Warm Wishes

 Jacksonville 

It sure was nice to see the sun today! Another cold front moved through overnight triggering tornadoes nearby and dropping the temperature into the 40s. Thankfully it also blew away the cloud cover. We both packed up all of our cold-weather clothes. We'll need them at home over Christmas and do not want to bring them back with us. Dear Santa, will you please bring some warm weather to northern Florida in January? Two dock carts were packed full and we pushed them to the car. The sun set behind us and cast long shadows on the ground ahead of us. The trunk of the rental car is already full so tomorrow's last-minute bags (and our cactus) will have to ride in the back seat.

Tonight's event at the marina was the Lighted Boat Dock Crawl. My favorite spot was soaking up the warmth around the roaring bonfire. Boats of all shapes, sizes, and styles were decorated. (We did not put lights Crossroads this year, but remembered how good she looked last year.) Equally as festive as the boats was seeing how folks transformed their dock boxes into appetizer stations. There was an amazing assortment of food and beverages along the four docks -- gumbo, cookies, brownies, hummus, cheese, nuts, chips, crackers, sodas, wine, and shots just to name a few.

We will leave in the morning and need most of the day to drive home. I'll take a break from the blog for a while and pick back up in January when we return to Jacksonville. Thanks for following along and warm wishes for a Merry Christmas!

Holiday Treats

Jacksonville 

A heavy rain began around 6:00. The sound of it falling on the cabintop roof made for an early morning. A little cleaning and packing prep passed the time until the office opened and Barry could go pick up may package. I had forgotten to empty a drawer at Aunt B's on Sunday and she shipped the essentials (eye glasses, anti-inflammatories, computer power cable, plus a few other things). The Santa drawing was an added bonus. The rain stopped around 10:00 and we took the opportunity to go for a walk. The yellow hibiscus by the pool reminded us we were in Florida. The wreath on the gate indicated it was indeed the Christmas season. With that in mind we set off for the CVS to pick up a toy for tonight's Toys for Tots drive.

We walked down Herschel Street, past the impressive St. Johns Presbyterian Church sanctuary. One turn led us to CVS where we spent too much time picking out our toy and batteries. On our way back it began to rain again. Thankfully we had both worn our foul weather jackets. While it continued to rain, I finished my photo yearbook (for 2018) before heading up to the clubhouse for the holiday gathering. The inside of the building was decorated just as nicely as the exterior. Boaters were asked to bring a personalized ornament to hang on the community tree. We managed to piece one together with limited resources and Barry found a spot for it. It was a nice evening complete with open bar, live band, and tons of food.

The buffet line and dessert spread were huge. An active-duty Marine arrived to collect the toys that were placed under the tree. We collectively filled four large cardboard bins, plus there were a few bicycles and scooters that wouldn't fit. We got in a quick selfie in front of the fireplace before returning to Crossroads. The temperature remained in the mid-60s all day which was a happy medium where I wouldn't freeze and the snowman on a neighboring bow wouldn't melt. A dense fog has settled in over the marina. Its supposed to rain again overnight, but tomorrow afternoon will be sunny. I can't wait.

Tomorrow will be devoted to serious packing. We get the rental car mid-afternoon and want to get most of our stuff loaded in the car before tomorrow night's Lighted Boat Dock Crawl. 

Weathering a Nor'easter in the Sunshine State

Jacksonville 

When planning our offshore travels from Thunderbolt to Jacksonville, all forecasts predicted a very short weather window. The pundits were correct. We made the jump in good weather and then it quickly deteriorated. Today was cloudy, windy, rainy, and cold (at least by my and Florida standards). The only bright spot was the view from the pilot house of Flip Flop a few slips down. The crew had left for North Carolina before we arrived yesterday, so we'll have to wait until January to catch up with them. I didn't leave Crossroads, but made sure I got my stretching done. The day was spent looking at screens. The weather dominated local news. Barry left once to visit the marina office. We are docked front and center on the marina's webcam. Once I was able to ignore the Christmas light in the middle of the lens, it was cool to see him walking the dock. When we're away, we'll be able to make sure we're still floating. There is strong wifi here which allowed me to upload more than 1,000 photos and work on my photo yearbook. We later streamed Brittany Runs a Marathon from Prime Video. I enjoyed the movie whose story hit very close to home.

