Last Day in Charleston

The last couple of days have been pretty relaxing as we extended our stay in Charleston. Yesterday Mattias was suffering from cold symptoms and stayed at the boat. This gave Liv and Hanna the opportunity to play, read and nap. Mom enjoyed a nice nap and read in bed! What luxury! In the afternoon, Liv and I shuttled downtown and window shopped, stopped at a book store and looked at Christmas trees, holiday decor and model train exhibit in the large hotel. After a stop at Starbucks for a little pick me up, we called the shuttle for a drive back to the boat. Hanna stayed with Mattias on the boat and both girls enjoyed alone time with one parent.
Today, was a sunnier and warmer day than the sprinkles yesterday. Mattias was feeling better so we set out walking to a restaurant his friend Mike recommended, Hominy Grill. Looking at the framed postings we saw it had been highlighted in the NY Times, Gourmet, Bon Appetit etc. We had a delicious lunch. I ordered the Shrimp and Cheese Grits which the waitress said was popular breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mattias enjoyed a steaming bowl of Gumbo while Liv and Hanna each ate safe grilled cheese and blt's sandwiches. We skipped on dessert (not sure why) but were tempted by Buttermilk Pie and the popular Chocolate Pudding! I purchased a cookbook and hope to introduce some Swedes to grits!
Back on foot and Burley, we walked miles around Charleston today after lunch. Back to the historic neighborhoods of the trendy King St. close to Charleston College; Bay St. (the Battery) and Market. Our little dogs (feet) and girls were tired and the shuttle came just in time to take us back to the boat. We made it an early night as we are setting out tomorrow for more fun on the water!
More later,
Carrie

More Snapshots of Charleston

 

 

 

 

Snapshot of Charleston

 

 

 

 

Charleston Aquarium, Plantation and Dock Pics

 
 
 
 

Charleston, SC Days 1 through 3

 
 
 
 

Day 1
Mattias was working on the boat so I took the girls to the Charleston Aquarium today. It was a beautiful setting right on the harbor with a bridge that rivals the Golden Gate in beauty. Sorry the picture doesn't give it justice. We had an enjoyable several hours there, had a bite to eat and then walked to the library just a few blocks away for a little quiet time. Heesook, Christopher and Don showed up there as well and we hung out in the kids section while the kids were busy on the computers and/or reading. We all went back to our boat for a cup of tea and later took the shuttle to the historic area for dinner. We were heading to one Thai restaurant and little did we know that our driver was moving to Thailand to start and orphanage with his wife so he steered us to a place he recommended and we had a delicious meal.
Day 2
It was plantation day today and it was my choice to decide which one to see and I was down to three. I selected Magnolia after reading reviews online, a recommendation from Charles Kuralt in the guide books, and thought it would be a good one for the kids since they had a petting zoo, the variety of tours etc.. After lunch, an informative tram ride, house tour and nature boat tour, we decided that we could have skipped all but lunch and the tram ride! The home itself was a little disappointing but we saw some beautiful gardens and alligators lurking around the lake! This plantation is still run by the family who lived in the home until 1975 and probably does not have the national budget like Middleton or Drayton Hall, my other choices.
We did some grocery shopping, had dinner out and arrived home after 8. Don and Christopher surprised us on the dock and invited us for wine and cheese since they moved their boat to the marina for one night. We got the girls in jammies, popped them in the Burley and motored down the mega dock which is like, "pack a lunch long"! I took a nice picture of the biggest yacht here. You too could own this 19 million dollar beauty if you were the attorney winning the tobacco settlement of a couple of years back. I guess he pocketed $100 million. So, this yacht has fenders taller than Liv, and its own monogrammed golf cart! One of the dock guys says he wants to tell her (the yacht) how beautiful she is since she doesn't get used nearly enough. And apparently, the mega rich owner has her registered in the Bahamas where there is no tax. This attorney ain't no dumb box of rocks!
Day 3
This morning, I took the girls with Heesook and Christopher to the park to burn off some steam. Mattias actually drove us there before he went for errands as long as we still had the rental car. He picked us up and after lunch our family went to the Children's Museum while Mattias continued to work on the boat. He changed the oil and did some other messy things while we were out of the way. Because we lost a day for repairs and errands, we decided tonight to stay an extra day here in Charleston to do and see more before we leave. It is a beautiful city--and there is so much to see and so much history, plus it is miles ahead of Minneapolis/St. Paul in the trend quotient...something I never realized! I'm afraid if we don't take advantage of seeing the sights while we are here now it'll be a century before we get back again!
More later,
Carrie

