While Bob stayed in Charleston with Sanderling, Julie and Khepera, Judy rented a car and drove back to Florida to work two days in her hospital and to attend some meetings. Cruising friends of ours live in Charleston, and they invited Bob to attend the Charleston Symphony one night, and for dinner at their house another. One of the men who worked at the marina (Ashley Marina) helped Bob turn the boat so it would be facing “out” when it came time to leave. Bob continued to take care of minor things on Sanderling, and the day Judy arrived did some last minute grocery shopping.

October 20, 2009

We departed Charleston (Ashley Marina) at 0800 when the tide was nearing slack. We made good time with the tide in our favor most of the day, and arrived at an anchorage across the river in Beaufort, South Carolina, at 1700 while it was still light.

Day: 68.5SM – 9H05M
Trip: 2264.7SM – 326H19M

October 21, 2009

We wanted to make a few extra miles so departed the anchorage while it was still dark at 0630 (with Judy steering while Bob raised the anchor), crossed Port Royal Sound (south of Beaufort), and by noon had crossed the Savannah River and were in Georgia. From there we continued south past Isle of Hope (a suburb of Savannah), through Hell Gate, and then departed the ICW to go further up the Ogeechee River to Ft. McAllister Marina, about seven miles beyond where the ICW turns. Navigating the river beyond the ICW was a little tricky as the charts were obviously not up-to-date; when we were within about a mile or so of the marina we called them to get directions, after discovering water that was only about 3.5 feet deep (not deep enough for us). The people at the marina gave us directions over the phone to cross to the south side, then along the bank in deep water until we reached the marina at about 1645.

This was a two-night stop while Judy borrowed her daughter’s car (they live about 10 miles from the marina) and drove back to Merritt Island for the day, returning in time for dinner at the marina restaurant that evening. While Judy was gone, Bob walked to Ft. McAllister and walked the earthen-ware ramparts and enjoyed the exhibits of the Civil War era fortification which was involved in the battle for Savannah and the site of shelling by some of the Union forces’ ironclads.

Day: 74.3SM – 10H15M
Trip: 2339.0SM – 336H34M

October 23, 2009

We departed Ft. McAllister Marina at slack ebb tide, despite the shallow water we encountered on the way up river, relying on information provided by a tow boat operator at the marina and the track of our upstream trip on the GPS – we never saw water less than about 8 feet deep in the shallowest areas.

After rejoining the ICW, we crossed St. Catherine Sound and Sapello Sound, eventually anchoring in the Frederica River to the east of Brunswick, Georgia. There were several boats already in the anchorage, and it was almost dark by the time we selected our spot and got the anchor down.

Day: 74.7SM – 10H05M
Trip: 2413.7SM – 346H39M

October 24 & 25, 2009

We had a lazy start from the Frederica River anchorage at 0720, but again had favorable current most of the day, and crossed into Florida about 1245 as we came down Cumberland Sound and past the huge submarine base where we saw three submarines undergoing repairs and replenishment.

We stayed that night in Palm Cove Marina after trying to find a good anchorage just south of the St. Johns River (there aren’t any).

The next day (October 25) we departed the marina at 0755 since we only had to get as far as the Palm Coast Marina (less than 60 miles) where friends from Merritt Island were going to meet us. Judy had to be home to work at her hospital on Monday, and Melissa would drive her back to Merritt Island while Mike stayed on Sanderling with me to complete the trip home over the next several days.

We arrived at the Palm Coast Marina at 1450; Mike and Melissa showed up about an hour later. We had a nice reunion with them, ate dinner at a nearby restaurant, then Judy and Melissa departed to drive to Merritt Island while Mike and Bob (with Julie and Khepera) stayed aboard.

Day: 56.1SM – 6H55M
Trip: 2545.9SM – 363H24M

October 26, 2009

Mike and Bob were underway and heading south by 0715. We ran the engines at 1800 rpm most of the day with a fair current until Mike mentioned that if we kept up the good speed we could anchor about 20 miles from our marina that night. We discussed it a bit, and decided that we could just as well run later into the evening and get all the way to our marina without having to spend another night on board. We boosted the rpms to 2000, and were making about 8.1 mph over the ground. By 1840 we turned off the ICW into the Canaveral Barge Canal heading toward the Banana River. We passed Melissa at their marina, waiving from the dock. Within half an hour it was dark and we were relying on radar, GPS and a little light reflecting from the clouds and sky to see the water surface as best we could. The remainder of the trip was made interesting by the fact that after it got dark about 7:15 it was apparent that the water was full of luminescent “stuff” (whatever creates a blue luminescence) and the entire transom, swim platform and dinghy were lighted in an eerie blue glow from the water which was light enough to read by. Then after we turned south on the Banana River near the Canaveral Locks (which connect Port Canaveral with the Banana River), when we were about an hour and a half away from the marina Mike noticed two “blue” dolphins swimming alongside Sanderling’s port flank, entirely visible underwater and bathed in a blue glow that made them more visible than they ever would have been in daylight – so visible that we could clearly see their mouths, eyes, breathing hole, fins etc. – and they were big ones, about 7-8 feet long. They stayed alongside about 8-10 minutes until the water started getting shallow. We continued on to the marina, relying on the GPS and radar to keep us on our track.

Judy and some marina friends met us on the dock to help get our lines tied at the dock near the marina office to make it easier to offload all of the things that were coming home; we turned off the engines, took Julie and Khepera (the cats) off in their cages, locked up, and left for home! We tied up at 2120.

Day: 112SM – 14H 05M
Trip: 2657.9SM – 382H49M

Judy and I moved Sanderling from the office dock to our slip on Friday October 30, 2009. We were finally “home.”

