July 25-27, 2020 New Bridge & Hampton, Virginia

 Enjoyed an easy short cruise from Coinjock to Atlantic Yacht Basin, crossing into Virginia. We are stopping here because Doug's nephew John lives nearby with his wife Christina & sons. Once we got settled, John & Christina came by; it was John's Birthday so we celebrated. They took us to their house to grill out for dinner. We had a super nice meal & visit. We all were very careful & wore our masks in the car & ate outside on their deck.  We are only staying @ AYB one night, not a very nice place, it's more of a boat yard than Marina. Facilities are not good. 

The next day, we left the face dock, timing it to get through the Great Bridge Bridge & into the Lock. We were the only ones in the lock so we were able to be on the west side which has permanent rubber fenders built into the wall. We needed to use our own lines due to the Pandemic & we used the cleats on the wall not on the bulkhead. On the boat, we used the midship & stern instead of bow & stern & it was quite easy to lock down the 2 feet. The wall wasn't slimy but there were many creepy water bugs on the wall. Cruising north, we passed through Norfolk which is always a busy harbor with many Navy warships, commercial industry, NOAA ships & even a few Norwegian Cruise ships docked due to the shutdown. 

We pulled into Salt Pond Marina Resort in Hampton Virginia where our KK friends Diane & Tim keep their boat, Acadia. They were there to greet us & help us in. The Marina & docks are quite run down. The onsite restaurant is currently closed. Tim & Diane also have a pretty home across the way in a canal. Sweet Diane & Tim lent us one of their cars so we could provision. Temperatures continue to be high into the 90's. We sat on the back deck of Acadia for cocktail hour with Tim & Diane. Not going inside with people due to COVID 19. 

Diane & Tim wanted to cruise us thru the salt ponds. We each got into our own dinghies and we followed them through the winding, pretty flats of green grasses & eventually to a beach at an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay. For cocktail hour, we used our dinghy to get to Tim & Diane's house. We sat on their shaded comfortable patio overlooking the canal. For dinner, they drove us downtown to a charming area. We dined outside on a closed off street. They are great Harbor Hosts-thank you!

July 20-24, 2020 River Dunes, Oriental, Belhaven & Coinjack, NC

One of our favorite stops from our 2015 summer adventure was River Dunes Marina in Oriental, so of course, we wanted to stop again.  The Harbormaster Scott is a real good guy & he gave us a primo spot on the face dock right in front of the pool. It's still hot so we used the pool both days, which felt wonderful & was good for Doug's shoulder. There is a restaurant on the 2nd floor of the clubhouse; we ordered & ate dinner downstairs in the screened porch all by ourselves. 

After 2 nights, we left River Dunes knowing we will return on our way back south. We enjoyed a scenic cruise through the Neuse River, Plamico Sound and the Pungo River. We had heard about Dowry Creek Marina outside Belhaven, so we had made a reservation. It's a small marina & the slip they wanted to put us in, was inside with a narrow approach on a tight fairway. With Doug's right arm out of commission, we refused that slip so they put us on the fuel dock. There was a lot of activity with many live-aboards. The facilities were pretty nice but there was restaurant construction at a standstill and the pool was crowded and the water was cloudy. There were no masks nor social distancing.  We stayed one night.

The next morning, it's hot & we are going to anchor. It hit 90 degrees by noon. We are not seeing many boats in this section of the ICW, only 2 today. We anchored in Little Alligator River just north of the Alligator River Bridge. We were just getting ready for cocktails on the back deck when suddenly a strong wind blew up, knocked over one of our teak chairs & blew our drinks & food off the cocktail table.  The wind was coming opposite the current & quickly turned the boat and pulled our anchor out so we began to drag.  It got dark, began to rain & kept blowing. Doug quickly started the engine, I brought the anchor in as we were getting close to some pilings. It was a bit tense but we handled it & it was helpful that it was still daylight. We moved up the creek farther, the weather settled and we actually enjoyed a peaceful night. 

In the morning, we were bug free, which I think was a positive result from the storm & winds. Next stop, Coinjock Marina. We have been here before, it's known for it's prime rib at the Restaurant on site. When we arrived, there was only one other boat on the long face dock. This has been a common occurrence, we are cruising at an off time-we missed the big push north earlier in the summer. We like the lack of crowds and being able to get a dock with one days notice. We did order from the restaurant for take out but did not get the prime rib. There was live music on the patio which we could hear & enjoy from the boat. 

July 13-20, 2020 Southport, NC

 We left BHI on slack tide & Doug did really well with an injured, immobilized right arm. Our cruise was a short 4 miles to Southport Marina. We chose to go there for Doug to continue to recuperate because it is cheaper dockage & there are more resources within walking distance for us. Doug was concerned staying too long at BHI because dockage was very pricey but as it turns out Harbormaster, Ben helped us out with that. The dockmaster @ Southport Marina was kind to us & assigned us a spot on the inside of the face dock, protected from wakes and easy pull in. 

