Back in the USA

Across the Stream

With fond memories, but also with a sense of relief, we leave the Bahamas. We need to be back in New Bern, NC by the middle of May. The return Gulf Stream crossing is better, but not great. We leave Great Sale Cay about noon, and sail across the Grand Bahama Banks during daylight. Other than encountering some "mud flats," areas where fish have churned up the bottom so that it is white and shallow-looking, the day is uneventful, and we enjoy a steady breeze that pushes us along. We have poled out our genoa, and are making good time wing-on-wing. Just before we reach the end of the Bahama Banks and enter the ocean, we take in the spinnaker pole and keep running under main. It's about 7pm, with the sun setting behind us. The depth meter drops rapidly from 10 feet to 100, 200, 300, and on until it goes out of range and blanks.

In the Bahamas, we noticed our raw water pump (which helps cool the engine) leaking. If the pump fails, it will cause the engine to overheat, rendering it useless. We had considered "making time" by heading straight from the Bahamas to Charleston; now, with the pump living on borrowed time and no spare onboard, we must reevaluate our options. We can try to make repairs in the Bahamas, or head to the closest port in Florida for repairs. Due to cost concerns, we opt for Florida. If we run for Ft. Pierce then even if the pump fails spectacularly, the inlet is simple enough to just sail in.

The night settles on us quickly, and it is DARK. It was a prudent decision to take in the spinnaker pole. We're not making as good time, but we don't have to wrestle the pole in should we encounter anything. To keep up boat speed, we start the engine. Sporadic traffic on the VHF reminds us that other boats are also making the crossing tonight. Adrian takes first watch, then Angie takes over about midnight. We continue to have the wind directly behind us and, by this time, it has built to about 20 knots, but sailing directly downwind is not a cakewalk. It is very rolly (seas in the Gulf Stream are 4-6 feet, with some 8 feet) so the jib won't stay filled, and with only the main up, we can't get the boat balanced enough to use either the autopilot or the wind vane. Nuts to hand-steering; we take down all sails, and motor.

On Angie's watch, she hears a sailboat trying to hail a "freighter off the White Sand Banks" which is about 20 miles behind us. That's plenty of comfort room for us, but the conversation has her riveted. The sailboat is travelling with two others, and never makes contact with the freighter. The sailboats (prudently) decide to alter course to avoid the freighter, but shortly thereafter one of the sailboats doesn't respond to hails. "What's going on?" Angie wonders. After about 15 minutes, and increasingly anxious hails from their travelling companions, the silent sailboat comes back on the air. They also don't like sailing dead downwind - one accidental jibe too many shattered their rigid boom vang and nearly shattered their windshield. They have spent the last 15 minutes wrestling down their mainsail.

During the night we see several freighters, and encounter several rain showers. Each of these "targets" are easily visible on the radar, but we can't avoid the rain showers! We're not sure how much of our offshore collision-avoidance comfort comes from our ability to read the radar, and how much comes from simply being able to read the lights. All the ships we've encountered have been well-lit, but we've always had a nice fat blip on radar as well, and can set a bearing line on the target. Using both methods, it has been easy to avoid closing on ship traffic. Running the inlet into Ft. Pierce is straightforward, despite rain and gusty winds. We go in with the flood about 8am, and are astounded at all the powerboats (some just small runabouts) coming OUT. It seems a fishing tournament is taking place, but it is rough out - at least we think it is.

Ft. Pierce, FL

No sooner do we have our anchor down near Harbourtown Marina, when we hear a "Mayday!" call from an overturned motorboat. The 24' motorboat has capsized while running out the inlet, spilling three persons into the water. Rescue attempts are hampered by the rough weather; the people are taken aboard another boat, leaving the motorboat to wash up onto the local beach.

We try to clear through Customs, but we can't call U.S. Customs using our cell phone. Evidently, all cell phone check-in calls are blocked. We need to remove our raw-water pump so that we can double-check that we're buying the correct replacement part, and we need to do laundry, grocery shopping, etc, so we decide to go ahead and get a slip at Harbor Town Marina beginning today.

The next few days are a whirlwind of activity, doing laundry, grocery, boat chores, and boat maintenance (changing oil, oil filter, fuel filters, raw-water pump.) The nearest grocery, a Kash-n-Karry, is about a mile away, but it's an easy walk with our cart, and the store is surprisingly well-stocked. A West Marine is next door, too. On Saturday, we do manage to get in some fun. Lola, the girl whom Kristina met in Great Sale Cay, has also returned to the States, and she and her family live in Vero Beach. They visit us and we swim at the pool, then Kristina and Luke go to spend the night at their house!