 
 
 
 

Little River, SC to Georgetown; McClellanville, SC to Charleston, SC

Day 1 Little River, SC Mile 346.0 to Georgetown, SC Mile 402.9
Mattias had my personal sympathies the entire day as he had "shitty" start to the morning. It was the day after Thanksgiving. While most of the U.S. was out doing their Christmas shopping, Mattias was pumping out the toilet holding tank. Unfortunately, while I was adjusting some screw thing inside, he was unscrewing the valve outside and a weird pressure created a spray of waste all over his face and clothes! Disgusting? Definitely! I felt so bad for him I promised him anything he wanted all day!
After he cleaned up, we had an interesting journey the way to Georgetown. We traveled through the Waccamaw River which is beautiful. Mattias must have studied the navigation book really well because he went down to take a nap and left me at the helm for a good part of the 25 mile River route. I looked at the nav book and saw that he trusted me with 20 foot depths and a few 2' shoals to look out for so he could dream easy. It was fun to be alone at the wheel for a while without my "backseat driver" offering advice!
In Georgetown, we anchored alongside Patience but didn't raft this time. The anchoring went well.
Day 2 Georgetown Mile 402.9 to McClellanville, SC mile 430.0
We departed Georgetown at 9:30 a.m. for a short trip, 28 miles, to McClellanville. It was a brisk layering of clothes sort of day. Lot's of wind, currents and cross current on the creeks. The high tide was extremely high. By the time we got to McClellanville it was nearing low tide and got stuck as we were rounding the corner to the small channel to the marina. Fortunately it was only in soft mud and Mattias backed us out and took the corner again. We arrived at this rusty marina, home to about 25 shrimp boats that turned out to be one of our favorite stops. Pictures show the sleepy town of McClellanville with hanging moss in the trees and homes with historic name plates out front. Our family was a novelty of sorts to a larger family reunion happening in town. We were even invited to their party but declined in order to go to the only restaurant in town! The nearest grocery store is 30 miles away but the restaurant we ate at was featured on the Travel Channel and boy, the food was delicious! We tried a heaping plate of steamed oysters in shell, some crawfish tails, flounder, shrimp, sweet potato fries, marinated cole slaw and a homemade key lime pie for dessert!
Day 3 McClellanville Mile 430 to Charleston, SC mile 469.3
Mattias was up at 6 a.m. and got the boat ready for take off by 7 in order to make high tide. He brought in a steaming cup of coffee and said I could sleep...oxymoron...who can sleep with that lovely smell of coffee next to their head?! I was soon up and then the girls. Mattias enjoys being on his own in the cockpit sometimes and that lets me referee battles below! I got the girls ready and joined Mattias by 10 a.m. after making fried egg sandwiches for breakfast and then baking blueberry muffins for still hungry girls. The tide was really high today as there was a flood warning in the Charleston area. The current was with us and then against us pulling and pushing the boat. Once we got in to Charleston harbor it was windy again. We found the Charleston City Marina no problem and our little 33' foot Windfall is dwarfed by these Mega Mega Yachts docked here.
We had a late lunch of fresh shrimp purchased the day before. Our friends, Heesook, Don and Christopher dinghied over from their anchoring spot and joined us before we all set out on foot to tour Charleston. We got to the historic district near College of Charleston and cute, trendy shops by dinnertime and stopped for a pizza snack. Home now and resting.
More later,
Carrie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Southport, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC

Day 1 Southport, NC Mile Marker 309.3
We decided to spend an entire day in Southport North Carolina. It was a pleasant little town with darling historic houses that I would like to have photographed. We took the dingy to the town dock to meet our friends for coffee. After coffee we took the kids to a little park and departed separately. Heesook took her Christopher and our Liv and Hanna to the library; Mattias went back to work on the boat and Don and I walked a few miles to the Walmart Super Store as we both needed provisioning as we intended to anchor out the next stops. We thought it was strange that such a nice town had cute gift shops, restaurants and marinas but only had a Walmart for grocery option. By the time we were done shopping it was after 3 p.m. We taxied back to our boat; Mattias and Hanna took Don and his loot back to his boat and Mattias stayed a little too long for coffee. On the return trip, Hanna and Mattias got stopped by the Coast Guard and Mattias got a nice warning as he didn't have a flashlight, whistle and was not wearing his lifevest. He said he learned a nice lesson there!

