There is always something for us to do when we are on the boat, and it is only after we get home, catch up on life requirements and take a breather, that we have time to reflect on the various aspects of the trip. Before leaving the boat in Jacksonville, we made sure her lines were secure, fenders out and tied down correctly, and covers securely fastened. Fairly high winds are predicted for this week, so I hope the lines hold as they should. We washed her from top to bottom and had time to put a little wax on some spots that we didn't get to before departure. She is also loaded with fuel and water in preparation for a fairly quick departure when we return. 

We are not really concerned that we will have any moisture problems, however we did leave a DampRid bucket in each sink to absorb excess humidity and we put all of the pillows and bedding in sealed bags. We also put the majority of our clothes in vacuum bags to avoid having to clean them on our return. We installed the exterior window covers to limit sunlight getting into the salon.

The trip home by plane was uneventful with no delays. We drove down to Rock Hall the next morning to pick up the car. The marina still has a few boats in it, but our dock was completely empty and ready for the long cold winter.

Overall, the trip south went very well. Other than our stop in Washington, NC, we did not spend much time at any one place. We stopped at a few different places along the way and were able to anchor out a couple of times. It all adds to becoming more familiar with the ICW. Different than our first trip, we had no fog to deal with on this one. The weather was quite a bit colder, but not uncomfortable. It is ironic that we were actually wearing shorts and t-shirts when we left Maryland on November 15 and then had to bundle up as we passed through the southern states. As in the past, we met some very nice people and traded stories about our boating adventures. There were a few frustrations, such as the Seakeeper not working and the dinghy battery dying. We had quite a few shallow water areas that kept us alert and a few heavy traffic situations. We had two great nights on anchor and one that was a little tense. I still don't know if we were dragging our anchor or not, but it was concerning and resulted in some lost sleep. It is all part of the adventure, and of course another story to tell.

Being back at home allows me to gather all of the trip data and record it in spreadsheets for future reference. For those that don't know, I love keeping data and statistical information, so I have many spreadsheets with maintenance records, usage data and all of our expenses. I also keep an hourly log where engine data is recorded when we are doing long runs. Boats don't have odometers to indicate usage. The engines have hour meters to show how much time has been put on them. This helps determine when service such as oil and filter changes is needed. For those curious about these things, here are some statistics about the trip:
Starting Engine Hours: 240
Ending Engine Hours: 324
Distance Travelled: 853.4 Nautical Miles or 981.4 Statute Miles
Diesel Fuel Used: 1248.13 Gallons
Average Nautical Miles per Gallon: 0.70
Average Statute Miles per Gallon: 0.81
Lowest Diesel Fuel Price: $3.839 - Wacca Wache Marina, SC
Highest Diesel Fuel Price: $5.10 - Palm Cove Marina, Jacksonville, FL
Average Fuel Cost: $4.452 per gallon
Number of Anchorages: 3
Number of Marinas: 11 (including our final stop)
Longest Stay: 4 Nights in Washington, NC
Number of Ocean Passages: 3
Shortest Distance Travelled in One Day: 7.0 Nautical Miles (Fernandina Beach to Cumberland Island Anchorage)
Longest Distance Travelled in One Day: 102.8 Nautical Miles (Hilton Head to Fernandina Beach via Ocean Route)
Shortest Travel Day: 1 Hour (Fernandina Beach to Cumberland Island Anchorage)
Longest Travel Day: 8.75 Hours (Southport, NC to Wacca Wache Marina, SC)
Average Speed: 10.5 Nautical Miles per Hour

All in all, it was about as expected. Perhaps on the return trip we will spend a little more time at some of the locations. We'll see how things go.

Despite our dinghy problems at the Cumberland Island Anchorage, we had a perfect night to be anchored out. There were a few other boats in the anchorage and the sunset was very nice. We didn't feel like we were completely in the wilderness since the lights from the submarine base were very bright. Despite two tide changes of five feet or more, the boat hardly moved. There was no wind, so we didn't hear any water lapping on the hull. 

