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Psalms 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. I am not a religious man but I feel this is in order. The phrase "It came to pass" appears many times in the bible. "It came to stay" cannot be found. Whether it be one thousand years or just one day, it came to pass. | ||||
| Anchored near the ferry crossing off of Knotts Island, NC, I waited for a storm to pass. There is no tide to speak of in that area. The wind governs the tides. 25 knots of wind took 2 1/2 feet of water out from under me. In the morning, still with strong wind gusts, the rain stopped. I left with a bent anchor shank but I left alive. *Buy a new anchor. | |||||
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Coinjock was the next place for me to fill my tanks and I did so at Midway Marina. Inside the marina, I saw many people using the provided computer port for Internet access. I made friends there and got some good cheap eats at the American Legion Hall before I was off again. | ||||
| Prior to my arrival into the Albemarle Sound, my sails were up. Plenty of residual wind from the passing weather front helped my timing and I was able to pass the opened Alligator Bridge under sail. I got scolded by the bridge tender for doing so. | |||||
| The Alligator River housed no alligators but it is home to many snags. I didn't know what a snag was until I met up with one. This snag came to me in the form of a tree stump not tall enough to break the water line at 14 feet. It must have been a foot beneath the water when it introduced itself to my rudder and out board just north of the Fairfield Bridge. Luckily, nothing more than a little shake-up occurred. | |||||
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In Belhaven, I stopped at the River Forest Marina to gas up. Mistakenly, they gave me the diesel hose. I questioned it and was reassured that it was gas. After pumping 4 gallons in, I heard a yell from the other end of the dock, "Stop! Its diesel". They put me up for the night in order to drain and flush the tank. It wasn't a problem; it only got as far as the tank. I put oil in the gas anyway. Had this been gas in my diesel tank, I might have gotten aggravated. Not to mention the size of diesel tanks. But it wasn't and neither was I. *Establish a visual of the pump that your fuel hose is connected to BEFORE you pump fuel. | ||||
| River Forest was a beautiful southern style house with Victorian tones and it, too, had a hook up for your computer. The same people that were waiting to use it at Midway were waiting here. In tobacco states, like these, smoking is allowed almost anywhere, which makes it difficult for someone who is bothered by smoke or who is trying to quit. Me, being the latter. All in all, it was a nice stay. I got to see the town, meet with the owner, shower and eat a nice breakfast before shoving off. | |||||
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In the Pamlico Sound, the sails went up again. As I didn't leave at the crack
of dawn, it took me a day and a half to reach Beaufort, NC. (pronounced Bo-
Fort, unlike Beaufort SC). I stopped at Town Creek Marina for lunch. If you're
headed into these waters, mind the shoals. Prowling the waters like vultures
are Sea Tow boats just waiting for you to make a mistake. A great sandwich and
some local knowledge later, I went under the B&M RR Bridge that opened every
20 minutes and headed for the anchorage across from the post office.
There were many boats there. It was low water and I noticed a large catamaran up on its side. I dropped the hook 20 yards from Carrot Island and 150 yards from the dinghy dock in Beaufort. Carrot Island, I was told, had wild horses living on it for hundreds of years. They have adapted to drinking salt water. I planned on waking before sunrise to get some pictures. That night, after having my first good meal since I left NY, at the Beaufort Grocery Company, I set my alarm for 05:30. |
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At 05:00, I woke up with my face against the wall of the V-berth. I knew
something was awry. Everything below had shifted to the starboard side. I was
fully awake in a second. I'm sinking, I thought. Check the pumps and power.
On. Ok, what do I need? Got the computer and the cameras in their respective
pelican cases. How come I don't hear the pumps? I slid the hatch open to find
that I was on the beach.