This yucky weather is supposed to clear out by tomorrow afternoon in time for the marina's Tree Trimming Holiday Party. I'm sure everyone will be anxious to get off their boat and share some holiday spirit.

Hello, Florida. Farewell, (Miss) Utah

Thunderbolt to Jacksonville  |  23 Hours  |  137 Miles 

With the trip to North Carolina behind us, we were anxious to get moving. We had a nice weather window that allowed us to jump offshore and get to Jacksonville in one overnight passage. For the first time this entire trip, it was warm. As we made our way down the Wilmington River toward the Atlantic it was 77 degrees. I enjoyed the sunshine while taking in the view from Fiberglass Beach. Large houses lined the Intracoastal Waterway. A steady stream of jets crossed over us on final approach to the Savannah airport. The massive Wilmington Plantation towered along the port-side shore. The landmark structure was built in 1927 as The Oglethorpe Hotel and spent time as a Sheraton Hotel before being converted to luxury condominiums.

The transition to the ocean was gradual as the lowcountry dissolved into the river delta. The ocean waves were low and on our nose, but the period was short which made for a bumpy ride. We settled into our watch schedule. Barry was downstairs when I throttled down and called him up. Seven miles off of Ossabow Island, I had spotted a lone mylar balloon floating on the surface that had to be rescued. I grabbed the boat hook and Barry brought Crossroads around. It was fun to scoop it up and save it from the wildlife. Released balloons end up in the remotest of places. A near-full moon rose in the east as the sun set in the west. The moon provided just enough light to keep a horizon visible. We encountered only a few boats all night. Mostly we were watching the rain showers come and go. Thankfully, I skirted most of them on my midnight to 3:00 am shift. When I came up at 6:00 we had entered the St. John's River and were approaching Jacksonville. Large cargo ships and fuel carriers were well-lit along the way.

The cold front that brought the overnight showers also brought a return of chilly temperatures. As the sun rose into an overcast sky, we checked out the city through the windows -- multiple bridges, the skyline, TIAA Bank Field (home of the NFL Jaguars), and the Maxwell House coffee plant. Maxwell House first came to Jacksonville in 1910. This plant was built in 1924. It is the last remaining manufacturing plant for the Kraft-Heinz brand in the United States. We should have opened the pilot house and smelled the coffee, but we didn't think that fast.

We had to wait for a railroad bridge to open before heading up the Ortega River. The water was surprisingly skinny and we were very glad to have arrived at high tide. Mental note: we must also depart on a high tide at the end of January. Our final bridge of the day was a tiny bascule span that led into the marina. The opening was made to accommodate only one boat at a time. We received our slip assignment and proceeded down the fairway. My first words to the assisting harbormaster were, "Are you sure?" He was adamant that we would fit and somehow we did ... with just enough room for one set of fenders between us and our neighbor. We remembered back to July 5, 2018 when we stressed over squeezing into a much wider slip (by maybe six inches) just outside of Montreal.

We arrived just in time to catch a final visit with our dear Loop friends from Miss Utah. They were live-aboards for close to seven years and have just sold their 52-foot Bayliner. I enjoyed a nice visit with Chris while Barry helped Roger load up the U-Haul with their belongings. Chris and I have shared many great times and chats, and more than a few "final farewells" over the last year, but always seem to cross paths for one more visit. Here's hoping that pattern continues and we will meet again down the road. I failed to capture a new photo today, but will use this one taken on August 23 when they hosted us for a few days in Charleston. As night fell, the clubhouse and several boats began to glow with Christmas lights.

Tomorrow we'll begin the process of packing for our trip home for Christmas. We want to take all of our cold-weather clothes off the boat, but it looks like we'll be wearing them for a few more days.

