The best laid plans...in the cold...

2091 <div class="maincontent">It seemed that we were destined to slog it out in the "ditch" through the Carolinas again…but that was OK. Given that we were not going to get our replacement shroud for another week, we decided to play it safe and stay in the ICW rather than head out to sea. Although we would have probably been fine, the winds had stayed fairly lively and with the attendant wave action we chose not put extra stress on the remaining shrouds. It meant burning more diesel that we had hoped but with the NW winds we were able to use the jib to boost our motoring speed in many places even in the ICW. The passing of the cold front on Saturday (Nov 15th) was fairly dramatic with 20 – 30 knot sustained winds and gusts up to 40 knots. Of course, this occurred after dark which makes it all seem a bit more ominous but we were fine in our South River anchorage. It was a little bouncy and I found the shrieking wind rather unsettling for a while but I have learned that I am better off in the cockpit watching what is going on rather than being in the cabin, just hearing and feeling the swinging motion on the anchor. There were tornado watches for our area on Saturday morning and evening but they did not affect us (other than encouraging us to look outside more frequently). However, a couple of tornadoes touched down in the Carolinas causing terrible damage and some deaths, one about 45 miles from us, the other 90 miles away.Predictably, the north winds with the cold front dropped the temperatures considerably and by Wednesday morning it was near freezing outside and a nippy 42F in our cabin (thank goodness for the hot-water bottles!). There was even talk of snow flakes in the area but we did not see any. But most of the time the sun was back and blue skies do make everything seem better, so the runs on Sunday from South River to Swansboro and on Monday to Wrightsville Beach were pleasant enough. In addition to the clear skies, we also saw dolphins for the first time in weeks…a very encouraging sign that is bound to lift the spirits. Pelicans were becoming commonplace again, kingfishers were frequent, and there were a few good-sized flocks of the majestic, white, great egrets along some of the marshes bordering the ICW. On the warmer afternoons, flocks of tree swallows entertained us with their aerial acrobatics, and despite the cooler weather, we even saw a bat one peaceful evening on the Waccamaw River. The beautiful wildlife does much to improve the scenery, especially in the areas were waterfront development is on the increase.The small anchorage at Swansboro was busy and the parade of boats on Monday was rather tedious. First we had to pass through Camp Lejeune the Marine Corps training area. They broadcast early in the morning that the ICW would be closed for four hours for live weapons training so there was a rush to begin (and complete) the transit of the area before it was closed. Then there were three swing-bridges and two of them only opened on the hour. This meant trying to time one’s approach so as not to be too early or late, inevitably meaning that a dozen or so boats were trying to be in about the same place a the same time. Not very relaxing! At least there were plenty of places to stay near Wrightsville Beach, so despite the feeling of being crowded at the bridges our anchorage there was not very busy.With 25 – 30 knot gust predicted for the day and night on Tuesday, we decided to stay an extra day in Wrightsville Beach where we knew the anchoring conditions were good. Wrightsville Beach was the only place at which we stopped on all three of our ICW passages and we had hoped that this time we would be able to go ashore. However, the winds were sufficient to make that prospect unpleasant (having to get the dinghy off the deck, etc) so we gave up on that idea. Instead we had a productive and satisfying day working online and on the phone making arrangements for our Fernandina Beach / Gainesville stay in December.We had a good passage through the attractive, steeply sided Snow’s Cut on Wednesday morning and a helpful current carried us down the Cape Fear River to Southport. We had originally intended to spend the night at anchor in Calabash Creek (where we had stayed on our own in June) but by the time we got there, there were eight boats already lined up long the narrow river so we decided to treat ourselves and stay at Cricket Cove Marina. We were a bit surprised that the place was not busier but it was a very long walk from our slip on the extensive dock to the on-shore facilities and even further to town, which might put some people off. We did not worry about it because we got on our bikes and rode a couple of miles to stock up at the grocery store. We also enjoyed a very good dinner at the marina’s new restaurant but sadly we were the only diners. Admittedly it was a Wednesday night in the fall but not a very optimistic sign for the business.When we left the next morning, there was ice on the dock but we had enjoyed the luxury of running the heater in the cabin using the shore power. Even colder