April 21-26, 2015 Belhaven/Anchorages, NC & Great Bridge, VA

There are certain places we had stopped on our way south in the fall, that we liked and work well with the distances we are traveling as we head north. Belhaven, North Carolina is one of these places.  Belhaven Marina is run by Brenda & Les, who live in their 34 foot Class A RV right on site.  They have made this Marina look & feel like their home.  The town is nothing to rave about, but the people are friendly & accommodating.  They supply fenders for the docks & towels for the showers.  Les & Brenda are hard workers & we appreciate that.

The next 2 nights are in protected anchorages: quiet & remote.  We even had a sunny, hot day driving from the bridge.  We cruised the Alligator River and stayed in Logging Camp and the next night was in Broad Creek.

On Friday, April 24, we crossed into Virginia and landed at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Great Bridge, right in front of the Great Bridge Bridge-(I like saying that).  A new stop for us and we chose it because it's not too far from where Doug's nephew John lives.  After we settled in, John & Cameron came by & picked us up.  We drove to a sports field right adjacent to a portion of the Dismal Swamp.  In the fall, heading south, we cruised the Dismal Swamp but this time, we chose the alternate route using the Virginia Cut.  The Virginia Cut was wider, slightly deeper and less stressful.  We are glad we traveled through the Dismal Swamp, but it is something we only need to do once.

The reason for stopping at the sports field was to watch John's fiancé's son: Nicholas, play LaCrosse.  It was a tad chilly & flip flops were not the appropriate footwear for the evening-my toes were numb by the end of the 2 hour game.  Nicholas scored a goal & their team won, so it was a successful evening.  The next day, our sweet nephew John, drove Doug, Jacque & myself around so we could re-provision.  We all met later for a nice, fun dinner out.  It's always a pleasure to visit with John. Keeping in touch with family is important to him & us.

Uncle Doug & nephew John

April 13 (milestone BD)-April 21, 2015 South & North Carolina

All the Azaleas are in full bloom

I had forgotten how confusing moving to a new place every day, is! As I begin to write this post and look back to the last 2 weeks, I'm struggling to remember each stop. I do know, we continue to move North, even though at times, our compass has pointed east & west as we zig zag along the ICW.  Tidal ranges have decreased & water depths have increased slightly.  We still think cruising out in the ocean is a great alternative to traveling the ICW through Georgia, South Carolina & even some of North Carolina.

We have experienced more wind & rain these last few weeks and so our anchorages have not been as calm & peaceful as we have grown accustomed to.  Most of our anchorages are beautiful & relaxing, but we do have our challenges @ times like: putting the anchor up & down 5 times before we get it set just perfect & staying up late while it storms to make sure our anchor doesn't drag.  Even with those challenges, we prefer to anchor because of the solitude, scenery and you can't beat the price.

On my birthday, we anchored in Minim creek.  Jacque, sweet Jacque baked me a chocolate cake! Wow, 2 cakes for my birthday & I hadn't even expected one! We dinghyed over to Waterford for cake, candles, song & gelato.  A great end to my birthday celebration.  Thanks everyone for making it a great one!

Our next day we anchored in Cow House Creek, an ox bow with great protection, beautiful scenery & a big gator! We were surrounded by a wild life refuge with lots of tall trees, marshes & singing birds.  We anchored here on our way south & it is still one of our favorite anchorages.  In the fall, while anchored here, Doug & I kayaked.  Now that I know there is a gator here, we won't be doing that anymore.  I can't imagine running into a gator with my kayak-I think I would have freaked!  I know our friends, Kathy & Dan did see a gator while kayaking in Alabama & they remained very calm & cool about it. A cute green frog even found his way onto our swim platform for a rest. This night was peaceful & calm. We did hear an unusual sound late in the evening, after dark-think it might have been the gator catching his meal.

We cruised the Waccamaw River the next day, watching the Osprey in the nests with their babies. As it continued to rain, we landed in Little Creek, South Carolina @ Lightkeepers Marina.  This is a harbor, very shallow on entering that also houses a yacht club.  We checked out the Officer's Club at the Yacht Club for dinner.

