Too Close in a Fog.

Flags over Fort Sumter, Charleston, SC shrouded in fog.

Foggy Images!                          

Has the fog cleared yet?  

We left Charleston, South Carolina in heavy fog, a real pea soup, and approached St. Mary's Inlet to Fernandina Beach, Florida in heavy fog 28 hours later.  

The sun comes up after a day and night offshore.

We motorsailed most of the 180 miles, taking turns at watch, keeping a lookout for other boats.  Oh, we totally skipped Georgia by going offshore.  Definitely a preferred option for us on hearing that the state does little to maintain depths (and boater safety) along the ICW.  There was not a lot of traffic, about 20 miles offshore, until a few miles outside the markers for the inlet.  Radar picked up what we thought to be fishing trawlers within a mile of the markers and a couple of miles ahead of us.  We sounded our fog horn a few times and heard nothing in return.

All of a sudden we were surrounded by birds.  Did the radar pick up all these birds that we thought were ships?  We both joked that we should have a line out to get in on the action and maybe catch some dinner.  How naieve.  In a second, a ghost ship appeared beside us.  Ok, we were pretty tired after 28 hours and only quick bites of sleep!  A shrimp trawler with arms outstretched and nets dragging can look a little dark and ominous looming out of a thick fog.  Did the captain even see us?  There was no sign of life on deck and no recognition except that the boat silently glided on and we turned away to avoid fouling the nets and ourselves!

Shrimp Trawler passes Bristol Rose, too close!

Although our radar was working just fine, we found that fishing vessels can be unpredictable in their movements.  That as well as a heavy fog and the lack of any kind of communication between vessels or control over what another vessel may do could have turned a close shave into something much worse.

Fort Clinch, Florida

Can't Beat Southern Hospitality or Reality

On our way into Charleston, SC this morning we came through the Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge. To proceed, hail the operator on Channel 9 for an opening. On our way to the bridge we were monitoring the converstations between boats and the female operator. Most boaters are overly polite when requesting a bridge opening. Responses from the bridge operator are mixed. The operator of the Ben Sawyer Bridge stood out from the rest. No southern drawl here, quick and snappy like a gator. If you are going too slow then she is quick to get on the radio and tell you to hurry up. Ignore this demand at your peril. If you are too slow you will just have to wait until next time she collects a huddle of boats waiting for an opening. The trick is not to be too early or you'll be circling for a while and whatever you do, don't be last in line. Needless to say the crew of Bristol Rose were on their toes and got to the bridge in quick time. I guess if I had to sit and wait for boats to appear and request an opening, then head off down the waterway to more exotic locations I'd be a little snappy too!

Beauty and Sadness in Unexpected Places

The powerful workhorses of the waterways, the tugs big and small, each proudly reflect their unique beauty. I have a special fondness for the tugs and enjoy watching them smoothly maneouvre their "charges" into place at the hands of their expert captains. The construction of the 2nd Oak Island Bridge over the ICW gave us a unique opportunity to witness bridge building up close and from the water. The creativity of the engineers is evident in the beauty of bridge architecture. That's what makes photographing construction and industry so irresistible to me; the beauty of design on a grand scale. The day we passed through the construction site on the ICW was as cold as the photograph implies. We have to admire the men and women spending their days outside in the cold in various fields of work.

Bridge workers guide the massive 120 ton girder as it's held aloft and slowly moved from barge to land. Sadly, today we found out that the day after we passed, December 3, a girder collapse caused the death of one of the workers. Our thoughts are with the family, as we count our own blessings.

Daisie Dog Just Cruisin'

Daisie has found her "sea legs" and is the picture of confidence.

Robert keeps a look out for milemarkers, buoys and floating debris.

An overnight at the marina in Southport, NC to fill up with diesel, do laundry and use the wifi connection turned into 2 nights when 30 knot winds pinned us against the fuel dock. We took a walk around town and on the way back to the marina, spotted 10 pelicans huddled together on one small boat. I was lucky to get any picture at all given the winds - I thought I was going to be blown off the dock with the next gust of wind.

Spotted: Bristol Rose's sistership, Boundless, hull #50, slipped at the Southport Marina.

Quiet Anchorage on the Calabash

Our anchorage on the Calabash River just on the border of North and South Carolina turned out to be one of the most pleasant. We took the advice of Captain Bob and anchored just off the ICW, adjacent to the inlet and just inside the river. Although it looked like we'd be in line for boat wake all night being so close to the inlet, we had the spot to ourselves and slept well. Daisie stands atop a mountain of oyster shells on the banks of the Calabash. Is this where the remains of so many Myrtle Beach Calabash "all you can eat seafood" meals end up?

When we checked the weather on TV, we got the answer to the question "what are those two beautiful stars pointing towards the moon tonight?". Venus (the brighter of the two planets) and Jupiter appear close together with the moon and we were lucky enough to see the beautiful trio. If you are under 50, with better eyesight than me, you might be lucky enough to see Jupiter as well as Venus in this pic.

Traveling Historic Waterways

After travelling 300 miles of canals and sounds we are asking ourselves, "Who built this and why?".

The IntraCoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 3,000 mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coast of the USA. The creation of the ICW was authorised by congress in 1919. It is maintaned by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Over 200 years ago transportation was the lifeblood of the North Carolina sounds. Poor overland tracks to markets north of Norfolk led Colonel William Byrd II to first propose the Dismal Swamp Canal in 1728, however construction did not start until 1793.  Work was completed in 1805.  The Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest operating artifical waterway in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt's idea of an Intracostal Waterway resulted in the construction of the Alligator River/Pungo River Canal. Boaters refer to the ICW as "the Ditch". You can understand why after traveling many miles of narrow canals.  It's a surreal sight; seeing ocean going sailing boats motoring down canals surrounded by swamp land.  This is an experience never to forget.

North Carolina on the ICW

News Flash! Daisie Finds the Poop Deck!

This may be too much info for some, but for those who care, Daisie has figured out her go to spot when there is no better port of call for a dog needing to take care of business. With the dinghy still deflated for the sail off-shore and nothing but homes and marshes in sight at the anchorage last night, she threw caution to the wind and made use of the poop deck. What a relief!

Thankfully, no pictures with this post.