Savannah Georgia And Other Things You Couldn't Make Up

Our final voyage was 60 miles from Beaufort to our final destination in Savannah.

Why Did the Deer Cross the ICW?

Tidal currents pushed us into the Savannah area hours ahead of schedule so we

dropped a lunch hook for a couple of hours and had a quiet lunch on a small river

just off the ICW.

Bridges 101

As you transit up or down the Intracoastal Waterway, a number of bridges, both 
automobile and rail, cross the waterway.  

Many of the newer bridges we encountered were fixed span bridges with a clearance 
of 65 feet at mean high tide.  Our mast is 48 feet above the water so these bridges posed 
no problems for us.  Optically, however, as you approach the bridge you would swear 
that your mast will be taken off at the spreaders.

Other bridges open upon demand. 

The most common is the bascule bridge which is also known as a drawbridge. 

Swing bridges are also common.  They

pivot on a point at the center of the bridge to open and close.  There are a few lift bridges that are typically used by railroads.  They are generally left in the up position and close only for train traffic.  Some bridges open on a fixed schedule (every hour, on the hour, for example) and others open only upon demand.  You must radio the bridge operator and request a bridge opening.

Final Stop

Our final stop was the Sail Harbor Boatyard in Thunderbolt, GA.  Thunderbolt is a

suburb of Savannah that is on in intracoastal.  We checked in and began the long

process of getting ready to put the boat up on the hard for the winter.  We gave

 away some food to live-aboards at the marina some we gave to the local fire

station.  We cleaned the boat, took all of the sails off, drained the water tanks, etc., etc.

We stayed on the boat as we prepped it for dry land.  The second night at the dock,

tired from a full day's work, we had just fallen asleep when an enormous splash

jolted us awake.  We thought it must be a manatee or large fish.  As we continued

to listen, we heard our bow lines being jostled and the lifelines rattling.  I grabbed

a flashlight and scurried on deck in my boxers and tee shirt.  The next thing Susan

heard was me yelling, "Jesus Christ!"  As I peered over the deck, I saw an elderly

 gentleman lying on his back in the water between the boat and the dock.  His heels

were perched on the edge of the dock and his hands were grasping our bow lines. 

His head was just above water and he made no sound.  I yelled for him to give me

his hand and with one motion, I flopped him up onto the dock like a dead tuna. 

Susan asked him if he was okay, did he hit his head?  He said he was fine.  The

water was warm.  We helped him to his feet and he said, "I walked off the dock. 

I can't believe I just walked off the dock."  Then he thanked us and wobbled off

down the dock to his boat.  I followed him to make sure he got on his boat safely. 

Susan was making her way down the dock in her nightgown.  We once again

turned in for the night and both broke into uncontrollable laughter.

We spent our last night in the historic downtown district of Savannah.  It was our

first night off the boat in six weeks.  Our hotel room seemed very large.  We had a

nice dinner and caught Amtrak to Richmond, VA at 8 the next morning.  We picked

up our car in Virginia and drove up to DC and stayed for a few days with our dear

friend, Barbie.  Headed west with a stop in Tulsa to see my mother who is now

96  and then made the final push to the Mile High City.

Gratitude is now on the hard and shrink wrapped. Thanks for following along

as the crew of the mighty Gratitude forged on.  We'll look forward to picking

up where we left off next year.

Charleston

We made a grand entrance into Charleston Harbor under sail.  Fort Sumpter was just off our port bow, directly in the middle of the harbor entrance.  It was built just before the Civil War as a defense against foreign attacks.  It sits on a man-made island (landfill) and was almost completed as the war broke out.  There are smaller forts on each side of the entrance of the harbor as well.

Fort Sumpter as seen from the boat.

