My old boat

I was walking the docks here in Ashley Marina when I spotted one of my old boats.  I bought this Cabot 36 in Florida and sailed her to Oriental for a big cleanup.  She is still owned by the person I sold her to and he has done a great…

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Brian departs to start his vacation

Brian says he will be back when the last 10 days of torture are erased from his memory.  Today he drives to see his sister in Jacksonville, FL and will use that drive as the vacation that he desperately needed.  His bad vacation was my gain because he has helped…

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Back to Oriental

The marina shuttle took us to West Marine yesterday so with new bilge pump installed I decided to go with Brian to pick up his truck and maybe get in on Spirit of Christmas in Oriental.  It takes 6 hours on US17 and I was surprised to see relatively empty…

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Friday entering Charleston Harbor

The Ben Sawyer Bridge is closed for rush hour(s) traffic between 7-9am.  We re-anchored off the channel to wait and almost were left to dry with the tide almost low.  We had to wait on a tug to pass and then a container ship.  Right after that the Coast Guard…

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Thursday-December 10

Left Georgetown wondering how far we would get today. The morning started with another huge current push that kept the speed over the bottom above 10 knots. The day went well and we got to the Ben Sawyer bridge right before sundown. The anchorage had plenty of current. Oriental sure…

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Wednesday-Day 7

We got up to warm windy weather after a real blow last night. The one and only electric bilge pump gave up it’s duty last night. That meant getting up to empty a locker to curb the stuffing box leak. We have a bucket and manual pump on standby but…

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Monday-Day 5

The engine didn’t crank this morning. The batteries came up to full charge with Brian’s Honda generator so I kept bumping the starter and she did finally start. All day was cold while heading west with a north wind. We had another day of playing the tides well and made…

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Sunday-Day 4

It is lower 30’s and howling this morning in Wrightsville Beach. Coffee and woodstove provide heat. The black hulled ketch is back with us in the anchorage along with 5 or 6 transients. There is too much wind and current to think about a dinghy ride to shore. Engine oil…

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Saturday-Day 3

Underway by 7:20 with dark rainy skies and upper 40’s. The lights were still flashing but we all decided to go for it. There was never any sign of military boats but Friday was busy with sounds of munition practice. This morning was quiet and we all passed through the…

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Friday-Day 2

Underway from the Beaufort anchorage by 7:30 with decent weather and no problems until just after noon. Camp Lejeune had the intracoastal waterway closed off for maneuvers. Four of us gave up waiting and found places to anchor for the night. They recommended tuning into 630 am for info but…

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