Southport Marina has new docks and nice facilities. It is affiliated with Zimmerman's Boat Yard right next door. We walked to town & wearing our masks visited the famous Christmas Shop & a great toy store. There isn't a good grocery store near by & we couldn't get my bike out because Doug couldn't lift yet so Tricia had told me that a Harbor Host, MTOA member lived down the street from the Marina & would drive me to the grocery.  I reached out to him and he was very nice & he took me to Walmart. Doug continued to improve but was still in pain. We enjoyed dinner at the outdoor patio of Provision Grill one night. It's been very hot.

Doug is feeling better & we decided to continue our trek north. North Carolina's scenery is quite pretty along the ICW with lots of sandy beaches and not many houses. And we only saw one Trump flag in 6 hours. Our next stop, Harbour Village. We stayed on the fuel dock. Left the next morning. 

The next day, we enjoyed a short cruise because we had to time mid to high tide to pass through a shallow, shoaled in area near Mile Hammock anchorage. Just 2 other boats were anchored with us & we had noisy choppers flying around till late. We got in early enough to get in the dinghy to go cool off at one of the nearby beaches. The water was brackish & warm. 

The next morning we had to time it again for the tides, so we left early and made it through the tricky spots just fine as we followed Bob423's track. We decided to try a new Marina in Beaufort NC: Homer Smith Marina. It's a family owned place, nice floating docks but bad facilities, which had held a shrimping business until just recently. They did have a courtesy car which we used to grocery shop. We walked across the bridge for dinner & enjoyed a nice dinner outside overlooking the harbor, which is full of boats. We also took the dinghy around to downtown Beaufort. We tied up at the dinghy dock & walked around town a bit. On the way back, I was driving the dinghy so Doug wouldn't hurt his arm and I was showing off to him, going fast and guess what? I got pulled over by Fish & Game Warden. I won't hear the end of that one. 

July 6-13, 2020 Baldhead Island NC

 Lots of boat traffic today on the ICW in North Carolina. We took a slow cruise north because we had to miss the max current on our approach into Baldhead Island's Marina. The approach is a bit narrow & is off the Cape Fear River & the Ocean inlet, making for some strong currents & white knuckles. We have never been here before but we were for-warned by our friend David Evangelista.  Well best laid plans-we entered with a significant current but Captain Doug did a fabulous job as usual & we arrived safely. We were assigned a big slip, much larger than our boat. 

Baldhead Island, is located on the east side of Cape Fear River & is 5.8 square miles in size.  It is a small remote village & accessible only by ferry, air or four wheel drive. Cars for personal use are not allowed, most residents drive golf carts. There are many vacation homes built along either the beach road or the forest drive.  There is a golf course & 2 private clubs. A small fun tidbit: it was the primary filming location for the film "Weekend At Bernies", which is one of Doug's favorite movies.

Baldhead Island did play a role in 2 American wars. The island was home to Fort George, a British Fort & then it became Fort Holmes, a confederate base during the Civil War. Currently, its claim to fame is the sea turtles nesting activity, which our friend, Betty is involved with as a volunteer. Betty helps by patrolling the beach & protecting nests & helping out at the shop.

One of our Krogen family lives here on the island. During cocktail hour, Betty came by to welcome us and give us some local info on what to see & do while visiting. After Betty left & before dinner, we decided to hop on our bikes & circumnavigate the island. It was supposed to be a quick, short, safe activity-no cars, not a big place & later in the day, so we didn't wear helmets or even bring our wallets. We were enjoying the scenery: the views of the houses, trees & beaches. There were many golf carts out riding around & passing us, so we stayed on the edge of the paved road. After biking most of the island,  we were on the beach road, something distracted Doug & he rode off the edge of the road into the sand. He over corrected and got back on the road before he fell, his forehead bouncing off the asphalt-Ugh. I watched the whole thing happen. 

Doug was knocked silly, he wasn't focusing & he had an immediate goose egg on his forehead. He was bleeding from his head down. Two golf carts stopped right away & one of them called 911. Doug wouldn't stay on the ground, he became combative when we tried to keep him down. He finally came out of it, after insisting on standing up & was able to focus on me. Many nice people stopped to help. Rachel, the daughter of the owners of the house where he fell, came out & offered assistance. Two young ladies got us ice & a towel. Someone brought out a folding chair. The ambulance showed up with a police woman, a paramedic & 2 EMT's. By the time Doug sat in the chair, he knew his right shoulder hurt. I looked at it and could see he had an A-C (Acromium/Clavicle) Separation. Just like he has on his left side from a fall in 2007. They needed to Life Flight him off the island. Of course, I couldn't go with him. Rachel, the nice young lady from the house is an RN & had worked at the Wilmington Medical Center & offered to get me there. They were taking him there because that facility had a trauma center. I asked the  Paramedic to put a mask on Doug. None of the medical or police were wearing masks. This is during the Pandemic. They put a mask on Doug. They left to go to the helipad & I left in a golf cart with Rachel & her Mom to go to the boat & grab Doug's ID & other stuff and then to the ferry. The 2 nice young ladies took our bikes to Betty's house to keep safe. 

