Kodi explores Beaufort - Days 240 and 241 - Beaufort, NC

Kodi continues to be our connection to people.

We started Sunday morning (5/29) with a walk through the historic district with the Furry Kid.  Beaufort is particularly charming in that people sit on their beautiful porches, often with their dog(s). 

Historic home with flags flying for Memorial Day

We came upon a such a home with a family on the porch and four dogs. Kodi just had to say hello and as a result we got to talk with some lovely people (Fritzi, Sandy and their family)

Diana chats with Fritz and three of their 4 dogs (thedog next to Diana is Stella)

Following an excellent Sunday brunch at The Grocery Store, which was, in fact, a restaurant and not a grocery store, we visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

This free museum turned out to be real prize.  We spend a good three hours here enjoying their exhibits.  The museum focuses on NC boat construction, the NC fishing industry, recreational boating and the life saving services that ultimately became the United States Coast Guard.  Not withstanding the fact that we chose this activity to get out of the mid-day heat, it turned our to be a great afternoon.

Outboard motor display

Following the museum visit, we collected Kodi and explored the local waters on the dingy.  Upon returning to the boat, we noticed, as usual, many people leaning over the rail and looking at the Furry Kid.  Often we entertain them by having Kodi perform.  Thirty of the almost 100 behaviors Kodi has mastered are useful for entertainment.  The other 70 are related to "activities of daily living."  During Sunday afternoons' performance we met a young couple (late 20s), John and Bethany Morninstar, who had just adopted a 7 week old German Shepherd.  We established a nice rapport and deceided to have dinner with them on Monday evening. 

At 5:30 PM on Monday, John, Bethany and the new puppy, Mika, arrived.  Kodi and Mika immediately hit it off.

Bethany and John look on as Diana gets to know Mika

Mika and Kodi

Diana proposed that I take our new friends on a dingy ride through the harbor with Mika and off we went.

Bethany and Nikka

Along the way we saw a very unusual steam driven boat.  As we came along side we noticed that the boat had a cannon mounted on the bow.  Sure enough, the gentleman on the bow fired the cannon.  We cruised on exploring more of the river north of the historic downtown.

Notice the cannon onthe bow

As we were returning to the boat, we again noticed the steamboat as it fired its cannon; this time in the vicinity of Beaufort Docks where Guided Discovery is berthed.   I commented to my new friends that Kodi would not be happy about the cannon firing.  This turned out to be prophetic. 

We tied up the dingy and began walking to the boat.  At that point, we observed Kodi being carried in the arms of a man and a boy running toward us saying Kodi had run away.  Turns out Kodi, who has never left the boat, got scared by the cannon, opened the slightlyajar cockpit entry door, ran off the boat and then off the dock.  The family who had just left the restaurant spotted Kodi leave the boat and run into the street.  They went after her.  So, we made some very nice new friends who then joined us on the boat with John, Bethany and Nikka.

Bruce, AJ, Stephanie and Josh pose after returning Kodi

We are very thankful that Bruce, Stephanie, AJ and Josh were there when the cannon fired.  It is just plain scary to think what might have happened had they not been there.  The family was visiting from Raliegh, North Carolina.  Guys if you read this THANK YOU!!!!!!

Kodi finally calmed down and we went to dinner with John and Bethany at the Dock House where we sat outside with the dogs.  It was a lovely evening.

All's well that ends well.

Written by Les.

A day for remembering - Day 239 - Beaufort, NC

Saturday, we awoke to a forecast with a 20% chance of showers, which seemed closer to 90% when we left for our morning walk with Kodi.

Dark clouds to the east of Guided Discovery

Undaunted, we proceeded to walk through town (our theory being we could camp on some one's porch if it rained hard.  We doubted that they would shoot us as long as the Furry Kid was with us). 

At 9:45 AM, we came upon the Carteret Court House where we discovered the locals preparing for the annual Memorial Day Service, which was scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM.

Tents erected around the Cateret County War Memorial

Flags flying

We decided to stay and watch small town (population 4,305) America celebrate.  It was a great decision and a touching experience. 

The band playing during the musical prelude

They introduced the scouts who raised and lowered the flags

The colorful Knight of Columbus Color Guard

The Beaufort Town Chorus sang a medley of patriotic songs

Angela Baker sang "Proud to be an American" beautifully

Artist: Lee Greenwood
Song: Proud To Be An American

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘ Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

Congressman Walter Jones (R) gave the Memorial Day Speech

Congressman Walter Jones speech was moving.  He spoke of four veterans, starting with his grandfather who committed suicide (circa 1922) a consequence of being (mustard) gassed during WWI and of his 12 year old father finding the body as an example of the effect that war has on families.  He spoke of two others who made the ultimate sacrifice and of one who was badly wounded (having lost everything from the waist down) during the Iraq war.  He made the point that our technology and medical skills now enable us to save severely wounded service people who would have died in previous wars and the obligation we have to provide for them.

