We are about to leave Charleston and hope for fair weather to get us to our next destination. We spent a very full day here doing laundry (at no cost at this marina), Bill making another trip to West Marine and grocery shopping. Then we went into Charleston and took a buggy ride with a very knowledgeable guide through lovely streets filled with history and a variety of building styles, had dinner and then went on a Ghost Tour (after all today was Halloween). The Ghost Tour was fun and the guide had lots of wonderful stories to tell - some believable and others that seemed to be flights of fancy. She was thrilled though when one of the tourists took a photo of what seemed to be a "ghost" that is reported to haunt one of the restaurants. We all agreed that there was a form that looked like a person in his photo. Anyway, it was fun for me and tolerable for Bill. The weather warmed up a little today but the wind was still very strong and I don't know if we will be affected by Noel. We will just have to wait and see. It has been a nice break to be at a marina - don't know when we will do this again.
'Interim'
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Hi, youall
We are really in southern territory and the accent keeps getting thicker and thicker. We are now in Charleston,South Carolina at a marina, yea yea. It has been really cold in the morning ( no ice on the deck yet) and cloudy and very windy the last few days but today the sun finally shone and it warmed up a little. The marina has a courtesy car that goes to the center of town, the supermarket and to Bill's delight West Marine. We went in to town this afternoon and got suckered into going to a promotion for a vacation type time share. It was supposed to last 90 minutes with gifts (we took the voucher for the Ghost Tour, a walking tour and $25.00 off a meal at one of several local restaurants) but Bill was on a high and kept talking and adding comments that resulted in a total of 2 !/2 hours - and all the time I was kicking him under the table. Anyway, we had a good dinner (she crab soup was wonderful) and the courtesy van picked us up. Tomorrow we will tour and do laundry and leave here Thursday morning. And yes, I won't have to get up at 6:30 tomorrow morning (but I probably will anyway). I don't think the wind and cool weather is going to end soon but I also don't think we will be affected by 'Noel', keeping our fingers crossed. Will probably take lots of photos tomorrow so stay tuned.
We are really in southern territory and the accent keeps getting thicker and thicker. We are now in Charleston,South Carolina at a marina, yea yea. It has been really cold in the morning ( no ice on the deck yet) and cloudy and very windy the last few days but today the sun finally shone and it warmed up a little. The marina has a courtesy car that goes to the center of town, the supermarket and to Bill's delight West Marine. We went in to town this afternoon and got suckered into going to a promotion for a vacation type time share. It was supposed to last 90 minutes with gifts (we took the voucher for the Ghost Tour, a walking tour and $25.00 off a meal at one of several local restaurants) but Bill was on a high and kept talking and adding comments that resulted in a total of 2 !/2 hours - and all the time I was kicking him under the table. Anyway, we had a good dinner (she crab soup was wonderful) and the courtesy van picked us up. Tomorrow we will tour and do laundry and leave here Thursday morning. And yes, I won't have to get up at 6:30 tomorrow morning (but I probably will anyway). I don't think the wind and cool weather is going to end soon but I also don't think we will be affected by 'Noel', keeping our fingers crossed. Will probably take lots of photos tomorrow so stay tuned.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
We have now arrived in South Carolina after spending two days in Wrightsville (yes, named after you know who) Beach waiting for the rain to stop. Bill was very anxious about wanting to leave but we met up with people from two boats who helped me persuade Bill that traveling 7 - 8 hours in pouring rain with a very good chance of thunderstorms was not our idea of fun. So instead we walked along a gorgeous, empty except for die hard surfers, beach, (during a break in the weather), ate dinner at a Margaritaville type restaurant where a 3 piece band played guitars and steel drums with selections straight out of Jimmy Buffet (not to be confused with Warren) to the 5 of us and about 8 other customers. However, this is the end of the season and Wrightsville Beach is packed during the summer. Bill even ventured out during a downpour to run errands and he found a store that sold "authentic New York bagels". In a pinch they did just fine.
