November 27th- Fernandina Beach to Sisters Creek/ Jacksonville FL

Today we went a little further down the Florida ICW to Sisters Creek. The boat “log jam” in Fernandina Beach has been breaking up and crews are moving further south. We were in company of a half dozen boats all heading to the same anchorage. Because of the wind direction and the heavy current in the creek, I had a feeling there might be problems. At almost the same time we anchored a storm hit. Several boats were right behind us and all were trying to anchor at roughly the same time. Anchoring Chaos again! Several boats had to re-position. One ran aground and needed to be towed off a shoal.

After the storm blew over, the clouds broke and the sun came out. Several boats moved on to better anchorages. The temperature climbed to 80F. We were finally able to open Evergreen up and dry everything out. Eventually the wind even calmed down and made for a nice evening.

Finally sun. Evergreen anchored on Sisters Creek/ Jacksonville FL.

November 25th- Jekyll Island, GA to Fernandina Beach, FL

One dominant feature for today’s trip; fog. New England fog. Pea soup fog. According to NOAH, “dense fog.” We hauled up our anchor from Jekyll Creek when there seemed to be a break in the fog but it was only momentary and soon thickened up again. Navigation through Saint Simon Sound was difficult. We could only see the navigational buoys when Evergreen was right on top of them. I ran the radar for a while but it only proved to be a distraction. I haven’t used it since we’ve bought the boat. The Captain needs to study the manual. Navigation through the sound was by GPS and compass course. There are a few tricky turns, currents, and shoals to deal with. We never saw Cumberland light or the island, for that matter, while in the sound. It was a couple hours into the voyage before we saw any land.

Not much to see this morning.

By noon we had better visibility.

Kings bay Submarine base.

We anchored near Fernandina Beach for the evening. There are many more boats here than our last trip. I lost track of all the mast lights lit up at night.

November 26th- Fernandina Beach FL

Today was another day in harbor. The weather is still damp and grey but warm. We went to a farmer’s market and secured some fresh bread. Hit the fish market for some red snapper. We also managed to find a slice of pumpkin pie for later. The downtown area has a lot of shops where we found a few other items and met with friends for lunch before hauling our booty back to Evergreen.

Some scenes from Fernandina Beach.

Replica of the Trinidad, Magellan’s flag ship.

Evergreen anchored on the Amelia River, Fernandina Beach FL

November 24th- Jekyll Island, GA

We decided to extend our stay on Jekyll Island. We are anchored in a good spot relative to the state park dock and Jekyll Island Marina. We contracted with the marina to use the dinghy dock and showers for a few days. The Island is very pedestrian friendly with paths going everywhere. Ollie has had some intense exercise at the parks and on the huge beach along the ocean side of the island.

The marina.

Main street/shopping area.

This worked surprisingly well for a few minutes. Turning is a problem.

For Thanksgiving we started off with eggs and bacon and then ventured over to the historic district of the island. The island was owned by the Jekyll Island Club and used as an exclusive resort for the rich and famous. Everything was closed due to the holiday but we enjoyed the afternoon.

Some Thanksgiving scenes from the Jekyll Island historic district.

Many fields to be conquered. A tired dog is a good dog.

They call them cottages.

Oldest live oak on Jekyll Island. Believed to be over 350 years old.

We had a few ideas for Thanksgiving but decided to eat at home. A turkey is a little too complicated for a boat stove. On the other hand, turkey burgers work well on Evergreen’s grill. We picked up the ground turkey from a butcher in Beaufort so they were particularly good. Potato salad, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and cranberry wine completed the ensemble. Pumpkin pie doesn’t seem to be popular around here so we procured some cheesecake for dessert. Happy Thanksgiving.

Evergreen anchored on Jekyll Creek.

November 20th- Turner Creek/ Savannah to Crescent River GA

Today was a mostly cold and grey day. Evergreen piled on the miles. I piled on many layers of clothing. Lynne made coffee, tea, chili, and espresso at various points during the day. Warm food, fluids, and caffeine, help to keep this mariner going.