At first I thought to put the anchor in the dink to set it and pull her off of the sand. But, I noticed that all my moving about put more stress on the rudder causing it to sink deeper into the ground. I simply got my camera and left for Carrot Island in search of wild horses and decided to let the tide lift her off the sand as gently as it put her up. |
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I wasn't in the dink for more than 20 minutes before I saw my first wild horse. A mustang came over the hill and was silhouetted by the sun behind him. With severe backlight and distance, I knew I couldn't get a good shot in. I motored down passed him in order to take a picture with the sun behind me. I moved slowly, as I didn't want to startle him. There he was, feeding in the marsh. He had company. There were 6 adults and one colt. Once they spotted me and saw that I wasn't a threat, they went about their business. The colt was curious, as children are. After 30 minutes, he came within 15 feet of me. With his immature vocal chords he started making the "Nay" sound that horses make and tapping his front hoof. I melted. I slowly lowered to my knees and gently put out my hand, as if I was addressing a shy puppy. That sent him running, which he could barely do, to his parents. They stopped grazing, looked up at me and gave me adult "Nays" complete with nose grunts. I apologized for any trauma that I might have caused and slowly backed out. |
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On the way back, I noticed that the LTD (my boat) was almost free. To kill
another hour, I went into Beaufort for breakfast. Afterwards, I moved her away
from shallow water. I spent the next day there. A pleasant stay.
It was a nice surprise to find that the North Carolina Maritime Museum, located right there on Front Street, lends you a car for two hours. I took advantage of that and stocked up on provisions, as there was no grocery store in the town. That night, I noticed yet another boat on the sand. |
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On my way south I was admiring all the pelicans which have come to be a common
site. They share pilings with seagulls and cormorants. With gulls, they follow
behind fishing boats looking for escapees. The white pelican travels in larger
groups of the same and scoops up fish to eat while swimming. The brown pelican
does the classic stall and dive to catch its prey. It's fun to watch.
While appreciating all this new wildlife, a school of dolphins approached my boat. I immediately went below to get my camera. I came back up and positioned myself for a good shot. Unfortunately, the shroud picked my Ericsson cell phone from my pocket and flung it into the water. Knowing dolphins are intelligent I tried to convince one of them to retrieve it for me. No luck. I found a good anchorage in Hammock Bay that night without a phone. |
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Docks are plentiful in these parts, protruding out of back yards like driveways from the backside of people's houses. Here, you saw the damage that hurricane Bonnie left behind. Landings were either new, with yellow-green tinted wood or in shambles. Every morning builders were out there repairing damage. Many of the trees were bare. Those that had foliage were bald on top and all the vegetation was leaning back as if when Bonnie spoke to them, she had bad breath. | ||||
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I heard a band playing the Rolling Stones after passing underneath the
Wrightsville Beach Bridge. There are several waterside eateries and bars
condensed in that area. I pulled into the T- dock where the band was playing,
called Omnipoint for another Ericsson phone and had a few beers. I met some
interesting
people. It was a younger, more free-spirited crowd there then anywhere else
I've seen on the ICW to date.
The hangover didn't hit until I was underway to the Grand Strand in South Carolina. My new cell phone was waiting for me at Crickett Cove Marina. What a nice Marina. Shiny new cement floating docks, shower rooms that were big and clean, a restaurant that makes up in taste what it lacks in decor and a courtesy car for all your errands. I stayed two nights. Myrtle Beach, however, is a tourist trap. I've never seen so many golf courses, T-shirt shops and arcades in a strip like that. |
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I missed Georgetown in hopes to meet up with relatives in Mt. Pleasant, SC. They drove over from Atlanta. It is so nice to see family that you haven't seen in years. I met, for the first time, another cousin. It was a great visit. We went sailing, of course. The kids saw dolphins and pelicans for the first time. I let them try their hand at the helm, and I do believe we might get a sailor out of the bunch. | ||||
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After they left, I made my way to Charleston. I only got to stay the night,
while anchored above the Ashley River. I will return. I saw many traditional
southern houses built with their sides facing the street. Apparently, when
building these majestic houses, they paid taxes in relation to the size of the
lot that was street side. Consequently the lots were long and the sides of
these Victorian structures face the street.
There are many places that I've missed, or rushed through, as I continue the trip south. I hope to have the opportunity to visit them on my way back north. I won't know until I get there. I am, like everything else, here to pass. |
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