Jacksonville, FL to Wrightsville Beach, NC

Sunday, 2 April to Tuesday, 11 April 2006

Crew: Sally Clifton and Joan Croft

Sunday, 2 April

Jacksonville to St Simons Island

Tena and Dave dropped by for the sendoff. Priscilla's car was loaded up for her return trip to Cape Cod via a stopover in New Jersey . We were off the dock at 1045. On approach, Jean radioed the Ortega River double bascule bridge. The bridge tender kept replying that he couldn't see the boat. “How can you not see me, it's a 45-foot boat?” Jean asked. Turning more to port, he finally saw us and Jean realized that he was in the far, inbound, tower and we were hidden by the near, outbound, tower.

As we approached the bridge, Tena and Priscilla were spotted waving a final farewell above us from the span.

Jean and Sally are avid birders. Therefore, from time to time birds not often seen will be listed on the days sighted.

At almost an hour underway we cruised by Alltel Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's a beautiful stadium, built right on the water and quite modern. Jean was thinking back to 2005 when she, Priscilla and two friends, MaryAnn and Bill, went by the Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday when the Patriots were playing the Philidelphia Eagles. There was heightened security that weekend and every boat was boarded by the Coast Guard, inspected and tagged!!!!! (She quickly reminded us that the Patriots won that Super Bowl)!

Later that morning we communicated with Daddy's Farm, St. Paul, MN flying an America 's Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) flag. We were to encounter many cruisers headed for the AGLCA Rendezvous in Beaufort, SC (pronounced Bu-furt and not to be confused with Beaufort, NC, pronounced Bo-furt).

Along the route there were many bird sightings including Royal Tern (yellow bill) and the Common Loon.

We went out the St. John's River and then North along the coast of Georgia, about 7 - 10 nm offshore. The waters were very calm, almost glass-like. We tied up at Golden Isles Marina, St. Simons Island, Georgia at 1640. All in all, the day's trip was 83 nm and took us 6 hours and 45 minutes!!!!! The weather was beautiful, the seas were calm, the skies were sunny and the boat was perfect!!!!!.

Fortunately the Marina provided rides to and from town where we were headed for dinner. We made reservations at Barbara Jean's, famous for their incredible lump crab cakes (no filler) and their equally incredible chicken fingers!!!!! During our one-hour wait, we window shopped and walked the pier. St Simon's is really a quaint and beautiful town.

St. Simons Island was established in 1736 by General James Oglethorpe as Georgia 's first military outpost at Fort Frederica, now a national monument. During the Revolutionary War, the island's oak trees were milled locally and used in war ships, including the USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides.”

Tuesday, 4 April

Each morning, the folks at the Marina delivered ½ dozen Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts and USA Today to the boat. The doughnuts were just what we didn't need. Jean drew on her willpower; Sally and Joan succumbed to temptation.

From the marina, we took a taxi to the Savannah Visitor's Center. Our driver, a heavyset woman in her early 50s – streaky dyed blonde hair, thick southern accent – provided more local color than we wished to hear. Details of her personal life went from brash to bawdy and we quickly scrambled out of the cab at our destination. Details are not worth sharing. Our experience on our return that afternoon went to the other extreme. Our quiet-spoken, senior gentleman driver spoke with a thick foreign accent (possibly Greek) crossed himself twice as we passed what must have been his church.

We boarded the Old Savannah Tours trolley. Azalea, wisteria and camellia were in bloom throughout the city. In 1733 Georgia was founded by General James Oglethorpe and a little band of English settlers. Oglethorpe laid out Savannah in a grid with 21 Historic District tree-and garden-filled squares.

There are reminders everywhere of the novel and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. The 1994 story is based on real Savannah characters and is a true-crime murder mystery. Due to the much coveted notoriety that Midnight brought to Savannah, the original Bird Girl statue in Bonaventure Cemetery that was photographed as the story's motif was removed to the safety of a museum.

Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low was a native of Savannah. As we toured, Girl Scout troops in uniform were visiting her birthplace, now the Juliette Gordon Low National Girl Scout Center museum on Bull Street. Notable sights were the architecture, stained glass windows, and stone sculptures of the Passion of Christ at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

We stopped for lunch at Savannah 's oldest historic inn, 17 Hundred 90 Restaurant and Inn. To end our day in the city, we walked a few short blocks from the restaurant to River Street, one of the South's finest restorations of an antebellum river port. At the east end, we took photos of the “Waving Girl” and her faithful Collie. The statue facing the Savannah River commemorates Savannah 's Florence Martus. She waved her handkerchief at passing ships for several decades in hope that her departed sailor-lover would return.

Back on the boat for the evening, Jean attempted to get the forward-looking sonar depth finder to signal to no avail. Pin connections on the bridge and transducer connections in the engine room all proved to be okay. She E-mailed the manufacturer in England and began a series of communications with the final conclusion a few days later that the transducer is malfunctioning. Jean had read the inadequate manual and had already reached that same conclusion!!! Linnea and Jim Wise, Other Wise, stopped by with AGLCA contact information for Jean to get on a list for Circle condition updates.

Wednesday, 5 April

In port

Joan rented a car for today's excursions and grocery shopping. We visited the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum outside of Savannah in Pooler. As pilots, Jean and Sally had an interest and there was a new exhibit, “Fly Girls,” commemorating the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASPS). Joan's father, who has written his memoirs, served in the Eighth Air Force based in East Anglia, England at Old Buckenham during WWII. Trained at bases in the states as a navigator-bombardier he served as a 1st Lieutenant, flying 30 missions over France and Germany .

Joan headed for the reference library in search of the nose art of her father's first WWII B-24 Liberator, “Paper Doll.” (The popular song was recorded by the Mills Brothers in 1942.) Internet and e-mail research had not turned it up. At the museum library, the government listed the name, but no photo had been taken and the librarian said it was doubtful one existed. However, she had given Joan a history book of her father's Bomb Group, the 453rd. Flipping through the book, she suddenly stopped and pointed to a photo of a painting of a woman with “Paper Doll” spelled out on the nose of the ship. The librarian, also excited, confirmed that there would have been only one “Paper Doll” in the bomb group.

On our return, Jean stayed aboard to make the next day's departure preparations. Sally and Joan briefly visited nearby Bonaventure Cemetery off Victory Drive, the original home of the “Bird Girl” statue relocated for safekeeping to a Savannah museum. Photos were taken of the gardens and reflective statuary. Pulitzer Prize poet Conrad Aiken and songwriter Johnny Mercer are buried here as well as notable Georgian Colonial families. A particularly wistful statue was that of six-year-old “Little Gracie.” Apropos is a Midnight quote by the author John Berendt describing the cemetery: “A live-oak forest of a primeval dimension loomed before us.”

That night Joan and Sally, on Jean's recommendation, bought tickets to “Jukebox Journey” at the circa 1818 Savannah Theater. The performance featured popular music and professional choreography from the 1940s to the present. Costumes and the number of changes were fantastic, the performers were engaging, and the comedic skits were fast paced. The famous Abbott and Costello skit, “Who's on First,” was uproarious.

Saturday, 8 April

In port

In town, we learned that there was a local event planned: Charleston Race Week: Billed as an annual premier One-Design, PHRF, IRC race for sailboats 22-60 feet. What Fun!!!!!

Charleston looked beautiful--In bloom were wisteria, azaleas, loquat trees in fruit.

Our weather information showed that 20-25 northeast winds were coming. Jean's satellite weather indicated that Charleston would be in the path of severe weather in the afternoon. Deadly tornadoes had hit Tennessee Friday and the system was moving 50 mph northeast. Jean determined that the worst weather would slide north ofour position.

We went ahead with our plans to ‘see' Charleston. The Marina provided shuttle service downtown which was very helpful. At the Visitor's Center, 375 Meeting Street, an historic railroad station, we boarded a tour bus. One stop was at Battery Park. We could look out toward Fort Sumter where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. South Carolina had seceded from the Union and demanded that the Union forces vacate Fort Sumter . The North refused and on April 12, 1861 the Confederacy started a two-day bombardment from nearby Fort Jackson that resulted in the fort's surrender. The fort remained under siege from Union forces for two years until it was abandoned in 1865.

