APRIL 19-20: STUCK IN WRIGHTSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

April 19-20:  A major storm is heading from the west to our area in the next few days so we decided to make a short hop to Wrightsville to ride out the bad weather.  We had some rain en route but with the ebb current with us we made good time into Wrightsville.

An early arrival allowed us to do those unavoidable boat chores of laundry and food provisioning before the deluge arrived.  And it did pour down during the night.  Fortunately, the wind was not too strong so we were lulled to sleep by the music of the rain.

APRIL 16-18: AN ENCOUNTER WITH AN ELEPHANT EN ROUTE TO WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

April 16:  Today was a transit day on the way to Wilmington, NC.  We made slow progress leaving Georgetown as the current was against us.  Additionally, we stopped en route at Osprey Marina as we were told that they have the lowest prices for diesel fuel.  That was the case and we purchased fuel at the best price since 2011.  After a slow 50 mile run, we decided to stop at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. Just your basic tie up with not much of interest in the surrounding attractions.

April 17-18:  Wilmington, North Carolina:  We left our luxurious accommodations as soon as possible and headed for the "Rock Pile".  This is a stretch of the ICW that was cut through limestone.  The rock is between 65-144 million years old and is not kind to boat hulls.  We had heard horror stories about this section of the ICW but concluded that paying attention and staying in the middle of the channel would see one safely thorough.

After waiting for the Little River bridge to open for us, we crossed into North Carolina and made our way across several shallow inlets to the entrance of the Cape Fear River.  Here we departed the ICW to make the 15 mile trip up the river to Wilmington.  The Cape Fear River derives its fearsome name from the terror of pirates to the numerous scuttling of ships during the Civil War.  Here also the Atlantic Ocean rolls into the Cape with considerable force.

 Crossing into North Carolina

 Boat and restaurant not doing too well along the ICW.

As we proceeded along the ICW, we could not believe our eyes.  What looked like an elephant from a distance was one!  We spent several minutes at idle speed taking photographs of these children who were swimming and playing with an elephant.  We needed the following photographic evidence as no one would believe us otherwise. Both the elephant and the children were having a great time.  The elephant allowed the children to climb on its back and it squirted water at them.  What a hoot.  We were tempted to join in but had to press on.

 Entrance to downtown Wilmington.

We docked in front of this cruise ship at the city docks which are a stone's throw from the historic downtown. 

The Battleship USS North Carolina.   Commissioned in 1941, it earned the name "Showboat" as it earned 15 battle stars during World War II.  

 The US Post Office-a classic Revival style building.

 We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Wilmington especially the great bistro restaurant where we had supper.  Wilmington is a side trip off the Loop but well worth a visit.

 Railway museum

APRIL 14-15: GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA

April 14-15: After a 51 mile run, we arrived in Georgetown where we will stay for two nights.  Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina.  The city leaders have a down a good job in preserving and restoring the place.  The town was once a major port exporting rice and indigo around the world.  We toured the rice museum which covers the story of the rice culture that dominated this area and took a walking tour around this pleasant town.

 Town clock is the focal point of the historic district.

 More lovely live oaks.

 A thriving main street with numerous specialty shops and restaurants.

 City Hall

 The bones of the Brown's Ferry Vessel that was discovered near Georgetown.  It is the oldest vessel of colonial manufacture in the US that has been recovered.

 Model of the Brown's Ferry.

The Captain wishing he could have a pizza baking oven like this one.

APRIL 13: LEAVING BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA

April 13:  Good weather today allowed us to make an early start from Beaufort as we plan to cover 82 miles today.  Our overnight stop is an anchorage north of Charleston.  We are skipping Charleston this time around as we spent time there on a previous visit.  It is a great city and hopefully we will visit it again in the future.

