Southport, NC to Beaufort, NC

April 1, 2019 to April 7, 2019

Our stop in Southport was fun and relaxing.  We visited many of our favorite shops and restaurants and added a new favorite to our list.  Moore Street Oyster Bar was outstanding.  It offered a variety of oysters of which we choose four raw and six broiled with a unique topping of cheeses and spice to share.  The Costal Outfitters shop has a vast assortment of beach, boat, and sports wear. Bob and I both found items we "needed" there. We were able to ride our bikes around town even on Tuesday when it rained most of the day.

On Wednesday we waited until 12:45 PM to leave Southport so we would have a favorable tide on the Cape Fear River.  The Cape Fear River has approximately a three knot current and if you are fighting a tidal current like that it can slow your progress considerably.  We traveled 26 Miles that day and anchored at Wrightsville Beach around 5:00 PM.  It was great to be able to grill and Bob fixed a delicious dinner of marinated pork chops and cucumber salad.

Thursday we hauled anchor at 8:30 AM in order to make the 9:00 AM opening of the Wrightsville Beach Bridge. We had two more opening bridges that day so we paced our speed to eliminate circling around in front of the bridge waiting for the opening.  This strategy worked well until we came upon the third bridge of the day only to find that the bridge had been replace by a fixed bridge and we didn’t have to slow down at all. We made it to our anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay (part of the Camp Lejuene property) in the early afternoon.  It was a quiet anchorage once the pilots of the vertical take off and landing planes stopped practicing touch and goes. I helped Bob trouble shoot the problem we had with the starter that morning.  After checking the starter and battery connections we discovered that the battery charger had been on "two" instead of "all".  Could that be the problem?

We were the last of the four boats anchored in Mile Hammock Bay to leave in the morning at 7:20 to make the 8:00 AM opening of the Onslow Beach Bridge.  We just made it.We were tied up at Beaufort Docks (North Carolina) by 1:00 PM  in time to enjoy a pizza and salad at the Black Sheep Restaurant (maybe I should make this a foodie blog).

Friday and Saturday were spent changing the oil, doing laundry, visiting shops, provisioning (with the marina’s loaner car), and relaxing.  We both enjoy Beaufort with it’s dockside boardwalk, numerous shops and restaurants, and boating atmosphere. 

Fritha, a 74 ft. Brigantine, was docked at the marina. 

A bow view of Fritha

On Sunday we ate breakfast at the Cru Wine and Coffee Shop. (just a note - Southerners have no idea what a good bagel is.  They should stick to their delicious biscuits.) I completed cleaning the boat after which it was time to relax. We had lunch at a new Mexican restaurant, Mezcalito.  The food was delicious, especially the fried ice cream dessert.

This logo was displayed all around the restaurant and on the wait staff.
Sorry for the reflexion!

We plan to leave in the morning for three days of anchoring out on our trip north.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Charleston, SC to Southport, NC

March 26, 2019 - March 31, 2019

We spent our last three days in Charleston preparing for our trip back to Baltimore.  Tuesday we rode our bikes to Amen Street Oyster and Seafood Restaurant on East Bay Street.  This restaurant had been recommended to us by a friend of Bob’s who we enjoyed lunch with the week before.  We had delicious oysters on the half shell and blackened grouper over grilled asparagus and jambalaya.  

We found another favorite restaurant
just two days before leaving Charleston.

Wednesday we took the shuttle to West Marine and Harris Teeters in Avondale to buy needed provisions and a new solar light for the cockpit. After stowing all of the groceries, I cleaned the inside of the boat and did laundry in the afternoon.

Thursday we splashed the dingy and tied it off to the bow of the boat so it would be out of the way when we backed out of the slip.  Next, we loaded the bikes on to the deck and were surprised at how well they fit between the shrouds and the cabin top.  I, also, cleaned the deck which was covered with pollen and grime from our winter stay. Since we completed our tasks before noon we took the shuttle to Brown Dog Deli for a final lunch in Charleston.

I had a delicious Chicago dog and coleslaw and
completed the meal with a chocolate chip cookie.

Friday morning we got up early to be ready for our 9:15 departure.  Because of the strong current in the marina from the convergence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers we had to wait for slack tide (the state of tide when the low or high tide are ready to change).  I filled the water tanks and waited for the Captains instructions for casting off.  One of the Marina dock hands helped us with the lines and we exited our slip cleanly (no scrapes or dings).  

