Monday, November 28, 2011

Life at the Beach






We made it to Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Made three bridges in one day after starting at 6am.  We stopped at Swan Point Marina on Saturday night.  The marina had taken quite a hit from Irene.  For some reason (new moon) the tide was very low.  The only place we fit was in the travel lift well.  We got out of the anchorage by inches.  It took us 45 minutes to back out 100 yards.  At least the marina has a new trench. 

The scenery on this part of the ICW is beautiful.  Some of the homes on the shore are breath taking.  The fishing boats scurry around like waterbugs.  The current is a new challenge.  We were waiting for the bridge and Matt said for me to slow down.  I was in neutral doing 4 knts.  My solution was to do donuts until the bridge opened.  Many a motor boat was a bit miffed because they couldn't pass a 42 ft sailboat doing donuts in the middle of the channel.  They were throwing cuss words at me on the radio.  I sweetly wished them a blessed day (it was Sunday) and a Merry Christmas.  I told them Jesus and their Momma would be proud to hear them talk on the radio.  They got very quiet.  Ahhh, the bible belt.

We pulled into a nice marina.  It is actually a bar with a marina.  We pulled in and had three, count them three, guys to help us tie up the boat.  They gave us an extention for our power cord.  The marina doesn't have showers, but who cares, we have our own shower.  Free water, free ice and free wifi.  We ran out of propane and they had someone shuttle us to the hardware store and the grocery.  The costs are great!  $1.50 first night, $1.00 2nd night and 75 cents per foot the third night.  Plan on stopping a Dockside Marina, they are the best!

We met a bunch of folks on a trawler.  They have a blog, boatfoolsgoingsouth, they started at the Rappahanock River.  They are the owner, an 84 year old gentleman, and three ladies and their little dog.  They started with two ladies and enticed another lady to join them in Swansboro.  They are having a blast.  They travel, they stop, they party. 

Added pictures of Camp Lejune.  We crossed through the Marines target practice area.  We found the marked anchorages too shoaled for us.  We are staying at Dockside until a low pressure system passes.  Looking forward to finding anchorages in the low country of the Carolina.



how do you like my hat?



 

Saturday, November 26, 2011

It is the day after Jessica D Tate Coon's birthday!  She is our beautiful, smart, wonderful oldest child.

We spend thanksgiving night and last night in Swansboro, NC.  We arrived in Swansboro after a very stressful day on the Bogue Sound.  The first part of the trip through Beaufort and Morehead City were fun.  Lots to see, surfing with the current doing 7.6 knts we rounded a corner and were greeted by dolphins and pelicans playing in the air/water.  We slowed down and just had a moment with our aquatic friends.

We entered the Bogue Sound.  Depths dropped to 12 to 15 ft.  We were following the magenta line and quickly ran aground.  We ungrounded and started again.  At this point the current was against us.  We bumped.  Two sailboat were behind us and asked to pass.  We were elated!  We could follow them and maybe not bump again.  They passed and we noticed they didn't stay on the magenta line, they stayed to the right.  I started steering right at the red marks.  No more bumping!  I was never so glad to get off a body of water.  Many of the charted islands were no longer visible in the water.  As we progressed south, the islands started appearing, first as a small sand bar, then as dune islands.  The dunes were full of bird life.  The grasses were swaying in the breeze.  It was a perfect sea scape.

We got to Swansboro just as the sun was setting.  The current was strong.  We anchored just below a bridge.  Put the Delta down with 60ft of chain.  We took our new Danforth anchor and dropped it off the bow.  I made leftover turkey, wild rice and green beans for dinner.  I went right to sleep.  Matt kept anchor watch.  I woke up about 2 am. Matt was still on anchor watch.  The current had shifted and we were being held by the Danforth.  After about an hour Matt decided the anchors would hold and I went back to sleep.  Morning arrived beautiful and sunny.  We were planning on traveling about 14 km and putting the hook down in a protected anchorage and getting some rest.  First, a stop at the fuel dock.  We pulled in behind one of the boats we followed yesterday.  Brenda greeted us and said that there was going to be a boat parade tonight and they were staying.  I asked the fuel dock attendant and he said they had room if we wanted to stay.  I told Matt we were going to stay to see the parade.  He said GREAT! 

Phil and Jennifer pulled in behind us.  They were traveling with Brenda and Bob.  Phil and Jennifer have a Nauticat 44 and Brenda and Bob have an S2- 36 ft.  The ladies decided to go shopping and the guys tackled Phil's battery problem.  Swansboro was all decked out for Christmas.  The streets were full of people and cars.  The mode was joyous.  I found a tobacco store that had a wonderful black raspberry tobacco blend that I bought for Matt.  The owner gave each of us ladies a cigar for smoking during the parade.