weather was predicted for the following days as another cold front approached, and with anchorages planned we knew that we would miss the electric heater. From Cricket Cove Marina we motored through the worst part of "the ditch", a narrow canal section call the "Rockpile" with unforgiving rock ledges along the edge and overly ostentatious development onshore. This is followed, however, by one of the best parts of the ICW as it joins the Waccamaw River. We anchored in the river a short distance upstream of the junction with the ICW for a very peaceful evening on our own surrounded by graceful cypress trees. We could not help but notice a few water hyacinths floating at the edge of the channel and some clumps of the tall native grass, giant cutgrass, both of which were species on which we had done research at UF.On Friday we made a relatively short run enjoying the meanders along the Waccamaw River and stopping in the early afternoon at Butler Island (mile-marker 395, a few miles short of Georgetown, SC, and the site of our first anchorage after leaving Cumberland Island in June). With sunshine and a good breeze for solar- and wind-power generation we were able to wrap ourselves in blankets in the cabin and enjoy watching a couple of DVDs. Five other boats joined us later in the afternoon but we were getting the impression that the ICW parade was starting to thin out which suited us fine.The next morning there was ice on the anchor line, the cabin was only 38F, and the daytime temperatures were not forecast to get above 45F. We started to wonder if this had to be the coldest November on record in the Carolinas. We had asked for our replacement shroud to be sent to Charleston on Monday or Tuesday so there was no rush to get to Charleston. The anchorage there is not renowned to have very good holding and 15 – 20 knot winds were predicted for Monday night so we decided to book a marina slip for Monday night. Thus, on Saturday we had a cold but pleasant run between Butler Island and Awendaw Creek at mile-marker 436. The anchorage there was surrounded by saltmarshes protected in a US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Refuge. With only a few houses visible on the horizon and with pelicans and dolphins greeting us in the creek, we felt that we were in a remote, wild place. It was a good place to stop and relax before we approached the crowded development of the Isle of Palms leading into the city of Charleston.</div> It seemed that we were destined to slog it out in the "ditch" through the Carolinas again...but that was OK. Given that we were not going to get our replacement shroud for another week, we decided to play it safe and stay in the ICW rather than head out to sea. Although we would have probably been fine, the winds had stayed fairly lively and with the attendant wave action we chose not put extra stress on the remaining shrouds. It meant burning more diesel that we had hoped but with the NW winds we were able to use the jib to boost our motoring speed in many places even in the ICW. The passing of the cold front on Saturday (Nov 15th) was fairly dramatic with 20 - 30 knot sustained winds and gusts up to 40 knots. Of course, this occurred after dark which makes it all seem a bit more ominous but we were fine in our South River anchorage. It was a little bouncy and I found the shrieking wind rather unsettling for a while but I have learned that I am better off in the cockpit watching what is going on rather than being in the cabin, just hearing and feeling the swinging motion on the anchor. There were tornado watches for our area on Saturday morning and evening but they did not affect us (other than encouraging us to look outside more frequently). However, a couple of tornadoes touched down in the Carolinas causing terrible damage and some deaths, one about 45 miles from us, the other 90 miles away.Predictably, the north winds with the cold front dropped the temperatures considerably and by Wednesday morning it was near freezing outside and a nippy 42F in our cabin (thank goodness for the hot-water bottles!). There was even talk of snow flakes in the area but we did not see any. But most of the time the sun was back and blue skies do make everything seem better, so the runs on Sunday from South River to Swansboro and on Monday to Wrightsville Beach were pleasant enough. In addition to the clear skies, we also saw dolphins for the first time in weeks...a very encouraging sign that is bound to lift the spirits. Pelicans were becoming commonplace again, kingfishers were frequent, and there were a few good-sized flocks of the majestic, white, great egrets along some of the marshes bordering the ICW. On the warmer afternoons, flocks of tree swallows entertained us with their aerial acrobatics, and despite the cooler weather, we even saw a bat one peaceful evening on the Waccamaw River. The beautiful wildlife does much to improve the scenery, especially in the areas were waterfront development is on the increase.The small anchorage at Swansboro was busy and the parade of boats on Monday was rather tedious. First we had to pass through