Our first ocean passage started with bright skies and calm seas.  There were still 2-3 foot swells that caused the boat to rock and roll a bit and I was careful to stay in the cockpit and watch the horizon as much as possible to avoid sea sickness. (note to self - Get a prescription for seasickness from my doctor this summer.) All went well watching the wildlife: sea turtles, sea gulls, cormorants, and pelicans.  Around mid afternoon while I was at the helm the boat hit something in the water with the propeller.  We looked all around to try to see what it was. All we could see was a small whale raising its tale repeatedly in the water behind us. Could a whale have tried to surface under our boat? The trip took longer than expected and we went back and forth about continuing on to Southport or anchoring in Winyah Bay for the night.  Anchoring won out and we motored into Winyah Bay just before sunset. While we were anchoring Bob noticed that the dinghy had broken loose from the boat.  In a panic Bob raised the anchor and I guided the boat to the dinghy where Bob tried to grab it with a boat hook. I was not handling the boat well and we changed places.  Success, with both of us using boat hooks we wrangled the dinghy back to the boat. I climbed over the side into the dinghy and retied the painter to the dinghy. We walked it back to the stern to tie it off securely. It was a long day and we were glad for a good nights rest.  You would be surprised how tiring it is to remain upright on a boat that is pitching from side to side.

This is sunrise looking out toward the ocean
from Winyah Bay.

On Saturday we rose before dawn and hauled anchor at first light.  We had a 12 hour day of motoring and wanted to make sure we arrived in Southport Marina, NC before nightfall.  Several incidents occurred that made our trip longer than expected.  First, Bob noticed steam coming from the back of the boat and the water temperature gauge was pegged all the way to the right.  We stopped the boat, I emptied the quarter berth, Bob checked the coolant level (fine), and then checked the engine cooling system.  He cleaned out the basket that filtered the incoming water.  That helped and we were able to continue, but at a slower speed.  Again the engine overheated and Bob knew it was time to change the impeller in the water pump that feeds the water that cools the engine.  Bob crawled into the quarter berth and started the process.  In the meantime I noticed that the dinghy was filling up with water.  I got in the dinghy, replaced the stopper that had come loose and bailed all the water out.  Next, I needed to climb into the cock pit locker to help Bob change the impeller.  It took both of us from opposite sides squeezing into the engine compartment as best we could to manage the screws and replace the impeller.  An hour and a half later we were ready to continue on to Southport. Later that afternoon we were visited by a dolphin family that played in our bow wake for about ten minutes.  It was an amazing site and my clapping and cheering seemed to encourage the acrobatics. Obviously, we didn’t make it to the marina by nightfall.  All I want to say about the experience is I never want to dock a boat in the dark again, period.

Sunday, we rested our weary bodies all morning, vowing not to do any work for the day.  After great showers we got the bikes off the boat and rode to Fishy, Fishy Cafe (one of our favorite restaurants in Southport) and had a great lunch.  We are planning for a nice long stop here in Southport for some much needed R and R.

Thank you for reading my blog.

More about our trip north next week…

Charleston, SC - Post 11

March 18, 2019 - March 25, 2019

This week has been dedicated to preparations for our trip north and visiting some of our favorite Charleston restaurants.  To get ready for our trip we have:

• cleaned the cockpit thoroughly
• defrosted the refrigerator
• and had a diver clean the marine growth off of the prop, keel, strut and rudder
• other tasks like provisioning, cleaning the deck, stowing the bikes, splashing the dinghy, and doing laundry will have to wait until later in the week right before we leave.

Bob has thoroughly planned our trip north. We will be jumping outside for an ocean passage between Charleston and Georgetown since the weather is predicted to be perfect for this trip.  Our next day we plan for another ocean passage from Georgetown to Southport, NC (if the weather holds).  This will cut a week off of our travel time, reduce the number of marina stops, and miss all of the tricky spots of the ICW in South Carolina.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Bob and I visited New York City Pizza
on East Bay for lunch on Monday.

One of my favorite parts of our stay in Charleston
has been riding around the marina docks
and city streets on my beach bike.

A mural on the wall of Pearlz Oyster Bar where we
 stopped for oysters and lunch on Wednesday.
The unique aspect of Charleston oyster bars is
they not only serve local oysters, but oysters from
all over the east coast.  Bob has
enjoyed trying many varieties.

