Back to Zero

Cable Ferry South of Georgetown, SC

So here we are back at Statute Mile Marker 12.5 on the ICW, in Great Bridge, VA, just below Norfolk, the official beginning of the waterway, St M 0.0. That may not sound so impressive to you, but to us it represents about 1050 statute (land) miles covered since we left Miami. The first 500 or so miles usually seem to go pretty quickly, but the last week and a half or so can feel like forever. We’ve made good time and have put in long days, leaving at first light and anchoring just before sunset-- we are ready for a little down time!

We had a fine evening out in Charleston-- the weather was beautiful, if rather windy, the city was full of blooming trees, Wisteria and tourists everywhere. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants and made the long walk home, deciding it would be quicker than waiting for a cab. Up early the next day and on to Georgetown, SC with hopes of getting our propane up and running again. What began as a just a leak in the propane grill line escalated into a larger problem with the lines to the cooktop and stove. Sunday night dinner was a microwave success story, after a trek around town looking for an open restaurant. 

Whatzit on the Waterway

The helpful personnel at our little marina did manage to get the cooking propane working again and we managed to get the boat off the dock with more than 20 knots of wind holding us on and little room and depth for backing. Always a tense situation, but onward to Wrightsville Beach via the twisty, turny Waccamaw River. 

Usually I knit when I’m on watch. I can look up every few stitches, check the course, depth, speed and look around for other boats. If it’s a big open body of water and long course legs, I read. But on a day in the Waccamaw, knitting is out of the question. So to keep boredom at bay, I amused myself by counting the turtles sunning themselves on logs--  the four lined up head to tail like circus elephants got me going. I got to 23 with my haphazard methods, still giving the autopilot the attention it demanded! Some days we are reduced to such things.

Duck Blind on the Little Alligator River

We had a fine two nights in the Wrightsville Beach anchorage. I had a lovely walk on the beach and friends from our time at Bennett Brothers in Wilmington were in the area, so we went out for the afternoon with them, and had dinner together aboard Carry On. The next days were a blur of traveling, from breakfast in the pilot house and dinner shortly before falling into bed. 

The waterway went from twisting and turning and areas of shoaling (we bumped at least a half dozen times, but never got stuck) to the wide open, vast rivers and sounds of North Carolina-- the Neuse River, Pungo River,the Albemarle Sound, the Alligator River, Pamlico Sound and finally the Currituck. 

One of the Local Bubbas

It’s hard to imagine the feel of these bodies of water. Often there is no shore visible, and because they are very shallow (yes, more bumps), opposing wind and current can make for a very rough ride, as I can attest from personal experience having  spent my 60th birthday on the Neuse River, seasick myself and nursing a seasick cat. The good news is that on a quiet day, piloting is a piece of cake with long runs of 5 or 8 nautical miles between course changes-- all the benefits of running off the coast-- and you can get a lot of reading done!

   

And very finally and happily, we are in Virginia again. Company from home arrive tonight and we will spend the next week poking around the Chesapeake together, before Carry On goes into the boatyard next Monday to get hauled and the bottom painted!