BACK TO BASE CAMP....HILTON HEAD, SC

We made it in about noon after a pretty morning on the water. The Marina (Windmill Harbour) is pretty full, so we did not get our old slip back :-( We will meet up with some old friends this week, then leave for Texas Saturday AM. When we picked up our SUV at the storage unit this afternoon, the battery was dead. This is a brand new car mind you. We picked it up one week before we drove here from Texas. What's with that???

Sunset behind our boat in Beaufort, SC

DOCK CART DOG

Precious Dorsey

We spent last night in Georgetown, SC....long dock to walk Dorsey. Because we are in SC where the tides are horrific, many of the marinas have long walks from the boat to land. The dock last night had large cracks between the boards. We were afraid one of her feet would fall between the cracks and hurt her leg badly. We started out carrying her, and then decided a Dock Cart would work. She wasn't thrilled about it, but finally accepted the ride. Today, we had to contend with some low tides again and really watch our depth in places. We had picked the Charleston City Marina on a recommendation. Well, again it was a loooooong walk to the grass for Dorsey and the docks had large spaces between the boards. We had already tied up and hooked up the electric. We decided it was just not going to work to stay here. So, we untied and went to the marina on the Stono River, where we had stayed on the way North....great docks and great dog walking area. We are all happily settled in for the night :-)))

MYRTLE BEACH, SC

We are back in SC once again. We got a late start this morning (10AM). We had a mechanic come to check the dripless seal...if you're not a boater, it is one of many parts that are vital to the boat running. It all checked out and we were on our way. It was slow going as there were many no wake zones. We managed to run abruptly aground near the Shalotte Inlet:-( It was a hard bump. Fortunately, there was a guy in a fishing boat nearby. He came over and manuevered his boat to wake us. It was enough to move us into the deeper water. It was really a damper on the whole day, very disheartening. We had planned to go farther, but at the end of the day, we had the notorious ROCK PILE to go through. We have been through here before, but it is always scary. (see earlier posts from last year). We called it a day once we got to Myrtle Beach. We always enjoy stopping here, lots to do. We walked to a the Flying Fish for dinner and are now relaxed and much happier!

SEE...MORE ORANGE...IT TRULY MUST BE "THE" COLOR FOR FALL!!!!

CRUISING SOUTH CONTINUES

never know what you'll see along the way

nose to nose with a 90 footer on our dock

high tide at a local restaurant...evidently this is "normal"

We spent the last 3 days continuing South. Last night, we had were in Swansboro, NC and met the people on a boat across the dock from us. We had seen their boat in St. Michaels, MD when we were there. We struck up a conversation and found out they knew the people from whom we bought our boat. Well, we enjoyed drinks on their fly bridge and headed into town for dinner. It was a great, fun evening. We will see them again when we are down in Florida next winter. Tonight we are in Southport, NC....love it. Charming seaside town where several movies have been made...including Safe Haven , a movie we saw last year. We walked into town and had dinner at Mr P's Bistro...a local favorite!! Believe it or not, John had prime rib.

Guess they got the memo that ORANGE is THE color for Fall

MORE FUN TO BE HAD!

NAVY SHIP WE PASSED IN HAMPTON ROADS

We had another long day of rolling down the Bay. Jake seems to finally be adjusting to it and did pretty well today. We are in Norfolk tonight at our favorite marina right downtown. There is an Indie Rock Festival here this weekend. We walked around it a bit later this afternoon and will head over there again after dinner. We will take our chairs, sit on the lawn, sip some wine, watch people and enjoy the music. Actually, the music is quite good. Did I mention the weather is gorgeous? It is in the low 70's. This is a very nice treat after a couple challenging days on the Bay.

INDIE ROCK FESTIVAL

ROCKIN' AND A ROLLIN'

Whew! What a day! Our departure from Vera's on the Patuxent River was beautiful with its forested hills and serene water. Then we hit the BAY. The winds were from the NW and the waves and swells were something to be dealt with. A front had come through and the water was disturbed...as was Jake. The only other boats we saw were sailboats who seemed to be loving it. It was a long ride, but we made it up the Rappahonock River to the Tides Inn, near Irvington, VA. It is a pretigious resort built in 1947. It still draws the who's who from DC and the East Coast. We enjoyed walking around the pretty property after our long day on the water.

