Friday 5/29 - River Dunes Marina stay over

Lots of thing i want to do today, none of which has anything to do with changing oil or holding tools or hauling dripping containers.  I wish Don was here so he and Harry could have a play date in the engine room.  Harry likes to talk about all he's doing but i told him early on....'i don't do motors.'  So i gathered our dirty clothes and packed up my little blue cart and off toward the facilities i hurried.  Truthfully, I sceedaddled the hell out of there as fast as i could.  

good ole big blue

this believe it or not is the shower house and laundry room.

I’ve been on the porch and/or in the laundry room all day.  I would have taken a dip in the pool but there are tons of kids and peeps here for a huge wedding and it’s just not that relaxing of an idea.  i’ve marked my spot on the porch, ordered a greek salad with chicken for lunch and checked on Harry once who reported things weren't going as well as planned.  So i sceeekaddled away again, as fast as i could.  And I've been in my porch spot all day.  very happily reading and writing….

A curious thing - no fighter jet runs today at all.  i guess they give folks a rest and not run maneuvers (I have no idea what i'm talking about) every day.  

my office today...

For dinner we plan to eat upstairs in their dining room - which is lovely. - i'll take a picture while we're there.  Harry just joined me and announced he's pretty proud of himself - job is complete.  and i guess mine is too cause H wants to talk.....  bye...

Thursday 5/28 - Beaufort, NC to to Oriental, NC (River Dunes Marina)

Today’s waters were big and calm….  it looked like we were on the ocean. 

Okay travelers - take note - this is a beautiful marina - top notch!!  It’s a bit off the ICW but well worth it.  River Dunes Marina is beyond Oriental.  By car it’s about 10 minutes away.

As we were getting settled in a pair of fighter jets fly over pretty low.  This sight and sound was SO amazing.  It really is hard to explain how massive, loud, and fast these things are.  At first you think it may be thundering far off in the distance, then the sound stays and grows louder and louder and everyone looks up but the sound is not following the object because its traveling faster than the sound, so you can't find it right off.  Then you see them and then they're gone.  Sorry Jan, there is NO time what so ever to grab a camera or film the things.  SO FAST, SO LOUD and SO AMAZING....

Joined another couple and took the courtesy car into Oriental for dinner at M&Ms.  It was a kind of homey place, i ordered the blackened cod and Harry ordered the duck.  oh the the car was a chevrolet suburban type thing - not a hoot car at all....

We get to stay over here in order to change the oil in the motors and the generator.

Marina office with restaurant on top, screened in porch on side.

Pool, bar and private cabanas.

Wednesday 5/27 - Topsail Island/Hampstead, NC to Beaufort, NC

First thought of the day...'Today is Lisa's birthday!!!'
Today was a long cruise day….arrived in Beaufort (Boo-fert) around 4:30ish.  Really nice dock hands and marina sits right on Front St. (their Main St).  They have their act together...they give you a wooden token for a free drink and then marina folk get 10% off dinner at the dock house restaurant.
This first picture was taken from the boat looking in toward the marina and town and the other is the opposite view - lots of sailboats at mooring balls.

It’s another charming little city.  After we got settled (again, this takes a good hour after arrival!!)  we headed out in the marina's courtesy car - ABC for Harry's vodkie and CVS for Harry’s drugs…. these cars are always a hoot…usually a car that they don’t care if you dent, ding or wreck… this one was a 70s Buick station wagon with the wood panel on the sides - a Woody’ and it drove like a tank…it sat really low and i had to chuckle at Harry driving this thing.  I guess everyone in town knows we're marina folks!  And they had two 'Woodys' - one was navy and one was white.  weird huh?

Since we arrived early, I did more research than normal and chose a dinner spot called Aqua.   It was a few streets off the main street and we kinda missed it at first but this allowed us to visit a lovely, unique cemetery.  A mysterious grave was one that looked at its core, as if it had been there for many, many years, yet the remembrances (trinkets) were child like and new - not one appeared moldy or wet or old.  curious huh?  as many of you know i love cemeteries, especially one like this but Harry was more than willing to keep walking - i think the place gave him the 'willies'.

Aqua turned out to be a good choice; very fun, different and it had great food.  We shared crab cakes and scallop small plates.  yum.

