Day 31 Camp LeJeune

We've discovered many beautiful places so far on this trip. Some places I would like to return to - Carolina Beach is not one of them. But it served it's purpose - rest and regroup. Today we are off to Mile Hammock Bay which is right next to Camp LeJeune. It is a restricted area so there will be no dinking. The weather is phenomenal - sunny, breezy with even a hint of chill in the air. Couldn't have asked for a better day for our anniversary. Mike sent a picture of us in front of the Sundowner. Looks like we still go together after 41 years. It fascinates the heck out of us - the constant change in scenery, foliage, dunes, landscaping, housing. The homes are from double-wides to quiet, elegant homes to farmland. There was one very large pink place on the tip of a remote island that was very "creative" - the pool had a rock waterfall with a slide. Must be fun people! I have spotted a few I want to live in. We played "time the bridge openings" for most of the day. We went under 4 in a row that were on specific opening times - 2 were on hour openings. It's interesting that there has got to be a boat for almost every person in this area and they have the old swing bridges that open sparingly. But after we passed Wrightsville and Surf City, we didn't see a boat for miles.  It was so beautiful today, Jack wandered up to the bridge and even took over the navigator's chair. We arrived at our anchorage - it was serene and balmy. Had a gourmet dinner, if I do say so myself, and about half way through we started hearing the bombs being tested and gunfire practice. The guidebook says we may see maneuvers with armed marines and helicopters invading this bay, which the Marines maintain. This will be an interesting night.

Day 30 Father's Day in Carolina Beach

Started the day slow - after all, it's Father's Day. Big storm passed last night so we were happy to be moored in a protected bay. It brought delightful weather - 79 the high today. Dinner last night was large, wild-caught shrimp that we bought in Georgetown. Fabulous! Big party boats go in and out  in the evening - heard YMCA blasting around 10pm going by our porthole. No wonder I woke up this morning humming that song. Dinked to the ocean beach this morning. Very crowded at 10am - water was cool, but tolerable to walk in. Later dinked in to the "city" for some lunch and exploring. This is definitely a tourist town. Found a place that served delicious calamari, conch fritters, and painkillers. That made the trip worthwhile. Walked to the beach again - found out where the entire population of Carolina Beach was - lots of pink bodies covered in oil. Happy Father's Day to our Dad and all the other dads reading our blog. 

Day 29 Cape Fear and Carolina Beach

We left our anchorage at 9:30 and were in North Carolina by 9:35. The Welcoming Committee was a small herd of goats on a tiny strip of land between the ICW and the ocean. Random. John has decided that NC has more jet skiers than SC has horse flies and they are just as annoying. Finally got out of the crazy weekend boating traffic and enjoyed quiet waters passing old fishing villages until we hit Cape Fear Inlet. The ocean side of the ICW is non-stop houses. We only saw the ocean one time - it was very inviting, so tomorrow we are dinking to the dingy dock and walking to the beach. Crossing the inlet was a rough ride to our mooring near Snow's Cut - bucking a 4 knot current and it's a BIG inlet, then you think you are entering into a sleepy little ocean town, but noooo. We turned the corner on the cut and discovered Carolina Beach is a little Atlantic City. We moored and are staying put for 2 days in these protected waters. We are celebrating completing 1000 miles, Father's Day and our 41st Anniversary...and we are still having fun. 

Day 28 Cypress Swamps

Left Georgetown for the wilds of the SC cypress swamps. It was a pleasant change from all the marshlands. We passed some "abandoned rice fields" outside of town. Thousands of slaves toiled in them in past centuries making it Georgetown's cash crop along with indigo. By 1840, almost half of the rice consumed in the US came from Georgetown. Now they produce paper and steel in mills that were located right across from where we stayed last night. Thank goodness, the wind was blowing in the other direction. Lots of osprey make the cypress forests their home. Out of nowhere, we came across a large steel hulled sailboat in the Wascamaw River - interesting site. Have gone under quite a few bridges since we left home. Our favorites are the swing bridges- they are out of another period of time. Boated past Myrtle Beach. I bet that place is nuts on the weekend. We stepped aside in the channel and let 2 huge gambling boats pass us as we headed to our night's destination. They look impressive from afar, but are actually crummy looking close up. We anchored in Calabash River near the NC/SC border and an inlet that goes out to the Atlantic. Hearing some thunder off in the distance, we may see some rain tonight. Strong, cool wind will make sleeping out enjoyable.  Tomorrow we head into North Carolina. 

