St Augustine - at a dock

Sunrise at the Jacksonville free docks, we're still the only boat there

We started the day off with a  beautiful sunrise! I must have taken a dozen photos but only chose one to show in the blog. It was another perfect day for traveling with flat water and very little wind. Unfortunately, the perfect day was not to be. After crossing the St Johns River just after leaving the Jacksonville free docks, I saw completely different buoyage than I was used to. The channel was on the right going south and not on the left as it was in the past. I entered hesitantly and that was a mistake. I was paying great attention to the buoys and not enough attention to the depth sounder. We came to a sudden halt in what SonarChart said was 10 ft of water at MLW but I found 4.5 ft! I had cut the green buoys too closely. To pass in deep water, you had to favor the red side through the first three red buoys. For that reason, there's no track uploaded tonight until I can edit it to show a passage free of shallow water. It reinforces my motto, "I make all the mistakes first so you don't have to!"

There's the pesky piling that's barely above water G23
in Pablo Creek

So beware of the entrance to Pablo Creek after crossing the St Johns River going south. The buoys placements will not match your charts and don't cut the greens. SonarChart will help you find the deep water here. We backed off and by looking at SonarChart, continued onward to deeper water and back to the ICW.

One of Ann's favorite places to shop in St Augustine, the table cloth shop

In addition to that piece of trouble, there was an old post barely showing above water opposite G23 in the channel. Go slow to see it. Otherwise, everything was fine. We're at a dock in the St Augustine Marina for the night. We will take off for Daytona in the morning and then it's on to Titusville on 11/2!

Jacksonville - at their free dock on Sisters Creek

We passed the naval base as a submarine was coming in!

The night at Jekyll was dead calm as usual. We had three boats in the anchorage and, for a change, we were the first to leave. There were buoy changes in St Andrews Sound that I haven't sorted out yet but I didn't care since I had the waypoints I've used for the past five years, I just followed them for 9.5 MLW.

We waved, they waved

The Sound was flat as a Mill Pond, the calmest I've ever seen and we even had the tide behind us as we rounded the cut through St Andrews Sound and headed to Fernandina. We had a large powerboat passed us on Cumberland River but came to an abrupt halt by the 90 degree turn by the R60 and R60A buoys. It's where there used to be a  phantom island that is no longer on the charts. You have to stand off the reds and he didn't. He turned and followed me through the channel after that for 15 to 20 MLW.

We are the only boat at the free docks

We went through a ton of shallow water today and all was okay for getting through. If you go, do yourself a favor and load my track for the passage, it will make things much easier. I'll update Facebook and Waterway Guide with the details in a few days.

But we do have friends around

The weather has turned warm again and it's so nice traveling with full sun in the cockpit enclosure. We are due for a repeat tomorrow and the next day but Friday, when we're due to take our last leg to Titusville, has a forecast of rain. We will see if we can duck the rain and make it early into Titusville. Also of note, we had read of giant mosquitos in North Carolina (never saw them) and lots and lots of insects from the flooding (didn't see them either). All of our favorite marinas and anchorages were just fine, no problems. The only delay was in waiting for the Socastee Bridge to reopen but that happened before we got down that far anyway. So really, the hurricanes didn't affect our trip other than a week delay before we could leave New York. There's still a bunch of boaters still holed up in northern harbors waiting for a window to go down the New Jersey coast. However, we're in Florida now and all is good.

Jekyll Island - at anchor

No alligators under this tree!

We went through all the trouble spots with high tide today, the only way to go! That included Little Mud River and Jekyll but there were other, less known shallow spots too. I'll cover all of them in my Facebook page later on.

Today we enjoyed just perfect weather with sunshine and warm breezes. We're sitting in the Jekyll anchorage with very little wind, it's like being on land. It's an easy dink over to the floating dinghy dock on shore which is public. There are only two other boats in the anchorage and there's room for a couple more. This place used to be deserted since the NOAA charts show no water here when there was actually 8 to 12 ft at low tide. I made the first few entries on Active Captain and now it always has a few boats.

We like nice sunsets!

I took Hoolie ashore and was told to watch out for alligators since there's a freshwater pond on the other side of the docks. I didn't see any but I did feel a lot of no see'ums. We have screens on Fleetwing that will stop no see'ums. We bought them to screen out pollen for Ann's allergies but also stop the smallest of insects.

We are headed for the Jacksonville free docks on Tuesday. There's no electricity but then it's free.