Without exception, every boater we met on our way south recommended two places that were not to be missed: Charleston, SC and Beaufort, SC.  They both lived up to the hype.  We stayed at the City Marina in Charleston.  A courtesy shuttle would take you downtown every hour, but downtown was so close that we usually walked to the historic downtown area and took the shuttle back.   New friends we met (on the VFH radio as we both approached Charleston Harbor) had stopped at Charleston several times and acted as our tour guides. We were both headed to the city docks and met up there.  After spraying the salt off the boats and settling in, they took us to Pearlz which must have the best happy hours in South Carolina.  Cheap (but good) drinks and eight bucks for a dozen oysters on the half-shell.

The next day, Susan and I signed up for an historical tour of Charleston that included a ferry ride out to Fort Sumpter.  The tour around town was very well done.  Fort Sumpter is a part of the National Park system and it is well worth the visit.


The highlight of our stay in Charleston was a visit to the Rhett-Aiken Mansion just outside of the cental historic district.  Being slightly away from the center of town, the mansion was spared the years of civil war bombardment as it was just out of cannon range.  The mansion is unique in that it remained in the same family until it was donated to the historical society in the 1990s.  But what makes it extraordinary is that no significant changes were ever made to the house and outbuildings.

The family simply closed off areas that they did not use.  As a result, it is pretty much like it was 150 years ago.  The dependencies, consisting of a cook and laundry house, and stables, are all intact and original.  There are even two carriages still in the carriage house.






Beaufort, South Carolina

Our next stop was Beaufort, South Carolina with an overnight anchorage on route.  Beaufort is pronounced Byooferd and is not to be confused with Beaufort, North Carolina, which is pronounced like you would think: Boefort.  Beaufort, SC, is very much like Charleston, but smaller.  The waterfront is a park with plazas, fountains, sitting areas, and picnic tables.  There are palm trees everywhere. It backs up to the downtown area which is alive with art galleries, small shops, restaurants and bars.

We took a historic tour around town via horse-drawn carriage.  The streets are canopied by Live Oak trees which are covered with Spanish Moss.  It is a lovely little town.  Our last sail would be to our final destination in Savannah.

Dramatic Water Rescue

As we left our anchorage, we meandered via river through the Carolina countryside.  A large motor yacht passed us and, even though he slowed down, threw off enough of a wake to catapult the infamous red suitcase over the lifelines into the drink as it was in its final drying session on the deck.  

Capt'n Rich wheeled the the mighty Gratitude 180 degrees as Susan sprang into action with the boat hook. As the Gratitude churned toward the rapidly sinking (and still stinking) suitcase, Susan had time for only one desperate rescue attempt.  With the wheels pulling the suitcase down to its watery grave, Susan lunged with the boathook, managing against all odds to snag the submerged handle of the red bag and pull her back to safety.  Susan received an extra ration of grog.

Georgetown

ICW 101

The ICW is a marvel of engineering by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  Designed to provide a protected north-south route for both commercial and recreational use, the water system is an intricate series of connections of canals (some with locks), rivers, bays and estuaries.  There are often "cuts" that connect two rivers or streams or sometimes just provide a shortcut on the same river.  Every so often, there are inlets that connect to the Atlantic Ocean.  The ICW is affected by the ocean tides of every inlet which, in turn, can greatly affect the currents of any given section.  For large power boats, the current issue is not as important as it is for a single screw sailboat with modest power.  Trying to determine the maze of currents is difficult at best.  Depending where you are, you may find yourself motoring in a dead-straight canal for miles (Dismal Swamp Canal),  motor sailing on a wide, scenic river, sailing through a large bay, or navigating through a narrow rock cut.

After meandering down a lovely stretch of river, we arrived in Georgetown, SC on a Friday evening just in time for their annual wooden boat show.

Wooden boats of all shapes and sizes were on display: some restored, some new.

I learned to slalom ski on the Dick Pope, Jr. ski in Minnesota when I was a kid.  Now it's on display as an antique.....

We still have the ski.