Although we are traveling many hours a day the time goes by very quickly. Of course, we are still leaving as the sky just barely lightens but navigating and watching out for shoaling (that's when the sand fills in the channel resulting in shallow water), snags (anything that is floating where it shouldn't be causing problems like hitting barely noticeable tree trunks - ouch!), other boats as they pass us or we pass them and the scenery along the banks we hardly notice the time passing. The scenery along the banks was primarily trees, brush, and marshes with modest houses with waterfront property. A little note about the houses. Any house that has been built within the past 10 or so years has as the first floor stilts so there would be less damage to property when the hurricanes hit. The living quarters are in the floors above. I am including a few photos of some of the homes and the variety of architecture that we have seen. Especially now in South Carolina we were able to see the houses that were on the ocean as well as on the ICW and some of them were truly spectacular. I don't know whether they are only 'summer' homes or year round .
We are anchored in the Calabash River tonight, glorious sunset after so much grey for the last few days and our next major stop will be Charleston where I am trying to persuade Bill to stay a day to explore.
It was so pleasant to spend time with other voyagers, from Chattanooga of all places, and we are anchored here with them but our schedules are different and we hope to see them again somewhere on our trip south or when we get to the Bahamas. Bill actually met them in Annapolis while exploring a nearby creek and he stopped by their boat because it was the same style boat that Bill's father almost bought 30 some years ago. There are many routes to making connections with people and we are just beginning this part of the journey.
Although we are traveling many hours a day the time goes by very quickly. Of course, we are still leaving as the sky just barely lightens but navigating and watching out for shoaling (that's when the sand fills in the channel resulting in shallow water), snags (anything that is floating where it shouldn't be causing problems like hitting barely noticeable tree trunks - ouch!), other boats as they pass us or we pass them and the scenery along the banks we hardly notice the time passing. The scenery along the banks was primarily trees, brush, and marshes with modest houses with waterfront property. A little note about the houses. Any house that has been built within the past 10 or so years has as the first floor stilts so there would be less damage to property when the hurricanes hit. The living quarters are in the floors above. I am including a few photos of some of the homes and the variety of architecture that we have seen. Especially now in South Carolina we were able to see the houses that were on the ocean as well as on the ICW and some of them were truly spectacular. I don't know whether they are only 'summer' homes or year round .
We are anchored in the Calabash River tonight, glorious sunset after so much grey for the last few days and our next major stop will be Charleston where I am trying to persuade Bill to stay a day to explore.
It was so pleasant to spend time with other voyagers, from Chattanooga of all places, and we are anchored here with them but our schedules are different and we hope to see them again somewhere on our trip south or when we get to the Bahamas. Bill actually met them in Annapolis while exploring a nearby creek and he stopped by their boat because it was the same style boat that Bill's father almost bought 30 some years ago. There are many routes to making connections with people and we are just beginning this part of the journey.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 18
South Lake, North Carolina
We did leave Annapolis on Monday, wake up call 6:45 a.m., and Bill didn’t like our Greece trip because he had to have suitcases out the door sometimes by 6:30. It is still very cool but we comfortably make the 7 a.m. bridge at spa creek. Gorgeous sunrise, very red and beautiful but usually doesn’t mean “red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning sailor take warning” here since we have had so many beautiful sunrises with lovely days to follow. We make a right turn in the Chesapeake and travel on calm seas, light winds and warming temps. We anchor off Solomon’s Island in Back Creek still in Maryland, and have a late lunch. Worked on my computer to navigate and was able to establish a route on my computer and transfer it to Bill’s GPS in the cockpit. Of course, he rarely followed the route but admitted that the GPS was a fine, fine, tool. Amazing.
Next morning, alarm rings at 6:30!!! A somewhat grey day with small waves. Out of sorts a little since we travel all day and don’t anchor in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, Virginia, on the West shore of the Piankatank River til 3:30. Oh, the names of the places we are starting to visit seem right out of Tennessee Williams.
I am truly grateful for the ear plugs I got before we left, it helps reduce the engine noise and right now it seems difficult for me, but not for Bill, to read or do needlework while under way. I hope that will change.