October 8, 2009

The forecast was good and we departed Elizabeth City at 0645 (as soon as we could clearly see the surface of the water). On the way down the Pasquatank River we passed the large wooden structure where most of the blimps in the US are built – the photo shows two blimps tethered outside. A number of other boats departed at about the same time, and by the time we had crossed the calm Albermarle Sound there was quite a parade of boats crossing the shallow area entering the Alligator River from both Elizabeth City and Coinjock (the main ICW route). The Alligator River stretches interminably to the south, then takes a dog-leg to the west, and finally connects with the Alligator-Pungo Canal. We frequently stop at an anchorage after passing through the Canal, in the headwaters of the Pungo River, but this time kept going another 15 miles or so to Pungo Creek, just south of Belhaven, NC – what a beautiful spot, and we could see the Milky Way that evening as there wasn’t a city within miles to lighten the sky.

Day:87.4sm – 11H45M
Trip: 1854.1sm – 271H15M

October 9-10, 2009 (Pungo Creek to Mile Hammock Bay)

We departed Pungo Creek with winds forecast for 15-20 gusting to 25 in the afternoon. By the time we traversed the Neuse River and made the turn toward Beaufort/Morehead City, NC, the winds had picked up. We passed Cedar Creek (a familiar anchorage) to get to Morehead City and possibly Swansboro at the western end of Bogue Sound, but decided the higher winds would make Bogue Sound (totally unprotected from the south and we couldn’t get a forecast specific to the sound) too rough, and were concerned that the winds would also make Morehead City waters rough, so turned around and anchored in Cedar Creek for the rest of the afternoon and night. It was a short day.

Day:56.3sm – 7H30M
Trip: 1910.4sm – 278H45M

The next day (October 10) winds had slacked off slightly, and we still couldn’t get a good forecast for Bogue Sound itself, so we decided that we’d give it a try and turn around again and find a spot in Morehead City, if necessary. As we turned the corner at Morehead City, we passed alongside this freighter unloading at the dock.

Turned out the sound was not a problem, and we made it to Mile Hammock Bay (Marine base Camp Lejeune, NC) by late afternoon. We tried to arrange dinner with retired Marine Corps friends there, but they had prior commitments – one of these trips we’ll get together, again.

Several of the boats anchored in Mile Hammock Bay at sunset

Day: 58.7sm – 7H55M
Trip: 1969.1sm – 286H40M

October 11-14, 2009 Mile Hammock Bay to Charleston, SC

The next four days were relatively uneventful – no winds to be concerned about, plenty of places to anchor – other than the low bridges with fixed opening schedules that we had to have opened for us (as well as other boats, doing the same) before we could pass. As it turned out, we made all of the scheduled openings without having to wait more than a few minutes, so we made good time.

Freighter heading up the Cape Fear River

Judy had to return to Florida for some scheduled American Heart Association meetings and to work the upcoming weekend at her hospital in Sebastian. The issue became how far could we get before she had to rent a car and drive home. We first looked at Georgetown, SC, but they had a wooden boat show over the weekend and we couldn’t get a slip, and it would have meant that we would have needed to stop earlier than necessary. We didn’t have enough time before her departure to get as far as Beaufort, SC (closer to home for the final push). So Charleston came up as the logical place to stop while Judy made the trip back to Florida.

Sanderling, Julie, Khepera and I are now in Ashley Marina in Charleston, SC. As soon as we arrived late Wednesday morning Judy got a rental car and drove back to Florida. She will return on Monday and we’ll depart Tuesday morning (early) to get as far south as we can before she has to return to Florida again for more scheduled meetings. We’ve both had to reschedule some appointments or miss some meetings, but that’s the way it is when you’re cruising.

I’ve been working on some minor boat-related projects, reading, and meeting up with some crujising friends who live in Charleston. Last night (Friday) we went to the Charleston Symphony to hear a Beethoven concerto and symphony; tonight I’ve been invited to their lovely home in the heart of old Charleston for dinner. I also need to do some grocery shopping before departing, and will do that today or tomorrow via the marina’s courtesy van.

We depart Tuesday. Our planned itinerary will take us to Beaufort, SC; Savannah; Frederica River; Fernandina Beach; St. Augustine; New Smyrna Beach; and finally to Manatee Cove Marina.

Trip: 2196.2sm – 317H14M

September 30, 2009

After delaying a day for uncomfortably high wind on the Chesapeake, we departed Baltimore and Henderson’s Wharf Marina today to head south to Florida. Chesapeake Bay was delightfully calm, and we made it to Solomons by 1645 and into took a mooring at Zahnizer’s Marina. There were several boats anchored out, apparently waiting for Trawler Fest to start on Friday. A HUGE boat at Zahnizer’s dock was the Argyll at 150 feet and 4 decks above the waterline. She is huge, and our stern was about 40 feet off her port side. I’m sure other boats in the harbor would have had difficulty seeing “little” Sanderling against the backdrop of this monstrosity! Check out “Argyll luxury yacht charter” to see it for yourself.

Day: 65.7nm – 9H35M
Trip: 1390.8nm – 234H00M

October 1, 2 & 3, 2009

Departed Solomons at first light (about 0645) immediately after Argyll left her dock. There were a number of other trawlers (as well as other types of boats) departing and all headed south. We were hoping for another good day on Chesapeake Bay, but hoped to at least get south of the Potomac River before encountering some predicted head seas in the lower part of the Bay. As it turns out we had another beautiful day cruising down Chesapeake Bay – at one point in the mid afternoon the water was like glass, something that is very unusual on the bay. We anchored for the night a little after sundown in the Phoebus Channel immediately north of Norfolk. The wind came up a little during the night to give us a little rocking, but nothing like we’d experienced in this location on prior occasions.

The next morning (Octobe 2nd) we took the dinghy 1/4 mile or so to the Army-operated marina at Old Point Comfort to go ashore and tour historic Fort Monroe and see where Jefferson Davis was imprisoned for several years after the Civil War.