Tea Time

Thunderbolt, GA to Clemmons, NC (and back)   

Our Thursday departure day finally arrived. With almost all of my packing done the night before, it was hurry up and wait until we could get the rental car. When Barry opened the door to leave, he discovered that a box of six Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts had been left for us by the marina staff. How fitting since we were traveling to Winston-Salem, the birthplace of Krispy Kreme. We loaded up the car and left Crossroads sitting nicely in the sun. Before we knew it we had crossed the Savannah River on the Talmadge Memorial Bridge and were back in South Carolina. Five and a half hours later we arrived at my aunt and uncle's house in Clemmons where the fun began. Friday was busy managing five loads of our laundry, wrapping Christmas presents, and visiting. Saturday the whole family met in Old Salem for our traditional Christmas kick-off at Candle Tea. Walking around the historic district, we spotted the plaque marking the original Krispy Kreme shop and enjoyed looking at the natural decorations.  

The wreaths and garlands are simple and elegant at the same time. Small peppers add the splash of red. The weather was beautiful -- crisp, but not cold. The band played carols as we waited in line for just under two hours. Fourteen of us were present in our group when we entered the Single Brothers. We sang hymns to music by the historic pipe organ then moved to the candle making demonstration. Beeswax and beef tallow are combined and poured into traditional tin molds. Once released from the mold, the candles are trimmed for use in the four Christmas Eve services.

The next room was the kitchen. We were anxiously awaiting the sugar cake and coffee which are served every year. An additional treat was having Aunt Wrenn give the talk this year about how the fireplace was used for toast, stews, and meats back in the 1800s. Continuing downstairs we paused for the Salem scene -- a miniature representation of the colonial town covered in marble dust "snow." The final stop on our journey was the nativity and a reading of the Christmas Story. This is the 90th year for the Candle Tea, and I've been to quite a few. It was hard on me to miss last year while we were in Pensacola on the Great Loop. So glad we were able to come back this year and get a great family photo too.

The sun was setting and casting an orange glow on Home Church as we went to the car. We stopped for Mexican before heading back to Aunt B's for more fun chatting and a few spirited rounds of dominos. Time flies and just like that we found ourselves starting to pack up. We went out for breakfast then to church. The century-old country church was beautifully decorated with greens and poinsettias.

We had planned to leave around 1:00, but were having too much fun visiting. After more stories, pictures and hugs, we pulled out a little after 3:00. That made for a late arrival back at the marina, but all was good. We unloaded most of our bags and I made it a point to get down our new "Seas and Greetings" holiday doormat. Today started out very foggy and we were glad we hadn't planned to leave. Seems the birds partied on Fiberglass Beach while we were gone. Barry broke out the hose and cleaned that mess up.

I took a little walk up the street and saw a bit more of Thunderbolt. When I came back there were a dozen dolphins in the river and some were feeding just off our stern. The sun set quickly. Thankfully we're approaching the shortest daylight of the year and soon they'll start getting longer.

Our weather window still looks good for tomorrow. We'll hop offshore and make an overnight run to Jacksonville, FL. We're looking forward to visiting with some friends who have already made it there. 

Georgia on Our Minds

Beaufort to Thunderbolt  |  6 Hours  |  41 Miles 

After close to a week of slowing down, we were finally on our way to Savannah this morning. We left Beaufort a bit ahead of schedule and had the rising sun directly ahead of us. The sunsplash was blinding at times. Luckily this didn't last for long as this section of the ICW is quite curvy. We snaked our way down through the low country at low tide. There are still the occasional high-and-dry boats along the way to remind us of recent hurricanes. The large water tower proclaiming "We Make Marines" welcomed us to Parris Island, the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot. The open water of Port Royal Sound greeted us with a constant boat wash. Waves were churned up with opposing forces of current and wind. A lone sailboat passed us enjoying that nice breeze.

Soon we saw the Bluffton-Hilton Head Bridge and began remembering our trip to the island close to 20 years ago. We visited a fellow Insty-Prints location here and Marie, the owner, hosted us at her home for dinner. Both she and we have since left the industry and attempts to connect via email did not work. It was fun though to spot her house along the ICW and remember that evening on the dock with her dogs watching the sunset. Windmill Harbour Marina has a private automated lock for entrance to their basin. It will remain one lock that we haven't passed through. Further south, we passed Spanish Wells and thoughts turned to the Bahamas and family on Spanish Wells, Eleuthera. A quick internet check showed that it was over 20 degrees warmer in the Bahamas. At the southern tip of Hilton Head the American Cruise Line ship Independence was anchored just off the distinctive Harbour Town Lighthouse.