Crescent River - at anchor

Just a chaotic shore at Kilkenny  

It was a quiet night at Kilkenny Marina. It's out in the boonies for sure and we're told it used to be a plantation. We didn't have far to go so we loitered around until 10:00 to push off. We also didn't have any shallow water today but that will change with our Monday cruise with Mud River and Jekyll. However, we will have a rising tide at both locations so we are in good shape.

Ann had time to bake an Apple pie today!!

We arrived at Crescent near low tide and taking Hoolie ashore was an adventure in mud. We've never hit it at low tide and we were used to the sandy beach nearby - but it's mud at low tide. So I washed the mud off the dinghy, the mud off Hoolie, the mud off everything he touched, etc. His favorite thing is to jump on our bed and "dry off", but not tonight!

A quiet night

The winds have calmed down and the temperatures are rising. It suits us fine and we're still on schedule for Titusville 11/2. We'll shove off around 9:00 on Monday to allow time for the tide to build in at Mud River and Jekyll. We could probably get through at low with our 4' 9" keel but who needs the stress?

Kilkenny Marina - at a dock

Trucks are very popular in Georgia!

We made it through all the shallow spots with no problems. Of course, we had a little help from a 4 ft tide! Still, everything was easy except for Hell Gate which was in the 3.4 MLW range at one spot. You really do need some tide for Hell Gate. The other trouble spots were easy (Fields Cut, Elba Cut) you just had to know the route.

We said our goodbyes this morning at Windmill Harbour Marina. What a great place to visit. Great people, great facilities and it has 360 protection. They even have an outstanding dining area in the clubhouse. I would higher recommend a dinner there if you ever drop by.

This used to be a plantation. Notice the long horizontal limbs of the Live Oaks. They
are prized for their high strength and were used in many of the wooden fighting ships.

The northeast is getting clobbered and we didn't have the best of days. The sun never came out to warm the cockpit and the wind steadily increased to the 20 kt range as the afternoon worn on. I even had to change into long pants, heavens! I came south to get warm, not to wear sweatshirts and jeans.

We're at Kilkenny Marina now which is just after Hell Gate, a convenient stop along the ICW. On Sunday we will aim for the Crescent River anchorage, then Jekyll Island, and Jacksonville on Tuesday at the free docks on Sisters Creek. Hopefull, there will be room for one more boat!

Windmill Harbour Marina - We say goodbyes

It's just a beautiful club

The forecast said, rain, rain, rain with some high winds thrown in. Although there was a little rain, it was only for a few minutes. We should have moved on. The storm passed to the west of us and we had sunshine most of the day. At least on Saturday, we will move again south. On our present progress, we will reach Titusville by November 2.

Jim shows off his Beneteau Swift Trawler

Jim and Cheryl hosted us tonight for dinner and they have a Beneteau Swift Trawler. It's one of the models we once considered for long term cruising. They can travel at around 20 kts which is far beyond our capabilities. They took us on a tour of their boat and then we were off to dinner in the South Carolina YC. It was a wonderful evening among new friends. We had intended just eating on the boat but it was much more fun at the club.

The inside has a 360 view, not common among trawlers

I took on water and we're ready to push off at 8:00 Saturday morning. We have Hell Gate to pass through before finding a dock at Kilkenny for the night. The front has passed by so it ought to be good weather for tomorrow. At least that's the forecast if you can believe it.

Windmill Harbour Marina - at a dock

The room was full but nobody wanted to sit in the front row seats!

We had another excellent day of traveling and arrived at Windmill Harbor Marina around 1:45 pm. Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff has been dredged and the least we saw was 7.2  MLW by the southern exit at G185. The only area near that number was on the approach to Brickyard Creek just before R4. If you went outside the channel by R210, then you saw 9.9 MLW. Staying in the channel resulted in skinny water down to 3 to 4 MLW. All the avoidance of shallow water is in the track file I uploaded this afternoon.

The presentation included a dinner after the meeting, very nice

We had a strong north wind but it was all behind us, no problem. We had missed the Ben Sawyer bridge in the Isle of Palms by 5 minutes but we made the swing bridge at Beaufort, SC with no time to spare at all, saving us 1/2 hour of wait time. The bridge opens every 1/2 hour during migration time.

I was invited to speak at the South Carolina YC club at 6:00 pm this evening with a dinner afterward. Even with only a two-day notice, the presentation room was full, about 30 to 35 people attended. The presentation, "Who Do You Trust" (for navigation) was given and it was well received. It was also published on the Waterway Guide website the same day. I had about a dozen people come up after the presentation and thank me for the information and what I do for the spread of ICW guidance on being safe.