We had a pot luck dinner on the Nauticat and watched the parade.  They had motor boats, fishing boats, party boats and trawlers decorated in lights and music.  Santa was on a boat, there was a little Caesars pizza boat (everyone needs a slice), a swan, a coyote baying at the moon.  The boats made two passes and the judges picked the winners.  Looking at the waterfront, it seemed the whole town was there.  Laughter, children and Christmas carols could be heard throughout the crowd.  Such a great night.

What I learned:
Stop and enjoy the view

Follow another boat, use your charts, read the guidebooks.  Use all tools you can to make your trip easier.

Be flexible.  If we had not stayed in Swansboro, we would have missed meeting new friends and a super fun town event.

If you are not enjoying yourself, you might as well go back and live on the dirt.  Realize that the water
environment will give you challenges and beauty.








Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The day before Thanksgiving and we are cooking turkey and pie.  With any luck we will be able to get moving further south tomorrow.  The watermaker is working, the battery charger is charging and the wind vane is ready to take on a breeze. 

We went to our new favorite restaurant last night.  Matt and I traveled

Friday, November 18, 2011



Wow!  When you are cruising from place to place just small things can make you sooo happy.  We received the part, the battery charger from ProMariner yesterday and today the technician, Chuck Courtney, arrived right on time.  He got right to work and got the new part installed.  Hard to express how much better the ProMariner is that the Xantrex.  The batteries are reconditioned and charged.  What a concept, a product that works. 

The weather was a bit frosty this morning.  Put the heater on.  Read so many accounts of people living aboard without heat, hot water, pressured water.  I guess that I am spoiled, but I want the stuff that makes everything easier.  One of my favorite books is 'the Swiss Family Robinson', not for the ship wreck, but for the tree house they built.  the fashioned all the modern conveniences on an island.  I wonder if anyone found that island?  Do their inventions still work?  Maybe I'll find that island some day. 

Thursday, November 17, 2011




Today the parts are out on the truck for delivery.  So I thought I'd show you the modifications we had made to the salon section of the boat.  The first picture is the boat when we picked it up from the factory in Lake Texoma, TX.  Yes the boat is made in the USA.  When we had the boat made, we decided not to have extra cabinets or shelves installed because we did not know where we wanted them and how our needs would dictate how we wanted the shelves/cabinets configured.  Five years later, still no shelves, and still no decisions.  But, we do use the open areas for guide books, computers and accessories.  We installed a 12 volt 'trucker' hd TV with a DVD player.  We hard wired the TV into the DC panel and it has a separate breaker.  I had a needlepoint that I made and made it into a cover for the TV.  We think we went a bit overboard on the bracket to hold the TV. 

I made mesh screens that hold stuff from shifting when the boat is in motion.  We have gone through some significant weather and choppy that tested the design.  So far, no carnage from stuff moving around.  We installed a fire extinguisher under the TV.  We have fire extinguishers in each section of the boat.  I could not find a place for a fire extinguisher in the galley, so the salon is the closest location. 

When we got the boat we did not have refrigeration.  We installed a 12 volt system under the port settee.  We have two plates that make up a freezer, with a spill over for the refrigerator area.  I can keep the freezer at 25F with a minimum of energy.  The boat came equipped with a divider made in the factory.  We lost that part during a slip on the dock that involved a scrotal tearing.  We try not to discuss the incident.  It brings up bad images.  Anyway, I created my own divider with the garden knee pads from the hardware store.  They seem to work. 

We also installed a tide clock and a half hull of the boat. 

The next section will deal with the galley.  TTFN 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Since we are waiting on parts, we went to a really good 'family' restaurant.  Everything is made from scratch.  The service is friendly and efficient.  They don't serve liquor and apparently that causes some people to go elsewhere.  Those folks are really missing out!.  Brantly's is sooo good.  After the meal the waitress asked if we wanted dessert.  She asked if we wanted pie.  We said yes, the whole pie.  The lemon meringue was devine.  Even had some for breakfast. 

I must say that Matt is starting to chew off the dock lines.  He hates waiting for anything.  We found a good spot to wait though.  Being on the move makes it hard to get packages.  You never realize how land tied you are until you need something delivered.  I buy most of what I need, besides groceries, online.  Getting Christmas presents this year will be a new challenge.  Hopefully everyone will enjoy brown box wrapping paper.

We have lived on our boat for 8 months.  I still don't miss all the stuff we used to have.  I know that buying stuff is the main driving force of our economy, but that has to be a better way to spend our money.  I was thinking of starting a facebook page dedicated to buy local, buy USA for Christmas.  I remember making Christmas gifts for family and friends.  It was a hands on way that showed people that you cared enough to take the time to make something.  Everyone is so busy just  trying to survive. 