Tides Inn

We had been told by several boaters that this was a must see stop...so we did \:-))

HEADING BACK SOUTH

We had mixed feelings as we departed Herrington Harbout this Morning. We had a wonderful month here. I have not felt this relaxed in a long time. We decided to head up the Patuxent River to Vera's White Sands Beach Resort for tonight's destination. This is a resort that has been around a very long time. It has a polynesian theme and was created by Miss Vera. She is the flamboyant hostess that welcomed her guests well into her 90's. It is a well known haunt on the Chesapeake, so we had to make a stop here. We want to come back some time again, on a summer weekend. Looks like a "happening" place!



John lusting over a Kubota



Add caption

MORE REPAIRS AND MORE BOAT BUCKS

Here we go again. While checking something else in the bilge, a mechanic noticed a crack in the exhaust pipe. So....we had to order the part built and have it express mailed ($$$$) from Washington State to get here today. It will be installed tomorrow. Since this happened last Thursday, we had several days to wait. We decided to drive up to Philly to see the grandkids. We got back today, and hope to start heading South on Thursday.

THE PRICEY PART

ROCKET TO THE MOON DOCK PARTY

Had a fun time last night. Our dock has a lot of Air Force, Navy, Government, Nasa workers or people retired from those fields. They were all excited about last night's launch of the rocket to the moon set to go off around 11:30 PM. Everyone brought a dish, nibbles and drinks. There was even Rocket Fuel provided by an ex CIA guy. We met a bunch of new people and enjoyed many laughs. We all managed to stay up until the launch and it was so worth it!!!! It shot across the clear night sky with a bright orange tail.....headed to the moon.

ENJOYING NEW FRIENDS

BLUEGRASS IN MARYLAND....WHO KNEW?

Wednesday night, 9/4/13, we went to Happy Harbour in Deale for dinner. It was open mike night and bluegrass pickers from the area show up there to jam. It was an incredible evening. There were probably 10-12 people that took turns singing, strumming, playing harmonicas, guitars and banjoes. There was even an elderly woman with a walker recovering from 2 broken hips up there belting out songs. It all ended at 9PM. They all came around and welcomed us and chatted a bit. I guess we city slickers didn't blend in to the local crowd, but they sure did embrace us.


KEN & KELLY PRESENTED JOHN WITH THIS VERY APROPRO T SHIRT



ST. MICHAELS, MD

Just returned from a trip across the Bay to St. Michaels. Trip there and back was a delight, with very little wind and wave action. What a charming town it is. We walked down to the Chesapeake Maritime Museum and did a tour. My favorite thing was the old Lighthouse. It is fascinating that people lived there for months at a time. What a good view they had.It actually seemed pretty roomy. We met up with Jim and Linda (boaters who live there) for dinner. It was seafood all around, except, of course, John enjoyed a chicken sandwich.

BOUNCING TO BALTIMORE



 Saturday, 8/31, we headed up to Baltimore. Winds were from the South, so not a bad ride. We took the water taxi to Fells Pt. and the Inner Harbor. There is a LOT to do in Baltimore, and we would definitely stop there again. We had to show K & K Dirty Dick's .....crazy restaurant, so stopped in for a beer. That evening we walked over to Mama's on the Half Shell for Oramge Crushes and dinner. Ken had a wonderful Boulibasse (sp?), Kelly had 2 types of crab soup and a fried oyster salad, I had crab soup and a smoked trout salad.....John had a chicken sandwich (his standard fare). The trip back was interesting for Ken and Kelly (sailboaters extraordinaire). Since it was Labor Day Wknd, there were sailing regattas all over the Bay for our trip back. Every sail class you could imagine. John was damning the sailboats, as we had to constantly zig zag around them :-( Kelly continues to try and befriend Jake. I'll keep you posted on that, but I believe that is not going to happen.


A FEW OF HUNDREDS



BALTIMORE SKYLINE

We took Labor Day off, lounged and ate lunch at the beach, went to a movie, and ate dinner at a local seafood Dive.....Neptunes...yum! Yes, John had the chicken sandwich.

