[singlepic id=10 w=320 h=240 float=left]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 job of making her a solid cruising boat with several Bahamas trips in the last few years.  His name is Banff Luther and he lives in Charleston now so if you are passing thru and need work done be sure to look up “Blue Magic” here at the marina.

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 me get this boat further than I thought possible.   I feel my job is done because now he has a new love for the life he left behind and that is all I set out to do.  Thank you and you are welcome.

I rode my bike into the downtown and found a grocery store next to the cruise ship terminal.

Big deal.  Drove back.  The boat is fine.

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 streets for one of the towns main events.

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 boarded us.  They were very nice and we passed inspection.  By 10:30 we were at Ashley Marina.

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 was good about leaving that out of the equation.

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 need to find something here in Georgetown. That’s right, Georgetown. We are a long days run from Charleston. Today took two tries because the wind and opposing tide made the waves very square and the boat came to a halt a couple of times. I have been ashore and will pick up some dinner from a specialty shop in town.

Barefoot landing to Sandhole Creek with a fuel stop in Cypress Marina.

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 it to Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach. It sure was nice to get off the boat for the first time in five days. Beer and burgers. Tomorrow’s check-out time will come too soon. We need to fix the starter, empty the holding tank and find enough fuel to get us to Georgetown.

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 has been checked and the dipstick shows about 20 gallons of fuel used in the first 20 hours. We had a few variations in rpm yesterday that we will monitor. Thank you Cindy for the Sea Tow if needed. We decided to move on and had a great day all alone motoring down the Cape Fear River at over 10 knots with the current pushing us. Anchored in Dutchman Creek. Brian got to test the dinghy.

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 zone of blinking lights. We had some good tide with us and the gps showed a top speed of 11.3 knots. Most of the day we traveled with a black steel hulled ketch from Canada. One swing bridge was tough with current pushing us toward a very slow opening bridge and the ketch behind us. Two bridges later we were anchored in Wrightsville Beach with an hour of daylight left. The day had been cold and rainy throughout but we kept the woodstove stoked all day and took turns driving. We both did too much thinking during the night and were feeling homesick for friends and wife.

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 it repeated what the flashing sign had posted. No information on duration. Dinner was black beans and rice but not enough of it.

[singlepic id=70 w= h= float=center]This four hour leg went very well and we were anchored in Town Creek for a glass of wine.