It took Rachel & I much longer to get to the hospital then Doug. We had a 20 minute ferry ride & then a 45 minute drive. Rachel didn't stay with me, she had to leave right away to catch the last ferry back to the island. When I arrived at the emergency room, it was packed with COVID patients. I wore my mask while I was on the ferry (required) & in the car with Rachel.  Luckily, they were expecting me & took me immediately to an area away from the crowds to sign the papers & make copies of Doug's ID & insurance cards.  I could see that they had taken half of the waiting room & made temporary cubicles with cots for patients.  I asked about the hospital lobby & she said the lobby was filled with COVID patients too. I gave the Admissions lady Doug's phone & I went outside.  I never went back inside the hospital, glad it was warm out. Doug had been admitted as Aquamarine Doe because he didn't have any ID on him & came from an island. Doug called me as soon as he got his phone. 

The Trauma staff were very efficient, by the time I arrived, the CT of his brain & neck, ultrasound of abdomen & X-ray of his shoulder & arm had been done. Thankfully all were normal except the X-ray of his shoulder showed the right A-C separation. They immobilized his arm & offered an admission or discharge. We chose discharge, he did not need to be exposed to all that COVID. What was nice, is that the Trauma Unit was isolated from the rest of the ER. The next problem was that they had cut off his shirt & underwear. He came out of the hospital with depends & a hospital gown on. I tried getting an Uber but no one would come to the ER (don't blame them with the huge COVID outbreak). I had made a reservation at a nearby Hampton, so we ended up walking there @ midnight. The medical staff had been efficient on diagnosis but no one had cleansed his wounds or even wiped off the blood. So imagine him walking into a hotel, bloody & with a hospital gown on. Luckily it was late enough, only the hotel clerk saw him & he didn't even take a second glance-he probably has seen it all. What a night! Believe it or not, Doug actually slept after a shower & without any pain meds. We couldn't get his script filled, so no pain meds, not even an Advil to be found. 

The next morning, Doug stayed in bed & I took an Uber to get his prescription filled. Then we took an Uber to an Ortho Doc that the Trauma Dr had recommended. They took more X-rays to make sure his arm & shoulder joint were ok, which they were. He said treatment was immobilization for 1-2 weeks and then PT. Betty had given us a name of a transportation service, so we arranged to be taken back to the ferry after the doctor appointment. We were back to the boat on Baldhead Island less than 24 hours later. Whew, What a day! 

We worked with the Harbormaster, Ben-who is a great guy, to stay for a week because it would be too painful & difficult for Doug to drive the boat and I (gulp) have not had the courage to learn how to dock Day Dreams. Betty gave us the use of her extra golf cart and I was able to use her washer & dryer. Betty also had us over for dinner our last night on the Island.  It has been a joy to get to know Betty.  We appreciate all that she helped us with and enjoyed spending time with her. 

We took it easy the rest of the week, Doug was in quite a bit of pain and couldn't do much without the use of his right arm. I took walks & explored some. It's a nice island but very busy during tourist season, even with this Pandemic.  I can't imagine in a normal year. Everyone was very nice. Our dock neighbors strong young son & friends helped us stow our bikes down in the engine room. 

July 1-6, 2020 Anchorage, Georgetown & Grand Dunes, SC

 We left Charleston, SC with no fuss, it's still very hot out but we did have a bit of a breeze today while cruising. We beat low tide today so we never saw less than 4 feet under the boat. The cruise through the low country is so pretty even though there are not many trees, the grasses and meandering waterways make for a pretty scene. We continue to follow Bob423 tracks & it makes all the twisting and turning easy & more like a video game when using our autopilot. We stopped for the night in the middle of the lowlands to anchor in Awendaw Creek.  We were all alone again, love that. We enjoyed a peaceful night, just a few Dolphins stopping by to say Hi.

