The Great Loop

To Cape Fear

This page contains our most recent postings. The Loop Log accesses the entire narrative via a list of voyage segments, and Loop Gallery contains photos of the trip in a main gallery and a host of sub-galleries accessible through a gallery log page. The photo galleries on Key West posted and we're working on the photos of the trip up the east coast of Florida.

Updated 5/2/05.

4/17-19/05 - We got to know Fernandina Beach better, taking time to provision, file of income taxes and see a little of the town as we anchored across from the Municipal Marina. We enjoyed 70 degree temperatures days, high 40's nights. A couple of days were quite windy, then it calmed down while we waited for Dave Michalkiewicz to join us on the evening of the 19th. He arrived about 7 pm. 4/20/05 - With Dave onboard we fueled, took on water and departed Fernandina Beach. Motoring up the ICW we passed a Navy submarine base where a patrol boat was in place to ensure we stayed in the ICW. The base was pretty low key, the only give-away was the net gate blocking the inlet. The waterway guide warned to be on the watch for surfacing subs - apparently they throw off quite a wake. We motored and motor sailed up the Georgia ICW until about 4pm when we ducked into a cutoff at mile 665.5 and anchored. (665.5 is the distance from Norfolk, VA). It was great having Dave along as he took turns at the helm and navigating. From our anchorage we watched a couple of ICW cruise ships work their way down the waterway. They appeared to be moving through the grass as we watched them approach, pass and growl southward. These little ships ply the waterway providing non-boaters with the opportunity to sail the intercoastal  in comfort. Of course we were enjoying their cruise over cocktails from the comfort of our own vessel. When we saw the pirate ship from Key West, Owl, enter the cut-off we waved him over and offered that he raft off us for the night. The captain (and crew) was John Lewis, an interesting college professor who'd built the boat over a Cal-25. We had him aboard AA as a dinner guest and got to know him better. He was also doing the loop route, having started in New York state and passing down the rivers about 2 weeks ahead of us. 4/21/05 - A warm sunny day with light air. We motor-sailed the ICW to Walburg Creek (mm 620). The terrain was tidal flat - like sailing through a wheat field. The day passed swiftly with the only excitement being 7 patrol boats (unidentified but crewed by uniforms) and a Navy RIB. They had something going on as we saw them in pursuit of a boat later in the day. 4/22/05 - Royal Tern had advised us via radio that the bridge at Thunderbolt was jammed down after being hit by a dump truck. The Coast Guard confirmed this, noting it could be a month before the repairs were done - the clearance was currently fixed at 24'. We had to go around the bridge via the Atlantic so we anchored at St Catherine's Sound for an early departure. The days continued in the high 60's with nights in the 40's. The diesel heater is a real treat - never thought we'd use it at anchor down here! 4/23/05 - NOAA had promised wind, but our only power was the iron genny. We motored to Port Royal Sound north of Savannah. The waypoint outside Savannah was interesting; we encountered 3 ships there. After trying to figure their courses we finally established that they we all anchored, waiting their turn in the harbor. At Port Royal Sound we re-entered the ICW, passing Hilton Head and Parris Island Marine base, finally arriving in Beaufort (B-you-fort), SC. We anchored at the Downtown Marina for the night. A 45 knot squall tested our anchoring technique and found it sound. 4/24/05 - We meet Phyllis & Bert Willett (Royal Tern) and thanked them for the heads-up on the damaged bridge. They invited us to visit them when we pass through the Chesapeake. After a quick breakfast and we spent the morning exploring historic Beaufort. The old homes (mansions) and shops made it a worthwhile visit. We were running ahead of schedule due to the offshore hop so we moved to another anchorage in Beaufort where we could walk to the grocery store. It was also time to change the filter and oil in the engine (yukkk) so we got that task out of the way. The weather was sunny, cool, with 20 -25 knot winds. Another cold front passing through with frost warnings for the night. 