The day passed quickly. The Haig Point Lighthouse on Daufuskie Island was a pleasant surprise. We had expected to need the Causton Bluff Bascule Bridge to open for us. It has a stated vertical clearance of 21-feet. The bridge tender said he had five extra feet in the center and that it was also low tide. With an air draft of 26 feet, we SHOULD be able to make it. A stressful few minutes ensued as we approached the span at idle speed, trying to judge whether or not we'd sneak though with our mast intact. We scooted under the green bridge and breathed a big sigh of relief. I then pulled out the camera to snap a photo of it and the new 65-foot replacement bridge under construction. We passed a large dredge while in Fields Cut on the way to the Savannah River. Many large earth-movers were excavating along the point. The scene looked reminiscent of all the Tonka Trunks in the childhood sandbox.

With the crossing of the Savannah River, we entered Georgia. We had bypassed the Peach State on the Great Loop when we went straight from the Bahamas to Charleston. Now it can be checked off. We pulled into Thunderbolt Marina and tied up to the floating dock. It was warm in the sun and a perfect day to give Crossroads a well-deserved bath to get rid of her salty crust. We'll leave her here for a few days as we travel to visit family in Winston-Salem and do our traditional Christmas season kick-off. We were in Pensacola last year this time and I missed the festivities for the first time in 30-some years. I'll take a break from the blog for a few days and pick up again on Monday as we prepare to depart once more. Now, off to pack ...

A Chilly Stroll Through History

Beaufort  

Our day to explore Beaufort started off with temperatures in the high 30s. We bundled up in layers and walked up to the ticket office to catch our 10:00 carriage tour of the historic district. We were informed that the tours would be operating on a one hour delay because of the cold. After chatting with the ticket agent for a while we walked through the square where workers were wrapping the central evergreen with colored lights. Down by the waterfront the carriages were being dressed with wreathes and ribbons for the day's tours. I met our horse Stucky, a semi-retired Amish plow horse from Missouri, who was getting fed and fitted with his jingle bell sash. We loaded into the carriage with two other couples and tour guide Liz. The entire downtown area is part of the National Historic Register so we were quickly being directed to look left and right and various grand houses. There was only one problem ... Stucky was not happy. Seems he did not like the jingle bells at all and was not bashful about letting everyone know. Liz made a quick call to the office and someone arrived shortly to remove the offending jingle bells. Happy with the quiet, Stucky graciously resumed our tour.

Most of the tour was spent in Beaufort's most prominent neighborhood, The Point. Historic houses lined the streets, all with large oaks and/or palms and Spanish moss. We also passed Tabernacle Baptist Church, notable for its parishioner-crafted stained glass windows and as the burial site of Robert Smalls. Smalls was born a slave, commandeered the Confederate gunboat Planter, and ultimately served nine years in Congress. His has a pretty incredible story.

Next to the Smalls monument will soon be a monument to Harriet Tubman, who was a nurse in Beaufort's contraband hospital, but is most famous for being the conductor of the Underground Railroad. Following the tour we returned to Crossroads for a quick lunch and to warm up. For the afternoon we did our own walking tour. We began by heading up Church Street toward a majestic white steeple we could see from the waterfront. The Parish Church of St. Helena was established in 1712 and the current building was constructed in 1724. I enjoy visiting old churches so we went inside where we were greeted by a docent who gave us a bit more history on this building that was also used as both a stable and hospital over the years. An interesting feature of this church is no stained glass windows, and no windows of any type behind the altar. The side walls are lined with windows of clear glass that look out upon 300-year old gravestones. The pipes dominated the sanctuary's rear balcony. The gravestones ranged from modest to opulent. This one caught my eye as Lt. Gen. Anderson fought in the Battle of Cold Harbor with the Army of Northern Virginia. A short distance down the street, the Baptist Church of Beaufort dominates the better part of a block.

Next stop was a return to the Arsenal that we visited yesterday. The Beaufort History Museum is located upstairs and was open today. The structure is being renovated and many of the windows are being replaced. The new panes staged in the courtyard captured a cool reflection of the 1852 building. The windows were purposely made to resemble those of a church with the reasoning that enemies would not attack a house of worship. It worked and the building stands today in its original form. Another excellent docent gave us her take on the 500 year history of the Beaufort District through wars, rice, indigo, cotton and lettuce. Believe it or not, Beaufort's nickname is "Lettuce City." Across the street is the National Park Service visitor's center. Fourteen display boards chronicle Beaufort's leading role in the Reconstruction Era. We headed back to the marina as the Christmas lights began to come on for the evening.

