We made it to Little River -  Friday afternoon October 30 about 2pm! We left Wrightsville Beach early on Thursday the 29^th – Alan was lead boat that day. (We took turns leading each day so the following boat could have a little more “rest” from the work of leading through the gauntlet of the ICW!) The weather was absolutely gorgeous – warm and sunny. We were headed to Southport, NC but because there were no anchorages available to get Gracie off we decided to go to a marina. As it turned out Southport was having a fishing tournament that upcoming weekend so we headed to St. James Plantation Marina – about 5nm further along the way. Staying there was a treat and it was also quite reasonably priced! It was Janet's birthday so we went out to dinner as guests of the Botulas at a really nice restaurant right at the marina. Janet and Whit both had peel your own shrimp!! Yumm!

Friday the 30^th was our final day of travel to Little River where we have a condo right next to Coquina Harbor. This is where the boats will stay for the next two months. We will be here for about two weeks and then we are driving back to Vermont for the holidays – Thanksgiving through Christmas. We then come back to SC in January to resume the trip to the Bahamas!

     In the slip at St. James Plantation Marina

 The ICW nearing Little River

 Almost there! - going by Crab Catchers restaurant in Little River

 The lighthouse at Lighthouse Pointe - the entrance to Coquina Harbor

Sunday - we take a little tour on the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach, SC - Joan and Janet are in their element!!

 

October 27^th finds us, once again, waiting for weather. We are currently at anchor in Wrightsville Beach, NC. with strong winds (~20 kts) from the NE. We will be here today and tomorrow as the winds will continue strong through the night with rain and then turn around and come out of the south strong tomorrow with thunderstorms!! We intend to finish up our trip by going to Southport, NC on Thursday and then finally in to Little River, SC on Friday.

How we got here:

     Note: At Elizabeth City, NC this was how we had to get on and off the boat.  We stepped on a tire covered piling!!

  

We left Elizabeth City on Tuesday the 20^th down the Pasquotank River into the Albemarle Sound under really calm conditions. The Albemarle Sound is know for being really rough in windy conditions because it is so shallow. The waves become very steep and close. So we were just as glad to be motoring again. (However, a slight NE wind came up so we put out a little helper sail for a while.) Because the Alligator River really has no anchorage suitable for getting Gracie off (because of, guess what?, alligators and snakes!) we decided to go to the Alligator Marina just at the head of the river. It was a very pleasant night on the dock and an early and simple departure the next morning. The Botulas anchored in a little cove just north of us and we met up the next morning at our first swing bridge at the head of Alligator River.

Our position on the dock at Alligator Marina (which happens also to be a gas station!)

   

 Gracie, once again, enjoying being on the dock.

Rejoined by the Botulas at the head of Alligator River swing bridge.

We made it through the Alligator River and the Alligator-Pongo Canal, which is really beautiful, and anchored in Belhaven, NC on the Pantego Creek about half way through the Pongo River on Wed the 21^st. Belhaven is a beautiful spot but the town seems to be struggling.

  The Alligator-Pongo Canal is just beautiful!

   Anchored at Belhaven, NC

  

The next day (Thursday October 22^nd) we went from Belhaven to a little spot in South River which is just across from Oriental, NC. This was a super beautiful spot but getting Gracie ashore was not easy – we had to go to a little dock by a cemetery and battle the mosquitoes! That night we thought we were going to be sunk by a large motor boat that sounded as if it was headed right towards us!! It turned out to be a military helicopter that passed by overhead by about 400 feet at about 2am! Exciting – NOT.

  Anchored where we could get Gracie ashore - the cemetary!

We were thinking we would go to Oriental, NC the next day but we got word that Thomas and Sabine were going to Morehead City, NC that day so we took off down our last canal to see if we could connect. There was no place to get the dog ashore so we continued through to Swansboro, NC. Swansboro was so cool we decided to spend a day there on Saturday the 24^th. Our first night was at anchor in a very fast moving current so we went dockside at Casper's Marina on Saturday. 

  Anchored at Belhaven and then we went to Casper's Marina 

On Sunday October 25^th we negotiated some of the trickiest parts of the ICW, timing 4 bridge openings to ge to Wrightsville Beach – where we are now! We are anchored way up in Motts Channel near the bridge and right next to the town dingy dock. Getting Gracie in is easy and we have a small grocery store and donuts shop right down the road. We went to lunch yesterday at a Mexican restaurant that allowed us to bring Gracie in with us. Gracie sat with us on the bench seat for a great Mexican lunch!

   

   Joan working hard assisting with navigation on the ICW. Gracie keeps a keen lookout for wildlife!

Janet and Alan waiting with us at one of the bridges on our way to Wrightsville Beach, NC

  Coming in to Wrightsville Beach, NC turning to port to go down Motts Channel

At anchor in Wrightsville, NC and our dingy dock!

