Cruising the eastern seaboard from Maine to the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico

Cruising Blogs, Pt. 3

Guess Where We Are?

Thwack...thwack...thwack...the air vibrates with a loud, thumping noise which reverberates through the boat. Sounded like the Marines were landing.....actually they were flying overhead and landing very nearby, doing practice landings with Vertical Takeoff or Landing (VTOL) aircraft which make much more noise than a helicopters.

We are anchored in Mile Hammock Bay which is part of Camp Lejeune, a huge Marine Corps base. (I was stationed here, briefly, nearly 50 years ago but am not feeling nostalgic). The anchorage is lovely and remote except for the 30 other snowbirds anchored here with us. The landscape continues to be the isolated marshes broken by shallow creeks and small bays that have been with us throughout North Carolina. The waterway we follow is occasionally marked by small settlements and much less often by small cities such as Morehead City and Beaufort from which we departed this morning.

The weather continues to be mild and sunny and the wildlife continues to entrance us. Today, a least a couple dozen dolphins graced us briefly and the pelicans made numerous appearances throughout the day. Egrets and herons are almost ho-hum sightings and so it goes.

The boat traffic has become more concentrated now; all of us snowbirds following a channel perhaps a hundred feet wide like a column of waterborne ants driven by the promise of an endless summer. But unlike ants who work with discipline to a common purpose, boats move slowly (from 5 to 12 knots) but at different speeds which require certain protocols and lots of attention in this narrow channel. And this channel has now acquired currents since we are close to the ocean and the dredged depths as posted are not totally reliable.

So as beautiful as the day has been, we are also happy to be in a snug anchorage, with friends, with feet up, with glass in hand and awaiting sunset. Bob - November 1, 2010

South Carolina

Puffin has arrived in South Carolina. A cloudy day with some mild showers brought us to the Calabash where we attempted to anchor without much success due to other boats, and an unexpected current against which the wind was blowing. Puffin said she'd rather stay at the Marina just down the waterway so that's what we did. She earned a quick washdown there while we caught up with some laundry and other things. Civil Twilight managed to anchor successfully which earned Gerri and Alan peeled shrimp and beer ashore we heard.

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Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

Puffin departed Cricket Cove Marina on a calm, grey morning that promised showers and hinted at fog this morning. South Carolina? Fog? Nonetheless I turned on the radar early but on a narrow waterway there is so much return from land that it's nearly useless. In time, with the fog developing, we were requesting another of the bridge openings so common this trip and the bridge operator had to ask each boat arriving their approximate location so that she could determine the optimum bridge opening time for our little cluster of boats. She couldn't see any of us from her bridge station.

However the fog soon cleared back to the simple grey and showery day that had been forecast. So it was still an excellent day for Puffin to later traverse the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge.

This recent addition (1997) to the National Wildlife Refuge system is a stunning and vibrant 55,000 acres of wetlands, markedly different than anything we saw in North Carolina. The refuge was established for it's incredible "wetland diversity that sets it apart from most others along the east coast(1)". This brief description fails to describe what it feels like to slip through the narrow blackwater Waccamaw River that bisects what seems like a floating woodland. This is a forest habitat unlike the mixed marsh and forest wetlands of North Carolina and seems even more lush. Because of the overall flat geography of the South Carolina low country here, the river spawns an endless web of creeks throughout the wetlands, many well hidden by the verdant forest growth. Fortunately for us, boats are really the only way to see this incredible preserve.

Tonight we are anchored by a small island in the middle of the Waccamaw River, with little wind but a strong current of perhaps two knots which is tugging at Puffin and turning her propeller at anchor. Bob - November 4, 2010

Surprise!

All of a sudden fins appeared ahead as we continued south through the backwaters of South Carolina's low country. We could hardly believe we were seeing dolphins, as many as seven or eight, in a shallow canal. While the herons and egrets, now plentiful and stalking prey suggested that fish were present, it was still a revelation to see dolphins here in these narrow estuarine bays and creeks. Dolphins, some 7-9 feet in length seem too large to swim in water that is only 10-15 deep in the very center and quickly morphs to mud at the edges. Moreover the water is muddy and opaque with apparent visibility of only a few inches. But there they were.

