We arrived in the sea village of Oriental after a 3 hour trip from Beaufort on Sunday. As we have posted before, the scenery and sights from the waterway are "postcard" views. After the loop, we could come back to Eastern NC for months just to see the side trips. We have seen another view of this great state. We are amazed at the number of dolphins we have seen on the trip and Pia is constantly trying to take pictures but they just won't stay above the water long enough for a good picture - guess they did not watch Flipper! This picture is of a "school" of dolphins in the ICW as we approached Oriental.

As we left Beaufort on Sunday morning, we were navigating to the ICW and knew the water was "skinny" but discovered how we need to be constantly aware of the water depth. Before we "found" the ICW, our depth sounder read -.9 feet! We weren't on the bottom but was probably plowing - thankfully the bottom was sandy. We were finally able to find the channel and made the scenic route to Oriental. Below is a picture as we approached the marina that would become our new home for the next few days. Again, the water was "skinny" - we now have 2 feet of water below the boat.

On Monday, we took the dingy into Oriental - a great little seaside village(population <1000)> 2700 sailboats and is known as "The Sailboat Capital of NC". Oriental is definitely a destination that we would revisit. After our trip into town on the dingy for marine shopping and lunch with John and Sue, we returned to the marina and we walked to the local grocery store for provisions. On the way back - less than 1 mile - the local residents stopped on the road to ask us if we needed a ride. What a great town!

The last picture is "Still Busy" in the slip in Oriental at Whittaker Creek Yacht Club. We will leave in the morning early for a 50 mile run to Bel Haven on the ICW.

On Wednesday morning, left Myrtle Beach for Southport, NC - a run of 40 miles. The weather was "breezy" but we were hoping it would calm down. As I have said many times - Hope is not a strategy. The trip up the ICW was fine and the wind, although "breezy" was not a problem until we arrived in Southport around 2 PM. Mother Nature decided at that very moment to "really blow" and the gusts were more than 30MPH. Quite an experience getting into the marina but we made it with the same amount of gelcoat on board as when we departed MB. All is well that ends well.

The first couple of pictures are of John and Sue aboard "Just Relax" as we depart MB and as we wait pass through the pontoon bridge in Sunset Beach NC. The bridge opens on the hour and if you are early, you have to wait. We had to wait for 35 minutes in the wind - not an easy task.

Did you ever wonder why fishermen wear rubber overalls even though the sun is shining bright? Pia took this picture as we discovered the answer to this intriguing question - notice the birds that are "hovering" above his skiff. You may need to click on the picture to find the answer!

So we finally arrived at the marina in Southport (remember the winds?) and the wind finally calmed down. Looking at these pictures makes it hard to believe that the wind was blowing so hard just a few short hours ago but now all is beautiful again!

On Thursday morning, we left Southport headed to our first night on the hook at Camp Lejune, a run of 60 miles. When we arrived in the anchorage area, the winds were once again a factor since we were so close to the ocean. We dropped the anchor and were joined by John and Sue. Because of the high winds, we decided to drop another anchor. This picture is John and Jack in the dingy taking a spare anchor out as far as possible - just for insurance. Please notice that neither one was wearing life jackets and were promptly scolded by Admirals Pia and Sue!!!

After a dinner cooked on the grill, all of us slept great and were up early for our 40 mile trip to Beaufort NC. We continue to be amazed at the sights and the environment. This first picture was taken about 6:30 AM as soon as we got out of bed. The second picture was taken about 8 AM as we headed up the ICW shortly after pulling anchor. Beautiful sights!!

Just in case you were wondering what a First Mate/Admiral does while the Captain is driving the boat, we thought we would share a picture that was made after lunch while cruising.

So, on Friday at 2 PM we arrived in Beaufort and plan to stay here until Sunday when we will leave for Oriental, NC. The final 2 pictures from this post is "Just Relax" as we come into the downtown Marina. As we were on the dock on Friday evening, we took this final photo of wild horses on an uninhabited island directly across the harbor from the marina.