We went through a very shallow spot at Hell Gate. If it wasn’t a problem area it would probably have a nicer name. The day’s highlight was motor sailing up Sapelo Sound at 9 knots. The big tides around here create a lot of current. I generally try to push Evergreen along as fast as she’ll go. For portions of the day the tidal current runs against us so I try to make up for it when wind and water are helping.

We anchored on the Crescent River for the evening. Our last trip we were the only boat. Tonight we are one of seven. The River is big so finding a spot wasn’t difficult.

Evergreen anchored on the Crescent River.

November 21st- Crescent River to Jekyll Island GA

We were again up with the sunrise and moving south once we got the heat and coffee going.

400,000 acres of Georgia Salt Marsh.

On this trip I’ve taken my coastal navigation up a notch or two. I’m still using the “Books of Bob” to plan. I’ve been able to download the Bob423 tracks to my Samsung tablets. Bob has used Army Corps of Engineers surveys to find deeper water where there seems to be none. He takes his boat south every year and publishes the track. While coasting along I use a Garmin GPS. I also have one pad running Aquamaps and another running Navionics Sonar chart. All three have slightly different chart information. We traversed the Little Mud River at close to high tide so had no problems there. On the other hand we went through Jekyll Creek at dead low tide (poor planning). Using Bob’s track I was able to keep Evergreen in mostly 5 feet of water. We only draw 3′ 9″ with our centerboard up.

We are going to stay in Jekyll Creek for a day or two. Ollie had a “malfunction” so we, once again, have some laundry to do. We enjoyed the Island on our last stop. There is a decent market in town. It is warmer. Hopefully we get some sun today. The low sun and grey clouds are not conducive to good pictures.

November 18th- Beaufort, SC

We decided to extend our stay and see more of Beaufort. The downtown area is further from the grocery/ resupply stores but we’ve been experimenting with Instacart (a delivery service). It’s worked well for us. We have most of the food staples delivered to the boat.

Our last day in Beaufort was spent having lunch and touring some of Beaufort’s historic sites with our cruising friends from SV SMAC.

This bar was closed at the time but I was intrigued. This was the only signage.

The nights are getting cold. The woodstove has been burning every evening. Time to get moving south. If the weather works out we’ll probably spend a couple days on Jekyll island.

Onward!

November 19th- Beaufort SC to Turner Creek/ Savannah GA

A chilly sunrise. We headed down the Beaufort River, passed the Paris Island Marine base, and pointed our bow toward Georgia. There are some very shallow spots on the Georgia ICW but seven foot tides help the passage.

Paris Island

Our day ended in Turners Creek. There is a convenient dock and boat ramp for Ollie’s commando raids. It’s technically in Savannah but we haven’t toured the city yet. Maybe next time.

The dock is under a highway.

Evergreen anchored on Turner Creek.

November 13th- Awendaw Creek to Steamboat Creek/ Edisto Island, SC

Today was a work day. Up at sunrise, Ollie to shore, dinghy on deck, anchor up, finally coffee! I planned the day with a few possible anchorages but Steamboat Creek was our preferred stop. We decided to pass Charleston. I like the city but not the anchorage. The day involved 2 bridges that I had to time. Charleston harbor was rough when we passed through.

Charleston Harbor

For part of the day the river currents were running against us. It was starting to look like we were going to arrive at our destination after sunset. The boat is low on rum and the crew doesn’t like to sail at night. MUTINY! Mutiny is to be avoided if possible. We eventually picked up a favorable current and made it to our anchorage on Steamboat Creek.We arrived around sunset. The shortness of the days, during the winter months, have an affect on navigation.

Some scenes from Steamboat Creek.

November 14th- Steamboat Creek to Beaufort, SC

Steamboat Creek is a good place to stage for the transit to Beaufort. There are a bunch of different rivers, canals, and bodies of water to traverse. We were looking forward to anchoring off of Lady’s Island Marina as we did on our last trip. We also spent some time at the marina. They have changed policy and no longer allow anchored boats to use the facilities. Very unfortunate for us. This seems to be more common than our last southern voyage. Many marinas allow anchored transient boats to use their facilities for a fee.

