Destination: Charleston - 11/8 (mile 469)

Novermber 6

Baby it's cold outside today!  56 degrees in the cabin when we woke up and used the generator to run our electric heater which got the temp up to 65 deg before we raised the anchor.

Today was an uneventful passage along the Waccamaw River ... which is always a good thing.  The depths average 25-30 feet which is such a rare treat on the ICW.  Relax and enjoy the ride ... kinda warm inside the protected enclosed cockpit.

We passed thru Georgetown (mile 403), a favorite spot for leaving the ICW and heading offshore. We’ve chatted with several boats planning to do that, and there’s a really nice weather window for an offshore sail all the way to Florida. One boat is going to St Augustine FL and expects the run to take 2 days…..while we’ll be plodding along the ICW for at least 7 more days before arriving in Brunswick.

This would have been a perfect opportunity for us to go offshore in the company of other experienced boaters. However, our autopilot is not working, so we don’t feel it’s realistic to hand-steer for 2 straight days; especially with the prospect of staring at a compass to navigate all night long.  So we plod along ... relishing the scenery and the moments when the tide and current and wind are all in our favor and our speed hits 9.5 knots!

Anchored for the night on the South Santee River.  Mile 420.  45 miles today.

November 7.

Baby it's cold inside today!  Woke up to 50degrees in the cabin and 45degress out in the cockpit, even in full sun.  brrrrrrrrr.

We left the anchorage at 9am as today will be a short, 35-mile day.  We are headed towards Charleston, and passing thru that town presents it's own set of unique challenges.  For starters, it's a huge harbor, full of large Navy vessels along with big cargo ships, not to mention a ton of recreational boaters.  Then there are the bridges that only open on the hour.  And finally, there are no good anchorages.  The marinas are quite pricey and since we've decided not to spend a few days there sightseeing, we'd just as soon make that passage as quickly and painlessly as possible.  So we've picked an anchorage just outside of town, and we'll get up early tomorrow to clear the city.

We left behind the deep water in the ICW with Georgetown.  Now, we are traversing a much narrower channel, with what they call "skinny water" ... depths run more like 11 feet, and only in mid-channel, quickly dropping to 4-5 feet outside the channel.  No relaxing in these conditions ... Dan drives while I watch for buoys and shoals crab pots and tree stumps and other related hazards with the binoculars.

It's ocean on the other side of that large sand dune.

Clear and sunny and cold!  What a combo!

Long docks are required to reach over the marshes to the water in SC.

We were about 7 miles from our anchorage when another boat we'd been travelling with called us on the radio to say that he had passed thru some very skinny water -- there was a very narrow channel where the depths were 4.5 feet.  He's in a catamaran, so no big deal.  But we have a 5.5 ft keel under our boat!  Since we had already run into spots where the depth quickly dropped from 11ft to 9ft to 7ft, this news was a tad unsettling ... especially since we were approaching this section at low tide.  Looking at the charts, we found an alternative anchorage about 500yds ahead, so we took it.  Even that required going over a 7ft sandbar (holding our breath!) in order to anchor in 20ft of water.  At first, we were just going to wait until high tide and then move on, but when we realized that the Vikings game was on, we decided to stay put.  I know, the team doesn't really warrent this change of plans based on past performance ... but today they did not disappoint!  Vikings beat the AZ Cardinals in overtime!

Short day of 28 miles.  Mile 448.

Something nasty obviously passed this way. 3 large boats washed up on shore.

Makes a boater nervous to see this stuff!

November 8

Ok, I'll admit that one of the advantages of going off daylight savings time (my favorite time of year) is that morning light comes so much earlier.  Not that I'm an earlier riser (major understatement for those who know me) but it sure makes a difference when cruising. 

Anchor up at 6:30a.m., along with our first dolphin sightings close to the boat now that we're back in the land of salt water.  We were off and running at high tide in order to cross the stretch of shallow water ahead with the maximum amount of water under our keel.  As things turned out, it was a VERY good thing that we stopped early yesterday b/c we were in 8ft of water at the shallowest section.... and yesterday, at low tide, it would have been 5 feet (meaning that our 5.5 keel would have been buried).  Our depth sounder beeped regularly for 2 miles, and then we were back in 15-30 feet of water, with smooth sailing into Charleston Harbor.

Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge

The Ben Sawyer bridge has the best bridge tender of all times!  The first opening was at 9:00am, and there was a steady stream of boats racing to make the opening.  We were last in the line, behind 2 trawlers who easily left us in their wake.  1.5miles out, I called the bridge tender and asked if we'd make the opening (our GPS pegged our arrival at 9:08), and he said that he'd hold the bridge until all the southbound boats arrived.  Since bridge tenders are not necessarily known for their graciousness, this guy definitely ROCKS!

Just thru the bridge, and we met a northbound barge on the other side.

Elliott's Cut

Leaving the waters of Charleston Harbor, you take Elliott's Cut to cross over to the next section of rivers on the ICW.  This is truly a raceway on the water, as the current and tide both conspire to rush your boat thru at amazing speeds (we hit 8.5 knots!).  Of course, we had the current and tide both in our favor .. it can be a long and ardulous passage when you try to fight Mother Nature.

We traveled on another 30 miles towards Beaufort, SC.  When we started to see depths around 9ft, we knew we were approaching a falling tide, so we decided to anchor at Fishing Creek. 

Mile 501.  53 miles today.

Capt Dan works hard every day, until that anchor goes down. Ahhhhh.

(yes, Jim, the guitar does get played!)

Destination: Waccamaw River - 11/5 (mile 375)

November 4.

Today was a series of decisions we'd like to do over!  Some serious rain was predicted so we debated staying over another day at Southport.  But, by 10am, no rain was on the horizon, so we decided to move along, heading for an anchorage just 30 miles away.  Wish we could take back that decison!  A lazy day at a really nice marina would have been a nice treat .... especially with how the rest of the day played out.

We had one last bridge to clear before bidding NC goodbye ... the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge is a tricky one because it sits directly on the water, only opens on the hour, and doesn't open 2 hrs before and after low tide (pickypickypicky) ... but we were on target to make the 2pm opening.

The heavy rain predicted did indeed materialize around noon. Pouring rain, limited visibility and high winds all conspired to make Maja difficult to manuever ... tense times, but manageable.  We had to keep parts of the enclosure open so Dan could navigate and I could pick out the channel markers with the binoculars, meaning that we couldn't keep from getting wet ... and cold  ... and miserable.

Around 1pm, as we were cruising easily down the channel at 7 knots, we came to a hard and sudden stop as we came aground on a sandbar, in the middle of the channel, in 9.5 ft of water.  How unfair is that???  For a first, however, we had enough maneuveability to get ourselves off the sandbar and circled back around to check out the situation.  A little further down the channel, we could see another sailboat aground.  Via the radio, we learned that they were actually anchored in the channel with a diver in the water.  They were parallel across the channel, but told us that we had enough room to pass to starboard.  Another decision we wish we could take back.  No sooner had we begun to nose over to the side, a huge gust of wind caught us on the beam, and in the time it took to yell, "oh shit!", we were pushed from 15ft of water to 4.5 feet of water.  We were hard aground now, with a strong wind trying to keep pushing us closer and closer to the shore.

Our new best friend, BoatTowUS, arrived in 15 minutes.  In pouring, POURING rain, we hooked up to the tow boat and just as quickly went from 4.5 ft of water to 15 feet of water.  He towed us past the sand bar, and we were on our way again ... soaking wet and minus our good spirits from the start of the day.  The sky continued to darken, the winds continued to rise, the rain continued to pour, and we continued to question the logic of our plan to make the bridge opening (which would now be 3pm instead of 2pm) and get to the anchorage before the weather deteriorated even more.  When the Ocean Isles Marina appeared a mile away, we decided that it made more sense to stay at a dock tonite instead of slogging along for another 2hrs.  In a heavy downpour, we got the lines secured to the dock and breathed a sigh of relief!  However, in the time it took Dan to walk up to the office to settle our bill, and for me to go below and make lunch, the SUN came out!  So, another decision for the day that we're not sure was a good one or not ... but no do-overs today.  All I can say is that I would feel a lot better with thunder and lightening, instead of sunshine, right about now!

Mile 335.  25 miles today.

November 5

As the saying goes, “tomorrow is always a new day”, and today dawned with a clear blue sky, not a rain cloud in site (which definitely made up for the chilly 50degrees in the cockpit as we left the marina). With the enclosure up in the cockpit, we are protected from the wind and eventually able to feel the warmth of the sun.


Bridge opening #1 went as planned which is always a good thing. Next time we come this way, they should have the new 65ft bridge completed and this pontoon bridge will be a retired relic.