A pretty little park in Southport

Traveling an average of 40 miles a day, we move into North Carolina & dock @ Indigo Plantation outside of Southport.  A quiet rather remote place, the dock hands came over from their sister Marina to help us dock.  Jacque & I walked the 2 miles into town, to shop @ the Christmas Store and stop for a wine tasting. We had been to Southport in the fall but stayed @ a different Marina on the other side of town.



Moving farther into North Carolina on Saturday, April 18th, we anchored on the Motts Channel near the Wrightsville Beach Bridge.  Well, no seclusion or quiet here.  This is a beach town & it's Saturday & the sun finally comes out after at least a week of clouds & rain.  It seemed like anyone who had a jet ski, wave runner or center console came out to enjoy the afternoon and all wanted to come to the bridge and then do laps around us.  It was fun sitting on the back deck, enjoying the warm sun & watching everyone pass by.

The Pink House along the ICW

 Our last stop this week, was another repeat from the fall, Mile Hammock Bay where Camp Lejeune has a training area.  In the fall, there had been lots of military presence: with planes, helicopters & boats. This visit, there was nothing happening. It did storm through the night, so we kept a close eye on our anchor & it held great.

April 6-12, 2015 Lady's Island, anchorages, St John's & Isle of Hope, SC

Run Forest Run!

Our northern trek took us past Hilton Head, Savannah & Beaufort. We did cheat while staying @ Lady's Island Marina & walked into Beaufort, SC.  Only because we needed to walk across the bridge that Forest Gump ran across in the movie after cruising under it on our way into Lady's Island.   In the fall, when we visited Beaufort, we checked out the house that was filmed for the same movie but we didn't know about the bridge.  Beaufort, SC (pronounced Bew fort) is a cute, artsy community with some great shops & restaurants.  This marina is rated highly & received rave reviews & we understand why.  TJ the harbormaster is great- he lives right on site with his beautiful & talented wife & daughter. He had courtesy cars available for our use & there is even a workshop with tools that is available for the marina guests to use-Doug & Garry were impressed. Grocery, drug, liquor stores & restaurants are within walking distance & even Beaufort is within walking/biking distance.  We stayed 2 nights so we could reprovision & do some laundry.

Beaufort, SC has a Bocci Ball Club

The next day while cruising the Ashepoo River the winds continued to increase, which usually isn't a problem on the ICW but once in our Fenwick Island anchorage which was not protected from the days southern wind direction; we were rocking & rolling with whitecaps.  Later in the day, we ended up moving to a more protected spot just off the ICW with dolphins directing our way & playing in our wake. Late that evening when I stepped out to check the stars, I saw a big spot light scanning in our direction.  I called Doug & we then could see an outline of a large barge/freighter following the ICW not far from us, he had found us with the spotlight, thank goodness & steered clear of us.  The barge knew we were near due to the fact that they saw us on the AIS system that sends a signal to other vessels that have AIS and tells them our location.  So luckily, we had shown up on his electronic charts.  We were anchored out of the channel but @ night and on a bend, it was much safer for the barge to know exactly where we were.

Our next day, still windy & with the ICW still shallow, we traversed Fenwick & Watts cut. We anchored in Church Creek. That night, while outside gazing @ the stars, I could hear the dolphins breathing as they surfaced but the moon was not out so I couldn't see them at all but I knew they were close.

On April 10, we pulled into St John's Marina, outside of Charleston.  We had stopped here in the fall too because it is close to Garry & Jacque's friends: Skip & Linda from Toledo Beach Marina.  As it worked out, more of our Ohio friends: Dan, Kathy & Sharon also were in the area.  Dan & Kathy were heading north from their camping in Alabama for the winter months & Sharon was in Charleston visiting her sister in law.  So we divided & conquered.  Garry & Jacque went to see Skip & Linda @ their condo & Dan, Kathy, Sharon & Chris drove to the Marina where we enjoyed docktails on Day Dreams and then they took us out to dinner.  We dined @ the Angel Oak Restaurant, a small eclectic local place with great food. Our waiter was quirky & fun and he treated us to Champagne to celebrate Sharon's & mine 60th April birthdays.

