OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:36.2982
Longitude:-76.2185
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/29/2009 20:27:15 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.2982,-76.2185&ll=36.2982,-76.2185&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Alligator River

Well, we're now within 90 miles of the Chesapeake. When we were in St. Augustine it seemed like we would never get there and now it's a matter of days. We're now more than 1100 miles from Marathon. Hard to believe. We've been able to travel almost every day and that has made a lot of difference.
When we were in Oriental, we met Harry, a WWII vet who has been sailing for many years. He sailed all the way to Argentina and back in a 27 foot sailboat. Now that's some sailing. (See the picture of Harry and I in this post.)
Last night we were anchored in the Alligator River near Tuckahoe Point. A nice quiet anchorage and for once, no storms. The night before we were in the Pungo River and we got slammed with a severe thunderstorm. The anchors held, and everything is fine.
Today we are in the Alligator River Marina. We stopped in for fuel and met a older lady who is sailing her 30 foot boat by herself from Tampa to Cape Cod. You meet the neatest people on a trip like this.
Tomorrow we hope to be in Elizabeth City. The townsfolk welcome boaters with a rose for the ladies and a wine and cheese party on the dock for everyone. We plan to stay 2 days and do some provisioning and then it's on to the Dismal Swamp. After that we will be in the Chesapeake.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:35.9062
Longitude:-76.0293
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/28/2009 17:38:53 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.9062,-76.0293&ll=35.9062,-76.0293&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:35.675
Longitude:-76.099
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/27/2009 14:40:46 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.675,-76.099&ll=35.675,-76.099&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:35.5686
Longitude:-76.4805
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/26/2009 14:10:54 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.5686,-76.4805&ll=35.5686,-76.4805&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:35.2842
Longitude:-76.6227
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/25/2009 15:32:27 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.2842,-76.6227&ie=UTF8

1000 Miles

Yesterday we traveled from Moorehead City to Oriental and on the way we passed ICW mile marker 195. At that point we had traveled 1000 miles from Marathon! This puts us well over the 5000 mile mark since leaving Kingston NY in June of 2006. 5000 miles in a homemade boat. Not bad.
Oriental is a neat little town. It bills itself as the "Sailing Capital of NC." Rumor is that with a population of about 1000 people, there are over 2,500 sailboats! Two and a half boats per person. There's also a small shrimping fleet here.
Last night, to celebrate the 1000 mile mark, we had dinner at "Steamers." We had there "all you can eat" shrimp special and let me tell you, they were generous with the shrimp. Nobody went back for seconds. They served a huge plate of shrimp and they were delicious.
In Moorehead city we had a neighbor - a huge Navy ship that is designed to carry landing craft of all sorts. (See photos.) On the way to Moorehead, we were almost swamped by one of the barges that you can see being loaded into the ship. It passed us in a very narrow channel and we could not get out of the way without going aground. The wake tossed us around so much that everything that was on the galley counter ended up on the floor.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:35.0249
Longitude:-76.6954
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/23/2009 17:15:04 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.0249,-76.6954&ie=UTF8

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:34.7188
Longitude:-76.7052
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/22/2009 18:28:06 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=34.7188,-76.7052&ie=UTF8

It's a girl!

Dan and Faith (Bev's son and daughter in law) had their second child, Mackenzie Violet, on the 19th. 6# 14oz and rarin' to go.
On another note, Bev tells me I am remiss in my duties as blogmaster. I did not mention the lovely and talented Mel, our barmaid at Cricket Cove, who took such good care of us or Paul, the WWII vet who bought a round of drinks and regaled us with his stories and jokes. Thank you all for making our brief stay in Little River so enjoyable.
Last night we anchored in Topsail Sound, near Sloop Point. Once the traffic died down, it was a very pleasant anchorage, unlike Wrightsville which was a madhouse. Did those folks never hear that there is a certain etiquette to traveling through a crowded anchorage? Yikes! Those folks are just plain crazy. Don't ever go there on a weekend.
Today we passed by Camp Le June, where there is a big sign posted that states that the waterway can be closed for live fire exercises at the base. We saw some of the wrecked tanks and other vehicles they use as targets. It looks like they fire right across the waterway.
A special thanks goes out to Garth who made a trip out from his house to bring us some fresh picked sweet corn. Yum!
As always, Walkure continues to draw a crowd wherever we go. Every time we anchor someone comes by checks us out. We never get tired of telling the story.
Today we met a lovely couple from Italy who are cruising in a beautiful 40' aluminum sailboat that was built in France. They have sailed across the Atlantic, and all the way down to Brazil. What a trip!
Oh, the funny looking little house that sits right on the water is actually a floating bridge. The guy in the house starts up an engine and motors the bridge out of the way so boats can pass. Weird!