In the early afternoon we made a short cruise back around the I-64 tunnel entrance and up the Hampton River to an anchorage just north of a number of large marinas and under a bridge with 29 feet clearance. We had no sooner dropped anchor when we saw Argyll (the luxury yacht from Solomons) pulling up to the town docks. She didn’t dominate the waterfront like she did in Solomons, but it was still hard to miss! We checked out the free dinghy dock at the town docks, walked around a little, then went back to Sanderling for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

On October 3rd friends Norm and Nancy came aboard around noon. We caught up with each others’ goings on since we saw them last February in Florida, got them settled in to their quarters in the V-berth, and then went ashore for dinner at a local restaurant.

Day: 3.3nm – 0H35M
Trip:

October 4, 5 & 6, 2009 – The Great Dismal Swamp

We arrived at Deep Creek Lock leading into the Great Dismal Swamp at 1305, and were let into the lock at 1325; by 1400 we had been raised eight feet to the level of the canal and had our lines tied to Elizabeth’s Dock just inside the northern lock in the Great Dismal Swamp.

We walked around the park adjacent to Elizabeth’s Dock, walked to the small town and purchased a few groceries, then walked back to Sanderling where we just took it easy for the rest of the afternoon. We then walked back into town in the evening for dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

On October 5th we departed Elizabeth’s Dock in order to go through the bridge about a mile from the lock at 0830 when it opened for a northbound boat departing the canal. We continued 15 miles through the straight and narrow canal, with mostly swamp land and a few farm fields on the west (right/starboard) side, and a few trees and highway 17 on the east (left/port) side. We arrived at the North Carolina Visitors’ Center and tied to their free dock at 1125. We had a very enjoyable day there, exploring the area around the Visitors’ Center and the nearby North Carolina Dismal Swamp Park. A floating swing bridge leads from the visitors’ center across the canal to the park and an extremely well-presented display of the history and other things related to the canal and the Great Dismal Swamp. We walked the boardwalk out into the swamp, and talked with the park rangers.

On Tuesday, October 6th, we departed the visitors’ center at 0950 and arrived at the South Mills Bridge and Lock at 1035 where we tied to the bridge fender to wait the opening of the bridge at 1100. By 1055 we were through the bridge and into the lock. By 1120 we had been lowered eight feet to the level of the Pasquotank River on the south end of the canal and were heading out of the canal to Elizabeth City, about 16 miles down the river from the South Mills Lock. By 1400 we had lines to the free bulkhead at Elizabeth City – the City of Hospitality. Believe me, this city lives up to its motto. We had no sooner tied up than a lady from the Welcome Center had come to the boat and was telling us about the area, it’s many restaurants, art gallery, museum, and the wine and cheese party they throw for boaters at 1630 in the afternoon. We had plenty of time to walk through the museum just across the street from where we are located, and still attend the wine and cheese event where we met a number of other boaters who had arrived recently. Then we went to dinner at a local restaurant where we’ve eaten when we’ve been here before.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Wednesday for Albermarle Sound, which we must pass across on our way south, was not good for comfortable cruising. Another complication was the fact that the Alligator River Bridge, across the northern end of the Alligator River, was being worked on and wouldn’t be opening until 1700 on Wednesday. We checked the forecast several times throughout the day and into the evening, and it didn’t get any better, so we decided to remain in Elizabeth City for another day until weather improved on Albermarle Sound and the bridge repairs had been completed. As it turns out, only one boat left on Wednesday heading south.

Day: 23,6sm – 3H10M
Trip: 1714.6sm – 259H30M

September 13, 2009

Departed the marina at Baltimore at 0900 on our way further up Chesapeake Bay and then the Susquehanna River to Havre de Grace, Maryland. The forecast was for good weather for a three day period, so we were going to take advantage of it rather than sit around the marina since Judy didn’t have any work scheduled.

Departing Baltimore harbor, we again passed Fort McHenry; this was a beautiful day for a good photo of the historic fortification

and one of the many ships unloading at the port.

The trip north was delightful, and we arrived at Havre de Grace about 1530 that afternoon. We went into a marina, since the only anchorage is about a mile away and the current flowing down the Susquehanna River is fairly strong at times.

Havre de Grace is a nice little town for walking – mostly antique shops, and lot of vacant buildings, and some good restaurants. After an early dinner at an Italian restaurant (Judy had what she claims is the best Italian seafood pasta she’s had anywhere and I had some great pizza) we returned to the marina and walked along the extensive docks checking out the boats. In the process we discovered that the piers and slips were infested with spiders that liked to spin their webs between the pilings supporting the docks and the finger piers, and even the boats (those that were not used frequently) were covered with the little creatures and their webs! However, the bathrooms and showers were as clean as we’d seen anywhere.

Day: 45.0nm – 6H30M
Trip: 1237.2nm – 202H00M

September 14, 2009

We departed the marina at Havre de Grace about 0955 and cruised a few miles upriver on the Susquehanna under the Amtrak and highway #1 bridges – there are two more bridges (freight train and I-95) which we didn’t go under, but we could see the high dam that is the end of navigation on the Susquehanna. Interesting to think about how much of our country’s early history involved the Susquehanna as a means of transportation inland.

We turn turned back south through the sometimes narrow and winding channel down to the main ship channel in Chesapeake Bay, and after a couple of miles back on the Chesapeake turned east into the Sassafras River with Georgetown, Maryland, as our destination. The cruise up the Sassafras River was beautiful in full sun – wide, winding river, groups of modest and bigger homes, and – best of all – no crab traps after we left the mouth of the river.

Georgetown is not a town, it turns out, but just an area with 5-6 large marinas, associated restaurants and boating supply stores. Essentially it is a boating center; many boats both sail and power of all sizes. A small town is 2-3 miles away along the two-lane highway that cuts across the low bridge at the end of the main river. The marina where we stayed had moorings, so we took a mooring and dinghied ashore to do some walking before returning to Sanderling for a quiet meal aboard as the sun set and the air started cooling down to make a beautiful evening.