We found this antique wooden bike at The Bike Shoppe
in Charleston where we bought areplacement bike lock.
 I lost my first lock in the Ashley River.

Today we biked to The Brown Dog Deli on Broad Street for our final lunch there.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Charleston, SC - part10

March 11, 2019 - March 17, 2019

Spring has sprung in Charleston.  The weather is beautiful - warm and sunny with a cool breeze.  The trees are flowering and growing fresh green leaves.  

Nothing is more beautiful in the spring than
the light green haze on trees as their
leaves are beginning to grow in.

The city is bursting with colorful flowers
like these azaleas.

We kicked off the St. Patrick's Day weekend by attending the parade which started on King Street right after a celebratory mass at St. Patrick's Church.

Vintage cars and trucks decorated for the holiday
were a big part of the parade.

You can't have a St. Patrick's Day parade
without a bagpipe band.

There were two groups of Irish dancers.

This fire truck had a saying on the side,
"Do the right thing, do it the right way,
and do it for the right reason."

Colorful balloons decorated one float.

This week we have continued Bob's birthday celebration with visits to some of our favorite lunch restaurants.  Riding our bikes into town for lunch has been great fun.

When we return from our outings we
usually find Lola on top of the
companionway watching for our return.

We have only two more weeks in Charleston before we begin our journey north.  So many restaurants - so little time!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Charleston, SC - Part 9

February 3, 2019 - March 10, 2019

During the past month or so I have spent more time in Sarasota FL helping my children’s grandmother, Claire, than in Charleston with my husband.  I left Charleston less than a week after returning from Sarasota when I received a call from Claire that she was in the hospital with pneumonia and obviously not doing well.  My daughter, Jessica, and her husband, Joe joined us a few days later.  Her son also came.  We took turns staying with her all day and night so she would not be alone.  Since she did not want to have heart surgery Jessica and I helped her to transition back to her apartment under hospice care.  Being home and surrounded by family helped her to rally for awhile.  All of her grandchildren and her great-grandson visited the following weekend and when they left she began to decline.  Her daughter-in law was with her for a week.  And I was to return the following week when I got a call from the nurse at the assisted living facility that she had shifted into actively dying.  My daughter Rachel got there that afternoon and called me the following morning (3/1) at around 3 am to tell me that her grandmother had passed.  I left as soon as I could the next morning for a whirlwind of activity.  Claire’s husband, Fred, came home from rehabilitation the following Tuesday and Rachel, Juan (Rachel’s friend), and I stayed to help him until his daughter, Sheryl, and her friend, Laurie, arrived on Friday afternoon.

Claire in 1994.

Fun times at Jessica and Joe's wedding.

Happy times - Claire and granddaughter, Rachel

Close to the end - Claire and grandson, Karl.

I’m now back in Charleston finally able to rest and grieve.  Claire had been a significant part of my life for over 40 years. She provided an immeasurable amount of help and support over those years.  The last two years we switched roles and it  was my turn to help and support her in her illnesses and life transitions.  I have been constantly in touch with her by phone and visited numerous times even flying over from the Bahamas one January to help her move into assisted living.  The past two months have been consumed with concern for her well being and visits to provide help and comfort.  So now she is gone and I feel a giant hole in my life, I miss her so much.  I feel like I have been set adrift with no purpose.  I know I will recover from these feelings quickly, but right now I am just sad and lost.  I have my husband, my cats, my children,my grandchildren, my sisters, and a wonderful life style.  It’s just hard to appreciate all of those blessings at this moment.

My next post will be about our final adventures in Charleston as we get ready for our trip back to Baltimore.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Charleston, SC - part 8 and Sarasota, FL

January 28, 2019 - February 3, 2019

The polar vortex that affected the upper midwest and east coast this week, also affected Charleston, but not so severely.  While Chicago was experiencing wind chills of 50 below zero Bob and I were complaining about the near freezing temperatures we woke up to for several mornings.  

On Wednesday we picked up the rental car that I was going to use to drive to Sarasota to meet Grace (my youngest daughter) and Ben (her boyfriend) so we could visit with Claire (my children’s grandmother).  I wasn’t leaving until Thursday morning so we used the car to visit a Joann’s Fabric store to look for a fabric we had purchased there a few years earlier. I want to make a curtain for the quarter berth.  We didn’t find the fabric there, but Bob located the fabric number so we can continue to search for it online.  Next, Bob and I decided to drive to Folly Beach for lunch and a walk on the beach.  