Tuesday 5/26 - Bald Island, NC to Topsail/Hampstead, NC (Harbour Village Marina)

Dinghy still full!  good news there.

Headed to a marina not far up the way….Lisa, Jackie, Dick and Jerry - this is another place we all stayed while bringing Serenity home.  Remember we asked a neighbor for some charcoal and the grill was clear across the marina?   This time, I cooked and ate onboard - no restaurants or towns near by....steak, cous cous and salad - see how happy harry looks with his cous cous.  Leaving the marina - nice sign:  Wishing you fair winds and rising tides....

Monday 5/25 - N. Myrtle Beach, SC to Bald Island, NC (Bald Island Marina & Yacht Club)

Leaving the slip this morning, the Captain asked if we were all clear.  I said yes.  But i should have said no!  When he turned, the stern swung in and the dinghy took a major  hit from the stone piling.  ooops.  i thought, ‘hmmm…maybe it’s okay.’  

Cruising was more of the same as far as the crazy boaters, jet skis, etc…  As soon as we got well out of the Myrtle Beach vicinity it calmed down considerably and we entered a smaller channel bringing us into North Carolina!  I think i first fell in love with NC when i learned that James Taylor was from there and/or listening to  ‘Carolina In My Mind’….and traveling through it just felt homey, much like Kentucky.  When i grew older I learned to love it even more through Jim and Fonda.  They introduced me to Bob and Carolyn Sinclair and to the experience of Merelefest, meeting some of the best damn people on the face of the earth.  We’re far from Wilkesboro and Hickory but a big shout out to Bob and Carolyn - 'bless their little hearts'...(Jimmy Mac did Harry tell you he lived & worked in Wilkesboro many years ago and he even knows about Merelefest - now that’s bizarre).

Any who…on about NC today.…the marina at Bald Head Island is special.  You can only get there by boat.  A huge ferry, every hour, brings guests and residents living there.  A golf cart, bicycle island.  We arrived early and immediately noticed that the dinghy had fallen flat and was severely sagging in the bow like a lifeless creature.  OMG - i guess it’s NOT okay.  damn, i felt so bad, i hate messing up.  We found the hole and asked all we knew how best to repair it.  We ate some lunch and then headed off on our bikes to the island’s hardware store (H needed cement glue/patch) and to the Market (E needed a bottle of wine).  On the way we visited the ancient light house and town chapel.


Houses were tucked into the trees throughout the island.  A town on one side the beach on the other.  it was charming.  But Harry made a comment that i grew to agree with, while i love golf cart islands, this one was of cookie cutter type.  all the homes (while darling) in the marina looked alike and the ones in the woods did too.  it was over developed…to the point of boring (architecture wise).  Just a couple of places to eat (unless you’re a member of the two ‘clubs’) but it was a good place to spend the evening and it was lots of fun riding our bikes through the canopy of trees to the town village.  We then went back to the boat to repair the hurt dinghy.  Harry pumped it up, we went to dinner and came back and it was still full. ('It', being the dinghy, not Harry).  Thank goodness, all i could think about was how much money a new dinghy costs.

Harry calling Abner in LBK to inquire on how to fix the dinghy!

Sunday 5/24  Murrells Inlet, SC to N. Myrtle Beach, SC (Myrtle Beach Yacht Club)

This cruise day was just plain crazy!!  Kevin, our C Dock neighbor in Longboat Key warned us of the memorial day travelers.  I’ve never seen so many jet skis and pontoons overloaded with bodies.  everybody was having fun but note - these were rental boats so boater beware!  it did allow for lots of entertainment all day long.  We picked a grand time to cruise through myrtle beach.  crazy….but fun.   this cruise was just lots of tacky houses, lots of fast food chains on the waterfront, lots of rentals for jet skis/boats!!  

These huge green and red objects in the picture below are water markers.  I was taken back by how big they looked out of the water.  They lead the way for large boats to navigate the waters - mainly keeping them in a channel that the Corp of Engineers dredges to at least 10 feet (supposedly) - this is known as the Intercoastal Waterway (the ICW).

Saturday 5/23 - Charleston, SC to Murrells Inlet, SC (Wacca Wache Marina) 

First thought of the day…’Today is Betty Ann’s birthday!!!’    