Day: 22.0nm – 3H30M
Trip: 1259.2nm – 205H30M

September 15, 2009

Day: 40.2 nm – 6H00M
Trip: 1299.5nm – 211H30M

September 20, 2009

Today is the perfect day for a cruise around Baltimore Harbor, and we took advantage of it. We invited friends and family aboard, and all enjoyed a six hour cruise into the Inner Harbor, then down the Patabsco River to Curtis Bay and into Curtis Creek where we anchored for an early afternoon lunch, then back to the marina. We enjoyed the time together catching up on recent events.

Day: 25.7nm – 5H45M

August 16, 2009

We’ve been in Baltimore for a little over a month. Judy is now working in the ICU at Anne Arrundel Medical Center (near Annapolis), Jennifer and I have been getting small projects checked off on her house, and Judy and I have been working on Sanderling.

Since arriving on the 11th of July, we have taken two short cruises: one with Ed and Ro to Chestertown, Maryland, up the Chester River – a beautiful little town settled in the 1700s on the eastern shore; and just these past few days Judy and I cruised to St. Michaels, Maryland, also on the eastern shore but a little further south (down Chesapeake Bay) than Chestertown.

The trip to Chestertown involved anchoring for the night in a small stream off the Chester River (Langford Creek) and then proceeding to Chestertown the next day. On the way up and back we saw log canoes racing on the river; these boats, indigenous to the Chesapeake Bay, are made from hollowed-out logs fastened together, carrying a lot of sail, with the crews hiking out to windward on hiking boards. We spent the night in a small marina in Chestertown, and just as we were about to go topside and enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking the river and the hills beyond, a 110 foot yacht tied up on the outside of the pier and totally obliterated our view of anything but the marina! Judy was fit to be tied. Had we known we were going to be dock-mates with a 110 foot gargantuan we would have anchored out ourselves and taken the dinghy ashore for a tour of the town and dinner! As it was, the “ship” blocked part of the fairway leading to the river and the crew had to stand by to make sure that we didn’t put a scratch in their yacht as we exited our slip and entered the river (we didn’t).

Day: 45nm – 6H45M
Trip: 1108.8nm – 181H55M

Our trip to St. Michaels was enjoyable, but getting there took about two hours longer than I had estimated (should have looked at the charts more closely). We anchored in a small creek opposite the town of St. Michaels and took the dinghy ashore on Friday to walk about the town, do some window shopping, and have lunch at the Crab Claw Restaurant.

Leeds Creek has some spectacular homes, and we anchored in an area where we had panoramic views of three of them. Each morning watermen came to the area, set a few crab traps, and ran their trot lines. We also took the dinghy up to the head of the river past more nicely modest homes, and saw a Chesapeake Bay Skipjack taking a few paying customers on a trip up the river past Sanderling. We returned to Baltimore via Kent Narrows, saving 10 nautical miles and over an hour underway, but the day was hot and humid, and we couldn’t wait to get to the dock and turn on the air conditioning!

Day: 36.9nm – 6H15M
Trip: 1192.2nm – 195H30M

Judy has her first day of non-orientation work at Anne Arrundel Medical Center today, so I’ve been working on a few projects on Sanderling – seems like every day brings more work, but this is a good place to get it done.

June 26-July 11, 2009

We departed Mill Creek on the morning of June 26th and less than an hour later were in a slip at Point Patience Marina (Navy Recreation Center, Solomons, Maryland). We enjoyed renewing our acquaintance with old friends who have their sailboat in the marina (and happened to be in the slip next to us) and then started getting things together for our family reunion. We rented a car so we could do some shopping, and checked out the locations we would be using for the reunion.

Andrew and family (Rebecca, Alyssa and Avery) arrived in their rental car on Saturday morning, and he and I drove separate cars to Baltimore where he needed to drop off his rental car before noon. After dropping of his car, we had lunch with Jennifer (who lives in Baltimore) and then drove back to Solomons. They stayed on Sanderling with us that night.

Sunday was the reunion attended by Jennifer, Andrew and family, and in-laws, nieces and nephews who live in the area or came in for the reunion from South Carolina and Minnesota. Although it was cloudy and a little windy, we had a great time at a gazebo overlooking the Patuxent River, talking, laughing and taking lots of pictures. Later in the afternoon we checked into the bungalow where Jennifer, Andrew and his family would be staying for the rest of the week. We had a great time that week with everyone from Alyssa and Avery to the adults finding plenty of activities to keep as occupied as desired.

For the rest of the week, Avery and Alyssa elected to spend a lot of their time at Sanderling and on the docks hunting for Chesapeake Blue Crabs with a crab net along the piers. We also enjoyed the beach and swimming pool, miniature golf, and reading for relaxation. Friday was checkout day and everyone moved aboard Sanderling for the night. Rebecca and Alyssa departed on Saturday (July 4th) for Salt Lake City by plane, Jennifer drove back to Baltimore early in the evening, and then the rest of us walked over to Solomons to watch the 4th of July fireworks – a very nice display.

Andrew and Avery departed on Monday – I drove them to Union Station in Washington, DC, for their Amtrak adventure, and then went to Annapolis on my way back to Solomons to check out a used inflatable that we thought we might be interested in as a replacement for our dinghy that had started to come apart. For the next few days Judy and I searched for other used inflatables for sale, and Judy looked at hospitals in the Annapolis and Baltimore areas as potential employers. On Thursday we decided on an inflatable dinghy located on the Magothy River (north of Annapolis) and picked it up. Friday morning Judy got a call from a hospital in Annapolis asking her to come up for an interview. With the probability that she would have a job there, we decided it was time to move to Baltimore where she would be closer to the hospital for her commute, so we prepared to depart Solomons early Saturday morning heading to Baltimore.

