Author: Chris McLean

John: Charleston to Brunswick, GA (anchored)   Chris: St. Pete Beach, FL (hoteled)

November 12-16,  2022

This is the second time this year that John has moved Lailia while I am traveling – the last time he moved her across the Chesapeake to Piney Narrows, the marina that was our Maryland homebase for the summer. This time he moved her a lot further to Brunswick, GA where we planned to meet on Wednesday.

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Our friend, Abby, was in St. Pete at the same time so she and I were able to take a walk at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. This time with her was a gift for me and helped me get some Vitamin N before I spent the next three days teaching inside a windowless room.

John had some windy days traveling, including a sporty trip across the Port Royal Sound. (I am not a sporty fan at all.)

John’s skills are really showing – he was able to haul Lailia’s anchor in some high winds. Normally he steers while I take care of the windlass so Lailia’s movements are very controlled. Being solo meant that he had to be very methodical as he moved from the helm to the bow.

My trip from St. Pete Beach to Brunswick, Georgia took about nine hours – there’s not an easy way to get from one place to the other (the Brunswick airport is so small that only one major airline serves it, maybe a few times a week). A flight delay also added to the joy, but I did get to hang out with another workshop leader in the airport and view a fiery sunset through the terminal window.

Brunswick Landing Marina is a good landing spot for us – they have nice facilities. We’ll spend a day there before we start heading south again.

Plum Orchard to Jacksonville free dock (Sisters Creek), Jacksonville, FL (docked)

November 19, 2022

It’s definitely autumn! When we are at anchor, we don’t have heat at night so it can get chilly. It’s great snuggling and sleeping, though. This morning it was 56 degrees on Lailia.

Lailia is small, so we can heat her up quickly. The propane heater works, but so does baking, which means I have a good excuse for making apple cinnamon bread.

The bird tree was not yet filled with birds this morning, maybe because it was early, maybe because it was cloudy, or maybe because the wading birds are having breakfast while the tide is low.

The weather was so perfect for walking on the trail yesterday but today it’s pretty overcast. When it’s like this, the cockpit doesn’t warm up the way it does when the sun’s on it.

Occasionally, we’d see the sun and the cockpit would get toasty. A few minutes later, it would be cloudy and cool again. I sighed a lot.

There’s a pretty strong current around this dock that had one space left. Once again, the boating community showed how strong it is. Other boaters showed up to grab lines as John steered Lailia in. One couple, docked behind us, sailed here from Sweden! They’re badass, true mariners, for sure.

We’ll head to St. Augustine in the morning; Lailia will be docked in a marina there and we will rent a car so we can have Thanksgiving with our sons and meet Kevin’s girlfriend’s family. John and I are really looking forward to hugging our boys!

St. John’s Yacht Harbor, John’s Island, SC (docked)

November 8 -12, 2022

Our timing for stopping in Charleston was pretty great: we saw several friends, got to vote, and stayed in a safe location through Tropical Storm Nicole. The best part? We have really amazing friends who were gracious enough to pick us up and take us to dinner – thanks, Bill and Deb and Missy and Ali. You brightened our days so very much.

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We woke up early enough one morning to see the lunar eclipse. It’s not as dark here as it was in the anchorage last week, but it was still pretty cool to see.

John and I were able to borrow the “loaner” vehicle from the marina so we could vote; we’ve been of the mind that “if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”

We were very secure in the marina (although John would have prefered to be at anchor somewhere, I like not worrying about our anchor dragging). Our wind instrument allows us to track the wind direction and speed.

I had a three-day virtual visit to complete while we were here. Being at the marina means that John is able to hang out with friends or, when available, use the loaner to get to the hardware and marine supply store.

The views from this marina during the years we lived here were always beautiful. Seeing them while we were was a reminder of the “big sky” moments.

Tropical Storm Nicole intensified and shifted a bit. Fortunately, we were on the south side of the dock and didn’t have to deal with waves slapping Lailia’s hull although we could see them rebounding off boats on the other side of the fairway.

As a celebration of our final night here, we had Missy and Ali over for pizza and tequila. We’ll have brunch with them in the morning, then John will head south on Lailia and Missy will drop me off at the airport. I will be in St. Pete Beach leading a workshop and will meet John in Georgia on Wednesday.

Seven Reaches Creek to St. John’s Yacht Harbor, John’s Island, SC (docked)

November 7, 2022

The moon was such a gorgeous orange this morning at 5:20 that we stopped for a moment just to appreciate it. Getting up early sometimes comes with its own rewards.

A few minutes later, we were surprised by the contrail from the Antares rocket that had been launched from Wallops Island, Virgina. We were in the perfect place at the perfect time to see it travel across the sky.

High tide was early this morning and it helped us avoid the shoal that was right outside the mouth of the creek.

We made it to the Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge at 6:40AM which meant that we were able to get an opening with no wait (which was our plan). (I still don’t love traveling when it’s dark.)

