I
think I last wrote when we were at the top of Florida. Since April 27, we have
covered all of Georgia, all of South Carolina, and the lower half of North
Carolina. That quick pace was partly because we wanted to get north to have
more time to explore the small towns of North Carolina, and partly to be able
to reach Virginia before Brian goes to Europe. That would put me in a good
location to get to Maryland to see Lauren, Brandon, Hermione and Ellen. As long
as the weather continues to hold and the boat stays fit, we are on track to
make it.
We
saw:
GEORGIA
4.27 Wally’s
Leg anchorage near St. Simon’s Is.
4.28 Isle
of Hope, Savannah
SOUTH
CAROLINA
4.29
& 30 Beaufort,
Lady’s Island, north of Hilton Hd
5.1 Charleston
5.2 Georgetown
5.3 North
Myrtle Beach, six miles from NC
NORTH
CAROLINA
5.4 Southport,
NC
5.5 Mile
Hammock Bay anchor, Camp LeJeune
4.6 Swansboro
NC
Mostly
we’ve been traveling steadily, covering about 50 - 60 miles each day, and
cooking on the boat each night. Frequently we had to slow down for “no wake”
zones where we must not put out any kind of wake. To do that, we can go only
about 5 mph, and that’s pretty slow. When there are several of these, it really
adds to the overall day. Low bridges that have to be opened also slow us down,
but there aren’t many of those and our timing (so far) has been very good.
After
today, we intend to slow down a bit, traveling only about 20 miles per day, so
that we can spend more time visiting and exploring the small North Carolina
towns along the way. This weekend we’re planning to rent a car so we can see
several towns that are pretty close together - less than an hour by car, but
all day by boat.
We had
a BIG storm last night, just after we dropped our anchor here near Camp
LeJeune, NC. There’s a big anchorage here, probably intended to shelter naval
vessels in case of hurricanes, but generally used by pleasure boaters along the
ICW. The clouds were as black as I have ever seen, it rained hard, and it turned
cold. Today we are back to wearing sweaters, it is so cold. All together a
dozen boats anchored overnight. Some of them had to anchor during the storm,
but we were safely inside the boat before it began. It was very windy all
night, and we all swung back and forth like pendulums, but no one was entangled
when I looked this morning, thank goodness.
This phase
of the Great Loop isn’t as easy-going as it was last year because Brian spends
quite a few hours each evening on the phone with his colleagues in Australia.
Our evening is when their morning begins. I have taken to reading on the bed
during those hours and am making good progress through the library. I’m proud
to say that I made it all the way through “20 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules
Verne and am working my way through “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis
Stevenson. Their writing styles are just not what I’m used to, but once I
accept their “voice”, the stories are very interesting.
This
morning Brian is listening to a web-meeting on his computer, but we’ll get
going as soon as it ends. It’s only 15 miles to Swansboro NC.
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