April 15, 2012 - Wrightsville Beach, NC

A beautiful day greeted us on Waccamaw River

Ahead, the river turned into a narrow, man-made cut, called the Rockpile. It’s very narrow, with huge rocks close to the channel. Mariners are instructed to proceed with caution, and stay in the channel.

A golf course straddles the cut, with gondolas to transport duffers from one side to the other.

Adding to the collection of odd craft, these dragon boats were out practice rowing right in the middle of the navigable channel.

And we saw this derelict.

We remembered the last pontoon bridge on the Atlantic Intracoastal, which we had transited on our last trip. Sadly, it’s been replaced by a highrise bridge, more convenient but less colorful.

Along this stretch of North Carolina, the North Atlantic’s inlets make for shifting channels, shoaling and tricky navigation.

This beach reminds us of Daytona, but it’s Carolina Beach, NC. We had thought to anchor near here, but the winds were not favorable, so we proceeded to Wrightsville Beach.

A nice anchorage has been designated here, with room for about 25 boats.

With the hook safely down, we dined aboard and retired with the beautiful sunset.

April 14, 2012 - Waccamaw River Oxbow, SC

Here in the Intracoastal, we are in the Waccamaw River. This area has had a fair amount of rain, and the river is high.

We anchored for the night in an oxbow of the river, with two sailboats as neighbors. It was dark and peaceful overnight.

April 13, 2012 - Dewees Creek, SC

We saw interesting river traffic today, including this number, Renegade of Hilton Head.

This working yard repairs tugs and barges.

We passed busy Charleston Harbor…….

……..its historic battery……….

…….and Fort Sumter.

A passenger ferry services the fort, bringing tourists for visits.

We went on a short distance, and anchored in Dewees Creek. The area is very grassy, with winding channels, unprotected from the wind, but fortunately, we had a calm night on the hook.

April 12, 2012 - Beaufort, SC

As we departed the Westgate’s dock, we passed the Savannah Yacht Club and saw Gemini docked there. Not only is this near Steve and Beth’s home, but it is almost adjacent to Thunderbolt, a well-known boating center.

Thunderbolt has working and pleasure boats.

This one needs some work.

We crossed the busy Savannah River, with its usual commercial traffic.

This houseboat got too close to the banks as the tide receded, and ended up hung up!

Our destination for the night was Beaufort, South Carolina, the state’s second oldest city. It was our first stop in this pleasant city with peaceful riverside parks…….

……..and beautiful historic homes.

The city’s Garden Club has established designated walks in town, which we visited on our walkabout.

Each street is a treat of gorgeous homes, some of which are museums and open for tours. 304 acres of the town have been designated a National Historic Landmark.

The live oaks must be hundreds of years old, covered with Spanish moss, and strong enough to withstand hurricanes.

The river’s bank is lined with stately homes, where river traffic can be viewed from the comfort of your rocking chair.

Charming stores and restaurants await the boaters and land tourists. We dined on fried oysters and calamari at Plums Restaurant right on the waterfront.

The dockage is directly on the Intracoastal.

These fellows have a boat with bar stools mounted on the swim platform. They stopped in front of Monarch for fuel, with stereo blaring. And they used the stools while the boat was underway – certainly not approved by the Coast Guard!

April 10 - 11, 2012 - Savannah, GA

Morning was calm as a millpond, as we snaked our way past Royal Blue at Cattle Pen

We have been invited to stay at the dock of our new friends, Steve and Beth Westgate. We met them aboard Gemini at the Marathon Yacht Club. They have a delightful bungalow on Turner Creek, near Savannah.

At high tide, the dock is almost level.

And a low, not so much as you can see at the neighbor’s dock. We appreciated the chance to dock, wash the salt off Monarch, and see Steve. Beth was out of town.

It was a beautiful day – and evening.

Steve loaned us a car, and we did provisioning. Then we stopped for lunch at the Savannah waterfront.

This statue commemorates the Propeller Club with a model of a side-wheeler. Later that day, Steve took us for a drive around the area, where he grew up. We visited his childhood home, and had a tour of the Savannah Yacht Club. We thank Steve for the hospitality!

April 9, 2012 - Cattle Pen Creek, GA

Today we were up early for a long run offshore. Weather predictions were favorable, with calm predicted, as evidenced by the pall from the inland forest fires, which clouded the morning sun.

After fueling at Port Consolidated here, we headed for the inlet. This boat had been anchored there for a long time.

This has been a strategic location for centuries, as evidenced by the fort.

The seas kicked up more than we expected, but there were several places to go back into the protected Intracoastal, and we chose St. Simons Inlet, with its clearly visible lighthouse.

Other boats also were coming inside, like the fishing boat the Miss Marie. She wasn’t worried about the weather, just about her full hold of seafood. We traveled up the Intracoastal to Cattle Pen Creek for a safe anchorage.

April 8, 2012 - Fernandina Beach, Fl

We were up early for the Florida Yacht Club’s Easter sunrise service on the lawn. We just walked up the dock to the service, during which the sun rose right on schedule….

…as did the Son.

Tonight we stop to anchor in Bell’s River at Fernandina Beach, the last port in north Florida before we cross into Georgia tomorrow. Fernandina is an industrial city, with a paper plant and a nearby Navy submarine base.

At the city dock we see the familiar Mi-T-Mo, which we had seen in southern Florida along the Intracoastal.

At least part of the shrimp fleet is in the harbor today.