SHEETS WASHED AND READY FOR KEN AND KELLY

K & K

Thursday, August 29, Ken and Kelly, Texas friends arrived. We had an easy drive into DC to pick them up at National. The ride back took much longer, as the Garmin lady couldn't keep up with the detours. That evening, we grilled on the beach. Friday AM we left for Annapolis. We got a slip on Ego Alley right in downtown "Nap Town". After a scrumptious lunch at Middletons, we headed over to the Naval Academy for a walking tour...such an impressive place! John and Ken headed back to the boat at that point, and Kelly and I explored the town. We were docked steps away from PUSSERS, so at happy hour we all strolled over there to listen to the live music on their dock and sip level 4 Painkillers....can't go to Annapolis without having a Painkiller (google it).

MUSSELS AT MIDDLETONS

We had dinner on the boat and then sat up on the bow to watch the parade of boats go by that evening. About 10PM, we got the idea to take the water taxi for an evening tour of the harbor. Great night!

FRIENDS VISIT



John on the SUP

Don, Anne, Eric and Cindy at MANGOES $5. Burger Night

 We've had a busy couple of days as our friends, Eric and Cindy, from Mechanicsburg, PA drove down to join us. We did our cookout on the beach, sipped pina coladas by the pool, and we tried the stand up paddle boards one afternoon at the beach. Cindy conquered the board. John gave it a whirl, and I just got totally freaked out by all the jelly fish in the water. I went out a bit and immediately headed back in. Yes, I am a big chicken! Good friends,Anne and Don, who have their boat just off the Potomac, came down for a visit on their boat and stayed down the dock from us. It was really a good visit with everyone.

Eric and Cindy

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

I not only must report the good stuff, but also the creepy bad stuff. First...the BAD. I got up yesterday AM and walked into the Salon. There were probably 30 maggots crawing around the floor. I hadn't even had coffee yet and had to deal with this!! Evidently, when KNOTUGAL was pulled out of the water, they left the door open all day. There were lots of flies that came in. The trash compactor was full, and they found it. Throughout the day yesterday, I continued to find these nasty buggers. Their numbers are dwindling, so I am winning!!! Now the GOOD.....Last evening, we sat out on the aft deck with a glass of wine. There was a wedding on the property, and we could hear the great music. It was a beautiful cool, starlit night. Then...the fireworks started. We had front row seats from our boat. It was a super display and an unexpected delight. Apparently, that is another feature you can add on to your wedding here.

CAMBRIDGE,MD

Yesterday, we headed across the Bay, through Knapps Narrows, and up the Choptank River to Cambridge. The trip took about 4 hours(longer than expected). We met up with a couple we had met in St. Augustine, FL a year and a half ago. They, too, have a Nordic Tug and live in St.Michael's, MD. We walked into town, picked up some great melons at the local farmers market and enjoyed catching up with each other. Last evening we all had a super dinner at the Cambridge Yacht Club. I do believe those were the best crab cakes I've ever had. John (ever the culinary adventurer...not) had a grilled chicken sandwich. We left this morning about 8:30AM to head back to Herrington South. Seas were supposed to be 1ft. Well, the wind was out of the North and we were hit with some 3-4 footers on the beam. Needless to say, Jake did not do well. Once we got closer to the western shore, things settled down a bit, and so did Jake.

John with Jim and Linda

ON THE HARD

We had KNOTUGAL pulled out yesterday to have the rudder seal and dripless fixed. We also had the water line painted. The kids,Jake and Dorsey, and I holed up in a room at the Inn here. It was just too hot to stay onboard. I got all caught up with my book, magazines and Words With Friends. Today the mechanics are finishing up, we HOPE to get KNOTUGAL back in the water this afternoon. We did takeout for dinner last night. There is a neat restaurant here called Mangoes. We picked up our dinner and headed to a picnic table on the beach...a nice end to the day. Forgot to mention....while the boat was out of the water, John waxed the entire hull. The man forgets his age sometimes. He was one tired puppy that night.