We stopped by a fuel dock that is well-known for inexpensive diesel. I called and got no response, and we stopped at the dock, but no one was there. I found out later on Facebook that the guy that runs the dock broke his ankle a couple of weeks ago and there is no one available to man the pumps. So we had to go to the marina next door, where we stayed on Wednesday night, and purchase the fuel at a higher price. To add to the misery, I had a coupon code for a discount on fuel at that marina, but it expired the day before. As luck would have it, this was the second largest load of fuel we took on during the entire trip. The rest of the trip to Jacksonville was uneventful despite transiting a couple of well-know shoal areas that have caused a number of groundings. We were traveling at high tide, so those areas were less of an issue.

We arrived at Palm Cove Marina around 2:00pm and tied up in our winter slip. This morning we worked on cleaning the boat inside and out. She was covered in salt after a few days out in the ocean, so it was big job getting to every spot. We stayed at this marina on our last trip so we are very familiar with it, the staff and the area. We know they will take care of the boat for us.

Since the ICW leg of this journey is over, this is the last blog post for a while. With any luck, the next posts will be about the preparations and travel to the Bahamas. We are excited for that adventure.

As I said yesterday, Fernandina is an interesting town with the railroad tracks running between the town and the marina. While I was ashore this morning the train went by and I was able to get a picture. They are very careful here and stop and the crossing to make sure everything is safe.

It was supposed to be a quiet and easy day. No need to wake up extra early and be out on the water at the crack of dawn. The plan was to cruise about 6 nm north instead of south, anchor off Cumberland Island and dinghy to the island. We got off the docks at Fernandina easy and turned north. It was a comfortable ride with little traffic and the currents were in our favor. We anchored off Cumberland Island and dealt with the finicky chain counter that has been an issue from the beginning............it wasn't counting the chain length. Fortunately, we had marked the chain in 25 foot increments and knew how much was out. This is critical in high tide areas like this. The difference between low and high tide can be up to six feet. We got the anchor set and used the longer of the two bridles we have. Six hours later and we are still staying put. That is success in anchoring. Cumberland Island is to our starboard and the Kings Bay submarine base is to our port. 

After getting anchored safely, we put the dinghy in the water to head over to the island. Things seemed amiss when we noticed a lot of water in the dinghy. It has a bilge pump that is supposed to keep it dry. We had enough juice in the battery to get the engine down, but not enough to get it started. Here we go again with the old adage, "everything on your boat is broken, you just don't know it yet!" Two issues now, 1) we can't go to the island, 2) we can't get the dinghy back onto the swim platform with the engine in the down position. After trying with no success to solve the problem myself, I called Towboat US  for help. The young lady on the other end of the line was helpful, but she really didn't know how things work while cruising and on anchor. She wanted an address and how do you give an address when your at anchor. We eventually got it worked out and she sent out a dispatch to the most southern Towboat US captain in Georgia. Unfortunately, he wasn't the closest, the Fernandina Beach guy was closest. Things eventually got worked out and a guy from Fernandina came to assist. He couldn't have been more helpful, except his jumper cables were bad and took forever to charge up the battery enough to get the engine running and the engine raised. He spent two hours with us. We gave up the idea of visiting the island and had to be satisfied with just getting the engine raised and the dinghy back on the swim platform. We will deal with the issue when we get to Jacksonville tomorrow. While waiting for the Towboat US captain to arrive, I contacted a Seakeeper dealer in Atlantic Beach about our malfunctioning Seakeeper and Chesapeake Yacht Center about a malfunctioning pump. We should be able to get those issues resolved over the next two months. Tomorrow is our last day on the water until late January. What should have been an easy and fun day today, became just another boat problem day causing us to miss the goals we had made. My patience has been tested and I can't say that I passed the test.

There was no blog yesterday as we had a long day cruising from Charleston to Hilton Head via the ocean. It was a little choppy, but we have been in much worse and got through it fine. There was little traffic leaving Charleston, but we did see a NOAA ship heading out for some type of research activity. The waves were heavy enough to spray the whole boat with salt water leaving it a crusty mess. We were pretty exhausted once we arrived in Hilton Head, but we had to load up with fuel, pump out and wash down the boat. We went for a little walk around the marina and ran into a couple that we met at Dowry Creek last week. While talking to them, a couple from Osprey Point came walking down the dock. These things are fairly common among those cruising up and down the ICW.

