Wednesday - November 16

We departed at 6:48 AM (getting light later as we head south).   Had some fog off and on (HATE fog) and as one other boater said over his VHF radio "Fog takes all the fun out of it"....AMEN!!!

We went 70 miles today and are in another favorite port of mine - Beaufort, SC .....BEAUTIFUL Buuufort as compared to Beaufort (Bowfort), NC.    Some call this "Little Charleston" as it is very quaint and charming with wonderful little specialty shops, great restaurants, galleries, etc.    Unfortunately, the sign of the times is evident here, too, with some empty stores.

I overheard one of the sales clerks commenting that business was a little slow today cause of the funeral?    In another store, I asked about a funeral.....turns out that Joe Frazier, the world-famous boxer who died a week or so ago, is a native of Beaufort and today, many turned out for his memorial service along the waterfront.

So, I helped their economy with a little shopping and then we had dinner at The Wren which was phenomenal......we shared fried green tomatoes and I had sea grits - oh my oh my!!!!!!!   Mark had lasagna and loved it!   If you ever get to Beaufort.......................The Wren is a "must" stop!  Of course, all the charming carriage rides are so fun, too, and hearing all about the history of this town.    We did this 4 years ago.    Strong storms are predicted for tonight in this area with winds of 70 mph possible!   We are hunkered down in Catrina with all the hatches battened down!

Stay safe, healthy and happy......

Tuesday - November 15

It's sooo good to be back in the land of palm trees and wonderful fresh seafood, shrimp and grits, hush puppies, she crab soup, pecan pralines and on and on all here in Charleston!    Arrived in one of my favorite cities around 4 and as soon as Catrina was tied up to the dock at the Maritime Center, we hoofed it to downtown. 

Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge in Charleston

Our 6:30 departure (our favorite time to leave at first light) started out sunny, then fog and even threatening skies along the way, but overall, warm (73) and balmy.    When we started this trip last Thursday, we had 900+ miles to traverse from Norfolk to West Palm Beach (final destination) before flying home.   We have now passed the 1/2 way mark!    Most of today's travel (95 miles) was thru marsh land with just a few houses here and there!   The highlight of our day was a phone call from Ryan.   He was in port in Dubai for a few days and we had a great connection and chat!

After checking in at the office, we walked to the heart of historic Charleston and it was neat as ever (we were here exactly 4 years ago).    Mark stopped in a pub for a beer and met a nice couple from Ann Arbor, MI who were on their way to FL in their RV.    Turns out they stay at the same RV park in Fort Myers Beach (Ebb Tide) where we had Daisy last year!    Small world....

So, while Mark visited I was out hitting the shops - fun, fun!!!!   We met up after an hour and walked and walked - beautiful evening for 11/14 and we had a wonderful dinner at "Amen Street"!    My sisters-in-law, Linda and Vicki and I are talking about a trip here in 2013 (we're long-range planners) - I know they would absolutely love everything about this charming, southern city!   Till tomorrow...

Monday - November 14

A great day on the water with sunshiny skies and 73!   And another awesome sunrise to start our day...

Just south of Wrightsville Beach, NC

Passing Myrtle Beach, these gondola rides were right in front of us - think it was some sort of amusement park?

Lots and lots of cypress trees in the water in SC

Remember I told you about the Dismal Swamp or ICW "mustache"?    Well, here it is - on the boat behind us tonight- yellowish discoloration of the hull from the water color.

 All went well and tonight we are at the Osprey Marina about 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach, SC.    Two states down and 3 to go....

I exercised along the way and Mark did his after we settled in - also went for a walk and I hosed down Catrina.   This is a very pretty area with lots of cypress trees and the marina is really tucked back in from the intracoastal.   They gave us a nice welcome bag full of cheese and crackers (tonight's appetizer), pecan/cinnamon rolls (tomorrow's breakfast), shampoo, conditioner, soap, key ring w/whistle, cozie holder, candy and more!!!     The restaurant (The Osprey Inn) is closed for the season, but there's lots of boats here and the folks are just so friendly.