On Monday, we're back at anchor. We'll be here another day, exploring Ft. Pierce and also waiting for a good forecast to go offshore up to St. Augustine. A hike along railroad tracks brings us to downtown Ft. Pierce and the "Manatee Museum." The only manatee we see is this one decorated with shells. There are no other manatees to be seen, even in the power plant basin just beside the museum, where a manatee was seen only this morning! We don't think we'll ever get to see one, but we do avail ourselves of manatee educational materials which we can use for our school reports. We also find a huge alligator - one bite from this one could take your 'ole 'ead off!

St. Augustine, FL

The trip from Ft. Pierce to St. Augustine is fairly uneventful. Light winds and calm seas mean that we motor almost all 30 hours! A pod of spotted dolphins rides with us for an uplifting 10 minutes. The water is so clear that we can identify each individual, and one of them looks like a calf.

On Thursday morning, in flat calm and about 2 hours away from St. Augustine, we see a blip on the radar making a beeline toward us. It is eerie. We're the only other boat around, and we finally make out a Coast Guard cutter. We prepare to be boarded. We only hope that they're quick about it so that we don't miss the flood tide at St. Augustine inlet. However, we are _not_ boarded. The cutter circles us - it's only a boat length away; should we wave? - and stays off our stern for about 10 minutes. Presumably, they're checking our boat name and hailing port. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, they depart. We make the St. Augustine inlet on-time after all. At slack high tide, the inlet presents no problem. We would not recommend this inlet for non-locals in heavy offshore conditions, however.

Fernandina Beach, FL

Trucking right on through Florida! On Saturday, we go ashore for lunch at the Happy Tomato, ice cream, and mass at St. Michael's. Rowing back to Canto, we notice people on another boat staring out at the water. What's that? Could it be? Yes, a manatee! Unfortunately, the kids are making a lot of noise, so we only catch a brief glimpse of a tail. It doesn't reappear. Oh well, we are receiving dirty looks from the other boat, but we can leave Florida knowing we've sighted a manatee.

Florida to South Carolina

This is beautiful low land country! Each night we anchor in marshes, peaceful and secluded. In one of these places, we watch a powerboat feeding a dolphin fish from the stern. When they leave, the dolphin comes to us looking for food, but he quickly wishes up to our throws of fake fish and leaves.

We pass Jekyll Island, former enclave of the likes of Morgan, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller and Pulitzer, vowing to return to tour "Millionaire's Village" next time, and the beautiful Cumberland Island, with its wild horses and pristine beaches. We have fair weather to cross these open Georgia sounds, and want to move on north while the weather is good. Time and tide and babies wait for no one!

We do stop early one day to tour St. Simon's Island. The cruising guide promises vistas of the St. Simon's Lighthouse, easy access to the historic section, groceries, and, the clicher, "a nearby brewery with six varieties of beer on tap." We launch the dinghy and land at the marina, only to discover that the easy access shuttle to downtown no longer exists, and the grocery and brewery are closed! Aghh. We could leave our dinghy at the marina ($10) and hail a taxi ($15 or so) to get downtown, but all the fun is gone. Sadly disillusioned, we return to Canto; we're outta here tomorrow morning!

Usually, each day begins with coffee, enjoyed in the coolness of the early morning. Then, around 7am, we pull up the anchor and get underway, followed by breakfast, and school for Kristina and Luke. We try to keep a watch out for wildlife: pelicans, bald eagles, dolphin, sea turtles, perhaps a harbor porpoise. If the wind is brisk, as it has been, we make very good time motorsailing the ICW, and sailing across the sounds. We do have to watch the tides; with tidal fluctuations of up to 6 feet, we try to time our journey to take advantage of the current, and we also have to plan ahead for an anchorage!

Beaufort, SC

We don't stop to sightsee again until we reach Beaufort (pronounced "Bee-you-fort"). The anchorage is just off the waterway, and is crowded with moored boats. Also, the current is quite strong, and, of course, switches every 6 hours, so carefully pick your spot and make sure the anchor is set. We must use two anchors because everyone around us (except a pretty Cape Dory) is on two anchors. We anchor far from the Cape Dory so he doesn't swing into us, and shudder as we watch the pretty little boat bash into a moored boat, breaking portholes and ravaging teak toerails.