The humdrum of the last several hours on an easily navigable waterway was quickly eclipsed by the excitement of seeing this particular dolphin who chose to swim along with Puffin for a few hundred feet. While people throughout boating history have enjoyed and described this phenomenon, it is nonetheless a singular experience to enjoy it firsthand, particularly since it was my first documented sighting of a bottlenose dolphin since Flipper so many years ago.

Next morning at anchor in a tidal creek a few miles from Charleston, we again saw intermittant splashes along the shoreline as more dolphins chased their hapless prey. Bob - November 5, 2010

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Charleston, South Carolina

Saturday late morning finds Puffin arriving in Charleston. She will take a slip there for the month while Nancy and I do some sightseeing and later visit family in New England for the Thanksgiving holidays.

I had thought our blog would take a hiatus for these holidays beginning with our arrival in Charleston. But I find myself so entranced by this incredible city; the people, the places, the history as well as the odd and serendipitous happenstance that I am compelled to continue it a little longer.

After docking at a marina on the Ashley River in downtown Charleston, a few boat chores and washdown for Puffin were completed as we settled down to thoughtfully develop a sightseeing plan for the city - the thoughtful part was required as we would be on foot or bicycle and wanted to see as much as possible.

Afterwards a local walkabout for some exercise and orientation brought the day to an very pleasant end. Bob - November 6, 2010

So much to see!

Yesterday afternoon Alan and Gerri had bicycled over from the marina in which Civil Twilight was berthed farther down the Ashley River in Charleston. With significant enthusiasm they related some of what they had seen during the day with friends of theirs who live on a boat much of the year right in Charleston and are native by several generations. Gerri's suggestion for today was to bicycle through the historic downtown district (Gerri had discovered a slick little app earlier for the Iphone/Ipad that provided an aural walking tour of the historic district complete with pictures.)

So with Ipad, backpack and bicycle we were off, excepting Nancy, who remembers a childhood incident that destroyed both her bicycle and her interest and now insists walking is more seemly. (And she does walk with alacrity - sometimes I bicycle and she walks and she arrives at the same time I do.)

Charleston is a city made for bicycles; at least bicycles owned by those whose confidence and energy level like mine that is somewhat diminished . Charleston is dead flat and often offers broad sidewalks with little pedestrian traffic. The street pattern is generally gridlike, that allows for a measure of intuitive navigation. And today the weather was perfect.

Starting with the Marketplace, a flea market that goes back to the origins of the city itself, we toured several public buildings and churches. But what charmed the soul and captivated the eye are the magnificently maintained historic homes, mostly dating back 200 years or more. Many of the homes have small alleyways which were developed to allow better air circulation during the debilitatingly hot and humid summer months in the decades before air conditioning became available. Some of the homes have lavishly landscaped courtyards. Most have a wrought iron gate of some time and many have iron fencing as well.

Most of the streets have palmettos and other trees for shade and many homes have one or two-story covered verandas, known locally as piazzas that usually face a small alleyway. The homes range in size from large (such as the ones above on the Charleston waterfront) to more modestly sized townhouses. Overall the effect was visually stunning. Everywhere one walked the gentle potpourri of colors of the homes, the textures, the vibrant greens of plantings everywhere suffused the soul with an emotional warmth that by comparison simply outshines the historic areas of other cities we have walked or lived in. Bob - Nov 8, 2010

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Charleston, the homes

So a few more words seem needed to describe this city of the South, Charleston. It isn't sufficient to spend just a few days here. Two weeks would still give the fully engaged visitor only a cursory appreciation of its history and a sense of the southern culture. Nancy and I have traversed the low country by boat, visited Fort Sumter, visited two museums, walked all over the downtown historic district and bicycled out to the Battery which faced, full-on, the onslaught of the both the American Revolution and the Civil War. We have still only glimpsed the surface of this great area.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, one of the real treasures of this engaging city is the beautifully restored and maintained historic residential district. This area reflects in a small way the individual tastes of the people who make their home there. In a larger sense the greater overall architectural unity underscores a shared appreciation by the residents for the rich architectural and cultural heritage of this historic city.

