just as awesome as the nachos. A great way to end the evening, if you ask me.

Leaving Alligator River Marina

It was an incredibly beautiful morning at the Alligator River Marina. Yesterday, we did arrive early afternoon. Laundry was done. Cleaning the boat happened. And, we had dinner in the gas station! Yes, this marina still has great food.

And, they have a nice back room where you can eat it.

Although the picture is terrible, that is LUX in the second photo.

This morning, we are off bright and early. We will head to the Belhaven area. As we get closer, we will decide where to spend the next 2 days. As you will see in the picture below, even the sky knows the weather is not going to stay this nice.

As they say- Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. We will see.....

We're at Coinjock Marina

It appears that most boats were headed to Coinjock Marina yesterday. The place was hopping. We had a long wait to register because all the deck hands were out getting boats to the dock. And. The dock was packed! They were fully booked for the night.

We woke up to a beautiful day with interesting skies.

It is now 8:45, and we are feeling a little lonely. Here are the docks today.

Mike asked around, and other boat captains said they were heading out early to get to Oriental. We're setting off in a bit ourselves. We'll be heading to the Alligator River Marina. According to the web, our favorite cook is still there. Miss Annette makes wonderful fried chicken and very tasty fried shrimp. Plus, there will be laundry! We'll be there early afternoon, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to catch up on basic chores. Yes, Dear Reader, it's not always fun and games on the water. Sometimes you just have to take care of the basics!