Another great sunset concluded our final day in Beaufort. There is so much still to see and do here that we'd love to stop here again. Early tomorrow morning we'll bring the dock lines back onboard and head to Savannah.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Church Creek to Beaufort  |  6 Hours  |  42 Miles 

A cold and windy morning had me back in four layers of clothing as we exited Church Creek and headed south. The wind held steady at over 20 knots, with gusts to 30, whipping up small whitecaps. We left at low tide and noticed the water drop displayed on the marsh grasses. This section of the ICW has many turns and small man-made cuts that connect two rivers for more direct navigation. Once we entered the Coosaw River the wind and current combined to create larger waves that yielded more spray on the windshield. At one point we had our wipers running full time. Then, oops. We lost our port side wiper arm. Thankfully it was not the center window wiper and the fix will be quick and easy once we get to a West Marine.

There were many dolphins in the water today and we saw several babies. I didn't even leave the pilothouse to go watch them as it was too cold and I've become spoiled by their daily presence. We did get plenty of opportunity to view many long private docks of various designs and construction methods. We began hearing jets overhead (F35s) and seeing signs along the way indicating we were approaching Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. We rounded a final bend and spotted the Ladies Island Swing Bridge, the signal for me to get our dock lines and fenders ready. The bridge has a vertical clearance of 30-feet so we cruised on past the two waiting sailboats and under the span. With the wind still blowing and a forecasted low in the mid-30s, we elected to stay at the City Marina and use their electricity to stay warm. We checked in, cleaned up the decks, and then took a quick walk into town. We sat on a bench under a huge live oak in Waterfront Park and watched the bridge open for a large trawler to pass. The Visitors Center in the historic Arsenal was next and we picked up information on things to do tomorrow. Beaufort is South Carolina's second-oldest city and has plenty of museums and antebellum neighborhoods with elegant mansions. We plan on taking a guided tour in the morning for an overview.

We enjoyed dinner at Panini's, located in the converted Beaufort Bank building, then walked up and down Bay Street, looking at all the Christmas displays in the storefront windows.

A few things caught our eyes and we'll return tomorrow for a little Retail Therapy. How did they know to put the UVA and Penn State totems side-by-side? The Grinch will watch over us and make sure we don't get filled with too much holiday spirit.

Flag to Flag Coverage

Church Creek 

Our quiet little anchorage churned up overnight. A stiff breeze blew all day, straightening the flag, rattling the bimini, and swinging us back and forth through the typical arc. I camped out in the pilothouse and passed the time looking at charts between here and Savannah, working on a photobook project, making multiple lists for what to do and pack, and listening to a little music. Rain began shortly after noon and continued for three hours. The Charleston television stations came in strong here, so we got to watch the Redskins-Panthers game. I longed for the sun that was shining in Charlotte and the warmth that was being enjoyed in Miami. Eventually the clouds parted and a bit of blue sky appeared just in time for the sun to set. The wind is still blowing the flag stiff and, with the clearing sky, the temperature has really dropped. We are very happy to have ridden out this blow here in Church Creek with plenty of swing room and no concern for other boats dragging anchor into us. Looks like I'll pull out the Coldgear and sweats once again for tomorrow morning's departure for Beaufort.

Taking in the Lowcountry Scenery

Charleston to Church Creek  |  2.9 Hours  |  20 Miles 

It was a slow and relaxed morning leading up to our departure. A final topping off of the water tank and taking out the trash were done before the slack tide occurred at 10:30. Dock neighbors tossed us our lines and we exited the inside lane of the Megadock. The 48-foot Selene Sabbatical and 90-foot Horizon Skyline, were dwarfed by the beautiful 100-foot Nautor Swan Red Sky. We had admired this sailboat since our arrival. The freshly painted red hull and white decks were show-stoppers. The 140-foot air draft was a jaw-dropper. We had thoughts of anchoring in Charleston Harbor for the evening, but at the last minute turned and headed down the ICW. We eased under the 30-foot Wappoo Creek Bridge, thankful that we didn't have to wait for its very limited scheduled openings. Of course, it would take a nice long bridge delay to read everything posted on the signs.