Charleston Harbor was pretty breezy and cool. I was excited to see some dolphin buddies there, too.

The Wappoo Bridge won’t open between 7:00 and 9:30AM (and as someone who had to drive over that bridge almost daily, that’s a good thing). Since we arrived there at 8:20, we anchored and ate our breakfast. There were even more dolphin buddies here.

There’s a really strong current in Elliott Cut that we had to motor against. Fortunately, we were the only boat in the cut, so we didn’t have to deal with any powerboat wakes.

St. Johns Yacht Harbor is our “home marina” where we lived for two years. They’re under new ownership and have made some changes but it still feels like home.

The marina has a loaner vehicle that we will use tomorrow to go vote (another instance of good timing). We’ll get some provisions before the nasty weather hits on Thursday or Friday, too, and of course, see our friends.

Heritage Plantation to Seven Reaches Creek, Charleston County, SC (anchored)

November 6, 2022 (posted 11/7/22)

Tides and currents. Currents and tides.

We left the marina a bit later today so we could take advantage of the slack tide rather than trying to fight the current while we backed out of our slip. Of course, with time change, it’s going to be darker earlier this evening.

The wind has definitely picked up which was noticeable in Winyah Bay (this is the mouth of the Waccamaw). The wind caused a little chop in the water.

We had the sails up for a while but when the wind shifted to hitting us on the nose, we dropped them.

The trip across the bay was short and as soon as we turned into the ICW cut the chop was gone. This is also the area that has a barge that acts as a swing bridge.

Today we hit a spot where it began to feel as if we were in the low country again – something about the geography that feels familiar.

The tides here can be 6-9 feet, meaning that they can go up or down that much. In the Chesapeake, tides are more like 1-2 feet. At low tide here it’s possible to bump the bottom because of shoaling.

We found the closest anchorage north of Charleston and arrived in the falling light.

Seven Reaches Creek is pretty serene although we can see the mast from a sunken sailboat a little further up the creek and we think we see a small sailboat that has been deposited in the marsh grass, too (probably during some sort of flooding). There’s a 6 foot tide range here so we have out plenty of chain. John’s going to hang out on the deck to see how Lailia will swing when the tide changes, just to be sure that we don’t end up too close to the bank.

Tomorrow is the most time-sensitive day we will have: we want to leave this anchorage on a high tide because of reported shoaling just outside the creek. Since the Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge won’t open between 7:00 and 9:00AM we need to get there before 7:00. We’ll be hauling up the anchor in the dark so we can get out by 5:30AM.

Calabash River to Heritage Plantation Yacht Club, Pawleys Island, SC (docked)

November 5, 2022

To make the best of the tide, we left this morning before it the sun came up. Thank goodness for the headlamp that John had – it provided a beam of light on the anchor chain as we were bringing it in so I could rinse the small amount of mud off of it. Before it got dark last night, we also mentally noted the crab pot floats that were near Lailia so we could navigate past them this morning.

It’s really peaceful to be on the water when the sun is coming up.

We had to wait for two swing bridges today, including the Captain Archie Neil “Poo” McLaughlin Swing Bridge. Our guide says the locals call this the Capt. Poo Swing Bridge – we call it the Poo Bridge and laugh a lot. After 292 days together, we still crack each other up. (It’s called the Little River Swing Bridge when the bridge tender is hailed, thank goodness).

Some of today’s trip was through the Myrtle Beach area. There was far less boat pleasure boat traffic today than in July.

Our autopilot went wonky today. Since we were in a wide open spot with lots of depth we let it go to see if it would correct itself. We did a 360 and started heading into another direction before we disengaged the autopilot. I worked tonight to see if I could recalibrate it – we’ll see if it works tomorrow. We lost the autopilot in late June and had to steer by hand for a few days until John fixed it; it’s a big inconvenience but we can deal with it.

We stayed in this small marina on our way north and liked it. There’s no attached restaurant or store but it does have nice bathrooms and free laundry. They also have a lounge with a television so John can watch the Penn State game and the Phillies.

We will find an anchorage tomorrow then head south to spend some time in Charleston Monday through Saturday morning. There’s the potential for some wind coming and we want to be in a secure place while I work Wednesday through Friday.

Carolina Beach to Calabash Creek, SC (anchored)

November 4, 2022 (posted 11/5/22 – poor wifi in the anchorage)

South of Carolina Beach, the ICW goes through Snows Cut and into the Cape Fear River while to the north, there is an inlet out to the ocean. We left early the marina early in hopes that we wouldn’t have too many large powerboats going past us.

The cut has some decorations 🙂

The current was in our favor and pushed us along – at points were traveling over 9 knots.

We also crossed state lines and are now back in South Carolina!