Georgetown to Myrtle Beach

We left Georgetown around 9:30 on Saturday for our 50 or so mile trip to MB (should have left earlier but our bed sleeps so well we have a tough time getting up early - one of life's challenges). The ICW between G'town and MB may be some of the most beautiful stretches of the NC/SC ICW. Waters were calm when we departed from the harbor into the Waccamaw River. By 11:30 were were in the Cypress Swamp - very pretty -trees are fuller with Spanish moss hanging into the water. It is hard to describe so I will download some pictures. The first picture is on the Waccamaw River on one of the many islands - hopefully you can see the school "bus/boat" that must transport students from the islands to the school beside the general store. (may not be aware but you can click on each picture to enlarge)

The last picture is the Socastee Swing Bridge which we reached about 1:30. Most of the day we traveled with a couple of Yachts from G-town to MB and we traveled about 5 0r 6 miles per hour since the beautiful scenery (and the multiple no-wake zones) were many. We arrived at our marina at 4:15. John and Sue will be joining us on Sunday evening and we will plan our trip for the next few weeks - need to meet with Doug and Leslie aboard "Happy Clams" in the next few days in NC.

We are 1% Done

We had a great final few days in Charleston. After our Dock mates from Lake Norman left on Sunday, Bill and Nita Reeves from Dallas arrived in Charleston on Monday. We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday sightseeing and eating our way throughout Charleston from downtown to Shem Creek to Isle of Palms. In fact, the first picture is the four of us having lunch on the market. Great food, great friends, great time!!!

Thursday - finally the departure date arrived and we were ready. A perfect day to cast off on our adventure - slight breeze, warm temps, and nothing but sunny skies. This is the day we had been planning for a long time. Here is a picture of us pulling away from the dock headed into Charleston harbor to the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW). We were thrilled as we moved into the Ashley River to Charleston harbor toward the ICW. A couple of early pictures of dolphins in the harbor before the ICW as well as a picture of the famous Battery that neither of us had seen from the water.

Our original plans were to travel to Georgetown on Thursday and depart for Myrtle Beach on Friday. We arrived in Georgetown around 4:30 and, after getting settled, walked to the historic downtown waterfront. What a charming little town. We decided to stay another night so we could further explore. We realized that we have traveled 67 miles - from Charleston to Georgetown - of a 6500+mile trip so we have completed 1% of the trip - 99% to go! - and if the remaining 99 is as good as the first 1, we will have a blast.

A couple of pictures that you may find of interest. Check out the preview of the ponytail on Captain Jack. Don't know how long it will last but it is a beginning.

The last picture is "Still Busy" at the Georgetown dock with downtown waterfront in the background and Pia toasting our safe arrival on the first leg of our journey.

On Friday we will depart for Myrtle Beach - a trip of almost 50 miles. We will be in MB for a few days as we join our friends John and Sue Winter aboard "Just Relax" for the trip up the east coast.

We are now "boat people"

Since moving the boat to Charleston in mid-March, we spent a couple of weekends getting organized, provisioning, etc. Jack retired on April 1st and Pia left her position the same week so we moved on the boat full time April 3rd. We have now spent 10 consecutive nights as "boat people" and we are both amazed at how well it is going. No question, some adjustment (clothes are always wrinkled) but we are doing great and looking forward to leaving on our trip soon. This first picture is "Still Busy" at her new temporary slip in Charleston.

Earlier this week, we attended a meeting in Charleston of a Loopers Rendezvous sponsored by the AGLCA, an association of current, past, and future looping boaters. Many good sessions on what to expect and what to plan for as well as the opportunity to meet many good people that are more than willing to share their experiences. We look forward to traveling with many of these same boaters in the coming months somewhere on The Loop.

While in Charleston, last weekend we attended Jack's grandson Garrett's, 4th birthday party. Watching twenty or so 4 year olds bowl is quite an entertaining event. Fun had by all!

This past weekend was spent with some great friends from home - all dock mates from Lake Norman - that traveled to Charleston just to celebrate the start of our trip. We will miss all of them and look forward to seeing them at the home port in a year. It is great to have such good friends.
On Monday, some more friends from Dallas, Bill and Nita Reeves, are traveling to Charleston to "see us off". Bill has been an avid boater for many years and I look forward to his advice as we plan the final days in Charleston.

Our plans are to leave Charleston on Thursday, April 16th, and travel to Georgetown, SC for one night before joining John and Sue Winter aboard "Just Relax" in Myrtle Beach. We plan to travel up the east coast with John and Sue as they leave for their trip on the Down East Loop. The Winters' completed The Great Loop in 2007 and have been a wealth of information and encouragement for us as we have prepared. We will benefit from their knowledge and experience.

We have enjoyed the time we spent in Charleston finalizing our plans but we are ready to leave on the great adventure. We will try to update the blog next weekend from Myrtle Beach and look forward to hearing from all of you in the coming days and weeks.