June 1st- Georgetown, SC

Ollivers brother, Ralphy, lives in Georgetown. The two brothers met for a play date yesterday morning. A fun time was had by all. Ollie really needed the exercise.

Four people trying very hard to get the dogs to sit still and look at the camera.

I forgot how much I liked Georgetown. It’s a mill town, similar to New Bedford. Part of it has big old houses and tree lined streets. This was due to a lot of money flowing through here from rice and indigo plantations. Other sections are a little rougher with factories and mills as part of the landscape. There is a huge steel mill on the waterfront (closed). Further away is a paper mill which is still in business.

Kaminski House Museum.

Lots of live oaks along the streets. The shade is much appreciated.

Since leaving behind our land based life we’ve learned a lot. One thing I’ve learned is that I can create plans but they very rarely stay the same. Our plan was to stay in Georgetown until today. We wanted to pick up some fish and shrimp from Independent Seafood when they opened. We’d then up-anchor and hit the road.

Yesterday I spent a few hours doing some maintenance projects. I successfully rebuilt our galley sink pump. This was important as it had a leak and was siphoning water from our tanks. Water that can be difficult to replenish. Luckily I had the parts on board. I also checked our batteries and topped them up with distilled water. Then came the windlass.

Our Muir windlass is basically a winch which I use to pull our anchor and 50′ of chain off of the seabed. Some use an electric motor to bring the gear in. Ours is manually cranked, which works just fine for me.

I installed it over a year ago and don’t know how I did without it. I noticed it was feeling a little “sloppy” over the past few weeks. It gets a lot of abuse and is often doused with seawater if the sea is rough. I pulled it apart to clean it. There are two very small springs (pawl springs) which are crucial to the functionality of the gears that make this thing work. One spring had disintegrated. The other fell apart in my hand. Both victims of corrosion. We use the windlass almost every day that we are traveling. I’ve ordered new springs (40) from Connecticut. We payed for over night shipping but the company couldn’t guarantee the order would get out today and apparently UPS is no longer guaranteeing overnight shipping. This is all due to coronavirus. Maybe they shouldn’t charge so much for shipping.

Plan B. We’ll stay in Georgetown until the parts get here. I also ordered another water pump since I’ve been having pump issues. I expect it will take a few days to get the parts. We don’t mind being “stuck” a few hundred yards from a great seafood market and shrimp boats. Maybe Ollie and Ralphy will get another play session in.

A more enjoyable project. The captain of SV Loon made the Turkshead (white part) for us in Vero Beach as a good luck charm. I did all of the French whipping (black part) years ago. This is all on the tiller.

The old steel mill at the top of the harbor.

Catalpa anchored in Georgetown.

May 30th- Awendaw Creek to Georgetown, SC

The decks got a good wash down. The rain finally arrived in Awendaw Creek after sunset. Our next area we had to pass through was McClellanville. It is a notoriously shallow area but it was being dredged on our trip South. We went through this time at low tide and never saw less than 6 feet. A little shallow for some boats but ok for us.

Don’t get close to the green can.

McClellanville. Someone has a lucrative towing service.

Today I probably spent half of my time killing flies. They’re driving me nuts. Lemon Eucalyptus spray works well to keep them off. The smell of the spray used to bother me a little but I douse myself liberally now. I try to ignore them. Eventually they reach a critical mass and I go on a rampage. Sometimes no-one is steering Catalpa. I am getting extra exercise.

Eventually we motored to Winyah Bay and then had a quick sail to Georgetown. We took on diesel, water, and ice at the town marina and anchored in the Sampit River. We’re getting a few thundershowers. The rain cools us down a bit.

I’ve got to get the pump fixed. At one point we had a bunch of water in the bilge. We first checked the whole boat to make sure seawater wasn’t getting in (big problem). It was fresh water from our tanks. Lynne did some further research and traced it back to the sink area. The leak is from the galley water pump (much smaller problem). I should be able to get it in working order.

In the middle of this shot is an 8′ Alligator. I spotted one in Titusville (no camera). Lynne spotted this one in Georgetown Harbor.

May 28th- Steamboat Creek, SC to Charleston, SC

Rain was in the forecast but it turned out to be a nice travel day. Originally we were planning on anchoring at Johns Island. Due to the timing of the current at Elliott Cut and having to deal with the Wappoo Creek bridge we decided to bypass Johns Island and head into Charleston Harbor (Ashley River). Lynne and I think someone should write a Saturday Night Live skit on the Wappoo Creek bridge. The bridge operator is a character and the bridge schedule is diabolical.