There is a storm coming up the coast and it will hit us on Friday with lots of rain and some wind. We will be secure in Windmill Harbour Marine, it's totally protected from all directions. Saturday should be a better day and we'll head south towards Savannah then. If all continues to go according to plan, we will arrive at Titusville on November 1st, the start of our reservation date.

B & B Seafood - at their only dock

Their one available dock

We always stop by at B & B Seafood if we can. It is not a marina although they do accept boats for docking at a flat rate of $25/night. The docking facilities are about the same as at RE Mayo, rustic to say the least. So why do we stop? The reason is the shrimp. They always seem to have fresh shrimp on hand and we do like shrimp.

The red plastic cleaner works great, makes
preparing shrimp a breeze

Ann has a good recipe that I like, Asian Sweet Chili Shrimp but it needs fresh shrimp to be good. They have one shrimp boat that goes out daily and today they had jumbo shrimp on hand for $7.50/lb. I can clean fresh shrimp in a jiffy with the plastic shrimp cleaner and Ann did the rest.

If you decide to stop, be aware that there's no electricity and probably no water. You are on your own docking most of the time. For the last 6 months, there's been a tour boat parked at the end of the dock that takes up almost two spaces so now there is room for only one boat. However, they do accept reservations. If they are full, there's ample room to answer around the bend and dink in, we've done that a couple of times. Tonight, the clerk brought in his own boiled peanuts which I crave when they are done right (not soggy!) Perfect place for us but certainly not for everyone.

I love this recipe 

We are off to Windmill Harbour Marina on Thursday where I will give a talk on, "Who Do You Trust" (for navigation) at the South Carolina Yacht Club.  The article was published today in Waterway Guide.

Charleston Maritime Center - Downtown Day

There are several large areas downtown for local goods. It's always interesting to walk through and look.

Today was Downtown Day. Chico's has a super store in Charleston and it was the one destination Ann aimed at. I went off to see if Apple would sell me a new iPad Pro that's not due to be announced until 11/30 but no dice on that. They didn't want my money. My iPad Air 2 seems a little slow with all the stuff I have loaded. I need the latest and greatest.

I spent the day preparing a presentation for the South Carolina YC, "Who Do You Trust?" (for navigation). I will give that Thursday night. It ought to be fun. The club is located in Windmill Harbour which has its own lock so the water level inside is constant. It's completely protected from wind and waves. There's a great group of people there and I look forward to meeting everyone.

Ann loves to talk to local artists. She spent about 1/2 hour here

We are headed for B & B Seafood Wednesday night and hope to get there early enough to get fresh shrimp. It's at the north end of Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff and positions us well for the final run to Windmill Harbour. 

The bridge is all lit up

We've heard varying reports on the effectiveness of the dredge in the area and we hope that it's done the job it was hired to do. I'll find out for myself on Wednesday and report it here and on my Facebook page along with uploading a track.

Charleston Maritime Center - Ann gets her Harris Teeter Fix

This is my favorite sculpture, a rising flock of seagulls

Ann just loves the Harris Teeter supermarket about two blocks away from the marina. We're told it's one of the social centers of the downtown area. If you want to get out for a spell, just drop by the store and browse, you'll probably meet someone you know.

We almost have a full moon - good tides!

Speaking of that, we had three boaters drop by today to say hi. We are seeing more and more of that as the years go by. I'll pass someone by and he or she will say, "Hi Hoolie" as I walk the dog. Everyone seems to know what Hoolie looks like. Then we start a conversation and get to know each other.

This marina remains practically empty. In fact, I've never seen it so empty in all the years we've been coming here. It's true that the passing boats will roll in a wave or two and if you get winds out of the east, it will be rocky. For us, that's outweighed by the access to downtown by foot and, of course, Harris Teeter. For others, the rocking will be too much.

On Tuesday, we plan a visit to the vendor market and then to the downtown stores. Ann had her Harris Teeter fix but now she needs some serious shopping time. I was hoping the new iPad Pro would be out by now and I could get one at the Apple store here but no luck there. The new models are due out on 11/30 now.

The sailboat is at the end of our dock - beautiful night

The ICW south of here is supposed to be dredged all the way to the Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff which gets rid of a lot of shallow areas. I'll see for myself on Wednesday.