Great sleeping weather but once again the alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m.- are we having fun yet? But the trip today was
quite interesting since we are heading toward Newport News and Norfolk, Va. First we were entranced by a pod of dolphins taking a little stroll near us. Of course I got so excited that I couldn’t get the camera out in time.
Then while listening on the radio we heard ships with names like “Warship 97” instead of “Coal Burns” “Frog Prince”, “Asylum” or “Dream Catcher”, etc. We saw about 8 aircraft carriers being worked on or possibly in mothballs and many other ships of the navy. Constant surveillance by navy personnel in little, very fast, boats going around the harbor. Also, very interesting to note how many women were communicating on the radio while entering and leaving port. We even heard women being referred to as “captain”. We found a small harbor for the night to make an easy run to the “Virginia Cut”, mile 0 of the ICW (the cut is part of the waterway highway from Norfolk to Miami).
I guess I don’t have to mention the alarm wakeup call, you all get the picture and today we have to go through several bridges and a lock so Bill, of course, wants to be in the first group and so we were. There were 8 sailboats of various sizes and 7 power boats jockeying around the first bridge that opens at 8:30. We got close enough to pass the mustard but nobody even touched (of course several of the bigger boats had bow thrusters to help them - this means being able to shoot out water from either side of the boat instead of just relying on the motor for increased maneuverability , don’t worry no tests are involved). We traveled with this group through all the bridges and the lock and even tied up at a dock, in Coinjock, North Carolina, with some of them.
I’m writing this now anchored in South Lake, North Carolina waiting for some “interesting” weather to pass us by. We thought we would be all alone for the night but another sailboat has sought shelter here as well. The strange thing is that with our dinghy tied up on the boat and their’s as well we will spend the stormy night together but without communication. Of course, it is still a comfort to have someone nearby since we are without cell phone or computer connection in this somewhat isolated spot. I’ve challenged Bill to a game of Scrabble. No side bets please.
South Lake, North Carolina
We did leave Annapolis on Monday, wake up call 6:45 a.m., and Bill didn’t like our Greece trip because he had to have suitcases out the door sometimes by 6:30. It is still very cool but we comfortably make the 7 a.m. bridge at spa creek. Gorgeous sunrise, very red and beautiful but usually doesn’t mean “red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning sailor take warning” here since we have had so many beautiful sunrises with lovely days to follow. We make a right turn in the Chesapeake and travel on calm seas, light winds and warming temps. We anchor off Solomon’s Island in Back Creek still in Maryland, and have a late lunch. Worked on my computer to navigate and was able to establish a route on my computer and transfer it to Bill’s GPS in the cockpit. Of course, he rarely followed the route but admitted that the GPS was a fine, fine, tool. Amazing.
Next morning, alarm rings at 6:30!!! A somewhat grey day with small waves. Out of sorts a little since we travel all day and don’t anchor in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, Virginia, on the West shore of the Piankatank River til 3:30. Oh, the names of the places we are starting to visit seem right out of Tennessee Williams.
I am truly grateful for the ear plugs I got before we left, it helps reduce the engine noise and right now it seems difficult for me, but not for Bill, to read or do needlework while under way. I hope that will change.
Great sleeping weather but once again the alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m.- are we having fun yet? But the trip today was
quite interesting since we are heading toward Newport News and Norfolk, Va. First we were entranced by a pod of dolphins taking a little stroll near us. Of course I got so excited that I couldn’t get the camera out in time.
Then while listening on the radio we heard ships with names like “Warship 97” instead of “Coal Burns” “Frog Prince”, “Asylum” or “Dream Catcher”, etc. We saw about 8 aircraft carriers being worked on or possibly in mothballs and many other ships of the navy. Constant surveillance by navy personnel in little, very fast, boats going around the harbor. Also, very interesting to note how many women were communicating on the radio while entering and leaving port. We even heard women being referred to as “captain”. We found a small harbor for the night to make an easy run to the “Virginia Cut”, mile 0 of the ICW (the cut is part of the waterway highway from Norfolk to Miami).