The trip from Solomons to Baltimore was the longest distance we have covered in a day, so far – 67.2 nautical miles – and it took almost 10 hours underway. The marina where we would be staying at Fells Point closed at 5:00PM, so we departed Solomons at 0600 knowing that the tidal current would be against us most of the way – and it was! We ran the engine at 200 rpms faster than we normally do to keep our speed up with the opposing tidal current. About mid-day the wind started picking up from the south, and Chesapeake Bay became a little rough. We heard several calls to the Coast Guard regarding overturned small boats, and southbound boats were really having a tough time of it beating into the 2-3 foot seas. Sanderling’s weight, and the fact that the wind-generated waves were overtaking us, allowed us to have a fairly decent trip.

We’re now at Henderson’s Wharf Marina at Fell’s Point in Baltimore – a really happening place. The dockmaster gave us a very favorable rate since we’ll be staying here for at least a month, and Judy has landed a job in the ICU at Anne Arrundel Medical Center just outside of Annapolis. Judy has also completed replacing the failed solenoid on our new windlass with two heavy-duty solenoids – she is the only one aboard who could squeeze into the chain/rope locker and work on on the electrical cables.

Friends are coming aboard on Friday (July 17) and we’ll have a three day cruise across the Bay to the Chester River and to Chestertown, a beautiful little town on the eastern shore and the home of Washington College. Then we’ll be back in the marina until our next mini-cruise. We plan to base our cruises for the next month or so out of this marina when Judy isn’t working at the hospital.

Day: 67.2nm – 9H50M
Trip: 1011.3nm (1162sm) – 166H25M

June 10, 2009

Departed Isle of Hope Marina southeast of Savannah this morning at 0900 at slack high tide, and had another uneventful day, crossing the Savannah River into South Carolina, then past Daufuskie Island (setting for the movie “The Water is Wide”), Hilton Head Island and through the Calibogue Sound and Port Royal Sound to Beaufort, South Carolina, where we anchored on the east side of the Beaufort River in about 10 feet of water at low tide.Had a relatively uneventful day with the tidal current playing its usual game of sometimes pushing faster and sometimes holding us back, until we reached a nice anchorage in Beaufort, SC, where we stopped for the day about 1630.

Last night at the marina while we were reading about 2100, we heard a rumbling engine sound that could easily have been a lumbering freight train – if there were train tracks anywhere close by. Instead, it was a tug pulling the dredge that had been working at Hell Gate and its attendant barges and pipes – all in all a 1800 foot long parade through the water attended by a couple of small tugs to help keep things lined up around bends and thru bridges. We passed it today as it was working it’s way from the north end of Callobogue Sound out Skull Creek into Port Royal Sound.

As we were coming out of the Calibogue Sound into Skull Creek we passed the tug Maverick towing a dredge, several smaller barges, and dredging pipe. This same 1800 foot rig had passed us about 2100 at the Isle of Hope. There are three smaller “helper tugs” accompanying the rig in order to help keep everything lined up when rounding bends in the ICW and going through bridges.

Tonight, as we were preparing dinner (filet mignon wrapped in bacon) the dredge train passed and stopped to wait for the tidal current to slack before proceeding under the Ladys Island Bridge in Beaufort.

Day: 52.1sm – 7H40M
Trip: 392.3sm – 56H20M

June 11, 2009

We weighed anchor at 0935 and were underway. Today we passed through many small rivers and land cuts (man made cuts connecting rivers) in the South Carolina low country south of Charleston. We anchored for the night at Toogoodoo Creek, about 25 miles south of Charleston.

During the late afternoon and into the early evening we watched as thunder heads built up in the west, and lightning flashed around the sky. It soon became apparent that we were not going to escape a major storm, so we made preparations by closing up the topside area, removing various items from around the boat, covering the flag and pennant and tieing the cover, and turning on the GPS so we could keep track of our position. Judy made this log entry for 2100: “Big thunderstorm came through – sever lightening – cloud to ground – Judy clocked wind at 56 knots (65mph) with hand held wind meter. Waves in the creek were substantial! Storm lasted about 20 minutes followed by cool air.”

Day: 44.4sm – 5H15M
Trip: 436sm – 61H35M

June 12, 2009

Underway at 0845. Passed through Elliot Cut (on the west side of Charleston harbor) at 1230, and then toured the mega dock at the Charleston City Marina. By 1325 we had crossed Charleston Harbor and were back on the ICW channel heading northward.

We passed tug Maverick and her 1800 foot tow again this afternoon just north of Charleston.

We intended to anchor in Graham Creek (one of the places we seem to return to frequently), but with more storms predicted and two other boats already anchored in the small stream, we decided we’d go a little further north to another broad anchorage in Awendaw Creek. We had that creek to ourselves; although it is totally exposed to wind from any direction, it is at least 1/4 mile in any direction with 12-14 feet of water at low tide – perfect as far as we are concerned without regard to any winds the storm may throw at us. We let out 100 feet of chain, dug in the anchor, and then let out another 50 feet – all in anticipation of high winds again.

We had a little rain, some wind gusting to perhaps 20 knots, nothing more, but we were prepared!

Day: 64.2sm – 9H10M
Trip: 500.9sm – 70H45M

June 13, 2009

Underway at 09:15 and subsequently passed the North and South Santee Rivers, into Winyah Bay past Georgetown, SC, and the mouth of the Pee Dee River (the river about which Stephen Foster was writing – not the Suanee River) and into the Waccamaw River and its cyprus swamp. The river is lined on either side with cyprus trees so thick you cannot see more than 20-30 feet back into the swamp in most places. This continues until the river gets within 10 miles or so south of the Myrtle Beach area, where the land rises and development takes over for nature’s beaufy. The trees, for the most part, are draped in Spanish moss (neither Spanish, nor a moss – actually a member of the pineapple family).

We passed tug Maverick and her tow again this afternoon. Learned that she and her 1800 foot train are heading to Norfolk. We probably won’t see them again, as they run 24 hours a day (for the most part) while we stop at night, and are going to stop for two nights in Myrtle Beach.

We anchored for the night about 1.5 miles up Buck Creek, thick in the cyprus swamp. When we anchored the “tide” was flowing downstream at about 1.25 mph; the current never changed direction the entire night, but undoubtedly increased as the tide lowered and raised in the Waccamaw River (2.5 feet). We checked the chart plotter several times during the night, and the anchor was holding us in the same spot.