Day 2 Southport, NC Mile Marker 309 to Myrtle Beach, SC (Crossed to the South Carolina border!) Mile marker 346!
Mattias and Don had talked by radio last night to determine navigation plans. The ICW route was showing spots of shallow and shoaling areas, bridge openings to wait for etc. and we decided that we would try to go "outside" on the Atlantic Ocean instead. So up early and engines running at 7:15 a.m. We went out with outgoing tide and with the waves of open water meeting the tide it created terrible chop. We had an outgoing current of 1.9 knots, there were whirlpools, riptides and one spot looked like boiling water spouting up. At one point, a big wave crashed over the bow and we took in water through the hatch below. Turns out the girls had been goofing with the hatch and didn't latch it properly after being told dozens of times not to play and we didn't check before taking off...so, their beddings were dripping, soaking wet. The lifelines on the boats were decorated with brightly colored Ikea sheets of bugs, flowers etc. Looking like a gypsy boat cruising down the ICW! The only things we lost in the event were the kids two Leapsters and of course, 2 brand new game cartridges purchased at WalMart the day before! Another oops!
We decided to turn back and take the ICW route after all. Patience, our friend's boat, went on and radioed to say only 5 minutes after we turned in it was calm and serene. We didn't want to proceed on the ocean side as Hanna was looking and not feeling so well. We didn't want to scar and/or scare the poor girl for life!
The ICW proved to be okay after all. Mattias carefully navigated thru the iffy spots. He likes the challenge I think. We met up with Patience here at a marina since the anchorage spot was too shallow for either of our keels. The dockmaster is a nice chatty boater lady who warned us of fire ants but said the only alligator was removed some time ago!
We are grilling and having pot luck tonight on our boat.
More later,
Carrie

P.S.
Remember the couple in distress at sea? We saw them and their boat at the marina in Southport and their boat again at a poor anchorage spot on the way to Myrtle Beach. The dock lady said there will be casino cruisers passing by them all night! We can't believe they are still at it, and that the wife is putting up with the strife her husband has put her through!!! Crazy people everywhere!

P.S.S.
Photo shows how the South Carolinians are already decorating for Christmas...and it's not even Thanksgiving!

Some travel photos!

Here's a nice picture of Patience going thru a bridge. Note the armada of sailboats following. We all have to wait to get the masts under the bridges. Traveling in a line is what it's like on the ICW--just the power cruisers crashing by us some guys creating huge waves to knock us over, esp. if you are in the cabin! Another picture shows that the houses are getting bigger and fancier the farther South we get!

About the Blog

I have really enjoyed getting our experiences down in this blog fashion. I am so used to typing like a banshee that I could hardly imagine writing in a journal the old fashioned way. I am thankful to Pamela and Liesa for encouraging me to get this started. As we have had so many days and experiences, I'm sure something would get lost somewhere if I hadn't started this. I know of a few friends and family who regularly read this and received one anonymous comment just now from a posting that I had held onto until photos could be uploaded. The reader requested photos to have captions...well, just to be clear, after many years of digital photography, our family just invested in a camera! So to request captions on a blog is like asking Bill Clinton to dinner! There was some gap in photos, but hopefully, we'll have more time to upload the photos or at least have better connections to get them to coincide with the text. In most cases, you'll have to read the text and make