For a quick tour of some of the beautiful houses, large and small, click on the gallery and turn to the album on Houses of Charleston. Bob - Nov 8, 2010

Ft. Sumter

On Tuesday we continued playing tourists in Charleston SC and took a ferry tour out to Fort Sumter, located on a man-made island at the mouth of Charleston Harbor. Coincidentally, this fort was under the control of federal Major Robert Anderson until it surrendered to the Confederates in April, 1861. He is known as the man who lit the fuse for the Civil War. The tour brought home the difficulties of his and his men's situation and the overall circumstances surrounding the cataclysmic start of the war, and made it easy to see just what was involved in the north's attempt to blockade this important city. (While many ships sneaked past the blockage, the city definitely suffered.)

It seems that travelling south on the ICW is filled with coincidental meetings of friends. We had met Michelle and Luke of Lesser Light in Cape May, while we all hunkered down to avoid a gale. We separated in the Delaware Bay as they headed to Philadelphia and we kept meandering south. Imagine our surprise when they spotted us aboard the very same tour boat to Fort Sumter, a boat filled with a couple of hundred people on one of several daily tours. We had a nice time catching up and exchanging boating tips while on the boat and over lunch at an appropriately named barbeque place called Sticky Fingers.

On Wednesday, Vermont friends Dick and Mary of Isis, bound for the Bahamas, and crew Tom Benz arrived at our marina in the early a.m after a long overnight trip , and while Tom caught up on sleep, Dick and Mary joined us at the Charleston Aquarium. We loved the fish and shark-filled tank, and I think the whole experience was enhanced by our election to tour its on-site sea turtle hospital, the fish feeding demonstration with divers in the tank, and the live alligator session. The staff walked around carrying live alligators - is it a surprise that no one elected to pet them?? Nancy kept hoping they had slipped them valium.

The museum features an aviary of damaged birds who can't be released to the wilds, and I wish you could have seen Bob's expression when he was up close and personal with his favorite pelicans! Nancy - Nov 10, 2010

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Charleston Museum

On Wednesday, Vermont friends Dick and Mary of Isis, bound for the Bahamas, and crew Tom Benz arrived at our marina in the early a.m after a long overnight trip , and while Tom caught up on sleep, Dick and Mary joined us at the Charleston Aquarium. We loved the fish and shark-filled tank, and I think the whole experience was enhanced by our election to tour its on-site sea turtle hospital, the fish feeding demonstration with divers in the tank, and the live alligator session. The staff walked around carrying live alligators - is it a surprise that no one elected to pet them?? Nancy kept hoping they had slipped them valium.

The museum features an aviary of damaged birds who can't be released to the wilds, and I wish you could have seen Bob's expression when he was up close and personal with his favorite pelicans! Nancy - Nov 10, 2010

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Charleston’s Battery

Nancy and I toured Charleston's Battery this afternoon taking another look at some of the beautiful houses and gardens. We've thoroughly enjoyed the 10 days spent visiting this city. There's more to see but we're headed home for a few days to be with family for Thanksgiving.

Alan and Gerry, aboard Civil Twilight, left Charleston early last week and are now in Florida getting ever closer to the Bahamas where we hope to meet up with them again. Isis, with Dick, Mary and crew Tom aboard left yesterday morning and the plan was to go outside to Florida so they should be in Florida today. We hope to meet up with them as well, somewhere in the Exumas.

Puffin will resume her way south at the end of this month and Nancy and I plan to resume the blog after a Thanksgiving hiatus. Bob & Nancy - Nov, 15, 2010

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Blog Comment from Joan Soulard: Nov 17, 2010

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and visit at home. I am enjoying your blog, which I found under Alan & Gerri. Very colorful literary composition Bob. Have you considered writing a book? Enjoy the rest of your trip. Joan

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Really leaving this time.