A highlight was watching the skiff building competition.  Twenty teams of two persons each were given the wood materials and plans for the same eight foot flat-bottomed skiff.  They began at noon on Saturday and were given four hours to build the boats.  Each team was judged on both building time and quality.  It was fun to drop by the building area every once in awhile and check progress.  Some teams finished in under three hours and some did not complete the boat within the four hour time limit.  Some demonstrated fine boatbuilding skills, while others struggled a bit.  After a boat was completed, it was carried to the wharf for a "sea trial."  I think you got extra points if your boat floated.  

We had unloaded our folding bikes and used them to tour around the boat show and the town.  Georgetown is the third oldest town in South Carolina and there are beautiful examples of 17th and 18th century homes along the beautiful tree-lined side streets.

Oriental to Beaufort, NC, Carolina Beach, Southport

We left Oriental and headed straight south past the Neuse River through a sparsely populated area that gradually gave way to waterfront homes as we approached Beaufort, NC.  At Beaufort, we finally were able to get our laundry done by walking a block to the general store, through the general store, out the back door, to the laundramat.  General store had an original soda fountain so we had an ice cream while we waited for the laundry.

The next night was spent at anchor at a place called Mile Hammock, which is a very protected area within the boundaries of Camp Lejeune.  It is a very safe anchorage as long as the marines are not shooting.  Word has it that they give you plenty of warning if they are going to start firing.

Next night was spent a Carolina Beach.  Virtually a sand spit away from the Atlantic.  Our only dinner option was to walk along a long boardwalk through the salt marshes to the dunes, then walk along a dark path through the dunes area to a dive on a broken down pier.  This place was frequented mostly by drunks and deadbeats.  We fit right in as we strolled up to the bar and ordered a cosmopolitan and a gin and tonic.  BLT's weren't bad and the drinks were cheap.   We were glad to get back to the boat.

Next two nights were spent in Southport, NC, which is a lovely little town with lots of nice shops and fun places to eat.  We stayed a couple of nights as the weather was marginal.

Our next stop was Coquina Yacht Club just north of Myrtle Beach.  It was a very nice facility with a nice restaurant close by.  As we walked to dinner, we noticed a few feral cats hanging around the dock and commented on how many dock cats we had seen in our travels.  We ate a great dinner at the Officer's Club and returned to the boat.  We had left one slat out of the companionway to allow some air to enter the boat.  Unfortunately, one on the feral cats also entered the boat and pissed on my suitcase and my new  Tilley hat.  I was sorry we did not see the cute little kitty as I was sure he would enjoy a complementary swimming lesson.

We left the next morning after treating the violated hat and suitcase.  We put them both on the deck to dry and headed through the "rockpile" towards Charleston.  The rockpile is a long stretch of the ICW that has boulders the size of VW's on both sides of a very narrow channel.  The rocks are just under the surface and you only have a few feet of clearance on each side.  You must radio to all boats in the area to make sure there are no northbound boats coming up as you begin to proceed south as there is not enough room for boats to pass in most area.

We were glad to get through the rockpile unscathed and we anchored at a lovely widespot in the ICW about 25 miles north of Georgetown.  We had the spot to ourselves and enjoyed a lovely anchorage with no sign of human habitation.  We called our friends Ann & Clyde Hanyen and got instructions on how to grill our striped bass on our small gas barbeque mounted on the stern of the boat.  Master Chef Clyde gave us fine directions and we enjoyed one of our best meals of the trip.

Every Boat Has A Story

Here are a few of the many abandoned boats we saw as we traveled south along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Oriental

Depending upon the tide and wind, getting out of Ocracoke can be a challenge.  The channel is extremely narrow and unforgiving.  We were a short distance behind another sailboat as we departed Ocracoke and heading out the channel.  After a half mile or so, the boat in front of us ran aground.  After bumping and lurching for what seemed like a very long time, they finally cleared the shoal and resumed speed.  Good for them and for us as we did not have to attempt to avoid them.  As noon approached, the wind settled in at fifteen knots and allowed us to sail the entire way to Oriental.  It was a beautiful day and it was such a nice sail, we didn't want it to end.