The most exciting part of the trip was traversing Elliot Cut.  The Cut is a short and narrow passage where the current can run up to 6.5 knots at maximum ebb.  Boats are advised to announce their intention to cross before proceeding through the Cut.  It is a good thing that we followed this procedure as a 220 foot cruise ship was approaching the Cut from the northern end.  The Captain acknowledged us and agreed to wait for us to exit the Cut.  Fortunately for us, the current was going with us and we had a wild ride through the Cut doing 11 knots.  When we came out at the other end, we were extremely thankful that we did not meet the cruise ship in the Cut.

The wind picked up as we crossed Charleston Harbor and meandered our way back onto the ICW to head for our anchorage.

 Charleston Harbor

 Leaving Charleston Harbor

We anchored in Long Creek a short distance from the ICW.  We were the only boat there and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a peaceful night.

APRIL 10-12: BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA

April 10:  Time to leave Savannah.  Our destination today is Beaufort, South Carolina.   A 67 mile run which for us means a long day so again we were up and ready to depart as soon as the sun rose.  Savannah is close to the border with South Carolina so we crossed into new territory.  Below is a GPS shot of how the Inter Coastal Water (ICW) winds its way through the low countryside of South Carolina.

The weather is predicted to be unsettled for the next two days so we elected to spend three nights in Beaufort.  We played tourist on the first day as rain was promised for the morrow.  Beaufort is a quaint town that has retained much of its Antebellum architecture.  The following are examples that have survived the Civil War, hurricanes and several widespread fires.

 Beautiful, old live oaks dot the town.

 I think the Captain has found a new first mate!

MARCH 27-APRIL 9: JEKYLL ISLAND TO SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

March 27:  Onto Georgia & Jekyll Island:  The weather finally improved enough for us to leave Fernandina Beach.  Although the morning of our departure, the temperature dipped to a chilly 29F!  So much for sunny Florida!!
 
Onto Georgia:  Unfortunately, the cold temperatures and windy conditions forced us to abandon our plans to visit Cumberland Island which was high on our list of places to visit.  Cumberland Island is only accessible by boat.  It is a State Park and a well preserved wildness as well as home to wild horses.  Oh well, we will have to come back one of these days.

The Captain demonstrating the 7-8 foot tides that boaters have to be wary of in the low country.

We had an easy crossing from Fernandina into Georgia and arrived at Jekyll Island early enough to borrow courtesy bicycles from the marina and tour the Island.

Oak trees with Spanish Moss abound.

Jekyll Island was a winter retreat for the rich and famous in the 19th and 20th Century.  Many of their "cottages" have been donated and restored.

The centerpiece of the Historic District is the enormous Jekyll Island Club Hotel, a two-winged structure. Thirty-three buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries surround the hotel, with many being mansion-sized cottages.

Anyone for croquet?  We are still trying to figure out the rules.

The Island also hosts a turtle hospital where rescued and grounded turtles are healed before being returned to the wild.

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Reconstructed prehistoric giant turtle skull. The turtle was estimated to weigh 11,000 pounds!

March 28:  Jekyll Creek & Little Mud River:

Moon setting as we prepared to leave Jekyll Island.  Sections of the ICW that we have to traverse today are so shallow that we need to time our journey so that we cross them at mid to high tide.  One such section is the infamous Little Mud River.  Fortunately, we timed it right and did not hit the bottom once!

Typical low marsh land that borders the ICW in Georgia.

Not much traffic today on the ICW.  We saw only a few shrimp boats.  

And a few more modest cottages.

March 29:  The Landings on Skidaway Island, Savannah Georgia:  We anchored last night in Kelkenny Creek so that we could time our arrival through Hell Gate and onto Delegal Creek Marina on Skidaway to take advantage of the current and tide.

Another beautiful sunrise saw us up early and ready to leave.  In case no one has noticed, many boaters like us go to bed with the sun and rise with it. The Landings will be our home for the next week or so as we continue our retirement location search and explore Savannah.

March 30 -April 9:  Savannah:  We were fortunate to meet up with friends Mike and Vali Scheuring in the Landings.  As old hands in this area, they took us on a walking tour of Savannah.