Day: 56.2sm – 7H30M
Trip: 557.1sm – 78H15M

June 14, 2009

The anchor was up at 0855 – it hadn’t caught on any trees or limbs that floated by during the night, and the trip line float was visible just below the surface when we were over the anchor itself. We were soon out of the beautiful cyprus swamp and into Myrtle Beach golf courses and ostentatious homes. We stopped at Barefoot Landing Marina, right behind a discount shopping mall, so Judy could rent a car and drive back to Savannah to attend her daughter’s “white coat” ceremony at pharmacy school on Monday afternoon. In the meantime, I’m going to find someone to check out the forward air conditioning unit which is acting up.

Note: the next day I located a tech who came to the boat and diagnosed the AC problem as a bad fresh water pump. He’ll order a new one and meet us in Carolina Beach to install it.

Day: 30.0sm – 4H05M
Trip: 587.1sm – 82H20M

June 15, 2009

Departed Barefoot Landing at 1010 after Judy returned the rental car, and at 1020 entered a stretch of the ICW called “The Rock Pile” because it is very narrow and is lined with the rock outcroppings from where the canal was blasted through the bedrock – it is an area where it is difficult to pass because of the width. At 1615 we entered the Cape Fear River at Southport, and had a good passage on the river despite threatening rain. By 1830 we had transited the river (without seeing Robert DeNero) and up Snow’s Cut into the anchorage at Carolina Beach. It took us three tries to get the anchor to hold, and in the process the anchor windlass stuck in the “up” position (fortunately, after we had dropped the anchor for the final try).

Day: 59.8sm – 8H20M
Trip: 646.9sm – 90H40M

June 17, 2009

Called the air conditioning guy who came to the boat at Barefoot Landing, and he was ready to meet us at a dock on our way out of the anchorage. By 0945 a new water pump had been installed and we were on our way. We were delayed at Wrightsville Beach by a bridge that only opened on the hour to begin with, then had to delay for over 40 minutes waiting for an ambulance. That resulted in a late arrival at Mile Hammock Bay (Camp LeJeune, NC) where we were going to meet friends for dinner. As we turned into the bay from the ICW it was hard not to notice the group of Army LCMs parked at the head of the bay on the dock where we would have to land to go ashore to meet our friends; as soon as we anchored we put the dinghy in the water and I went over to check with the Army to see if it was OK if we stayed – it wasn’t! So we called our friends to cancel dinner, and had to find another place to spend the night. By this time it was starting to get dark, and we decided the easiest thing to do would be to backtrack a few miles and stay at a marina (where we could also buy fuel at a good price). Turned out to be a good decision, but we missed dinner with our friends whom we had been looking forward to seeing. We’ll get together on our trip south.

Day: 58.9sm – 9H40M
Trip: 705.8sm – 100H20M

June 18, 2009

When the marina opened at 0700 we let them know that we were the extra boat – we had come in well after the marina closed for the day – and that we needed fuel and ice. We took on 200.1 gallons of diesel at the lowest price per gallon we’d seen on the waterway; we had travelled 132 hours since our last fill-up, so we could calculate that we were burning 1.5 gallons per hour and averaging 4.5 miles per gallon – every bit as good as I had hoped for after having the injectors tuned and adjusting the valves before we left home.

We got underway at 0820, went through Moorehead City/Beaufort, NC, at 1520, and anchored in Cedar Creek at mile 190 at 1710 along with several other boats.

Day: 60.9sm – 8H50M
Trip: 766.7sm – 109H10M

June 19-20, 2009

We left Cedar Creek at 0750 on Friday, anchored in the Pungo River that evening, and on Saturday transited the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal and the length of the Alligator River. When we got to the mouth of the Alligator River it was mid-afternoon, and we had Albermarle Sound and another four hours of running ahead of us, so we anchored on the western side of Alligator River at Sandy Point for the evening. Albermarle Sound is a notoriously rough body of water when the wind is blowing more than 10-15 knots from either west or east, so we were hopeful that an early start the next morning would result in a calmer passage. We planned to be underway by 0600.

Trip 874.7sm – 124H20M

June 21, 2009

We were underway at 0610 and Albermarle Sound had already started acting up. Our course was to the mouth of the Pasquatank River and to Elizabeth City – a good 4-5 hours away on a good day! We “battened down the hatches” so to speak and tied everything down that was moveable, bolted the saloon table to the floor, laid down the lamp and books, and closed the doors and windows to prevent spray from entering the boat. The passage wasn’t too bad – we encountered 2 foot seas off the port bow, and a little spray, but it was still “bumpy.”

We passed through the Elizabeth City Bridge at 1100, and by 1330 we were into the South Mills Lock at the south end of the Dismal Swamp Canal. There were four other boats in the lock with us, and we were the last ones, so we decided we’d just spend the night on the bridge fenders after going through the lock and the bridge. Places to tie up in the canal are limited, and with other boats ahead of us we were concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find a place.

We had a really good pizza for dinner (purchased at the gas station next to the bridge) and stocked up on ice.

Day: 54.7sm – 8H00M
Trip: 929.4sm – 132H20M

June 22, 2009

We departed the South Mills bridge at 0730 on our way to a small dock near a Mexican Restaurant at Deep Creek (near the north end of the canal and about 21 miles from the south end). We had allowed plenty of time for the trip at 6 mph, but when we started off I thought I’d push up the rpms a bit to make sure we could cover the distance a little faster than we had planned. When I increased the rpms, the boat speed did not increase commensurately. We began worrying that there was something wrong with the transmission. Increasing the rpms more didn’t help – the speed stayed about 6.4 mph, and fluctuated between 6..0 and 6.9 mph. We considered that the gps was acting up, but two different gps units showed identical information – perhaps it was the gps satellites – perhaps we were under attack and the gps constellation had failed? I consulted the Trawlers-and-Trawlering list, and the one theme that made the most senst (hoped for solution) was that the hydrodynamics of the boat moving through the shallow and confined width of the canal was restricting the boat’s speed through the water – several people came up with this explanation based on their past experience. The more we thought about it, the more sense it made. On our previous passages through the canal we had never tried to go faster than about 6mph, so we had never experienced the problem.