In the morning, we pulled up anchor early again to miss the low tide. Doug saw 2 alligators among the grasses. We did have some small center console boat traffic buzzing us today. It was a short cruise today and we pulled into Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown, SC aroundnoon. We needed a pump-out & since their fuel price was good @ 1.80/gallon, we went ahead & got both at their fuel dock. We were assigned a nice slip, a nice pull in just inside with a long finger pier. Their docks & facilities are in good shape. We had been here 5 years ago & not much has changed. We walked to the closest restaurant, sat outside on the patio and enjoyed a good meal. We stayed for a few days to get past the 4th of July. Walmart, Piggly Wiggly & Auto Zone are all a bike ride away. It was hot again, up to 95 degrees so we stayed in the boat most afternoons. In the early evenings, when it cooled off some, we walked into & around town. Georgetown has a nice boardwalk along the shore downtown, where there are local boats docked and a few restaurants.  The merchants are being very responsible & requiring masks & use of hand sanitizer on entering each establishment.  We ended up eating across the street from the water, outside on the sidewalk at a new trendy restaurant & it was good. They have a good selection of restaurants & shops downtown. There was not any formal 4th of July Celebration due to the Pandemic but we could see some non commercial fireworks on the horizon. 

We left on Sunday the 5th and boy was the waterway busy with local small round arounds, pontoon boats, jet skis, tubers, wakeboards and beach goers. The route north was twisty with many turns, the water brackish. Instead of low country grasses, we began to see big trees lining the shore and sand beaches on the ocean side of the ICW. We stopped for the night at a new place to us: Grand Dunes outside Myrtle Beach. The dockhand was nice, we were given a good slip on the inside of the floating face dock so we were protected from all the boat wakes. We had a long walk to shore. We forgot to take pictures here. Shame on us. Ordered Thai & had it delivered by GrubHub. 

The next day, we headed north along the ICW slowly because we planned on visiting Baldhead Island & our friends, David & Tricia warned us notto attempt entering the harbor @ max current. There still was a ton of boat traffic, not big cruisers but lots of small stuff with some of them flying the dreaded Trump flag-ugh. We can not fathom why anyone supports that monster. A few dark clouds began forming over the Atlantic and next thing we knew, there was a funnel cloud hanging from the dark cloud reaching all the way to the horizon. As we watched it, it began to slowly move inward toward us. OK, what does one do in this situation.  All the people in the small local boats were watching too. We just kept on moving and luckily it dissipated before getting close! 

June 29-July 1, 2020 Charleston SC

We enjoyed a short cruise north along the ICW, from Church Creek anchorage to Charleston City Marina. As we approached the Marina, there were quite a few boats on the move and the current is relatively swift here. And who should pass us, a Coast Guard big inflatable who was going very fast & really waked us hard. They did not have lights flashing & there was no calls of any emergencies on the VHF.  I think they were just out joy riding & being irresponsible. So I made a comment about their wake on CH 16 & boy did Doug quickly & loudly tell me not to do that.

We were assigned a spot on the Mega Dock, as usual but this time on the interior side, which is more protected and calmer.  There was plenty of room, so Doug cruised up past & turned around so we were headed out for our departure & to ride wakes more comfortably. Current was slack, Doug planned that. It's always interesting to see what mega yachts are currently docked here. This visit, we saw a 275 foot yacht called C2 owned by Ron Perelman and a 165 foot yacht named Norwegian Queen owned by Christine Lynn, who has an interesting bio.

Ordinarily, when we visit Charleston, we see my Uncle Jerry (my Dad's brother) and Aunt Carmela. When I texted my cousin Mark, who lives on the Isle of Palm to let him know we would be coming for a visit, he told me that the whole family had reservations in Marathon Florida for the week to celebrate my Aunt & Uncle's Anniversary & Aunt Carmela's Birthday. Our timing sucks! So sorry we won't be seeing them. Hopefully on our way back south.

Again, it's hot: 94 degrees but if you wait till it cools down, you'd never go outside. So we got our bikes out and rode to the Battery & to the Waterfront. There were children cooling off in both fountains.






The next day, we left on our bikes in the morning, before the heat of the day. We rode into town and through the charming Charleston University Campus.  There was no one on campus except 2 maintenance men, working. I'm sure the University was closed due to the Pandemic.  The Straw Market downtown was mostly empty.  There were a handful of vendors who were open to the outside of the building.  The inner walkway was closed. The temperature increased to 95 with a heat index of over 100. Our clothes were soaked when we got back to the boat and there is not a pool at this Marina. Time for a cold shower.

For dinner, we had scoped out a few places that offered outdoor dining. The first place we tried had cancelled outdoor dining due to the high heat index.  We are not eating dinner inside of a restaurant due it being a very risky behavior as far as exposure to COVID 19. We found a better alternative: Circa 1876, which is located on the lovely grounds of a historical mansion.  This restaurant has a delightful patio, half of it covered with a tent, the other half open air.  We started out in the open air section, ordered drinks but then it began to rain so we moved under the tent. There was only 1 other couple sitting outside and we distanced well away from them.  It was quite a thunder storm and we were good until the wind picked up, which was while we were eating dinner.  We did get a tad wet but it was fun! It calmed down before we biked back to the boat.

Since we couldn't visit our family, we left the next day @ noon, again at slack tide.