Some brief history notes on Savannah from the Historical Society:  In 1733, General James Oglethorpe, and 114 men women and children aboard the two hundred-ton galley ship “Anne” landed on a high bluff along the Savannah River called Yamacraw Bluff by the local Creek Indians.

Oglethorpe named the thirteenth colony Georgia after King George II, and Savannah became the first city. His intention was to establish a haven for debtors, with no Catholics, lawyers, or hard liquor – and, above all, no slaves. However, with the arrival of North Carolina settlers in the 1750s, plantation agriculture, based on slave labor, took off. The town became a major export center at the end of important railroad lines in which cotton was funneled from far away. 

Oglethorpe and his engineers designed “America’s first planned city” around a system of wards and shady public squares, which were used for public services and as meeting places.

Forty-two Jewish refugees arrived on July 11, 1733, having fled persecution in Portugal. The colonists welcomed them, especially when they learned there was a doctor among them, for their own doctor had recently died.   Over the next ten years, thousands of colonist from many different countries and faiths came to Georgia to start a new life including Moravians and Salzburgers from Germany, Scottish Highlanders, French Huguenots, Irish Catholics, Italians, Greeks and Swiss.

In 1864 when General William Tecumseh Sherman marched in, the mayor of Savannah gave Sherman's men run of the city in exchange for leaving it untorched. As a result, Savannah is one of the few major cities in the South with antebellum charm and architecture remaining intact. Savannah has one of the largest historic districts in the country.

Memorial to the Irish Settlers

American towns don't come much more beautiful than Savannah. The historic district is arranged around garden squares which form the core of the original city.  We walked through 14 different squares. The squares are dominated by old Live Oak trees that are draped with Spanish Moss.  We saw one tree that is over 270 years old. 

 The Historic District boasts examples of just about every architectural style of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  Maureen was quite taken with the houses and is responsible for the large number of photos in the blog.

St. John's Cathedral

More historic houses

and a few more....

The fountain in Mercer Park made famous in the book "In the Garden of Good & Evil".

A Scottish Wedding was taking place on one side of the fountain in Mercer Park.  The bride looked lovely in her tartan.  The bridal party was accompanied by the Scottish bagpipes.

More examples of Savannah architecture...

Our walking tour hosts-Mike & Vali

Yet another beautiful square.

City Hall viewed from Johnson Square-the oldest square and the template that Oglethorpe  used for all the other squares.

Memorial to Theodore Francis Green.  He was an important General in Washington's army.  Originally from Rhode Island, he died and was buried in Savannah.

Needless to say, we throughly enjoyed our stay in the Savannah area.  We found the people to be very friendly and laid back and thought this local saying summed things up well: Southerners joke that in Atlanta, the first thing locals ask you is your business; in Charleston, they ask your mother's maiden name; and in Savannah, they ask what you want to drink.

We also paid a visit to Tybee Island which is another barrier island.  En route, we stopped at Fort Pulaski which was built in the mid 19th Century to defend the river approaches to Savannah.  The Fort was named for the Polish Count Casimir Pulaski.  Count Pulaski fought for the American side during the Revolutionary War.  He lost his life in the battle for Savannah where he is buried.

Fort Pulaski was one of many Federally built forts along the Eastern seaboard designed to protect  the coast from foreign invasion.  It was considered to be invincible.  However, after the Southern States seceded from the Union it was rendered obsolete by new rifled cannons that the North had developed.  This new technology allowed the Union army to bombard the Fort from a mile away which was twice the effective range for cannons of the day.  The walls of the Fort were breached and the Confederate Commander, Col. Charles Olmstead surrendered 30 hours after the bombardment began.  The rapid fall of Fort Pulaski marked the demise of this type of fortified structures along the Eastern United States.

Fort Pulaski

View of the inner courtyard

Confederate Soldier

View across the marshes and the moat surrounding the Fort.