"Lead On McDuff", to the Dismal Swamp. Sun July 29th, 2012

Up in good time again this morning. Peter wanted to change the oil in the boat generator before we used it. We may decide to stay at the Welcome Center overnight.

Dismal Swamp before Turners Cut. 

Left Elizabeth City at 8:30 am to try and catch the 11:00 am South Mills Lock, 18 miles away. This lock opens only 4 times in a day, about every 2 hours.  Not sure exactly where the Dismal Swamp begins, but it truly is a unique waterway. Narrow, maintained to a 6' depth minimum,very pretty, and very interesting. I must admit I went a little crazy with the camera.

The Turner cut is straight as an arrow for miles and miles. And then houses will appear along the shore in the middle of nowhere.

Turner Cut, part of the Dismal Swamp. Feels like you are in the African Queen movie.

Cypress trees line the channel.

We saw a bald eagle swoop down to the water, catch a fish and then take it up into the trees. There are many different types of cypress trees, some look more like our cedars, and other have leaves more like a deciduous tree. Saw a turtle sunning on a log, but he jumped off just as I got the camera up.

Then we had an escort by either a bald eagle or an osprey. He passed us on the waterway with a fish in his talons. He would go ahead of us and land in a tree. Then as we approached he would fly out of the tree, and up the waterway to a new tree. He did this 3 or 4 times. It was like he was saying; "follow me, I will show you the way...."

First lock for Linda and Bob on "Waypoint"

At South Mills we locked up 8 feet. The first lock for Deja Vu and she behaved and did not embarass us. It was also the first lock for Bob and Linda on Waypoint. They handled it like professionals.

At South Mills, the lock master does double duty. He locks you through and then jumps in his truck and quickly drives ahead to open a bridge on the waterway.  There is very little distance between the two.

Hitting this stump would really spoil your day.

As you travel the Dismal Swamp, you can't help but feel like you are part of the African Queen movie. Peter entertained us with many, many, many of his Humphrey Bogart quotes. Most of them were from the movie "Casa Blanca" but no one cared; it was very entertaining. Linda on Waypoint wanted to know what we were drinking. I told her it was just Peter as his best, and that at home the kids would say that he had got a full nights sleep. She responded that I would have to keep him up tonight.

Another 2 miles and there was a Pontoon Bridge that opened on request. This Bridge is a walking bridge for access over to the State Park Center. And immediately after is a 150' dock to tie up at the North Carolina Welcome Center, right on the Dismal Swamp. We tied up, visited, had lunch, made some phone calls home to our Moms. It was almost 2:00 and the last lock opening 18 miles away was for 3:30 pm. We decided to stay right at the Welcome Center for the rest of the day and night.

Start your Generators!!


We will get up early tomorrow and try to get away at 6:00 am to travel the 18 miles for the first lock opening at Deep Creek. We will probably only go as far as Portsmouth, Virginia. This will be the first of the Chesapeake Bay. Finally, I have been waiting for this section of the trip, and here we are. We need to arrange a rental car and go back to Edisto Island to get our car and move it up.

Linda, Bob and Peter. Elizabeth City. Check out the case of oil strapped to the back of Peter's bike. Beer and appetizers at a Mexican Restaurant, "Mammasita's" and then across the road to Dairy Queen for dessert. 

Saturday, July 28th, Elizabeth City.

Extremely early start today. The restaurant at Alligator River Marina opened at 5:30 am for breakfast and we were there at 5:30.

Left the marina by 6:45 to make the crossing of the Albemarl Sound. Winds were to be light at 10 miles per hour, waves 1 foot. Sounded good. But someone forgot to tell the weather. By the time we got out a fair ways the waves were at least 2 feet with some higher and from the worst direction for us. The waves were coming on the side, or a beam sea. We were rocking and rolling. Not comfortable at all, so we decided to tack our way along the course for Elizabeth City. Much better. It may have taken a little longer, but it was a much more comfortable crossing.

This was a 35 mile run in total; 14 across Albemarl Sound and then 11 miles up to Elizabeth City. Once we were inside the headland everything calmed down and we had a second breakfast, just like "hobbits". We arrived by noon.