Maybe the nighttime temperatures in the forties here in Charleston compelled us finally to slip the docklines. We had planned to leave Friday last but Friday became Saturday, friends on a Krogen docked nearby, a restaurant beckoned, conviviality was in the air and then another day slipped by.

This evening finds Puffin again in South Carolina's low country in a particularly isolated creek called Tom Point Creek off the Wadmalaw River. We are rafted next to friends (Ken and Sylvianne) on a larger Krogen and have just finished a sumptuous shrimp and lobster dinner they've prepared aboard.

As we seated ourselves, Ken mentioned purchasing some incredible cocktail glasses. He brought one out to show. Very attractive. Then, suddenly, he flung the glass directly at the teak deck (floor) to demonstrate just how unbreakable it was. The glass survived nicely. Not so much, the beautiful teak deck now sporting a perceptible dimple. Sylvianne’s disparaging look said it well.

There is a delectable dichotomy in stepping aboard their beautiful boat and sitting down to a magnificent meal in snug and gracious comfort. At the same time on a chilly night outside, we are anchored in a narrow creek, in the midst of thousands of acres of seagrass and cypress trees and not much else. The anchored boats swing to an audibly burbling current and we can see only the light of one distant house. In my advancing dotage, I cannot help but marvel at the immediate juxtaposition of these two incredibly different worlds.

Tomorrow we are up before dawn to aim for Beaufort, S.C. Bob - Dec 5, 2010

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The Treats Continue

The trip to Beaufort, S.C. was another sunny day in the low country, but absent the warmer days and nights we've been so accustomed to. It was 31 degrees as we worked our way out of the narrow creek that was home for an evening. My smug comment about the warm south of an earlier commentary is itself returning to smirk at me, too soon. But the day is gorgeous and there are birds everywhere. Egrets, herons, ibises turkey buzzards, terns, a host of smaller birds I haven't learned to identify yet and then, shazam, flying its identifiable hunting pattern over the water - an eagle. It soon settled in a tree to pose for my Nikon.

But throughout the day the dolphins dazzled us. All day long, pods broke the surface, sometimes close enough to hear the "snuff" as they took in their oxygen. Aside from the sheer number we saw,- which must speak well for the health of the estuary - was the chance to see enough animals so that we could get beyond simple excitement and think a little about these magnificent mammals.

They seem to be the only bird or mammal in my experience that actually comes closer to a moving boat out of simple curiosity. Birds and animals and fish all move away unless they're in pursuit of the likelihood of a no-threat meal, like gulls to a fishing boat.

But time and again the dolphin pods approach our moving boat "porposing" through the water. They often dive under the boat at the last minute and then we see no more of them which suggests the boat is a focal point, even though boats are common this on this well traveled waterway. The spell of these beautiful creatures has probably lured me into the easy trap of anthropomorphism but Wikipedia says that special characteristics of their eyes allow them to see as well out of the water as under so perhaps they want to see what's on top of the part they see underwater. At least that is what I have concluded.

I am certainly content that they come over for whatever reason. Bob - Dec 6, 2010

Make it stand out.

Beaufort, South Carolina

Puffin stayed in Beaufort today, a catch-up day for Bob and Nancy. It's simply too busy out on the waterway to concentrate on the shoreside stuff (bills, letters etc) - too much to see and do in these often narrow waterways. There is wildlife, there are the homes and there is the accompanying way of life along the waterway in places folks live.. And all the time underway there is navigation. Wander far from the marked channels in this low country and one soon finds himself aground in the mud. Occasional calls for assistance overheard on the VHF radio are testament to that.

So today we do that catch-up stuff and reflect on what we saw of Beaufort yesterday walking around with our friends, Ken and Sylvianne who travel on the Kadey Krogen, Sylken Sea.

