Virginia to South Carolina

10.16.14

After staying in Deltaville for an extra day due to rain we awoke to sunny skies and tons of oyster fishermen dredging for their catch and sailed to Poquoson to visit with our friends Harry and Twyla, who were waiting our arrival at the marina! What fun to be welcomed by them! 

Twyla had made arrangements for me to get in with her dentist on short notice to mend a fractured crown (same one I fractured in Maine and had bonded back together), so she whisked me off to Newport News for the repair.  I opted for a temporary crown instead of a quick fix so that I can make it back to my dentist for the replacement crown in December.  Finding a dentist is difficult enough let alone getting an appointment on short notice while we're traveling, and it’s so fortunate to have friends up and down the coast to assist. One of the interesting tasks is to find a hairdresser. Jeff has it made…. I cut his hair.  Me, on the other hand need a cut and color. OH! those roots are getting BAD…. last time in the chair was the end of August! I will spare you a photo here..

After the trip to the dentist, we had a fantastic time. Harry and Twyla gave us a tour of their town and their home. Wow! What a lovely home and incredible back yard. We were even treated to a portion of a T-ball game where their grandsons were playing. What fun is THAT? Those kids are SO cute! After watching for a while, we returned to the marina restaurant and enjoyed a super meal…. The best fried oysters and broccoli EVER! 

The next morning Harry and Twyla picked us up at 11:00 after we finished a load of laundry (never ending task when we have the opportunity) and took us to a grocery store and fresh produce stand for provisions. The tomatoes from that stand (Harry said they were probably grown in Deltaville) were the best we've had in a long time. We were treated to a great lunch in Newport News (we owe you!).

At 3:00, Harry and Twyla tossed our dock lines, we waved goodbye and headed off to Norfolk.

We arrived in Norfolk after dark and anchored in front of the Naval Hospital. Boy, were we lucky! There were crab pots all around us in the morning. Fortunately we didn't snag one!

The next morning, Oct. 18^th, we made our way through Norfolk and arrived at the Lock well ahead of schedule only to find that a barge was taking up a large amount of available space. We ended up waiting for the “second shift” to get through. That set us back an hour or so.

Crabbing on the south side of the lock

Crewing on the ICW

We're all heading south to warmer weather!

We had made a reservation at the Coinjock Marina where we had stopped on our way north and also put our order in for their famous prime rib. After successfully transiting the Lock, the Great Lock Bridge and the Pungo Ferry Bridge we arrived at Coinjock.

We met another sailing couple there who also have a Beneteau, so we swapped notes and became fast friends with Karen and Rich, on Gypsea Winds - you guys are the greatest! Oh – and so is their Portuguese water dog, Maggie!

Leave it to Coinjock to think up a drink name like the one above!

We left Coinjock the next day and motor-sailed through the North River, then into the Albemarle Sound where the wind picked up so we were able to sail around 8-9 knots across the sound in 2’ seas on the rear quarter. We anchored with Gypsea Winds and five other boats in a pretty anchorage. The next morning we saw nothing but thick fog. When it finally burned off enough to see where we were going, we were underway once again and headed toward Oriental. Karen and Rich joined us there and we enjoyed dinner together at the marina restaurant where we discussed our plans for the next day. It was decided that we would reserve a spot at the Beaufort, NC town docks.

Here we are in the fog from Gypsea Winds

Rich and Karen's boat, Gypsea Winds

On our way to Oriental, NC

The ducks were back looking for a handout, which naturally I gave in to.

Next stop, Beaufort Town Docks.

Neat town! A nice walk through the waterfront shops, a little history and then dinner at a restaurant Karen recommended called Blue Moon. What a great place!

Karen and Rich at the Blue Moon

Wow – was it chilly the next day. We need to get further south soon! At 4:20, we set the anchor in Mile Hammock Bay with 15 other boats and settled in down below for a warm dinner.