Today the skies were overcast with a nice breeze, so the temperature was very comfortable. Probably around 75 to 80 degrees. The sun has come out now, and things are heating up outside.

We had reservations at Pelican Marina on the east shore. We called and called and called no answer. Waypoint had to dock themselves, and then they caught our lines and helped us dock. What a strange marina. I guess they had forgot to tell the part timer who works here that he was working today. His boat is in the slip right next to where we came in, and even when he was on the dock as we were tying up - he didn't offer to help in any way.

On active captain, boaters rate the different marinas. 5 stars is the best rating. NO STARS for this marina. I feel like the soup natzi on the Seinfeld show ...... "No soup for you"; but in this instance "No stars for you".

All of the slips in this marina are $35. no matter what your boat length, and they have hydro for electricity and that is included in the price. There are a number of free docks on the other shore in Elizabeth City, but there is no hydro. And we wanted hydro for the air conditioners. If this marina is $35. and this is how you get treated, we should be glad that we are not on the free docks. What must they be like.

We plan to get a taxi later on in the day and go to Elizabeth City for a look around and dinner.

Last night we met a couple who were passing thru like us. They were southbound. They had a 59 foot Selene. Very nice couple, they had built, owned and managed a marina in Gunnersville, Alabama. It was a sailboat only marina. They sold it in 2007, bought a house for their parents in South Carolina, bought a house for themselves in Alabama, and bought the Selene.  Peter went to get their boat card and they gave him a tour of the boat. He said it was a good thing I wasn't there.

Tomorrow is the run through the Dismal Swamp.

It is HOT, HOT, HOT!!! Oriental, Bellhaven, and Alligator River

This is the hottest day yet. Temperature is 100 degrees, but with the humidex feels like 115. The weatherman verbage has changed from a heat warning to an EXTREME heat warning. We got under way real early, by 7:00 am. Trying to make our mileage before it got to the hottest part of the day.

We arrived at 12:30, travelling the 48 miles from Bellhaven (Dowry Creek Marina) to Alligator River Marina in 5.5 hours. The Alligator River/Pungo River Canal is straight as a dye(SP???) with only one slight corner in it. 3 hours of nothing to do but stay in the center of the channel as there were a lot of dead heads and tree stumps along the shore. The Alligator River is 4 miles wide at some parts and looks more like a sound than a river.

Alligator River/Pungo River Canal, 21 miles

Peter put the large fan up on the flybridge and what a difference that makes. Life is just a little more comfortable. I would have hated to not have had it today. There was barely a breath of air.

Sunrise at Whittaker Point Marina, Oriental

Shrimp boats everywhere.

Yesterday on  our trip from Oriental to Bellhaven we saw a lot of shrimp boats. They were everywhere. Another 50 mile day. Early start so we can get tied up before the heat of the day. 5.5 hours.We stayed at the Dowry Creek Marina. A great spot, showers, laundry, swimming pool and 5:00 cocktail time with the owners and other boaters. Owners were really great. They helped us get on the docks, helped with the electrical and made sure we knew where everything was.

Now most marina's have someone to catch your lines and get you settled, but at Dowry Creek they also will come and help you get off the dock. Very nice. Docking and getting away from the dock are two of the most stressful parts of my day, so it sure is nice when someone helps.

We have discovered a new trick with the port engine, that has the air problem, that requires Peter to crawl into the bowels of the beast every morning. He primes the injector pump before he tries to start the engine, and he is 3/3. Last night at the cocktail hour, one of the gentlemen suggested that he put a big loop in the return line that would loop below the fuel level before it gets to the return area (I'll call it the reservoir but not sure). Peter wants to try this, as it makes sense and he would really like not to have to prime it.

Jim Murray had asked how our travel was going, and Peter replied; that "the ladies in the basement were behaving themselves".

Deja Vu, docked Alligator River Marina.

 We are at mile 84 of the ICW,  and mile 0 is Norfolk Virginia. We have really been counting down the miles. I hope they have a sign so I can get a picture.