Without a definitive solution to the problem we were experiencing, we were able to tie up to the little dock by the Mexican Restaurant at Deep Creek, did some shopping, and waited for the next passage through Deep Creek Bridge and Lock at 1330. When we got through the lock about 1400, I increased the rpms and Sanderling’s speed picked right up to where it should be! The problem was the hydrodynamics of the canal. Whew!

We passed through Norfolk with it’s busy port and the Navy base, and anchored in the Phoebus Channel next to Old Point Comfort.

When we passed Hospital Point we passed mile zero of the ICW, so we are now switching to nautical miles instead of statute miles, since statute miles are used only on man-made canals and some rivers whereas nautical miles are used on the ocean and other major bodies of water.

Day: 44.4sm – 6H45M
Trip” 973.8sm – 139H05M

June 23-24, 2009

We left Phoebus Channel and anchored inside Sandy Point on the Great Wicomico River (just south of the Potomac River) for the night, then the next day crossed the mouth of the Potomac (it takes forever) and into the Patuxent River (Solomons) with the tidal current (and river currents) running against us the entire way. We anchored in Mill Creek just above Solomons and across the river in California, Maryland (at least that’s the town/city where we think we’re located – it’s a little difficult to tell from a map). We’ll stay here until Friday when we’re heading into the marina at the Navy Recreation Center Solomons for our family reunion and will stay there for a week or more.

Trip: 941nm(1081.8sm) – 155H50M

May 29, 2009
We finished loading clothes, food, and cats (as well as ourselves) aboard Sanderling. We spent the night aboard at the marina so we could get a fairly early start the next morning. We didn’t actually get aboard for the evening until almost 2200, had time to put a few things away, and then went to bed.

May 30, 2009
Underway about 0745 after filling the water tanks and getting a last minute supply of ice for the ice chest where we decided to keep our cold drinks rather than opening the refrigerator every time we wanted something.

Weather was beautiful. Two other boats that were heading for the St. Johns River departed a short time ahead of us, but we were more or less together heading up the Banana River and across the Canaveral Barge Canal, until they stopped at Harbortown Marina for fuel. We arrived at the planned anchorage on Mosquito River Lagoon about two hours ahead of them – they were delayed at the marina waiting for a pump-out to be fixed (it never was). Unfortunately the wind died down after sunset and the lagoon lived up to its name – mosquitoes swarmed aboard before we had a chance to put up our screens, so we spend the rest of the evening trying to kill them with our electric zapper and finally retreating under a sheet. The night was short!

Day: 53.3sm – 7H45M underway

May 31, 2009
Anchored on the north side of the Sea Breeze Bridge in Daytona, Florida, after an uneventful day underway.

Day: 33.1sm – 4H45M
Trip: 86.4sm – 12H30M underway

June 1, 2009

About 1500 we passed under the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, Florida, which is undergoing repairs. During the repairs, a second, temporary, bridge was built on the north side of the original bridge so as not to disrupt auto traffic. This picture shows the construction in progress.

We had hoped to spend the night in a small anchorage on the ocean side of St. Augustine (Salt River) but after checking it out and seeing that there was no space available among the moorings, we proceeded another hour and a half to Pine Island where we anchored for the night.

Day: 68.4sm – 9H35M
Trip: 154.8sm – 22H05M underway

June 2, 2009

At 1215 we crossed the St. Johns River and passed under Sisters Creek Bridge on our way to Fernandina Beach for the night. Shortly before arriving at Fernandina Beach we met this tug and barge in the Crane Island Range.

We took a mooring at the Fernandina Harbor Marina and dinghied ashore for dinner and a walk around the quaint downtown area.

Day: 48.7sm – 6H40M
Trip: 203.5sm – 28H45M underway

June 3, 2009

Judy needed to do some online work so we stayed at the mooring for a second day. Judy worked while Bob played (and did a few things to improve Sanderling).

We again dinghied ashore for dinner.

June 4, 2009

Before heading north today we tied up at the marina’s dock for water and ice, and were underway by 0740 after taking on only 40 gallons of water. We crossed both the St. Andrews and St. Simons Sounds on the way to the Frederica River in southern Georgia. We had hoped to tour the National Park Service’s Ft. Frederica (originally built by the Spanish) but after calling the office we were told that we couldn’t land by dinghy because the dinghy dock had sunk and the ladder up to the walkway was in disrepair. It was still a beautiful spot; we’ll try on the way south – hopefully the dock will be repaired by then.

Day: 47.9sm – 5H35M
Trip: 251.4sm – 36H00M underway

June 5, 2009 – Frederica River

We cruised thru the beautiful salt-grass “plains” of southern Georgia today; very remote areas with only a few houses to be seen from time to time. The high tides (around 8 feet) make for an interesting change in the scenery as the water rises to cover the grass, then falls six hours later to expose large expanses of mud flats topped with dark green salt grass.

Anchored in the Wahoo River several miles off of the ICW. The only other time we were here was on our trip south in 2002 when we first brought our boat from Maryland to Florida. As we set anchor we noticed large numbers of dolphins plying the water in pairs and sometimes threes – breeding season!

Day: 42.7sm – 5H35M
Trip: 294.1 sm – 41H35M underway

June 6, 2009 – Wahoo River

We were underway at 0840, rejoined the ICW at mile marker 630 at 0915, passed through Hell Gate (always a very shallow spot in the past, but now it has been dredged and the depths were 13 feet at low tide) at 1325, and had our anchor down in the north Vernon River at 1425. The depth of the water on the shallow where we anchored is 10 feet at low tide, with a total tidal range of 8 feet (typical of Georgia), so we have deployed 150 feet of chain to hold us in the current which will reverse twice while we’re here.

