We took a short drive on Tuesday to Yorktown to take a walk along the York River and to also check out the American Revolution Museum.
Yorktown was established by Virginia’s colonial government in 1691 to regulate trade and to collect taxes on both imports and exports for Great Britain. By the early 1700s, Yorktown had emerged as a major Virginia port and economic center. Seems you could sail from Great Britain all the way to North American but you couldn’t hide from the tax collector – NOPE!
The walk along the York River was peaceful and beautiful which gave way to thinking about everything that has happened in this area since 1691. The siege of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in North America, and led to the surrender of Cornwallis and the capture of both him and his army. The Continental Army’s victory at Yorktown prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict, making way for an independent United States of America. Pretty heady stuff indeed.
The museum is really quite amazing and I loved the interactive exhibits, the films and the immersive experience. Admittedly, I tend to get bored at museums that are all signage and displays. Clearly, they had my learning style in mind when they designed this museum. It’s amazing I managed to get through reading the 900 plus page Michener book Chesapeake, LOL. Seriously, that was a really good read and a great introduction to this part of Virginia.
The museum allows you to discover Virginia through the lens of the Stuart monarchy, whose royal foothold impacted and influenced early America and shaped the struggles and determination of those who lived in the colony in the 17th and 18th centuries.
I thought this an interesting view of history.
There is also an outdoor replica of an encampment at the museum complete with docents in period clothing at different areas explaining how the soldiers lived during the war. While the area around the encampment is absolutely beautiful, the conditions then were grim, especially during the winter months.
For those of you who are boaters or future boaters considering the Great Loop, Yorktown is a great stop and very well set up for boaters. The City run Riverwalk Landing Piers provides 1,200 linear feet of T-pier dockage on the York River. The piers allow overnight stays and provide electrical, water, and sewer pump-out. The concrete floating pier system looks to be very new and in wonderful condition. The depths at dockside range from 27′ to 50′ on well over 1,000 feet of dock frontage space. The Waterway guide also mentions that there are discounts for stays Mon-Thursday. When we were there on a Tuesday, there were only a few boats on the docks.
The museum is an easy .75 mile walk from the Waterfront Landing along the York River. If walking isn’t your gig, there is also a trolley. This FREE air-conditioned (and heated) service will take you from the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center all the way to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, making several convenient stops along the way including Yorktown Beach and Riverwalk Landing. Apparently the drivers take the schedule very seriously as one of them almost ran us over in the cross walks by the museum. Or maybe they just don’t like us walkers!!!
There are also several restaurants just steps from the pier along with some really nice swimming areas.
FYI, there are some rules at the swimming beach. No potty mouth allowed but I think you can still laugh and have fun!
We had originally planned to head to Manteo NC for a few days in the boat with hopes of exploring the Outer Banks via car but Mother Nature had different ideas. There was a big blow coming and it was forecasted to last several days plus we had to cross the Albemarle Sound, preferably not on a big wind day. After looking at all the options, it made sense to scoot across the sound when the conditions were decent. We scrambled around and changed our car reservations and made alternative marina reservations.
We did NOT want to get stuck at the Alligator River Marina for days on end. It’s basically a gas station on a busy road with a marina behind it … in the middle of NOWHERE. No services to speak of, no easy way to get a car rental and the drone of cars going by the boat was constant. UGH, there would have been mutiny if we had to stay here for days…well, except there was no way to get anywhere – LOL!!! This marina is a necessary stop before crossing the Albemarle Sound or trying to head over to Manteo and is just fine for one night.
The view from the flybridge at dinner was very pretty but not enough to want to stay here for days!
As luck would have it, we crossed the Albemarle Sound the next day with 2-3 ft wind waves and long easy rollers, mostly pushing us from our stern. We got into Coinjock Marina with no drama and spent the next six days there. This marina is well run, has a nice restaurant and ships store, laundry, etc. Otherwise, there isn’t much going on there either, kinda in the middle of nowhere also! Most boaters just stop overnight here on the way to Norfolk. The good news is that Dave had rented a car at Enterprise in nearby Elizabeth City. They brought the car to us at the marina, but Dave had to take the driver back to Elizabeth City. The only downside was they weren’t open on the weekends to return the car and didn’t allow after hours return – weird. So, that meant we had to stay until Monday but we were happy to have the wheels to tour the Outer Banks and nearby areas.
Heading our to cross the Albemarle Sound.
Albemarle Sounds – not a bad day. Escapade did just fine.
Rustic Coinjock Marina
Unfortunately, our AC continued to vex us which necessitated a trip back to the Walmart in Elizabeth CIty to buy a portable AC unit. With the main salon AC being unreliable, the pilot house AC could not keep up with the solar load and high heat so it was uncomfortably warm inside. The portable monster unit was easy to get vented out our sliding door…Janky, yes but at least the boat was cool enough to feel good about leaving the pets all day. Fortunately the stateroom AC’s seem to be working okay, so at night we were nice and cool.
Our first day touring the Outer Banks took us to Kitty Hawk. We all agreed that the Wright Brothers Museum was well worth a visit and the ranger talks were also very well done. So much to see there…What was fascinating to me was why the Wright Brother chose this part of NC to conduct their glider flights. They wanted Wind, Sand and Isolation. Kitty Hawk has all three and in the day, it was very remote and isolated. So remote, it was sometimes hard for them to find a boat to take them over there. Isolation meant no prying eyes to steal their ideas and future patents. Why sand you may be wondering ?? So when they crashed it would be soft – and crash they did. Over and Over and Over again. But that did not stop the Wright Brothers, they persevered until they got the design right. OCD geniuses – perhaps!
Sadly, much of the Outer Banks is nothing like what the Wright Brothers experienced. Much of it is now now miles of soulless strip malls, mediocre restaurants, beach houses packed in like sardines and crowed beaches. From Nags Head all the way north to Duck was exactly like this and very disappointing from a scenery aspect. To add to the disappointment, we had the worst BBQ ever that day for lunch – waaaah! We did find a few pretty places and a not too crowed beach to explore, so I am only showing you those pictures.