Tomorrow the plan is for another early start. 14 miles across Albemarle Sound that has a bad reputation for getting nasty. She is called "the bit..". It is relatively shallow, and the wind from all directions funnel through the sound. The plan is to get up early and get across before the wind picks up. We will stay overnight at Elizabeth City. Then we will travel the Dismal Swamp. Sounds interesting. We have been hearing about the Dismal Swamp all the way up the ICW and we are looking forward to the experience. We will have our first 2 locks with Deja Vu. Hope she behaves herself and doesn't embarass us. We will lock up and down 8 feet.

July 25th, Morehead City

We travelled from Surf City to Morehead City.

Another great day on the water. Winds from the SW 10 to 15, quite hot. Heat warning again today, humidex 105 to 109. They take heat very seriously here. Weather station has all kinds of warnings, and tell you to stay in shade, drink lots of water, and state that heat stroke is an emergency and get to a hospital immediately.

This was a most unusual sight. A great location, and a beautiful home and landscaping, but why PINK??? 

The first half of the trip we were running against the tide, so our average speed was about 6.5 knots. then after the New River Inlet out speed running with the tide was up to 8.2 knots for the second half. We travelled 55 miles in 7 hours.

Starboard side view going by Camp LeJune  Live Fire Area

We had an hour layover at the Camp Lejune Live Firing Area. The Navy Guard boat sits in the channel, and there is a huge sign on the shore warning that when the yellow lights are flashing you are not to enter area.  They told us to anchor till around 1 pm and they would let us know when we could proceed.

When we got to Morehead City the winds suddenly picked up tremendously a storm was moving in. Just when you are coming into an unknown marina and trying to dock !!!! Made things a little exciting, but Denard, a 70 year old gentleman who owns and operates Portside Marina and one of his staff had stayed to get us onto the docks and fueled up were excellent. They got both boats onto there dock quite easily. Denard was so relaxed and made a difficult landing seem easy and as if he did it everyday. He probably does.

It was late in the day, about 5:30pm, and we asked if we could stay on their fuel dock for the night. Not wanting to have to move in the high winds. Denard said yes. We could stay right where we were. YEAH!

Earlier they had wanted us to go to Morehead City Docks for the night, but they had some cancellations during the day and we were able to spend the night.

Denard gave us a beer when we registered. What a wonderful experience.

Today is going to be a short run to Oriental, only about 20 miles. Otherwise it would be a 70 mile run, and that is just too long a day, too much like work.

Peter wants to change the oil in the rebuilt port engine. We have travelled about 280 miles on the rebuilt engine and used about 100 gallons of fuel.

This building is new as hurricane Irene wiped them out last year. He stores about 130 boats inside. 3 stories of boats. 

Surf City

OK it has happened. Somewhere along the way I have lost a day. Not sure where it went or what we were doing, but it is gone.

Yesterday we travelled the Cape Fear River up to Surf City NC. It was another beautiful day, with a heat warning for 100 degrees. Definitely a day to be on the water. With the breeze it was quite comfortable, but when the breeze stopped it was HOT.

Look at the birds following the fishing boat!

A better picture of Waypoint our companion.

There are few marinas in this stretch of the ICW. I spent a LONG time trying to find somewhere for the night. As much as we would like to anchor out, it is way too hot; we need power for the AC in the evenings. Settled on Beach House Marina. Active Captain said they were closed, however we called anyway and found they could take us. They said they were in bankruptcy and the bank will takeover soon, but in the meantime it is business as usual. It is the most expensive marina so far at $2. per foot. I told them so, and their comment was they charged this because they were so close to everything; grocery store, liquor store, restaurants, etc. That is certainly the only reason. It is merely a dock, with a table and umbrella for their office. They do provide showers, laundry, and washrooms in a building.  Docks are floating docks in good shape. Not what you expect for these rates, but there is not much to choose from.

This is all there is for an office. I wonder why they are bankrupt. Or, perhaps we Canadians have it all wrong. I wonder what Ken MacDonald would have to say about this. The good thing is that it is a 50 mile run from Southport (the only one), it has floating docks that are really easy to get onto, just off the ICW, has a nearby grocery store and DQ. A great location.

We headed for the grocery store and got a few things we needed. Had a light dinner on board as there was a DQ 1 block in front of the boat that needed some attention. We then walked down to the beach and then out on the pier. We had a rain storm front come through just after dinner that we had watched from the flybridge. The surfers were having a great time in the after storm wind and waves. We know why this place is called Surf City. There were about 10 different surfers. A lot of fun to watch.