Although we like marinas because of the amenities we much prefer to anchor in peaceful places with nice scenery. An advantage to anchoring is the ease of getting in and out. Since Lailia does not have a bow thruster, it can be tricky pulling out of a marina slip if the winds are not cooperating.

John located an anchorage that was perfect for us; calm, protected, and easy to access. It’s in a curve in Calabash Creek.

By dinner time there were a few more boats here, but not too many. We’ve seen some small powerboats and even a casino boat pass, but it’s very peaceful.

By nightfall there were no human sounds at all, which is pretty much as perfect as it sounds.

To make sure that we don’t get stuck on the small shoal the mouth of this creek, we have to time our departure with the high tide, so we’ll be heading out just before the sun comes up. We have a reservation in a small marina in Pawleys Island – we stayed there in July and know it’s uncrowded and easy to access.

Mile Hammock Bay to Federal Point Yacht Club, Carolina Beach, NC (docked)

November 3, 2022

Those Ospreys flew until 8:30 last night. Their route took about 4 minutes and they were LOUD, so loud that Lailia vibrated when they flew over us. We were concerned that we’d be hearing them all night.

There was no gorgeous anchorage sunrise this morning and the forecast was for overcast weather all day. It was kind of a let down after so many really nice, sunny days.

By 10:00 the sun was starting to break through the clouds and we were getting really warm in our cockpit (the isinglass just magifies the sun so it can feel like we are in a greenhouse).

By the time we hit Figure 8 turnbridge, the sky was blue (and it stayed that way). The Figure 8 Bridge was stuck in the closed position for several days last week; there’s not a lot of anchorages around there so folks were pretty communicative on social media about trying to get out in the ocean to go around or waiting in other places along the eay. Fortunately, the bridge is operational again.

We were able to get some glances at the ocean when the ICW intersected with an ocean inlet.

There’s still some sunken and derelict boats in the area. They’re a hazard (even more so when they have sunk) and it’s also really sad to see them.

We fueled up today and docked for the day. We haven’t been off Lailia for days. Publix is less than a half mile away so we can reprovision for the next part of our trip.

We’ll try to get a spot in a marina somewhere near Myrtle Beach tomorrow as there’s not a lot of anchorages on this part of the ICW. We’d like to get to Charleston by Tuesday so I can work for a few days before we drive to Florida so I can lead another workshop. I like being able to work virtually, but it does mean that we have looming deadlines hanging over us.

Adams Creek to Mile Hammock Bay (near Camp Lejeune), NC (anchored)

November 2, 2023

Another gorgeous morning at an anchorage!

We try to snap a quick photo each time we leave a place to have a time stamp of when our day started and as a sort of record of “we were there.” That one last look is a bit of closure on where we were that helps us start on the way to where we are going.

Although the sun was up when we left, it was low on the horizon for the first bit of today’s trip through another ICW ditch.

We’ve been traveling through a lot of canals and ditches lately but today our route finally feels really intracoastal. Right after Morehead City we started paralleling the ocean.

This is the first time that it’s felt like we’re on the coast – the landscape here is sand bars and maritime forests.

We had our first dolphin sightings since July today. I’ve missed my buddies!

This anchorage is a small basin off the ICW very near Camp Lejeune. It’s apparently where Osprey pilots practice taking off and landing because there’s been almost constant activity. There’s probably 10 boats in here tonight.

We hoped to go to a marina in Southport, NC tomorrow but there are no slips available so we hope to find a spot in Carolina Beach. Although there is a lot of water here, there’s not a lot of depth for us to pull over and anchor so we’ll have to make sure we have some backup plans for the next few days.

Pungo River to Adams/Cedar Creek, NC (anchored)

November 1, 2023 (Posted 11/2 due to poor internet in anchorage)

How fortunate we are to have anchored in an absolutely gorgeous place. We were up early enough to see the sun rise and to soak in the peace befire we headed out.

We have a pretty solid routine for getting up and out of the anchorage, which includes pulling up the anchor. The washdown hose is really important when we’ve been anchored in lots of thick mud (it’s so much better than the bucket method). There’s a point when the anchor is coming up that it “sticks” – basically the anchor is still embedded on the bottom. This is when John will break it free using Lailia’s engine.

As we were heading back out into the ICW, we saw a rainbow. This was our first for the day. About six minutes later, we had to shut the hatches because of a rain shower.

The skies alternated between clouds, occasional rain, and sun. Our cockpit enclosure heats up when the sun shines on it, so we’re back to wearing shorts, which is always a bonus.

The Pamlico Sound had enough wind for us to get our headsail up for a bit of motorsailing.

At some point, the wind was no longer in our favor, though, so we furled the sail.

As we anchored, we saw yet another rainbow – pretty cool to start and end a day with rainbows!

Sunset here was very showy.

We’ll get up early tomorrow so we can get a solid 57 miles in. We have to be intentional about distances because the narrow ICW doesn’t always provide places for us to anchor.