Holy Cow can it rain in North Carolina… but once it was gone it was gone!
Our second day exploring the Outer Banks took us south of Nags Head to Manteo and we felt the area was redeemed! Our first stop was at the Pea Island Preserve…WOOHOO… this is what I was hoping to find in the Outer Banks. Pristine, unspoiled beaches, wildlife, birds and sand dunes galore.
From there we drove to Bodie Island Lighthouse and on to Manteo. I loved quaint Manteo, it’s waterfront walk, rustic marinas and scenic beauty. It would have been great to stay here on the boat as originally planned and I would highly recommend that Loopers put this down as a stop if Mother Nature allows!
We found a nice place for lunch in Manteo, strolled along the waterfront and were entertained by a group of young folks, bridge jumping into the cool water. The marinas here are just steps from town and the local Ford car dealerships rents cars.
Summer fun in Manteo!!!
We also explored inland from Coinjock – taking a drive to the Dismal Swamp State Park. A segment of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Dismal Swamp Canal, which is fed by Lake Drummond, flows for 22 miles between Virginia and North Carolina. It cuts through the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Before there was a canal, there was swampland. It was Colonel William Byrd II who envisioned something more during the late 1720s. But it would take years for the idea to blossom into action as construction on the man-made waterway wouldn’t begin until the 1790s.
The goal was to create a viable trade route between the Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina’s Albemarle Sound. It was the first canal that connected the two regions, then came the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal decades later. Now, the Dismal Swamp Canal is part of something bigger — the Intracoastal Waterway — a network of aquatic passageways along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
The Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest operating waterway in the country. Both the canal and swamp played a huge role in African-American history. Between 1680 and the Civil War-era, the swamp served as a refuge not just for wildlife but for hundreds, if not thousands, of escaped slaves, who lived off the land freely.
Yep, that’s a narrow canal!
There are two viable routes for boaters to get to Norfolk from North Carolina. We had opted not to take the Dismal Swamp route as the canal depth is dicey for Escapade. The canal is supposedly dredged to 6 feet but is littered with stumps and deadheads just below the surface. We draft 4 foot 9 inches and didn’t want to risk damaging our props. This route is far from dismal, really it is quite beautiful but traveling at idle speed for 20 plus miles might have taken the bloom off the rose!
It was fun to hike around the area, we saw several snakes and a few birds. It was a hot afternoon and we were too late for any decent birding. We also chatted with a few boaters who were spending the night on the free dock at the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center.
On the way back to Coinjock, we stopped at Morris Farm Market – craft beer, live music and fresh produce – that is a trifecta of goodness in my book! This place was recommended by the bartender at Coinjock so he redeemed himself for the awful BBQ place he also recommended!
Morris Farms is very doggie friendly!
Maybe a little less child friendly – LOL. But there were loads of well behaved kids having a good time too.
Elizabeth City, which is up the Albemarle Sound had been on the cruise plan but was also crossed off thanks to the big blow. So why not explore it via car?
A quaint water front town, marketed as the “Harbor of Hospitality”, Elizabeth City has had a long history of shipping due to its location at a narrowed bend of the Pasquotank River. Whew, say that three times fast!!! Founded in 1794, Elizabeth City prospered early on from the Dismal Swamp Canal as a mercantile city. Later it developed industry and other commercial focus. While Elizabeth City still retains extensive waterfront property, it is linked to neighboring counties and cities by contemporary highways and bridges to support other transportation. It also hosts one of the largest United States Coast Guard bases in the nation.
We enjoyed a nice lunch at Hoppin John’s and a warm walk around town. Elizabeth City certainly is hospitable to boaters with three docks offering free moorage for two nights. We need a do over on the Albemarle Sound as there is so much more to see and do in this area.
Our stay was coming to an end, the car was returned Monday and we were hoping the AC repair team was coming. We had plans to have dinner at the Coinjock Marina Restaurant, celebrate Wallys birthday and then skeedaddle on Tuesday. Well, who’d a thunk that Mother Nature had other ideas?? AGAIN!!!
It had been windy off and on the past two days. Apparently, the wind had been blowing water up the C&D Canal, which was where we were headed. Word on the dock was that the water level was too high for two of the swing rail road bridges to open. There are really no other marina’s until after you get past these two bridges so boats were turning around and coming back to Coinjock. We figured all would be well in the morning – NOT.
Dinner was fun and we celebrated Wallys birthday with a huge tomahawk ribeye steak and a fine bottle of Leonetti wine we had stashed onboard. Later in the wee hours of the morning a massive storm came through bringing more wind, rain and a huge electrical storm. I woke up to see light flashing through the stateroom portholes and claps of booming thunder. I LOVE lightening storms at a distance but the furbags were not entertained, Bentley especially … poor buddy was shaking so I sat up with him for awhile.
We got up early on Tuesday, after not good sleep thinking maybe miraculously we could leave but not a creature was stirring, not a boat was on the move – AGAIN!!! The water was now higher than the day before. It had crept under the docks and was flooding the lawn in front of the marina. Not feeling optimistic, Wally made a call to the bridge tender. After at least thirty rings, a human picked up and informed us that “ donna know when da bridge gonna open-wadter too hi-havta wait til da wadter com down. Okay, despite not being able to leave… Wally repeating that back to all of us brought some much needed levity to the day.
Nope, no one’s going anywhere!!!
So Tuesday was a bit of a lost day, AC dudes were a no show and was told they would be out at 8:30 am on Wednesday. We played cards, read, did Wordle, walked the dock and chatted with other boaters. We enjoyed getting to know Rhonda and Bob on Hawks Landing. We swapped boat stories as our boats are both Carvers, same make but theirs is 45 feet and ours is 53 ft. It was fun touring Hawks Landing and meeting their cat Charlie. It was a bit like ground hogs day as we ate dinner at the restaurant again and asked for our favorite waitress Shelby.
New friends!! Hoping to see Rhonda and Bob in the Chesapeake Bay this summer.