Morehead City, NC to Southport, NC

Day 1 Mile 203.7 Morehead City to Mile 244.5 Mile Hammock Bay near Swansboro NC
We left Morehead City at close to 10 a.m. We passed the potentially dangerous Camp Lejeune firing range where, lucky for us, there was no firing practice activity going on. If there was firing, we would not have been able to travel the ICW in that area for several hours but I did call ahead to the Coast Guard to confirm.
We met up with Patience at Mile Hammock Bay and anchored/rafted along side them.
When we got settled in to our spot, we still had the VHF radio tuned into Channel 16, the International hailing and safety channel. All of a sudden there was this very frightening distress call to the Coast Guard. The woman calling was not able to speak English well, was in panic mode and not listening to the Coast Guard's questions. You could hear a man in the background shouting over the woman's repetitive pleas for help. Was something wrong with the boat? Was the guy beating her? You could hear him saying the "f-word" as she clicked on and off asking for help. Over the distress, you could not understand what was happening. Finally the Coast Guard was able to discern after the husband finally got on the radio, that they were trying to reach an inlet. It was obvious the sailboat they were on was in the Atlantic after they had given the Coast Guard the latitude and longitude for positioning.
We all gathered on Heesook, Don and Christopher's Patience listening together. We decided that we had all remembered the couple as an Asian woman/White man that we had seen in the locks some days earlier. Even then, they were having boat problems and getting shouts from the lock master to get his boat in or the gate with close on it! Mattias said, that guy doesn't know what he's doing. From the distress call, Heesook, being Korean, could recognize the woman was also Korean and she got permission from the Coast Guard to speak Korean to the lady in distress to help calm her down and get her to answer clearly to the questions being asked. As Heesook spoke the best Korean she knew, you could sense the relief from the lady. It was truly a hair on the arms raising, tear jerking experience.
Long story...the husband came on and said, no they weren't in distress, he was trying to find an inlet from the ocean that would take his 4' draft and his wife was "freaked out" not handling the waves very well- he needed to get her in to shore. After several attempts, the Coast Guard finally got them to understand the only inlet they could go to where they wouldn't go aground was Masonboro inlet, some 27 miles away from where they were. Okay, trouble was, now it was after 6 p.m., dark and getting colder. The guy repeated the distance and said "that'll take us 7 hours!". Again, the Coast Guard reiterated the inlet they could safely go to. So the guy signed off.
Day 2 Mile 244.5 to Mile 283.4 Motts Channel at Wrightsville Beach, NC.
So yesterday, we finally saw dolphins again. This time I snapped a nice photo of the guy/gal as it was swimming right on our wave, right next to the boat for some time. It even splashed us with water from the blow hole! So fun!
We lost a little time today waiting for a bridge to open. We had some time before bridge number 2 opened so stopped at a marina for fuel, for the kids to play and ate lunch on our boats while we waited. We had some time so the dockmaster guy said we could shower at his marina which was a pleasure after anchoring for some days...were we all looking or smelling that bad?
We anchored/rafted at Motts Channel with Patience this night. They dropped 135 feet of chain to anchor us both. Our boat is not particularly prepared to anchor ourselves--we don't have a chain, or long enough rope or even a winlass to pull up the anchor. Mattias is not used to anchoring because in Sweden, you don't use an anchor, but just tie up to a rock! We were joined by many other sailboats in this Channel. We had dinner on our respective boats and Heesook, Don and Christopher came for movie night. We watched Ratatouille.
Right before dinner, we heard Don shouting from his boat for us to tune into Channel 16. We were shocked to hear the same Korean/American couple on the radio with the Coast Guard, this time hailing the Coast Guard on a may day! We were baffled....thinking that they had still been out in the Atlantic for something like 24 hours later than their original call the day before. Unbelievable!! They had discarded the Coast Guard's recommendation from the night before and now had grounded their boat in the Cape Fear area that is known for significant shoaling, supposedly taking in water. The Coast Guard had asked if all passengers had their life vests on. We couldn't hear the response. She asked if the water was coming in like a garden hose or fire hose. We couldn't hear the response. Next, she suggested that the wife get out of the dingy and back into the sailboat. Chatter between the US Coast Guard and TowBoats Us or SeaTow (they are like AAA on water) went back and forth. It was determined that the TowBoats US could reach the couple sooner than US Coast Guard. So, about 15 minutes later, TowBoats US got to the couple who were 200 yards from shore, grounded. As the Coast Guard asked the TowBoat driver questions, he conferred with the Coast Guard that the lady was in the dingy, floating in the ocean, unattached to the boat! Un-f'ing believeable!! So, the couple was transferred to the US Coast Guard and moved to a marina in Southport where we were heading next day. It created more conversation this night!
Day 3 Mile 283.4 Motts Channel at Wrightsville Beach, NC to Mile 309.3 Southport, NC
We had an early start again today. Actually, Mattias got up early and we were started by 7:30 to get to Southport early. We checked into the marina early afternoon. I noticed, (safety nut that I am), that no one wears their life vests in boats her in NC, not even kids! How does that work?
Mattias will blog our experience on the water today. The writer of this blog had a migraine and took meds and rested for most of the afternoon while Mattias and girls took the dingy for lunch with Heesook, Don and Christopher. They played on the beach afterward. I did laundry after the migraine subsided.