We stopped at St. James Gate, Folly Beach’s Irish bar, for lunch. 
The food was great and the atmosphere even better.

We drove to the southern end of the island to walk on the county park beach.

Sea grass and sand form the basis of the stark beauty of a beach in winter.

 Beaches that are left to nature and not cleaned up for tourists
 often have dead trees scattered about.

I left for Sarasota early on Thursday morning and arrived to check my daughter into the hotel at around 3:00 pm.  After a great dinner at Anna Marie’s Oyster Bar we headed over to the Assisted Living Facility to visit Claire.  Grace had not seen her grandmother for several years and it was a tearful reunion.  I stayed with Claire for the two nights I visited and we chatted and watched an old Western movie.  The next day we were all able to have lunch together in the dining room.  Claire’s husband was still in the hospital and was to be released to a rehab facility for him to regain the strength necessary to be able to take care of himself and return home.  I made a couple of trips to the hospital and the rehab facility to help him get settled in.  Fortunately, both were close to the assisted living facility.  I left to return to Charleston around noon on Saturday and arrived home by 9 pm. It had been a whirlwind trip, but it was great to see Claire, Grace, and Ben even if for only a few hours.

Sunday was devoted to resting up from my trip, having a PT session, going out to lunch, and watching the Super Bowl (which turned out to be a real snooze).

 We ate lunch at Leon’s Poultry and Oyster Shop
which is in a renovated auto repair garage.
It serves the best fried chicken I have ever had. 
Bob loved the oysters on the half shell, too.

One of the bonuses of living on the water is observing the wild life. 
Our dock has several egrets and herons that visit frequently. 
Bob even saw an otter in the water the other day. 
I regularly watch dolphins swimming in the harbor near our boat.

Thank you for reading my blog.

El Paso and Charleston, SC - part 7

January 14, 2019 - January 20, 2019

I spent the week with my niece, Amy, and her family helping out in any way I could.  She is still in a wheel chair and unable to walk, but she is remarkably adept at moving from the wheel chair to a chair, the car, her bed, etc. by herself.  She is expected to have a full recovery, but the healing process is slow with such serious injuries.  I enjoyed playing with the boys, Alfredo and Maxi.  I read bedtime stories, helped with their bath, took them to the park, fixed their breakfast, and generally supervised their activity while they were at home.  The baby, Ofelia, was a delight to help out with.  Amy could perform all the necessary care except moving her from her lap to a stable place while she moved herself from the chair to the wheel chair.  I felt like I was basically a nanny; such fun! It was great to see my sisters Laurie and Becky as our care schedules overlapped a bit.  I’m so glad I was able to go to El Paso to help out.  The trip helped me see that the family was recovering well from the horrible accident they were involved in.

 As you can see, Amy is looking great!

January 21, 2019 - January 27, 2019

After returning to Charleston I became sick.  It started with an extremely sore throat.  I doctored myself with hot tea, hot cider, and warm salt water gargles, but nothing improved.  On Friday, after a great lunch at Mellow Mushroom, we walked to an urgent care facility on King street where I was diagnosed with an inner ear infection.  I was thankful that I went to the Dr.s as quickly as I did as the infection could have only gotten worse over the weekend. My condition improved after a couple of days on antibiotics and steroids (for the inflammation), but I continue to be tired.

Because of my illness we didn’t do very much this week, but I did start photographing some of the particularly notable houses in Charleston.  The architecture of the city is amazing and varied.  The styles include Colonial, Georgian, Regency, Federal, Adamesque. Classical Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival, and Queen Anne.  I will make an effort to identify these styles in the photographs I post of the lovely homes and buildings.

This street scene shows the variety of the architecture downtown.

The Custom House is Greek Revival style.

This house combines styles of Greek Revival with
Victorian iron work.

Here is an example of Federal Style.

This Antebellum style house has a side portico.

Here's another type of an Antebellum house.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the beauty of the Charleston homes and public buildings.  I'm not completely sure that I identified the architectural styles correctly so if you can correct me just leave me a message.

Thanks for reading my blog.