Wednesday morning rolled in and AGAIN, not a creature was stirring, not a boat was on the move. The good news was that the wind had shifted over night, bringing water back down the canal. Word on the dock was maybe by noon “da wadter com down” and “da bridge gonna open”! Well, yippee skippy… the AC dudes also showed up, worked a bit of magic with a descaler and back flush on the salon AC unit. It was as working again but they agreed we also needed a new main water pump as we still couldn’t run more than two units at once without a high pressure failure. We debated having them just install a new pump but the boss/owner somewhere behind the curtain quoted us $2,000 plus installation for a pump we knew we could buy for under $800. So long story short, Captain Handy ordered a new pump and will be installing it in Norfolk.
Meantime, “da water com down” and boats were departing the dock like the great migration. It would be about 40 nautical miles to get to Norfolk but with with three bridges and a lock that only open on a set schedule, this was a tricky run. I had estimated that if we could leave around 1:30 and if the all the cards aligned, we could make the 4:00 pm lock opening before the last bridge scheduled changed for rush hour car traffic. No pressure!!!
I got some great pictures and video of Rhonda and Bob leaving which I texted to her.
Hey, where did everyone go????
So with a cool boat, we made smoke and got underway. It was actually a beautiful cruise, the last of any North Carolina low country and into Virginia we went. As fate would have it, leaving Coinjock late put the pack of boats that were on the dock a long way ahead of us. We had the waterways us all to ourselves. Being in the great migration of boats must have been really stressful. The C & D Canal is narrow and we were so glad we weren’t cueing up, waiting for the bridges to open with a pack of 25 plus boats.
Goodbye North Carolina – Hello Virginia.
That was tight quarters… yikes!
Cruising into Norfolk was surreal after being on the ICW for so long as the landscape is filled with huge commercial dry docks, barges and naval ships. Other than almost being taken out by a tug boat pushing a huge barge, we cruised into Norfolk with no other recreational or commercial boats. That was about 30 seconds of sheer terror when we almost came bow to bow with that big barge. It was a blind corner just as we started under a bridge. Since we were going very slow anyway, Captain Wally put the boat in reverse and did a quick 180 degree turn to starboard. I am here to tell you that tug horn was really loud.
We had a wonderful 2 weeks with our friends Dave and Tanya, another adventure to add to the books! It was a bittersweet goodbye but we’ll see them again in November when we are back on the west coast. It was extra special to have them onboard to celebrate Wally’s birthday!!!!
The other cool thing waiting for us in Norfolk was our SUV Ernie. Our Charleston friend Drake drove him up the day we arrived and thanks to some plane schedule confusion, Drake was waiting for us on the dock at the Tidewater Marina. We were happy to offering him our couch for the night and dinner in the marina restaurant.
All tied up at the Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth VA – what a great view of the Norfolk skyline from our boat.
Escapade has traveled just over 862 nautical miles on the loop so far. It’s crazy to think that there is still over 5,000 miles to go! We are taking a break here in Norfolk for 2-3 weeks and then we will head out explore the Chesapeake Bay. Stay tuned for more updates as we explore the Norfolk area.
After leaving New Bern NC we only cruised about 55 miles but the scenery was beautiful and it was nice to be in rural areas again. Both Oriental and Belhaven are very small towns with a combined population of just over 2,200.
We picked up our long time friends and fellow travelers, Dave and Tanya in New Bern on the 17th of June. They will to cruise with us to Norfolk – YAY!!! The four of us have traveled all over the world together and they have been on all of our boats over the years. We also all really enjoy good wine and food, cooking or dining out and are completely compatible in small space. Dave and I love getting in the kitchen together and crafting up a great meal. It’s so wonderful to have them onboard and we really thrilled that they are part of our Great loop Adventure.
We had a quick stop between Oriental and Belhaven for some fresh fish. This dock is home to a fleet of shrimp and fishing boats. My kinda funky!!
Oriental is another small fishing village so we only stayed 1 night. It was hot, hot, hot so all we really did was walk to a local restaurant for lunch and hang on the boat. We also met some fellow loopers, one couple has the exact same boat as us – too fun.
What wasn’t fun, was that two of our four AC units have been giving us fits… of course they had to stop working on the day we expect guests onboard. ARGH….. Captain Handy has tried everything to revive the salon and pilot house AC’s but t looks like we need a new water intake pump which we can’t get until we get to Norfolk.
The Belhaven Marina Dock Master Greg was able to get a mechanic to come take a look when we arrived in Belhaven. After conferring with Captain Handy and looking the system he said it’s likely that our 24 year old, original water intake pump has gotten tired and can’t keep pump enough water through to the two big units in the salon and pilothouse at the same time on really it days. It’s a bit of a specialty pump and of course it’s not something we can find in rural NC. The good news is that it will run the pilothouse or the two bedroom AC’s so we will be just fine until we can get it repaired. Never a dull moment, living on a boat.
I also want to give kudos to all the folks who gave advice through the Carver Voyager Facebook Group I belong to. This is when social media is the best – al group of knowledge boat owners with the are make and model of boat who can lend advice. SWEET!!!
Belhaven is tiny and it is amazing that there is an excellent Farm to Table restaurant in this town of 1,400. We really enjoyed meeting the owner of Spoon River had a great dinner there on Monday. Honestly, it was one of the main reasons I wanted to stop here and we timed it to arrive on Monday when they were open. I had made a reservation and was glad we did as the place was packed. The eclectic interior is filled with art that is all done by the owner.
I was skeptical about having soft shell crabs but figured when in Rome… they were delicious!!!
Belhaven is really a one night stop as far as things to do but we stayed 2 nights so the guys could go fishing with a local guide. They had a great time, caught some fish and saw some of the local estuaries. Sadly, according to the guide, this well known mecca for fishing is in decline. Sounds like the fishery has not been well managed thus resulting in many of the local fish populations to decline. With this in mind, the guys release all the fish they caught. Hoping some stronger regulations in size and number of fish being caught will help this area recover.