The Oriental Inn and Marina is a delightful spot with a shady, park-like area right next to the docks.  We were happy to run into friends we met earlier in the trip and decided that we would look around town, take care of some errands, and meet back under the trees for happy hour at five-ish o'clock.  We took our folding bikes off the boat and had lunch at a deli in town, got some groceries and loaded them into our panniers.

Very Important Planning Meeting

We have discovered that traveling by boat affords a very different experience in not only the mode of transport, but in the stopping points as well.  Oriental is a good example. It's a very pretty little town w that would be easy to miss traveling by car.  And when you are getting around town by walking or by bicycle, you see lots of things that you would otherwise miss: nice little parks, interesting homes, pretty gardens, fun shops, etc.  And you interact a lot with local folks as you inquire about groceries, ice, internet, West Marine, etc.  We are fortunate to be able to experience this more unconventional way to explore new and different aspects of American life.

Elizabeth City to Ocracoke Island

We had a beautiful day to sail from Elizabeth City to Ocracoke Island with an overnight stop at Roanoke Island on the way.  The winds were ideal and Gratitude was making a good 6.5 knots on a broad reach for the six hour sail to Roanoke Island.  Elizabeth City is home to one of the largest Coast Guard stations in the area.  We were not terribly surprised when a Coast Guard boat closed in on us quickly from the stern and hailed us,  "When were you last boarded by the Coast Guard, Capt'n?"  Could not remember the last time.  We held our course and speed and they pulled along side and two officers came aboard.  They performed a complete safety check of the boat covering such things as lifejackets, flares, fire extinguishers, etc.  We were not cited for any violations.  My only complaint is that they wore black combat boots and left some black marks.  Sperry should make some combat deck boots for the CG.

Roanoke Island had extensive damage from hurricane Irene in September.  The marina where we stopped for the night still did not have power.  We had to take flashlights into the restrooms and showers.  Laundry was not even a possibility.  Manteo (Roanoke Island) is a nice stop with lots of newer shops and small boutiques.

We had a spirited sail (rough) to Ocracoke.  It also suffered damage from Irene.  Because of Irene, the only way to get there is by private boat or by a ferry from the mainland.  Before, it was very easy to drive along the outer banks to Hatteras and take a very short free ferry to Ocracoke.  The highway to Hatteras, however, was breached in two places by the storm and they are still working to replace one bridge and repair one causeway.  As a result, very few people are in Ocracoke.  It is a beautiful, small village with white beaches and lots of fun places to visit.  Eduardo's tacos on the left was a great place to grab a quick taco.

Mile Marker 84  at the beach on Ocracoke Island

There must be thousands of bicycles on tiny Ocracoke.  It is a lovely place to bike. The other major mode of transportation is by golf cart.  But since things were so quiet, the marina gave us the use of their courtesy car for our entire stay.  It was nice to be able to drive around and explore the island.  It also allowed us to spend a nice day at the beach.

Ocracoke Ferry at Sunset

Elizabeth City

At the southern end of the Great Dismal Swamp is the delightful small town of Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  Elizabeth City, as a stopover for recreational boaters, is almost entirely dependent upon the Great Dismal Swamp remaining a viable and fun option for boaters heading north or south.  There is a large Coast Guard station there and a blimp factory.


The docks are situated right next to downtown. The people could not be more friendly and accomodating. All sorts of people wander by and love to hear where you're from and where you are going. A couple of WWII vets stop by each morning to see if there is anything you need.  The grocery store has a free van to and from the store.  We took advantage of that and stocked up on groceries.  For five bucks, you can shower at the local fitness center.  Well worth the five spot. We met some new friends from Burlington, VT.  Hearty souls who have been living on their sailboat full time for the past six years. They were doing some work on the top of their mast and took a picture of the mighty  Gratitude.

Elizabeth City bills itself as the "Harbor of Hospitality."  Our experience there certainly supports that claim. We enjoyed the stop.  Next stop is the Outer Banks and Roanoke Island and Ocracoke Island.