We spent a couple days anchored on Factory Creek near the state boat ramp. There is an excellent butcher, hardware store, and “packie”, within walking distance. I had some rigging work on the maintenance list.

Dredging.

Rigging work on Factory Creek.

November 16th- Beaufort SC

We decided to move over to the Marina at Downtown Beaufort. We stopped at the dock for diesel and water. Afterwards we tied on to one of their moorings.

Early in our trip some cruising friends strongly recommended getting a tomato pie from the Low Country Cafe. At the time, I didn’t find the idea of a tomato pie to be appetizing. Two months later and I have become Ahab hunting the white whale/ tomato pie. We found the cafe and baked the tomato pie. If I were to be shipwrecked on a deserted island I would spend the rest of my days happy, if all I had was tomato pie, and Sicilian wine. Fresh tomatoes, cheese, pie crust. The Beaufort tomato pie is indescribably delicious.

Some scenes from Beaufort SC

Evergreen moored off of Beaufort SC.

The Holy Grail.

November 12th- Georgetown to Awendaw Creek, SC

Georgetown was great! We really had a good time. We spent 10 nights in the downtown historic district. The food from the Indigo Market and Independent Seafood were a particular highlight. Prior to typing this installment we had shrimp gumbo over red rice and sausage.

Ollie and Ralphy had some hangout sessions. We saw an Asian inspired tiny house being built, went to a historic plantation, and participated in a Thanksgiving Trivia game at a really good tex/mex restaurant. Shopping, museums, socialising, eating, these are just some of the highlights of our Georgetown vacation.

Along with another cruising couple, we took a tour of the Hopsawee Plantation. The house was beautiful, slavery was not. The house is still a private residence and the family requests that no pictures are taken of the interior, so none were taken. I really enjoyed seeing all of the handmade historic furniture and woodwork in the house. The tour was very good.

Hopsawee Plantation

The left over weather from Hurricane Nicole cleared out so we decided it was time to move further south on our journey. We’ll be back, Georgetown !

I planned for a short day today as we had a few things to take care of in the morning. An important part of the morning schedule was acquiring the aforementioned shrimp and gumbo. Evergreen was ensconced in docklines and fenders so that was another project. We also had an exceptional cup of espresso with our sailing neighbors. Life is good. Next we made a very inelegant exit from our slip at the marina. It was very “Captain Ron”. We were one of the last boats to leave the marina so at least there was a lot of space to maneuver. It was the first time we’ve ever backed out of a marina slip!

After departing Georgetown we headed down Winyah Bay to the South Carolina low country. The winds were stronger than expected but the ICW was mostly flat. We anchored in Awendaw Creek and observed a colorful sunset. The grasslands provide a backdrop. There are several other boats anchored with us tonight. Most are headed south.

November 6th- Georgetown, SC

“No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces.” Helmuth von Moltke

A statement that can apply to many situations. Perhaps replace “the main enemy forces” with “Georgetown” or “reality.”

We’re still in Georgetown. The original plan was to stop here, do some laundry, get some shrimp, then get going down the ICW in a couple of days. The weather is warm (actually hot), the marina is really nice, Georgetown is one of our favorite towns on the ICW. The Harbor Walk Marina is right in the middle of the historic district. Plans change.

Also influencing our desicion- a tropical weather system developing over the Bahamas. We don’t expect to get the storm but high winds are predicted for a few days.

Evergreen remains at the dock and will likely be there for most of next week. Shore leave!

Lynne and I (with Ollie) have been touring the half dozen or so museums within walking distance.

Admiral’s pictures and notes.
Kaminski house.

Traditional Charleston style garden.

Vessel dated 1730 found at Brown’s Ferry and restored/ preserved by USC Columbia. Thought to have been transporting a load of bricks when it sank.