It was high tide and there were very few other boats on the water. That allowed ample opportunity for sightseeing. Stately largely homes with lengthy docks, modern houses with interesting roof deck insets, and derelict boats lined the way. It was a busy day at The Links at Stono Ferry with several foursomes visible along the waterfront holes. Our destination for the day was the Church Creek anchorage, which our friends from Flip Flop had pointed out. At Green 77 we made a sharp turn to the left and into our own private basin.

A relaxing afternoon was spent in the pilothouse, looking out over the scenic Lowcountry marsh grasses with ducks swimming in the still water. I did a little more Christmas shopping and have now completed about all I can before we get back to Richmond in three weeks. For now, we will get a few miles a day in until our arrival in Savannah on Wednesday. Barry called Thunderbolt Marina today and asked about arriving earlier, but they don't have room for us. So, a slow go it will be.

We were treated to another great sunset, fixed dinner, and watched some football. Not a bad day at all. A change of scenery does the mind good.

The Streak is Over, and How Sweet the Sound

Charleston 

Trying to avoiding a post-Thanksgiving hangover, we were up early. After a little yoga, breakfast, and a shower I started checking off chores and projects. None of them were glamorous, but all needed to be done. The rug in the pilothouse was removed and the sole received a good cleaning. Knowing that rain is around the corner, I cleaned the windshield and reapplied Rain-X. We also cleaned and polished some stainless steel on the bow. That led perfectly to noon and the start of the UVA-Virginia Tech football game. Could this be the year that the Hoos would finally pull one out? Recent history had not been kind with the Hokies taking 15 straight and 23 of 29 contests since I left Grounds. I was on the edge of the settee until the final horn, then celebrated the ACC Coastal Division Championship and the end of The Streak.

We walked back into town and had dinner prior to attending The Sound of Charleston at the Circular Congregational Church. Although the sanctuary was still decorated in the colors of autumn, the evening's set list included several Christmas songs. The sounds that helped define Charleston musical past were featured -- gospel spirituals, Civil War, George Gershwin, and light classics. The evening closed with the story of John Newton worshipping on site in 1749 just prior to penning Amazing Grace. A rousing sing-along of the classic sent everyone off in good spirit. How sweet the sound. We took one final walk down Broad Street, past the illuminated St. Michael's Church, and back to the marina. The stroll down the Megadock is always interesting. Luxurious yachts come and go daily and most of the brands have been represented: Selene, Nordhavn, Fleming, Ocean Alexander, Hatteras, Carver, Marlow, Krogen, Benneteau, Shannon. Our own little boatshow. The blue-hulled Skyline is just as impressive at night as during the day.

We will push away from the dock in the morning and hang out in the anchorage across the way while the rain passes through. No sense paying for dockage if you're not going to leave the boat. I'm anxious to get moving again. We must get a bit further south (Savannah) before we can head north (Winston-Salem).

Be Grateful and Give Thanks

Charleston 

After breakfast and a few Thanksgiving texts with family and friends, we left for a nice long walk. My goal was to do at least a 10k (6.2 miles) at a nice, leisurely pace before we settled down for our Thanksgiving supper. We only got about 100 yards when we stopped to visit with Jim and Darlene on Sabbatical, a 48-foot Selene out of Washington, DC. While Barry and Jim jumped right in to systems comparisons and boat similarities, Darlene and I covered a much wider range of topics, including our husbands' knowledge of and passion for our homes on the water. Meeting super-nice folks along the way is one of the best parts of cruising. Morning passed and we returned to Crossroads for lunch before setting out once more on our trek across the peninsula via Broad Street. It was good to see a few Thanksgiving decorations and messages along the way. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist soared into a deep blue sky. Beautiful white houses with bright red doors glowed in the afternoon sun.

