Isle of Hope

Spanish moss in Isle of Hope…

St. Helena

Today we leave Beaufort, continuing south to Isle of Hope. This is St. Helena church, an Anglican Church founded when this area was still a British colony. The graveyard tells a story of the revolution, with two British soldiers and a number of American soldiers buried here in 1779.

On Being Broken

Right now, our confidence in the boat is on the upswing, since we have a better idea of the impact of our coolant leak. Now it's more of an annoyance rather than a serious concern. But a few days ago, at the first sign of the leak, my heart sank. Whenever some mechanical problem comes up with a boat, you start running through the scenarios for what it means for your trip. If the boat is truly broken, you could be stuck somewhere for a long while getting parts and assistance to fix it. In a really bad case, your trip could be over.

We have been traveling with friends, Raul and Valerie, who have a similar boat, down the ICW, so we've had the benefit of some camaraderie while we share the challenges of keeping a vessel moving. Something Raul said to me the other day, stuck with me: "When the boat is broken, I'm broken". That really summarizes the mixture of bad feelings that flood across you when something breaks. It's a mix of trepidation about what will be your new situation and whether you can continue your trip, and a bit of shame about your boat preparation before the start of the trip.

Somehow, you have to let go of the broken feeling, knowing full well that boats break. They break a lot. I don't think I've ever done a trip without some mechanical failure. I'm still working on accepting these setbacks, and obviously, it's a little easier now that the outlook is improving. It's time to take a few deep breaths and keep pushing forward.

Engine Leak Update

Yesterday we kept a close eye on the coolant leak, and we're losing about one drop per second. When I checked the level this morning it looks like we're losing about a half gallon during a days run (the engine has about 20 gallons of coolant if you were wondering). So, the good news is that it's a manageable leak for now. In a few days we will arrive in St. Augustine, where we hope to find a mechanic who can help us. We'll be calling them shortly to make arrangements.

Reindeer Games

Sensei

Here's Sensei blasting along to Beaufort today! Thanks to "Anodyne" for the picture.

Moonrise, Beaufort

Beaufort, SC

We had a nice walk around town today…

Coolant Leak Update

The pipe in the middle of this photo is the source of our leak on the starboard engine. It's dripping coolant at a rate of about a drop a second when at cruising speed. So, for now it's manageable. The dilemma is that stopping to fix and order parts could take a number of days. So, we plan to press on and just keep topping up the coolant until we get to a good stop point.

Good Morning, Charleston!

Sushi

We had dinner with our friends Stephanie and Jim at a very good sushi restaurant. Charleston has a great collection of restaurants, so this has been a good stopover.

Drat!

Drat! There's a coolant leak. At least now I know why the level was low the other day. It seems like a slow leak, but leaks never get better by themselves. We're hoping to have a mechanic take a look at this tomorrow…

Family and Music

Last night we went out to The Pourhouse with Kristina and Ivey to see a Grateful Dead cover band. It was good to spend time with them and enjoy the music!

Fuel Stop

It takes a while to fill our tank, so we  were tipped off to this trick to save our hands: a tennis ball keeps the pump running.

Home Office

This is how we spend our days, heading down the ICW.

Charleston

We arrived in Charleston this afternoon after a refueling stop in Isle of Palms. Just north of the Wapoo Bridge we found a sailboat aground and the channel was very shallow. We touch bottom briefly, but we're able to find a path through. We'll try to do this section at high tide next time! The tide here is 4-5 feet, so it makes a big difference.

Laundry Day

One thing that's a little more work to accomplish while cruising: washing clothes. Most marinas have a laundry, and this one is quiet today, so we're getting it done!

Dinner

After a long day of navigating the ICW, it's fair to treat ourselves to a cocktail and dinner ashore…

Georgetown

We arrived safely in Georgetown, SC this afternoon. We'll be here a few days, then on to Charleston.

Fun

We walked around Barefoot Landing to get some exercise and found some fun along the way…

Barefoot Marina

Good night, Myrtle Beach.

Atlantic

We're traveling with friends on another boat. Here, they lead us out into the Atlantic for the run to Myrtle Beach. We had a minor problem at the dock this morning: the engine alarm went off for the starboard engine indicating that our coolant was low. We added coolant and all was well. I'll be keeping a close eye on this to make sure there isn't a leak somewhere. Now we're docked in Myrtle Beach for a night or two.

Good morning, Wrightsville!

It's another cold morning along the ICW! But we might see 60 degrees later today. We're looking forward to getting further south for warmer weather.

Odd Ones

There are some odd vessels running in the ICW…

Wrightsville Beach

Arrived after a busy day refueling and waiting for bridges to open.

Beaufort

Sensei approaching Beaufort, NC. Today was chilly, but we were warm and dry inside the pilot house.

Heat

It's a chilly morning here in Belhaven, but we're plugged in and there is heat coming from this vent. Departing shortly for Beaufort, NC.

Trivia

We came in 3rd at the local trivia match. Not bad.

Belhaven

We arrived in Belhaven this afternoon and tucked into this cozy marina next to some condos. After lunch at the Fish Hook, we took on some fuel and made plans to play Trivia at the Riverbend Cultural Center.

GPS

The Mike cord for the VHF radio hangs over the power switches for the GPS and chart plotter. When I use the radio, the cord often snags and turns off this important navigation equipment. This usually happens in close quarters when things are hectic! So, duct tape to the rescue. Everyone should have a roll of duct tape handy.

Good morning, Norfolk

We had a beautiful sunrise to start our day this morning!

Norfolk

We had a pretty smooth run down the Bay, arrived in Norfolk this afternoon. Seas were a little lumpy at the mouth of the Potomac and a table lamp fell over, but no harm done.

Heading South!

Heading to warmer latitudes today. We left Annapolis this morning, and Norfolk will be our first port of call.

Bay Bridge Race

It's a cold, windy day for the Bay Bridge Race. These runners are approaching the end of the 6.2 mile run. We're sitting tight today, waiting for the winds to decrease tomorrow.

Almost Time

We're so ready! We're looking at the weather to choose when we will leave. It looks rough tomorrow, but Monday looks good.

So Grey

Nicole

It's a rainy, windy day, as the remnants of Nicole go by us. 

Fuel

We took the boat over to the fuel dock today and brought aboard enough diesel for our first leg of the voyage. Almost ready!

The Puzzle

Figuring out the puzzle.

Tropical Storm Nicole

No journey would be complete without a storm in the mix. We'll be watching Nicole as we plan our departure.

Provisioning

Today is provisioning day. 

Good night, Annapolis

Guest Cabin

Suzan has redecorated the guest cabin…

Galley Faucet

The original faucet in the galley didn't have much flow, even after cleaning the in-line screen. So, today we installed a new one and it works great!