I guess I don’t have to mention the alarm wakeup call, you all get the picture and today we have to go through several bridges and a lock so Bill, of course, wants to be in the first group and so we were. There were 8 sailboats of various sizes and 7 power boats jockeying around the first bridge that opens at 8:30. We got close enough to pass the mustard but nobody even touched (of course several of the bigger boats had bow thrusters to help them - this means being able to shoot out water from either side of the boat instead of just relying on the motor for increased maneuverability , don’t worry no tests are involved). We traveled with this group through all the bridges and the lock and even tied up at a dock, in Coinjock, North Carolina, with some of them.
I’m writing this now anchored in South Lake, North Carolina waiting for some “interesting” weather to pass us by. We thought we would be all alone for the night but another sailboat has sought shelter here as well. The strange thing is that with our dinghy tied up on the boat and their’s as well we will spend the stormy night together but without communication. Of course, it is still a comfort to have someone nearby since we are without cell phone or computer connection in this somewhat isolated spot. I’ve challenged Bill to a game of Scrabble. No side bets please.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Leaving Annapolis
It's Sunday, October 14th (niece Tami's Birthday) and Bill and I have decided it's time to leave Annapolis. I have mixed feelings since it has been a wonderful experience living onboard, yet having the freedom to go places around and out of the city and meet lots of different people without feeling tied to the boat. I love the feel of Annapolis as well as the design. The architecture, the flowers, the streets that remain fixed in the 1700's, the Naval Academy, the boat shows, the tourists, the dogs, the southern twang that shows up everywhere all contribute to a vibrant city. Of course, after the Power Boat Show I was told things really quiet down and I'm sure the feel of Annapolis will also change.
I've put together some photos that I will post on a web page (like Shutterfly) as a memory for me and may be of some interest to you.
To bed early for a 6:30 am wake up call to make the 7 am bridge out of Spa Creek. It's barely light but the sky lightens quickly as we leave and we have no difficulty seeing the marks. The day turns out to be perfect for traveling, seas bearable, temperature within our sunroom just fine and after 7 hours we drop anchor at Solomon's Island. Tired but happy to have finally begun to move again towards the ICW.
I have included a photo of 'Interim' for those who have no idea what kind of boat is now called home.
I've put together some photos that I will post on a web page (like Shutterfly) as a memory for me and may be of some interest to you.
To bed early for a 6:30 am wake up call to make the 7 am bridge out of Spa Creek. It's barely light but the sky lightens quickly as we leave and we have no difficulty seeing the marks. The day turns out to be perfect for traveling, seas bearable, temperature within our sunroom just fine and after 7 hours we drop anchor at Solomon's Island. Tired but happy to have finally begun to move again towards the ICW.
I have included a photo of 'Interim' for those who have no idea what kind of boat is now called home.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Annapolis Oct. 8
We are still at our wonderful mooring spot and continue to enjoy being here. We have had visits from friends which we so enjoyed.
Also several Sheldrake Yacht Club members checked in as well. The weather is still holding hot and sunny, yesterday was dreadfully hot but staying on the boat wasn't too bad. We went to the boat show on Thursday, a friend was able to obtain VIP tickets so we didn't have to join the crowds over the weekend. Of course, having such easy access to all the vendors and boats resulted in more money spent then we had anticipated. One of the, hopefully, most useful items is a filtration system for our water tanks that is "supposed" to increase the ability to drink of our tanks without gagging. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Also new shoes, snorkel stuff for Bill, and other sundry items. I went on a few boats but wasn't really interested since they were so spic and spanned up. I am beginning to really enjoy the clutter of 'Interim' especially since I can now find almost anything I want that has been stowed. Bill, unfortunately continues to have difficulty locating things. We tore his spaces apart to try to find sensors that he bought before we left to no avail. They are probably on his work table back home!!
Bill has also made several bus trips to get the parts and supplies he has needed. With a friends recomendation we found a small pub that also provides food during happy hour all for the price of a beer (yes, I did drink one) and we walked out paying a total of $7.00 for dinner.