Our cruise day was peaceful and the scenery absolutely beautiful.  Surroundings starting to make a drastic change from palms to pines.  We recalled the marina from the ‘Serenity’ cruise - nice place with a ‘happening’ restaurant.  Although it was Memorial Day weekend, they did have room for us and the place was hopping.  Live music! yea!

Friday 5/22 - Rockville Marina, SC to Charleston, SC (The Harbourage at Ashley River)

The generator started up just fine the next morning so we took off for Charleston.  It was great seeing Keith, he is a kind soul and sorry to leave him but the good news is that Anthony hired him to work  at the boat yard!

We arrived in Charleston rather late so we did not venture into town.  We’d just been there last year and had toured the wonderful, beautiful city.  Charleston is where we disembarked last year on the ‘Serenity’ cruise.  (We joined Dick and Jackie, May 2014) as they were bringing the new boat from Norfolk to Longboat).  

For dinner, we crossed the waters in the dinghy to a restaurant - that was a first.  The Ashley River is off the intercostal and was moving fast with a strong current.  All i could think of was if we had motor problems, how hard it would be to row against those waters…but we made it and dinner was really good.  home in bed by dark.  geez oh pete.

Thursday 5/21  Wadmalaw Island, SC (again)

Called the Bohicket Marina to declare our situation re: the generator and said we’d be staying over at the Boat Yard.  Harry called Keith to come pick him up so he could run errands to West Marine, Harbor Freight and Home Depot - he asked me if i wanted to join them.  haahahahahaha.   I spent a very nice day all by myself - paid bills, read (i LOVE my kindle), blogged and straighten up the boat.  The boat yard allowed us on their internet, so connection was great compared to many (most) of the other places.

Captain Harry gave me only one direction today…to baby sit the generator….’if the generator goes off, go to the office and tell Anthony and/or Susie and/or Dave’.  They were trying three things - using the process of elimination - can’t explain more than that - H tried to but it’s just not sticking in my brain.   Surmise to say, i went to the office three times to announce the generator had gone off.  When the third attempt failed the guys huddled in the office, got out the owner’s manual, made some phone calls, put their heads together and tried one more thing.   They guys left the yard about 5 or 6 and the generator was still running….the generator was still running when we entertained a bunch of Keith’s friends onboard, it was running when we said our good byes to Keith and friends, and still running as we went to bed……and the generator was running when H decided to turn it off around 1:00am. 

Wednesday 5/20  Wadmalaw Island, SC stay over to fix the generator.

We had an appointment on the next island over at 9am at Marine Propulsion, the boat yard where Harry had had extensive work done many years ago when he bought/fixed up the boat.  These guys (well, Anthony) were the ones that put the generator in in the first place.  What was the problem?  It just wouldn’t stay on.  sometimes it would stay on one hour, sometimes five and sometimes it wouldn’t turn back on and sometimes it started back up just fine….a very big mystery…but Harry knew Anthony could fix it.   

Spent the morning wondering around the boat yard.  Harry loves boat yards but after a walk through to see some of the boat being worked on I’m no longer intrigued like he is…I enjoyed meeting both Anthony and Susie (his ex-wife), the owners and their son who reminded me so much of Russell.  Good, good people.  Their business was on this little, exclusive island and everyone knew them and they knew everyone.  It was exclusive in the fact that new comers didn’t come here - the people living here had been there for many generations, the homes well cared for but not extravagant.  

So i put my bike together and high tailed it out of the boat yard to see what i could see.   I took every side street i could find and went up and down everyone of them i do believe.  Once you turned off the main street the side streets were packed sand.   It seemed folks knew i didn’t belong there and when i met a few they always asked, where you from?  The homes were settled, the trees and flowers and bushes mature, the folk slow moving and old - all had been there for quite awhile.  i talked to one woman in her yard, telling her she had a lovely home and she was pleasant - said she lived in the house, just her and the beagle.  She was tending to her flowers which i thought might be the passion that keeps her going….as i rode away i kinda day dreamed about her inviting me in for a sandwich and iced tea, sitting at a kitchen table with a stained tablecloth with crumbs from breakfast toast, no air conditioning - just the fan in the window…imagining my grandmother’s kitchen - a kinda sad, melancholy thought.