Today we left Palmetto Bay Marina in Hilton Head right after sunrise. It was a beautiful day and the water was much calmer. We traveled over 100 miles to Fernandina and only saw a couple of boats and a few large commercial ships. The boat ran well for the seven hour trip, but the Fernandina Inlet was a little choppy with a swift outgoing current. It took a little extra power to fight it and maintain headway.

We got to the Fernandina Harbor Marina and hailed them on the radio. They asked to hold up for a few minutes while they moved a sailboat down to make space for us. We finally got docked into the tightest space I have ever been in. Only a foot or two to spare fore and aft. Our anchor was hanging over the boat in front of us. I'm not sure how we actually docked with the wind and current, but we did and the whole process looked pretty good. It could have been an embarrassing situation, but not this time. 

Fernandina is a conundrum, a quaint town with nice shops and restaurants, surrounded by big noisy industry. The docks are at the foot of the main street and separated by train tracks that see frequent activity from the surrounding industry. It was lit up and decorated for the holidays and many of the shops had Christmas window displays. Even with relatively cold weather, a number of the restaurants were open with outdoor seating and live music entertainment.

We are only about 25 miles from our final destination in Jacksonville, but tomorrow we will head a few miles north to anchor for a night at the Cumberland Island National Seashore, part of the National Park System. Hopefully we will get a chance to dinghy over to the island.

The poor weather yesterday extended into the night. It was rainy and cold, and when the tide went out, we believe the strong current caused our anchor to drag. It was too dark to be sure, but we thought we were getting too close to the sailboat that had anchored nearby, so we fired up the engines, brought up the anchor and moved the boat a few hundred yards away. It was a little disconcerting in the dark, but we set the anchor in the new location and hoped it would hold. I checked periodically during the night and things seemed to be going well. I was concerned that the next tide change would cause us to drag again. And, just to add to the excitement, the winds started to pick up. I didn't get much sleep, but we made it through the night and were treated to a beautiful moonset and simultaneous sunrise.

We left the anchorage at 8:15am at high tide. It looked very different than when we came in as much of the grassy areas were water covered. We only traveled about 30 miles to Charleston, passing the busy Isle of Palms area with a number of treacherous shallow spots. We crossed the Charleston Harbor and arrived at our marina for the night. This is always a fun marina with all types of big yachts. We look pretty small compared to some of these super yachts, so we turned on the lights to do our part and add to the festivities.

Some thoughts from Martha:
Our night at Wacca Wache rates 5 stars. The deck hands gave us advance slip information for our late arrival, then ended up staying after closing to fuel and dock us and a few other late boats. The fuel and slip rates were very affordable. 
The floating docks are in great shape, we had a tasty meal at the Marina restaurant, and a dock hand even offered me his truck for a grocery store run. 
Bathrooms are well-equipped and maintained. We will definitely return to this marina.
We noticed unusual floating vegetation south of the marina and found out is floating water hyacinth, an invasive plant that impacts fish, native plants, and boating. 

Matthew’s Cut at McClanville during dead low tide was a scary section of shallow water. Bob stayed near 6 knots to have good reaction time in case we hit ground. 

Now from the main blogger:
I took the last couple of nights off from the blog, mostly due to mental exhaustion. On Friday we left Morehead City and went out into the ocean for a few hours. The weather was great and we had a good return into Masonboro Inlet, which is just south of Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. We rejoined the ICW and headed towards the Cape Fear River to go to Southport. The river was fine, however there was some major dredge work going on and it was a little confusing determining how the dredge operator wanted us to pass. The boat in front of us, C: Drive (a cool boat name) asked a couple of times, but the answer was never definitive. We made it through ok. 

There was a lot of traffic when we joined back up to the ICW at Southport and then our marina was right there. We got fueled up and then they put us in  our slip for the night. It was a little tight, but we made it and enjoyed a nice sunset. 