The pier itself goes out into the ocean for about 500 to 600 feet. The fishermen line the pier.

We returned to the boat and noticed sheet lightning off in the distance behind the boat. What a show it was. I have never seen anything like it. The entire sky behind the boat would light up and flash. There was at least a 45 degree panoramic view of sheet lightning.  The sky danced with the flashes. We told Bob and Linda that it was really good of them to arrange this light show for us. We sat out and watched it for at least an hour and finally went to bed, it still was going on.

The plan is to be off to Moorehead City NC today. This will be a reasonable distance for the day and there are a number of really good marinas there. The next day will be a long one, apparently we will need to travel about 70 miles to get a decent marina. There just aren't many marinas in some areas of the ICW. And there can be long runs between.

It's Done and we are on our Way.

The day finally came. The engine was complete, by July 18th, and we had a successful sea trial. We finished loading the boat and made a run to the grocery store.

July 19th we were up early and away from the dock. We have been on the move for 4 days now and everything is working well. The engines purr. What a great sound. We still have the air problem on the engine that was rebuilt. Every morning is a bit of an adventure. Will it start or will we be going thru the bleeding process.  Ed, the mechanic had suggested to Peter that perhaps the fuel return line is not below the fuel level in the tank and that this could cause it to get air back into the system overnight. It is something to check.

To recapture some of the days. ...... July 19th we travelled from Rockville to Isle of Palms. We met Sundance Rivera, the gentleman who built the enclosure for the flybridge. One of the domes had failed, and he was really good to come and replace the dome. WOW, service after the sale and after the check. Don't see that very often these days. We were impressed. An aside from this, day 3 out, one of the dot domes is failing, the fabric is coming out from under the dome ...... I will call him, but not sure how far the "service after the sale" will go - we are now in North Carolina, not sure what he will be able to do to help us. It is a small thing, but would really like things to work as they should for longer than 3 days.

Bob and Linda's boat "Waypoint" a Mainship Pilot. They are much faster than us but they will travel our speed. Pretty boat and well appointed.

July 20th we made our way to Georgetown. at stayed overnight at Hazzard Marina. Here we met some fellow Loopers. Bob and Linda Wilkins. They were just starting their Loop, they had left Charleston with plans to go as far as Chesapeake Bay. It will be good to have some travel companions again. It makes a world of difference to have someone to travel with. This will make our 3rd Linda along the trip. They were both in the medical field, Linda a nurse and Bob a Pharmacist, and they have retired from the Navy.

Way too early a start for my captain.

July 21, Georgetown to Little River, SC and stayed at the Lightkeepers Marina. A wonderful facility.  At Georgetown we got up early to catch the tide. We got it exactly right and were able to ride the tide up to Little River, SC. We could have probably continued with the tide for another couple of miles. We picked up an extra knot, what a difference. 1 knot, over a 7 hour day is 7 knots, and it shortens the travel portion of the day by an hour.

July 22nd, Little River to Cape Fear River Entrance, and stayed at Southport Marina. Another wonderful facility. We joined Bob and Linda for a walk about and either a late lunch or early dinner at Fishy Fishy Cafe. Recommended in both Active Captain and Waterways Guide. A very good meal and good company.  On our walkabout we were told that two films were being filmed in Southport. Iron Man, and I forget the second. When we returned to the boat we could see a helicopter with a camera flying over the entire Southport area. He continued for 3 to 4 hours until it was dark.

Along the way we have seen some derelict boats. They look so sad. One boat was off the river and somehow got itself up behind 2 or 3 trees on the shore.

Some of the markers have plants growing right in the bracework, and then will have an osprey nest on the top.

We travelled on the Saturday and Sunday in this area. While Saturday was busy  and we were glad to get off the ICW early in the day, Sunday had more traffic and it started very early in the day. Again we were glad to get off the water early. There are a lot of personal watercraft (PWC) or SeaDoos in the area. We only think we have a lot on Georgian Bay, here they are like motorcycle gangs. 7-8 travelling together. Then you have the people who rent them for the hour and don't understand how they need to be under power to be able to steer them. One poor lady was near our boat, let off the throttle and nearly hit into our boat. Fortunately the man behind her hit the gas and got them out of the way.