Charleston Maritime Center - at a dock

Charleston Maritime Center has recovered but nobody is here

Today was a trip through the shallows of the Isle of Palms. There were long stretches just south of Awendaw where the depths only varied between 5 and 6 MLW! There was no deeper water but then again, there was nothing less than 5 ft MLW at least.

We were racing to catch a 2.2 ft tide at the section just north of the Ben Sawyer Bridge, a notorious part of the ICW that shoals rapidly. It was just dredged a couple of years ago but it's shoaled again. As it turned out, we missed the opening of the Ben Sawyer Bridge by 5 minutes! That resulted in an hour wait for the next opening and about 10 minutes before the opening, the bridge operator announced that it may not open due to high winds! There were gusts to 26 kts and higher then. The bridge does not open when the wind is above 25 kts. Luckily, the wind died down some (to 15 to 20 kts) and we caught the next opening on schedule. The least I saw was 4.6 MLW in several spots but with a 2.2 ft tide and a 4 ft 9 in keel, we made it through. My track was meandering as usual as I found the deepest path even though it wasn't as deep as I had wished. I've since uploaded it to my track site for downloading by anyone interested. I don't think there's a deeper path through these shallow waters.

Other than winds out of the east, here is another ready for wakes

Charleston Maritime Center is finally open! It's been two years since we've docked at the marina. We've always liked it since it's within walking distance of downtown Charleston and all the stores and restaurants. You don't have to worry about renting a car or taking a shuttle, just walk to downtown. The marina is mostly empty, perhaps 1/10 full. They've raised their rates to $1.75/ft for those with BoatUS membership but then that's practically everyone.

The marina has a reputation for being rolly, especially in an east wind and that's true but we don't mind, we like the compensation of easy access to downtown and a nearby Harris Teeter supermarket. We will be here three days before moving on the B&B Seafood for out next stop south. All the shallow spots south of here to Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff has been dredged. How good a job the dredge did is up for grabs. There are some reports that they removed only 1 or 2 ft instead of the 5 to 6 ft.  I'll find out first hand when I go through, stay tuned.

Awendaw - at anchor

First one in the anchorage gets the best spot

We waited until about 9:30 so we could catch a rising tide through Minim Creek and McClellanville. Both are very shallow areas of the ICW. We caught Minim Creek with only a 0.8 tide but did better at McClellanville with a 2.2 ft tide.

We made it through both obstacles successfully and I uploaded the track to my track website so anyone could follow my path through the shallows. I had to do a lot of moving from side to side to find the best water so for those using my track, it's not that I wasn't paying attention - it was all intentional to keep the maximum amount of water under the keel. Through these areas, it's very easy to find less water.

The calm after the storm

So we made it through successfully and are now anchored in Awendaw with four other boats. One powerboat anchored by the entrance and when I took Hoolie ashore, the boat was in the weeds. Either the rode was too long and there was a wind or current shift or the anchor gave way. There were two workboats out trying to help but I didn't see anyone aboard the stranded boat. We had a terrific storm that came through just about the time I took Hoolie ashore but I made it back in time before the rain, just barely. The wind topped out at 32 kts during the rainfall.

All is peaceful for the moment and hopefully for the rest of the night. We had planned on a later start to catch a rising tide but that would put us into the Charleston Maritime Center a little after 4:00 so we are going to try an early morning start instead and be at the Isle Of Palms by 10:00 to catch a 2 ft tide although it's a falling tide, not ideal. We like the location within walking distance to downtown Charleston and a Harris Teeter. We'll explore Charleston for the next three days before moving farther south.

Heritage Plantation Marina - at a dock

The main clubhouse of Heritage Plantation Marina

We had wanted to get a dock in Georgetown but this was the weekend they were hosting the wooden boat show which is a very big deal for the town. As a result, everything was full. We couldn't get a dock anywhere, not even at Georgetown Landing Marina which is north of Georgetown and a long walk into town.

So we motored to Heritage Plantation and took a dock. We don't like to anchor near the Waccamaw River due to alligators. We took a tour on the river one year and found the side channels full of alligators sunning themselves on the banks. We never want to tempt them with a juicy morsel like Hoolie when taking him ashore.

The water is starting to clear up. We saw very little debris in the river, even less than usual judging from past trips. I was told it was very bad for a while but it's much better now. The current does reverse now but not very strongly, but then at least it does reverse. During the flood times, it only ran one way, out to sea.

It's nice and calm, and bug-free. In fact, we've seen very few buys on the river.

