June 9th- Carolina Beach to Sloop Point, NC

Before leaving Carolina Beach we stopped into the North End Java Stop for coffee, egg sandwiches, and 40lbs of ice.

We had two bridges to negotiate today. I had to wait an hour for one. The other opened as soon as I radioed the bridge tender (not on scedule).

The evening was spent at Sloop Point anchorage in Topsail Sound. I did a little research and found that Sloop Point was a town for only two years. It’s near Surf City. Ollie had some fun chasing birds at the Surf City beach.

June 10th- Sloop Point to Swansboro, NC

Next stop: Swansboro. Both the current and winds helped us along today.

For once we were the first in the anchorage. Two other vessels showed up later. The weather has been mixed and looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while. Later in the night the wind speed increased. Our anchor held well but eventually I had to go on deck to secure a few things.

Morning scenes from Swansboro.

Mr. Intense waiting to launch.

Catalpa anchored in Swansboro.

June 11th- Swansboro to Beaufort, NC

Today turned out to be a sailing day. We started off with the usual motor sailing. Later, I raised the main and was able to shut the diesel down. A few hours later the wind increased so much that I was putting a reef in the main sail. “Reefing” is a reduction of the sail area using various lines. It was difficult to stay in the dredged channel while we were flying along. It seemed that other boaters were surprised to see a sailboat sailing. We quickly got to our destination, Beaufort, and anchored off of the town docks in Taylor Creek.

Morehead City.

June 12th- Beaufort, NC

Last night was a quiet one. Due to weather (and a need to do laundry) we decided to stay in Beaufort for an extra day. Our decks are getting a wash down.

Our trip has always been about the places we stop at. On the way south we spent a few days in Beaufort. There are many nice stores and restaurants. History is on display everywhere. There is a good brewery. There is even wooden boat building happening. I like this place. Unfortunately, coronavirus has put a damper on some aspects of our adventure. North Carolina is having a worrying surge in cases. We don’t see many people or businesses taking precautions. It’s difficult to stay six feet away from other folks. The lack of precautions really bother us. Seeing a bunch of people going about “business as usual,” makes us more worried. I hate coronavirus. Put me first in line for a vaccine. Rant OVER! (Edit- Lynne went into a few local businesses that were using masks. Some required and supplied masks also.)

Weather permitting, we’ll move on tomorrow. We’re not sure about where we’re stopping next. Originally we had planned on spending a few days in Oriental but we’re having different thoughts now. Further debate is needed.

Some scenes from Beaufort.

The docks.

Catalpa anchored under a steel gray sky in Beaufort NC.

June 7th and 8th- Southport to Carolina Beach, NC

The tide came back into Pipeline Basin and Catalpa floated. We both agreed that being stuck was an unpleasant experience. We are used to the constant motion of floating.

Southport.

Maybe we’d qualify for a free meal if we brought Ollie?

We left in the morning (still floating) and caught the flood tide up the Cape Fear river. With the wind behind us and the Cape Fear pushing us along, our speed approached 8 knots. Our day was done in just over two hours.

Snow’s Cut.

We could have pushed on further but we enjoy Carolina Beach. The entrance to the harbor is tricky due to current from Snow’s Cut. Once inside, it is well protected and a no wake zone. The “no wake zone” part is nice because there are a lot of small boats and jet skis zooming around this time of year. Lynne got us a mooring for a couple of days. We relaxed on Catalpa all afternoon. In the evening we had grilled steak, pasta, and a cabernet sauvignon. Afterwards we had an impressive rain storm. We were able to collect around 5 gallons of water which we filtered and added to the tanks.

Just finished grilling the steak before this hit.

Today (Monday) we’re running out more water to Catalpa. We picked up a few things at a mini-mart. We made a stop at Blackburn Seafood for some grouper and shrimp (grouper for dinner tonight). The beaches are packed so we can only bring Ollie over late in the day. It’s hot so we think it’s better to not have him charging around in the mid day heat anyway.