Enjoy the pictures!  Too bad you can't have some pie.













Saturday, November 12, 2011

You may ask what is this....well, my BFF Joanne said that if you put 2/3 bags of water in the corners of your cockpit the flies will not come in and bother you.  When docked we were swarmed by the annoying flies.  Luckily it got cool at night so we could swat the nasty bugs.  Today is warmer so we opened the hatches and left the cockpit open.  So far so good.  A few ventured in before I hung the bags.  It either works, or they just decided to leave us alone. 

It was great using the marina car today.  We bought some groceries and oil for the engine.  The engine and generator oil seems a bit dirty so we are going to change them tomorrow.  This is such a nice marina.  There are no tides.  The water level is wind driven. 

We saw our friends on Raising Star being towed into the next door marina.  They had an oil leak.  Hopefully it will be a quick fix.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Taking a little time in Oriental, NC.  So nice to have internet and phone.  Left Elizabeth City, NC from their city 'free' docks.  The town was nice, but the economy has hit it hard.  The town still welcomes boaters with open arms.  The church folks visit to welcome you to town.  They offer literature and conversation.  Had 'cocktail hour' at a park bench with other boats.  Went to the deli and walked to the liquor store. On the way early am to get across the Albermarle River.

Had very poor signal from the Alligator River through to Oriental.  Anchored off the Alligator/Pungo canal the first night.  This was the first time that we were not anchor space crowded by French Canadians.  We tried a new anchor accessory.  We took a 1/2 gallon orange juice jug, filled it with craft foam, and tied it to the anchor.  The jug goes right thru the laucher!  We added a 28 foot line.  Now we know where our anchor is.  If it gets snagged, we can use the jug line to locate it and help pull it up.  We've already lost one anchor.

The second night we anchored in Pungo Creek.  Here is a picture of the full moon at anchor.  We had a beautiful cove to ourselves with our traveling companion.  A valiant 40, Rising Star, has been traveling the same route as we are.  It was easy to follow them.  We talk briefly on the radio.  We learned that you really need a good VHF radio.  Boats are hailing you to tell you that they are passing and on which side they are traveling.  As you approach bridges, you call the bridge tender and ask for an opening.  Commercial barges give position updates and let you know their speed.  You talk to marina personnel and fuel dock attendants.  Get a good radio and learn how to get it to scan channel 9, 16 and 13. 

Tried to travel between 5.5 and 6 knts.  We got to sail part of the way to Oriental  We crossed the Palmico and the Neuse rivers.  You could really see the damage from Irene.  The trees were snapped off about 18 ft from the ground.  It looked like Paul Bunyon swung his axe though the forest. 

I am so glad we had time on the Chesapeake and liked to visit rivers, creeks and cities.  Going 'gunkholing' was the best training for going down the ICW.  You use charts, chart plotters and guidebooks together to plot your route.  No one book or chart has the all the information you need.  Learning how to plot, route, steer and check depth and traffic are all a constant task.  Who would have thought that all the sailing we did on the Chesapeake  would be so helpful. 

Here's a little video that I made of our trek from Pungo Creek.  Please remember that I am new at this video stuff. 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

We had such a good sail down from Yorktown to Hampton.  We had never been to the Norfolk area.  It was so strange to have a USN Frigate follow us into the river.  We followed the markers and got to Hampton without incidence.  The anchorage was crowded.  Everyone had a bow and stern anchor.  Tide and wind were definitely against us.  We got the bow anchor down without incident.  The stern anchor was another story.  We couldn't get the anchor to bite.  So a motor boat decided they had to speed by us during the anchoring phase.  Cut the stern anchor line and the line get wrapped around the prop and rudder.  Matt to the rescue!  He had his wetsuit, fins and snorkel on in minutes.  Unwrapped the prop, started to pull the bow anchor up and snagged another boats anchor and chain.  Left the area in search of a slip.  Found a slip in Bluewater Yacht Center.  Pulled in one alley, it was the wrong one.  Called the dockmaster for better directions.  Got to the right lane, about to pull into the slip and the dockmaster said, no you need to back in.  Backing a 42 ft sailboat is not an easy or pretty sight.  Wind and tide again had a role in this maneuver.  After a few tries we were put into the slip next to the bulkhead. 

Things we learned, don't force a situation.  Either weather, anchoring or moving.  Keep your cool and have fun.  During these events we didn't yell or panic.  We just did the best we could.  One sailor watching the anchoring said , your line is around your prop, Matt said, 'worse things have happened'.  We are having fun, even when things go wrong.  We were both so sore that it was hard to sleep.  But warm showers and a warm meal worked wonders. 

We are going to walk to the store and have a fun land explore day.  We are checking the weather.  Time to get our game faces on for the ICW.  Still living the dream!