KRISTI AND FAMILY VISIT

Kristi, Rich, and the kids arrived at noon Friday. We had lunch on the boat and headed over to the pool and beach. The beach is neat, in that it is somewhat protected and shallow, also sandy with pretty clear water. Everyone enjoyed the afternoon. There are stand up paddle boards and kayaks available and were put to good use. We had a picnic that evening on another beach on the property that is a very short distance from our boat. Kate and Connor stayed on our boat, while Rich, Kristi and Evan stayed at the Herrington Inn. This place is a very popular wedding venue. There was a wedding Friday PM and 2 on Saturday PM. We all enjoyed seeing the bridal parties and the tented reception areas. Later on, we enjoyed the music from them. Twas a very festive weekend, to say the least. Saturday, we again enjoyed the resort amenities here and had a pizza party on the beach. It was a fun filled weekend.


PICNIC WITH CHESAPEAKE BAY IN BACKGROUND



CAPTAIN EVAN

WE MADE IT!

We made it to Herrington Harbour South Marina in Friendship, MD on Monday, August 12. It is a 600 slip marina on a massive piece of propety. The grounds are gorgeous and the people friendly. We are going to like it here! Yesterday, we picked up the rental car and explored. The countryside is very hilly and wooded. The roads are 2 lanes with forest on each side. It is really,really pretty.

These are all of the marina grounds

SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO?????

On Sunday, we had wanted to stay one more day in Norfolk. There was the Gay Pride Parade at noon that would go right by our marina. Judging from the crowd milling around, it looked interesting and entertaining. We also hoped to go to a movie that afternoon in downtown NF. However, the weather was really good with flat seas predicted. We needed to get up to our destination, as Kristi and family were arriving on Friday. So... we dropped our lines and headed out to the Chesapeake Bay. It was a very pleasant cruising day. We made a good choice. Jake and Dorsey were happy with the conditions. Sunday evening we stayed at the Reedville Marina. It is an historic menhaden fishing village. We ate at the Crazy Crab, where we were docked and had an absolutely, wonderful dinner. Afterwards, we took our routine walk around town with Dorsey and stopped at ChitterChats...the local ice cream parlor.




View from our boat in downtown Norfolk

House dating to early settlers

 


Remains of fish processing plant, late 1800's



A LONG, BUT BLESSED DAY

We did an eleven hour day today. Not what we originally planned, but just how it turned out. Crossing the Albemarle Sound was no big deal and crab must not be in season, as there were very few traps to contend with. We made good time and had planned to stay just south of the cluster of bridges and a lock south of Norfolk. They all have timed openings and it involves a lot of waiting and spinning. Since it was only 2PM, we decided to go forward. All went OK, but as we approached Norfolk, some massive, nasty storms appeared. We watched their movement on radar, but were basically sitting ducks. Thanks to DIVINE INTERVENTION and prayer, they pretty much moved all around us, but we never had to bear the brunt of them. It rained as we made our way through the channel to Norfolk. This is a very busy shipping area, so we had much to look out for. Magically, as we were about to dock, the sun came out. A beer never tasted so good that day!

ALLIGATOR RIVER, NC

As deluxe as last night's accommodations were, tonight was a bit on the other extreme. The marina is immaculately clean and well maintained. It is on a shared property with a Shell Station. We were the only boat there....which is VERY UNUSUAL. Something we found humorous is that there were acres of mowed lawn, but signs everywhere(probably 25) that said NO DOGS ALLOWED AREA! We picked this place, as it is just before the dreaded Albemarle Sound. We have to cross it in the morning and it can be a force to be reckoned with. We are planning an early start and hope the winds are down. We had another long day today....10 hours. Cruising conditions were great. Yesterday, we outran storms all day. Today the sky was clear and the winds and waves were in our favor.

RIVER DUNES

Last night we stayed at River Dunes. A charming resort housing comunnity just north of Oriental, NC. We stayed here before. It is really deluxe...nice pool, good laundry facility (I did 3 loads) and fabulous walking areas. I am posting a picture of a barge that went by. The neat thing about it, was on the top of its load, an American Flag was posted. Really cool!

Notice the Flag on the front end.

DAMN THE PADDLEBOARDERS!