Camp Lejeune the Marine Corps training area. They broadcast early in the morning that the ICW would be closed for four hours for live weapons training so there was a rush to begin (and complete) the transit of the area before it was closed. Then there were three swing-bridges and two of them only opened on the hour. This meant trying to time one’s approach so as not to be too early or late, inevitably meaning that a dozen or so boats were trying to be in about the same place a the same time. Not very relaxing! At least there were plenty of places to stay near Wrightsville Beach, so despite the feeling of being crowded at the bridges our anchorage there was not very busy.With 25 - 30 knot gust predicted for the day and night on Tuesday, we decided to stay an extra day in Wrightsville Beach where we knew the anchoring conditions were good. Wrightsville Beach was the only place at which we stopped on all three of our ICW passages and we had hoped that this time we would be able to go ashore. However, the winds were sufficient to make that prospect unpleasant (having to get the dinghy off the deck, etc) so we gave up on that idea. Instead we had a productive and satisfying day working online and on the phone making arrangements for our Fernandina Beach / Gainesville stay in December.We had a good passage through the attractive, steeply sided Snow’s Cut on Wednesday morning and a helpful current carried us down the Cape Fear River to Southport. We had originally intended to spend the night at anchor in Calabash Creek (where we had stayed on our own in June) but by the time we got there, there were eight boats already lined up long the narrow river so we decided to treat ourselves and stay at Cricket Cove Marina. We were a bit surprised that the place was not busier but it was a very long walk from our slip on the extensive dock to the on-shore facilities and even further to town, which might put some people off. We did not worry about it because we got on our bikes and rode a couple of miles to stock up at the grocery store. We also enjoyed a very good dinner at the marina’s new restaurant but sadly we were the only diners. Admittedly it was a Wednesday night in the fall but not a very optimistic sign for the business.When we left the next morning, there was ice on the dock but we had enjoyed the luxury of running the heater in the cabin using the shore power. Even colder weather was predicted for the following days as another cold front approached, and with anchorages planned we knew that we would miss the electric heater. From Cricket Cove Marina we motored through the worst part of "the ditch", a narrow canal section call the "Rockpile" with unforgiving rock ledges along the edge and overly ostentatious development onshore. This is followed, however, by one of the best parts of the ICW as it joins the Waccamaw River. We anchored in the river a short distance upstream of the junction with the ICW for a very peaceful evening on our own surrounded by graceful cypress trees. We could not help but notice a few water hyacinths floating at the edge of the channel and some clumps of the tall native grass, giant cutgrass, both of which were species on which we had done research at UF.On Friday we made a relatively short run enjoying the meanders along the Waccamaw River and stopping in the early afternoon at Butler Island (mile-marker 395, a few miles short of Georgetown, SC, and the site of our first anchorage after leaving Cumberland Island in June). With sunshine and a good breeze for solar- and wind-power generation we were able to wrap ourselves in blankets in the cabin and enjoy watching a couple of DVDs. Five other boats joined us later in the afternoon but we were getting the impression that the ICW parade was starting to thin out which suited us fine.The next morning there was ice on the anchor line, the cabin was only 38F, and the daytime temperatures were not forecast to get above 45F. We started to wonder if this had to be the coldest November on record in the Carolinas. We had asked for our replacement shroud to be sent to Charleston on Monday or Tuesday so there was no rush to get to Charleston. The anchorage there is not renowned to have very good holding and 15 - 20 knot winds were predicted for Monday night so we decided to book a marina slip for Monday night. Thus, on Saturday we had a cold but pleasant run between Butler Island and Awendaw Creek at mile-marker 436. The anchorage there was surrounded by saltmarshes protected in a US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Refuge. With only a few houses visible on the horizon and with pelicans and dolphins greeting us in the creek, we felt that we were in a remote, wild place. It was a good place to stop and relax before we approached the crowded development of the Isle of Palms leading into the city of Charleston.

2008-11-22T20:54:00+01:00

10471

true

en 33.034 Awendaw Creek, SC -79.5403

2008-11-22T20:01:45+01:00

/blogs/2091-us-canada-east-coast-2008/posts/10471-the_best_laid_plansin_the

The best laid plans...in the cold...

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