We like the city of Charleston but the harbor is difficult to be anchored in. It’s big. The current runs strong. Catalpa swings all over the place when the wind and current are opposed (50% of the time). It’s also a long ride to bring Ollie in. Maybe next time we’ll try something else. We did manage to get 30lbs of ice which was getting critical. We need refrigeration.

Charleston Harbor. We didn’t go into the city this time.

Sometimes he switches from the bone to my toes.

Sunset in Charleston.

May 29th- Charleston to Awendaw Creek, SC

We were up at sunrise and got on the ICW early. Again, I was trying to time a certain current and another bridge. Rain was in the forecast but it never happened. Many boats are staying in harbor due to the “bad weather ” but it has been good. Today was perfect. South wind pushing us north. The captain did a reasonably good job timing the currents. We made it to Awendaw Creek by 2:00. An early day for us.

This person’s boat is a life boat? Is this where he wound up after the ship sunk?

I think this plane was spraying for mosquitoes. The pilot was a real dare devil. It was amazing to watch.

We had this stow-away for a while. Notice the anti-bird spikes.

Awendaw Creek. They call this the Lowcountry.

Evening commando run.

The Admiral and Catalpa in Awendaw Creek.

We plan on heading over to Georgetown SC tomorrow. We’ll probably spend a few days anchored there. Oliver’s brother, Ralphy, is a resident so hopefully there will be some doggy mayhem. They have a great fish market in town. I’ve got ANOTHER water pump to contend with. I have a rebuild kit for it. Don’t leave home without a rebuild kit for every pump on the boat (and the head).

May 27th- Steamboat Creek, SC

Pull the arm on the weather slot machine. Tropical Storm Bertha. Our big dinghy dock is Steamboat Creek landing on Edisto Island. This is the reason why Catalpa has a big anchor.

It wasn’t that bad. We’ve been in heavier winds. We once had a micro burst happen in Provincetown Harbor. That one had gusts up to 70mph. This was far less. There was a ton of rain but we are in a boat so no problems with flooding out here. It was all over in a few hours. We slept through part of it.

That’s the news from Steamboat Creek. The rain has stopped. The dinghy is bailed out. The foul weather gear is drying. We have plenty of food and water. Ice might be a problem. We plan to move on tomorrow. The weather is 50/50 for Thursday. Hopefully the weather slot machine comes up with three suns.

May 25th (Memorial Day) and 26th- Factory Creek SC to Steamboat Creek SC

We spent 6 days in Factory Creek (Beaufort, SC). Lady’s Island Marina is a great place to hang out for a while. We used the loaner car to restock Catalpa. We were able to find hand sanitizer for the first time. Three different boats showed up whose crews we had met at various points during our trip. Oliver had a great time as it’s a very dog friendly place. He even stopped chasing the cats (sort of).

Rainbow over Factory Creek.

I’m sure Lynne is going to turn this one into a watercolor.

The weather for the week looked questionable so we decided we’d either get a slip or get going. You’d think we would have gotten a slip. Nope.

Yesterday was work getting to Steamboat Creek. Most of the day was spent battling wind and current.

Eventually we got to a portion of the ICW where the wind wasn’t directly on the nose. I was able to raise the sail and make up some of our lost time. We pulled into Steamboat around 6:00 with four other boats in the anchorage. All had passed us during the day.

Deja vu. Last time we were in Steamboat we had bad weather and this time looks like the same. We woke to rain today (Tuesday) and decided to stay anchored in the creek. The forecast for tomorrow is looking worse. One forecast is for thunderstorms, gusty winds, and 3 inches of rain. I think there was even a mention of water spouts on the ocean. Another weather app, I check, has the day with less drama. We’re going to stay anchored here for tomorrow also. We’ve got our big 35lb Vulcan anchor down with a bunch of chain and rope out. I moved our smaller danforth anchor up to the bow so I can deploy it if necessary. Probably overkill but it’s better to be prepared. We actually have a third heavy anchor and gear. That’ll stay in the bilge. Steamboat Creek is not that far from Charleston. Charleston has a big harbor and is much more exposed to the wind. We think this is a better spot to sit out a storm.

The most difficult part of a stormy day is getting Ollie to shore. Steamboat has a good dock to tie the dinghy at. When it’s not raining we walk up the dirt road a bit. There are a few houses distant but the area is mostly marsh and secluded. Verizon coverage is good.

Our dock for shore runs.