The next day, we didn't move far but we passed Charleston & docked @ another new stop for us: Isle of Palm Marina. Isle of Palm is where cousin Mark, Kerie & Matthew live. We invited my Aunt Carmela, Uncle Jerry, Mark, Kerie & Matthew for docktails on Day Dreams.  Afterwards, we dined @ Morgan Creek Grill right on site @ the Marina with the family plus Garry & Jacque.  A fun time was had by all.  Our second day, we checked out Aunt Carm & Uncle Jerry's beautiful landscaping & remodeled kitchen & bath @ their home in Mt Pleasant.  Mark & Kerie graciously invited Garry, Jacque & us for a delicious dinner & surprise birthday cake @ their beautiful home on the water.  All this and my birthday was still a day away!

Delicious Shish-ke-bobs

Happy 60th-ugh!

April 2-6, 2015, Jekyll Island, GA & Anchorages

Our weather continues to be warm & summer like. We've actually experienced some hot days-yahoo!
Hopefully we won't be needing our fleece anytime soon.  Since we have a destination as our goal, we currently are not staying anywhere too long.  Our destination is Washington DC by the beginning of May.  I fear we will miss the cherry blossoms but we didn't want to go north too soon & be hit with freezing weather.  As we cruise north, we are attempting to stop in locations that we didn't see while traveling south this last fall.  Due to the shallow water & lack of dredging in the ICW, especially in Georgia & South Carolina, we will most likely not cruise the ICW this fall when again heading south.  Instead, we will pick good weather days & head out into the Atlantic.

Our first new stop is Jekyll Island.  The Jekyll Island Marina is right on the ICW, very close to a fixed, 65 foot bridge.  We squeezed into a tight space on their face dock.  Doug, my expert Captain performed exceptionally as always.  Jekyll Island is an interesting place; they must not like tourists because their signage is lacking & we didn't see too much promoting this place.  There is some new Commercial construction happening near the Ocean, looked like a resort with some shops & a restaurant. We were able to borrow one of the Marina's golf carts & tour some of the island.  Just the fact that golf carts are allowed on the streets, gives you a clue about this place because cars are also allowed & there is a bridge to the island. We found a deserted park that leads to some sand dunes & then the beach on the ocean side, so we stopped.  While walking through the small park, we needed to walk around a pond and there on the opposite bank was a good size gator! He moved a lot more & quicker than any I've seen @ the zoo.  Before too long, he turned completely around, looked @ us & climbed into the water & began swimming towards us. That's when we decided, to move along. There is a small historical district on the island, where buildings from the elite Jekyll Island Club era still stand. The enormous Clubhouse was built in 1888 in order to entice the wealthy to join. From 1888 to 1942, the Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Goodyear, Manville & Firestone names were listed along with more of the world's wealthiest members. Some of the esteemed members built their own mansion-sized cottages alongside the Clubhouse, which all stand in excellent condition today. We dined @ Latitudes Restaurant, on the wharf in the Historical district & found the best wine deal around.  Instead of buying a $7.50 glass of Clos Du Bois Cabernet, the barmaid suggested I should just buy the bottle for $9.00.  I checked the bottle price @ Publix & the same bottle sold there for $21.00-love it when that happens!

The next few nights, we stayed in different anchorages, always moving 25-40 miles farther north each day.  We anchored in the North River, then in Big Tom Creek and after passing through Hell Gate & Field's cut we anchored by Bull Island.  Traveling the ICW in Georgia & South Carolina is a challenge due to the many shallow areas due to shoaling of sand & lack of dredging.  We really have to time our trips with the tides & currents, which isn't as easy as it sounds, because you can not logically figure the tides out.  You must consult the tide charts for the exact day & location you will be traveling through.  One place may have high tide @ 9:00 AM, where another location 20 miles away may have high tide @ 11:00 AM.  It's quite confusing & complicated.  Some of the sections in the ICW are impassable for trawlers like ours during low tide. The great lakes have many attractive qualities over cruising the ICW.  Although, one positive of the ICW is that it is quite protected and most of the time, you can travel when it is windy.   Yet cruising & anchoring are different stories, one of our anchorages just off the ICW was so rough that there were white caps and we had to change locations.  We have been entertained by Dolphins, bird's singing & beautiful skies & sunsets in most of our anchorages.  We love the solitude.