A walking tour of the historic district reveals beautifully restored mansions, and Beaufort's downtown has numerous interesting (and expensive) boutiques. We happily browse and patronize a coffee shop and an ice cream parlor. The downtown area is waterfront, and a huge wooden playground has been built right next to the water. While the kids play, we can drink our coffee and enjoy the comfy benches. Kristina and Luke meet another red-haired child, Cheyenne, whose parents deliver boats, and the kids have a great afternoon together. Cheyenne invites our children onto her boat to show them her menagerie of hermit crabs. Kristina says she is the "cruisingest kid she's met" and hates to see her leave.

Our friends Kerri and David from Tamara have friends here, and we call them and introduce ourselves. Soon, we have met Charlie, Marie, their daughter, Maya, and Marie's incredibly spry 80+ year old grandmother visiting from France. We ask the secret to her youth; she thinks a second and replies, "Red wine, baguettes, and French cheese." Sounds great to us! Charlie and Marie drive us around for provisions, and invite us to dinner. We are fascinated with their house, which they have built themselves on a nearby island. Marie is a talented artist, and Charlie is an incredible craftsman. They are rebuilding a sailboat behind their house, too! We trade a tour of their house and boat for a tour of Canto, while the children play in the playground.

North to Charleston, SC

We have seen fellow NC cruisers, Aldebaran and Cutaway, in Beaufort, and they warn us of a notoriously shallow section of the ICW north of Beaufort. We plan to tackle it on rising tide, and need to go through today, as high tide becomes dramatically lower each day as the full moon wanes (and the full moon was a couple days ago); the depths in the waterway are reported to be so low that we think we'll need all the tidal help that we can get. The tides won't be at their highest highs and lowest lows until the next full moon.

Sure enough, this section is shallow. We arrive there earlier expected, on a dead low tide, but we figure that it can only get better. If we do go aground, the incoming tide will lift us off. We touch briefly, but get off quickly with a little wake from Grand Mariner, a large commercial motor vessel drawing 7'. We decide to follow the ship through. We hear from Grand Mariner's courteous captain that this is as bad as he's ever seen it, and he tells us that he can't slow down to wait for us, since he's plowing his own channel through the mud. We follow in his wake as well as we can, plowing through the mud ourselves, and make it through without trouble.

About this time, we hear a "Securite" from the Coast Guard. The ICW near Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach, SC is closed due to a broken dike. Great. It looks like we will have to wait in Charleston for an offshore weather window. Once we reach Charleston, however, we call the Coast Guard and their "official notice" is that the ICW is not "closed", but that "mariners should exercise extreme caution while transiting the area." Given this and the nasty offshore weather forecast, we hurridly continue north so we can get through the trouble spot before anything else happens.

On Monday, we cover 75 miles, with a brisk sail through Winyah Bay, so we can anchor as close as possible to the trouble spot. We are hailed by Aldebaran and Cutaway; they are in Price Creek where we plan to stay the night. We plan to go through Myrtle Beach on Tuesday on a rising tide. Unfortunately, late in the day, the Coast Guard is again on the radio with a "Securite." This time the ICW section has been "closed by the Port Captain to all vessels drawing 5' or more." We hear through the grapevine that the Grand Mariner, the large motor vessel we had met earlier, tried to get through and got stuck; it had to be towed off, and it apparently was quite an event. If the Grand Mariner with her powerful engines can't get through, what hope do we have? Looks like we're stuck here, but for how long? We can't get a definate answer on when the ICW will re-open, the offshore forecast is still unfavorable and, besides, it is 30 miles south to the nearest inlet.

Prince Creek (Bucksport, SC)

Prince Creek is a narrow, deep creek off the Waccamaw River. On either side are thick woods, with hanging vines and many birds. When we enter the creek, we feel like the African Queen, putt-putting through a wild and uncharted jungle. We anchor with no other boats in sight; we know that they are there, but the river bends, and you can't see past the twists. Of course, we launch our Walker Bay dinghy and set off to explore! (It's a good thing that this dinghy is a hard shell, because we maneuver into some very tight spots, and run it up on some cypress roots, too.) We are warned not to go swimming; Aldebaran and Cutaway have seen numerous alligators. Since we're rowing quietly, we don't scare the alligators with the sound of an outboard, and we see several 'gators sunning themselves on the creek banks, and floating like logs in the creek.