Plenty of water in the ICW during this stretch, so we can relax a bit and enjoy the scenery. South Carolina is full of marshes, and the houses that line the ICW need 600ft docks to reach the water … quite a site. Myrtle Beach (mile 345) is a very developed beach area, so we appreciated that this time through none of the recreational motor boats were filling the waterway. Of course, we did have one nerve-wracking passage with a barge as we were leaving Myrtle Beach.

Barge alert!

The barge captain got on the radio and announced that he could not change his course and all the southbound boaters could pass to port or starboard ... he didn't much care, just stay out of his way ('cuz  he'd run you down if you got in his way!)

After Myrtle Beach, we entered the Waccamaw River, truly one of the most picturesque spots on the ICW. It's a deep water channel with tons of trees lining each side ... along with beautiful waterside homes.

Hey Jim: Do you recognize this boat?

They remembered you from Dock 10 at Brunswick Marina! s/v Cymric shared our dock for about a week before heading north and gave us our first tour of a catamaran. Their boat was hit by lightening this summer, so they are limping back to Brunswick for repairs with no electronics. We anchored with them on the beautiful Waccamaw River tonight, and they were even gracious enough to put their dinghy in the water and come over to share cocktail hour with us!

Anchored at mile 375.   45 miles today.  Baked brownies in the oven to get the cabin temp up to 73 degrees before going to bed!

Destination: Southport, NC - 11/3 (mile 311)

November 2:  Left Morehead City at 9:00am heading towards the anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay.  It's about the only place to anchor between Morehead City and Wrightsville Beach, so we expect a crowd to gather this afternoon.  We'll be passing thru the marine base at Camp Lejeume, and they maintain Mile Hammock Bay for water maneuvers.  Boaters can anchor there but not go ashore.  The best part is probably the steady parade of aircraft you can watch arriving/leaving the base.

Election Day - Flying our Minnesota State Flag!

This could be our last day of sun and 75degress for awhile!

Bogue Sound is one of the last large bodies of water that we'll have to transit on the ICW.  Very wide but shallow so you must stay in a faily narrow channel down the center of the sound.  It was a nasty ride on the way north, but today the wind was at our back so a smooth run with the current.  We're now running south with a steady stream of the same boats that you hear on the radio and meet at the anchorages.

When entering the marine base, the sign above alerts to the possibility of live fire taking place across the ICW!  When the lights are flashing, you just have to pull over and wait!  Of course, pulling over a boat and waiting is no easy feat (at least for us). Fortunately for us, no live fire today ...

Mile Hammock Bay anchorage.  A chance to meet up with the boats you've seen on the waterway all day.  There were about 15 boats here tonight.

November 3:   Today is the dreaded day of the bridge run.  We have 3 bridges ahead of us that only open on a specific schedule.  The first one only opens on the hour, so your timing had better be good!  If you arrive too early, you have to circle among a crowd of boat also waiting for the bridge.  No fun.  If you arrive too late -- well, you can guess that consequence!  Again, no fun. 

With the pedal to the metal and the headsail up, we raced to make the 10:00 Surf City Bridge, along with 14 other boats in the channel.  We arrived with 2 mintues to spare, 3rd from the end of a line.  

The Figure 8 bridge opens on the half-hour so we had a little more breathing room, planning to make that bridge opening at 12:30.  But then we realized that the 3rd bridge at Wrightsville Beach only opens on the hour, and we'd hit that bridge at 1:30 on our current pace.  So, once again, petal to the metal and both headsails up, racing with the crowd to make the 1:00 pm opening at Wrightsville Beach.   

The final bridge of the day was only 5 miles away, a piece of cake.  All the boats we were travelling with were now taking their time to arrive ... instead of 7.5 knots, we were travelling 4.5 knots.  We arrived 15 minutes early, in a crowd of about 18 other boats.  Everyone drifted aimlessly while they waited. 

Then everyone started backing up because there was too much of a crowd at the bridge.  While Maja doesn't go in reverse for shit, Dan had one proud moment as the boat did indeed reverse smoothly for about 20 feet ... until we reversed out of the channel and were aground.  Unbelievable!  As the bridge horn sounded it's opening, we were aground (and yes, there was swearing going on!).  Of course, none of the tricks other boats share with us seem to work when Maja is aground.  Cannot go in reverse.  Cannot drive off.  Cannot do much at all when she's aground..  And, of course, we had to do this with a audience of 15 other boats that we now know by name. 