He also spoke of his decision to send troops to Iraq, which today he mightily regrets and of the difficulty of providing adequate benefits for veterans and especially those who have been severely wounded.  He strongly pledged to see that the budget treats our veterans properly.  He also expressed his deep reservations about our involvement in Afghanistan and provided details to explain his decision to support pulling the troops out.  He got a very enthusiastic round of applause from the approximately 300 people in attendance.

One line of the Congressman's speech characterized the meaning of Memorial Day for me.  Referring to those who service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, he said that "they gave their tomorrows for our today."

Today, I was especially proud to be an American.

Note: We also stayed completely dry.

Written by Les.

Celebrating birthdays - Days 237 & 238 - Southport to Beaufort, NC

Diana's birthday was last Wednesday (the 18th), mine was Thursday (the 26th).  So, on Thursday we began a joint birthday and Memorial Day celebration.  Our goal was Beaufort, NC, which we heard was a special place.

The first leg was an easy 26 mile run from Southport to Wrightsville.

View of the historic docks at Southport

We departed Southport at 9:16 AM and headed up the Cape Fear River with, as usual (and we don't take it for granted) sunny skies.  The 10 to 20 knot wind out of the south kicked up three foot waves on the river but fortunately we were heading north and thus had a smooth ride on a following sea. 

For the next 70 minutes we bucked a 2.5 knot current until we intersected the ICW and the channel that leads to Snows Cut.  As we approached the cut at 10:42, we observed an express cruiser that had run aground as a result of turning too wide at the green day mark.  Low tide was around an hour earlier.  A firm reminder of how critical it is to respect the ICW buoys.

Express cruiser hard aground

This leg was pleasant, short and uneventful.  We arrived at the Wrightsville Beach Marina at 12:10 PM and then spent the afternoon exploring Wrightsville Beach on foot.  A good four mile walk. 

Heavy boat density at the marinas at Wrightsville Beach on the ICW

We made it too the beach..  It was not dog friendly

We "dressed" for dinner (well, this is our version of dressed) and had our birthday dinner at the Bluewater Restaurant adjacent to the marina.

Friday's leg from Wrightsville to Beauford was special as we decided to run on the outside for the first time in almost 1,000 miles (since arriving in Miami's Coconut Grove).  The forecast was for two to four foot swells out of the south, which would give us a comfortable beam sea on our ENE (074 degree) heading.

After getting some local knowledge, we headed south for 13 minutes to Masonboro Inlet and then turned left and headed out into the North Atlantic.  Except for a brief head sea as we proceeded out of the inlet, the forecast proved spot on as we turned ENE and powered up to 2300 RPM and 28 MPH.

Wake view as we run on plane in 3 to 5 foot swells

For the next two hours and 48 minutes we ran on plane at 28 MPH with the autopilot in track ("set it and forget it") mode.  It felt good.  Note: Cleaning the bottom and switching to the OEM props has given us back the boat's 30 MPH cruise.  We ran at 2300 RPM (28 MPH) as this is the most fuel efficient spot on the high speed power curve (40 GPH).

At 11:38 AM, we arrived a Shakleford point and 17 minutes later we were docked at Beaufort Docks, the municipal marina.  The marina is located on the town boardwalk in the heart of the historic downtown and residential district. 

Guided Discovery at Beaufort Docks on Saturday morning

I spent the entire afternoon washing Guided Discovery while Diana and Kodi explored the town.  Note: Guided Discovery gets hosed down after every run (a must in salt water) and washed thoroughly every 10 days.  Another must in a salty seaside environment.

After dinner, Diana, the Furry Kid and I explored the town.  Beaufort is spectacular.  Most of the homes are from the 19th Century including a few that date back to the Revolutionary War.  The town, we learned, has a strict architectural code that requires owners to maintain there vintage homes as the were built.  All are painted white (95%) and each has a plaque with the date of construction and the original owner's name.  Beautiful tree lined streets, wood clapboard houses with porches and best of all people sitting on them.  Wow.

Historic 1768 home

Same rather large home from side

Along the walk we discovered the Carteret County Court House and their war memorial.  The sun had just set.

Carteret County War Memorial

Tune in to the next article to see the beautiful Memorial Day ceremony that took place on site.

Written by Les.

Rocky and slow - Day 236 - North Myrtle Beach, SC to Southport, NC

This segment began with a four mile section called the rock pile.  Locals explained that the channel narrowed at times to 25 feet with rock ledges lining both sides.  Locals further suggested running the stretch at low tide to be able to see the rocks and the channel.