Okay wake up....  i was gone about an hour i guess and when i turned back into the marina road, Keith Martens (Harry’s son) and Harry were driving out the road - they were coming to find me.  Keith lives about 15 minutes away and he was taking us to lunch.  yea!!

It felt strange to be plopped into a town from the water - you just can’t get our bearings - where are we?  the town seemed to be bustling.  Lunch was a crowded cafe at the end of the marina road but where were we?  We weren’t in Kiawah, or Seabrook Island, or Bohicket,  Keith says it’s Johns Island and he should know - he lives there.   Keith is as sweet as he can be and would do anything for anybody, so he tooled us around to places we needed to go, finally he said, why don’t you guys take me home and you can borrow my car and come back later.  I was glad we were going to get to see Keith’s place because i wanted to see his chickens.  He’s building coops and also has many chicks, hens and some fine roosters.  and they just play and peck around in the yard….and he’s got two dogs who seem to corral the chickens and keep them safe.  Keith gave me a light blue egg, warm from the nest.  

We finished our errands and came back to Keith’s and on our way back to the boat yard we stopped by a place famous for fresh shrimp.  well, i’ve never in my life stopped by a place like this to get something that i would later eat.  seems like the health department may have a thing to say about this but i will say it was fascinating.  Up close and personal with the shrimpers way of life.  And i guess one gets used to the smell.  Somehow Keith and Harry both knew these folks and talked about old times.  The husband was out and the wife, Linda was tending shop.  Young hands were putting ice into a boat that was docked outside the door of what kinda looked like a barn.  I’ve never seen so much ice — it was being sucked through a huge pipe into the belly of the shrimp boat.  I’d never thought about it but  realized in a second just how important ice is to a fisherman.  I told Linda I’d never had fresh caught that day shrimp and she said just add some salt and pepper and that’s it.  She thought i was cooking them….i had a top notch chef with us and i pleaded..you cook them Keith…I’ll watch and learn.  Of course he agreed.

I was informed that the US shrimpers have been hard hit by the low cost of imported Asian shrimp.  Putting them right out of business.  The price of these shrimp were 7.99 with the heads on or 12.99 with the heads off.  Since we didn't want the heads to make fish stock (ugh)...we got them headless.  

Keith took us back to the boat with the goodies and said he’d return a bit later.  Anthony the owner and friends came by the boat for drinks before going out to dinner.  Our first cocktail party.  Soon Keith arrived with a small feast.  We had fresh shrimp stuffed with crabmeat over angel hair pasta and a wonderful salad. DEEE licious.  

we may be stuck at a boat yard but on the other side of the waterway are salt marshes as far as the eye can see which is sweet around sunset!  sights that compel one to paint.

Oh, and the generator problem was not figured out….more work needed tomorrow.

Tuesday 5/19 Beaufort, SC to Seabrook Island, SC (Bohicket Marina)
Heading to Bohicket

Arrived with a bang in Bohicket (this is where Harry owns a slip and knows many of the marina folk) and we are still there (Thursday 5/21) due to a temperamental generator that Harry's marina experts are trying to figure out....

Stay tuned for some Bohicket gossip and tales.... signing off for today.....

Monday 5/18  Savannah, GA (Isle of Hope) to Beaufort, SC (Beaufort Municipal Marina)

