Log from the s/v Dutch Nirvana
November 2002
Week 9
11/01/02 - 11/02/02
I left Beaufort, NC on Friday and ended up just South of Surf City on Saturday. The run down from Beaufort was typical for "The Ditch" - lots of power boats waking me in passing and lots of current near the inlets and bridges.
11/01/02 - Friday
I left Taylor Creek midmorning to a overcast day. I went out by Radio Island and entered the Morehead City Channel West of the inlet then headed into the Turning Basin. After getting back on the ICW I got gas and had lunch at Spooner's Creek Harbor. After getting back to Bogue Sound I encountered heavy rain around Guthrie Point which continued past Burden Channel and Bogue Inlet. I cut the day short and tied up at Dudley's Marina in Swansboro about 3 PM.
11/02/02 - Saturday
I left Dudley's at 7 AM after checking that the Camp LeJeune Firing Range would be open to ICW traffic. I passed New River Inlet and got gas at New River Marina.
I had lunch underway off Dixon Point and entered Topsail Sound after passing under the Surf City bridge. I anchored off the channel that leads from Sloop Point to the inlet at 34° 24.25'N - 077° 35.50'W about 2 PM. Another short day.
Week 10
11/03/02 - 11/09/02
This Week I'm been at Southport - a nice little cruising town just off the Cape Fear River. I anchored out a lot of the week in little quiet coves and side channels. There were some pretty spots along the ICW but it seems most of the better areas have been developed with houses attached to slips and condos attached to private marinas. I crossed into South Carolina and stopped at Myrtle Beach . My next layover was Georgetown and I ended the week just south of Charleston.
When I left Beaufort/Morehead City, NC to go down "The Ditch" the weather was a little iffy and it has been all the way down. Gale force winds in Myrtle Beach and wet, cold, and a lot of rainy days and nights. The run from Georgetown was a lazy motor through the narrowest part of the ICW (so far) and then to Isle of Palms where I anchored off Whiteside Ck and listened to the porpoises blowing next to the boat all night - saw a mother and calf the next morning, nice company!
11/03/02 - Sunday
I slipped the anchor about 7 Am and after returning to the ICW I got gas at Harbor Village. When I got to New Topsail Inlet the water seemed to be boiling but I made it through without a problem (except for the power boaters waking me).
I got gas at the Bridge Tender Marina just past the Wrightsville Beach bridge and had lunch at the Fish House Grill. After passing through Masonboro Sound and Myrtle Grove Sound I went into Carolina Beach and anchored just past G5 among a bunch of condo's and hotels at 2:30 PM. The rain let up in the afternoon and I got to explore the town .
11/04/02 - Monday
I left the anchorage at 7 AM with the skies overcast and rainy and then entered Snows Cut. I stopped for gas at Carolina Beach State Marina and entered the Cape Fear River where I encountered heavy wind and rain along with a strong current and very choppy seas. I finally made it past Horseshoe Shoal and entered the ICW cut to Southport about 10:20. I tied up at Southport Marina to get warm and dry and spent the rest of the morning replacing the starter switch on my O/B which had corroded.
Southport, NC is a nice little cruising town just off the Cape Fear River. This afternoon I'll re-provision and get a hot meal at one of the fine restaurants here along with exploring this historic port town.
11/05/02 - Tuesday
I slipped the lines at 8 AM and continued on down the ICW past Lockwoods Folly River and Inlet. About an hour after I passed Shallotte Inlet I pulled into Pelican Point Marina for gas but they're closed on Tuesday so I sat and had lunch while I transferred gas from my jerry can.
About an hour later I passed Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge and eventually entered South Carolina. After entering the Little River (and passing the inlet) I stopped for gas at Anchor Marina. I then entered 'The Rockpile' and since the weather forecast was again for heavy winds and rain and the bridges don't open when the wind is high I tied-up at Barefoot Landing about 4:30 PM with doubled lines.
11/06/02 - Wednesday
Since the weather was iffy I explored Barefoot Landing and took a bus to one of my favorite beach towns - Myrtle Beach! I re-visited The Parrot Bar & Grill ( from my last 'Spring Break') and explored the entertainments along the Strand so this was my "splurge" stop this week.
11/07/02 - Thursday
I left Barefoot Landing about 7 AM
11/08/02 - Friday
I'm in Georgetown, SC today. I will probably end up someplace in Florida this winter and most likely won't be back "down east" again in the foreseeable future. That said I am still singlehandling and would love to find someone to sail with.
11/09/02 - Saturday
I left the anchorage about 7 AM
Week 11
11/10/02 - 11/16/02
I'm currently in Charleston, SC waiting for the current "killer" thunderstorms/tornadoes to pass the area before continuing south. I rode in yesterday through Charleston Harbor in the middle of a thunderstorm - couldn't see the City Marina's Amoco sign until I was almost on it! Safely tied up inside the marina and am now drying everything out.
I mentioned the run into Charleston in the beginning paragraph. Planning on continuing down as soon as the weather gives me a break - should have a window from Wed to Fri to get on down The Ditch a ways - looking for Brunswick, GA as the next big stop. It seems the temperature has turned warmer at least!
Week 12
11/17/02 - 11/23/02
I'm in Brunswick, GA this week - my last before entering the Sunshine State (Florida!). After I left Beaufort, SC, I anchored out in Battery Creek at Port Royal. It's not much of a place - a ocean terminal and some fishing boats. Next day I continued down the Beaufort River passing Parris Island (yes THAT famous Marine base) and crossed Port Royal Sound to Dolphin Head - crossing these sounds is rough and wet most of the time.
Next up was Hilton Head Island, the famous resort area. I stopped in Hiltonhead at Outdoor Resorts RV & Marina as Skipper Bob's guide had listed it as a possible liveaboard marina. Unfortunately, there were several problems - the slips are shallow at low tide (tidal range was about 10 ft!) and new owners had priced them out of my range so I got some gas and water and motored on down Calibouge Sound and through several creeks and cuts to cross the Savannah River into Georgia.
I anchored in the Herb River for the night - a hurricane hole with a few riverfront houses on one bank for a quiet night. The next day I twisted through several more rivers, creeks and cuts to anchor in Kilkenny Creek to get an early start crossing St. Catherines Sound in the morning. It was another wet and rough crossing until I entered Johnson Creek which led me to the South Newport River and another sound - Sapelo Sound.
There were the innumerable creeks, cuts, and rivers until I reached Doboy Sound in a near gale where I entered the Duplin River to anchor and await the calm of morning to cross Doboy Sound. After crossing the sound I did the creek shuffle again until I entered Mackay River which led me to St. Simons Sound and Brunswick.
All in all a cold, wet and pretty uninteresting week as there was not a lot to see except marshlands and the exhausting task of trying to keep to the channel through twists and turns and creeks crossing everywhere - easy to miss a marker which made me glad of the GPS with routes programmed from the charts on my laptop.
Well, now I'm in Brunswick and it's a larger version of Port Royal - big ocean terminal and a larger fishing fleet - but does have a "historic" downtown and the Brunswick Landing Marina is nice (and cheap - 75¢ a foot!) I'll replenish here and next stop will be St. Augustine, FL!
Week 13
11/24/02 - 11/30/02
I'm in St. Augustine this week for Thanksgiving