Once we got to the Socaste Swing Bridge, we knew we were through the worst of the day and the beautiful Waccamaw River awaited. It is such a scenic part of the ICW and has always been one of my favorite parts. We put Encore up to speed for a while to give her a workout before shutting down for the night. As Martha said above, The Wacca Wache Marina folks had told us they go home at 4:00pm, so we thought we would be on our own for docking. As it turned out, they stayed around, saw us on AIS as we cruised up the river, called us on the radio, and took care of our fueling and docking. The workers there are great and I'm sure we will stop there again. Martha like their facilities, and even took some pictures.

We left Wacca Wache around 9:30am this morning and enjoyed a beautiful trip on the rest of the Waccamaw. As Martha mentioned, there were a lot of hyacinth floating in the river. There was a bit of traffic on the ICW today and especially when we got to the bridge outside of Georgetown where a lot of construction is going on.

South of Georgetown we entered a very different area with windy rivers running through grasslands. There are very few trees. It is picturesque and you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere...............until a local fisherman goes speeding by. At that point we realized we are never far from civilization. As Martha mentioned, we went by McClellanville, another treacherous area, at DEAD low tide. I was using all the instruments at my disposal to help get through this area.

We made it and got tucked safely into our anchorage for the night. It was a bit disconcerting to see an overturned boat at the entrance to the anchorage, but I'm sure it has been here since some long ago storm passed through. We are surrounded by grasslands, it may be rice, and I even saw a dolphin mom and calf swimming around. It is raining, but the winds are calm and the boat seems to be staying put (that is the biggest concern when anchored overnight). Martha took a picture of her dinner preparations for tonight. We are lucky to have a lot of very nice conveniences on this boat.

Tomorrow we head for Charleston and the weather forecast is looking good. Until then...............

Morehead City to Southport was a fantastic day "outside" on smooth seas. We covered 90 miles and only saw a few fishing boats during the day. It was a little rough leaving the inlet in Morehead City, but much smoother coming back in to 
Southport. We passed Baldhead Island, where we stayed for a few nights in 2020.           
It was touch and go this morning, wondering if the predicted winds would materialize. When we saw another boat depart successfully, we decided to follow suit. Despite a technical glitch, Bob did a great job of getting us from Southport to Wacca Wache, about 70 miles on the ICW. We passed through some real landmarks, including Lockwood Folly and the Rock Pile. The story about the Rock Pile includes the surprise that engineers encountered during construction of the ICW. While they were digging a connecting canal, they encountered  unexpected rocky formations. It was too late to change the course, so they blasted the three-mile canal. We stayed to the center and  made it through fine.
Our track took us through many populated areas, averaging 7 or 8 knots. When we finally hit the wider waters of the Waccamaw River, it was a relief to open up the throttle through the wild swampy cypress forest.

We enjoyed our stay in Washington, NC and despite it being a bit off the ICW route, we recommend it to cruising boaters. The marina is in pretty good shape, less expensive than most and a few steps from downtown. The town is kept clean and was decorated for the holidays. It rained yesterday, but cleared out today and giving us a great boating day. There is quite a bit to do in town including many shops and restaurants. It has a bit of history, including being called Washington before Washington, DC existed. The famous filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille had a house in Washington and Jimmy Buffet visited frequently as he was having a boat built there. Before leaving this morning, I walked over to the main street to take a picture of the Christmas Tree and clock, and then stood in the middle of the street at 6:30am to take a picture of all of the lights with no cars or pedestrians. It's an iconic looking downtown.

We were off the dock at 7:00am and made our way down the Pamlico River. There were quite a few fishermen out. I think they forgot it was Thanksgiving morning, or either they left their wives at home to do all the cooking. At 8 knots, we figured the detour off the ICW was about 7 hours total for the round trip. That is a lot of time for some ICW travelers, but it is a nice detour to consider. The conditions were beautiful with a crystal clear blue sky and low winds. The water was almost flat and there were few boats out. We passed some familiar spots along the way, including the Coast Guard station and the R.E. Mayo Seafood docks.

