Trefoil gets "mooned" and other adventures!

We've had a busy travel schedule, and haven't been able to update our blog until now. Leaving Charleston, we "cranked it up" to get through the Ben Sawyer bridge for the 9:00 opening. We were the last boat through for that opening! Traveling against the current all the way, we motored to Leland Oil in McClellanville. We had stopped here on the trip south; McClellanville is a very pretty town, and there is a fresh seafood market just 2 blocks from Leland Oil, which provides overnight docking for transients. We enjoyed fresh shrimp for dinner!

Colby has been having some occasional intestinal problems, and we decided it was time to get him to a vet for a check-up. Cruising friends had told us about a good vet in Georgetown, so on we went the next day. We hadn't stopped here on the way south, but we are very glad to have made this stop this time. Georgetown is a very pretty town, with a boardwalk and lots of shops and restaurants along the water. Colby had a very thorough check up with Dr. Judy at Harborwalk Veterinary Clinic; she said he has colitis, and prescribed the same medication our vet from home had prescribed back in February when he had a similar problem. We are glad to have had the checkup and certainly happy that it is not anything more serious. Next time we would anchor here, but this time we stayed at a marina, so that we could get our friend to his appointment easily.

An easy day the next day, on to Osprey Marina, near Myrtle Beach. It was a beautiful day traveling on the Waccamaw River. We had the current with us, and could have easily gone farther, but we decided to stop and we were so glad we did! As we were approaching the fuel dock, we spotted "R Hope". We had met Lorne and Edy last fall in Elizabeth City, had enjoyed time with them, and have been emailing ever since. This is the first time we have seen them since November! We enjoyed dinner, wine and conversation with them on their 40' DeFever.

Then we did 2 "marathon days!" 59.7 miles then 69.1 miles the next day! (Normally we travel between 30 and 50 miles per day, depending on location of anchorages and/or marinas, as well as tide and current conditions.) We didn't really plan it that way, but that's the way it worked out. No good places to anchor, some marinas too shallow to get into, etc. The first day was the day Trefoil was "mooned!" When the sun and the moon are in close proximity, the result is "astronomically" (exceptionally) low and high tides. On this particular day, the tide was so low that the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge closed for two hours due to the low tide. So we and several other boats anchored, waiting for the tide to come up enough for the bridge to open. First time we had encountered this situation! This was an 11.5 hour day. On the second day, we had a great ride up the Cape Fear River; tide with us, we motorsailed and made between 7.5 and 8.0 mph all the way! This can be a tricky run, so we were very pleased to have excellent conditions and the current with us. We were making such good time we decided not to stop at Wrightsville Beach, but to keep going. The tide was with us, but the "weekend warriors" were out in full force. Lots of wakes, and boaters looking the other way as boats "flew" by. This area along Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach is full of recreational weekend boaters. The marina we had wanted to stop at was full, so we kept going. 11.5 hours under way that day as well.

We decided to do a short day the next day, just 18 miles to Swansboro. We had been here in the fall, and enjoyed the town. So we made reservation at Casper's Marina, and envisioned a restful time. Boy, were we surprised! The southeast wind was blowing directly into the marina, and we were on the outer dock, right into the wind. Add to that the fact that it was Saturday, and lots of boats were in and out, leaving many wakes. Not a restful afternoon, to say the least.

On the next day to a totally different situation! Forecast was for 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms, so we were looking for a "hidey-hole" where we could rest up a bit and have protection from the weather. We found Sea Gate Marina, on the Adams River Canal, between Morehead City and Oriental. A very protected spot, friendly staff, peaceful, good place to walk a dog. We decided to stay 2 nights, due to the unsettled weather. No cell phone service, but great Wifi! So far, grey skies, but no rain or thunderstorms, as predicted. That's OK! Hopefully tomorrow we will move on to Oriental.

A few notes of interest:
1. It is so important to always have the VHF radio on 16. We have seen examples of boaters who apparently only turn on their radios when they want to call someone else. But you try to contact them, and no response! Just today, we heard the Coast Guard hailing a vessel, and there was no answer. Apparently no radio on. Not smart.
2. The dinghy davits have been great, as the dinghy is out of the water, but relatively easy to launch. They do add a maneuverability problem, however, when docking, especially when getting into a tight spot! Also, visibility over the stern is limited. Now we have to stand up frequently to check for traffic astern.
3. Fans are so important in hot weather. We have 2 DC Caframo fans, which we thought might be overkill. We use them all the time in this weather. Also we have two battery powered "personal fans" which get a lot of use as well.
4. We have used the tiller pilot some, and it has been a very welcome break for Richard when it is in use. However, much of the route needs to be hand steered, because of so many turns and also needing to alter course to steer into wakes from powerboats.
5. We have done quite a bit of motorsailing with the jib. The roller furling jib makes this easy. We never roll out more than 70 to 80% of the fore triangle, so as not to put too much stress on the rig. But we do pick up anywhere from a half a mile to a mile an hour when we use it. A real savings on diesel!