 

The Great Dismal Swamp

There is a small army corps of engineers sign at mile marker 7.2, immediately south of Norfok, VA. At this point you can fork east to the Virginia Cut to go south or fork west to the Great Dismal Swamp Canal which is the original ICW route.  It was originally developed by George Washington and some of his pals and opened in 1805.  Built by slaves.  About 25 statute miles long.

                                          
                                                  Northern Lock of Dismal Swamp Canal

                                      

                                               After an 8 foot lift, lock is ready to open.


You have to stay in the middle of the canal and watch for logs.  We bumped into a logs a couple of times, but we kept a slow speed.

  
                                                  Really not all that dismal.  Primordial.

                                            
                                  What can I say about this? Please submit your favorite caption.

The visitors center is quite unique as it serves as a rest area/welcome center for boats transiting the canal as well as for people driving into NC from VA.  In the middle of the night, a trucker stopped by and commented to his buddy, "Dang, boy, how the hell could you figure out all them ropes?"  Answer: most of the time we can't.

                                                        Dismal Swamp Vistors Center

The center was a very pleasant stop with spotless restrooms, but I must say, it is a little weird sleeping in a rest area in a bateau.

Norfolk, VA. Mile Marker 0 on ICW

Norfolk, Virginia is mile 0 of the "official" intracoastal waterway south to Florida.  This picture is taken from our slip in downtown Norfolk across from the naval shipyards.  You get to see close-up your tax dollars at work.  As you enter Norfolk harbor, you sail past navy ships of all shapes and sizes from aircraft carriers to work boats.

We enjoyed our stay in Norfolk at mile 0.  Our only excitement was being evicted from our boat because someone reported a suspicious looking briefcase left on a harbor walk bench not 20 yards from our slip.  We watched as hordes of police, including a guy dressed in a bomb suit, stand around and play with their cool little remote control robot bomb mover.  After awhile, we had all the excitement we could stand and walked a block to Starbucks for coffee.  When we came back, the bomb squad had used the little robot to place the briefcase in some type of can and then proceeded to blow it up.  Everyone had a great time.  If it was an innocent briefcase, we just hope the poor guy did not leave his brand new Ipad in the case.  No detritus found its way to out boat.

           Scene of the alledged bomb attempt.  R2D2 obscured by the mighty Gratitude.

Urbanna, Virginia

Derrick and Julia Robinson joined us for a few days as we picked the boat up from the yard on the Rappahannock River in Irvington, VA.  We sailed the first day to the Corrotoman River and anchored for the night.  We were blessed with lovely weather with no middle-of-the-night fire drills. The next day, we sailed to Urbanna and docked at the Urbanna Town Dock.  We were treated to an ongoing display of bald eagles, ospreys and terns as they hunted for their dinner.  We hunted for ours in town which is a five minute walk.

                                                               Swabbing the Deck

                                                                      Two Old Guys

                                              
                                                            And Two Fair Maidens



After a great mini-voyage with the Robinsons, we returned to Irvington to prep the Gratitude for the trip south through the intracoastal waterway.

Last Fall

Star boat reminiscent of our first boat.

Last summer we launched the boat in Havre de Grace and explored Chesapeake Bay. Some stops included the Sassafras River, St. Michael's,Oxford,

the Wye River, Annapolis, Solomans Island. We

put the boat up on the hard for the





winter at Irvington, VA, which is just at the mouth of theRappahannock River. The pictures are of a fairly typical anchorage on one of the many rivers and creeks that drain into the Chesapeake, and a restored 1940's Star Class that is on display in the Maritime Museum at St. Michael's.

Anchorage off of the Choptank River

Catching Up - New Jersey to the Chesapeake, 2009

After making the rest of the way down the coast of New Jersey, we pulled into Cape May. From there, transited a small canal that connects Cape May with the Delaware Bay. We had an uneventful and quick sail up the Delaware Bay to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. That dumps you at the very northern tip of the Chesapeake Bay. From there, it was an easy sail to Havre de Grace, MD, where we put the boat up on the hard for the winter