4/25/04 - We re-entered the ICW about 9:30am headed north. As we came into a corner in the tidal flats I wondered who had built the large white house way out here; then I realized it was an ICW cruise ship. We throttled back and gave it room to negotiate the tight corner. High winds permitted us to sail under the genoa and engine, making 8 - 9 knots over ground... until red 36 where we bumped bottom and I turned toward the green marker - grounding. The sailboat behind us bumped and turned to port, stopping aground but able to back off. We were stuck! If one wishes to ground, low tide is the time to do it. We did it right. In half an hour the incoming tide had us clear and on our way feeling a little sheepish. A quarter mile upstream we met a towboat mid-channel. I radioed to establish passing protocol to find that he too was just coming off the bottom with the rising tide (tides are 6.5' here). He suggested one whistle, I concurred warning him of the area where we hit. He thanked us, noting that he'd wait a bit longer before heading down. We arrived at Charleston about 5pm and anchored across from the City Marina. The winds continued to blow 25 - 30 knots making a tidal anchorage interesting. AA kept trying to sail the anchor out. I fired up the grille and threw on steaks for dinner. After a delicious meal we hunkered down for a record setting cold front in the heated comfort of the boat. It seems like we are pushing and kicking winter northward! 4/26/05 - We moved to a slip in Charleston City Marina on the MegaDock... 40 acres of water with floating docks. While checking in at the harbormaster's house I watched 18" sting rays feeding in the water along the docks. We left the boat and drove Dave back in torrential rain to Jacksonville to catch his flight home. We returned to Charleston for the night. Ruth's back had gone out the day before and she was in agony all day. If she'd been a horse we'd have shot her. We're hoping back excises and meds will give her some relief the next few days. 4/27/05 - The 25 knot winds had us pinned to the dock, boxed in by bigger boats. Trapped, we decided to spend another night in the marina as we're operating as a one and a half crew. Ruth's moving very slow and careful. Our pressure water pump was failing and the replacement we ordered Monday arrived via UPS. We used the down day to provision and wait for the winds to drop. We'll run the ICW tomorrow due to gale warnings along the coast. We've learned that the MegaDock is the longest floating dock in the world. From experience we can tell you it is a long walk... we are at the very end, the cheap seats, about a third of a mile from the harbor house. They have the ability to pump fuel the entire length of this dock - impressive. Water, power, electricity, pump-out are all available dockside. 4/28/05 - On our way out of Charleston we saw an aircraft carrier and Fort Sumter - talk about opposite ends of the weapons continuum. We joined a group of northbound boats and found ourselves running in the company of Ariel (just like old times). Fran and Shirley were from PA, returning for the summer. Motoring north along the ICW we ran into skinny water a couple of times but avoided grounding (we're getting good at bump-n-run). The scenery is definitely changing; fewer palms and more trees. Miles of the waterway are lined with marshy lowlands featuring small forested islands, then the landscape became wooded. Ruth counted 38 pair of nesting Osprey as we worked our way up the ICW the 28th. It was great to see these large beautiful birds recovering from near extinction. 4/29-30/05 - We spent Friday night and Saturday rafted at a free dock at Barefoot Landing, a development and shopping park in North Myrtle Beach. We hung around as Snail Pace, Owl, Ariel and ourselves had formed a raft and were seeing the sights. We photographed tigers, turtles, and shops for an upcoming photo gallery. Owl left early Saturday, however since the weather was gray and windy, we decided it was a good time to meet folk and provision. 5/1/05 - Sunday we departed at 8am for the run to Cape Fear, NC. Early rain cleared for a sunny, cool, windy day. It was a jacket day. As we ran the ICW we could see the ocean across the sand spits that protected us. At the inlets the surf was crashing in. Definitely a good day to be on the inside. The ICW was fairly busy with tour boats, a ferry in transit, active ferries, ships by the naval channel at Cape Fear, water skiers, fishermen and families just out cruising and watching the snowbirds trek north. We encountered a novel pontoon bridge, luckily arriving just as it was opening. The center section of the bridge is built on a barge that disengages from the roadway and swings into a nest of pilings to let traffic pass. The ramp ends of the bridge allow for tide height changes. Innovative but slow to open so they do so hourly. At 5 we sought anchorage in Wrightsville Beach. As we entered the harbor we were treated with a wake boarding demo by two kids behind a sailboat. The next surprise was seeing Owl anchored at the head of the harbor. The hook held on the first try (as it always does) and we settled down to a fresh shrimp stir-fry and a killer game of scrabble. Continue to Norfolk. Return to the Loop Route.	Fernandina Waterfront ICW Cruise Ship John Lewis and Owl Dave braves the cold Stormy welcome to Beaufort, SC Beaufort SC street Ruth & Dave sightseeing Bridges can be a long wait I'm a couple of photo galleries behind but plan to get them up this week. We met the guy above waiting for the pontoon bridge.