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:34.6853
Longitude:-77.1211
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/21/2009 15:02:39 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=34.6853,-77.1211&ie=UTF8

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:34.3936
Longitude:-77.5982
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/20/2009 19:15:57 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=34.3936,-77.5982&ie=UTF8

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:34.2075
Longitude:-77.7987
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/19/2009 11:12:08 (US/Eastern)
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I know

Our updates have been few and far between. That's what happens when you anchor out almost every night.
Our most recent marina stop was the 15th and 16th. We stopped at a little place called Cricket Cove Marina near Myrtle Beach, NC. Quite unexpectedly we really enjoyed our stay there. The marina staff was very attentive, the bathrooms were clean and the restaurant was top notch. The chef (Chef Jeff) used to be Michael Jordan's personal chef.
We stayed there two nights because as we were leaving in the morning, the engine - yes the brand new engine - started sputtering and we had very little power. We turned back into the marina and stayed a second day to sort it out. It turned out to be a bad batch of fuel.
Today we made the run up the Cape Fear River. We were hoping to stop at the state park in Carolina Beach but it was closed. So we pushed on through Snow's Cut (against the current - yuck) and dropped the hook in the bight behind Carolina Beach. Tomorrow we'll be in Wrightsville Beach where we hope we can get some groceries.
After we left Georgetown we anchored in a spot near Bucksport. We had to try a few spots to get out of the weekend traffic, but after we settled in it got really quiet and we had a good night. The next morning we left early in dense fog, slowly feeling our way along the edge of the river so we could see the trees. It was kind of nice in a way, to be just putting along in the quiet stillness of the morning.
We now have (only!) 295 more statute miles to go to reach the Chesapeake. Once in Virginia, it should onle be another few days to get to Reedville. Our friends Sande and Donnie recommended a good boat yard there where we'll haul out, rent a car and drive up to MA and NY to see family.
It seems like it took forever to get out of Florida and now we've left Georgia and South Carolina in our wake and are making our way across North Carolina!
Time is getting short so we're not doing much sight-seeing, just moving on as the weather allows. Speaking of weather - it's HOT! Like 95 with a 103 heat index! Whew! It's actually cooler in the Keys.
Oh, yeah, Bev got to see another alligator as it swam right by the boat!

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:34.0503
Longitude:-77.8889
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/18/2009 14:33:28 (US/Eastern)
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OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:33.9184
Longitude:-78.3708
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/17/2009 17:05:18 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=33.9184,-78.3708&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:33.8647
Longitude:-78.6212
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/15/2009 20:08:39 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=33.8647,-78.6212&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:33.6662
Longitude:-79.0697
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/14/2009 15:14:55 (US/Eastern)
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An interesting few days

Two nights ago we were anchored in the harbor off Charleston SC when a line of severe thunderstorms hit. The wind hit us hard and spun us around but the anchors held and we were fine.
Last night we anchored in Graham Creek and again, thunderstorms hit. There was a lot of lightning and rain, but not as much wind and again we held fine.
Today we decided that we needed a good night's rest and stopped at a marina in Georgetown, SC.
Here are a few pictures of the last few days, including a shot of Fort Sumpter, the place where the Civil War started.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:33.3643
Longitude:-79.282
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/13/2009 14:25:19 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=33.3643,-79.282&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:33.0098
Longitude:-79.5888
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/12/2009 18:22:39 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=33.0098,-79.5888&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

South Carolina

We're in Charleston, SC today. We stopped here yesterday to do some shopping and laundry.
It's been an interesting few days since we left Jekyll Island. We've had thunderstorms almost every day. Some have just gone around us, but others hit us head on. Two days ago we were motoring along the ICW when we got the warning of a severe storm coming our way within a half hour. So we pulled off into a little creek and set the anchor. Kieth stopped also and dropped his anchor just in front of us. When the storm hit, his anchor dragged and he almost hit us. He started his engine and avoided what would have been a serious collision, but in the process his propeller got caught on our anchor line. Both boats came to a stop just outside the channel where a huge barge had just lost control and run aground.
After the storm passed, Kieth had to dive on his prop to free our anchor line.
That night we anchored just outside Charleston in a little spot called Wappoo Creek. During the times when the tide was changing, the spot we picked became an eddy. The boat circled around the anchor constantly. We had to set a stern anchor to keep from spinning around. It was interesting to say the least.
Charleston is a pretty town and we wish we could spend more time here, but we have to get moving if we are to make it to Virginia before July.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:32.7652
Longitude:-79.9809
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/09/2009 16:24:49 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=32.7652,-79.9809&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:32.6183
Longitude:-80.3966
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/08/2009 18:13:56 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=32.6183,-80.3966&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:32.1648
Longitude:-80.8578
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/06/2009 13:36:50 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=32.1648,-80.8578&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:32.0163
Longitude:-80.9917
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/02/2009 16:15:28 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=32.0163,-80.9917&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:31.6678
Longitude:-81.1699
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:06/01/2009 15:09:49 (US/Eastern)
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