Tomorrow we’re only traveling about eight miles to the Isle of Hope Marina where we’ll spend two nights while Judy helps her daughter, Lori, and family move into their new home in the Savannah area while Lori attends pharmacy school.

Day: 35.0 sm – 5H45M
Trip: 332.1sm – 47H20M underway

June 7, 2009 – north Vernon River

Had a very peaceful and quiet night at the anchorage on the Vernon River. Several other larger boats arrived in late afternoon and anchored up river from us. They had both left by the time we got underway this morning.

We’re now in Isle of Hope, Georgia, at the Isle of Hope Marina – a very well run marina where we’ve stayed before. We’re going to use their courtesy car for a couple of hours to do some shopping and drop Judy at her daughter’s new house so she can help them unpack.

The cats are doing fine!

Day: 8.1sm – 1H20M
Trip: 340.2sm – 48H40M

Judy and I had last weekend free, so on Friday afternoon we loaded a few days’ worth of food, Julie, and Khepera onboard, and cruised for about 16 miles north of our home marina to an area in the Banana River just north of the Barge Canal and west of Port Canaveral. We like this spot because there is some boating activity in the locks from the river into Port Canaveral, and we can watch the cruise ships come and go, particularly over the weekend.

This weekend was no exception. There was a big party on the first spoil island north of the locks (locally called Ski Island) on Saturday sponsored by BoatBrevard.com with live music, food and what appeared to be a generally good time for all! We were anchored a short distance north, and could watch the water activities and even took the dingy for a short spin around Ski Island where the party was being held. There must have been 200 small boats, and a couple of larger ones anchored on and around the island.

We played with the new windlass a bit, and got a good feel for how it worked. It is actually a pleasure to anchor and de-anchor now, where before it was always a PITA to raise anchor. Now, with the press of a button, the anchor goes down, the anchor comes up, and the chain stops about where we want it! We have the chain marked at 25 feet, 50 feet, 75 feet, 100 feet and then every 50 feet after 100 feet so we can tell how much chain is out.

We were given an unexpected opportunity to test the windlass when after dinner on Friday night as we were enjoying an espresso on the top deck after the sun had set and the moon was rising. A Coast Guard patrol boat approached us and turned on it’s flashing lights – indicating the crew had something to say to us. They politely informed us that we had anchored in a security zone, and that anchoring at night wasn’t permitted while the shuttle was fueled and preparing for launch (which occurred on Monday). We were only several hundred yards from the southern boundary of the security zone, but it was dark and we had gotten settled in, so it was inconvenient to move, but move we did. Judy took the helm, I raised the anchor. Judy then conned Sanderling out into the channel, around the high-tension wire poles and guy-wires, and into an area between two other spoil islands. We used moonlight to light our path to avoid crab pots in the area, dropped the anchor, made sure it was set, and settled down for the rest of the evening. With the old windlass this maneuver would have been extremely inconvenient; with the new windlass it was mildly inconvenient – just a matter of having to break the reverie of a quiet evening.

The remainder of the weekend was spent checking out the dingy (and cleaning it up), finding things and moving them into their proper storage areas on the boat, and re-learning how to use some of the systems. We returned to our home marina on Sunday afternoon, only to have the bow thruster fail to work when we tested it prior to entering the slip. We made it into the slip, however, without any difficulty.

With our return home from our long cruise last summer (2008 cruise to Bay of Fundy), there was work to be accomplished to continue with the improvements we wanted and needed to make to Sanderling before setting out on our next summer adventure.

We had a long list of both major and minor items that needed our attention. We started by replacing the topside controller for the Vetus bow thruster, rewiring some of the NMEA circuits in order to feed NMEA data from the GPS to the radar, VHF radio, and auto pilot, and by March had removed both port-side saloon windows to replace broken glass and worn-out window channels, and replaced the circuit breaker that was causing problems whenever we needed to blow the electric horns for more than a couple of seconds.

In January Sanderling went to a boat yard where some routine maintenance was performed: new bottom paint, wax the hull, replaced a broken thru-hull, replaced the exhaust manifold riser and two 90 degree elbows in the exhaust system, and replaced corroded zincs, attempted to fix the jamming chain fall. While in the yard we sanded and varnished the bright-work around the upper deck.

Mid-February was the time to start a major project: replacing the Maxwell vertical windlass with a new horizontal Lofrans Tigres windlass. The project started with a major effort removing the old windlass and the heavy platform (90 pounds) that supports the windlass and forms the bow platform for the anchor rollers. That was followed by cutting away the indented area where the old foot switch was located and repairing the cut out section to close the hole left in the small bulkhead. Then we cut into the same area, after all the work repairing one rectangular hole, in order to install a six inch inspection plate which would provide better access into the underside of the anchor platform.In the process we removed all of the teak deck strips on either side of the windlass platform and vacuum-bagged them with epoxy to 1.5mm marine plywood to form two larger deck areas that will be fastened to the platform with 3M 4200 caulk rather than having multiple screws in each piece of teak which caused problems on some teak deck boats.

In the picture above, the new teak decks are shown along with the reworked windlass platform, the new Lofrans Tigres windlass and the rebuilt underlying cabinet with the new inspection port.

We removed the old 140 feet of 3/8″ chain and replaced it with 260 feet of 5/16″ chain which is more appropriate in size for Sanderling, and will give us plenty of length if we find ourselves anchoring in 40+ feet of water again. We’re also adding a hand-held tethered remote control by the windlass which will raise and lower the anchor chain, as well as a new control toggle at the topside steering station which will do the same.

Major projects remaining: fasten the windlass platform to the boat and the windlass to the platform, complete the electrical wiring for the new anchor windlass, and check and tune the injectors on the engine. Following that work, we need to clean up the boat (inside and out) and stock up on supplies for the cruise.