St. Michael's Episcopal Church was open and we went in for a look. The large stained glass window initially grabbed our attention, but the high-sided pew boxes, and shiny organ pipes also stood out. We are familiar with Charleston's history with natural disasters and usually think of hurricanes. Turns out the city is on an active fault line and the original church vestibule was destroyed in the Quake of 1886. We continued on to Waterfront Park, located at the end of Broad Street and along the Cooper River. This park is home to the Pineapple Fountain, the most photographed spot in Charleston. We waited in line for our turn, took a few shots, and then moved on. The red wax mallow caught my eye outside of a playground bustling with kids on this warm afternoon.

We criss-crossed East Bay Street lined with palmetto palms and large homes with gas lights. Concord Street was lined with highly contorted oaks. Picturesque alleyways connected the two main roads. We worked our way back to Rainbow Row, a stretch of 13 colorful historic Georgian row houses along the waterfront. This spot is on every must-see list, but as the multiple passing carriage tour guides stated, it is also the most overrated spot in the city.

Several houses are already decorated for Christmas with garland, wreathes, and poinsettias. Looping back to the marina, we passed the same sign board with a different message on the reverse side. "Be grateful and give thanks" pretty much sums up the day. Onboard, we had our little dinner of turkey, potato, Uncle Bennett's canned green beans, and cranberry sauce. Snoopy even fixed us some popcorn.

We have a few more boat projects on the list for tomorrow before heading out for dinner and the Sound of Charleston performance tomorrow evening. The weather will deteriorate for our departure on Saturday, but we are very grateful to have had beautiful days during our stay.

A Walk Around Charleston

Charleston 

The weather changed overnight and the morning began breezy and chilly. We did a few boat chores and some laundry before grabbing our jackets and heading to the historic district. Walking down Meeting Street, the grand steeple from neighboring St. Philip's Episcopal church first caught our eye through the grounds of the Circular Congregational Church. Circular Church was founded around 1681 and its burial grounds are the oldest in the city with monuments dating to 1695. The present circular sanctuary was designed by Robert Mills (also designed the Washington Monument in DC), completed in 1892, and is designated as a National Historic landmark. We strolled through the grounds and marveled at some of the stones. Many read like obituaries and are even more incredible when realizing every letter was hand-carved. A large oak with Spanish moss sprawled over the back corner of the property.

We continued walking down Meeting Street and came to a several ladies selling their sweetgrass baskets. Basket sewing is an art that has been handed down through generations. We spoke with Ruth Wright who told us even small baskets can take three days to complete. She was working on a new basket today, pulling dried sweetgrass from a large container at her side. These merchants were set up outside the historic post office and across the street from St. Michael's Episcopal Church. The post office dates to 1896 and both its exterior and interior are still very opulent. The marble floors and stairs, brass rails and columns, and rich mahogany woodwork speak to the importance of this building in its heyday. An active Federal Courthouse remains upstairs. Off to the side was a small postal museum. Carrier and window clerk displays featured stylish period uniforms (far from today's government-issued polyester).

After leaving the post office we popped into Washington Park. Yes, it had a proper statue of George. I was interested in all the gas lamps and flower boxes we passed along residential streets. I never would have thought I see snapdragons blooming in November. Retracing our steps from May, we took a quick stroll through The Market, but didn't buy anything this time either. Around the corner was the Old South Carriage depot. Our guide horse, Jim, awaited our arrival. We were a bit early and got to learn more about the horses. Jim is a 13-year old Percheron draft horse and a gentle veteran of the city tour route. 

Inside we got to meet Brian. He is new to the program and still in training. Brian is an impressively large Belgian draft horse. Most of the company's horses are acquired from working Amish farms in Ohio. We loaded into the carbon fiber carriage with 14 other folks, received our route assignment from the lottery (No. 5 this time) and were on our way down Church Street and back toward St. Philip's. Our hour-long tour led us through 300 years of history. We saw Charleston Single Houses, bright flowers, wrought iron gates from the1800s, and even one colorful Victorian home.

We passed by a few very large single family homes including Villa de la Fontaine. Jim made the turn for the home stretch at the old Charleston jail, reported to be the most haunted spot in the city. Back at the depot, Jim was rewarded with a feed bucket. I found out these horses eat 40,000 calories a day. With the sky darkening the street lights came on. Many storefronts and buildings are decorated for Christmas. We stopped for an early dinner and got back to Crossroads as the final bit of color was fading beyond the bridge over the Ashley River.