We cruised up the Neuse River which has a reputation to be challenging, but it has been beautiful every time we have been on it, including today. We turned down Adams Creek towards Beaufort and Morehead City and followed a sailboat the whole way. It was relaxing to take it slow at about 6 1/2 knots......and we used a whole lot less fuel. We did have a little excitement when we met a large barge and tugboat coming the other direction. Fortunately there was room for all of us.

We will do our best to keep this blog going. Some marinas have minimal wifi making it difficult to keep up with the postings. We'll do our best.

Sunrise at Dowry Creek Marina was beautiful this morning. On our last visit we had thick fog, but today was crystal clear. We completed all of our morning boat rituals and predeparture tasks before heading out for the day. ​We took a relatively short, but beautiful trip from Belhaven to Washington, NC. We left around 8:30am and traveled down the ICW about 15 miles before making a sharp turn to starboard off of the Pungo River and up the Pamlico River. We had calm water all the way and little traffic.

There were many beautiful waterside homes and summer camps all along the route. We passed one tug pushing a barge and also passed the largest phosphate plant in the world. We had good depths and plenty of water to work with. The channel narrowed as we got closer to Washington. We passed a railroad swing bridge that was the entrance to the Washington waterfront. The dockmaster and his assistant helped us tie up on a T-head and and made sure we were secure for the night.

It's a small marina with fixed docks, but the dockage and electric charges are extremely inexpensive. The docks are adjacent to the quaint town that boasts quite a few restaurants and bars. The town has done a very nice job making the waterfront welcoming and attractive. It is quite a ways off the beaten path, but may be worth the trip for some. The marina office with the boater bathrooms is vey unique and the staff are very accommodating and friendly. I could see us stopping here frequently during the summer if it were closer.

Our motive for stopping here was to visit with a friend from college that we have not seen in at least 45 years. Thanks Laura for picking us up and hosting us at your restaurant for the afternoon. The music and food were great and it was so nice to catch  up and talk about old times.

The weather is supposed to turn bad over the next couple of days and we may decide to stay here another couple of nights. We will need to travel tomorrow and hold up somewhere else for two nights or just ride it out here. We'll make that call tomorrow.

This daily blog starts with the night before. One of the large tug and barge setups with lots of dredging equipment came by Coinjock as we were getting ready for bed. It is quite a sight to see these large vessels pass by on a narrow channel in pitch black dark. They were going slow, but had lots of lights on and a spotlight that continuously panned from side to side. I got a couple pictures after it had gone by, but I missed getting any pictures of the other one that went by around 2am. Both of them went through Great Bridge Lock on Friday after we did. They move slowly, so it took them many hours to catch up with us. We got up at 6am and had breakfast, before I added some gear oil to the pods and prepared for getting underway. The Seakeeper, a gyroscopic stabilizer (very expensive option) was showing a fault code and would not start up. We were hoping to have it if the Albemarle Sound was choppy during the crossing. Fortunately, the Sound was perfectly flat and the Seakeeper was unneeded. Unfortunately, after talking on the phone to the Seakeeper dealer in Annapolis, the problem requires the services of a technician and may need a replacement part. Right now I'm thinking it's going to be expensive, but we will wait until we get to Jacksonville to deal with it. The boat will run fine without it. We left Coinjock around 8:00am. Things were fine at the marina, but a little ways down the waterway we entered thick fog. Our least favorite thing. ​

We arrived at the Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC around 4:00pm. The wind was kicking up a little bit, but we got tied up safely. This is a friendly family-run marina. They work very hard to satisfy their customers and go the extra mile. Martha likes that they put towels in the bathrooms for the boaters. We haven't seen that before. When we were here in the Fall of 2020, they were in the process of building a restaurant. It is completed now and was pretty busy. One of the slipholders here is the featured music in the restaurant, so we decided to eat there rather than on the boat as we usually do. He did a nice job singing as well as playing piano and trumpet. ​

Tomorrow we will head to Washington, NC to catch up with a friend from college. We will be off the ICW for the night, but we thought that it was worth it since we were in the neighborhood. Weather is supposed to get a little rough this week. We'll see what develops.