Steamboat Creek, looking toward where it connects to the North Edisto River.

The paint on our dinghy looks sandblasted. She needs some TLC.

Two of our neighbors left. These two big trawlers stayed.

Night shot of Catalpa with deck light on.

May 18th- Turner Creek, GA to Downtown Beaufort, SC

We got an early start out of Turner Creek as we had a long day ahead of us. At times we were traveling at 6 1/2 knots. Other times, 3 knots. With the 7 to 8 foot tides around here there is always lots of water moving around. Sometimes it’s with you. Sometimes not. You just have to have a sense of Zen. It all evens out.

Schooner sporting some colorful sails in Turner Creek.

Good name.

For example. We had to head up Port Royal sound. The wind was directly ahead of us and the tidal current against us. Our speed was around 3 knots. Waves breaking on the bow and spray flying. We did this for a couple of hours. We then rounded the buoy at Paris Island to head up the Beaufort River. The same tidal current pushed us along and we were able to sail with the wind behind us now. The next hour or so was fun and we covered a lot of distance.

Paris Island Marine Base.

We decided to end the day in the river by Downtown Beaufort. The Lady’s Island swing bridge wasn’t going to open again until after 6:00 due to evening commuter traffic. We’ll save that bridge for tomorrow morning.

May 19th- Beaufort River to Factory Creek (Beaufort, SC)

Coffee, eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Get Ollie in for a quick walk. Get Catalpa moving. Through the swing bridge. An hour after eating breakfast we were done for the day and anchored off of Lady’s Island Marina, our real goal in Beaufort. We stopped here on the way down and really enjoyed our stay. There is a nearby hardware store, grocery, meat market, and package store. We like the marina and the whole vibe. They’ll loan us a car for our provisioning run. It’s time for an oil change on the diesel and I have a broken fresh water pump to contend with. Maintenance must continue! We plan on staying here until next week.

Lady’s Island Marina. Docks are full. We are anchored a short dinghy ride away. Ollie has a few doggy friends here.

View off of the back porch. The tide goes out and we are below the marsh. It comes in and we are on top.

May 16th- Crescent River to Kilkenny Creek, GA

Our anchorage on the Crescent River allowed us to get an early start for crossing Sapelo Sound. Winds were predicted (correctly) to increase through the day, out of the northeast. As we needed to travel northeast this would have created a problem on the big bay. Combine that with an afternoon flood tide going against us. Big problems. Big waves. Early start: not too much wind and an ebb tide pushing us along. Later in the day we ran into the same issue on St Catherine Bay. We had to plow through but it’s a smaller body of water.

We ended the day at Kilkenny Creek. It was one of our stops on the way down. The marina is very rustic. The grounds are beautiful with giant live oaks anchoring the whole scene.

Lynne did a little reconnaissance of the big house and found out some information. Here are her pictures and notes.

Kilkenny Plantation circa 1836 …on the national region historic places …Henry ford owned it in the 1930s and extensively renovated inside the house. Reportedly indigo, rice, cotton and pine were sourced here.
Small building is the kitchen with huge cooking fire place and bread oven. It is in its original form, one of only a couple of such buildings in the state of Georgia.

Also of note- We have been living on Catalpa for 8 months. We’ve always enjoyed sailing her but now she feels like a home. I knew we were going to be gone for a long time but I really didn’t think much about it. There was so much planning and work to do before we left port. The trip has been difficult at times. Unbelievably peaceful at other times. Always interesting. All in all it’s been a very positive experience. Onward!

May 17th- Kilkenny Creek to Turner Creek, GA

Not much to report on. Last night was quiet and filled with stars. Today the wind seemed to be on the nose most of the time (same yesterday). Where are the southerlies? A few rough patches of water but not bad. We are seeing much more small boat traffic as we get closer to Savannah.

Passing through Hell Gate (the Georgia one)

Back to civilization.

Turner Creek.

There is a marina with a nearby supermarket. We don’t need anything today so we decided to just use the public boat ramp for Ollie’s evening commando raid.

May 15th- Jekyll Island to Crescent River, GA

Today we crossed through the shallowest part of the Georgia ICW. Second time around is far less drama. I timed the Little Mud River with a rising tide.

At some point in Florida we passed from mangroves to tidal grasslands. The marshes of the South are spectacular. We noticed that the grass is shorter and greener than the fall. In addition to the different land scape we are back in the tea colored ICW water.

Georgia tidal marsh.