Toward the end of the week, we are frustrated and ready to set foot on shore again, preferably some place with air-conditioning. Adrian suggests going to Bucksport for lunch. Sounds good to us! We don't want to haul up the anchor and move the mother ship just for a lunch jaunt, so we launch our inflatable dinghy with the 5 hp outboard. Along with the crews of Aldebaran and Cutaway we set off for Bucksport. Hmm. It seems to be a lot longer trip than we thought, especially since we are fighting the current in the Waccamaw River. Only Ron and Mary can plane in their dinghy (they motor circles around us!). Let's see, we're making about 6 knots in the dinghy against a 1 knot current - it takes us almost an hour to travel the 5 miles to the restaurant.

We are very ready for lunch when the "Welcome to Bucksport" sign becomes visible, and we look forward to the air conditioning! The restaurant is quite crowded; a large tour group has stopped for lunch. They'll be riding on the amphibious bus tour, which later we watch launch and start down the Waccamaw River. The little restaurant is overwhelmed, and we wait for our food to be served. Our lunch outing easily stretches to several hours, and by the time we have walked around Bucksport a bit, and battled the current (which is against us on the return trip, too, of course), it is late afternoon by the time we return to Canto. To our dismay, Canto has swung all the way over to one side of the creek, and the stern is hung up in the overhanging branches and vines. (How did this happen? There is no wind! We suspect a fast moving powerboat left quite a wake, and in the otherwise still creek, it, plus the fact that we had out too much anchor rode, caused the boat to swing way over to the creekbank. We took in some rode and put a kellet on the anchor line to keep from having a repeat occurance.) To free Canto, we use the machete to hack away the branches and vines wrapped around the wind generator, the solar panels and the bimini. Whew, no snakes. . . but lots of spiders. With the dinghy, we push the boat back out to the middle of the creek. No damage has been done, but the cockpit is littered with leaves and branches. We clean up and retire by the lights of the fireflies and the sounds of frogs and whipporwills.

It is now Friday, May 3, and we anxious to move on. The information on "The Obstruction" is conflicting and confusing. After talking to the Coast Guard, the Charleston Port Captain, TowBoat U.S.-Myrtle Beach and various cruisers over the past few days, we make a decision to go. TowBoat U.S. actually called the barge in charge of dredging, and the dredge master confirmed that we could (probably) carry our draft through the area - no guarantees, though. Aldebaran, Cutaway and Canto all time our departure so that we can transit "The Obstuction" on the rising tide. The closer we get, the more boats we see waiting for the same window. We queue up in order of increasing draft (behind us come 6 and 7 footers! - they radio us and said they'd let us try it first!), and we all have to radio the barge for permission to transit the area. Permission is given to us, and we power on through. We do bump something, but rev up the engine and push on past (Ah, the benefits of a nice fat full keel!). The dredge master asks if we will be billing them for our dredging contribution.

Myrtle Beach, SC

Time to celebrate! We're through! Angie immediately calls an obstetrician in New Bern, NC to make an appointment, and we tie up at Barefoot Landing, a shopping complex in Myrtle Beach, SC, for some shore leave. Barefoot Landing, popular during normal circumstances, is chock-full since boats have been piling up here waiting to transit south, or to layover after transiting north through "The Obstruction." We end up having 4 or 5 boats tied up next to each other, which makes getting to shore an exercise. Several excellent varieties of draft beer are available at the Wild Boar Restaurant, and after dinner on board we wander over there. We also find that they have very reasonably priced ice cream sundaes for Kristina and Luke.

We layover at Barefoot Landing for a rainy and quite windy Saturday, but leave the raft-up at 6:30am on Sunday. About five boats have decided to leave this morning, and we had notified our neighbors yesterday. Our leaving entails that the boats tied to us on the outside have to cast off their lines so that we can pull away. When we're clear, then they can reattach their lines to their new neighbors. Obviously, there is a LOT of shuffling of boats going on!

The day is overcast and promises more rain. The next stretch of the ICW is known as the "Rock Pile," a narrow and rocky area often transited by tugs and barges, but it's so narrow that you really don't want to pass them here! Visibility is low, and we broadcast a "Securite" to alert any southbound traffic to our presence. We don't see any traffic, and a good breakfast underway cheers us up. The sun also comes out later in the morning. We're planning to anchor in Carolina Beach, NC tonight.

Miles Hammock and Camp LeJeune, NC

Our next stop is Miles Hammock Bay, part of the Camp LeJeune Marine base. When we arrive, the anchorage is crowded, and even more boats pull in after us. We see tanks and troop transporters on shore, and wonder if we will be viewing maneuvers tonight!