Despite being a bit rustic, funky little Belhaven Marina scored a 5 star review from me. The staff was excellent and were there on the dock to get you tied up. They had the fixed docks set up with large round fender to protect the sides of the boat. They also bring you a bag of information from the chamber of commerce about the local area. The harbor master Greg made an excellent recommendation about the fish hide as well. The setting was charming and all of a block into the small town. There is also a cute ships store, free laundry and showers, lawn games, a book trade library, a BBQ grill with propane and multiple gazebos and sitting area around the small property. Need to make a grocery store run… just borrow a golf cart and off you go! I thought it was sweet that shampoo, towels and hair dryers are all included at the showers and laundry soap and dryer sheets were free in the laundry room as well.
From here, our plans get a bit loose…the wind will dictated where we end up as we work our way north to Norfolk. See you along the way!
Wilmington was a very nice side trip off the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway on the Cape Fear River. Both days we transited the river the water was like a pond so the fear level for us was pretty low. The name Cape Fear comes from the 1585 expedition of Sir Richard Grenville. Sailing to Roanoke Island, his ship became embayed behind the cape. Some of the crew were afraid they would wreck, giving rise to the name Cape Fear. It is the fifth-oldest surviving English place name in the U.S. Cape Fear was also the landing place of British General Sir Henry Clinton during the American Revolutionary War on May 3, 1775.
One more bit of trivia for all you pub dwelling trivia players. The 1962 film Cape Fear and its 1991 remake were set at Cape Fear (although neither movie actually was filmed there).
Wilmington is a port city so there are massive container ships on the river. We had to sit and wait for a container ship to exit the loading docks and go to the turn around basin. The water sheriff controlled river traffic while a single tugboat moved this massive ship around. It was actually really interesting to watch the entire maneuver.
Most of the time we avoid getting this close to these big ships and give them wide berth. Especially when they are under full power out in the shipping channels as the bow and stern wakes are enormous. They can’t slow down or stop for us recreational boaters so it’s really dangerous. In this case, the sheriff was monitoring how close was acceptable and we stayed well out of the way.
Our approach to Wilmington on the Cape Fear River.
The population of Wilmington is over 117,000 so this was a big city for us on the loop. We tied up at Port City Marina and enjoyed two days of shore leave in town. We took a guided horse trolley tour, visited the Battleship USS North Carolina, strolled the beautiful river walk and enjoyed the Friday nite summer party at the Port City Docks. Of course, there is no shortage of great restaurants and shops to peruse in Wilmington. We had a fun lunch at the Beer Barrio… 30 draft beers on tap and a great taco menu.
Being a University town, Wilmington has a nice vibe and a younger demographic as well. The north end of the waterfront is all new construction with mostly mixed use condominiums. This area is no stranger to hurricanes and the Port CIty Marina where we tied up was fully rebuilt after Hurricane Florence whipped arse on North Carolina.
We really enjoyed the self guided tour of the USS North Carolina. This massive battleship participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific theater of operations, earning 15 battle stars and is the most highly decorated American battleship of World War II. I really appreciated the crew stories that were on each one of the informational signs around the ship. These stories really bring home the actual day to day life onboard, some were sad, some made me laugh out loud.
As we explored the ship, I was thinking it wasn’t really that much different than our boat. Escapade has an engine room, electrical control panels, a galley, berths, heads, generator, anchors, windlass, pilot house with a captains chair… ok, so we don’t have any ginormous guns on deck or torpedos – LOL. We only hold 800 gallons of fuel and the battle ship could store 221,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Egads, I thought our fuel bill was huge!
It was also fascinating how huge this thing is and that most of the enlisted men were assigned a certain area of the ship and stayed in that area. They had divisions and most of the men socialized within their division, slept in the same area, ate at the same time, etc. I think I would have wanted to work in the supply room or the medical area which were of course the plum jobs. No thanks on the laundry room!!!
Oolala… the guys in the laundry area were allowed to work in their skivies because it was so hot.
I also loved how dog friendly Wilmington is. There were dog relief areas and bag stations all over and dog parks too. This is probably the tiniest dog park I have seen!
Our two days in Wilmington flew by and off we go again… see you at our next stop up the ICW!!
Charming, quaint, friendly, scenic and slightly rustic – all are very good descriptors for Southport NC. I really loved everything about this small town. Could it be tainted by being welcomed to town almost immediately after we docked at the marina both via social media and in person by the local Great Loop Harbor Host??? What’s more charming than having a local Great Looper show up at your boat with a warm welcome and an invite to come sit on the porch and visit.
Not many places can boast having a dock just for yoga!!
Yep, definitely tainted by that! These two are legendary in the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA), not only for the local warm welcomes in Southport but also for all the ways they volunteer to support the AGLCA. These two life long boaters have put over 32,000 miles on their boat cruising and are a wealth of knowledge about the Atlantic Intercoastal Water Way between Norfolk Virginia and Florida. We met them two years ago at a Looper Rendezvous in Fort Meyers Florida where I attended their session on cruising this part if the ICW. I’ve appreciated and referred to his detailed handout about this route with all the stops and anchorage suggestions.
You are treated like family when you arrive in Southport… not only do they host “Porchtails” every evening at their home overlooking the water but if you need anything they are there to help you. Need a boat mechanic, parts, restaurant recommendation, a ride to the grocery store, doctor or dentist – they got ya covered. These are two of the finest people and so passionate about the Great Loop. We spent two very enjoyable evenings on the porch with them, other loopers and neighbors – it felt like we were leaving old friends when we said our goodbyes.
I love the Purple Martin nesting gourds and box that Kay and Robert have in their yard.
Besides the warm welcome, the Morning star Marina in Southport was a great place to tie up the boat. Not only is it a full service, beautiful marina, it is also just blocks from the downtown historical area and waterfront. We walked at least 4 miles everyday exploring Southport. The marina also has a loaner car which we took full advantage of twice. The car is available to guests of the marina for 2 hours a day or longer if there isn’t anyone else signed up for it. We did a grocery store run our first day there and also used the car to take a drive to nearby Oak Island where we walked on the beach and checked out the lighthouse.