We saw fish jumping right out of the water ..... the entire body of the fish would be about 3 feet off the water, what a sight. Peter saw a ray come entirely out of the water. And again we have had dolphins along the way.

We finally get to enjoy our back deck.

The shoreline has changed from the saltwater marshes we enjoyed in Georgia and South Carolina. Now we have trees on both sides of the waterway and then peppered along the way are everything from summer cottages, to homes, to monster homes. All making the travel very interesting.

Edisto,, July 14th

Mom's Birthday today. Happy Birthday Mom!

Thursday we drove to Fairhope, Alabama. 10 hours one way, to pick up the new exhaust Today is Mom's Birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!

Thursday, we drove to Fairhope Alabama. 10 hours one way, to pick up our new exhaust manifold. It is a thing of beauty. Stainless steel, and they say they have never had one rust out. We will have to keep this address, as we have replaced one, but there are two engines. Wonder how the other one is doing?

Strange thing. We took cash to pay for manifold. They preferred a check, even tho' it could take up to 6 weeks to clear. With this kind of logic, there is no wondering why the US would be in a recession. Second reason ..... They had the order for 3 weeks and when we contacted them in 3 rd week for ETA, they said the order would be delayed because they ran out of stainless steel and it was on order. Now if this was your business and this material was crucial to production, wouldn't you be sure to have it on hand?

They continue to work on the engine installation. The boat is in the water. With a little luck we could be on the water heading north the first of the week. This probably means Tuesday or Wednesday.

It continues to be hot and humid, which is normal for SC at this time of the year. Hope the air conditioner works.

Peter had a little excitement on Wednesday. He had broken a fitting and water was coming into the boat. He stopped it up and we went to town to get replacement parts and returned to Jim and Linda's for the night. Everything under control. The bilge pumps could handle the small drip overnight. Oops! At midnight, Peter remembered that he had shut off the battery charger during the day as it makes a really annoying noise. No battery charger, no bilge pumps. He said he broke out into a cold sweat thinking about it, and couldn't sleep. He made the 1 hour drive to the boat to check it. A good thing too as the water was within an inch of the bilge floorboards. He pumped it out and replaced the fittings. Had he not gone to boat he thought he could have had water in his gas tank, in the water tank, and perhaps over the floor in the galley and the aft cabin.
Disaster avoided. He got back about 3:30 am. Needless to say he slept in a little in the morning.

Friday Jim and Linda were loaded to go to their new boat for some well deserved boating. They will be in the Rhode Island - Maine area for the first of their boating. We are hoping to meet up with them when we get there.

Engine Going in Today!!!!

Well it has finally happened. Peter has totally corrupted me. I am as happy and excited today, with the engine going in, as if it were Christmas morning.

A trip to West Marine is now like a trip to the local mall. And I won't even start on the discussion of a trip to Home Depot or Lowes.  I have no idea of how long I will need to be home for me to normalize.

On the drive to the marina this morning, we had been talking about wouldn't it be wonderful if we turned the corner to see the crane moving the engine into the boat. We have had so many disappointments, that I said I thought I would cry if they weren't working on our boat. When we got to the boatyard, our boat was not even in its normal place, it had been moved. That was the beginning of the good news. And when we found the boat, the engine was sitting beside the boat waiting for an operator to move it into the boat.

And that is going to fit through that small opening. I don't want to be around when this happens.

This started 2.5 months ago. I guess patience is a virtue, but it certainly takes its toll.

We left them to their work and made our way back to Cypress Trees. Bought some Kentucky Fried Chicken and some wine to celebrate tonight.

We may have turned the corner on this part of the story. Now we only need to hear from the people in Fairhope Alabama that they have built our exhaust manifold. A quick trip to Fairhope to pick it up and return and we can be underway. (Fairhope is about 10 hours one way from here)

Sunday morning, Edisto Island

Life is good. Sitting on the back porch, with a cup of coffee. Overlooking the saltwater marsh. The tide is out. Temperature is is in the 80's with a cool breeze. It doesn't get any better than this. The temperature will climb over 90, and the humid ex will be around 105 at least, so this afternoon we will be confined to air conditioned areas, however by 8:00 pm, we could get to the porch again if there is a breeze.