An important part of our holiday tradition is watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving together. Earlier, I received pictures from my North Carolina family of them making toast and decorating the tablecloths for tomorrow's lunch where 37 will gather. We'll stay onboard tomorrow and wait to hear all about it. We won't have toast, but Snoopy will make popcorn (as per tradition). Happy Thanksgiving to you and thank you for following along.

A Perfect Night Offshore

Camp Lejeune to Charleston  |  29.3 Hours  |  194 Miles 

All the planning was complete. We had reviewed the times for two required bridge openings, and then the tide cycle for both leaving Wrightsville Beach and arriving in Charleston. I went out at 7:30, began raising the anchor, and quickly realized the entire 100-foot length of chain was caked with thick, black, stinky mud. It took a while to clean the chain, the deck, and me, but then we were on our way. The ICW was glassy smooth and yielded great reflections along the way. We had seen reports of a huge dredge heading north and we soon passed port-to-port. One lead tug pulled the large barge Rockbridge, two smaller helper tugs followed alongside multiple smaller barges to keep them in line, and finally the tug Rikki S steered the long stretch of dredge pipe from the rear. The first and last tugs are shown in blue on the map below. I connected them with dashed line to show how long this thing was. They totally bridged New River Inlet.

Dolphins were spotted ahead of us. Since the water was so still I guessed that they'd want to play in our bow wave and went out to take a look. Sure enough, all three picked up in front of us and had a great time breaching and doing barrel rolls. The tide continued to fall as we made our four hour trek to the Wrightsville Beach inlet. Crab pots were left high and dry in the short marsh grasses and mud flats. We passed Surf City and broke out the obligatory Beach Boys references. They say they never roll the streets up ’cause there's always somethin' goin' -- but the main drag was recently relocated when the low swing bridge was replaced with a new 65-foot span and bypassed a once hotspot of retail.

We passed large groups of waterfowl in the more remote areas. As we moved south, residential development increased. Houses of all shapes and sizes could be seen. Our arrival at the Figure Eight Island swing bridge was perfectly timed, but there was a work crew on the span that had to remove their lift before it opened. After a little delay, it rotated and we passed through. One hour later, we arrived at the Wrightsville Beach Bridge, just after low tide. We were checking out all the megayachts at the marinas lining the ICW and were excited that we were almost ready to exit into the Atlantic. Only a short distance to go.

We made a sharp left turn. Actually it was a too sharp left turn. Crossroads slowed to a stop. We had an opportunity to speak with a few locals in small runabouts. Two crows even came and claimed a spot on the bow rail. After 15 minutes or so, Barry wriggled us off the hump. He then tells me that in August of 2016, Crossroads found the same little hump. I guess its now a rite of passage. Oh well, there are only two types of cruisers: those who have run aground and those who lie about it. As it turns out, that was our only excitement of the trip. We moved on by the large houses, hotels, and the safe water buoy. The Atlantic was flat with only small rollers, the sea state you dream of.

We settled in and were treated to a nice sunset with cool swirly clouds. At 6:00 we began our three-hour watches. The night sky was amazing and I wish I could have captured it and done it justice. Deep black backdrop was dotted with brilliant points of light. Orion and the Big Dipper were easily spotted. My final watch ended at 6:00 am and I went below and zonked out. Barry caught the sun rise over the cloud bank. When I emerged, the Atlantic was still placid, the sun was bright, and it was warm. We had made really good time overnight and were actually early on our approach to Charleston. The city marina asked that we not arrive before 1:00 which was also slack tide on the Ashley River.

We slowed down and took in all the sights of Charleston. Large cargo carriers passed us going in and out of the channel. Tour boats darted to Fort Sumter. The Revenel Bridge glistened in the sunshine as did the large waterfront houses and church steeples of historic downtown. We came into the marina with no wind or current which made docking drama-free. For the first time since we left Deltaville, I was down to one layer. Tidying up the docklines isn't such a chore when its warm.

We went for a delightful walk and then returned for dinner onboard. We will explore Charleston over the next few days, revisiting some of our favorite places (from our May visit) and checking out a few new ones. I'm looking forward to both the carriage ride and the Sound of Charleston performance.