Southport is a small town – population is just over 4,000 which just adds to its quaint charm. It isn’t a fancy water front village but it isn’t gritty either. It truly is unique and has its own sweet vibe. Nice restaurant choices… some right on the water and some just blocks away in town. Loads of cute shops and some amazing local artists whose work can be seen at several co-ops around town. The free maritime museum is worth a visit as is the local market that is held on Wednesdays. There is also a REALLY good seafood market – Potter’s, which is right on the waterfront. This 5th generation family business has their own docks and thus a killer selection of fresh fish. Believe it or not, I did NOT get shrimp. WHAT… I bought some grouper cheeks at the suggestion of the fish monger and made blackened fish tacos for dinner.
We found plenty to keep us busy during our three day stay in Southport. Oak Island was a 20 minute drive and we enjoyed a nice long walk on the beach. Not sure that walk worked off the delicious BBQ lunch we had at the Southport Smokehouse… we might have needed to walk there and back!
Southport will definitely be added to our list of favorite loop stops from this trip. Next stop Wilmington NC.
We’ve had mostly beautiful warm weather since we arrived in Charleston but the last two days have been really stormy. A tropical depression has been sitting off shore and just cranking wind and rain across the SE area since Thursday.
The crew at the marina was scrambling this morning to assess damage and check all the lines on the boats that are kept here full time.
This boat is in good shape and has extra storm lines on.
Thursday, we were downtown doing a driving history tour with our friends Drake and Wanda and strolling King Street. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon there were hardly any tourist to be found. The wind was starting to pick up but we enjoying having the sidewalks to ourselves. Our almost three week stop over here in Charleston has been great and the plan is to leave on Tuesday.
Where the heck is everyone???
There are so many beautiful old homes in downtown Charleston and its fun to just wander the streets and look at them.
Despite the howling wind, we are mostly just relaxing on the boat today and I did two weeks worth of laundry this morning. Our friends are hosting us for Burger and Bourbon tonight!!!
Beaufort SC has all the charm of a fine southern lady and was a delightful three day stop for the crew on Escapade. We stayed at the Safe Harbor City Marina which was the perfect place to see all of the historical areas and stroll along the pretty waterfront.
The marina itself was adequate as far as facilities, the docks are a bit long in the tooth but the marina has all of the basic amenities such as a fuel dock, pump out, restrooms, showers, laundry area and a ships store. The staff are all great and the location is perfect, so no car is necessary to explore all the historical parts of town. We were also happy to be put on the end of the outer dock… it was a bit windy when we came in but Captain Wally did an excellent job of turning us in to the current and the wind pushed us right onto the dock. We also had the best view in the marina…PERFECT!!!
Escapade sitting on the outer dock
And explore we did… the highlight of our stay was a 2.5 hour walking tour with Janet. One of the friendliest and most knowledgeable guides I have ever toured with! Janet has a witty sense of humor and makes the history of Beaufort so much fun and so interesting. You can’t help but get caught up in her enthusiasm for Beaufort and it was perfect to do her tour on our first full day there. I had no idea what an important role that Beaufort played in the revolutionary and civil wars.
The area had been subject to numerous European explorations and several aborted attempts at colonization. Scottish immigrants founded the short-lived “Stuart Town” in 1684 and the British successfully founded the city of Beaufort in 1711, the second-oldest in South Carolina (behind Charleston). The city initially grew slowly, subject to numerous attacks from Native Americans before flourishing as a regional center for the Lowcountryplantation economy up through the Civil War. The community rebounded in the later half of the 20th century and is today recognized as one of the most livable small towns in the country.
Beaufort has retained much of its historic character through its renowned architecture and historic preservation efforts. We also toured the John Mark Verdier House , walked by the house where the Big Chill was filmed and just enjoyed strolling the oak lined streets and seeing all the beautiful antebellum houses. These beautiful homes are tucked into winding, historic streets framed by natural foliage and centuries-old, moss-draped live oak trees. Beaufort is definitely a low country gem.
Beaufort is home to several beautiful antebellum homes that take you back in time to a different era in our history. Each of the popular spots are as unique as the owners who originally built them, and a few stand out as much as Tidalholm, perhaps Beaufort’s most popular historic home.
Tidalholm was built in 1853 by Edgar Fripp. The Fripp family owned a great deal of property in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Some of the Fripp plantations on St. Helena Island that were mentioned in records during the Civil War included Oliver Fripp’s plantation, Thomas Fripp’s plantation, Hamilton Fripp’s plantation and John Fripp’s plantation that was also named ‘Big House’.
Fripp reportedly built Tidalholm to use as his “summah” home when the heat and mosquitoes made life at his plantation home on St. Helena Island intolerable. Apparently, most notable plantation owners had summer homes in Beaufort. Before the Civil War broke out he sold the house to his brother, James Fripp.
In November 1861, Union Navy and Army troops invaded Port Royal and most of Beaufort County subsequently was occupied by Union forces. Owners and overseers fled area plantations in the wake of the oncoming Union troops, and thousands of slaves were then free. During the war, Tidalholm served as Union Hospital #7 dedicated to the treatment of officers of the occupying Union Army.
According to local lore, when James Fripp returned to Beaufort after the war he arrived just as the house was being sold for unpaid taxes by the U.S. Tax Commission, but Fripp was not able to bid on the house due to his current financial situation. Then, a Frenchman who had been living in the area and who was sympathetic to the plight of the South in the war, purchased the house and is said to have walked over to the former owner, presented him with the deed, kissed him on both of his cheeks and walked away. It’s said that the kind Frenchman returned to France before Mr. Fripp had a chance to repay him.
Over the years, the private residence was used as a summer retreat by Fripp and his family. It was also used as a guest house from the 1930s until 1974 with many artists, authors, professors, and statesmen staying there.
Hollywood came knocking in the late 1970s and Tidalholm went on to become the setting for the films The Big Chill and the Great Santini; which is why many of the locals here in the Beaufort area also refer to Tidalholm as ‘The Big Chill House’.