Again, we woke to 45 degrees. Most of the other boats in the anchorage were heading out at daybreak. Since we don't have a bimini yet, we waited until the sun was higher in the sky. Wimps... we are truly weather wimps! It was our plan to return to Bald Head Island since we enjoyed it there so much on our way north. It was again a pleasant stay although we much preferred our northbound slip. We were assigned A-11 and don’t recommend it. The surge from the channel was bothersome as was the ferry traffic. Next time we'll request a B or C dock  T-head. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing hard this day and our ICW chart blew overboard. Oh well, it was 23 years old!
Some sights along the way....

Interesting location for an osprey nest!

In our slip at Bald Head Island Marina.

On the 24th of Oct. after provisioning and what else…. laundry, we left at noon and set our sights on Calabash Creek, a recommended anchorage. There were already 7 other boats anchored there and swinging room was tight, but we managed to “fit in”.  We saw a beautiful eagle sitting high in a lone tree and wished we could have gotten a photo but you've got to be extremely quick while the boat is on the move!

Uh-oh...

 

Remember the lost chart? Well, we left the anchorage around 9:00 and arrived at Little River at the cusp of a 4’3” high tide.  There were no markers on either side of the bridge and no tide stains so we decided it would be best to anchor and wait for the tide to turn. Our mast is taller than most on the ICW, so it’s best to sit tight until we're sure we'll make it under without ruining equipment. Interestingly enough, we anchored near a marine facility, called the number on the building and inquired as to whether they had charts for sale. Nope – no charts, however the man on the other end of the line said he had a used one (his, actually) that he'd sell us for $40. Bingo! What luck!  It was newer than our old one and way less $$ than a new one! We were back underway at noon and anchored in Thoroughfare Creek in a very rural, peaceful anchorage.

Amazing home on the Intracoastal Waterway

We prefer this....

We sailed the next day to Harborview Marina in Georgetown, strolled the shops and restaurants, most of which were closed on Sundays. After having cleaned up onboard, we enjoyed dinner at the only open restaurant in walking distance from the marina called 5 Rivers and happened to meet two more sailboat couples. Amazing how new friendships just blossom. Boat names: Max and Distant Drum. Hope we see you again Karen, Chuck, Meredith and Dick!

The next morning (27^th) we were off the dock at 11:30 and reached Five Fathom Creek just south of McClellanville at 4:30 and watched several shrimp boats heading in to sell their catch. We launched the dinghy and headed to town to buy some! We had to tie up to a shrimp boat, climb aboard and work our way to the dock in order to purchase 2 pounds of fantastic shrimp. It was well worth the effort!

Another morning waking to thick fog… which finally burned off at 11:00 and got underway. At 3:10, we anchored just beyond the ferry landing at DeWees Island, and a beautiful golden marsh surrounding us. The dolphins and herons were feeding. Once again, a blue heron thought our foredeck appealing and his muddy footprints were all over the deck. He didn't stick around long enough to require additional cleaning…  An uneventful next day landed us in the South Edisto River a mile up and around the bend from the ICW where we anchored for the evening.

Can you imagine hosing off THIS dock? Birds on all levels!

 

We then headed for Beaufort, SC passing Charleston on the way. We recognized the Battery, the bridges and Charleston Harbor and waved as we passed by.

Scary sight!

The Battery in Charleston

The weather is looking better!

Halo around the sun

    

We reserved a slip at the Port Royal Landing Marina for Thursday, where we are close enough to Hilton Head to retrieve my car (where it has spent the summer with our friends Cris and Dean).  The weather has taken a turn for the worse and we wanted to be secure in a slip when the chill and heavy winds were to hit. Since our arrival we have been quite happy with this marina and had the pleasure of hearing a live band on Halloween night coming from the deck of the marina.

Next, we're off to Atlanta for a conference and back to Hilton Head where we'll keep the boat at Windmill Harbour for perhaps a week. Then we hope to sail offshore to Cumberland Island, then on to St. Augustine. More to come........