“Founded in 1670 by the British, Charles Towne soon welcomed French Huguenots who imparted the Creole flavor that still colors the area” called the Lowcountry. (Pg. 419, Dozier's Waterway Guide, Mid-Atlantic 2006 ). Known as the “ Holy City,” the tallest and most pronounced buildings are its churches; steeples and spires punctuate the skyline. As a result of little building or demolition following the Great Fire of 1861, the Civil War, the Great Earthquake of 1886 and many hurricanes, Charleston has preserved much of its Colonial architecture.

Historic ships:

On our walking route after our tour, we saw a replica of the submarine Hunley. The H. L. Hunley in 1864 became the world's first submarine to sink an enemy warship and then mysteriously vanish. It was recovered in 2000 and placed in a 90,000 gallon tank for research and conservation at the Hunley lab in Charleston .

The Yorktown, WWII's famous “Fighting Lady” and other ships and military aircraft are berthed at Patriots Point.

After lunch at Magnolia on East Bay and a walk through Waterfront Park to view the prominent pineapple fountain, the weather began to change and the wind increased ahead of the cold front that had been predicted. We took a quick walk through City Market, finding numerous vendors displaying Lowcountry sweet grass baskets. It was after 1600, so we had had a full day before the rains came and the marina's van picked us up.

That evening, during thunderstorms and heavy rain, John and Sharon Sarle of Maharani came on board for cocktails. Since they were in USPS District 4, the same district that Jean was in when she lived in New Jersey, Sharon thought she must have seen Jean there because she looked familiar. When Sharon mentioned she was an attorney, Sally asked what she practiced. When she said corporate finance in Newark, Jean and Sally chimed in, “Where?” Turned out it was a law firm Jean worked with while at Prudential and so their paths had crossed in business dealings.

Sunday, 9 April

In port

Jean worked on board doing charting and various boat related activities. Due to a chill 20 kn northeast wind with a high temperature predicted to reach 65 from a low barely reaching 50, Sally and Joan scrubbed any idea of taking a ferry out to tour Fort Sumter in the morning. This was a good opportunity to catch up on laundry in the a.m. and revisit City Market in the p.m. with a stop for provisions. At the City Market, Joan searched out a Lowcountry sweet grass basket woven with long-needle pine, sweet grass, palmetto and bulrush.

That evening we shuttled back to town for dinner at 82 Queen Street . The history of 82 Queen Street can be traced back to 1688 and is nestled in the heart of Charleston's historic French Quarter in three buildings connected by staircases and courtyards. Gourmet dishes feature Lowcountry Cuisine influenced by African, French, Caribbean, and Anglo-Saxon tastes.

While at dinner, we also managed to see a Magnolia Warbler in the trees above the courtyard.

Our menu selections deserve a log entry for reminiscing:

Appetizers: Southern Barbequed Shrimp and Creamy Grits with Melted Cheddar Cheese, Apple Smoked Bacon and Fresh Scallions; Fried Green Tomatoes and Creamy Grits with Jumbo Lump Crab and Sweet Corn Tartar Sauce.

Entrees: Creole Mustard and Herb Encrusted Lamb Loin with Jumbo Tiger Shrimp, Buffalo Mozzarella Risotto, Braised Leeks and Raspberry Port Wine Reduction; Crispy Roasted maple Leaf farm Duck with Bing Cherry Grand Marnier Glaze, Andouille Red Rice and Truffled Asparagus; Molasses Glazed Duck Breast and Confit Leg with Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens served with Skillet Cornbread.

A 100-mile run was ahead of us for the next day, so we hit the sack by 2100.

Monday, 10 April

Charleston, SC to Wacca Wache Marina, Murrells Inlet, SC (So. Myrtle Beach )

Since we knew it would be a long day (100 miles) we were off the dock at 0640. The temperatures were a little chilly, especially as we left the dock. At only 50 degrees the morning air seemed cool and unfriendly. Luckily, things would warm up as the day progressed. Things went smoothly in the morning as we crossed from the Harbor River into the Waccamaw River. Our bird sightings included a perched American Bald Eagle ( Andersonville ) and a pair of Kingfishers.

The scenery changed to cypress swampland and rice fields along this section of the ICW. (The Carolina Rice brand name may be familiar to many.) Also along the waterway are live oak draped with “Spanish moss,” neither Spanish nor moss but an epiphyte.

At about 1400 we tied up at Wacca Wache Marina in Murrells Inlet, SC (So. Myrtle Beach ). This leg of the journey covered 87 nm and took us 7 hours and 20 minutes.