The rockpile viewed from astern

We departed Barefoot Landing at 9:25 AM on a rising tide.  The run through the rockpile was actually well marked and straight forward.  That said, we left early enough to see the rocks.  Still, the thought of rocks in close proximity does tend to increase ones blood pressure.  If everything goes right, then no problem.  Lose an engine, steering or whatever and there's no room to set a hook,  The odds are the propellers would make contact (uggh) with a rock.

Use this cruiser's link to see better views of the jagged rocks.

The remainder of the trip was very slow.  Residential density increased as we progressed northeast along the ICW with numerous upscale homes with floating docks.  This of course leads to "no wake" and slow zones.  The 44 mile trip took over five hours.  The good news.  We only burned 19.6 gallons (for an economical 2.1 miles per gallon (for a boat).

Two floating casinos

Upon arrival we explored the Southport historical district with Kodi. Most homes were build just after the Civil War. We found a marker commemorating the vision of Joshua Potts who in 1790 laid out the first 100 lots for a town surrounding Fort Johnson.

Fort Johnson, built before the Revolutionary war, played a role in both the Revolutionary and the Civil War.

.

Kodi got to go swimming (twice) and we stopped for a beer at Fishy Fishy Cafe (where we also returned for dinner).

Tomorrow we cruise to Wrightsville, NC.

Written by Les.

Time to pull the boat - Days 232 to 234 - Charleston to Georgetown,SC

We departed at 9:46 AM for the 65 mile trip to Georgetown.  Our route took us past the battery then northeast along the main channel where we turned north on the ICW just before Fort Sumpter.

View of the Battery and antebellum homes along East Bay Street

Having learned my lesson (see "Food for the flies"), I installed the screens prior to leaving Charleston.  It proved to be a good move.  Fortunately, the flies stayed on the outside.  However, to keep the flies out we also had to close the windshield vent window and the sun roof.  For the first time on the journey, we ran the bridge air conditioning, which kept the temperature at the helm 77 degrees while it was 90 outside.  Not bad.

Running with screen installed

Most of the run was against the current, which accounts for the fact that we burned 42.9 gallons to cover 65.3 miles.  Still reasonably efficient.

We arrived in Georgetown at 5:15 PM and docked at Hazzard Marine.  It was a long day on the water.  We took 55 gallons at $365 per gallon.  Wish we could have bought more at that price but 55 gallon drums do not store well on the 48.

Georgetown proved to be a lovely place.  That said, we spend most of Sunday inside to escape the heat, humidity and flies (the same type that ate me alive).  Even so,we were able to enjoy the historic downtown.

Folks dressed up as pirates

Lovely river walk

Charming shops onthe water

On Monday morning, we addressed the main purpose of the Georgetown visit; pulling the boat to inspect the bottom and running gear.  It had been over six months since the boat was lifted at Dog River Marina in Mobile to power wash the bottom and install the spurs on the starboard shaft.

Surprisingly, the bottom was in pretty good shape after six months in salt water.  Note: Warm salt water with lots of time at the dock is the perfect environment for marine growth including barnacles.  We observed moderate growth at the waterline to the chines, light growth on the bottom itself and heavy growth with barnacles on the transom underneath the swim platform.  The greater the exposure to the sun, the more intense the growth.

Notice the heavy growth on the swim platform hydraulics and underwater lights

Power washing and scraping solved the problem.

You can see the growth that is yet to be removed

The next order of business was field checking the props.  We determined that the starboard prop had tow blades that were slightly bent, one out from a hit on the Tombigbee River and one from the soft grounding in Sarasota where I backed the boat off the sandbar.  Fortunately, the damage was not severe as there was no discernible vibration at speed.

I had intended to switch out the props regardless of whether damaged was discovered.  The spare props that were installed in Green Turtle Bay proved to be slower by two mile per hour (yielding a max cruise at 2400 RPMs of 28 MPH).

Original equipment props installed

The other purpose of pulling the boat was to check the zincs.   Zincs prevent damage to the shaft, props and other in-water metals from electrolysis.  Electrolysis occurs when there in an electrolytes between two different metals.  Salt water acts as an electrolyte.  What happens is the less noble metal is eaten away by the electric current.  Zinc being a lesser noble metal sacrifices itself and thus prevents damage to the more valuable (noble) metals found in the props (brass & nickle) and shafts (stainless steel).

Transom zinc 40% gone

Zinc on swim platform mount 70% gone

There are  four sets of zincs. The main one on the transom 4 on the swim platform hydraulics, two on the trim tabs and two of the shaft spurs.  Unfortunately, Hazzard Marine only had the ones for the trim tabs.  So the changing of the zincs remains "unfinished" business.  We will hire a diver as soon as we assemble the needed units.

Written by Les.