The good news was that a fishing boat came by and give us a quick yank off the sand bar and we were moving again ... but in the opposite direction b/c we now had 50 minutes to wait for the next bridge opening at 2pm.  So we motored back up the channel for 30 minutes and then turned around to try this one again.

Wrightsville Beach has the biggest spread of HUGE, beautiful homes that we've seen on the ICW.

2nd time's a charm, and we are thru Wrightsville Beach.  The weather was getting cloudy and windy and cold (low 60s), and with a thunderstorm in the forecast, we wanted to find a more protected anchorage than what is available at Wrightsville Beach in case we needed to stayover a couple of days.  So we pushed on.  We planned to stop 12 miles down the ICW at Carolina Beach, but one peak into that anchorage showed that it was full of boats.  So our final option was to keep going to Southport, another 3 hrs ... which included transiting the Cape Fear River.  What a name!  Of course we were nervous, but the current and tides were with us, so we lucked out as the day ended.  We arrived at Southport at 6:30 with the choice of an anchorage that seemed too shallow now that we were in a area where the tide can drop 5 feet or a marina.  Cold and tired and hungry, we pulled into South Harbor Village Marina ($1/35/ft). 

66 miles today.  Whew.

Next stop: Morehead City, NC - 11/1 (mile 205)

Happy Halloween

Anchor up at 7:30am to start today's journey down the Alligator-Pungo Canal.  When we came North, we had this ride to ourselves.  Today, we got in a long line of boats to make the transit.  This 20-mile canal is another amazing piece of work ... perfectly straight and narrow with 14feet of water in the middle of the channel.

Exiting the Alligator River and entering the canal to the Pungo River. 

It's a fairly easy and stress free passage ... until the motor boats want to pass.

Some will call on the radio and ask to pass.  Most just appear off the beam.

Some don't even bother to slow down.  Check out that bow wave!

And they leave us to rock and roll in their wake.

When it's peaceful, though, it's a absolute delight.

Our autopilot is not working, so Dan improvises for this long, straight stretch of water.

After leaving the canal, we were able to raise the sails and turn off the motor, and transit the Pungo River and Pamlico River. Ahhhh. Bliss.  The sun was out, the skies were clear, and the temp climbed to 76degrees.   

We covered 60 miles today.  We anchored at Hobucken Cut (mm160) at 5pm with visions of drinking Cosmos and listening to the Vikings game on Sirius Radio.  Much to our delight, we were able to get the game on the TV using the antenna that Dan fabricated out of a piece of aluminium.  Much to our dismay, we watched another Viking loss.  What is with this team?

November 1

7 days until we lose Daylight Savings Time ... :( ... my favorite season of the year. 

Today our challenge was crossing the Neusse River, a spot that the guidebook referes to as "some of the meanest water on the ICW".  And today it lived up to it's reputation.  Ouch - what a painful 18 mile run in 20-25knots of winds, 3ft swells and whitecaps.  All you can do is grin and bear it.... watching the clock, waiting for those 3 hours to pass.   Thank goodness for our cockpit enclosure!  With all the isenglass up. we were protected from both the high winds and the breaking water that would have found it's way into the cockpit.

The pay-off was turning into the Adams Creek Canal where we caught a rising tide and raced into Morehead City, NC at 8 knots!  (we're used to going 5-6 knots).  There is not much tidal flow in the Cheasapeake, so we'll have to start paying attention to the tide charts as we head south.  Timing a departure/arrival to take advantage of a rising/falling tide can make all the difference.  We've also noticed that we are leaving behind the crab pots of Maryland (yeah!) and picking up the shrimp boats of the Carolinas.  Leaving the Chesapeake has also meant leaving the muddy bottoms behind, so we no longer have to rinse off the anchor in the morning. 

We had to stop for fuel in Morehead City, NC (mile 205) at 2pm, and we decided to stay for the night at the marina.  We were totally wiped out from the crossing of the Neusse River, and there is virtually no place to anchore  in this area.  The wind was still blowing 20-25 knots when we got to the marina, and unfortunately it was blowing Maja away from the dock!  It took a valient effort by 2 hardy dock hands to wrestle us into the fuel dock.  And then they decided to just walk our boat down the dock a little bit where we can stay for the night (didn't want to hassle a redocking!  Thank you very much!).

We're sharing the dock with some pretty big boats!

45 miles today.  With time for a mid-afternoon nap!