The small, 40-year-old remodeled marina is an up-and-coming gem under the new co-ownership of Andrea Peterson and her husband, Dockmaster Bryan Smith. Andrea drove us in her pickup truck to Brookgreen Gardens in time for a 1600 walking tour. Comprised of three former South Carolina Lowcountry rice plantations (over 9,000 acres), it includes the largest American figurative sculpture collection in the country. The Archer & Anna Hyatt Huntington Sculpture Garden, founded in 1931 and named for its founders and designers, is the gardens' major attraction. The collection now contains over 1,200 works spanning the entire period of American sculpture from the early 1800s to the present on over 50 acres of garden and landscape settings. The exhibition includes several of Anna Hyatt Huntingon's equestrian masterpieces among her extraordinary body of work over a 70-year period.

Bird sightings at Brookgreen Gardens included: Parula Warbler; Prairie Warbler, Catbird, Cardinals and Carolina Wrens

We had another wonderful dinner aboard and enjoyed the evening completely.

Tuesday, 11 April

Wacca Wache Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC to Wrightsville Beach, NC, Seapath Yacht Club

We were off the dock at 0655 with another chilly morning. Temperatures at push off were only in the low 50s but expected to be in 70s later in the day. We actually saw some Barn Swallows nesting under the docks.

Fog hovered over the glassy water surface before sunrise, creating an ethereal scene cruising under arching moss-hung cypress and live oak.

We came to the Socastee Bridge, a swing bridge, which Jean had timed perfectly to arrive for 0815 opening.We listened to the following radio communication between a sailing vessel a distance behind us and the bridge tender: “Socastee Bridge, [SV] Passport coming from the south. Can you stay open for me?” “Is there anyone behind you?” replied the bridge tender. “Not that I can see,” radioed Passport . Tender in a chiding voice: “I've been lied to before, so tell me the truth now.” “No one behind me.” “Okay, I'll take you at your word.”

Later on, we saw a Bald Eagle perched on a dead tree branch—it was beautiful!

At about 1015 we passed the well-named Rock Pile –a shallow and rocky passage. This would be a day of many bridges including the Little River Bridge (swing bridge) where the bridge tender waited for boats to come up to open. We also went under the Sunset Beach Bridge (pontoon bridge) after waiting 20-minutes for on-the-hour opening.

Along the way there were many bird sightings including: Great Blue Heron; Willets; Royal Terns hunkered down against the wind and Purple Martins along the banks in hanging multi-housing gourds.

Before we cast off, Jean had stated in no uncertain terms that this is the worst section of the waterway, with bridges that only open on the hour, shoaling and endless no-wake zones.

Early in the afternoon, we passed charted areas named Buzzards Bay and Horseshoe Shoals while running the Cape Fear River. That would sound familiar to Cape Cod friends.

Later in the day there was a small mutiny!!!!! Sally insisted that if there's a store nearby when we dock, she's buying cookies. To explain the mutinous ramifications, the boat has been a low fat, low carb zone. To reiterate, it has been a long day. In seven hours, we were only a little more than halfway on our 100-mile crawl.

In the few and far-between spots where we could go fast, every 100 yards or so there would be a little boat anchored for fishing that we couldn't wake. Looking aft, Jean blurted out, “The sailboat's gaining on me!”

Jean was thinking outloud about today's pre-dawn e-mail to England regarding the non-functioning EchoPilot sonar. It was at least the fifth e-mail sent. She asks five questions and gets back one answer per e-mail.

At about 1740 we tied up at Seapath Yacht Club, Wrightsville Beach, NC . This leg of the journey covered 100nm and took us a full 10 hours!!!!!

At the end of each day, it is the captain's custom to have cocktails and hors d'oeuvres served. If the weather is fine, it is set out on the aft deck. Tonight we sipped our beverages and noshed on duck and tuna “canapés” while listening to classical music as the sun set and the waxing gibbous moon rose. Not a bad end to a long, albeit successful day with good weather accompanying us all the way.

Please stay tuned. Jean, Sally and Joan will be adding
journal entries as they travel up the East coast!!!!!!

Now Available Log For April 12th to April 17th Wrightsville Beach, NC to Portsmouth, VA