On Sat. we went to a gam ( for nonsailors: a group gets together for various purposes) sponsored by an organization called Seven Seas Cruising Association. This gam took place on land- tents up and everything with breakfast, a lunch and a dinner. Of course when I signed up I missed the part to pay for lunch and dinner but we had other plans for later in the day. The breakfast/registration started at 7:30 so you can imagine who was one of the first to arrive!!
Heard some interesting speakers, a doctor who was fabulous, making practical recommendations for medical supplies to have on hand and a women specialist in eliminating boat odors. But the best was meeting many couples who were at the beginning of their voyages. Bill and I, with all the water time we've had, were humbled by the goals and experiences from so many others. From 10 year plans to circumnavigate the globe to Europe, Fiji, and on and on it was inspiring. I was inspired to realize that wasn't going to happen to us. But we hope to meet up with some of these people as we travel down south.
And when will that start? We are about ready to go, Patrick a young friend of ours has been here since Sat. night. Bill has been helping him study for his plumber's exam to get licensed which he will take next Sat. So he traveled here for some more tutoring. It also turns out that he has been helping Bill with some boat projects, with his car we made an extensive provisioning trip and I got to go to Michaels' where I found a needlepoint project. Since Bill is waiting for parts that will be here tomorrow morning Pat will stay over til Tuesday morning and then we will drop the mooring and begin our journey towards Norfolk, Va where the ICW starts. We heard the cool , autumn air will arrive in a few days and we are all looking forward to that.
Sorry for the length of this blog but getting online has been sporadic.
Also several Sheldrake Yacht Club members checked in as well. The weather is still holding hot and sunny, yesterday was dreadfully hot but staying on the boat wasn't too bad. We went to the boat show on Thursday, a friend was able to obtain VIP tickets so we didn't have to join the crowds over the weekend. Of course, having such easy access to all the vendors and boats resulted in more money spent then we had anticipated. One of the, hopefully, most useful items is a filtration system for our water tanks that is "supposed" to increase the ability to drink of our tanks without gagging. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Also new shoes, snorkel stuff for Bill, and other sundry items. I went on a few boats but wasn't really interested since they were so spic and spanned up. I am beginning to really enjoy the clutter of 'Interim' especially since I can now find almost anything I want that has been stowed. Bill, unfortunately continues to have difficulty locating things. We tore his spaces apart to try to find sensors that he bought before we left to no avail. They are probably on his work table back home!!
Bill has also made several bus trips to get the parts and supplies he has needed. With a friends recomendation we found a small pub that also provides food during happy hour all for the price of a beer (yes, I did drink one) and we walked out paying a total of $7.00 for dinner.
On Sat. we went to a gam ( for nonsailors: a group gets together for various purposes) sponsored by an organization called Seven Seas Cruising Association. This gam took place on land- tents up and everything with breakfast, a lunch and a dinner. Of course when I signed up I missed the part to pay for lunch and dinner but we had other plans for later in the day. The breakfast/registration started at 7:30 so you can imagine who was one of the first to arrive!!
Heard some interesting speakers, a doctor who was fabulous, making practical recommendations for medical supplies to have on hand and a women specialist in eliminating boat odors. But the best was meeting many couples who were at the beginning of their voyages. Bill and I, with all the water time we've had, were humbled by the goals and experiences from so many others. From 10 year plans to circumnavigate the globe to Europe, Fiji, and on and on it was inspiring. I was inspired to realize that wasn't going to happen to us. But we hope to meet up with some of these people as we travel down south.
And when will that start? We are about ready to go, Patrick a young friend of ours has been here since Sat. night. Bill has been helping him study for his plumber's exam to get licensed which he will take next Sat. So he traveled here for some more tutoring. It also turns out that he has been helping Bill with some boat projects, with his car we made an extensive provisioning trip and I got to go to Michaels' where I found a needlepoint project. Since Bill is waiting for parts that will be here tomorrow morning Pat will stay over til Tuesday morning and then we will drop the mooring and begin our journey towards Norfolk, Va where the ICW starts. We heard the cool , autumn air will arrive in a few days and we are all looking forward to that.
Sorry for the length of this blog but getting online has been sporadic.
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