As we get to see some of the deep south towns of the Carolinas up close by walking, I am continually struck by one of the things that set them apart from other attractive towns in other areas like New England. It is simply the varied and verdant landscaping peppered with mature trees - often massive live oaks drapped with Spanish moss which softens the profil like Christmas tinsel. Even the smallest of house lots will have plantings and enjoy the shade of two or three trees.

The banner picture illustrates better than my words the effect of this soft plummage on a small city street and how it draws one's eye from the humdrum of parked vehicles. Bob - Dec 7, 2010

Georgia on my mind

We left Beaufort, SC (Bewfort) this morning for Savannah, Georgia and passed through at least 12 sounds, rivers, creeks, and cuts. At some point, I lost count. This section of the ICW, in fact all through Georgia, is dreaded because of the encroaching shoals and shallow areas. We lucked out and passed through at mostly high tide and had no problems, but did have to stay alert and stay IN the channel. No wandering allowed. We definitely would not try this area at low tide. We passed by Hilton Head, SC and wondered if any golfers were serious enough to be out on the green in this chilly weather. And as we passed Parris Island, SC, the largest training base for the Marine Corps, Bob was reminded of how lucky he was NOT to have been based there.

Porpoises continued aplenty and kept heading straight for our boat on a collision course, then would dive at the last minute and disappear. They seem to have perfect timing and coordination.

We arrived in Thunderbolt (don't you love that name? it's a suburb of Savannah) too late to catch a bus into the city, so contented ourselves with a long walk through the residential area here and a late lunch/early dinner at the Tortuga Grill nearby. The food there was very good and Bob satisfied his craving for a hamburger. Nancy - Dec 8, 2010

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Serious Shoaling on the Sapelo

The warnings from others were frequently heard - avoid Georgia - head offshore at Charleston and come in again at northern Florida. These cautions were directed at the frequent shoaling in Georgia's low country waterways even in the dredged channels.

As ICW first time travelers though, Nancy and I wanted to see Georgia, which certainly can't be seen from I-95 or downtown Atlanta - our only vantage points in this state so far.

Puffin is stout with a keel protected propeller and draws only a little over 4 feet and she has already tasted the mud in Cape May as early readers to this blog can attest.
Moreover Georgia has something we haven't seen since departing New England: significant tides of up to eight feet. So this morning Puffin continued south from Thunderbolt, Georgia us with a little trepidation and Puffin on a rising tide. We planned to be traveling during a part of the tide cycle that flooded during the morning and ebbed in the afternoon. (This cycle advances by about an hour a day but we would be through Georgia in 2-3 days.) By traveling only 5-6 hrs a day we could slip along Georgia's beautiful estuaries in the upper half of the tide cycle with an extra four or more feet of water, hopefully unmolested by unexpected mudshoals.

This worked well all day until just past Sapelo Sound as Puffin began a run down the Sapelo River. Just north of Dog Hammock shoal with daybeacon "150" to starboard I watch the depth sounder slide south of 12 feet. I ease back the throttle and double-check my position. The red daybeacon "150" is properly off to starboard by 75 to 100 feet. The chart says I should have nineteen feet, easy!

As the seconds tick by, the depth sounder starts below 10 feet and I shove the transmission into steep reverse now, Puffin almost shuddering, particularly as she has been riding a one knot current and pushed by 12 knots of wind.

In a few more seconds Puffin is nearly stopped and I turn the wheel hard to starboard with a short burst of throttle, waiting for the depth sounder to inch up. (It reads in tenths of feet)......Nothing! I try to back up more and throw the wheel to port....nothing! I am seeking deeper water without slipping farther down the river where I know I will be aground, and on a falling tide. Nothing changes. I quickly start to back and fill with engine and rudder to reverse direction. In doing so Puffin does slips farther away from the daybeacon and finally, like magic, I see the figure nine on the depth sounder....then ten.... then eleven. I exchange virtual high fives with myself, but I know it has been mostly good luck.