We traveled 90 miles today and while there are many boats heading south for the winter, it's amazing how there will be a big bunch together (usually waiting for a bridge to open) and then these wide-open spaces of just us!     Did lots of oohing and aahing over all the homes again today!

Hope all is good wherever you are?

Sunday - November 13

 Ahhhhh the joys and adventures of boating.....here's how our Sunday unfolded...

The winds died down overnight and we left Morehead City at 6:30 with a beautiful sunrise and calm waters.

Breathtaking skies over Morehead City

We've been cruising thru eastern North Carolina's intracoastal waterway this beautiful Sunday passing neat beach towns, low sand dunes (compared to the biggies on Lake Michigan), and dolphins frolicking along Catrina. Apparently these little rascals are camera shy or perhaps the photographer is not quick enough???

Just a little ole beach house with matching lighthouse along the way

The Tar Heel state has the largest expanse of inland waters on the Eastern seaboard. Much of the shore remains undeveloped retaining its natural charm.

So as we were cruising along, all of a sudden (around 11:10 AM), we hit bottom and went aground with a very sandy bottom Yikes....sand is better than rocks; however, how are we going to get free? We have insurance with both Sea Tow and Tow Boat US, but the latter was closer to come to our rescue, so within 20 minutes the guy came and worked his magic (tied Catrina's stern to his boat with first a long line and revved up his 2 big engines stirring up mud and sand to make a well) He then shortened the rope 2 more times. He did the same thing with the bow and finally, we were free and he pulled us to deeper water. The big concern was low tide and we could've been “stuck” till 8 AM tomorrow morning! After it was all over and done, the tow boat captain said he wasn't sure he was going to free us with 2 hulls! So, that cost us about 2 hours! UGH! But we are safe, Catrina appears to be ok and tomorrow is a brand new day! We are not ready for any more adventures!!!!! Mark was in the channel when this happened.....he had just dodged a crab pot, but all happened so fast and amazing how many calls we heard over the radio throughout the day asking for tows. In fact, our captain had just freed another boat an hour earlier. Thank goodness the towing insurance provides full coverage....the captain said this was around a $1,000 job.

Our Rescue Angel

Tonight we are in Wrightsville Beach, NC – arrived here at 4:00 and good to get off the boat and walk and stretch our legs! We went 78 miles today. Coming into this area, the homes (mansions) just blew us away with their size and splendor. They looked more like hotels – lots of $$$ around these parts!

The dock hand recommended some restaurants and pizza sounded good – so off to The Mellow Mushroom where we sat outside (YES!!!!) and VERY good pizza it was!

One more tidbit on the Dismal Swamp – the water color is unlike anything I've seen – a coppery, rusty, caramel color? Some boats end up with the “ditch or ICW mustache” cause it leaves a discoloration on the hull due to tannic acid in the water!

Yesterday I finished reading “Killing Lincoln” - excellent book that both Mark and I would highly recommend.   That's the latest from the “Adventuresome Nomads”!!!

Saturday - November 12

Today started out calm, sunny and we headed out of Dowry Marina in Belhaven at 6:30 AM.    Three miles out we had some problems with the bilge pump on port side...so, we headed back to Dowry and my mechanic hubby with all his tools, a spare pump, etc......went to work and 2.5 hours later, we were on our way!!

We traveled 78 miles today and arrived in Morehead City at 2:30 with strong winds!   My first time off the boat since we left Norfolk Thursday morning - I walked downtown to some shops, found a mailbox and bakery!    Gave Catrina a good scrubbing to get off the salt and then......enjoyed our friends Mark and Barbara's visit.   They drove from New Bern and we sat and chattered non-stop over wine before going to "The Ruddy Duck" for very good dinner - My Mark and I were so excited to have some fresh seafood again!!!    Mark and Barbara were our dockmates on E-12 for several years in Racine and retired to New Bern in 2005.    Really enjoyed seeing them and plan to get together in February in Florida.

Mark and Barbara