Beaufort has no shortage of great restaurants and cute shops to pop into. We had a great dinner at Saltus, and delicious lunches at Wren and the Low Country Produce Company.
We spent the evenings on the flybridge of Escapade with our friends Ken and Joyce, sipping wine, enjoying dinner, playing Five Crowns and catching up. We really appreciate our friends who are willing to travel to find us and stay onboard Escapade to share our adventure. I hope we didn’t get to many demerits for the hot water incident!!!
Of course, no stop is complete with out a few boat projects… the hot water heater thermostat went out but Captain Handy aka Wally found the part locally and rode his bike there to get it. Never a dull moment on a boat!
The Beaufort waterfront is beautiful day and night… such a great place to stroll or relax on one of the swinging chairs for awhile.
It’s been two weeks since we set off on our great loop adventure from Hobe Sound Florida. We’ve travel about 336 nautical miles (NM) and motored about 44 hours at an average speed of 8 knots. Escapade is capable of going much, much faster but there are many parts of the Atlantic Inter Coastal Waterway (AICW) that require you to go slow (no wake zones) but honestly we have just been enjoying getting a feel for the boat and cruising along slow and enjoying the scenery. We have mostly been docking in marinas along the way but have had an opportunity twice to anchor out, which we love!! Cumberland Island was a highlight so far.. wild, unspoiled Georgia low country with no other boats in our anchorage. We toured historic Plum Mansion and rode our e-bikes all over the island, seeing loads of wild horses.
Our e-bikes were the perfect way to explore Cumberland Island. I was so excited to see the wild horses.
We always hope for uneventful cruises, meaning nothing breaks and the weather/wind is mild. For the most part the weather has been uneventful underway, a few sporty days but within our Go-No-Go parameters. A couple of exciting docking but they ended in no harm no foul, maybe just not the prettiest. We have had a couple of eventful days boat wise. Our second day out, there was a mechanical issue with our port engine and we motored part of the day on one engine. Turns out it was an easy fix, once we got on the dock (which wasn’t easy at all on one engine in the wind). Thankfully there were people waiting when we arrived to help us dock.
Part of the Great Loop experience is the people you meet along the way. Boaters in general are the nicest people…always ready to lend a hand getting you on the dock or troubleshooting a problem. Doesn’t matter what your politics or religion are, all that gets put aside (as it should) and the basic kindness of humans just shines through.
Our new friends Carol and Greg in Cocoa Florida, whom I met thru my Facebook site Escapade on the Loop were just the tonic we needed today when we arrived at Cocoa Village Marina. Not only did they help us get the boat into a slip on one engine, Greg took Wally to West Marine for a couple for parts he needed. Later that evening they drove us to dinner at their favorite Mexican place in town.
The Fur-bags Babies are also doing well on the boat… Sucia has decided she no longer needs to travel in a crate while the boat is underway and she is even joining us on the flybridge some days. Bentie has mastered his potty breaks while underway on the back swim step. He also loves hanging out with us on the flybridge or laying in the sun on the back deck when the boat isn’t moving.
We too are acclimating to cruising again and wow have we been tired some days. We knew the first few weeks might feel stressful as we get our boat mojo back and develop some routines. We quickly decided we don’t like motoring everyday and/or long cruise days back to back. Some times it’s necessary to get where you need to go or if weather is going to be dicey. It’s been great to have stops that are 3 to 7 days long and we are currently enjoying a one week stay in Savannah. My niece flew in from Portland Oregon and we have been having a blast exploring the city with her.
Savannah is a very walkable town and we have really been putting on the miles. We also did a trolly tour on our first day to get an overview of the city and understand the lay of the land. It was actually very well done with loads of history about the city. I think we have seen all 22 square in the city proper and every district. It truly is as beautiful and mysterious as I envisioned it to be. I love all the art within the city and the presence of the Savannah Collage of Art and Design has a profound influence on the vibe of Savannah.
I have this groovy app called Nebo which tracks our voyage … you can follow us any time you want to see where we are by clicking on the link below. Right now it will just show us as a white dot at Thunderbolt Marina near Savannah. When we are underway, you can see us cruising real time.
an act or incident involving excitement, daring, or adventure.
We think it’s the perfect name for the boat as it really sums up our big adventure that we will be doing on the great loop.
Escapade on the dock in Hobe Sound. It’s been a great place to spend the winter and we are uber grateful to our friend Barb who offered us this space on the canal behind her house.
So what is the great loop??? The Great Loop is a 6,000 nautical mile circumnavigation of the eastern U.S., and part of Canada. The route includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the New York State Canals, the Canadian Canals, the Great Lakes, the inland rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. “Loopers” take on this adventure of a lifetime aboard their own boat, no cruise ships do this as it takes at least a year to complete. We are “slow” looping, breaking the loop up in segments based on the weather and best seasons to explore that area. We think we will be looping for 2-3 years. This year we will leave Florida in April and cruise as far as Chesapeake Bay. Ultimately, we will put Escapade away for the winter, under covered storage in Chesapeake VA.
So why not just do the loop in one year you may be wondering. We certainly could but want to have more time to really explore. If one does the loop in one year, you have to cruise thru certain areas with the season and you do this over the course of a year to stay ahead of the seasons, so you are constantly on the move. As an example, unless you want to be the Edmond Fitzgerald, you need to be off the Great Lakes by late fall. Cold, wet and windy with potentially life threatening storms make Lake Superior nowhere to be past fall.
This will be our cruise route for 2023.
SOOO, about Escapade… she is a 1998 Carver Voyager 530. Measuring 53 feet long, 16 feet wide and just over 19 ft tall, she’s a big girl. Our biggest boat and quite possibility our last boat. She has three staterooms, two full bathrooms and a spacious salon and galley, she is a pilothouse/flybridge model, meaning there is a fully equipped driving area inside the boat which also has a big semi-circular dining table. There is also an enclosed flybridge with a huge lounging/dining area and another driving station. I love the views from the flybridge and we spend a lot of time up there. It is the place of choice for happy hour.