I do feel the calming hand of reprieve on my back and an hour later we are anchored in New Teakettle Creek, quietly sipping wine and watching the sunset drop over the marshes. So it goes. Bob - Dec 9, 2010

Jekyll Island

After a calm, cold (37 degrees in Georgia - jeez Louise!) night, Puffin headed for Jekyll island, in part upon the recommendation of our friends Ken and Sylvianne on Sylken Sea. An easy and event free day brought us to anchor off Jekyll Island at 1:30 PM, plenty of time for a walk ashore. With no preparation save for Google maps on my Ipad (which has grown to be a personal appendage in two short months), we started walking. Lucky us, after a half mile down a paved road, two bicycles emerged from a path in the woods. We turned in and a sign announced we had entered a real "maritime forest". Several more signs by the Georgia Dept. of Parks along the pathway explained what made it a maritime forest and identified some of what we were seeing.

A serendipitous confluence of care for this tract a century ago combined with continuing care through the years and propitious plantings of a more recent nature provided us with a dense and dramatic woodland tapestry. Huge live oaks draped with Spanish moss, palmettos and even taller sapel palms towered overhead. At mid story were cedars and cypress and other shorter trees and at eye level, the "saw" palms with their sunburst pattern of fronds graced the edges of the path.

As we returned later toward the dinghy dock, we noticed a modest building that had earlier appeared to be closed. It was a wildlife center run by the University of Georgia and several young people were preparing to feed the animals.

Nancy and I were invited in and discovered an intriguing collection of the fauna that might be found on a typical Georgian estuarine island. The collection was more wide ranging than inclusive. There were some rat snakes, a corn snake and a number of aquaria with small fish, shrimp, a turtle, crabs, mollusks and even a pair of very small alligators. There was a diorama of the very tiny things that might be found in the spartina grass that is the backbone of the low country marshes. Nancy thought the most fascinating exhibit was a excellent description of how a shrimp net caught shrimp while releasing the "bye-catch" such as fish or turtles. We had seen several large shrimp boats working the day before.

The overall exhibit offered a homespun effect as displays were put together with more care than money. It was not the slick exhibition of a big city museum but nonetheless fascinating for the effort and thought that went into the collection on a very limited budget. Bob - December 10, 2010

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Comment from Franklin Mirasola - Dec 15, 2010

Thanks for your incisive observations about the Jekyll Island Tidelands Nature Center and the environs which the residents jealously protect from misuse and development. A longer visit would have revealed that in the turtle collection we have 2 loggerheads, several diamondbacks, red & yellow eared sliders, box turtles, a gofer, a snapper and a soft shell turtle. Donated by localstate artisans we have a life sized stainless steel right whale calf, a magnificent Keystone arch that exhibits in bas-relief the interdependence of all the marine creatures. Our UGA trained nature guides (all senior citizen retirees) conduct tours and walks for several hundred visitors each year. Our mission is to educate visitors about our beautiful treasure and to protect for future generations. Thanks for your kind words.

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Jekyll Island II

The picture posted above is another aspect of the Jekyll Island that makes Jekyll Island a fascinating spot to visit. On the one hand there is a magnificent and well cared for maritime forest that occupies a significant core portion of the island and is accessible only by manicured paths. But the Island gained its fame as a late 19th century enclave for a few of the most unconscionably wealthy American of that time: gilded denizens of Wall St. whose rapine grasp of America's resources had festooned them with uncountable wealth.

For fifty years a small group of these men (by invitation only) and their families built houses, a hotel and all the accoutrements in between as a winter playground on a private island and a respite from both the wintry weather and the unceasing curiosity of the press.

The island was purchased in 1948 by the state of Georgia to make it available to all. More recently the buildings that formed the Club have been undergoing an incredible restoration and are now open to the public. The buildings are sited on a beautiful campus that is incredibly landscaped and cared for.

There is a museum on site which reveals a detailed record of the amazing era at the island.

Tomorrow Puffin will head for Florida, a mere 30 miles away, and perhaps some warmer temperatures. Bob - Dec 14, 2010