November 14th- Beaufort SC

We debarked from Carolina Beach on the 6th and moored in Beaufort on the 10th. As usual, going through the Myrtle Beach portion of the ICW, was very bland. It’s probably the least scenic part of the trip. On the other hand, the Waccamaw River is always special. We had one day of light rain. Most of the rest of the voyage from the Chesapeake Bay has been mild.

Waccamaw River

Sunrise on the Waccamaw River. Other than reducing the file size for the blog, there was no photo editing done to this picture. Amazing view!

While in transit to Beaufort we made four stops. All were remote anchorages. We were often up and underway before dawn. We crossed through a few shallow spots but are used to the routine. One of my navigation tablets broke down but we have others. I had a new one shipped to Beaufort.

Since being in Beaufort we’ve met up with other cruising friends. The starting coil broke on our outboard motor. Fortunately the crew on S/V Barry Duckworth have the same motor and carry spare parts. With the new part our Honda is back in operation. The Beaufort River has an 8 to 9 foot tide. Rowing in the current is horrendous!

We got our olive oil, sourdough bread, and Tomato Pie. We are ready to move on but are watching a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. We are delaying our voyage a bit as we don’t want to be in Florida until we see how this storm is going to develop.

November 3rd  through 5th- Carolina Beach NC

We had a good run from Mile Hammock to Carolina Beach. It’s a battle to time the Figure Eight Island bridge and the Wrightsville Beach bridge. I particularly dislike the WB bridge due to traffic and current.

We spent a few days in Carolina Beach. We stocked up with all the usual. We enjoyed a few bacon and egg sandwiches from the North End Cafe. The admiral and I walked the beach and watched the waves but it’s not quite the same without our pal.

Tomorrow we’ll shove off for points south. I think we can make it down to Beaufort in five days (with a little luck). We might have some rain along the way but, in general, the weather looks good.

October 29th- Dismal Swamp VA to Elizabeth City NC

We traveled south on the Dismal Swamp to Forbes Bay which was just past Elizabeth City. We didn’t go to shore.

Nice color on The Dismal Swamp canal

October 30th- Elizabeth City to Alligator River NC

Good weather. We had an easy crossing of the Albemarle Sound. We anchored Evergreen for the night near the Alligator/ Pungo canal.

Evergreen on the Alligator River.

October 31st- Alligator River to Belhaven NC

The weather has been really good on this trip so far. We anchored in Belhaven and went out for lunch. Lynne and I split a Ruben sandwich from the bakery. Before leaving Belhaven (the next day) we also filled up Evergreen with diesel and water. We were in the same location last year on Halloween.

November 1st- Belhaven to Cedar Creek NC

We had a late start as the fuel dock didn’t open until 9 am. We still had a productive day. The weather was right for negotiating the Neuse River. We’ve had some rough rides on the Neuse.

November 2nd- Cedar Creek to Mile Hammock Bay/ Camp Lejune NC

Today we had Evergreen moving at first light. It was a long day but we had wind and current pushing us along. Mile Hammock is full of boats tonight. Last count was 14 at anchor. So far the Bay is quiet. We haven’t seen any Marines training this evening.

October 28th- Old Point Comfort to The Dismal Swamp 

We were moving at first light to make the Deep Creek lock for the Dismal Swamp. In Norfolk we were contacted by Warship 55 and altered course to give them sufficient room to maneuver. We were ahead of schedule but were stopped by a railroad bridge in the closed position. At flank speed, we just made the lock for the 11:00 am transit. Five boats in the lock. The most we’ve had. We must be in the middle of the migratory pack. We stopped for the night at the Douglas Road dock. We usually have it to ourselves but we had three boats for the night. I suspect the welcome center is full.

Evergreen tied to the Douglas Road dock on the Dismal Swamp canal.

October 26th- Fishing Bay/ Deltaville VA

Decided to stay an extra day. We filled up with fuel. Fishing Bay Marina charges a $25 facilities fee. For $25 you get hot showers, laundry, and a loaner car. Good deal. We used the car to get a few things in town.

October 27th- Deltaville to Old Point Comfort/ Hampton VA

Rough ride on the Bay. We had to plow into heavy seas to get down the Piankatank River. Upon entering the Bay we made a starboard turn which put the wind and waves on the beam. We were able to sail along at 6 to 7 knots and the motion was much better. The wind died out in the afternoon and we motored the rest of the way. The very large anchorage at Old Point Comfort is as crowded as I’ve ever seen it. We wedged Evergreen into a spot for the night.

