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!

Hurry Up and Wait

We were up bright and early to make the Gilmerton Highway bridge opening.

So was everyone else. And we all milled about for over an hour. The bridge would not open until TWO trains went over it.

Okay. A slow start. But, it had to get better. Didn't it? No. There was a barge blocking the Great Bridge lock. LUX and 17 new found friends had to wait 30 minutes for the barge to move. Then, we all stuffed into the lock.

Then, we had to wait between the lock and the Great Bridge bridge for more vessels to make the lock before they would open the bridge.

Now, the parade is finally moving. But, there are 2 more swing bridges in our future. It is turning into a long day.

Sitting at the end of Water Street

We left the Piankatank early this morning. It was a beautiful day on the water. We had another spinnaker run. 

We made such good time that we were in Portsmouth early afternoon. That allowed us to snag a free spot at the end of Water Street. But, as the saying goes, nothing is ever really free! It appears that Portsmouth has been experiencing high tides. The end of Water Street is under water!

It appears that we won't be hopping off the boat any time soon- unless we really want to go wading!

Tomorrow, we head off to Coinjock.

Taking NO Chances

We left Reedville bright and early this morning with only one goal- to find a spot further south to ride out the predicted bad weather. We are now in the Piankatank River with 17 other boats who must have had the same thought. It's a large cove back here, so we are spread out. The wind is rising, and we getting some wave action back here. The rain has also started.

Meanwhile, repairing your boat in exotic locations continues. Today, the water pump got replaced. It resisted, but we were triumphant after a short battle.

Because I am blogging on my phone, I can't easily place the pictures. So, I will tell you that I have one from this cove and one of the dreaded Volvo box- a sign that we carry spares just in case. Today, that was a good thing.

Today was a great day to be a sailboat

Our morning started out gray, but the sun soon came out. Yay! We left Solomons Island, and we headed south with really nice weather.  Terry decided to pull out the Spinnaker. We had a beautiful run down the bay.

As usual,  though,  the winds died off in the early afternoon. We motored the rest of the way to Reedville. The collage picture shows you the view from our anchorage. Tonight, the water is like glass. The weather man is not promising this for tomorrow. Instead, rain is supposed to move in again. Hopefully, we will be somewhere comfortable when that starts. I'll let you know.

It Was A Great Day- If You Were A Duck

We left our raft up midmorning heading south. But it rained. And rained. And rained even more. And the waves were merrily playing. So we rocked and rolled. All the way to Solomons. 

Once here, the rainy evening got better for us. We were invited to the home of a couple who also have a Leopard catamaran. They picked us up at the rainy docks. They fed us really great chili and cornbread. For dessert, they offered Klondike bars. It was a lovely evening enjoying tasty food and great conversation. 

Tomorrow, we head south again. Terry and Mike are busy planning a route that puts us somewhere pleasant for Tuesday- when another round of stormy weather is expected. 

Meanwhile- I forgot to mention that my dessert offering was a big hit at the raft up. So, I thought I might share it with you. I thought I was buying figs, but I picked up a bag of dates by mistake. What to do....what to do. Well, I just happened to have some almond paste. So, I split the dates, filled each half with almond paste,  and topped each one with a dry roasted unsalted almond. It was the perfect little sweet treat. They were gobbled up- no leftovers! We'll be serving that recipe again! Yum!

Where's My Umbrella?

Yesterday, we motored out of St. Michael's to Drum Cove- the rendezvous point for the raft up with Back Creek Yacht Club. One of their members is quite the chef. He had prepared dinner for everyone. The main course was boneless chicken legs stuffed with homemade sausage and wrapped with bacon. That was accompanied by fresh green beans and roasted red potatoes. 

The sausage was a mix of veal and pork with fresh herbs AND orange zest. Oops. No chicken for Gee. The wrapped in bacon part turned off Peggy. We chose not to be adventurous. Mike and Terry enjoyed the meal and the company.

Today, it's rainy. The chef is supposedly making crepes with brandied apples. Peggy and Gee will be holding back again. 

After breakfast, we will start south.

Docked in St. Michaels

After a great day with lots of sailing, we are docked at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. We did our usual- pull up, spin around, and dock. No fuss. No muss. And one impressed dock hand. Great way to end our day on the bay.

On Our Way

Terry is at the helm. We have left the dock. After several years, we are on our way south again.