I will post a video walk thru when we are done tearing things apart (and putting them back together!).
The other cool thing about Escapade is that she has a crane to lift our 11 ft Boston Whaler up and onto the stern flybridge of the boat. The whaler gives us the option of exploring nooks and cranny’s on the water where Escapade can’t go. It is also a way for us to get Bentley to shore if we are anchored out somewhere. We bought the whaler sight unseen from a couple in Sarasota Florida last summer. This size, year and model of whaler is the perfect fit weight wise for Escapade. When I found it online, we jumped on it. Basically, we did a video chat and inspection with the owners, who were great. They even towed it to their storage facility for us, where it sat thru Hurricane IAN – GULP!!! It all worked out and when we got back to Florida in October, we drove over to Sarasota and picked it up. Other than two flat tires on the trailer and the boat being dirty, it was in great shape. Thankfully Hurricane Ian dodged both boats which were on land in differnt parts of Florida. It’s a bit nerve wracking the first few times, lifting the whaler up and on to the boat but hopefully it will get more routine as we get used to doing it. Wally did maintenance the lift, replace the steel lift cable with synthetic and purchase all new rigging before our first attempt.
The whaler’s name is Hijinx and we are looking forward to some fun in it! Hijinx also got a through cleaning, new electronics and a bilge pump. Wally serviced the 25 hp motor and it runs like a top.
Okay, maybe she’s bigger than we needed but we plan to be living on this boat at least 6 months out of the year and will have friends and family join us as we cruise the great loop. She was also a bit older than we originally wanted but the trade off financially for new/smaller vs older/bigger will hopefully be worth it. I say hopefully, because she has needed a lot of upgrades. I mean thousands of dollars in upgrades…credit card limit increasing upgrades! We did have full marine hull and engine surveys (basically like a pre-purchase house inspection) so we did know what we were getting into. That said, boats are mysterious machines with complicated systems and it never fails that you start by fixing or upgrading one thing and BAM… you are into now elbow deep in two or three other fixes or upgrades that you didn’t budget for or even think needed to be done. BOAT = Break Our Another Thousand!!!
Manuals… lots of manuals! Luckily, the boat came with loads of manuals and documentation, which I sorted, updated and reorganized.
So bam it has been.. it was all the upgrades we wanted to do that have been keeping us busy since November. We have mostly done all this ourselves (well, mostly Captain Handy who I am fortunate to be married to). The galley “needed” all new appliances.. come on now, the old Sub Zero refrigerator was non-operational! The new smart oven replaced the old funky but functioning microwave, the induction cook top replaced the crappy but functioning electric cooktop and the GROSS and non-functioning trash compactor had to go. In its place went a pull out storage area. Woo-hoo, more storage is always appreciated on a boat! We also yarded out all of the stone age TV’s ..three of them, a VCR and a disk music player. The salon (living room in non-boater speak), is getting a new solid maple cabinet that will house the 43 inch smart TV on a remote lift and have more storage. We also replaced the mattresses in the master and guest staterooms (bedrooms) and converted the bunk bed stateroom to storage. The list goes on and on and these upgrades are creature comforts that will make life aboard Escapade even better.
Another huge upgrade was the new flybridge enclosure… the existing one was put on just before we bought the boat by the prior owner. It turned out to be the worst quality material and was the most janky looking piece of garbage. It was conveniently installed just days before we took ownership so there was no negotiating on any of that. The goal of a flybridge enclosure is to provide shade… it did that. It should also make it more comfortable to drive from the flybridge and it should keep the elements out. Big fail on that part, the first time it rained despite having a canvas top that technically did provide shade, it leaked like a sieve and we had to put on rain coats. Did I also mentioning its was a janky piece of junk that started falling apart after 6 month in the sun. UGH, so we had to get a new enclosure and despite the budget shattering price, we love the new enclosure and it doesn’t fail on any of the criteria now. We opted to go with white vinyl “staminode for the top and sides, which is more heat reflective than the black canvas top that was on it.
Happy Hour on the flybridge is a very happy time now!
Janky, Janky, Janky …so damn janky! I was not exaggerating how bad the enclosure was. The rain is supposed to be on the outside …arrgh!
Now that’s what a flybridge enclosure should look like… bye bye janky, hello happiness!!
Notice the rain is on the outside… novel idea huh!!!
Creature comforts are one thing but making sure all the systems are in good shape and operating properly is not only essential to using the boat but are also huge safety factors. With two 450 hp diesel engines, a 13 KW generator, a bow thruster, nine batteries with 3 separate chargers, a windlass system for anchoring and 4 air conditioners there have been plenty of things to maintenance and repair. A boat this size has miles of hoses that get old, brittle and and crack or break. Dozens of hose clamps that can rust out or break – it’s amazing how something as simple as a hose or hose clamp could potentially cause catastrophic damage on a boat. Shortly after we bought the boat we had a certified Cummins Engine Mechanic go through both engines and the generator. There are some thing’s that require writing a check and this one was worth every penny we paid. The four AC units also had a check up and got a clean bill of health from the AC Technician (that was a huge sigh of relief).
We’ve also been replacing old sink faucets, shower heads and checking all the places where water can and SHOULD drain out of the boat. There have been some interesting discoveries of places where water was COMING into the boat – OOPS. Plastic fittings get old and brittle, drains gets plugged – basically shit happens as a boat ages, hmm, kinda like me!
This is a grille on the exterior of the boat where rain water should have been draining out instead it was blocked with gross green plant debris and was backing up into the exterior pilothouse door well. So, we cleaned out all three drains and replace the old cracked grill. Great!!! Until the first time it rained hard… now the water from one of those drains was coming into the boat behind the electrical panel and onto the floor in the salon like a river – not good on so many levels. Turned out a fitting in the wall had broken and when we unplugged the drain it now had a place to go! ARRGH!!!
