Tuesday 19 November 2013

November 18, 2013

Life aboard "Haven" has been going great these last days.
Wonderful new places to see, people to meet, and history to learn.
We have been feeling good and the boat is holding up well. 
Days under way feel like a long and lazy Sunday drive, everyday. Yet these waters are still challenging us constantly. Water depths, FOG, currants, bridges, navigation aids, trip planning etc. etc. never a dull moment. Well, ok at times, when you've past your hundredth "McMansion" (as pegged by our friend Anne) or wound around another bend of grassy flats, some days can seem longer than others. 
The docks are so long that you would need to pack a lunch just to get to your boat.

The new fresh water pump was installed and the engine in working order once again. After a night of socialising we got an early start in the morning and was once again heading south. (although we spent way to much time actually going west on the ICW) We were under way with Sea Angel as a buddy boat - they were keeping an eye out for smoke from our boat:)
We ended up in Myrtle Beach one night on dock (Lightkeepers Marina), laundry and a thorough boat clean inside and out. Next was Georgetown anchored out. Made it in time to be able to explore the small town for a short while. Harmonium was also anchored and they were very kind to lend us their dingy so we didn't have to take the time to put ours in. Another evening of sociables aboard Harmonium with Sea Angel, time got away from us on this one as it almost hit 11 pm before we realised. (way past Al's bedtime) Lots of fun. 
The following morning we left thinking that we would put in a shorter day and drop anchor before we carried on to Charleston. We were able to motor sail a lot of the way and made better time than we thought and the anchorage wasn't that appealing so we carried on. Just missing Ben Sawyer 2pm bridge opening and having to wait out the hour and catch the 3pm we still made the harbour and were anchored by 3:50pm. Harmonium was an hour behind us as they needed to stop for fuel, but managed to be anchored before last light. We shared a fabulous meal, with the star being fresh shrimp that Krista and Phil prepared,  stuffed with feta cheese then wrapped in bacon - absolutely fabulous!! Another great night. 

As the weather report continued to promise terrible winds we headed in to the docks, Harborage at Ashley River. Fuelled up, pumped out and then spent some time securing the boat well before going ashore to explore beautiful Charleston.
The best stop for us yet. Incredible beauty everywhere, lots to explore and tons of fun with friends.

Boone Hall Plantation - Avenue of Oaks

Walking the city streets, trolley rides, open air market, museums, happy hours and a plantation visit on the last day. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here. We would recommend Charleston to everyone as a must for a wonderful place to visit.
We managed to fair really well through the winds - up to 35-40 knots as promised lasting overnight and bringing with it some very cool weather! We ended up at dock for 2 nights then back out for our last night on the hook. Al installed a new Alternator.
Next was Beaufort, South Carolina (pronounced buford) opposed to Beaufort, North Carolina (bowford). Isn't the English language great. We anchored, then headed into town were we took a self guided walking tour (saw the house that was used in the filming of The Big Chill) then had a nice lunch on a waterfront patio then back to the boat. This is also where a lot of the movie Forrest Gump was filmed.
We are now in a place called Wilmington Island just a short distance from Savannah, Georgia. Anchored in a great spot up Turner Creek. Everything was here at our finger tips other than laundry.
Our trip here from Beaufort was very stressful. The morning was lovely, sunny and warm but a few hours later the fog set in like a stone. We managed to get off the ICW and dropped anchor to wait it out and assisted in a few other boats making there way into the anchorage also.
After about an hour we managed to get under way again. We hit another fog wall about an hour later but came out within 10 minutes. More shoaling and shallow depths to navigate through "cuts"
definitely (as Krista says) "enough stress to make you feel alive"
We took the city bus into Savannah yesterday and spent the day walking around. Nice place but I ended up disappointed overall. Oh well, now I can say  I've been to Savannah, GA.
100 miles now to get through Georgia then we will be in Florida. The weather is so back and forth it's crazy. Yesterday it must have been close to 80 degrees, now today we went for a walk and had our sweaters and a jacket on. Tonight we also have the propane heater on full!  It will be nice to get some constant warm weather, hopefully soon.
I will try and put pictures on another time as the internet connection is VERY slow.





1 comment:

  1. Wow, you two...way to go! Headed for the warmth just in time, it's freezing-your-ass-off time up here. We read your blog regularly, and SO wish we could do it too...but keep the lovely log coming for us, to keep us alive throughout this winter! Take good care of each other...you'll soon be in the land of dolphins, and endless private beaches, and conch, and lobster, and oh ... you'll see ! Angie and Ray, Bay of Quinte, "s/v Enticer", (soon to be "Solitaire").

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