More later,
Carrie

Oriental, NC to Morehead, NC--Dolphins!!

We got a later start today than normal as Mattias bought the outboard engine yesterday and tested it this morning. We also had to get to the store for more supplies and Mattias went to the marine store for some extra fuses that had burned out. The Burley came in handy again to cart around the groceries and gas for outboard etc. when attached to the complimentary marine bike.
So we departed Oriental at around 12:30 after lunchtime. Did a choppy short hike through 2-3 foot waves thru the rest of the Neuse River and it evened out once we got to Adams Creek. Our journey from Adams Creek to Core Creek was only about 3-4 hours long but once we got to Adams Creek, and into Core Creek we were joined by several dolphin. There are expansive shallow spots including one where a sailboat had grounded and Mattias could not join us in the entertainment or excitement as he was trying to navigate around us moving around the boat getting a closer look trying to avoid grounding Windfall! The girls and I had fun though. I tried to take photos but the dolpins were too fast as they went up and dived down and of course, my camera battery died. Better luck next time!
We arrived to Morehead Creek Yacht Basin close to dark and needed a toilet tank pump out something fierce. Our friends on Patience have anchored some 5 miles south but we are too late to meet them this evening and will meet up with them tomorrow.
I will try to get these photos posted tonight of the past few days if possible.
More later,
Carrie

Oriental, NC

We've spent the past three nights here in Oriental North Carolina along with Heesook, Don and Christopher. We're staying at the Whittaker Creek Marina and it has turned out to be a great stop for us. The surroundings are very pretty and the people are really nice here...the kind of folks who wave to you when they drive by. They also go out of there way to help you. A mechanic has showed up when called. The girls and I stopped by the grocery store with our Burley and I ended up getting a larger load of groceries than thought. Ended up, the cashier walked away from her register and loaded us and Burley into her pick up truck to drive us back to the marina. Kathleen here, a liveaboard person, has driven Mattias around for errands and the girls and I to the doctor and pharmacy some miles away.
The weather has warmed and we can get into shorts in the afternoons while we still need heat at night. Mattias has been getting the boat fixed up further. He used the original electric chart that came with the boat and a volt meter to figure out how to repair the heater. Some puffs and chugs from the heater later and voila!, it's fixed! So nice to ditch the space heater and just flip the switch on the thermostat. The heat not only is a comfort for us but helps to dry the condensation that builds in the boat. Mattias is also putting on the new alternator when it comes back from the mechanic today. He took the propane tank in for refill and to be safety updated. Also got the dingy blowed up, which the girls enjoy goofing around in, and will purchase an outboard motor today for it.
Since the weather is so nice, the first day Heesook and I took the kids for a long walk to find a park. We saw some really unusual Victorian houses with wrap around porches along a neighborhood near the water. Stopped for lunch at a pizza/sub place. She had to head out early as Christopher and Hanna were scrapping. He's a year younger but they are pretty similar in temperament that they don't always get along but I am trying to get across to Hanna that he just likes her and that has seemed to get her attention! Yesterday we sat out at a communal picnick table and the kids worked on craft projects.
We've had a couple of evening bonfire potlucks and last night was especially festive with some other marina people included. Don and Richard purchased 60 pounds of oysters fresh off the fisherman and set off to prepare an oyster feast of raw and grilled. Liv tried the raw one and wasn't brave enough for the whole thing. I finished that for her. So yummy! We all liked the oysters that had been grilled. So smoky and good! The other night I made a lasagna and Heesook, Don and Christopher came for dinner. We all managed to squeeze around our table and it was a nice evening.
The guys will continue to put finishing repairs on the boats today and if repairs get done then we can anchor outside of Oriental tonight. Liv is getting medicated for a bit of bronchitis and annoying ear infections that didn't clear since Annapolis. We slept in this morning and are relaxing now. Liv is organizing and Hanna is watching a dvd. Since we don't have propane yet, we have the hot water for coffee on the grill. A long wait for coffee!
The connection is very low this a.m. so I will post pictures later.

