SWANSBORO TO BEAUFORT

No, we're not going not going back to Beaufort (Bofort), North Carolina, but South to Beaufort (Buford???), South Carolina. We left Carolina Beach, North Carolina on October 8th early enough to catch the tide and current to push us down the Cape Fear River towards the ocean. We caught it just right as we "flew" down the river at 8 to 9 knots and into the intercoastal near Southport just before going outside. Besides the not so favorable forecast for going outside, we calculated that we would save about 30 or 40 miles by staying inside. We had several options picked out for the next stop but a lot depended on how far we could comfortably go. With the tides, currents and scheduled bridge openings, it is difficult to accurately plan how far you can travel so we have learned to be flexible. The tide and currents were helping quite a bit on this leg as we seemed to be maintaining the speed from the river. Being so close to the ocean, each inlet provided an additional push, (mostly in our favor) as we passed them. I had shared my Currents app with Phoenix and our friends on Seaya that helps you calculate how to take the best advantage of the currents. A tug taking advantage of the current on Cape Fear

Cape Fear???

Phoenix had left an hour or so before us using the app, and was well into the intercoastal before we passed them. They had just purchased Phoenix up North and were taking her home at a leisurely pace, trying to sail as much as they could. Seaya had left Carolina Beach after us and passed us a little later with their sleek (and fast) cruiser that they had also purchased and were taking home. We also heard Kantiki on the radio and wound up making contact to try and meet up with them a little later. We are meeting more and more boats on their way South and keep running into them along the way. Kantiki was stopping at a marina in North Myrtle Beach called Barefoot Landing and we agreed we would stop there too. Trouble is, there was a Barefoot Landings and a Barefoot Resort Marina that were right across the river from each other. We wound up at the Resort, and they were at the Landings. Kantiki was meeting a relative at the Landings and we decided we would just stay on our side of the river since they would not be free until late that evening. Seaya had also decided to stop at the Resort so we wound up having dinner with them and a couple from a little 22 foot boat called Seaquest. It seems they had "downsized" to the little boat and had always wanted to take an exteded trip on it. The six of us from 3 different boats had a fun evening of conversation at the local restaurant and bar. We left early the next morning behind Kantiki and followed her most of the day. We had picked a spot on Minum Creek to anchor for the night, which was reported to be a protected and quiet anchorage in the middle of a swampy area about half way to Beaufort. The scenery began to change as we left Myrtle Beach.

There had been reports of alligators and dolphin sightings in this popular anchorage. Kantika decided to join us there and we finally got to meet them on their boat, close up and personal. They were wonderful people and we enjoyed our evening with them. The anchorage, although we did not see the alligators and dolphins, was everything it was reported to be. Very, very quiet, peaceful and protected. With the clouds still hanging around after dark, it was also pitch black outside the boat. We had a good nights rest, until the fisherman started buzzing by around 5 AM. It seems they almost enjoyed "waking" us in the early morning hours. As a result, we got up very early and were on our way with the sunrise. Sunset over the marsh.

The next destination was supposed to be an anchorage just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. The major challenge was to get to Charleston before 4 PM when the bridge shut down until to 6 PM. We were calling the bridge at about 3:40 PM for the 4 PM opening and were told that they would not open again until 6:30. We turned around and called the Charleston Megadock Marina to see if we could tie up there for a couple hours. The Mega Dock caters to some very large yachts and we looked tiny tied up next to them. The little 22 foot Seaquest had passed us earlier and was already docked at the same marina. We had dinner with them with the idea of still trying to get to the anchorage on the other side of the bridge. We were told that Jimmy Buffet's yacht was on the same dock as we were. Continental Drifter III was tied up a few boats away from us and we later confirmed from the internet that it was indeed Jimmy's boat. Denise wanted to try and meet him, but I figured he probably wanted his privacy. With all the excitement, and the fact that it was soon going to be dark, we decided to anchor across the river from the marina (and Jimmy's yacht). The anchorage was fairly crowded and there were two sunken sail boats with one near the shore and another right in the middle with just the top of his mast sticking out. There was plenty of room however and it was a very peaceful anchorage. We had a good view of Jimmy's boat, (just in case he was aboard), and a dolphin kept circling our boat. He seemed to be fascinated with our dingy as he swam around bumping it a few times and then would stick his head up to take a better look. It was a beautiful evening, but we knew we would have to be up early to catch the 6 AM opening of the bridge before they shut down again at 6:30. Distinctive Bridges as we near Charleston.