By the way, we are still trying to get Gracie to use her sod which we affectionately now call "the grassy knoll"!!

Monday October 19 finds us taking a lay day in Elizabeth City, NC.

On the dock at Elizabeth City

We left Deltaville Friday October 16^th early in the morning facilitated by having been on their fuel dock the night before (by permission!). We had a big “ bon voyage party” the evening before out in the “Mosquito House” with all our friends – Thomas, Sabine, John (single handing from England), Justin Smith (young world boat entrepreneur!). We are hoping that Thomas and Sabine will be catching up to us along the way.

Bon Voyage Party (clockwise left to right – Janet, Justin, Thomas, John, Alan, Sabine, Joan)

And don't forget Gracie!

We went from Deltaville to Norfolk, VA on a very “lumpy” downwind motor-sail – the seas were very confused but we made good time. We go past all the navy ships at Naval Station Norfolk which is one of the main Navy bases in the US. According to Wikipedia “ it supports naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command and those operating in the Atlantic.” We anchored that afternoon at Hospital Point which is mile marker 0 (zero) for the inland ICW.

    Some of the navy ships we went by

 

    Anchorage at Hospital Point

   Look who came in just across the channel from us at night!

Saturday October 17 we lined up with about 30-40 other boats (motor, sail, and one tug with barge!) for the 9am bridge opening that then began our travels down the inland ICW. At mile 7.3 we make our turn to depart from the Virginia Cut of the ICW and go down the Dismal Swamp route.

    Go this way.

  The Great Dismal Swamp locks

    

   First day in the Dismal Swamp

     

We were going to stop that afternoon at the Dismal Swamp Welcoming Center but it was quite full – boats were rafting up 3 deep so we decided to see if we could make it to the last bridge/lock at South Mills. We got there just in time for the bridge opening and stopped for the night on the bulkhead wall in between the bridge and lock! Trapped like rats! And it got cold that night – I was showing 38F on the outside thermometer but there was some frost on the grass and bimini the next morning.

  Anchored between the South Mills bridge and lock.  

 Second day in the Dismal Swamp - it was beautiful!

  How Whit does the Dismal

     

   How Gracie does the Dismal - resting
  

   On guard.

We finished up the Dismal Swamp the next day and anchored Sunday night just outside of Elizabeth City, VA. Another very cold night at anchor – down to about 34F! The next day we moved from the anchorage over to the bulkhead right at downtown Elizabeth City.

   

Today (Tuesday October, 20^th) we leave to cross the Albemarle Sound. This will be a short day because we need to stage our passage through the Alligator River in one long day because there is not really any good place to anchor and get ashore with Gracie. So we are headed to the Alligator River Marina at the north end of the river.

Tuesday October 13^th – We are currently in Deltaville, VA. We arrived here Sunday (the day before yesterday) and have finally met up with our friends from Germany, Sabine and Thomas Schuetzendorf.  Thomas has been talking about Deltaville since we met them and it is quite the place. The marina is well protected and it is a great place to haul your boat for work to be done either by yourself or their yard. The Botula's just got hauled out today so they can get a few projects done on their boat (bottom painting, hull waxing, zinc replacement, etc.) Not sure when it will all be done and relaunched so we will be here for a few more days! How we got here:

We left from in front of the Calvert Marine Museum at Solomons Island early Saturday October 10^th.. and motor-sailed downwind all day past the Potomac River to go about half the distance to Deltaville stopping at Reedville. Reedville was an interesting overnight. It was beautiful and calm but the long motor up Cockrell Creek had us pass by the Omega Protein plant. It was one of the world's largest fish oil companies and is still processing today. We had been going downwind in a north wind all day and had to come around up into Cockrell Creek from the south to tuck up in the north end. The fishy smell we encountered was really bad!!! 

          Fortunately, where we anchored, we were not down wind of any of the fish smell.

   The plant was off to our south east.

               

We dinghied ashore for Gracie and went to a small restaurant to get some ice. We thought about dinner but decided against it after we saw the menu! It was a fairly cold night – the temps dipping into the 50s but we had a beautiful day on Sunday (again down wind sailing) to Deltaville.

    The sail to Deltaville - it was a bit more "wobbly" than it looks but Whit took a bit of a ride on the stern. 

  Arrived at Deltaville about 1pm on Sunday

   Looking out from our anchorage in Deltaville to the SE - the way we came in.

   Our friends, Thomas and Sabine - and their boat on the hard.

  Gracie surveys all the work going on down below their boat.

  Thomas is working on fixing his rudder.

  Sunday night we had appetizers, fresh cooked crabs (which a friend had just caught) and then Monday evening we had a burger-fest with Alan, Janet, Thomas, Sabine, Justin, Tom and Deb (friends on the boat next to Thomas) at what Sabine affectionately named the "Mosquito Room" - the screened in porch on the docks.

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