More later,
Carrie

Belhaven, NC to Oriental, NC

We got going today around 7:30 a.m. after a good night's sleep in Belhaven Marina. It was a typical day of travel going through the Alligator/Pungo canal; Bay River, Pamlico Sound and finally the Neuse River. We heard that the Neuse could be choppy if the winds were right and there was some splash over the boat. We are in "shrimp boat country" and probably confused a fisherman with our route as it appeared he was traveling the same or opposite tack as us. We couldn't tell and he did not pick up the radio as we tried to contact him to tell him our course. Well, we tried!
We arrived to the Whittaker Creek Marina at around 2:30 this afternoon. Our friends on Patience V had also arrived and the kids quickly got together for a dvd on their boat. Don and Heesook had arranged to meet with some other friends staying here and about 11 of us gathered around a campfire for a potluck cookout. It has been some days since we've been to a grocery store so we were low on provisions. I whipped together an Uncle Ben's rice dish pulled together with chicken, tomatoes and a cheesy curry sauce. Our oven doesn't do any browning so the finishing touch of breadcrumb/crumbled cheese looked more messy than appetizing--but it all went so it couldn't have been to bad! Don and Heesook picked up some shrimp while in Oriental and their friend, Andrea, prepared a tasty dish with the shrimp sauteed with smoked paprika and olive oil. Nummy stuff! I will have to read up on my sailboat cookbook to have items on hand for these potlucks...
So we are settled here for a couple days. Mattias had a guy here today to consult about the alternator and heater that need repair so we'll see him again tomorrow. Would be nice to ditch the electric space heater in lieu of the one installed on the boat so we can anchor out for variety and to save money which would be a good idea!
This marina, as most, has complimentary bikes so tomorrow we hope to hook up the Burley and bike into town to check it out .

More later,
Carrie
P.S. The server is slow tonight so no pictures. I'll post them later!

Coinjack, NC to Belhaven, NC

Day 1 Coinjack, NC to Alligator River Marina
We traveled a good 34.5 nautical miles today totaling 7 hours from Coinjack, including travel across the Albemarle Sound to Alligator River. The sound was about 14 miles in distance; shallow at 7-9 ft. under the keel and the waves were choppy at 2-3 feet. The water was brown the color of coffee, coke or swamp water! Midway thru the ride Mattias noticed the rpms were reving as they had been for the last day or so. Could be an alternator/starter/battery problem that he'd need to figure out on a dock somewhere. Put up the main sail as the jib wasn't getting us along quick enough. Our friends on Patience V went on to anchor an hour or so ahead of us. We settled into Alligator Marina so Mattias could figure out the problem. The view was peaceful and very beautiful from the marina. Our boating neighbors saw a sea otter pair perched on a stump so we went to the waterside to take a look but didn't see them. "Miss Wanda", the marina owner drove Mattias to the Napa auto parts in the closest town of Columbia, NC some 12 miles away. He got some parts to repair the problem but not all. Was able to rewire part of the battery and disconnect the second battery to alleviate the problem until we can get a part.



Day 2 Alligator River Marina
Mattias had the boat apart for more repair so we spent the second day in Alligator Marina. The winds were expected to be high in the afternoon making for uncomfortable travel anyway. Folks that came in on the Lady T from the Albemarle sound today said the waves reached 6 ft. Happy it wasn't us! Were happy about the marina rates. Aside from the free dock at Great River Bridge, we paid here $1.00 per foot. Cheapest we've paid so far. Would enjoy to anchor as there are a great many locations but with no heat and temps heading down to the 30's, it makes for personal misery!
Day 3 Alligator River Marina to Belhaven, NC
An uneventful day motoring a good 45 miles. It was quiet on the waters and cold. For the best part of the day we motored down the Alligator River and Pungo Canal. A straight route with funky waves that reminded me of being in a man made water park. Another shallow route with 9 feet under the draft pretty much the whole ride. We had to dodge tree stumps in the water and some shoaling but that was the only peril. We got a later start today and arrived after 4 p.m. when the sun was setting. Boy when that sun goes down it gets nippy. We have an early morning tomorrow to head to Oriental, NC which is supposed to be a quaint town.