October 25th- Solomons Island MD to Fishing Bay/ Deltaville VA

Evergreen crossed the Potomac into Virginia today. Mostly motor sailing. Sunny. Our first stop was Taylor Creek in Deltaville but there were many boats at anchor. Odd since Solomons Island (our last stop) seemed quiet. We decided to move on further up the Piankatank River to Fishing Bay. Fishing Bay is a much larger anchorage. Both spots have a fuel dock but both were closed. We really need diesel before the next stage of our trip so we’ll try to fill up tomorrow. Not very confident that the fuel dock will be open early on a Saturday. I launched the dinghy for the first time and brought trash to shore. 

October 22nd & 23rd- Rhode River to Solomons Island MD

Yesterday we moved south down the Chesapeake Bay with light southerly winds. Wind was on the nose so we motored all day. It was another warm, sunny, day. Temperature is supposed to drop again Friday. At 2:45 We anchored up Back Creek, at Solomons Island, for the night 

Today (the 23rd) there is a small craft advisory on the Bay. It doesn’t seem like it’s too bad out there and the wind is out of the north so it would be pushing us along. Having said that; captain, admiral, and boat, are not ready for a sailing workout so we’ll stay anchored for today.

October 22nd – Pasadena to Rhode River MD

No problems getting off the dock. Sunny day. Light winds. Arrived at anchorage around 2:30. Boat seems to be functioning reasonably well. Had some water in the bilge. Doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Planning on heading to Solomon’s Island tomorrow. Might have a layover day due to winds.

October 21st- Pasadena MD

Last year we completed our voyage in Pasadena MD. I was losing my blog writing mojo and left it off in Carolina Beach. We still had an interesting return trip I was just unable to keep up with the writing and photography. Eventually we made it up to Maryland and it was time to go home. We had Evergreen hauled at Oak Harbor Marina and completed the rest of our voyage by car.

Oak Harbor Marina

Evergreen on launch day.

The summer passed quickly and was largely taken up by house projects. We had many, many, walks through forest, fields, and beaches with our energetic companion Oliver. We met up with his pals for “Sunday Funday” all during the summer. We had family over for a nice going away party and left Dartmouth on the 16th. Ollie was happy to play with his little cousins before our departure.

Soon after our departure he became sick and stopped eating. On October 19 we laid our beloved companion to rest. He had cancer of the liver and spleen. It all happened so fast. Before his last visit to the veterinarian we found a nice country park. His energy rallied and he wanted to walk. We brought him down to the river and let him walk in the mud. We were happy that he gave us these last moments. Eventually he was tired and we left. He was gone just after sunset. We miss him a lot.

This boat has always been three, now we are two. We debated canceling our plans but decided it might be harder to go home. We will sail Evergreen south again this season.

Oliver and Lynne in Annapolis.

The pirate and a deer in Pasadena. While he seems to be ignoring the deer, I’m absolutely positive if I unclipped the leash pandemonium would ensue in a split second.

The blog may be short on narrative and pictures for a while but I intend to update it regularly with our position.

May 27th Memorial Day- Carolina Beach, NC

In the beginning of May we quickly made it down the Florida coast to St Augustine. We stayed an extra day in St Augustine due to weather. We used the facilities at the marina but didn’t go into town. I’ll have to get my Minorcan chowder next time.

Evergreen moored in St Augustine, FL.

We found out that our friends on S/V Shanks Mare were also moored in St Augustine so we made loose plans to cruise along together up the coast.

After St Augustine we made a long run down to Georgia. Evergreen then made quick stops at Cumberland Island and the Duplin River. These were just overnight stops to get Ollie a little exercise.

We found out that we were about to have some more adverse weather moving in. Shanks Mare was planning on holing up in Kilkenny Creek and Evergreen decided to do the same. We hadn’t been into Kilkenny Creek since our first trip in 2019. It’s very rustic with big beautiful live oak trees. The additional benefit is that those same trees block the worst of the wind.

Ollie on Sapelo Island.

Evergreen anchored on the Duplin River.