Day 27 Georgetown with Jackie and Mike

Explored shops and sites of historic Georgetown with J & M this morning. Beautiful weather all day. Took a trip to a cute shopping village in Pawley, stocked up on supplies in Food Lion and ACE Hardware, then lunch on the waterfront. Good to see family - really enjoyed our visit from two special people. Jack enjoyed them too. As you can see, he took Jackie for a walk. Lots of boats in this area. Loved the old school boat in dry dock - better than the big yellow buses we went to school in. Then found a boat called Dixie. Had to include it in the blog for all my friends at Dixie Adult. After our company left, we strolled down to Francis Marion (Swamp Fox) Park and listened to a delightful concert by Ty and his kids. Was disappointed when he sang Sweet Caroline and no one else in the park did the "baam, baam,  baam" and the "so good, so good, so good" except for me and John. Awk-ward. Maybe they don't do that in SC?? The town does these concerts every other Thursday. I must say it was the most well dressed crowd I've ever seen at a concert. Small town, USA, at it's best. Tomorrow onward up the coast. 

Day 26 Georgetown

Left our peaceful, serene anchorage early, so we could get to Georgetown to meet Jackie and Mike and avoid inclement weather.  Had to travel through miles and miles of marshland. Seeing a new variety of marsh foliage - kind of looks like corn. We went for hours without seeing another boat. Unfortunately, what we did see were plenty of horseflies. I'm assuming they are the state bird of SC since they are so abundant. I am of the philosophy that all God's creatures serve a purpose; however, the only purpose I can see for horseflies is food for birds with indiscriminate taste OR they are not one of God's creatures and are actually spawn of Satan. Had to drive from inside for a while to avoid them. Passed a small car ferry with lots of cars - they must be building something back in these marshes to have that many workers in the middle of nowhere. Arrived in Georgetown around 2. Had margaritas, tuna and flounder for dinner. It is the third oldest city in SC - very historic and quaint. Can't wait to explore it with Jackie and Mike tomorrow. Weather stayed gorgeous all day - lucky us. John explored the fish docks with Jack earlier and he got a "taste" of fish smell - now wants more. He'll get his chance - we are on this waterfront for 2 more days. 

Day 25 Charleston

What a glorious anchorage we picked last night - cool breezes and calm, quiet waters. Witnessed a glorious sunset, then spied a brilliant falling star through the front window right before I went to sleep. No light pollution here.  We hung around the mouth of the Bull River till 8:30 am just enjoying the solitude. I want to live here. Then on our way toward our boat's first home -  Edisto Beach - as we passed, I think I saw the Sundowner, formerly Edisto Rose, wave her fin in Steve and Rosa's direction. The terrain along the river in SC is somewhat different from GA. I expect Daniel Boone to step out from behind a tree any minute. The water here is very muddy, but there are still plenty of dolphins. We never get tired of seeing them off the bow of the boat. Not a cloud in the sky and not much wind today - a tab bit warm. The tide was out all day today. Some of the rivers we boated up looked like creeks. Saw a few unfortunate souls who picked the wrong anchorage last night and they were on their sides today. Made it to Charleston  by 4pm - this is the farthest north the Sundowner has been. John is in new territory on this boat. We crossed the Charleston Harbor, I was at the wheel. Lordy, what an assault on my senses and abilities. There were freighters going in and out, shrimp boats, excursion boats, a mini regatta with inexperienced sailors in prams, fishing boats, para sailors and large waves. Raced right by Ft. Sumpter. After surviving the crossing, we went by Goat Island. Aahh, now I want to live there. It's just a tiny strip of land with funky little island huts and docks- only accessible by boat. The wind picked up as we approached our anchorage at Capers Island. We are getting good at anchoring in 6 - 8 foot tides  - or maybe just lucky. It actually got cool again at the end of the day. Looking forward to seeing Jackie (John's sister) and Mike (hubby) soon. Today's position is N32 degrees 52.311 m and W79 degrees 42.880 m.