Off to bed, Carrie

Hampton, VA to Great Bridge, VA to Coinjock, NC (home of the 32 ounce prime rib!)

Day 1 Hampton, VA to Great Bridge, VA
We were anxious to get moving out of Hampton and headed on what is called the Hampton Roads harbor, then to the Elizabeth River, with Norfolk, VA on one side. Norfolk is the world's largest naval base and shipbuilder. Photos show one of the many warships we encountered along the way. Ships were either in a state of movement, exercise or being repaired. It was a hugely interesting course on the way to our destination of Great Bridge, VA for the night.

Norfolk is also considered ground zero for the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Before embarking on this cruising journey, I had never heard of the ICW so I'll assume the same of my readers and attempt to educate you on what it is all about.
The ICW is a navigable route of water that runs all the way from Boston to Texas at the Mexican Border. The waters are all interconnected and can be rivers, sounds, canals, or creeks. This was actually an idea of Thomas Jefferson during the Revolutionary War as a means to create better transportation routes between the Colonies that were inland and protected for National Security. There are different monikers for which route you are taking. Our route is called the ICW and runs from ground zero at Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL which is about milemarker 1090. There are mile markers all along the route to aid in navigation.
So, aside from watching the naval activity, this day we encountered many bridges that either had to lift for us, or that we could safely pass under. The novelty wore off until we passed under a roadway bridge near our final destination whose road was made of those metal grates. Imagine traveling underneath that thing with cars passing to give you the shivers!
We traveled the Virginia Cut route since the ominous sounding Dismal Swamp is closed. Too shallow anyway from what I hear. Went through a lock too. We were right behind a single handed sailor whose boat waves the Belgian flag. We got to our destination at about the same time as "everyone" else. The marina was full and with no other options close by, we asked another boat if we could tie up (raft) next to his. Not a problem. We then gathered our stuff for a walk to the grocery store (best we've seen on trip). Hauled our packages back and met a Father and Son out on the dock outside their boat. Family boats are scarce this time of year so it was a treat to meet them. Luckily, we clicked and ended up sharing a potluck dinner on their boat which happened to have a large, covered outdoor deck, and bonus, it was a little warmer than our boat as we have no heat outside of the marina hookups.
So, young Christopher age 3 and something, his mother, Heesook and his father, Don from Kingston, Ontario in Canada have become new friends. They are on a similar travel course as us but will go on to the Bahamas. They are sailing for over 1 year and have a similar story to ours--a break from longterm job too seek new possibilities and the attitude of why wait to see the world?!

Day 2 Great Bridge, VA to Coinjack, NC
This day was an easy trip to Coinjack. I was happy to be leaving VA and can't say the people there were particularly friendly. Not that they were unfriendly, but unhelpful, disinterested, bored, reserved, or some label I can't put my finger on. Was it me? Was I having a bad day? Were they having a bad day? Too many people, too many times most folks were the same. So, my opinion is now formed. Sorry Virginians you could take a lesson or two from Minnesota nice!
The day was pretty much spent traveling 4.5 knots down the Elizabeth River into the Currituck Sound. All a big swamp but actually quite pleasing to the eye. You may have heard about a cruise ship that ran aground this morning and had a huge hole bringing in water. Well, that was on the same waterway as us and we passed right by it and then the Coast Guard passed by us carrying some passengers to safety to be met by news crews. Liv said we were filmed and was happy to be on t.v.! The waters were calm today so I was in the cabin cleaning up and missed all the action!
Arrived here at Coinjock early. Due to the ferry incident the waterway was closed at the lock we just passed and then opened later. It was quiet here until around 5 p.m. when massive cruiser boats came to dock. We treated ourselves to a Prime Rib dinner, then a nice shower and folding laundry from this afternoon.
None of gorged ourselves silly expect for maybe Hanna who ate up all her steamed shrimp and baked potato! Bring on the meat!
A big day tomorrow so best hit the hay!
More later,
Carrie