Started out the morning trying to pull off the face dock of our marina in a 3 knot current, while watching out for small fishing boats and swarms of paddleboarders. It sure did get the adrenalin going. The problem is, the PB's are hard to see when they are hidden by big boats, and just as you want to pull out, from nowhere they appear and are dangerously in the way. Our other annoyance today was waiting for 2 bridges that only open in the hour. It is hard to time that, so we did a lot of donuts while waiting. We didn't travel that far (54 miles) but it took 7 hours. There were several shallow areas with shoals, so it was slow going. Tonight we are in Swansboro, NC at Caspers. It is an old, quaint town dating back to the late 1800's. We took Dorsey for a long walk throughout the neighborhood. All in all a nice day, peppered with a bit of angst :-)

A VERY LONG DAY

Because we got off to a late start, now we are playing hurry and catch up....which we didn't intend to do. We left at 6:30 AM and arrived Wrightsville Beach, NC at 5:30PM. About an hour before we got in, we hit a sand bar near the Masonboro inlet. It was a minor thing that we we able to get back into deeper water with our bow and stern thrusters, but not something you need at the end of a long day. We are on a face dock with a great view of the ICW. There is a lot of boat traffic, so it is interesting. We sat and had a beer on the aft deck to unwind. After dinner, we took a mile walk to the grocery store...good exercise.


colorful cottages



MYRTLE BEACH

Nice short trip up to Myrtle Beach today. We are staying at the Osprey Marina tonight. Some friends that we met in Marathon last Winter, are here, so we spent the afternoon catching up and went out for pizza.

EARLY START



SUNRISE IN CHARLESTON, SC

 We were "up and atem" at 5:30AM today. We had 78 miles to make and had to time some shallow areas. It was a relaxing day of easy cruising in beautiful wetlands singing along to tunes on the SIRRIUS radio. Tonight we are tied up on the face dock of Heritage Plantation Marina (just south of Myrtle Beach on Pawleys Island) on the Waccamaw River. Not much here, but we have a great view! Used the crock pot to make a pot roast with vegetables. It smelled good all day :-)


CAPTAIN AND HIS CAT



JUST SOUTH OF CHARLESTON, SC on the STONO RIVER

Had a good day. Not much to report, other than hundreds of mosquito boats(under 24') everywhere. They were all loaded with babes in bikinis, guys with their shirts off and beer in hand. They must have been involved in some big poker run. All they did was burn as much gas as they could, running up and down the ICW. Geez, I just reread what I wrote. I'm starting to sound like some old person :-( We got into the St. John's Yacht Harbor about 3PM. It's a nice marina with a cute bar/restaurant that we will check out in a bit. Right now we are getting caught up on stuff (boat chores).

WINDMILL HARBOUR MARINA, HILTON HEAD, SC

We just love this marina. It has become our favorite. The above pictures are the view we have off the back of the boat. There are many things that make for a good marina.....superb security, good dog walking areas, gorgeous surroundings, friendly, helpful staff, good docks, good power,situated behind a lock which maintains constant water level (that way we don't have to carry Dorsey up a very steep ramp) , pool,plenty of garbage cans,overall pristine cleanliness,pretty places for walking. I could go on and on. Although, we are anxious to head North, we have enjoyed our stay here! We are hoping to head to Beaufort, SC later this afternoon. The mechanic is here now putting in the new bow thruster part.

STILL IN PORT

We were all set to pull out this morning...having had the AC fixed(but it isn't). We even drove to Jacksonville (6 hour round trip)on Monday to pick up a part, so we could get going. We finally had had enough and decided to just get on the water. Lines were dropped and all we needed was a little bow thrust to get us out of the slip. However, there was no thrust! We don't go anywhere without a working bow thruster, not with these currents! So.....we had a diver come to check out the thruster holes, all clear. John has checked everything, so another guy will come by later this afternoon to check things out. So here we sit, our car is already in the storage unit a few miles away. We are 6 days off our scheduled departure date. We will grin and bear it, as that is the mantra of cruising/boating. Hmmm...is it 9 yet :-))

HERE A GNAT, THERE A GNAT, EVERYWHERE A GNAT GNAT !!!

We have been invaded by gnats in the boat. I guess they came in on fruit and decided to stay and be fruitful (make babies) . I looked online and found a home remedy. You put vinegar in a container, poke holes in the lid, and the gnats are hugely drawn to it. They enter the holes and can not get back out. It is our morning entertainment to count their floating carcasses from the night before. Who says boating isn't just full of fun!!