We will brave the shallows of Minum Creek and McClellanville on Saturday. We will hit Minum Creek just about at low tide but it will be rising after that. We will overnight at the Awendaw anchorage and leave the next morning for Charleston. I'll keep uploading my tracks so if I don't run aground, you'll have a path to follow through the shallows.

Osprey Marina - at a dock

Osprey Marina is as good as ever

We left around 8:30 and headed to our first challenge of the day, Lockwoods Folly. In order for it to be maximum fun, we scheduled it at low tide. Fortunately, low tide was actually 1.5 ft above datum (the 0.0 level) so we had a plus 1.5 ft over a real dead low - and we needed it! I didn't use the USACE route which involved a scary pass on the wrong side of a green can. Instead, I use one provided by Hank Pomeranz that took a more natural route honoring the buoys. It resulted in a low of 4.6 MLW in one small spot, the rest was deeper. Since I had a 1.5 ft tide, I was fine with my 4 ft 9 in keel but it's still exciting to see the depth numbers drop so dramatically before rising again. My path will be reflected in my track today which I will upload tonight and in a new GPX route for Lockwoods Folly dated 10/18/2018. I would strongly recommend having a half to full, rising tide to pass through this inlet.

Look how high the water got!

Shallotte inlet was rather dull. It's well buoyed (2 reds, 2 greens), just go right down the middle so defined by the buoys to get 9.7 MLW as the lowest spot.  So we motored on and the rest of the trip was uneventful. The famous "Rock Pile" just north of Barefoot was benign. There were lots of ledges visible along the sides but as long as you stayed in the middle, no problem.

Watch out for those ledges in the "Rock Pile"

Barefoot Landing is redoing their docks so they were out of business for transients. As a result, I guess, Barefoot Marine across the way raised their rates to $2/ft from $1.50 last year so we passed both by and went to Osprey Marina for $1/ft. They survived with no damage although they had to ad 4.5 ft to the tops of their pilings. They have now welded extensions on the pilings to make the added height permanent.

Normally our next stop would be Georgetown but they are having a Wooden Boat Show so we'll stop upriver from them at Heritage Plantation Marine before moving on to the Isle of Palms the next day.

St James Plantation Marina - at a dock

St James Plantation Marina suffered almost no damage from Hurricane Florence but they
did have a lot of trees down that blocked the roads.

We had intended taking a mooring at Carolina Beach but the weather was so good and the next day was so bad, that we decided to push on to St James Plantation Marina just south of Southport, NC. Along the way, the inlets required some moving outside of the channel to find the best water. There were a lot of 8 to 10 ft MLW stretches with some places down to 7 MLW. The track I uploaded avoids all depths less than that.

South from here is the Atlantic with the sunset

One of the reasons we came this far today is the calm winds on Cape Fear River. Although we had the current against us, it was okay with light winds. We've stayed here many times in the past. The marina is very well protected although we didn't nee that protection today. They also have fuel so we're set for our next leg. One thing they do not have is a nearby grocery store. They have a short-order store and a small restaurant if needed. 

We are not well staged for the shallows. We should hit them just about at low tide all along the Isle of Shoals. At least it will make for interesting traveling. We had wanted to stop in Georgetown, SC but once again they are having their annual wooden boat show and a dock cannot be had anywhere. We seem to hit that every year. Instead of Georgetown, we will take a dock at Heritage Plantation Marina, about seven miles north of Georgetown. I'll let you know how it is. 

Topsail Island Marina at Surf City, NC - at a dock

The Surf City Pier is fully operational

We had a 52 mile day to reach Surf City so we had to leave around 7:30 am, not a favorite time for Ann. We used the "backdoor exit" from Homer Smith which resulted in a least seen of 5.4 MLW.  We had a one foot tide, so it was not a problem for our 4 ft 9 in keel.

The IGA Supermarket is up and running

Once underway we found that no one was working today on the Atlantic Beach Bridge. There was a notice to mariners that a 30 minute advance notice was required before passing through the bridge but that was only when they are actually doing work and that wasn't today.

He was very popular with the local seagulls!

The shallowest part of the trip was just after the Atlantic Beach Bridge between R6 and G11. It got really skinny, down to 5.7 MLW! I searched and found the most water possible which is reflected in the track I uploaded today. It also shows a path through Browns Inlet and New River plus a few other shallow spots.

BoatUS was roaring but the boat was not moving! Watch out for those shallows!