We spend our days wandering around and seeing the sites. Today’s big event was stopping at the ice cream parlour. Oliver is generally exhausted by the end of the day. Most of the shops, restaurants, and museums are dog friendly so he is busy all day. After dinner we go for an evening walk on the boardwalk. Ollie attracts much attention from patrons at the various bars along the way.

All’s well in Georgetown.

Some scenes from Georgetown.

The live oaks are stunning.

I have been informed that if I try to sustain myself with only shrimp and beer I will be inflicted with gout.

A small part of the huge steel mill at the end of the harbor (closed).

Evergreen still tied up at Georgetown.

October 30th- Carolina Beach to Pipeline Basin/ Southport, NC

Evergreen spent extra time in Carolina Beach waiting for the gusty north wind to subside. We wanted calmer winds for the Cape Fear River. We ate at the North End Cafe most mornings. They have a great bacon and egg sandwich. Before leaving we grabbed some home made banana pudding to have for dessert (delicious).

North End Cafe for breakfast.

Blackburn Brothers Seafood for dinner.

Big seas.

Almost Halloween.

Not a great place to buy property. Much of CB is inundated with water at high tide.

We traveled a short distance down the Cape Fear River and anchored in the Pipeline Basin. The pipeline is the discharge for the Brunswick Nuclear power plant. It’s actually a pretty nice spot and could use a better name.

Evergreen anchored in Pipeline Basin. Admiral taking a picture.

October 31st- Pipeline Basin/ Southport, NC to Waccamaw River/ Enterprise Landing, SC

Today was a productive travel day. We were able to ride the flood tide all the way through Myrtle Beach, right up to the Socastee Bridge near our chosen anchorage. This section of the ICW really makes you feel like you’re in a big ditch. In the past we’ve split this section into two days but we were making 7+ knots most of the day. At some point we crossed from North Carolina into South Carolina.

The highlight of the day was the Socastee Bridge tender. Some bridge tenders act like they don’t like to open their bridge. Not the case with this operator. It’s nice to hear a friendly voice over the VHF.

For Halloween night we anchored off the Waccamaw River in Enterprise Creek. We didn’t have any trick-or-treaters but there was plenty of Halloween ambiance in the jungle. We had owls, bats, fog, a jungle, and the occasional rattle of our anchor chain dragging along the bottom of the creek.

Sunset over the Waccamaw.

Evergreen anchored in Enterprise Creek.

Spooky morning fog on the Waccamaw.

November 1st- Enterprise Landing to Georgetown, SC

Maritime luck was with us again today. We rode the receding tide all the way down the Waccamaw River to Winyah Bay. Then traversed the short distance up the Sampit River to Georgetown. We pulled into the Harbor Walk marina for diesel. The plan was to anchor out in the river afterwards. Lynne spoke to the dock master about using the marina showers and laundry (we really needed the laundry). Since they just upgraded everything they no longer allow anchored transients to use the facilities. The Admiral enacted an executive override and opted for a marina slip for a few days. I somehow managed to get Evergreen into the slip. The trouble might be getting out due to river current and not much room for error.

Evergreen was looking “swampy”. Anchor mud, sand, branches, and dog footprints decorated the deck. I can’t remember the last time she’s had a good wash down. Today’s the day!

November 2nd- Georgetown, SC

Today we’re maximizing our usage of the laundry facility. I’ll be attending to some boat maintenance. We have our mail being expressed to the marina. Also on my to-do list, a hair cut.

It’s not all work. Georgetown is a really nice town with historic sites, good restaurants, and the Independent Seafood Market. The shrimp boats tie right up to the market.

Last but not least, Ollie’s brother, Ralphy, lives in Georgetown. Lynne walked up the street and Oliver started crying as soon as he saw Ralphy. He doesn’t play much with other dogs, with the exception of his buddy Finn, but he was sure happy to see Ralphy.

Independent Seafood.

The boys.

Evergreen docked at Harbor Walk Marina in Georgetown, SC

October 25th- Beaufort to Topsail Sound/ Surf City NC

We didn’t have a set date to leave Beaufort but the gloomy weather dictated we move on. We toured the town during our visit and added a few gallons of water to the tanks.