Jimmy Buffet's Contintental Drifter III

Our anchorage at Charleston

We were pulling up the anchor at 5:30 on October 10th in the dark. We made the bridge opening and were on our way. We had another hour and a half before the sun was coming up so we motored very carefully with one eye on the chartplotter and the other watching for anything that might pop up in the dark. The sunrise, when it came, was impressive. The pre-dawn glow

The sunrise

Beaufort would be our next stop where Denise would meet two couples that were long time friends of hers from Detroit. This was another long and twisting path, but with the early start, we arrived in plenty of time. Seaquest came up behind us as we were approaching the last bridge before Beaufort. They were going to the Beaufort City Marina and we had decided to do the same. The marina was very busy with a lot of boats coming in at once, and the tide and currents were making docking difficult, especially for those that are not used to it, (meaning us). The tide in the area ranges from 6 to 9 feet, which means the huge amount of water that goes in and out of the area has to do so very fast, creating a very strong current. We finallly got settled in after learning a few tricks from the dockmaster, that included backing the boat into the slip with the strong current trying to push us out. Denise invited her friends Dave and Sue who live in Bluffton, out to the boat and she had a great time catching up with her friends. The next day they picked us up and gave us a driving tour of Beaufort and then a tour of their beautiful home and community in Sun City. We even got to try our hand at shrimping and crabbing! Didn't get anything, but it was fun trying. Denise's other friends, Stan and Linda, lived in the same community and planned on joing all of us for dinner and then went back to the boat. Sailboat Races at Beaufort

A historic church in Bluffton

Denise's ski club buddies (and me)

Another perfect sunset in Beaufort

We took a little walk in downtown Beaufort the next morning and pulled away from the docks around 11:30 AM, on October 13th. We We had a lot more excitement from the currents and wind, but, with a little instruction from the dockmaster, finally broke away from the docks without running into anything. The waterfront in Beaufort

The tides helped push us along and the winds continued to increase until they were blowing more than 25 knots with gusts over 30. We had to cut across several large rivers or inlets to the sea and the wind and tide combination was creating a fairly "bumpy" ride as we traversed them. We had planned to get as far as we could and then drop in one of several anchorage opportunities. Skipper Bob's is a publication that describes anchorages along the way and we had picked Herb River because it was supposed to have good wind protection from almost every direction and was a quiet anchorage. It was getting late when we got there and we motored almost a mile into the river looking for the well protected anchorage that was "supposed" to be 1/2 mile in. We were the only boat there and there appeared to be little or no wind or wave protection. We trusted our anchor, however, and decided to drop it rather than having to go find another place in the dark. The winds continued to blow and even increase in intensity. We took our bearings to make sure we didn't drag the anchor and, after about four hours, we had not moved at all. As we were getting ready to go to bed, the tide began to change and would be flowing the opposite direction from the wind. This usually creates a problem, so I sat in the cockpit for another hour or so just to see what would happen. The anchor still did not move, but the boat kept turning 180 degrees as the wind and tide fought each other. When the wind slacked off, the tide pushed us West. When the wind picked up, it pushed us East, but the anchor still held. We finally decided we were ok and went to bed. As I was dozing off, I noticed that the boat was turning back and forth quite frequently and got up to check the anchor bearings one more time. At about 2:30 AM, I awoke to a very quiet boat and, as I got up to use the head, I noticed the boat was leaning a little to starboard. I rushed on deck to see we had dragged our anchor and ran aground at low tide! I turned on the instruments to see where we were and was confused to see that we were about 1/4 mile up the river and around a bend from where we had anchored. Wow! How did that happen? We called Boat US and proceeded to check the tides. We were very close to low tide with about 4 feet of water and we needed 5' 7" to float. I decided we would pull in the anchor, start the motor and try to force our way out of the sand and mud to deep water. To my surprise, as I was pulling in the anchor rode, the end of it came in all shredded, without the anchor! Boat US informed us they couldn't do anything except wait for high tide. Ironically, as I was talking to him, the water started coming up and we were free! With our favorite anchor gone, and our secondary anchor not rigged up yet, we decided to try to get back to the nearest marina and tie up for the rest of the morning. As we motored past all the docks with boats, we realized we were very lucky that we did not drift into them while we were sleeping below. We made it to the docks, left a note and crawled back into our berth at 4 AM. One of our 110 foot Dock Partners at Thunderbolt Marina

The next morning we were given the name of a diver who might be able to help us retrieve the anchor but he would need a team of people to help him and it would be expensive. The cost he quoted, however, was about one third of the cost of buying a new anchor and rode, so we thought it was worth a chance. Unfortunately, after several hours of searching the area, over and over again, we could not find the anchor. It appears the rope part of the rode, with all the turning back and forth, got wrapped around our keel and cut the line. We are now delayed another day, and will probably lose a few more as we find a way to get another anchor. We only have a few more days of traveling before we are out of this high tide area and into the clear waters of Florida and , believe me, I can't wait to get there!