Surf City is still recovering from hurricane Florence but a lot of stores are open as is the marina. You'll still find the local IGA supermarket open and serving local customers. The Surf City Pier is open as are most of the local businesses. At this marina, there is no one present. You pay over the phone for your slip. We paid $1.50/ft for our dockage which includes electric and water if needed.

Our plan is to pick up a mooring at Carolina Beach and then move on to St James Plantation the next day if the weather is right which means not having wind against tide on Cape Fear river.

Homer Smith at Beaufort, NC - Last day

The downtown Beaufort marina - empty!

We got all our work done: provisioned, did a wash, refilled the water tank, filled up the outboard tank with non-ethanol gasoline, walked into town - time for a rest. Beaufort looks the same as always. Once again, reacting to the news, I expected a lot more damage. It was hard to see any. There was some debris piled in spots along the sidewalk but not that much. Most of the houses showed no damage at all, a few showed a shingle or two missing.

There was an announcement of the Atlantic Beach Bridge shown above required a 30-minute notice
before passing through due to construction. Nobody yet has seen any signs of a work barge blocking traffic. 

The docks at Homer Smith had no damage at all. So I walked down to docks in town to see how they did. It was the same story, they looked fine except that there were very few boats on the docks. They were 90% empty. All of the stores were open for business except one or two.

New docks shown at the far right will
be added to Homer Smith in a couple of week.

Back at the boat, I prepared the route for Tuesday. I integrated all the USACE routes into my overall route and I'll be recording my track as usual. Somebody said it may become the "new" magenta line. All of my tracks can be downloaded at bobicm.com

Our plan Tuesday is to leave around 7:30 or so and make it to Topsail Island Marina in Surf City, a distance of 52 miles. Then we'll pick up a mooring at South Carolina Beach followed by a stop at St James Plantation on Thursday. It's time to start moving south in earnest.

Homer Smith in Beaufort, NC - at a dock

Bock Marine is up and running

The winds were supposed to be less than 8 kts out of the northeast by they were actually 15 kts out of the east. It seems that you can always just double the wind prediction for the Neuse and Albemarle. The predictions are never right, they always seem to under estimate the wind. This statement includes PreidictWind, NOAA, PocketGrib, Windy, etc.

Some houses were damaged, most were not

Fortunately for us, the wind was behind us once we turned the corner to head down the Neuse. It was very rocky before that. One thing you never want to do is to go against a 15 kt or higher winds on the Neuse. It's shallow and the waves tend to be very short period and build up nicely.

We didn't see any debris except for one lone piece just north of Adams Creek. The creek itself was completely free of debris. I was surprised at the lack of damage by Florence. I had expected to see many houses badly damaged or destroyed, not so. The houses showing damage were in the minority. I would bet that a TV crew would focus on the damaged houses as opposed to giving a balanced overview of the effects of hurricane Florence.

Always a sunset

Here we will do doing a wash and pay a visit to the nearest supermarket to provision for the rest of the trip to Titusville. We are out of everything fresh. The marina here has a free courtesy car which we'll take advantage of on Monday. The next day we'll see how ground zero fared as we head down the ICW.

RE Mayo - at their dock

This was RE Mayo during hurricane Florence - not a good hurricane hole

After a quiet night's sleep, we got up at our leisure and weighed anchor around 8:30. It was a beautiful day but the wind started to pipe up more than what was predicted (what else is new?) Nevertheless, it was out of a good direction for going south so it wasn't so bad. We put up the sail and bounced along with the northwest winds.

In getting down the dock, you had to avoid a few obstacles! 

Our planned stop for the night was at RE Mayo to have dinner with friends of many years who live in the area. The usual dock there was taken up by another huge shrimp boat so we docked farther down. Our 75 ft electrical cord barely reached the outlet. 

And also avoid a few missing planks

The attraction of RE Mayo is not the low price dockage ($0.40/ft) or the free electricity. It's the seafood. We were able to pick up 1.5 lbs of fresh shrimp (never frozen) for $8.00. They still had the heads on but I got them ready for Ann later that day. Ann also bought frozen scallops and a couple of small flounders. There was a lot more available but it was enough for us. They even had alligator meat available. 

The path to land is not obvious

The docks are in poor shape with some planks missing. This is not a marina, it's just a working facedock for shrimp boats. As I said, we stop for the seafood.

 But it was all worth it for the shrimp!

On Sunday we're headed for Homer Smith in Beauford, NC. We need to provision and do a wash. Home Smith has a free courtesy car and free laundry facilities plus excellent WiFi. We will stay one or two days before moving on.