Industry around Morehead City

After passing Morehead City we traversed Bogue Sound and other various bays. The ICW is protected by the barrier islands of North Carolina. The bodies of water are all pretty shallow but there are well marked canals to follow. Eventually we passed through Camp Lejune. We didn’t see any soldiers today but we did see some aircraft.

Camp Lejune.

Fishing or catching birds?

There was one particularly shallow area around the base near New River Inlet but we didn’t have a problem.

Much of the run was through long straight dredged canals. I used our autopilot to steer and hit buttons throughout the day to adjust the course. Our Raymarine tiller autopilot on Catalpa was eventually named Ray. We have another Raymarine autopilot on Evergreen. This is a larger unit of a different design to accommodate Evergreen’s wheel. This autopilot has been dubbed Crazy Ivan. “Crazy Ivan” was a submarine manuver used by the USSR during the cold war. Their missle sub’s sonar had a blind spot and could not hear US subs that were tracking them from directly behind. The Russian subs would periodically make quick 90 degree turns to detect the US attack subs. This could result in collision. Every once in a while Evergreen’s autopilot executes the same maneuver when I’m using the remote. It keeps me on my toes.

We anchored in Topsail sound for the night. Across the road is Surf City beach. Ollie enjoyed the beach during his commando raids.

Evergreen anchored in Topsail Sound.

Morning fog.

October 26th- Topsail Sound to Carolina Beach, NC

We woke to fog and had a relaxing morning, waiting for it to dissipate a bit. Today’s passage was uneventful. The small outboard skiffs and center consoles increased through the day before reaching a crescendo at Wrightsville. They were buzzing like bees around that area. We call all the wakes, “North Carolina chop”. We anchored in Wrightsville once and couldn’t take it. Parts of Florida can be the same way.

We got to Carolina Beach which is also a “No Wake Zone” and is strictly enforced. We were happy to be pulling into the harbor and looking forward to resting and exploring for a few days. Unfortunately, we were unable to reserve a town mooring for the first night. No problem! We’ll just anchor. That’s where my problems started.

I consider myself experienced at anchoring and usually there is very little drama with the whole process. We were driving around one of the anchorages just slowly scoping out the depths and zeroing in on a good spot. Evergreen abruptly hit bottom and stopped dead. Engine full reverse! Engine full ahead! Nothing. Another cruiser came over with a big outboard powered dinghy to help push us out. He grounded. Eventually he was able to assist but we couldn’t move the boat much. I rowed out a kedge anchor and tried to crank Evergreen off the shoal using the genoa winches. Nothing. To make matters worse, there was a light breeze blowing Evergreen further into the shoal area. Very frustrating. Our boat is a shallow draft vessel but we were stuck in about two feet of water. Eventually I couldn’t move the rudder.

The tide continued to go out for another hour and then started to go up. With the help of the tide and our kedge anchor we got Evergreen off the shoal in a few hours.

Not done yet. More chaos!

At this point I could have anchored but decided to move to a second, less crowded, anchorage in the harbor. The sun was setting and we dropped the hook in a spot that looked good. We anchored near a large sailboat. In the dark the boats started to swing in odd directions due to current and lack of wind. We figured his lawyers were better than ours so we better move. Up anchor! In the pitch black we slowly motored around looking for another spot and trying very hard not to ground out again in the unfamiliar anchorage.

In the end we found a spot, ate, had a glass or two of wine, and collapsed for the night.

October 27th- Carolina Beach, NC

Up early. Ollie to shore. I see there is an open mooring now. Up anchor! We proceed over to the mooring field and tie onto a mooring. The wind is supposed to blow for a few days and I’m concerned about the Cape Fear river. We’re going to stay here for a while. There is a dinghy dock about 25 yards from the boat. Right up the road is a good cafe and the beach. Further down the harbor is a fish market and grocery options. Time to relax!

Some scenes from Carolina Beach.

View off the back porch.