We have been experiencing some trouble with our electric anchor windlass since the Bahamas. We overhauled the above-deck portion in Marsh Harbour, but it made no difference, indicating the problem must lie in the gearbox or the motor. We rely on this piece of equipment heavily, since we don't care to haul up our 65 lb anchor and 50+ feet of chain manually. The windlass goes on vacation here in Miles Hammock. To haul up the anchor, we must dig out our "emergency override," consisting of a 1/2" wrench and a special crank. The 1/2" wrench is to remove the access cover, and the wrench simply engages the windlass via a bypass gear. It works fine, and we're on our way.

No manuevers happen overnight, but the next day, while on the ICW, we see helicopters and planes. We hear 'choppers in the distance; they rapidly catch up with us, and one puts down on a marshy bank about 50 yards away! Luke announces, "Those are Super Stallions!" and gets his Marine Corp aviation book to show us. With a payload capacity of 32,000 pounds, those helicopters could almost lift our boat! If we didn't already have the sails down, we'd probably take them down now, since the nearby helicopter churns up the water and sends debris flying our way.

New Bern, NC

On Wednesday, May 8, we arrive in New Bern around mid-morning. Despite delays, we're here before our personal target of mid-May. Our friend, Peter, is on the docks waiting to receive our lines, and with our car keys in hand, and we tie up and then go to our favorite pizza spot for lunch. But, no! Our favorite pizza spot has closed! We are so disappointed! After reconnoitering the area, we decide that downtown New Bern, despite its many charms, is not the place for us to stay. Northwest Creek Marina, with large pool, playground and other amenities, is a much more "kid-friendly" place, and we decide to leave the Sheraton for NW Creek first thing in the morning. So, our friend, Peter, comes early to help us bring Canto around to NW Creek, and, this time, we tie up to stay awhile. This afternoon is Angie's first ob appointment in New Bern.

We have also serendipitously timed our arrival to coincide with the Triangle Sailing Club's semi-annual outing to Oriental, NC. Our first weekend is spend enjoying the company of old friends while relaxing at the Stalling's house in Oriental. While in New Bern, besides socializing and having a baby, we have numerous boat tasks to tackle. First and foremost is fixing the windlass, which turns out to be a adventure involving a man named "Jesse." Next come other maintenance chores. We don't think we'll get bored! Kristina and Luke still have school, and summer vacation begins in early June after they take their end-of-the-year standardized tests. Kristina stays busy learning how to quilt from our patient neighbor, Sandy, and she also begins making doll clothes for Felicity, her American Girl doll. Luke enjoys rowing the dinghy to "Secret Beach" and playing at the park. We also visit the pool almost every afternoon.

After the windlass is repaired, it is time to tackle some engine work. Our Perkins diesel has been gradually increasing its oil consumption, and even though we've been told that "Perkins' engines seep oil," we'd like to get consumption back down again. This means replacing several seals and gaskets. Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly, and it really helps to have John, a retired machinist and a fellow Perkins owner, as our neighbor. Hanging down to work on the engine gets tiring, but at least we have access. A stud breaks off in the engine block, and Adrian spends several hours extracting it. We plan on cleaning the engine, and putting a fresh coat of paint on various parts. Hopefully, the engine will run well, and smell "fresh" when we're done!

We've only been here a couple weeks and have been loaned an air-conditioner, and given two folding bikes and a TV. What luxuries! We're settling in nicely, but Adrian despairs of us ever leaving our comforts and casting off our lines! Our friends at the marina arrange a surprise baby shower for us. We enjoy an afternoon of cake, ice cream, and fun.

We also have visits from several friends. Folks from the Triangle Sailing Association and Blackbeard's stop by often to see how we are doing. Chris comes for a weekend, and graciously helps Kristina and Luke clean their newly acquired bikes. He also gets to help sand our dorade boxes in preparation for varnish. We do give him a break and attend a NC Symphony concert on the South Lawn of Tryon Palace. Tracey, Greg and their children visit for an afternoon. Their children and our children pick up their friendships right away. Kristina introduces Joel to rowing the dinghy, and Luke takes Luke B. off exploring with bike and scooter. On the fourth of July (a record-breakingly hot day!) other friends, Jim, Greg and Matt come to see our boat, and stay for fireworks at Union Point. Everyone wonders when our newest family member will make his or her appearance. . .