People always ask me how the pets like the boat… so far they have adjusted quite well to life on Escapade. There are lots of places for Sucia and Bentley to stretch out and nap or watch the world go by outside. The both also love the cockpit and having some sun time out there. Bentley’s other favorite place is the flybridge. There are interior steps from the pilot house to the flybridge so he can easily join us up there. Another great feature that sold us on this boat.
Granted we’ve only left the dock here in Hobe Sound once, LOL. It will be different for them when we start cruising again but it’s not their first rodeo on a boat. I guess I should tell them that we will be on the move again soon.
It’s hasn’t been all work and no play for the crew. We did take a one week trip around Christmas to see my cousins June and Matt in Kentucky. A couple of short trips to the west side of Florida to see friends and a fun weekend on a friends yacht in West Palm Beach. We also had our first guests onboard …yay for girlfriends!!! Locally there is so much to do in this area, farmers markets, art festivals, great water front restaurants, polo and beaches to walk on!
4 months have flown by as we’ve tackled all of these projects and we now have one month until we cast off the lines and cruise off into the sunset! We have a loose schedule and a long list of places we want to see and explore between Florida and the Chesapeake Bay.
It’s a wrap on another summer on the boat and with the borders closed we couldn’t venture out of the San Juan Islands again this summer. That said we had a most excellent summer with loads of friends visiting. The parade of visitors started in June and didn’t end until September.
We did a lot of day cruises this summer and it was fun to show off the beautiful San Juans. Vendovi Island with its peaceful nature preserve was a hit with everyone we took there. The Beach House also hosted several friends for longer multi-day cruises. It was a blast having friends onboard and spending time together in some of our favorite gunk holes in the San Juans.
It was also fun to show off our charming small town Anacortes. Even as a land based destination, there is a ton to do in the area. Whale watching, hiking, biking, pickleball… we also took several trips up Chuckanut Drive, toured and lunched in Bellingham. I hope I sent everyone exhausted or at least tired of us!!
One highlight was taking a flight around the San Juan Islands with our friends John and Kristen. They flew their Piper Warrior – Valentina to Anacortes from Newport, Oregon to meet up with a gang of us from our winter playground in Palm Springs. John is a great pilot and we have flown with him and Kristen several times. Wally especially loves it as he has a tiny bit of experience flying so it is alot of fun when John lets him take over the controls.
We also had our first boat tow ever… our early season shake down cruise to Stuart Island turned into a break down cruise – Ugh, definitely not a highlight!!! We have two engines on the Beach House and could have motored back on one engine but the broken shaft was a huge liability and had it become disengaged from the boat, bad things could have happened. I gotta say being towed is uber boring as you can’t go very fast and a bit embarrassing but the Tow US folks from Friday Harbor did a great job getting us safely back to Anacortes. There were a few tense moments with our insurance company as they were not excited about a 35 mile water tow. Of course we broke down at the furthest most outer island. Luckily, it all worked out and they realized after some explaining that there was no where closer to tow us that could accommodate our size boat for repairs. We ended up moving back onto the Road House for two weeks while the boat was out of the water for repairs. Alls well that ends well and a few boat units were spent to get us back in the water!
The other big excitement that happened this summer was the fire in an abandon building next to our marina. This mysterious fire broke out at 1 am and engulfed the old, decrepit, rat infested building quickly. Bentley was our smoke alarm, he woke Wally up when he smelled the smoke and was insistent that Wally get up, even after being told to go back to bed. Some how I slept through the whole damn thing, but woke up to the over powering smell of smoke and charred wood. After jumping out of bed and looking around, Wally sleepily told me the building burned down. HUH…by the time I got up, the building was a smoldering pile. The fire department was there for over 10 hours making sure there were no hot spots remaining. Despite our close proximity, our marina wasn’t damaged. Had there been wind, our old wood structures would have been at great risk. Guess we can thank the arsonist for at least choosing a calm, windless night.
We also did a whole LOT of crabbing not far from our marina … our 13 ft Boston Whaler is a perfect crabbing machine. I think we tagged more than 160 crabs… NO, we didn’t eat all of them…YES, we shared them with friends and YES, I have frozen crab in the freezer. Many a crab feed ensued this summer… and there will be crab cakes this winter!!!
20 plus years of boating in the San Juans and beyond… we have enjoyed every minute of it too. Retirement has been interesting and nothing like we initially envisioned. Our ideas of what we want to do during these healthy years before we need walkers is becoming a keen reality. Nothing like turning 60 to make one introspective… But seriously, its a big world and with that in mind we have come to the reality that now is the time to close a few doors and open a few others…
Our travels in Road House the next 18 months mean a long hiatus from the Beach House. The Great Loop has long been a dream of ours as well. This year long, 6000 mile adventure called the The Great Loop is a system of waterways that encompasses the eastern portion of the United States and part of Canada. It is made up of both natural and man-made waterways, including the Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, the Rideau Canal, and the Mississippi and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. I have been a member of the America’s Great Loop Cruiser Association for years and we have been gleaning information from the website and forums. The big winter rendezvous is being held in Fort Meyer where we will be wintering so we re enrolled in the 3 day event and educational seminars. SO EXCITED…
We considered shipping the Beach House to the east coast to do the loop but she really is a PNW boat.
Then, there’s the possibility that a house might be built eventually in Anacortes on the lot we bought last summer. Right now, it’s just a bare 1/3 acre lot with an amazing view of the San Juans.
So, the Beach House is under contract . Yep, we took all our personal items off the boat before we left Anacortes, put it all in storage and signed a purchase/sales agreement with a great couple we know from our marina.
It was an emotionally difficult decision as we love the Beach House and have had 6 great years cruising on her. We have kept a boat at Anchor Cove Marina for almost 20 years. It’s been our “Cheers”, it’s been our go to place to relax, it’s been the gateway to fabulous adventures and most of all its been the place we have made wonderful friendships. Closing up the Beach House and taking that last walk up the dock was sad. Sad as it was, change has been really, really good for us and as hard as this was we are both excited to open the door in the next chapter – no walkers for us yet!!!
our38ft^pluslife 