No beach but still having fun.

June 6th- Calabash Creek, SC to Pipeline Canal Basin/ Southport, NC

Oliver is not a big fan of Calabash Creek. The shoreline is all oyster shells. He doesn’t like walking on them. Today we crossed back into North Carolina. Being a Saturday, the small boat and PWC traffic was prodigious. It reminded us of South Florida.

We would not have a favorable current up the Cape Fear river until after 5:30pm. We decided to anchor near Southport so we could head up the river early in the morning. I found a spot called the Pipeline Canal Basin. The name is self explanatory but it is in a park with beaches and a boat ramp. We made it through the shallow entrance to the supposedly deeper basin. We hit ground. We backed off, tried another spot and hit ground again. Third try – hit ground again. This time we were particularly stuck. I dropped the anchor and brought Ollie to shore. It’s low tide and we are stuck in the mud. When the tide comes back in we should be floating again. We’ll stay here for the night. I might move Catalpa when we’re floating or we might just stay in this spot. The tide will be rising again in the morning.

Some scenes from the Pipeline Basin.

The boat ramp.

We’re not pointing in the right direction.

Me trying to find deeper water. I use the oar to sound the bottom. Looks like 2 feet!

Catalpa stuck in Pipeline Basin (Southport, NC)

June 4th- Georgetown to Waccamaw River, SC

My parts came in. The windlass was repaired. Nothing else broke. We enjoyed the extra couple of days in Georgetown. We had seafood every day and are still enjoying left overs. Ollie had some more time to run around with Ralphy.

This Crane hangs around Independent Seafood waiting for shrimp.

Everyone enjoyed our stay in Georgetown.

Our Thursday departure was not ideal for the trip up the Waccamaw River. After consulting the tide and current charts (with an early start) it looked like I’d have four hours of favorable current and then it would turn against me. There is less of a tide further up the river so I figured it wouldn’t be a problem.

Now for the real story. As soon as we got into the river the current was slightly against us. This only increased as we went further into the jungle. Research was needed. Due to much rain and a moon tide there is a lot of water trapped up there. A LOT. Eventually our progress was reduced to 2 knots. I ran Catalpa’s diesel at almost the maximum RPMs. The area is all swamp anyway but it was really flooded. Sometimes it was hard to tell apart the ICW from the jungle.

Our anchorage was up by a place called Enterprise Landing. This far up there wasn’t much of a current. There was no difference between high and low tide. Just a bunch of water sloshing around. I had debated tieing up at the nearby Bucksport Plantation Marina but much of their docks looked to be underwater. Our anchorage was just off the Waccamaw in Enterprise Creek. It turned out to be a perfect night.

View off the porch.

A quick run out of the creek and across the ICW are two boat ramps for Enterprise Landing. Both ramps (and public parking lot) were flooded. While walking through the water, on my way to dry land, someone pointed out a nearby alligator. Hmmmm… Maybe I’ll use the other ramp in the morning.

Catalpa anchored off of the Waccamaw in Enterprise Creek.

June 5th- Waccamaw River to Calabash Creek, SC

Last night we had an almost full moon (one more day). The jungle sounds were like a movie. We were serenaded by the loudest frogs we’ve ever heard. What a pretty spot. We were the only boat.

The good thing about being on top of a big pile of water is going down it. Today was all down hill regardless of tide. Our speed approached 7 knots.

Just north of Enterprise Landing is Socastee. The little town was inundated with water. On our trip South we noticed many houses were on stilts. Now we know why.

Socastee swing bridge.

After passing through the whole area I read that the Coast Guard has declared a “HIGH WATER EVENT”. Mariners should use caution due to extreme currents. Bridges don’t have the proper clearance (our mast fit). The whole area is now a no wake zone. I’d like to add- there is a lot of stuff floating around.

We passed through Myrtle Beach which was also somewhat flooded. After a quick day we anchored in Calabash Creek. It’s not perfect, but it’s good for a night.

Our neighbors.

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.