Walking under the trees in Kilkenny GA

We spent an extra day on Kilkenny Creek to wait out the weather. There were breaks in the rain so we were able to dinghy over to the marina and fill up some diesel cans.

Next we crossed into South Carolina. We anchored in Bull Creek for a night then finished the run up to Beaufort SC. Beaufort is one of our favorite stops on the trip so regardless of weather we were planning on staying an extra day. Luckily, this turned into three extra days due to another round of storms rolling through. If you are going to be stuck somewhere it might as well be a great city like Beaufort!

We stocked up on groceries, fuel, booze, and water. There is an excellent Olive Oil store in town so we got refills of some favorites. They didn’t have our Coratina but we did get an excellent Portuguese oil. We found out that there is a local distillery that makes an award winning gin so we added that to our liquor cabinet. The Admiral is a fan of gin and I get extra points for walking a mile or two to get the gin. Shanks Mare had us over for tomato pie and we had a great evening with excellent food (gin) and conversation. We also picked up a tomato pie so had pie for several meals. Do I get tired of Tomato pie after a few days of it? No!

Also while in Beaufort Shanks Mare got in touch with the crew of S/V Pegu Club who are currently living on Lady’s Island. We all got together for tacos at a restaurant called Lost Local. They have a unique and creative take on tacos. What a good restaurant! It’s now on THE LIST. It was great to see the crew of Pegu Club. We met them on our first trip and occasionally have shared a harbor together.

Beaufort was a fun and relaxing stop. We needed to recharge our batteries (not the big boat batteries – they are fine). It was good for morale and kept the specter of mutiny at bay.

Evergreen sailing up the Beaufort River.

Beaufort. Sitting in front of Low Country Market, waiting for my Tomato Pie.

After Beaufort we anchored on Steamboat Creek. The next day we were up before dawn for the long run down to Awendaw Creek.

Ollie likes Steamboat. It has a good dinghy dock and a road to walk on.

Evergreen anchored on Steamboat Creek.

Sunset.

At Awendaw, the next morning, we woke to dense fog so waited for it to burn off. We were under way by 8:30 and hit the shallows of McClellanVille around high tide. It seems like it’s always low tide when I go through there so it was a nice change. Eventually we pointed up the Waccamaw River and ended our day anchored in Thorofare Creek.

S/V Shanks Mare going by Charleston.

The Waccamaw River.

This day was an odd one. We had different plans than Shanks Mare but our plans merged together and then everything was upended. To start the day the swing bridge at Socastee was broken. This was a big problem as we were stuck on the river and couldn’t continue north without backtracking down Winyah bay and taking the ocean route. Eventually a mechanic got the bridge open and we were able to pass through. At that point I was planning on stopping at Bird Island on Little River. The problem with that plan was I wouldn’t make the flood tide up the Cape Fear river the next day. When we got to the area around Bird Island we all decided to just keep going. We were using the favorable current we had along with engine and sails to move Evergreen at flank speed. We needed to cover 70 nautical miles to get to the anchorage I was looking at, the Pipeline Basin in Southport. We’ve been in there a few times and need daylight and a rising tide to get in. Soon after passing Bird Island Shanks Mare’s transmission gave out! The engine was still running but it couldn’t turn the propeller. They drifted on under sail. We dropped our sail and stayed behind them to divert traffic and assist if needed. They were able to get everything under control and contacted a towing service to get them to a yard for repairs. We charged off toward Southport and dropped the anchor just before sunset.

This brings us to Carolina Beach and Memorial Day weekend. On Friday we made the short run from Southport to Carolina Beach. We were able to get a mooring reservation and the entire harbor is a no wake zone. The rule is enforced and most people go slow. Just north of here is Wrightsville Beach which is always a little crazy at the best of times. Many, many, small boats are always zipping along and few seem to know anything about safe navigation. Well, it’s Memorial Day weekend. The big start of summer. We are actually hiding in Carolina Beach. This is another good stop for us anyway. Ollie loves the beach. We like the North End Cafe and Blackburn Brothers seafood. We’ve been having shrimp or fish every night. We tried to get some donuts from Britt’s. Apparently they have the best donuts around and are famous. Famous enough that there was a line of about 100 people outside the donut shop when we stopped by. We’ll have to get our donuts another day.

Tomorrow we’ll be sailing north again.

Blackburn Brothers seafood.

Evergreen moored in Carolina Beach NC.