The No See'ums love Doug-anyone have the magic cure?

Passagemaker April 2015 Magazine/American funds Spring/Summer 2015

In July 2013, when we were cruising Lake Superior, we met a free lance writer who asked us if she could do a story about our adventure.  She interviewed us when we were docked in Houghton, MI located in the Keweenaw Peninsula of the UP.  Her story has now been published in Doug & Garry's favorite magazine: Passagemaker April 2015 edition.  Below is the article.

This summer of 2014, when we were cruising Lake Michigan, American Funds sent their professional photographer, videographer & producer to meet us in Chicago.  We were interviewed and now that story has been published in their American Funds Investor Magazine, Spring/Summer 2015 Edition.

March 30-April 2, Unspoiled Cumberland Island, Georgia

Many people told us we needed to visit Cumberland Island, especially Jill & Glen, so we did! It is now one of our top five stops! Cumberland Island, Georgia's largest, southernmost barrier island is a registered part of the National Seashore & a National Park. We anchored on the southwest side of the island & took our dinghy into the dinghy dock where the ferries drop day hikers & campers off.  On our first visit, we walked through one of the campgrounds to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean. While walking the dirt trail, we were surrounded by a forest of beautiful towering Live Oaks dripping with Spanish moss, flowers, palmetto plants & Palm trees all growing wild.  (By the way, I have renamed Live Oaks to "Wild Oaks", all living Oaks are live but not all are arching, sprawling, spreading, reaching into the ground & back out like these Oak trees.) Upon reaching the fine, white sand beach & dunes, we were thrilled to see some of the beautiful wild horses & a foal.  There are hammocks of trees all over the interior of the island, jungle like and thick with vegetation. The beach lines the 17 mile Atlantic shoreline with acres of white sand dunes and wild horses grazing in the dunes. Tidal creeks, mudflats & salt marshes line the other shorelines of the island.

Let me relate to you some of what we learned about the island:

People have lived on this island for thousands of years: from early Timucuan people, Spanish expeditions, some pirates, the British to the wealthy Carnegies.  One of the English officers built a hunting lodge & named it Dungeness.  In 1780, Revolutionary War hero, Nathaniel Greene was given land on Cumberland island. His widow built a huge, 4 story tabby (shells & limestone) mansion & also named it Dungeness. As often happens on islands, the Dungeness mansion & hunting lodge burned.  In 1884, Thomas & Lucy Carnegie, owning 90% of the island, built on the remaining foundations.  Dungeness was designed as a 59 room Scottish Castle. The Carnegie's lived quite grandly in this wilderness area; they had a huge recreation building with indoor & outdoor pools, a golf course & 40 smaller buildings to house the 200 servants who worked @ the castle. While the Carnegie's had control of the island, they built other mansions scattered across the acres for family members and established a settlement for all their African American workers. In 1959, the mansion, left vacant, also burned, but the ruins still stand today. From the 1950's to 1970's the Island's future was in turmoil.  Some of the Carnegie family wanted the National or State Park's to purchase the island, while other Carnegie's actually sold part of the island to a developer.  Many interested parties banded together and pushed the developer to sell his 3,000 acres to the National Park Foundation.  A National seashore bill was signed by President Nixon in 1972 and the Carnegie family SOLD the island to the Federal Government. One of the stipulations, was to continue to leave the horses run free. Some small parcels are still privately owned and one of these is the Greyfield Inn, owned by descendants of the Carnegies & operated as an Inn & Restaurant.

picnic @ Plum Orchard Mansion

We highly recommend all to visit this gem of an island.  A ferry runs out of St. Mary's, Georgia for day hiking or rustic camping (there are real toilets & cold showers) or splurge & stay @ the exclusive Greyfield Inn (they have a private boat pick you up).

Alligator hunting

Choppers waved @ us as they flew by

Another amazing adventure!