Week in review. The engine still is not in the boat. However, it is sitting on the bench and has been running and that is a good thing. When Anthony said they would work on our engine this week, he failed to mention that due to the 4th of July holiday, they would be closing the marina from Wed to Fri. And because they don't work on the weekends no one will work till Monday.

We went to Charlotte, NC for Wed and returned Thursday. Michael and Leslie were down for the Shriners International Convention. We got to spend some time with them, if only too short. Got caught up on the news and hugs.

We went to the boat Fri and Sat., and Peter got the new waste tank installed and the old tank set up so that it will service the forward head. Originally the fwdhead pumped directly out which is OK down here in some areas, but needed to be rearranged for our purposes. Still a little more work to complete this task, but the major stuff is done ready or the engine to be installed.

We will see what Monday brings. Hopefully the engine will go in and they can add the components.

4th of July on Wednesday

Monday morning and we will go to boat early again today as the temperature is so high. Overnight it only goes down to 80 degrees. Today will be in the hi 90's, with a heat index of 109. No place for a girl and boy from the cooler and less humid climate of Canada.

 Today Peter will once again talk to Anthony, the marina owner to see if he can work towards getting the engine in our boat this week. We still wait for the new manifold, but everything else can get ready to receive it.

 Last week was a very productive week. Got the second coat of paint on the hull, got the last of the gallon of ablative paint on the bottom. Not fully covered so still some turquoise showing, but it won't show when boat is in the water. We don't need ablative in fresh water, only in salt water to protect against those pesky sea life creatures that like to attach themselves.

 Peter discovered that the bolts holding he swim platform had rusted thru so we had an unexpected job of replacing all of them. The alternator for the starboard engine wasn't  working, and he found a new one under the bed, so he swapped it out. The new 38 gallon waste tank arrived, so the plan is to install it this week. Unfortunately the old one is full and we will need to empty it by hand. One person needs to pump from the inside of boat and one person needs to catch the stuff in a bucket on the outside of boat. I opted to be the pumper, rather than the catcher. he he he.

 There is a little more painting. I want to paint a navy blue stripe along the top of the hull just under the cap rail and above the rub rail. I think it is called the boot stripe. That should be the last of the painting, unles I decide to give the transom a second coat. We still need to install the deck wash pump. And that brings our list of things to an end for now.

So it would be really good if Anthony can get the engine installed this week.

Michael, Parade Marshall for the Ramese Temple, Toronto; Charlotte North Carolina, July 4th, 2012. Wearing a red wool topcoat and the humidex is 105, in a 2 hour long parade. Outstanding dedication and committment.

 Our son Michael and Leslie are in Charlotte Nc this week with the Shriners for their International convention. He is now part of the Divan and also Parade Marshall for our section. This is a 3 hour parade. We plan to go to Charlotte Wed. to see the parade, have dinner with them and some visiting time. It will be good to see them again.

Jim and Linda have returned from their family vacation in the Turks, where their children and grandchildren helped them celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Everything was better than they had hoped. Linda thinks she broke her little toe while walking on the beach the first day.

 I finally got to play with Linda's Kubota tractor. We took both tractors out to cut the grass. It took all of Saturday morning and then some. Linda says they figure they have 8 acres of grass to cut. I believe them. Temperature about 98 degrees, heat index 110. We had bought Frog Togg chillers. A chamois type fabric the size of a small towel that you soak and put around your neck. They sure make a difference. Not sure we could have been in the heat long enough to finish the grass otherwise.

 The grass cut, the flowers watered, we were ready for the Murray's return. But wait. The air conditioner upstairs is not cooling. It is 86 degrees on the second floor and my glasses fog up with the heat and humidity. We slept in the family room downstairs where it was cool and comfortable.

 Jim fixed the air conditioner Sunday afternoon. What a thing to come home to. And in that heat. Well gotta go. Time is flying by and we can only work in the cool of the morning. By about 11 am it is too hot.