Deltaville VA to Hampton, VA

Day 1- Monday
We were ready to leave Deltaville and with Mattias' finger feeling better, we got an early start today. With all the happenings of the day before, we forgot to remove the kid's carseats from the rental car on Sunday so had to wait until the marina office opened at 8 a.m. where our keys were left. After that, we immediately headed out of the marina. It was a gorgeous sunny day with Southwest winds that picked up some in the afternoon. We had another 45 nautical miles to do this day so with that in mind, motored some and had the jib up the entire way. There was plenty of military traffic in this area of the Chesapeake Bay and on our 6 1/2 hr. sail, we enjoyed watching the boats and listening to the radio. "Reminders" from the warships told boats that got a little too close that they were required to stay a distance of at least 500 yards, if not 1000 yards away from any military warship traveling in the area. One innocent sailing vessel was reprimanded and was told to move now or there would be swift military action. The sailor replied feebly back to the menacing ship and quickly got out of the way. We are now out of Chesapeake Bay and entered Hampton Roads. We arrived Hampton Public Piers at around 2:30 p.m. and set up for two nights.
Day 2- Tuesday
We decided since were were still in the area to visit Yorktown, the last of the Colonial Triangle of Williamsburg and Jamestown. The American victory at Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolution and secured independence for the United States from the British. It was a rainy morning so we watched the orientation film and toured the museum to see the tents that George Washington used for his headquarters among other things. Took a 7 mile driving tour and saw the major battlefield sights as well. It's pretty interesting to tour these sights considering they are so close to current inhabitants and traffic use and the areas the soldiers covered are immense. Today rounded out our history lesson for the Chesapeake Bay part of this trip. We got back to modern life by a shopping fix at Costco and Walmart to do some provisioning for the boat.
We are sailing again tomorrow and need to figure out the best destination tonight.

More later,
Carrie

A great start, and then....

Woke up early and discovered it was daylight savings time. In actuality it was 5:45 a.m. but we got the coffee and breakfast started, kids woke up and got dressed. It was record time and ready to go on our way to Hampton, VA. It was a beautiful sunny and calm morning. Several other boats in this marina were also heading out today as the weather had been so windy previous. Mattias was out loosening some lines that were wrapped on the pilons. He came in and mentioned that he doesn't really like pilons but prefers cleats to tie up lines. In the next five minutes he peeked in the cabin again to say that he had a sliver under his fingernail and needed something to remove it (got it from the pilon). Well, the sliver was more like a plank, all the way under the nail to the quick. My clipping and plucking did nothing. I wasn't brave enough to offer up a whisky shot and do the deed myself (as our friend Dr. Doug did on Andrew when he had a fishhook in his finger). We knew the next stop was the doctor. Who's open in tiny Deltaville on a Sunday? No one, so we climbed back into the rental car that thankfully the agency did not pick up the day before and drove some 30 miles to the nearest ER in Glouscester, VA. Long story short, the doctor, (who happened to be from St. Louis Park and previously worked at our Family Practice Clinic in Edina before retiring), gave Mattias a few shots under the fingernail to numb it. By the third, Mattias was being restrained by two nurses, gauze in mouth while the doctor could loosen the nail to remove the sliver fragments. A couple tetanus and penicillan shots and then a vicadine sedative by mouth later and he was good to go. So now he has to walk around with the hand elevated as if giving us the "bird"! We hope to have a better start tomorrow when we will attempt Hampton again...
More later,
Carrie

 

Day at Colonial Williamsburg, VA

 
 
 
 

The winds were quite strong by the waters today so to be prudent, Mattias stayed behind at the boat while the girls and I drove an hour to Colonial Williamsburg. When we arrived, they were outfitted in costumes of Young Misses and were able to participate in several activities including gardening at the Colonial Gardens, picking up a letter at the post office and going to the printer to place an advertisement for a woman needing a nanny for 10 naughty children. The girls also learned some manners such as the proper way to curtesy (sp?). We visited the DeWitt Decorative Arts/Rockefeller Folk Art Museums and created some Christmas Ornaments as well. It was a fun day and we were not hampered by winds on our trip.
We intend to be in this Deltaville location until at least Sunday when the winds and waves are intended to die down. On the coast the waves are expected to be over 30 feet tall. Luckily we are inland! More later, Carrie