To go along with the new landscape we have a new bug. The yellow fly (Diachlora ferrugatus Fabricius). To quote the entomology website, “The yellow fly is a fierce biter”. Luckily lemon eucalyptus bug spray seems to keep them off of us. We spent many hours improving our fly swatting skills. They are big so the boat screens have no problem keeping them out.

Tonight’s anchorage is on the Crescent River. We located (using the Bob book) a small island for Ollie’s evening commando raid.

Not many Palm trees around.

Catalpa anchored on the Crescent River.

May 13th and 14th- Fernandina Beach, FL to Jekyll Island, GA

We left Fernandina Beach, went down the Amelia River, and crossed Cumberland Sound to Georgia. Fernandina is a little noisy due to the large pulp factory on the waterfront. There is also a big gravel factory but I don’t think they were running at night.

Noisy factory.

Another cruise ship, mothballed due to covid-19.

Futuristic little vessel.

Coast Guard buoy tender working in Cumberland Sound.

Kings bay Submarine base. Security vessels but no subs visible.

Toward the end of the day we crossed over St Andrew Sound. This area is plagued with shoals. The depths go from 50 feet to almost nothing. It’s pretty on a nice day. It’s ugly when the winds are up. Today was bouncy but Catalpa powered through unscathed. The wind was less than 20. Over 20mph would be tough.

The Little Cumberland Island Light.

We pulled into Jekyll Creek and anchored in our spot. At about the same time another boat was headed to our anchor area. The area I anchor in is charted at having less than 4′ at low tide. To shallow for most sailboats. It’s actually closer to 15′. I know this due to my guide book from Bob (The 2018 Cruising Guide by Bob423). So who was the other vessel pulling in? Bob. We didn’t get to talk due to social distancing. Maybe next time. Later I read in his blog that the problem with writing a guide book is you give up all the best spots and that someone (us) got to his spot just before him (sorry). Thank you Bob. We use his guide and “Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway ” by Skipper Bob (Skipper Bob passed away several years ago). If you’ve been reading this blog, these are the books I collectively refer to as The Books of Bob. They’ve been very helpful when trying to figure out where to put Catalpa at the end of the day. Fleetwing (Bob’s boat) left this morning. She is much faster than Catalpa so we won’t likely see them again on this trip.

Last night was a very quiet night. Through most of Florida we were accompanied by road noise, trains, and air traffic. Even though the Keys you can hear the traffic on route 1. Fernandina Beach had factory noise all night. This portion of our trip gets much quieter at night.

Today (the 14th) we’re staying in Jekyll Creek. We went in to town to get a few groceries. We’re also stocking up on diesel, ice, and water. Frisbee is also on the agenda. Into the wildlands of Georgia tomorrow.

View off the back porch.

May 11th- St Augustine to Sisters Creek, Jacksonville FL

We spent a restful weekend in St Augustine. Most of the time we were on the boat due to heavy winds on Saturday and rain on Sunday. It’s probably for the best as there weren’t many people taking any kind of precautions.

Tiki boat. We’ve seen these in other ports.

We searched out some quiet streets to walk on.

Flagler College (closed)

These birds were pink. It doesn’t show well in the picture. I don’t think they are flamingos.

We were going to stay in St Augustine for an extra day to take care of a few things but we couldn’t reserve the mooring for another day. There was a chance that we could benefit from a cancellation but we decided to move on.

The trip to Sisters Creek was an easy one. We picked up some favorable current along the way. When last we were anchored here there was only one other boat. Today we were one of 4. The free city docks were full.

May 12th- Sisters Creek to Fernandina Beach, FL

Wake up! Where are we going today?

We moved on up the ICW to Fernandina Beach. The marina was closed on our trip down but recently reopened. The mooring area is on the Amelia River. It’s a rather open area with a lot of current. Catalpa is dancing around on the mooring and occasionally slamming into the mooring ball. The town looks nice but again, not many people taking precautions. The ice cream shop looked great but there were too many people milling around. We skipped it.

What’s everyone looking at?

Impossible to get everyone looking at the camera when this is rumbling by. Olliver did not like the horn.

Retake. Everyone smiling.

Around town.

We’ll be back someday to see more of Fernandina Beach. I managed to buy a hat. Lynne found a nice dress and some fresh shrimp for dinner. We’re actually a little chilly here. Last night was 57 degrees. Today around 70, with a north wind. We are acclimated to much warmer weather. We’ll have to slow down our north-ward progress if it gets much colder. This is our last stop in Florida. On to Georgia.

Ollie doing some frisbee work in Fernandina Beach.