A short run today but lots to look at - passed Tybee Island, Hilton Head and Parris Island - where the huge water tank was emblazoned with ‘We Make Marines.’  i was honed in with my binoculars to see some boys (and girls) but couldn’t find a soul - inside studying perhaps.  Arrived in Beaufort early and Harry had reserved a horse and buggy tour for us that afternoon.  Beaufort is old - the second oldest city in SC after Charleston.  And they built those houses big back then - most summer homes that have survived because the city was occupied during the Civil War as military post and was not destroyed.  SC also drew up an Ordinance of Secession in Beaufort, took it all the way up to Columbia and it passed but of course we know it didn’t go any further than that.   We learned that Spanish moss is neither Spanish or moss.  The plant is in the pineapple family, is not a parasite, and actually does not damage the host tree.  Tons of movies were filmed in Beaufort…major ones  - The Big Chill, Forrest Gump and The Prince of Tides, starring Barbara Streisand and Nick Nolte.  Our tour guide showed us the plot of land where the guys played that football game in The Big Chill.  Went on to tell us what a pain in the B hind Barbara was while she was there.  She had to be downtown, she had to have the historic house of her choosing (and paid a major sum to move the owners out for a few months) had to have a pool, they had to put in a pool - no historic homes in beaufort had pools, had to have a privacy fence put in!   Then she called the most High Ranking General at the Marine Corp Air Station and told him that she liked to sleep late so could he please stop flying over in the morning hours?  HA…the tour guide said the General was quite pleasant thanked her for her call and flew over her house the next morning so low that it rattled the windows, doors and contents off their shelves.  He did not hear from her again.  On the other hand everyone loved Tom Hanks - who could be seen almost every night at the local chocolate shop.  It was a nice tour but i felt sad for Babe, the 14 year old clydesdale, although nicely treated she just seemed slow and tired.  My camera went whacko on me during the ride - operator error - settings were all wrong - and i ended up with pictures of our legs and under the carriage seats and ridiculous shots that will not be shared.  Dinner was a walk downtown to a lovely place called Plum’s on the water and then Harry spied the ice cream shop….. 

The only shot i took was for Dennis and Jennifer and other marina folk - the live aboards  here in Beaufort seem to be able to do whatever they want - notice the home made stairs with a little shed like door where they kept 'stuff' and the plants....

Saturday 5/16  St. Simons Island, GA (Hidden Harbor Yacht Club) to Savannah, GA (Isle of Hope Marina).

Early, early riser, this morning...Harry joined me and captured my feelings exactly when he said, 'it fills your senses doesn't it?'  Had we been in a crowded marina this could never have been witnessed.  it was a wonderful way to start the day..

How do you say miles and miles and miles and miles of Georgia lowlands….  I know i said i liked being out of the cities and that the wildlife entertained me but the channel was very wide and on both sides, far away in the distance was salt water marshes, as far as the eye can see.  Usually there is so much to look at but this was a long traveling day (8 hrs) and 7 of that was lowlands. It was actually the first day that i’ve read my kindle while traveling.  I’m reading book number two in the kindle - The Summer House by Tove Jansson - a fabulous book about a grandmother and granddaughter living on an island in Finland.  Sarah McKinnon, for some reason i kept thinking you would really enjoy this book....and again, thank you ladies for such a great gift.

I didn’t pick up my camera but twice while traveling…took one of Harry at the helm and you know what he looks like so i'll skip that one for now - but the other was as we were attempting a safe passage through the dreaded Hell's Gate.  All day we'd been anticipating the depth of Hell's Gate according to the tide and time of day we'd be hitting the area.  It was quite exciting as we neared the dramatically narrow and shallow channel.  It reminded me of the feeling I'd have on the river in the Grand Canyon when coming up on a large rapid like Hermit - not knowing what to expect but knowing you had to go forward and give it a try.   Two shrimpers, a sailboat and a few motor yachts had been idling awaiting a rise in the tide before proceeding through.  As we approached, the shrimpers gave the good to go call on the radio and we all headed through.  I told Harry to 'think light'.....we made it through without a drag!

But once we docked at the isle of hope marina there was a plethora of photographic scenes.  This is the kind of island i want to live on - it’s so southern and all the houses on the island appear to be ‘cottages’ - not the monstrous mansions you see almost everywhere these days.

Harry decided go go back to the boat once he discovered i was determined to ride my bike up and down every street and even every back alley as not to miss a single cottage and/or out building.  I love my bike.  For Ann and Susie Lawrenson - you must know that there were gardenia bushes growing everywhere, like lilac bushes might grow and many seemed to grow wild.  The air was fat with sweet scents.

This is the first marina we've come to that has a courtesy car available to boaters.  We reserved it for a drive to dinner at the Driftaway Cafe - had a kale salad!  Harry had a steak.   And also had the car reserved the  next morning for a ride to WalMart - Harry awoke excited about that!  It felt rather strange to be in a car - we drove a couple of mile and stocked up on bottled water and breads and lunch meats.  i cooked dinner on the boat.